How, you ask? The Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rescue Squad.
‘‘I get a good salary as a tax-law editor, but it’s not very exciting,” said Bryniarski, 52. ‘‘[The Rescue Squad] though, that can be an adventure.”
Bryniarski is one of the nearly 150 volunteers who fill the ranks of the Rescue Squad, located on Battery Lane in Bethesda.
Bryniarski’s double life of a mild-mannered tax-law editor by day and fearless rescuer by night isn’t as far-fetched as it may sound. The squad attracts all kinds of professionals, from teachers and lawyers to researchers at the National Institutes of Health and computer technicians.
Their reasons for joining the squad are just as diverse as the jobs they leave at 5 p.m.
Some caught the volunteer bug. Others need an adrenaline rush after spending their days in a cubicle. But none would trade their rescue squad position for anything.
‘‘This gets into your bones and becomes a defining part of your life,” said Kumar Vaswani, a member of the squad’s Board of Directors. ‘‘When squad members die, often the first thing in their obituaries is that they were a member of the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rescue Squad.”
For Andrew Zuraw, joining the squad five years ago helped him get something physical out of his life. He spends his days as a researcher for Geico.
‘‘My day job is very white collar, and this is very hands on,” said the 27-year-old Silver Spring resident. ‘‘It’s nice to be able to get outside.”
The rescue squad provides a variety of services for the community, including ambulance and paramedic service, as well as support for area fire companies. Its service area is vast, covering parts of Potomac, Rockville, Bethesda, Chevy Chase, Kensington and even northwest Washington.
Founded in 1937 as the Chevy Chase First Aid Corps, the squad fields more than 10,000 calls a year, or more than one an hour, according to Vaswani.
During the day the squad employs 30 to 40 full-time people, but from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., it’s all volunteers.
Volunteer Chief Ned Sherburne, who works for the federal government during the day, said the diverse group of people at the station, from age 16 to their early 60s, helps the squad.
‘‘We have all kinds here, and each person brings something different,” said the 48-year-old Bethesda resident. ‘‘Some bring their accounting skills and help with the books, while others are more physical.”
One thing that every member must bring, however, is dedication. Sherburne said a volunteer has to dedicate 200 hours to the squad their first year for training, and the average squad member serves at least one 12-hour shift per week. For most in the squad however, the required hours are just a starting point.
Jill Weaver, 31, of Silver Spring said most members go above and beyond their requirement. After first joining the squad a year ago, Weaver was having trouble learning part of a required test on splints.
‘‘I sent out an e-mail to the squad, and when I came in that night, four or five people were waiting to teach me,” she said. ‘‘I didn’t even really know them, and they gave up their free time to help. That’s the kind of squad this is.”
