GENERAL

Who do I contact if I have questions or want to sign up?

Please reach out to our Volunteer Coordinator, Barrett Prinz! Or, talk to any current Squad member or officer that you may meet or know. They’ll get you to the right place.

What types of volunteers are on the ambulance Squad?

There are two types of volunteers on the Squad: Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) and Emergency Medical Responders (EMRs).  EMTs have a larger scope of practice and more training than EMRs.  Both EMTs and EMRs can do additional training to become certified to drive the ambulance.  

Does SVAS have paramedics on the Squad?

No.  SVAS provides what is known as “Basic Life Support” or BLS care; the highest level of certification in a BLS crew is Emergency Medical Technicians.

Paramedics, who have a higher level of training and certification than EMTs, can provide additional medical interventions.  They provide what is known as “Advanced Life Support” or ALS care. For certain kinds of 911 calls, the 911 dispatcher will ask for one of the area paramedic services that cover Salisbury to join SVAS on a call; if they are available, they join.

Are there volunteers who drive the ambulance
but are not EMRs or EMTs?

It is our strong preference that drivers become certified first as an EMR or EMT; however, we may permit a limited number of candidates to train as drivers without prior EMS certification.

VOLUNTEER TRAINING

What is the training to become an EMR?

To become a certified EMR, you must first take an EMR course approved by the state of Connecticut.  The course is approximately 60 hours of classroom time and practical skill training.  Once you complete the course, you must then (1) pass a practical skills exam, and (2) pass a written exam administered by the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT).  

What is the training to become an EMT?

There are two ways to become an EMT in Connecticut.  

If you are already certified as an EMR, you can take what is known as a “bridge” course, which provides the additional training (on top of the training you’ve already done as an EMR) to become an EMT. This is a shorter course than the full EMT course.

If you are not already certified as an EMR, then you must first take an initial EMT course.  The course is approximately 150 hours of classroom time and practical skill training.  

Once you complete either course, you must then (1) pass a practical skills exam, and (2) pass a written exam administered by the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT). 

Is there training required in addition to
taking an EMR or EMT certification course?

Yes.  In addition to becoming certified, it takes additional time to learn how to use our ambulances and our equipment, and to learn our procedures and how we operate.  We will assign a current Squad member to be your mentor during your training, although all of us take part in training our recruits and newer members.  Once you are certified, you must also maintain your certification by participating in trainings that qualify for CEUs (Continuing Education Units); SVAS provides these opportunities for free.

How much does EMR/EMT training cost?

It’s free when (1) you do your training with us and (2) commit to joining SVAS when you are done!  If your schedule doesn’t permit you to join our in-person training, we will help you sign up for another course (either live or virtual), and we will reimburse you for the training costs after you’ve become certified and have demonstrated your commitment to serving on our Squad.

Where is the SVAS training for EMRs/EMTs?

Our training is at our headquarters in the center of Salisbury - 8 Undermountain Road, across the street from the White Hart Inn.  If your schedule doesn’t permit you to join our in-person training, we will help you sign up for another course (either live or virtual), and we will reimburse you for the training costs after you’ve become certified and have demonstrated your commitment to serving on our Squad.

When does volunteer training take place?

We typically run our EMR course each fall.  It begins in September and runs through mid-November, and takes place in the evenings, typically on Monday and Wednesday evenings from 6-9 pm. 

When there are enough EMRs who wish to up-skill to EMT, we will run the EMR-to-EMT Bridge class in place of the EMR course.  The Bridge course is structured similarly to the EMR course.

Driver training typically takes place in the spring, and lasts for a few months (as schedules allow).

VOLUNTEER REQUIREMENTS

Is there a minimum number of hours
I need to volunteer each month?

Yes.  Our Standard Operating Guidelines require each volunteer to either (1) be on the duty schedule for a minimum average of 24 hours per month, or (2) if not on the duty schedule, to go on 5 actual ambulance calls per month.  

Squad members may sign up for shifts that work for their personal schedules.  Squad members also accomplish this in a number of ways - for example, two 12-hour shifts (overnight or during the day), three 8-hour shifts, or multiple shorter-hour shifts over the course of the month.  If you have a more unpredictable schedule, please see the additional FAQ below.

My schedule is unpredictable.  Can I still volunteer?

