On a beautiful Sunday morning during the 10 a.m. service, the officiant at an LBI church paused, mid-sentence, because very quietly and with an air of dignity, a parishioner appeared to be in distress. A doctor in attendance rushed to her aid and 911 was called. Within minutes, police officers from Long Beach Township were there with oxygen, and the emergency medical technicians from the Beach Haven First Aid Squad arrived very shortly thereafter.

The EMTs, who are all volunteers, were in the middle of their normal Sunday morning routine when the call came in, but…