Welcome to the Spotsylvania Volunteer Rescue Squads Junior Program

Do you fit the below criteria?

• Between the ages of 16-18
• Interested in EMS
• Maintain a C average in High School

If you do, you have come to the right place and please continue to read.  If you do not, please feel free to contact us regarding additional opportunities within our organization.

What is the Spotsylvania Volunteer Rescue Squad (SVRS)?

First you’re asking yourself what is the SVRS? 

The SVRS is an organization with 150 members including Drivers, EMT’s and Paramedics that respond to any and all 911 calls within Spotsylvania County.  That’s right, every time someone picks up their phone and calls 911, a dispatcher at the courthouse determines which resources are required (Ambulance, Fire Truck, Police etc) and they dispatch those resources.  

Why does the title say Volunteer? 

Because we are volunteers.  We do this because we enjoy it and as the title states, we don’t get paid.

What can the SVRS Junior Program do for me?

The SVRS has many opportunities for you as a volunteer.

• The first is the opportunity to ride on an ambulance with our professional staff and respond to 911 emergencies

• The second is the opportunity to train with our staff in our training facilities and obtain your EMT Certification.  Did I mention this is a Nationally Recognized Certification?

• The third is an opportunity to participate in Junior Program functions, such as the Future Life Savers Program and the Community Outreach CPR Program (find additional details below).

• The fourth is the opportunity to apply for college scholarships based on being a volunteer with our organization.

• The fifth is the opportunity to gain priority points towards a career in Spotsylvania County being a career provider based on your time as an SVRS Junior Member

• The sixth and most important is to give back to your community, helping the citizens of Spotsylvania County in their time of need.

The Future Life Savers Program

The Future Life Savers Program was developed in 2012; the focus of this program was a staged accident scene coordinated amongst the rescue squad, the Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center (SRMC) Hospital, local businesses and a number of volunteers.  This program took approximately four months to develop and gave the SVRS Junior Members an understanding of what it takes to develop and implement a program, much as they would as college students and professional staff.  The SVRS Juniors developed a lesson plan, textbook, promotional fliers, t-shirts and relations with several local businesses for donations.  We chose six (6) 5th grade students from Parkside Elementary (with the assistance of the Principal) to participate in the FLS Program.  We brought them in for an initial meet and greet on a Tuesday to introduce ourselves to their parents and provide them a tour of the station as well as a brief overview of the ambulance.  The following Saturday these students were brought into our training facility and with the help of our staff, the SVRS Juniors taught them the basic skills required to deal with trauma patients, radio communications and turning over patient care to the nurse and Doctor staff of an Emergency Department (ED).

On Sunday the students arrived at the SRMC where we received a morning safety brief and released to two (2) ambulances outside of the hospital.  The students used their knowledge from Saturday’s training to staff the ambulances and were dispatched to a motor vehicle accident (MVA) in the parking lot of the SRMC.  The students responded emergency to the MVA and tended to two (2) patients, addressing life threatening wounds and immobilizing them for transport. The patients were loaded into the ambulances and transported emergency to the SRMC ED.  En route all patient information was obtained and vital information was called into the SRMC ED. Upon arrival the students turned over patient care to the SRMC nurse and Doctor Staff.  This was a great learning experience for all participants and an opportunity for the SVRS Juniors to instruct, lead and practice their skills with other students.

In 2013 the FLS participants were brought back to the training center to be taught and receive American Heart Association (AHA) CPR Certifications.  The intention of the FLS Program is to allow students in Spotsylvania County to receive this opportunity and each year bring them back to the SVRS for additional training opportunities.

Community Outreach CPR Program

In 2013 the current SVRS Juniors have created a Community Outreach CPR Program to teach those not associated with Emergency Medical Services (EMS) CPR.  Currently we are scheduled to bring in selected participants quarterly to receive free CPR training by our SVRS Professional Staff of Instructors.  The focus at this time is local High Schools within Spotsylvania County and we intend to broaden our audience to citizens of the county in 2014.

Words from past SVRS Junior Members:

If I had to say something about the SVRS Junior Program it would have to be that it was the best experience I've had to this day.  I stumbled into the rescue world by chance but have found that it is one of the few things I thoroughly enjoy!  The program itself has provided me with great experience and numerous skills that I have been able to take with me wherever I go.  It brought me genuine joy to be able to give back in a way that I loved.  The station was like a second home to me and my colleagues were my family and that is something that I will remember for the rest of my life.  I definitely will remember the Future Life Savers program we were able to put together thanks to all of our group's effort.

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The SVRS Junior Program was hands down the best choice I made when I wanted to know what it takes to be an EMT.  It allowed me to realize how important and gratifying it is to give back to the community.  I really enjoyed participating in the Future Lifesavers Program and being able to teach what I know to others then see them apply those skills to the scenario.  I wanted to work with a Rescue Squad for awhile, mostly due to my fascination with the stories my dad would tell me and where he would deploy as a Medic.  I'm grateful for joining the program and for the skills I acquired.

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The Junior Program meant so much more to me than just riding in an ambulance.  It meant gaining valuable experience and meeting people who I know will have my back no matter what life throws at me.  To me it was a crash course on life; not just a crash course about the squad, it opened my eyes to the world of emergency medicine; a world that many people will never realize or see.

Are you still interested?

www.spotsyrescue.org