On May 7, 2017, hundreds of EMS volunteers and their families gathered at Mount Trashmore for Rock the Squads!, a first-time event honoring their dedication to serving the City of Virginia Beach. Beach Bully catered lunch, and the volunteers gathered on the hill in bright yellow t-shirts for an iconic group photo while Mayor Will Sessoms provided words of appreciation. The event then opened to the public with food trucks, demonstrations by ambulance and special ops vehicles and performances by School of Rock Virginia Beach and The Deloreans 80s Band. A fun time was had by all. A special thanks goes to the major event sponsors, including Virginia Beach EMS, The Virginia Beach Rescue Squad Foundation, the Eddie S. and Sandra H. Garcia Charitable Foundation, Sentara Healthcare and many others.

Dear Brother and Sister Members,

I started in this business in 1967 with a department outside Philadelphia. Big reason was, when the fire siren outside the high school went off, junior firemen could leave school. There was no EMS, but the fire department had a Cadillac ambulance with a big shiny Q2 siren on the roof, and we rode on the tailboard of the fire trucks. Two years there got me a paying job with the Philadelphia Fire Department for six months before I joined the Navy.

By Christi Budy

On May 19, Virginia Beach EMS received the American Heart Association 2017 Mission: Lifeline GOLD EMS Recognition Award at the Virginia Heart Attack Coalition (VHAC) state meeting in Lynchburg, Virginia.

Congratulations to the following individuals who were recognized at the 2017 EMS Awards in May:

Outstanding “Specialist/Support” Member of the Year: Tonya Baker

Certificates of Commendation: Travis Smith, Jack Kirschner

BLS Patient Care Provider of the Year: Amanda Stuffel

ALS Patient Care Provider of the Year: Christie Cifelli

Medal of Merit: Cathileen Watson

Congratulations to the following graduates of BLS Academy #19, who were recognized in a ceremony at the training center on June 8, 2017.

Sergio Adams

Caitlyn Allen

Emily Baynes

Rachel Berman

Rachel Bohs

The deadline to apply for a 2018 Foundation Grant is Oct. 2, 2017. The program, which financially assists the City’s volunteer rescue squad entities with operational improvements, distributed more than $100,000 in grant funds last year to five entities. To learn more and apply, click on “Grants & Scholarships” above.

During the month of June, 5 of all proceeds at Wasserhund Brewing were set aside for the Virginia Beach Volunteer Rescue Squad. EMS volunteers were onsite throughout the month with ambulances and other displays and also hosted a variety of Saturday evening events. It was a fun way to raise more than $3,200 for VBVRS!

Congratulations! Between April 18 and July 6, 2017, the individuals below advanced to the following EMT certification level:

Senior

Cromwell, James

Flack, Rick

Ford, Ray

Lewis, Scott