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Training | Virginia Beach Volunteer Rescue Squad

Training

Here’s your chance to join perhaps the biggest and, in our opinion, best volunteer rescue squad in the country. We welcome already-certified volunteers, as well as those eager to learn.

First, get educated.

Virginia Beach has a comprehensive training program for pre-hospital emergency medicine. In fact, when you take the EMT course through the city at our Training Center, it’s absolutely free with a commitment of one year of volunteering. The Training Center also provides regular opportunities to get continuing education units.

For more information about the training process, click here or call the Virginia Beach Department of EMS at (757) 385-1999

Area community colleges and other sources also offer emergency medicine classes. Click a link below for more information.

Tidewater Community College
Virginia Peninsula Community College
Virginia Department of Health

Second, complete the internship program.

The Virginia Beach Department of Emergency Medical Services requires that any member functioning as an Ambulance Attendant-in-Charge (AIC) completes a formal internship program prior to being released to function independently. Procedures and requirements include:

  • BLS Certification and Class Requirements, including
    • Bloodborne Pathogens (required to ride as an Intern)
    • ICS100
    • ICS 200
    • ICS 700
    • ICS 800
    • Hazmat Awareness
  • Field Internship
    • Orientation Attendance
    • Scheduling
    • Evaluations (completed for every duty and forwarded to the department AIC Coordinator and the VBVRS Training Officer)
    • Qualification Timeline Goal (typically 12 duties/three months; all interns are expected to be qualified within six months)
    • Remediation as necessary
  • Release to Function Independently
  • Supervision (Support/Squad and Operational/Field)

For more information on the policies, procedures, rules, regulations and protocols of the Virginia Beach Department of Emergency Medical Services, click here.

Third, run duties as an AIC and proud member of VBVRS.

While you have been interning and running duties as a “third” on the duty crews, you have also been going through our squad’s membership process. It works like this:

  1. Choose the Virginia Beach Volunteer Rescue Squad during the application process or afterwards.
  2. Get trained if you’re not already certified.
  3. You will be contacted by the Captain of Administration to be onboarded with the squad and begin your probationary member process.
  4. Run duties, attend monthly Business meetings, and strengthen relationships as a probationary member for a minimum of six months and your release as an AIC.
  5. Be voted into the Virginia Beach Volunteer Rescue Squad as a full voting member. Congratulations!

For more information about the VBVRS membership process, contact the Captain of Administration.

Support The Virginia Beach Volunteer Rescue Squad.

Every dollar counts.

You can be the difference that allows us to have the life-saving equipment and supplies we need to answer every cry for help.

 

Honor someone you know.

Did you know that you can honor someone when you give us a donation?

 

 

Learn CPR. Absolutely free.

Did you know that 70% of all sudden cardiac arrests take place in the home? Now you know. Come learn what to do.

 

Join us. We need you.

Help us help others. And see what a difference it makes in your own life. Start the process by filling out the online application.

 

 

You like us. You really like us.

Share how a VBVRS crew rescued you! Tell us your story and we’ll tell you ours, keeping you up to date with all that our crews are doing.

 

 

 Read the latest squad news in our newsletter and stay in the know.