Bath Rescue Squads Desperate For New Recruits

Bath County, VA – Volunteers are desperately needed in Bath County for the local rescue squads. The number of active Emergency Medical Technicians in Bath is at an all time low and the calls for service are increasing. Andy Seabolt is the Emergency Services Coordinator for Bath County.

“There’s something in EMS for everyone, whether it’s direct patient care, assistance at the building, maintaining the equipment or helping with training” says Seabolt. “We can always use more able bodied people.”

There are three volunteer rescue squads in Bath: Burnsville, Hot Springs and Millboro. All three are actively looking for new members.

“What you can expect by joining a rescue squad, you get a lot of self fulfillment, and you go out and help your family and friends and the visitors to the area” he says. “You get a little swelling of pride; it gives you more sense of a community.”

All training is free. There are initial upfront costs, but it will be covered by the rescue squad. A First Responder Class is being offered at the Hot Springs Fire Department beginning January 12. The registration deadline for that class is December 31.

Before taking the First Responder class, you must complete CPR for health care professionals. A CPR class that meets that requirement will be offered on Tuesday January 4th at the Hot Springs Fire Department. An Emergency Medical Technician class, which is the next level of training, will be held in August.

“We have these skills and techniques we can use, advanced techniques; but a lot of times the most things you can do to help most folks is just hold their hand and give them a ride to the hospital and be compassionate” says Seabolt.

For more information about classes and volunteering contact Andy Seabolt at 839-7236.

Story By

Heather Niday

Heather is our Program Director and Traffic Manager. She started with Allegheny Mountain Radio as a volunteer deejay. She then joined the AMR staff in February of 2007. Heather grew up in the Richmond, Virginia, area and now lives in Arbovale, West Virginia with her husband Chuck. Heather is a wonderful flute player, and choir director for Arbovale UMC. You can hear Heather along with Chuck on Tuesday nights from 6 to 8pm as they host two hours of jazz on Something Different.

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