ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, June 10, 1996 TAG: 9606100058
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-3 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: MONTVALE
SOURCE: JOANNE POINDEXTER STAFF WRITER
Volunteer rescue work has come a long way from the days when the ambulances were dispatched from the local funeral home on maybe 25 to 30 calls a year.
Today's rescue squad volunteer "has to be highly trained and highly professional," says Dave Nichols, Bedford County's public safety director. They have to have the same training as career emergency medical personnel, but they don't get paid for their work.
And that, says Nichols, is one of the problems facing local rescue squads that are trying to recruit new volunteers.
The training is time-consuming, although it is paid for by the county. A volunteer must have 110 hours of instruction to become an emergency medical technician, and then be recertified after four years. If the volunteer wants to be a shock trauma technician, he needs another 87 hours. Cardiac care technicians need another 141.5 hours of training, and paramedics need another 144 hours. Volunteers also have in-house training and meetings at their squad halls.
"The amount of pressure is tremendous, especially with family and career demands," Nichols says.
Volunteerism has changed, and "the training, fund raising and continuing education are such a burden on these people. It's hard to get good volunteers and even harder to retain them, because of burnout and other obligations," he says.
Bedford County has 275 emergency medical system volunteers on 10 rescue squads and 350 fire volunteers in 11 fire departments. They cover an area of 764 square miles with a population of about 51,700.
"I give a lot of credit to these people," says Nichols, adding he believes the county's volunteer system is strong despite the need for more daytime volunteers.
The volunteers, he says, "are providing a level of service that is acceptable to our customers. We are not at the point of going to a career system, but we need to start thinking about it."
Volunteer crew members don't like to talk about having paid workers. But, they say, Bedford County, like many localities, lacks critical daytime coverage.
"I think everybody in the county does a good job serving the county," says Bertie Padgett, president of the Bedford County Volunteer Rescue Association, "but every once in a while, we run up to a day where we have to find somebody" to answer a call.
The county is getting a new radio system that will help ensure all areas are fully covered and will track down unanswered calls more quickly. Now, if a call isn't answered within 10 minutes, the operator turns it over to another crew.
Also, says Nichols, "We've got to do more to attract nontraditional volunteers. We are going to key in on what it is like to be a volunteer in Bedford," he says. He says the crews are looking at minorities, stay-at-home moms and retirees.
Traditionally, Nichols says, rescue volunteers have been white-collar and white males.
A former volunteer himself, Nichols says it takes about a year "to really start feeling comfortable - going out on a call by yourself."
LENGTH: Medium: 66 linesby CNB