Deerfield Valley Rescue was founded in 1974 by a group of residents who were concerned about the delivery of emergency medical care to the residents and guests of the Deerfield Valley.  These people were responsible for starting an organization that has seen dramatic changes from its inception until today.  In May of 1974, the idea of starting Deerfield Valley Rescue began.  Approximately 25 people began volunteering their time to take advanced first-aid classes given by instructors from Whitingham Ambulance Service.  On July 8th 1974, DVR was incorporated and those volunteers began traveling to Bennington to attend classes to allow them to become Emergency Medical Technicians.  In November of 1974, the ambition of those volunteers became reality when ambulance coverage was provided 24 hours a day to the residents of Wilmington, Dover, Searsburg and Marlboro.  The first ambulance was purchased from an organization in Brattleboro, and was housed in a garage in what is now the True Value hardware store on East Main Street.  In 1976, plans were drawn up for what is now the present Squad house for DVR, located at 34 Rt. 100 South.  The first official meeting in the new DVR quarters was held on August 1st 1977.  The initial notification of calls was done by means of a red-phone system, where several members had phones in their houses, which received the incoming calls for assistance.  After receipt of the call, the member receiving the call would alert the other members of the squad via phone, giving them the details of what the call was.  Communications improved when the squad purchased a radio system and pagers, allowing the members to be anywhere in the coverage area, rather then staying home near the phone waiting for the call.  From 1974 to today, DVR has seen a tremendous amount of growth.  The call volume has grown from 237 in 1976, to 610 in 2005.  Along with the call growth, a lot of other pieces of DVR have grown as well.  Ambulances have grown from 1 to 3.  The demands on the ever-important volunteer have grown, to such a point that DVR instituted paid-staff as a part of their organization.

 

 

Deerfield Valley Rescue is now a combination service, having both volunteers and paid personnel.  The need for adequate daytime coverage, and the need for the administration of the squad, resulted in the hiring of the squad's first paid full-time staff in 1989, the Business Administrator.  Because of the resort area our valley is known for, the squad found that amount of calls during November to April presented a problem.  With calls increasing year after year, the squad drew up plans for a part-time employee, to work those months and take the burden off of the volunteers.  A Seasonal Attendant was hired in November of 1989 for this purpose, to work 5 days a week for those 5 busy months.  That position remains in effect today, however the Seasonal Attendant works 4 days.  Calls still increased from 250 in 1989, to 500 in 1998.  The squad again had some concern in relation to the ability to handle daytime calls the entire year.   In September of 1998, DVR took another step towards efficiently handling the calls, and hired the 2nd paid full-time member, the Ambulance Attendant.  At the present time, DVR still has all 3 paid-staff positions: 2 full-time year round and 1 part-time seasonal.  Mid April through Mid November, the paid staff covers the daytime calls Monday through Friday, with the volunteers doing weekend days.  The remainder of the time, daytime calls are covered 7 days a week by 2 paid staff each day, resulting in a big burden taken off of the volunteers.  However, the volunteers are still the backbone of DVR, and the squad cannot function without them.  The remainder of coverage time is filled in by our ever-important volunteer ranks, of which we hope you become a member of.   October of 2005 turned over another stone for DVR.  We made the transition from a squad whose volunteers received no compensation to a plan that compensated the members for coverage hours, as well as calls run.  The thought behind this plan was to give the members a little incentive to continue doing what they do.  It is hard to say whether the compensation has made a significant difference or not, but is definitely a welcomed incentive by the members.

DVR is part of Vermont Ambulance District #12, which includes Whitingham Ambulance Service, Bennington Rescue, Arlington Rescue, Pownal Rescue, Manchester Rescue, Southwestern VT. Regional Ambulance, East Dover First Response, Winhall Police/Rescue Dept., Mt. Snow Ski Patrol, Village Ambulance in Williamstown, MA, and North Adams Ambulance in North Adams, MA.  Overseeing the ambulance district is a District Board, which is comprised of a representative from each organization.  This board facilitates the training and some operational functions that may relate to each squad, as set forth by the Vermont Department of Health - EMS Division.  However, each squad is responsible for the administration of their squad.  Overseeing the squads is the District 12 Medical Director, a physician from a medical facility in the district, who's responsibility is to see that protocols and the delivery of emergency medical care is provided at an acceptable level.

DVR now serves the towns of Wilmington, Dover (East and West), Searsburg, Somerset and portions of Marlboro, West Wardsboro and Stratton.  We have 2 stations, the Wilmington station containing 2 ambulances and the Business offices of DVR and the West Dover station, housing 1 ambulance.  DVR works very close will all Police, Fire and EMS departments in the towns we serve, as well as the towns we assist via Mutual Aid.  DVR has been dispatched through Southwestern New Hampshire District Fire Mutual Aid in Keene, NH since 1991.  Between Mutual Aid and the implementation of the Enhanced 911 system in 1999, the receipt and dispatch of calls for help is done in a very timely and professional manner.

 

Many people wonder how financially DVR operates.  We conduct a subscription drive in November of each year that is sent to all property owners and post office box holders in our coverage area.  The subscription program has 3 levels of "coverage" that a family or business can subscribe to, resulting in one of our biggest sources of income.  DVR also bills for services rendered to patients, some of which may be covered by insurance, federal programs, or may have to be paid by the patient themselves.  We also receive memorial donations in memory of deceased residents, friends and even strangers!  It is important to note that DVR receives no money from any of the towns we serve!!!!  All of this income enables us to operate Deerfield Valley Rescue.  Without the support of the subscribers and other individuals or business' that contribute, we would be unable to provide the services that we do.

The purpose of this description is to give you a little more understanding who we are here at Deerfield Valley Rescue, why we operate and how we operate.  The organization is much more then what was described here, as we have only touched the surface of Deerfield Valley Rescue.  Much more is described in the information provided in this packet, and even more information is gained by becoming a member!   We hope that you continue your interest in Deerfield Valley Rescue, and become a member of the team.

 

 

     The Board of Directors and members of Deerfield Valley Rescue


© Deerfield Valley Rescue, Inc. 2008. All rights reserved.

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