Our Programs

#1: Treatment and transportation of the seriously ill and injured -- Basic Life Support (BLS) and Advanced Life Support (ALS)

The mainstay of our existence.  We respond to 911 calls of all natures and magnitudes.  We operate in a "tiered-response" system.  The first tier often consists of firefighter crews from the Virginia Beach Fire Department, who provide on-scene treatment services.  The next tier consists of our ambulances -- staffed, at a minimum, at the BLS level.  The final tier consists of ALS providers who staff quick-response vehicles called "zone cars".

• Call stats for 2001:
  
  Rescue  9: 6391
  Rescue 19: 1022
  Other:      331
  TOTAL:     7744

#2: Vehicle extrication, heavy-duty rescue, mass casualty, and special incident response

Our Crash Truck Team's primary mission is to rescue the entrapped victims of motor vehicle accidents.  The team is available for other heavy-duty rescues, mass casualty incidents, lighting, and dive and air bottle refilling.  All Crash Truck Team members are also active ALS or BLS providers.

• Office of the Squad Truck Supervisor

#3: Emergency incident support

Our Support Team provides rehabilitation and canteen services at the scenes of extended rescue, fire, and police incidents.  This team is staffed by administrative as well as medically certified members.

• Office of the Support Team Supervisor

#4: Public education

We develop and distribute EMS and health-related educational material through community newsletters, direct mailouts, handouts, and the World Wide Web.  Many of our members teach emergency medical and rescue classes at the local community college and at the city's EMS training center.  Some of our members offer CPR classes to community groups and businesses.  We provide demonstrations, and our squad serves as an excellent platform for leadership development.