What It Takes To Run an Organization Like South Orange Rescue
By Fred Stipe, Board of Directors Chair, South Orange Rescue Squad
SORS has 100+ active volunteer members. (Photo by SORS Board Chaiman Fred Stipe)
I’m asked occasionally, “What does it take to run an organization like South Orange Rescue Squad?”
My answer is always the same: A LOT.
Let me explain.
It takes a lot of volunteers. Seriously. Did you know that the South Orange Rescue Squad is an all-volunteer organization? Yup. There’s no paid staff at any level of the squad from the newest cadet all the way up to the Chief, Matthew Mauzy. Our Board of Directors are volunteers, too. Everyone on this team gives their time freely to serve our community. At any given moment there are about 100 volunteers that make up the squad. About two-thirds of them work in the EMS Division. The remaining third is split between the Technical Rescue Team (TRT) and the Community Education and Programs Division (CEP). EMS volunteers respond to 911 calls, staff community events and high school football games, and are on-site for UNC sporting events like basketball, baseball, soccer, indoor track, and football games. The TRT does land search-and-rescue locating lost or missing persons, swiftwater/flood rescue, high-angle rope rescue and other highly specialized services. Our CEP volunteers teach free classes in CPR, first aid and Stop the Bleed. (Last year, they taught 130 classes! Sign up for one here!)
The Community Education and Programs Division teaches CPR and other vital skills in classes and community events like UNC’s Tarrrr Heel Preparedness Festival. (Photo by SORS Member Gabi Battaglini)
When we started more than 50 years ago, most of our volunteers were members of the local fire departments – organizations that continue to be strong partners. As demand for EMS services increased, we established a training path for UNC students. Now most of our new volunteers are enrolled at Carolina. Some are planning on careers in EMS or public safety. Many are on a nursing or pre-med track. Others volunteer out of a commitment to helping others. Regardless of what brought them to SORS, all of them are fully trained and EMS-certified before staffing our ambulances, responding to calls, helping people and learning the ropes of emergency medicine. We still have a fair number of local residents who volunteer, too, responding to calls with EMS or TRT and teaching those community classes. These are folks who have full-time jobs, careers, and families who want to help give back to the community.
It takes A LOT of time. In addition to the “active time” of providing emergency response and training – which is thousands of hours each year – there’s even more time preparing. To be prepared to respond when the call goes out requires a tremendous amount of training to obtain the technical certifications required by local, county and state authorities. Training isn’t a “one-and-done” process. Responders must continue to hone their skills and stay current with new practices and treatment protocols through regular classes and “con-ed” (continuing education). For every hour our volunteers spend responding to emergencies, deploying for technical rescues or teaching classes, they spend thousands more learning new skills and honing existing ones.
The EMS Division trains regularly, including special sessions at Kenan Stadium so we’re ready to staff Carolina Football games. (Photo by SORS Member Gabi Battaglini)
There’s also a huge amount of administrative time that goes into the planning, execution and management of our programs that is spread across the officer corps of the three divisions, the Chief and our Board of Directors. Oh, and we maintain a small fleet of ambulances and other vehicles that need to be restocked and serviced, which also takes time.
Check out our community impact.
It takes a lot of resources. Sorry to be blunt, but providing emergency response is a very expensive endeavor. It’s not hyperbole to say that everything about our work is expensive – ambulances, stretchers, rescue trucks, boats, motors, ropes, dry suits, uniforms, training, equipment, vehicle maintenance, insurance, gasoline, you name it. For example, we’ve got a new ambulance on order. Yes, it’s state-of-the-art, but it’s not the biggest rig on the market. And the price tag? A cool $385,000. Yes, you read that right!
The Technical Rescue Team deploys in special situations, like floods and other natural disasters, and to support search-and-rescue efforts, among other services. (Photo from SORS archives)
While SORS does bill for some services, we also rely heavily on the generous support provided through donations from folks in our community. While it may not seem like your small donation would make a difference, it actually does! Small gifts offset the cost of things like office and dorm supplies (yes, volunteers sleep at the station for overnight shifts!). These essentials are vital to our operation. We also get support through grants and our strong relationships with local businesses, foundations and corporate partners. Click here to learn more about how you can support our work.
So, yes, it takes a whole lot to run an organization like South Orange Rescue Squad. But our community – from individual donors to foundation funders – continues to recognize the importance of our work with generous contributions to keep us going. Let me extend a special thanks to our monthly donors and the folks who gave during our Giving Thursday and year-end campaigns last year. We so appreciate you showing up for us so we can show up for you.
Semper Aptus Muneris… Always prepared to serve!
Fred Stipe has been a SORS member since 1998 and chairs the organization’s Board.
The South Orange Dispatch is a monthly column on Chapelboro by the South Orange Rescue Squad: an all volunteer, 501c3 non-profit providing EMS and technical rescue services in the Carrboro-Chapel Hill area of Orange County since 1971.
The South Orange Dispatch: What It Takes To Run an Organization Like South Orange Rescue Chapelboro.com.
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