"It really opened our eyes and we've been planning for mass casualty events since then," said Zack Beckner, captain of Radford University EMS. The work of the VT crew has not gone unnoticed outside of the New River Valley either. They have received national accolades in the form of a Stars of Life award from the American Ambulance Association, and a letter of commendation written by the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Lesley Hunter, manager of meetings and education for the AAA, said that this kind of recognition is very important and has also been given to rescue workers that handled the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
"VT Rescue exemplified what's the best about the ambulance industry," Hunter said.
Acknowledgment in the form of a letter from FEMA is given to organizations that have a vested interest, high morale and were able to perform their duties, said Darryl Madden, an intergovernmental affairs specialist for the organization.
"It's not uncommon for us to reach out to groups that have risen to the level of heroic behavior," Madden said.
As far as both Hunter and Madden are aware, the awards presented to VT Rescue are the first awards of their kind that have ever been given to a student-run EMS organization. Like all rescue squads, VT Rescue reviewed the events of April 16 and how they handled them, and amended what they felt was necessary.
Some of the bigger changes included being restructured so that they now report to the Virginia Tech Police Department, as opposed to the Schiffert Health Center. They also threw out their old multiple-page emergency response plan and now have a short checklist that lays out what needs to be done.
The panel also recommended that the Tech Police Department and VT Rescue be housed in the same building. University spokesperson Larry Hincker said that it's a high priority, but nothing is official yet. Downing and Romanyshyn both described the special bond that exists between the members who worked alongside one another last year.
"I'm sure stuff like that brings people together, I mean when you go through a big incident such as that, but I think we've always had a close knit group here," Downing said. Though it can't be easy to balance a life as both a college student and an emergency response EMT, the 38 members of the VT Rescue Squad somehow manage. When their training and strength was put to the test last year, they all rose to the challenge and likely helped save lives that day.
According to Romanyshyn, the best part about being on the squad is, "the people. It's just like one big family. It's like your home away from home. All your best friends are on the squad."
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All letters to the editor must include a name, e-mail, daytime phone number and affiliation to Virginia Tech. Affiliation includes: year and major for students; position and department for faculty and staff; current city for alumni and parents.
Was the VT Rescue Squad the ones who transported the bodies out of Norris Hall? That must have been a heck of a thing to deal with, considering the Rescue Squad members probably had not previously dealt with a single fatality....
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I can speak from experience that VTRS has dealt with fatalities in the past - just not on this magnitude.
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I believe that Carilion transported all the fatalities to Roanoke that night.
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Many agencies were on scene that day and stayed until the evening. Units were released as the even de-escalated, so those who were still assisting were asked to transport the deceased to Roanoke. During the incident, VTRS was triaging and treating the wounded and relying on many agencies to assist with transporting. As Outsider said, VTRS has dealt with fatalities in the past- such as the construction worker who fell from the roof of the Coliseum and the student who jumped out of the 6th floor of Lee hall. Just nothing of that magnitude or malicious intent.
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I have been involved in emergency services in NJ for 15 years and have responded to several mass casualty situations including the World Trade Center. As I watched the events unfold on TV and monitored the BVRS radio traffic on the Internet, I was very impressed with the professionalism of the VTRS, BVRS and other responding EMS units. In addition, the VT Police, other supporting police agencies, and the VT administration did and outstanding job given the uncertainties, chaos, and panic of a tragedy never before experienced on a college campus. Having only limited and confusing information available at the time, the VT Police and President made the correct decisions that morning. I must say I was shocked and embarrassed for the national press at how they treated the VT Predident and Police Chief. Even today I refuse to watch certain news reporters on TV.
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I completely agree with Bob. Kudoos to Virginia Tech/Blacksburg Police, all the rescue personnel, and President Steger himself. Other universities would be lucky to have the caring support that Virginia Tech has. I only hope these groups of people and President Steger stick around to help Virginia Tech continue to invent the future.
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A
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