Virginia Tech Rescue Squad Recovering from Shootings

On April 16, every member of the Virginia Tech Rescue Squad, a completely student-run emergency medical care and rescue organization located on campus, responded to a call to Norris Hall and operated the "makeshift hospital" for those involved in the shootings.

"We're just trying to get back into the swing of things," said James Downing, senior mechanical engineering major and president of the squad.

Besides going to class, these students spend their time at the station going through extensive training, assigning duties and covering campus 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They are highly respected officials and have received a great amount of publicity and praise, but let it not be forgotten that they are no different than the rest of the community.

"We're students, too," said Joanna Romanyshyn, senior biology major and member of the squad. "We've been through the same things that everyone else has."

Just as counseling is available to all students through the Cook Counseling Center, each member of the squad has been offered free counseling with specialists who are trained to work with EMT and other emergency officials.

Countless community members recognize and appreciate the hard work and dedication exemplified by the squad, including Rick Ferrarl, assistant vice president of student affairs, who manages the squad's funds and budget. Ferrarl sincerely recalls the dedication and passion of the squad members as they faced the situation and handled it with "coolness under fire."

Both Downing and Romanshyn expressed a great deal of pride in their fellow members. They said that the squad responded and handled the situation with as much efficiency as they could have hoped for.

"Actually," said Downing, "the only thing that could've made the day better from an emergency standpoint would've been the weather."

The unexpected snow flurries and fierce winds prevented the helicopters from landing.

Now, led by the captain, the squad must finish the long process of reviewing the incidents of the shootings and the days that followed. This involves interviewing each member, gathering thoughts from officials, documenting specific times of events and going over the station's radio, as everything over the radio is recorded.

Along with finishing up the review process, members have recently been helping out and representing the squad at student fairs around campus in an effort to spread awareness about their organization. In the upcoming week, the Virginia Tech Rescue Squad will be holding their Membership Drive. Every day from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. they will stake themselves out on the Drillfield to recruit students, regardless of any prior experience. They accept applications at the beginning of each semester, and the fall deadline in Friday, Aug. 31.

Because students run and operate the Virginia Tech Rescue Squad, the organization receives its funding from a variety of sources. The majority of their funds come from Schiffert Health Center, but they also receive a significant amount in donations from alumni and from those who appreciate the squad's work and dedication.

(C) 2007 The Collegiate Times via U-WIRE