Super Senior: Ed Dias

WALLINGFORD, Vt. (WCAX) - Like so many rescue squads in Vermont, Wallingford relies on volunteers to fill the ranks. And at just a month shy of 79, Ed Dias is the oldest to go out on calls.

“This is where I’m at most of the time,” Dias said. “I enjoy helping people.”

Just before the pandemic, Dias approached the rescue squad’s Eric Davenport about joining. ”First reaction was, he’s very interested,” Davenport said.

“He said, umm, asked me how old I was and all that,” Dias recalled.

“I will admit, I kind of went, if he was 20 years younger, that would be great,” Davenport said.

“Me too,” Dias said. “I think I impressed on him that I was serious.”

Very serious. Dias is no token member. Since the start of their fiscal year, of the 242 calls they’ve had, Dias has been on 197 of them. In 2019 it was just 150 calls. Now, they also cover East Wallingford, after the rescue squad there dissolved.

“We get a lot of calls with the elderly from this area. We do get drug-related calls, but it’s not as much as the other areas,” said Wallingford Rescue president Greg Ricketts. He says they could use a few more people like Dias.

The Super Senior’s medical training goes back to his native California. In the ‘60s, he was a Navy corpsman -- similar to an Army medic. After his stint in the Navy, Dias became an ambulance driver.

“This is the skinny little guy that I met in 1967 out in Palo Alto, California,” said Trudy Dias, pointing to a picture of her husband-to-be.

But Trudy, a native Vermonter, felt the call of home. “I liked it for a year or two but I missed the change of seasons terribly and I transplanted him back here,” she said.

They raised a family and Dias had various jobs in the Green Mountains. It was when a neighbor needed medical care -- and rescue showed up -- that his memories of helping people bloomed again.

Reporter Joe Carroll: Did that pique your interest?

Ed Dias: Absolutely.

Reporter Joe Carroll: Were you concerned about his age?

Trudy Dias: No. I don’t think about age. I think about what we’re able to do and how well we’re able to do it.

“The biggest gratification I get is when a patient that I’d dealt with or a relative walks up to me and personally thanks me for help,” Dias said. “I’m getting a little teary here, but... that tells me I’m doing a good job and it’s well worth what I’m doing... I’ll probably keep going until I can’t do it anymore... the good lord will tell me when to stop.”

Copyright 2024 WCAX. All rights reserved.