Our March First Responder of the Month, Mangesh Karhadkar, was first introduced to Montgomery Emergency Medical Services on the Montgomery Park volleyball court. After moving to the township in 2015 with his wife and 2 young boys, Mangesh would spend his pastime playing volleyball or cricket with other members of the community. It was at one of these meetups that Mangesh was introduced to members of Montgomery EMS. Inspired by their dedication and intrigued by their work, he joined the squad.
Mangesh jumped in the driver seat and quickly completed the driver training. Although he loves to drive, he felt as though he could do more. Despite not having taken an academic course in well over 10 years, Mangesh enrolled in the rigorous EMT course. While reflecting back on the stressful and challenging course, Mangesh recalls a famous quote of Nelson Mandela - “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” Mangesh has taken that to heart as he’s become an invaluable and critical member of the Montgomery EMS operation.
Since passing the EMT course and becoming New Jersey State certified, Mangesh regularly operates in every role on the ambulance. In his nearly 2000 hours volunteering he has responded to over 220 calls, spanning a wide variety of emergencies. Mangesh was on the front lines throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and was one of the countless first responders in Montgomery who spent nearly 24 hours non-stop responding to various emergencies throughout the county in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida.
“If I can do it, anyone can.”
When looking back on the pandemic, Mangesh states “During the pandemic, we all took great care of our families and Montgomery EMS as an extended family was exceptional for the residents of Montgomery. When responding to 911 calls, we meet people in their most vulnerable state, the MEMS team is always focused on providing hope, assurance and the utmost care to ensure they reach the Emergency Department where they will receive further expert care.”
When Mangesh is not volunteering, he works in the Compliance Division of a major US Bank after having gotten his Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science followed by a Master’s in Business Administration. Joining Montgomery EMS was far outside the realm of his career. Despite all of the challenges and scary moments, becoming a first responder has been rewarding beyond anything Mangesh could have imagined. He says, “It is a privilege to be able to help people in their time of need.”
Through MEMS, Mangesh has been able to give back to the community while also making lifelong friends and building bonds as a MEMS family. If you ask Mangesh, he’ll tell you that “There is nothing else more satisfying that one would rather be doing in their free time than helping people in need.” He looks forward to continuing to ride with MEMS and serving his community for the foreseeable future! MEMS is a great place to volunteer and he says “If I can do it, anyone can”.
