Mission Statement

Mission Statement

The purpose of the Ashland Volunteer Rescue Squad is to:

  • Save lives and administer first aid

  • Teach first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation to the public

  • Serve in times of calamity

  • Promote safety and well being to the citizens of Hanover County

 

History of Ashland Volunteer Rescue Squad

Ashland Volunteer Rescue Squad (AVRS) is a non-profit organization designed to provide emergency medical transport and CPR/First Aid training to the community. Our organization is operated by volunteers using donated money from the community, and supplemented by Hanover County funds. AVRS was the first rescue squad in Hanover County and falls under the umbrella of Hanover Fire and EMS.

History of the Ashland Volunteer Rescue Squad: The thought of having a rescue squad in Hanover County came from a tragic event where a child drowned in Lucks Dairy pond off West Patrick Henry Road, just west of Ashland. At the time, the closest ambulance would came from the City of Richmond or Fredericksburg. The Ashland Volunteer Rescue Squad, Inc., was founded on February 7th, 1950 when seven members of the Ashland Volunteer Fire Department registered for a First Aid Class taught by Mrs. Emma Craddock. They attended the 18 hour First Aid Class and held their first meeting on September 19th, 1950.

Crew and Clayton Funeral Home agreed to donate a 1936 Packard Hearse for an Ambulance. The ambulance received its first painting. It was a striped Sportsman Green. February 1st, 1951, the ambulance was officially in service. February 3rd, 1951 at 6:45 AM, The rescue squad answered its first call for service. It was a dead on arrival (DOA) as a result of a man being crushed between two tractor-trailers.

If someone had a medical emergency, they would call the telephone located in front of the Ashland Feed and Seed Store. Anyone walking by the telephone would answer and take the information. They would in turn call the phone numbers of the members listed inside the call box.

On June 1st, 1969, the satellite station in “Hell Town” Montpelier was dedicated by Ashland Rescue’s Captain. This satellite station later became West Hanover Volunteer Rescue Squad, Inc. Due to the rising number of calls for service, two other rescue squads were founded. In 1958 Ashcake Volunteer Rescue Squad and in 1959 East Hanover Rescue Squad

In 1990, all four rescue squads decided to create an oversight of Hanover’s EMS system. It was decided by all four rescue squads would create what was known as Hanover EMS. This organization was eventually asked to hire paid staff to work during the day to supplement for the volunteers that could not run during the day time hours. The organization would continue to function and expand to merge Hanover Fire and EMS in 2002-2003.

In 2010, AVRS, Randolph Macon and Hanover Fire EMS came together to create Randolph Macon’s first Student’s Emergency Services. After about a year and a half of meetings and preparations, R-MC EMS was born. April 27, 2012, R-MC EMS was operational under the leadership of R-MC Student, Taylor Carson. This group is strictly led and operated by Randolph Macon students under the advisory of Dr. Grant Azdell, Dean of Students. The organization is a part of Ashland Volunteer Rescue Squad, and under the same medical direction as Ashland Volunteer Rescue Squad, Dr. Randy Geldreich.