This month marks the
67
th
year
for the Virginia Beach Volunteer Rescue Squad
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In the early 1950s, the sleepy little resort area known to most as “the village” had a population of approximately 10,000 residents. The village stretched from Rudee Inlet to 49
th
Street, and most residents knew one another.
One cold December afternoon in 1951, attorney J. Peter Holland III came upon the scene of an accident near the corner of 24
th
Street and Atlantic Avenue. A woman had been struck by a car, so Holland called for an ambulance. The Fire Department ambulance was disabled and unable to respond to the call, so Holland called the Fort Story Army installation. The Dispensary was hesitant to send assistance because the injured party was not in the military. Holland’s persistence resulted in an ambulance from Fort Story taking the woman to the hospital, three blocks from the site of the accident, nearly an hour after the request for help.
Unsatisfied, Peter Holland rounded up some friends to discuss the urgent need for an active volunteer ambulance service in Virginia Beach. The group visited a volunteer rescue squad in Fredericksburg, which had been operating successfully for several years. The group returned home with a vision and a plan, which became the nucleus for the proposed Princess Anne – Virginia Beach Rescue Squad.
The group sought and received $500 from the Virginia Beach City Council and the Princess Anne County Board of Supervisors. John Fitzgerald donated a laundry truck to be used as a salvage vehicle, and a small boat was acquired to aid in water rescues. The disabled Cadillac ambulance that started Holland and friends on this mission was sold to the fledgling squad for $1, as were a trio of metal buildings on 20
th
Street and Pacific Avenue, which had belonged to the Standard Oil Company. Two of the buildings were used as garages, while the third became a 10 x 18 foot
“squad house”. The squad space included two home-built bunks, with an overhead gas heater, and beaverboard walls. There was no insulation.
First, prospective members took the standard first-aid course offered by the American Red Cross; then uniforms and equipment were purchased. Finally, on May 1, 1952, the Princess Anne – Virginia Beach Rescue Squad, Inc. began operations with twenty-two charter members, and one associate.
The first call for service came on May 1. A sailor who had either fallen or jumped from the Boardwalk and drowned before the arrival of the rescue squad proved an inauspicious beginning for a squad that would later be known for its’ lifesaving efforts.
Today, the Virginia Beach Volunteer Rescue Squad has approximately 150 operational members, who respond to emergency calls. The squad also has a large support staff, who help with everything from ambulance check-offs to social events. VBVRS mans a minimum of two to three Advanced Life Support ambulances 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, working from two state-of-the-art stations. In addition, we staff numerous special events and operations throughout the year. Our members answer somewhere in the vicinity of 13,000 call annually, about one-third of all the calls in the city of Virginia Beach. Our training program and probationary period produce highly respected first responders, who are proud of the service we provide to the community. In 2018, we received the World EMS Volunteer Agency of the Year. Though VBVRS responds to calls anywhere in the city, we remain firmly aware of our roots in the Oceanfront and Great Neck areas; and we sincerely thank those who have supported us throughout the years.
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Tidewater EMS Council's
EMS and Emergency Nursing Education Expo
Save The Date:
May 2-5, 2019
DELTA HOTELS BY MARIOTT
- CHESAPEAKE, VIRGINIA
Tracks Include Cardiac, Trauma, Medical, Pediatric, Leadership, Nursing, and More…
Dr. Peter Antvey
will be the Keynote/General Session Speaker on Friday, May 5th
Bob Holdsworth, author of "Wading into Chaos"
will be presenting a Leadership track and will be available for a book signing event
Bob Page - The Jeopardy King
will be presenting Thursday and Friday
Massima
will be presenting the Friday Lunch & Learn;
Sonosite
will be presenting the Saturday Lunch & Learn
Saturday Night Social - Cinco De Mayo
DON'T MISS OUT...REGISTRATION STILL OPEN - CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW!!
CEU AND CE AVAILABLE FOR EMS PERSONNEL AND NURSES!!
