VIRGINIA TECH RESCUE SQUAD

The Virginia Tech Rescue Squad (VTRS) is an all student run, volunteer agency, meaning that all leadership positions are filled by full-time students of the University. With approximately forty members, VTRS maintains two Advanced Life Support (ALS) ambulances, an ALS equipped first response vehicle, a John Deere Gator capable of transporting patients from areas unreachable with an ambulance, a bicycle response team, and a mass casualty response unit capable of treating up to 30 patients. As a National Incident Management System compliant agency, VTRS regularly trains to respond to incidents out of the ordinary to support our preparedness initiative. We continuously update our emergency plans and develop scenarios to test our ability to respond to emergencies throughout campus. Tested and proven, the Virginia Tech Rescue Squad strives to continually train to the highest standards and set the bar for preparedness in the surrounding area.

Our members cover campus emergency calls 24/7 year-round, covering their share of duty during University breaks. VTRS boasts a 2-3 minute response time – nearly unheard of in the EMS community – responding to calls on our Blacksburg campus. Our service area includes 2,600 acres with 19 miles of roadways, a high-traffic six mile bicycle and running trail, Lane Stadium with a 68,000 person capacity, Cassell Coliseum holding nearly 10,000 people, a full service corporate airport, residence halls housing nearly 10,000, and special outdoor events year-round.

The Virginia Tech Rescue Squad has been providing Emergency Medical Services to the Virginia Tech Community since 1969. Proudly representing a small number of collegiate rescue squads nationwide, VTRS is the oldest collegiate rescue squad in the Commonwealth of Virginia and the second oldest in the nation. VTRS was the first agency in the immediate area to provide Advanced Life Support care to its patients.

VTRS was awarded the Leo F. Schwartz Award for Excellence in EMS in 1988, the Governor’s Award for Outstanding EMS Agency in 2000, and was recognized by the American Ambulance Association with their Stars of Life Award in 2007.

Recently VTRS was fortunate to receive grant funding to increase the fleet to three advanced life support ambulances, the first fleet addition since the early 1980's. With an increased call for service from the growing university community VTRS is proud to have the opportunity to provide a new apparatus to serve the community.

Dear Dennis:

On behalf of the Virginia Tech Rescue Squad, I wish to extend our most sincere appreciation for the new ambulance that you and the team at American Emergency Vehicles delivered on January 16, 2007. From the start you have been professional, responsive, and an advocate for building this vehicle exactly to our specifications. We are impressed and truly appreciative for your concern and time spent to create this truck from the ground up. No details were left to chance.

After careful consideration, the choice to use Northwestern Emergency Vehicles was clearly the right route. Your collaboration and close relationship with the engineers and production staff at AEV was truly an asset to our agency as we examined and designed each piece of a totally custom ambulance. Your expertise in the field is a testament to the top notch vehicle that we have received. I have no doubt that the Virginia Tech Rescue will continue to utilize Northwestern Emergency Vehicles and AEV for all of our future needs.

Sincerely,
Matthew Johnson
Captain, Virginia Tech Rescue Squad