Virginia Volunteer Rescue Workers a Dying Breed

Richard Downey is part of a dying breed--a volunteer rescue worker. He's been donating his time for 23 years. The retired electrical engineer has held various positions at the Stewartsville Rescue Squad, including captain.

"Many years ago my family bought me a scanner for Christmas. That summer on July the Fourth there was a really bad accident on old 24 at Stewartsville Elementary School," said Downey, a paramedic on the squad. "I can remember sitting and listening to the scanner, and people were on vacation and there were few people around. I was thinking 'I'm available but I don't know anything.' "

That incident prompted Downey to get training and assume a second nonpaying job of rural rescue worker.

If you dial 911 while at the lake, chances are your rescuers will be volunteers. It is a long-standing tradition in the area. Generations of families have volunteered for either rescue squads or fire departments. It is a tradition that is finding it difficult to survive.

"Each year it goes more and more to the career people," said Downey. "I think what's happened, Mom and Dad both work to support the family and then when they don't work, they have soccer and PTA. There are so many things to take up time that there isn't much time to volunteer."

"One of the things we have a problem with here in Franklin County is a lot of people commute to work so they leave their community during the day," said Daryl Hatcher, Franklin County director of public safety. "Thirty years ago it wasn't unheard of that an employer would let someone off to answer an EMS call or fight a fire. Now it's unheard of."

"It's tough; it used to be you didn't get called very much," said Charles Lane. "Now these people [volunteers] are up all night. People call for nonemergency reasons, and volunteers get burned out."

Lane started volunteering in North Carolina in 1978. Now in addition to his paying job as the emergency room medical director at Franklin Memorial Hospital, he holds the volunteer position of Operational Medical Director for Franklin County Fire and EMS. Lane also is the regional medical director of Western Virginia. In this position, he oversees emergency medical services in communities from Pittsylvania County to Blacksburg and Alleghany County.

Lane said the time commitment and expense of training also limits the volunteer pool. "There is no difference in the training requirements for career or volunteer EMS workers," Lane explained.

"I'm a paramedic. I've been one since 1991," said Downey. "My role as a paramedic is no different than someone who gets paid $40,000 a year to do the job. My continuing education is no different, and my treatment is expected to be the same. So there are no differences in training and certification requirements. A paramedic is a paramedic."

Many volunteers have a difficult time completing the rigorous certification requirements. Basic EMT training takes about 125 hours. To earn a Firefighter 1 certification, about 110 hours of training are required. Downey said that in a basic EMT training class of about 30 students, on average only 15 will complete the course. "Out of that 15, you may wind up with one or two people who volunteer."

Both counties are always looking for volunteers. Bedford County has started a retirement plan for volunteers. After 25 years of service, a person would be eligible for a maximum payment of $300 a month, Downey said. While he says that is a nice perk, he doesn't see it drawing in many volunteers.

Hatcher said Franklin County is creating a training center so volunteers don't have to travel to get certified, and volunteers are given a small stipend for each call they run. The amount depends on their level of training.

While the number of volunteers is declining, the population of lake communities in Bedford and Franklin counties is increasing. It is almost impossible for volunteer organizations to staff fire and rescue departments during the day.