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By JANE BANGLEY
Rappahannock News Staff Writer
The Sperryville Volunteer Rescue Squad began operating in 1969 when eight charter members decided there was a need for rescue service in the Sperry ville area.
Since its beginning, the squad has been sustained primarily through the dedication and sacrifices of the members. The squad now has 16 active members, seven of which are trained Emergency Medical Technicians. The rest of the members are classified as drivers, and three members are taking the EMT certification course.
Jody Wingfield joined the squad four years ago originally just to keep the books. “Then they started saying, ‘You need to learn CPR,’ so I did that and then before I knew it I was taking the EMT training,” Wingfield said.
Last year, she went on about 75 percent of the squad’s calls. “If I’m at home, and that tone goes off, I’m gone,” Wingfield said. She was referring to the tone used by the dispatch center to signal the squad members that an emergency call in their area has been received. The tone is transmitted through a paging system.
Besides covering the Sperryville area, the squad also handles calls up to the top of Luray Mountain. “One of the problems is that it takes at least 30 minutes to get to a hospital from wherever we go on a call,” Wingfield said. Another problem that faces the squad, along with all of the other volunteer departments in Rappahannock, occurs when an emergency call comes in during the day.
“We are hurting through the day because all of us have jobs, and only rarely can anyone leave to go on call,” Wingfield said. All of the departments have been cooperating on calls, especially during the day, but the problem of getting enough people to answer the calls still remains. “Some of the people in the community who don’t work during the day need to start joining their local departments,” Wingfield said.
The Sperryville squad also needs some volunteers to form a ladies’ auxiliary. “Since we don’t have an auxiliary, the members have to raise funds for the squad, too,” Wingfield said. “We have a fund drive letter campaign dur
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