Virginia Association of Volunteer Rescue Squads, Inc P O Box 279 Oilville, VA 3129-0279
800-833-0602

The Virginia Association of Volunteer Rescue Squads, Inc.’s Executive Committee voted on August 6, 2005, to support the concept of consolidation of EMS into a high-level, federal EMS agency within the Department of Homeland Security equal to the representation of police and fire.

This support came after discussion among officers of the VAVRS and after reading and reviewing a report published by the George Washington University Homeland Security Policy Institute that also supported an EMS agency in the Department of Homeland Security.

VAVRS President Gary Dalton said, “This is a very complicated issue, and a majority of EMS providers are concerned about having such a small role in the present makeup of the Department of Homeland Security as compared to their extensive roles that each provider participates in on a daily basis. We are completely aware that the model we set up today will directly impact EMS for many years.

The VAVRS was organized in 1928 by Julian Stanley Wise, the man who also organized the first volunteer rescue squad in the world. The VAVRS membership is made up of over 330 licensed EMS agencies in the Commonwealth of Virginia and some 18,000 EMS providers who work in the streets every day, many as volunteers. These providers have expressed that they want to see a change and would like to have EMS recognized at the same level as police and fire.”

Sincerely,
Gary A. Dalton, VAVRS President 2003-2005

VA_Association_of_Volunteer_Rescue_Sqds.pdf (21 Kb, 0 downloads) VA Supports USEMSA