Thank you for your interest in volunteering with the White Oak Volunteer Rescue Squad.
Below is some information that we believe may be of use to persons considering membership.
EMS IS NOT FOR EVERYONE, BUT VOLUNTEERING CAN BE
There is plenty of opportunity to serve your community through the volunteer EMS service, and much of it has nothing to do with direct patient contact.
Emergency medical services is one of the most challenging professions today. It is this diversity that inspires most men and women to enter EMS. This business is not for everyone, however. You need more than just desire to help people. You need courage, dedication, assertiveness and a willingness to learn new skills and face new challenges.
The personal rewards and satisfaction received from the volunteer emergency medical services are often beyond description. There is a sense of accomplishment after helping a member of our community, joy and elation when a child is born or a life is saved and compassion for accident victims.
If you are looking for a change of pace or excitement in your life, the world of emergency medical services could be for you. If this action-filled lifestyle does not appeal to you, have no fear, there is plenty more that can be done in the business of emergency medical services that does not include emergency medical situations.
We have various committees within the Squad, all of which you will be welcomed to join. Running and maintaining a Squad of our size is time consuming and at times, costly, so the volunteering of your time is something we value. Just the maintenance of the building and grounds alone runs into quite a piece of change. We also maintain a computer system, attend to regular ambulance and equipment maintenance, as well as tending to fundraising, banquets, memorial services, member activities, parades, and a full menu of things that need to be done by the volunteers.
Want To Help?
Get Involved!
The rescue squad needs drivers and EMTs!
To be a Regular member of the White Oak Volunteer Rescue Squad you must be certified in Virginia as either:
- Emergency Vehicle Operator
- Emergency Medical Technician at the Basic level or above.
( Of course, people who can do both are especially handy!)
Drivers Needed!
Ambulances are much more than just big mini-vans. To become an ambulance driver, you need to take the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Emergency Vehicle Operator Class (EVOC) and pass both a written and driving test for Class 2 emergency vehicles. The class usually consists of lectures and one full day to practice driving the ambulance and take the driving test. (By the way, passing EVOC can lower your “points” and your insurance premiums!)
Become an EMT!
Learn how to save lives- become an EMT! The Commonwealth of Virginia currently recognizes several levels of training for Emergency Medical Technicians:
EMT-Basic
EMT-Enhanced
EMT-Intermediate
EMT-Paramedic
Everyone starts out at the EMT-Basic level. People certified at the EMT-Basic level, (EMT-B’s) provide “basic life support.” Some of things that EMT-B’s can do are:
- give patients several types of medications,
- perform CPR,
- shock a patient in cardiac arrest,
- deliver a baby,
- immobilize a patient with a head or back injury.
The class you take to become an EMT-Basic consists of 144 hours in the classroom, plus 10 hours of clinical/field rotations. At the end of the class, you must pass the state certification exam. The state exam consists of a written, multiple-choice exam and practical scenarios in which you must perform key skills. Virginia certification requires successful completion of a standardized cognitive and psychomotor skills examination. This course is designed to train individuals to serve as a vital link in the chain of the health care team. This includes all skills necessary to provide emergency medical care as an attendant-in-charge with a basic life support ambulance service or other specialized rescue services. Upon successfully completion of the training program, the student will be capable of performing the following functions:
- Recognize the nature and seriousness of the patient’s condition or extent of injury to assess requirements for emergency care.
- Administer appropriate emergency care to stabilize the patient’s condition.
- Lift, move, position and otherwise handle the patient in a way as to minimize discomfort and further injury.
The EMT training program is based upon the Virginia EMS Education Standards derived from the USDOT National EMS Education Standards.
EMT Classes are offered by different rescue squads in the area, by the Stafford County EMS office and the Rappahannock EMS Council.
The other certification levels provide “advanced life support” which means they are allowed to give a greater variety of medications and perform invasive procedures (like start IV’s and intubate patients) that EMT-B’s are not. The highest certification level is the EMT-Paramedic certification.
For more information on the requirements for each certification, go to the Virginia Office of Emergency Medical Services website.
Become a Member
Regular members of the squad commit to three shifts each month. Because the county has paid EMS staff to cover during the weekdays, we are generally only staffed on weeknights and weekends. Weeknight shifts start at 6pm and end at 4am (so that volunteers working at night can make it to their regular job on time). We are staffed from Friday night at 6pm until Monday morning at 4am. The Friday and Saturday night shifts are from 6pm to 8am. The Saturday and Sunday day shifts are from 8am to 6pm.
You may submit an application for membership even before you are certified to treat patients or drive an ambulance. We have several levels of membership: Junior Member, Associate Member, and Regular Member. Junior members are young people between the ages of 16 and 18 who are CPR-certified. Junior members can enroll in the EMT-Basic course and become a Virginia-certified EMT-Basic. The only restrictions placed on our Junior Members is that they cannot be certified as “Attendant-in-Charge” until they reach their 18th birthday. Associate Members are members who support our organization but do not commit themselves to the three shift per month requirement of our Regular members. There is no requirement for Associate members to be certified EMTs or drivers. The only requirement is to support the Rescue Squad. Squad members will vote on your application at a business meeting. Business meetings are held on the first Tuesday of every month. When you submit your application for Regular membership, we will need copies of your certifications. This includes your CPR card, your EMT and/or EVOC certification, and a copy of your driving record from the DMV (if you are applying as a driver).
If you are not sure whether or not volunteering with the rescue squad is right for you, we can make arrangements for you to ride along as an observer. In order to ride along, you must be certified in CPR.
