From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A rescue squad is an organization that provides emergency medical care to both trauma and medical patients at either the basic life support or advanced life support levels. The staff of such agencies can possess any number of certifications including first responder, emergency medical technician, and paramedic. Typically, the term rescue squad is synonymous with first aid squad, emergency squad, safety squad, ambulance squad, ambulance corps., and EMS. However, the term "rescue squad" can also be associated with a fire department rescue team or other type of fire-related function.

Typically, a rescue squad has equipment such as ambulances, light and heavy-duty rescue vehicles, such as squad trucks or crash-trucks, and possibly boats.

One of the first squads to exist is the Belmar NJ Squad which was organized in 1927.^[1] The Keyport NJ Squad also began in 1927] but did not have a charter until 1928.^[2] Another early rescue squad dates back to May 1928, when Julian S. Wise of Roanoke, Virginia and nine other volunteers founded the Roanoke Lifesaving and First Aid Crew, the first volunteer rescue squad. After seeing the success in Roanoke the same was followed in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The Winston-Salem Rescue Squad, which was chartered in 1937, continues to operate to this day. This department is the oldest Rescue Squad in North Carolina.^[3]

Initially, rescue squads performed both medical services and what are now considered technical rescue operations. Such operations include, but are not limited to: confined space rescue, cave rescue, vehicle extrication, search and rescue, rope rescue, building collapse, underwater dive rescue, and swiftwater rescue. Advancements in technology have led to the occurrence of fewer fires, and have thus caused many fire departments, both paid and volunteer, to incorporate both EMS and technical rescue operations into their role. As a result, many rescue squads that used to function as "true rescue squads" have recently begun to provide only basic EMS ambulance services or have dissolved completely. However, many rescue squads still maintain and perform their original and historical functions of both emergency medical services and rescue operations, like those listed above.

• Ambulance
• Emergency medical services
• Emergency medical technician
• Extrication
• Heavy rescue vehicle

• Roanoke Emergency Medical Services
• A google search for Rescue Squads that perform EMS

1. ^ Belmar Squad
2. ^ Keyport Squad
3. ^ http://www.winstonsalemrescuesquad.org/Who_We_Are/who_we_are.html W-S Rescue Squad