Where would the City of Virginia Beach be without its EMS volunteers? No group does more for the city, and no city in the U.S. depends on volunteer EMTs more than Virginia Beach.
Recognition for the volunteers and the EMS system as a whole is long overdue. That’s why, on Sunday, May 7, the Mayor and City Council have invited all members of the Volunteer Rescue Squads of Virginia Beach to attend Rock the Squads! at Mount Trashmore. The event, which runs from Noon-5pm, will celebrate operational, administrative and special operations team members. There will be free lunch catered by Beach Bully for volunteers and their immediate families, as well as raffle prizes, entertainment by 80s cover band, the Deloreans, and more.
Volunteers will also receive a free commemorative t-shirt to wear in the first-ever group photo on the side of Mount Trashmore, showcasing the power in numbers of our volunteer EMS system. Volunteers: You don’t want to be left out of this iconic picture that will likely be hung in most stations and be viewed on multiple websites as well as in the news media.
Later that afternoon, the public will be invited to enjoy free musical entertainment, food trucks, vehicle displays, demos and more.
Why do our EMS volunteers deserve this recognition? Virginia Beach residents and visitors have a big advantage over those in other cities. They don’t pay for pre-hospital emergency medical care, and more significantly, they are statistically more likely to survive a heart attack. The service of the volunteer EMTs is estimated to save taxpayers more than $24 million annually. But amazingly, many citizens are not aware of the volunteers, who are professionally trained and answer the bulk of more than 40,000 emergency calls each year.
Volunteers and families – put the date on your calendars NOW. It’s a chance for Virginia Beach to showcase the power of its volunteer system and for the public to recognize everything they do to serve the community.