WASHINGTON — Ask Washington Fire Commissioner Debbie Matson what her life was like exactly one year ago and she'll tell you about the nail-biting stress.
   She was looking for a new vehicle for the township's firefighters, but it wasn't a fire truck that she had her eye on. She needed an ambulance for the fire crew which was about to take on additional responsibility serving as the township's rescue squad unit.
   For these career firefighters, it's been one year since they assumed the role of the Washington Township Rescue Squad, under the supervision of Deputy Chief Kevin Brink.
   Ambulance services were previously provided by the Allentown First Aid Squad, but the squad stopped servicing Washington in 2001 due to a decline in its volunteer membership at the time.
   "The guys here do a tremendous job," Ms. Matson said. "They have a great response time."
   "We have some of the best employees in the whole county," Deputy Chief Brink said of his staff of 20 paid firefighters who also serve as EMTs. The testing for their job is highly competitive, Deputy Chief Brink said.
   "For the most part," he said on the one-year birthday of his squad, "being our first year, I think everything went pretty smoothly."
   The year consisted of more than 600 emergency calls ranging from car accidents to traumas to heart attacks, he said.
   Deputy Chief Brink recalled one incident in which the squad stabilized a heart attack victim and helped restore his breathing.
   Not all emergencies have such a happy ending, though, he said.
   "There's a lot of bad stuff," he said. "It's usually sad."
   But his colleague, firefighter Steve Schnaudt, felt otherwise.
   "A lot of good stuff (happened) too," Mr. Schnaudt said. "It's a good feeling you have when you go out to someone's house and you improve their quality of life or relieve some of their pain."
   Deputy Chief Brink said occasionally, throughout the past year, the department would receive gifts of cookies and candy in recognition of its work.
   "Somebody dropped off a cheesecake last week," Mr. Schnaudt said.
   The displays of thanks are not how the department is gauging its success, though. Recently, the squad began sending out surveys to residents it's helped or treated.
   "We actually work for the taxpayers, so they are our customers," Mr. Schnaudt said. The intention of the survey, he said, is to determine "people's honest and objective opinion."
   Enclosed with a letter addressed to the "customer" — or patient who was cared for by the squad — is a survey asking readers to rate the department's response time, professional attitude and ability to explain procedures.
   Mr. Schnaudt said the department has received particularly high marks on its response time and "very good" to "excellent" responses to most of the questions.
   "We just want to keep providing them with the best protection that we can — both fire and EMT," Ms. Matson said.
   In response to Washington's growing residential development, especially the growth of Town Center, Deputy Chief Brink said the squad is looking to acquire any or all emergency materials it may need. With the addition of two man-made lakes in town, Deputy Chief Brink said the squad hopes to purchase a small boat for water rescues.
   "We're working to tailor our services to meet the needs of the community," he said. Being in sync with the townspeople, Mr. Schnaudt said, is what makes the Washington Fire Department unique.