Yes! Although we definitely prefer that you sign up on our duty calendar when possible so that we know what times are covered, we understand that not everyone’s life works that way.  Using your radio, pager and/or the FireTek app, you can “listen in” and respond to calls when your schedule allows.  

It takes a significant amount of time, effort, and resources to train you to become a volunteer, so it’s important that if you do the training, you commit to being part of our team - which means going out on ambulance calls when you are available, even if you’re not able to put yourself on the duty schedule in advance.  We use an easy calendar app to manage our duty schedule, so even if you can’t schedule yourself very far ahead, it’s very easy to put yourself on the calendar on shorter notice. If you aren’t able to put yourself on the duty calendar some of the time, but you do listen in when you can and you do go out on an average of at least five calls per month, then the Squad officers will take that into account in evaluating whether you’re meeting your Squad obligations.  

Are there other obligations other than
going out on ambulance calls?

Yes.  There are Squad meetings at headquarters on the first Wednesday of each month, which you are required to attend unless you are excused.  Squad members also participate in “Rig Checks” two to three times a year; using prepared checklists, we go through some of the functions and supplies on our ambulances to make sure that they are stocked and ready to go out. While we do have additional events and get-togethers, they are not mandatory.

GOING OUT ON AMBULANCE CALLS

What kinds of emergencies does SVAS handle?

Anything that gets called in to 911 is a call we will handle.  In general, calls are classified as medical, trauma, or both.  The majority of calls that SVAS handles are medical in nature, although we absolutely handle traumas as well.  We treat and transport patients of all ages.

Examples of medical emergencies are ones that relate to cardiac issues, difficulty breathing, chronic illnesses (such as diabetes), sudden/acute illnesses, strokes, allergic reactions, and seizures (to name just a few).  Examples of trauma calls are those involving injuries from motor vehicle collisions, falls, workplace accidents, fires, injuries from using machinery or tools, sports injuries and wilderness/hiking injuries (to name just a few). 

Does SVAS handle wilderness or other types of rescues? 

Certain of our volunteers have additional training to handle different kinds of rescues, such as wilderness/trail rescues, water rescues, and motor vehicle extrications. In rescue situations, we coordinate with other agencies, such as the fire department, regional ropes teams, and regional dive teams.  If you are interested in rescue work, we will help you identify the appropriate training courses.

Does SVAS provide me with the clothing and gear that I will need?

Yes.  You will be provided with SVAS-branded clothing for all kinds of weather and situations.   

While our ambulances are fully stocked with all of the supplies needed for responding to emergencies, you will also be provided with your own medical bag (or “jump kit”) containing some basic supplies to keep in your car for any situations in which you are first-responding to an emergency before the ambulance arrives.  

Do I have to stay at headquarters while I’m on duty?

No.  Our volunteers typically respond from home or from their place of work.  You will be given a radio and a pager that will alert you to incoming calls (also known as “the tones going off”), and that you will use to communicate when you are responding.  We also use an app, FireTek, that serves the same purpose.  As long as you (1) have one of your communication devices and (2) can get to either the scene of the emergency or to headquarters quickly and safely, it does not matter to us where you are when the tones go off.

How many people are needed to go out on an ambulance call?

The minimum number of people that can make up a “crew” for any ambulance call is two: at least one EMT, and one other Squad member who is either an EMR or an EMT who is also trained to drive the ambulance.  While two is the minimum crew, it is always better to have more personnel on a call. 

Will I ever have to go out on a call by myself?

No.  We always work in teams, and as described above, the minimum number of personnel on an ambulance response is two, although more people is always better.  

Once you are certified as an EMR or EMT, you will be allowed and empowered  - though not required - to “first respond” to an emergency.  This means heading directly to the scene of an emergency to provide care quickly, without waiting for the ambulance, which will arrive with additional personnel after you.  This requires careful communication with other Squad members to make sure that everyone knows where everyone else is going, but we do this kind of response frequently.

Will I have to respond to calls that I would
find personally distressing?

No.  No volunteer is required to put themselves in any situation that would be mentally or physically difficult for them to handle, and every volunteer has their own unique threshold for what they can handle.  You will not be pushed into handling anything before you are ready.  We have found that with the right training, mentorship, and experience, volunteers do gain confidence over time to handle a broader range of situations.