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 Cabarrus Rescue Squad, Inc. was founded on March 7, 1957 at a meeting in Memorial Hall in Concord, chaired by the late John J. Barnhardt. The first meeting place was the old county library, and later the basement of the old county building on Church Street. The second move was enabled the fledgling squad to makes its’ first emergency call, answered in July 1958 in a ’47 Cadillac ambulance donated by American Legion Post 145. Due to the growing involvement in the community the squad was moved to the county fairgrounds. As needs outgrew their quarters, the present building was designed and built by the Cabarrus Rescue Squad on Highway 29A and dedicated as the new home of the Cabarrus Rescue Squad in May of 1963. The present location was made possible by the generous sale of the property by “Pap” Umberger. The building was designed by Bud Williams and contractor Hoyle Cress who together supervised its’ construction. C. T. Sherrill and crew donated wiring services, while Probst Brothers donated the paving. Most of the construction was done by the squad members. Work was begun $0.00 in the bank and $25,000 was owed at completion. An Open House with Fred Kirby was held as well as a benefit ballgame. Through these events and the actions of the Board of Directors this debt was retied in just a few months without having to draw on any public funds from the county. What is this organization? It is comprised of a small group of dedicated people who recognize a need that they are willing to fulfill on their own time with their own resources. The members of the Cabarrus Rescue Squad are all volunteers in the highest sense of the word. Each must be a Certified Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) having completed 160 hours of instruction, a thorough written exam and an involved practical test to be North Carolina State certified. Then each must formally apply for membership in the Cabarrus Rescue Squad. If accepted, the new member serves a 6 month probationary period, during which he must acquire at least 18 hours of rescue and extrication training. At the end of this 6 month period, the membership at large cotes whether to accept the candidate. Not all are accepted. Who are the members of the Cabarrus Rescue Squad? One is a mechanic, another is a Plant Manager, another is a computer specialist, some are retired, others are members of the other emergency services in the community, such as EMS, Fire Department, Sheriffs’ Department, etc. They are people from all walks of life who share a common desire to help others. All the training and volunteer hours spent by squad members lead toward public service of an emergency nature. They not only give of their time and talents, but willingly live their service 24 hours a day. When the pager goes off on the bedside table at 3:00AM, they know that a life hangs in the balance and depends on their response. Their first priority is a fellow human being in distress, not their need for sleep. This group of volunteer professionals numbers 35 members and 3 probationary members at this time. Our insurance allows a maximum of 40 members. Fiscal guidance comes from a Board of Directors who give freely of their time to assist the squad in it’s’ mission. What are the services of the Cabarrus Rescue Squad? The ;primary function of the Cabarrus Rescue squad is to provide back-up support to the paid professional Paramedics of Cabarrus County Emergency Medical Services. Although all are trained in Medical Care, the Cabarrus County EMS Paramedics and EMT’s are more highly trained in Advanced Life Support. But often these emergency providers are faced with a situation they are unable to cope with, such as an entrapment or “pin-in”, requiring heavy extrication equipment. When that happens, the Cabarrus Rescue Squad is dispatched. We are dispatched. We are dispatched to multiple causality accidents or when additional ambulances are needed. These dispatches originate from the Cabarrus County Sheriff’s Department Dispatch Center (911). When a serious situation occurs, the report is made to this central dispatch, usually by phone (911) or by 2-way radio. First Responder agencies and County EMS units are then dispatched to the scene. If, after a survey of the situation determines a need for the Rescue Squad, it then is paged out to respond. This accounts for the usual delay in response to a scene. The Rescue Squad is truly the “last to know”. Average response time to the scene is 4/9 minutes. The Rescue Squad is dispatched to other rescue situations from time to time such as industrial accidents, aircraft crashes, floods, and drawings. Whenever there is a need to airlift a patient from Northeast Medical Center, members of the Cabarrus Rescue Squad will take our ambulance and meet the life-support team at the helipad and transport them and their equipment to the hospital, then return them, with their patient, to the helicopter for transport to other area hospitals. You will also see our ambulances at all local high school football and soccer games. We stand-by at all games in the event that there is a serious injury during the game. We also do stand-bys at the Concord Motorsports Park. We provide emergency medical service for community functions such as Cotton Stock, Crop Walk, Share Cabarrus, etc. Most members have high-level rescue and rappelling training. The equipment, although adequate for most situations, is still lacking in some areas. This equipment is a result of grants and donations of civic-minded individuals and organizations and of squad fundraisers. As this is a non-profit organization, these funds are usually slow in coming and frugally spent. Presently, some of the equipment on hand includes 6 rescue/ambulances combination (3 at the central station and 3 based at member’s homes around the county), 1 crash truck and 2 rescue boats with trailers. A new, larger crash truck is currently being sought. “Come-a-longs”, chains, resuscitators, cutting tools, “Jaws of Life”, portable generators, hand lights, stretchers, backboards, ropes and other lines, climbing gear, extinguishers, and other rescue tools and medical/first aid equipment are aboard these vehicles. We are constantly searching for the latest technologies to make us more prepared and able to serve out community. Some of our members have completed an EMT-D training course and the squad is now state certified to provide a higher level of emergency medical service as heart defibrillator technicians. The Rescue Squad has purchased 2 semi-automatic heart defibrillator/monitors at a cost of over $4,000.00 each. As we sometimes have to stand-in for an ever-increasingly busy EMS, we are trying to increase our abilities to cover; more serious emergency situations in the county. What is the cost of these services? There is NO charge for any services of the Cabarrus Rescue Squad of an emergency nature. Requests of a “stand-by” for squad equipment/personnel are handled individually on a donation basis. All requests should be with at least a 2-week lead time to enable the scheduling of our volunteer technicians. The squad also teaches first aid and CPR to community groups and attends most Boy Scout Camporees at Cam Cabarrus. The Rescue Squad wishes to thank the Cabarrus County EMS, the many county volunteer fire departments and first responders, the many private wrecker services and the various law enforcement agencies for their help and support in the past and look forward to their assistance in the future. The Cabarrus Rescue squad is YOUR community service. We WILL be here when you need us – day or night. Please be there when we need YOU – whether it is for support, funding, or just yielding for all red lights and sirens. Your generous donations help make this service possible in Cabarrus County. We appreciate your continued support. Please help US help YOU! Thank You! |
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