Lyme Ambulance Association

04/23/2026

🫶 Meet Your Responder: Missy Cotter

Finance professional, animal advocate, outdoor enthusiast—and a dedicated volunteer EMT with Lyme EMS.

Before calling Lyme home, Missy spent most of her career on Wall Street, working for NASDAQ and other financial firms in NYC and New Jersey. September 11, 2001, became a turning point when she witnessed firsthand the attacks on the Twin Towers. Surviving that morning led her to make a promise—to give back and do good for others whenever she could.

That promise led her to Emergency Medical Services.

❝ I didn’t come from a medical background, just a desire to help. Being there for someone when it matters most is an incredible privilege. ❞

Missy has now been an EMT for 19 years and has never once regretted the decision. In June 2023, she joined Lyme EMS as a volunteer EMT and later served as Training Officer.

By day, Missy works at Essex Financial Services, partnering with leadership to manage properties and coordinate employee and client events. Outside of work and EMS, she’s deeply involved in animal rescue, volunteering at Ray of Light Farm in East Haddam, where she mentors veterans and individuals with developmental disabilities and helps with weekly evening feedings. She also serves on the board of the Community Foundation of Middlesex County.

When she finds the time, Missy enjoys skiing, snowmobiling, motorcycling, kayaking, golfing, gardening, and working with the horses at the farm.

👉 Thank you, Missy, for turning a promise into a lifetime of service and for always showing up for our community. 💙

Lyme EMS volunteers are everyday people, just like Missy. If you’ve ever felt the call to give back, you don’t need medical experience—just heart.

📞 Contact Deputy Chief Ariana Eaton: 860-434-7225
📧 deputychief@lymeambulance.org

04/20/2026

Grateful for everyone who showed up this Saturday! 💙

Empowered. Informed. Grateful. Inspired.
That’s the feedback we heard from people as they left our CPR Family & Friends - FREE Class this weekend.

Thank you for taking the time to learn life-saving skills and for showing up for one another.

More Free Community Education Classes:

May 2: Hands-Only CPR at Lyme Public Hall
June 10: Senior Safety at the Lymes' Senior Center
June: Family & Friends CPR (date and location coming soon)

Be sure to register online - classes are filling up quickly!
We are available for group training!

A few moments from the day ⬇️
More trained hands = a stronger, safer Lyme.

03/27/2026

💙 Please join us in welcoming Ray Fusco and Keely Greiner, two of our newest volunteer EMTs!

Ray recently moved to Lyme with his family and comes to us with extensive EMS experience from New Jersey and New York. In keeping with our community’s spirit, he signed up to volunteer even before unpacking all his boxes!

Keely has been an EMT since 2019. She moved to Lyme from Guilford last year with her family and is continuing her path toward a medical career. We’re lucky to have her as part of our volunteer team while she is in town.

We’re grateful every day for the volunteers who keep Lyme EMS running. As schedules change and life gets busy, keeping a full team ready to respond 24/7 takes a community effort.

That’s why we’re always looking for more neighbors willing to step forward. No medical experience needed, just a willingness to help when it matters most.

Join us, or tag a neighbor who might be interested.

Call Ariana at 860-434-7225 to learn more.

03/24/2026

Because emergencies don’t come with instructions, learn how to help in those unexpected moments.

✔️ Child & Infant CPR
✔️ Choking Response
✔️ Hands‑On Practice

Join us for our Family & Friends CPR Class on April 18 designed for real‑life situations whether you’re a parent, grandparent, babysitter, or friend.

We’ll show you how to respond with confidence.
🗓 April 18 | 10:00–11:30 AM  
📍 Hamburg Station, Lyme

Free and open to the community. Register online or email mailto:ariana@lymeambulance.org
Registration is required.
More trained hands = a safer community 💙
Because you are the first responder.

03/11/2026

One of the most meaningful parts of what we do is hearing from the people we serve.
We caught up with Marcy at our recent Community Education First Aid class, where she shared her personal experience with our volunteer responders. A proud Mets fan who knows the value of a good team — on and off the field — Marcy reminded us how much it means to have people you can count on when it matters most.
To our volunteer EMTs, thank you for the care and calm you bring in difficult moments.
To neighbors like Marcy, and everyone who continues to show up for our classes, learn lifesaving skills, and share your experiences, THANK YOU for helping make Lyme a stronger and safer community.
💙 Real neighbors. Real moments. Real care.
Hear from your neighbors

03/02/2026

Saving Lives one heart at a time

02/27/2026

🚨 Last Chance to Register – CPR Hands-Only - FREE Class

In a cardiac emergency, every minute counts.

As Chief Steve Olstein points out, YOU are the first responder until we get there.

This is your opportunity to learn how to step in with confidence when it matters most. Our FREE CPR class is Tomorrow - Saturday at 10 AM at Hamburg Station. Registration closes the 27th - today. Space is limited.

👉 Register now
lymeems.org
or call Ariana at 860.434.7225

📍 Hamburg Station – Tiffany Room
213 Hamburg Rd. (Rte. 156)
🗓 Saturday, February 28 | 10 AM

February is American Heart Month, a nationwide observance that spotlights cardiovascular disease and the need for more lifesavers.

Ordinary people have extraordinary power.
Anyone can save a life. In every cardiac emergency, the real first responder is not always a uniformed professional but often a friend, family member, or even a stranger nearby. You are the first responder until professional help arrives.

American Heart Association - Campaign concept credit

02/27/2026

Friendly reminder for all Essex Bank customers - last chance to vote for your 3 favorite non-profits. Saturday is the last day you can vote and make a difference. Thank you for giving back to our community Essex Bank!

💙 Lyme neighbors and Essex Bank customers — your vote makes a difference!

Each year, Essex Bank donates a portion of its profits to local nonprofits, and customers decide which nonprofits receive the funds through the Community Investment Program. Every vote for Lyme Ambulance Association (Lyme EMS) helps support emergency medical care, community education, and lifesaving services right here in Lyme.

Please consider voting for Lyme Ambulance Association this February — we’d be honored to have your support.

- Essex Bank customers:
✔️ Vote for "Lyme Ambulance Association" during the month of February
✔️ Vote for up to three of your favorite local organizations
✔️ Vote online through your account and/or at any Essex Bank branch

Thank you to Essex Bank for investing in the communities you serve — and thank you for supporting Lyme EMS. 💙

02/26/2026

Emergencies don’t stop for snowstorms and neither do our volunteers.

During the recent big storm, our Lyme EMS responders stayed overnight at the Hamburg Road station to make sure help was never far away. In the early hours of the morning, at the height of the storm, they answered a 911 call up a steep, unplowed driveway. Thanks to Scott Yeomans of the Lyme Fire Company and his plow, we were able to reach the patient and transport them safely to the hospital.

Our drivers are specially trained to operate our 4WD F-450 ambulance in severe conditions (with our second ambulance equipped with snow chains for packed snow).

Special thanks to Jason Howell and Heather Bannister for being on duty both nights — and of course to Scott for clearing the way when it mattered most. 💙

Someone help you during the storms? Tag them below!

02/23/2026

Please stay off the roads. Joshuatown Road is closed at Brockway Ferry Road and is not plowed north of Brockway Ferry.

Even where roads have been plowed, conditions are VERY slick with drifting and icing. Travel is dangerous.

Please stay in and give our town crews the space they need to work safely.

Stay safe, Lyme.

Christy Zelek
First Selectwoman