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
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
Rescue Station 17 – Sandbridge
305 Sandbridge Road
PO Box 6113
Virginia Beach, Va. 23456
(757) 385-2917
www.sandbridgerescuesquad.com
Rescue Station 6 – Creeds
595 Princess Anne Road
Virginia Beach, Va. 23457
(757) 721-6389
VBEMS.com – Creeds
Rescue Station 8 – Virginia Beach
1243 Bayne Drive
Virginia Beach., Va. 23454
(757) 437-4830
www.vbvrs.org
Rescue Station 14 – Virginia Beach
740 Virginia Beach Boulevard
Virginia Beach, Va. 23451
(757) 437-4830
www.vbvrs.org
Rescue Station 16 – Plaza
3610 South Plaza Trail
Virginia Beach, Va. 23452
(757) 385-2684
www.plazarescue.com
Rescue Station 9 – Kempsville
5145 Ruritan Court
Virginia Beach, Va. 23462
(757) 340-KVRS
www.kvrs.org
Virginia Beach EMS Headquarters And Training Center
4160 Virginia Beach Blvd.
Virginia Beach, Va. 23452
(757) 385-1999
www.vbems.com
Rescue Station 2 – Davis Corner
4672 Haygood Road
Virginia Beach, Va. 23455
(757) 460-7574
www.dcvrs.org
Rescue Station 4 – Chesapeake Beach
2211 Greenwell Road
Virginia Beach, Va. 23455
(757) 385-7304
www.res4cue.com
Rescue Station 1 – Ocean Park
3769 Shore Drive
PO Box 5545
Virginia Beach, Va. 23455
(757) 464-0594
www.vbrescue1.com