We have operated as a standalone service since our inception. Each fall, we hold a subscription drive, the purpose of which is to solicit financial contributions from residents and second-home owners. This drive entitles members to a cost reduction in the services we render and has been a chief source of operational capital.
Our organization follows the national trend of EMS services being staffed predominantly by volunteers. We currently operate with five paid staff members covering days, and roughly 21 volunteers who cover nights and weekends on 12-hour shifts.
Our History
In Brief
Deerfield Valley Rescue was founded in 1974 to provide pre-hospital care and transport to Brattleboro Memorial Hospital or Southwestern Vermont Medical Center. Our service area includes Wilmington, East and West Dover, Searsburg, Somerset, Halifax, Whitingham, and sectors of Marlboro and Stratton.
DVR operates as an Advanced Life Support unit, which means we have three paramedics, nine advanced EMT, and ten EMT. We are always accepting new membership applications. The commitment to additional hours of training and continuing education becomes time-consuming as members advance through the skill levels found within the national EMS system. Being a volunteer member carries a significant commitment of both time and energy.
DVR transports patients to Southwestern Vermont Medical Center in Bennington, VT, Brattleboro Memorial Hospital in Brattleboro, VT, Baystate Hospital in Greenfield, MA., and Grace Cottage Hospital in Townsend, VT. For critical Patients, weather permitting, we use helicopter services from both Dartmouth Hospital in Hanover, NH, and Albany Medical Center in Albany, NY.
The DVR stationing model for our ambulances is two trucks in Wilmington and one in the Jacksonville Fire House. Stationing them in these locales enables our staff to access them faster and reduces the time it takes for a full team to respond to a specific geographic sector. For the past four years,
DVR is a great group of caring individuals who feel strongly about what they are doing. Our service operation depends on support from our community members, contributions Capital Fundraising. Many of our community members may never have the occasion to have an emergency arise, but if it should happen, they know they can rely on Deerfield Valley Rescue to offer professional, top-quality solutions.
