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Not all volunteer emergency organizations are alike. This
becomes particularly evident as we meet or hear from volunteer emergency activists from
other regions, or in some cases, other countries. Here, in question and answer
format, we attempt to explain what makes our volunteer emergency organization unique.
We try to cover a lot of ground here, from the attitudes of upper management, to
the minute-to-minute details of standing rescue duty.
- How busy are we?
- Very. We handled 7,744 calls in 2001.
- How would we characterize our upper management?
- Our Vision Statement says it all. We intend to be a platform for volunteer
activism in the mitigation of emergencies -- even if the definition of
"emergency" changes over time.
It's not lost on us that our organization began as a rural volunteer firefighting company.
It spun off a volunteer rescue squad, which it partnered with for thirty years.
It finally evolved into the monolithic organization -- what we call a
"volunteer rescue squad" -- that it is today.
We believe that volunteerism is good for our community. In fact, we feel that it's a
vital part of a thriving democracy.
- I run as an EMT or Paramedic in another jurisdiction, and I'll be
visiting Virginia Beach soon. If I bring my gear, can I help you
man one of your units?
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No. We would love, however, to have you ride along
as a hands-off observer.
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