Meet Some Of Our Members
BOB BOWER – MR81
I joined MRVAS in 2015 and live in Waitsfield. I have been volunteering in EMS for 17 years; first with Bennington Rescue Squad in the late '70's, then UVM Rescue in the early '80's and starting in 2011 with the Middlesex Fast Squad. I also spent 18 years with the Middlesex Volunteer Fire Department. In addition to helping the people of our community on calls, I enjoy training and teaching. Training gives me the opportunity to help people succeed as EMS providers and helps me keep current with the ever-changing medical field.
KIMBERLY CANARECCI – MR47
My name is Kimberly and I’m a single parent of 2 beautiful kiddos ages 13 and 8 in North Fayston. I moved to Vermont from Colorado 8 years ago, leaving my job with the federal government as Federal Project Disaster Coordinator that required a ton of travel, and took a job in Vermont Emergency Management.
I am a former firefighter of 9 years with 6 of that in EMS as a former EMT. I am passionate about helping others and hope someday to be able to commit more time to MRVAS.
WRENN COMPERE – MR82
I'm a board-certified music therapist (mostly school-based) who grew up in Waitsfield. It was a great place to grow up, and a wonderful place to raise my two now-grown kids. It might even be a great place to grow old, who knows?
I love hanging out and talking with people (including my always-interesting husband, Howie McCausland). I love the way MRVAS brings us together as a family, in the service of our community. I've been a dispatcher since 1998!
PETER FORBES - MR87
I’ve been a driver for MRVAS for about a year. My family -Helen, Willow and Wren- and I have lived at Knoll Farm for 20 years where we run a sheep and berry farm and a retreat center. I also love woodcarving, small boats, mountains and salt air. I have a life beyond Knoll Farm as a writer and a facilitator, which has taken me all over the country, but my heart is on this hillside and at the remote stretch of coast in Maine. Helen and I really appreciate being part of MRVAS.
PATTY GIOMETTI -MR67
MARK GIOMETTI -MR17
Attached at the hip, we have been members for eight years. Joni Zweig, our neighbor and 40-year veteran on the service, called me to follow up on my interest in joining and I explained she had to convince Mark. (I know that was so unfair to sic her on him!) Initially, we began as EMRs, but after two years, we trained as EMTs.
We first came to the valley in ‘93 to ski, hike, bike and vacation with our two children. Then in ‘10, we built our retirement home and moved up permanently from Boston. Being members of MRVAS has been a very fulfilling way to give back to this wonderful community. Now I just need to convince Mark to train as a driver so we can do shifts together. (Joni, are you free to speak with him?)
REID GREENBERG – MR93
I'm Reid Greenberg (MR93) and live in Moretown with my three children and wife, Laurie (who is co-principal at Harwood). I've been with MRVAS for almost a year and thrilled to be giving back to our amazing community. I was also an EMT in Chester, VT for a while but that was close to 12 years ago, which explains why I'm a bit rusty from time to time. While living in MT, I was a firefighter and aspired to go to Smoke Jumper School in Missoula but life tossed me a couple of curves and I came back east. We moved to the Valley 11 years ago when I took a job running Keurig's e-commerce business and then took over marketing at Seventh Generation. I was formerly the CEO of Bag Balm and now run an orthodontic company called StarAligners (similar to Invisalign). If any of you or your kids would like straight teeth, let me know and I can hook you up with a deal that will make you 'smile!'
In my free time, I like to fly fish, hunt and whitewater kayak. In the winter, I enjoy anything related to skiing - as long as it's away from the crowds. The best part of my 18 months of COVID was becoming an EMT again and joining MRVAS. Oh, and being with my son when he shot his first buck last Nov was pretty damn cool, too.
GEORGE HALL – MR34
I am a driver and EMT. I have been a member of emergency services for 59 years…starting out with the Mad River Ski Patrol in 1962, joining my first fire department in 1967 in Massachusetts and first ambulance service in 1973 in Connecticut.
I am still active in all three services here in the Valley, having retired to East Warren 15 years ago after serving in several departments as I moved around in high tech sales and marketing positions.
PATTY MARTLEY – MR55
I joined MRVAS in 1993 at the suggestion of Kim Summers, MR 60. I am a family care provider for a family with 3 children and have been with them for 12 years. I love to walk in the woods and swim at Boyce Pond with my dog, Skip. Charles, MR 37, is my husband and we have a son Asher who is a senior at UVM living in Burlington. Hope to get to know all of you in person soon!
HOWIE McCAUSLAND – MR45
I’ve been with MRVAS for something like 8 years; before that was an EMS provider with Bristol Rescue (serves the towns on the west side of our mountains) for about 25 years. For my “day job” I work in the Information Technology department at Middlebury College (where I also do EMS work on their Emergency Response Team). I live with my wife, MRVAS dispatcher Wrenn Compere, just a few doors down the street from the station. In my spare time, I like biking (road bike and “fat bike” for trails), kayaking, birdwatching, and fly-fishing.
KIRSTEN ANDREAE SAVAGE - MR63
TED SAVAGE - MR104
We are Kirsten Andreae Savage & Ted Savage. We moved to the Valley five years ago from Montreal, after working spending most of our lives working in the ski industry. We are based in Eastern Quebec in the summertime, where Ted is a busy Zone Commander with the Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary. He is also a longtime volunteer firefighter, SAR Instructor and current/active FD officer (both in Canada as well as with the WFFD). Unlike Ted, Kirsten had little background or training in emergency services when joining MRVAS last December, so trained first as a Driver. But, she is enjoying being part of the team so much, that she is now taking an EMT class in hopes of being able to contribute more time and skills to MRVAS in the future.
While technically semi-retired, we both still do a bit of consulting work here and there, and are part of the Events Team at GMVS. When not at the Mountain, MRVAS or the WFFD, we love exploring in the woods with our Jack Russel Terrier, Seamus.
SARAH SPENCER – MR38
ANDREW SPENCER – MR15
Sarah and Andrew were recruited to MRVAS in 2018, both completing the EMR course in October 2018, and Andrew became certified as a driver as well. Sarah went on to train for Advanced EMT, and qualified in March 2019. Andrew is the sole proprietor of Mad River Metalworks and Sarah is a solo practitioner in her mobile large animal veterinary practice, Bobbin Mill Veterinary Services. Aside from our businesses and commitment to MRVAS, we are in the very long process (4 years and counting) of building a 2500sq ft workshop at The Bobbin Mill in Warren to house Mad River Metalworks. We grew up in the Valley and MRVAS runs in our family - Sarah's father, Barry Simpson, and Andrew's mother, Susan Spencer, were EMTs with MRVAS in the 1970's. We spent 7 years living in New Zealand, 5 years in England, and 6 months touring 22 countries in Europe in a small campervan we built, before returning to Vermont in 2017. We're so happy to settle back in Vermont, and glad to be part of the MRVAS family!
HELEN WHYBROW – MR94
Helen Whybrow got her EMT license this summer and is a medical trainee. She owns and operates Knoll Farm with her partner, Peter Forbes. Helen grew up on a farm in NH and is a book editor and writer. She loves backcountry skiing, rock climbing and hot baths. Her favorite amphibian is the garden toad.