MONKTON — After more than a year without first response service, Monkton is poised to get its rescue squad back.
Four Monkton EMTs, led by assistant fire chief Kevin Alexander, are applying for licensure from the Vermont Department of Health and hope to be up and running in June.
 “It’ll bring quicker response time,” said Alexander, an EMT who serves with Bristol Rescue in addition to his service with the Monkton Fire Department. “There’s definitely a need.”
Alexander said that at the moment, Bristol Rescue, which can go up to the Hinesburg border, covers the Monkton area. Alexander has also, on occasion, responded individually to calls for assistance.
Monkton’s rescue squad lost its license last year because the state requires each squad to have at least four licensed EMTs and Monkton’s squad had always been strapped for volunteers. Alexander said that for almost four decades, EMT Diane Bennett took on most of the rescue squad work essentially by herself and relied on other licensed EMTs only occasionally.
“She did a great job for 38 years,” Alexander said.
Alexander hopes that Bennett will come back on board with the revived rescue squad. Bennett has already donated all of her equipment to Alexander and the other Monkton EMTs, substantially offsetting the costs of starting the squad up again. The Monkton Rescue Squad will be run through the fire department and store its equipment at the fire department’s headquarters on States Prison Hollow Road.
The start-up costs were also covered by $4,051 that had been returned to the town after being unused during FY 2011-2012 when the rescue squad was defunct, as noted in a line item in the 2012 town report.
Alexander is excited to have four EMTs on board, but is also looking forward to more people joining up.
“There’s a first responder class over in Vergennes,” Alexander said. “I hope Diane is going to go; and I hope other people think about getting involved.”