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Between the dates of March 30, 2019 and April 22, 2019
the following individuals have advanced
to the current EMT Certification Level:
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Life
Pinion, John
EMT-B
Ashburn, Alexandra Dupree
Atkins, Katelyn
Baker, Kristina
Benik, Jared
Bullock, Rebecca
Carter, Joseph
Guevara, Brandon
Herrera, Olivia
Jackson, Cody
James, Emily
Khadivi, Aram
Miller, Jake
Rone, Shanna
Rose, Richard
Rowe, Antara
Setchell, Ariel
Spruill, Macon
BLS Intern
Amelly, Darby
Baldwin, Jason
Barna, Noah
Bayona, Joshua
Bellows, Lauren
Bowman, Rebecca
Boyde, Marie
Brown, Joan
Carr, Rusty
Garcia, Nicole
Huynh, Kathy
Jones, Lauren
Null, Forrest Woody
Prado, Kelly
Roberson, Wilhelmina
Rose, Jonathan
Sharpe, Richard
Simon, Allison
Smith, Chelsea
Tomlin, Czaria
Westmoreland, Emily
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Student
Ball, Phillip
Barker, Tyler
Brown, Austin
Burke, Stephanie
Capbell, Zachary
Crane, Ellen
Dickerson, marissa
Gibeaut, Marlena
Gonzalez, Alexis
Hinson, Teresa
Jenkins, Keshiah
Jolly, Michael
Krizov, Alexander
Kuenzli, James
Lai, Kelsey
Loeffler, David
MacCuish, Bryan
Miller, Jeffrey
Miller, Lorin
Moter, Joanne
Ochoa, Brian
Painter, Stephanie
Pease, Meghan
Penning, Emily
Potter, Jasmine
Ratley,Mary
Robinson, Brandon
Rountree, Lasarita
Stiller, Christian
Stricklin, Tiffany
Tipis, Ivy
Torres, Lourdes
Turner, Brianna
Walker, Jordan
Wolfe, Jacob
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COMMUNITY APPRECIATION
Testimonials and letters from grateful neighbors
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QUICK LINK TO YOUR WEEKLY UPDATES
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Your VBEMS Updates can be accessed at any time by visiting
HERE
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HAPPY MAY BIRTHDAY!
Happy Birthday to VBVRS - May 1, 1952
We want to recognize your birthday!
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We would LOVE your newsletter contributions!
Do you have events to share on our future calendar?
Have an idea for a story? Questions? Compliments?
Other input?
Contact us!
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IT'S NEW, IMPROVED AND IT NEEDS YOU!
We are pleased to announce that
Rescue Lines
is undergoing a makeover to make it more relevant than ever!
Rescue Lines
will now be sent directly to your email on a monthly basis and will be expanded to include critical VBEMS updates.
On a quarterly basis, we will include stories from
Rescue Lines
in a downloadable PDF version which can be printed and shared or sent digitally to donors, family and friends. Printed copies of the quarterly version can be requested free of charge from EMS; contact VBEMS at
RescueLines@vbrescuecouncil.org
for guidelines, requests and further details.
Every month,
Rescue Lines
will also feature a special offer or giveaway for rescue personnel, so be certain to open it.
WE NEED YOUR HELP
.
This newsletter is not only created for you, but also created by you! In the new and improved
Rescue Lines
, we would like to take a month to individually spotlight each Squad, the VBEMS Personnel and the Specialty Teams in the
SQUAD SPOTLIGHT.
We hope you will read, enjoy and contribute to your newsletter.
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$100 Gift Card WINNER!
Katarina Nadjkovic
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Just for being a part of this group you will be automatically entered into a drawing each month!
Be sure to check every newsletter for all the news you need to know and to see if you are the lucky WINNER!
If you are the winner, contact
Mary-Ellen McLean, Program Officer, VBRSF, Phone number: (757) 437-4830 or email address:
mmclean@vbrescuefoundation.org
to collect your prize!
Members are eligible to win each month, but can only be a prize winner once per year.
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