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2013 SESSION


HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 901
Commending the Salem Rescue Squad.

 

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, February 15, 2013
Agreed to by the Senate, February 21, 2013

 

WHEREAS, the Salem Rescue Squad proudly celebrated its 80th anniversary of providing outstanding volunteer emergency medical services to the citizens of Salem and the surrounding communities in 2012; and

WHEREAS, in 1932 Salem Fire Department’s Chief Lewis Ballard and businessman Minor Oakey came together to form the Salem Life Saving Crew, modeled on the Roanoke Lifesaving and First Aid Crew that had been established by Roanoke resident Julian Wise; and

WHEREAS, the Salem Rescue Squad, with Minor Oakey as its first chief, carried equipment in a town car until two years after its formation, when the first ambulance was bought; and

WHEREAS, the Salem Rescue Squad has seen many advances in training, equipment, and communications over the years, from the days when members were notified by “Ferdinand,” a big horn on top of the fire station, to the use of ambulances equipped with the latest technology; and

WHEREAS, the Salem Rescue Squad has provided outstanding care to community members, assisting in the rescue of individuals during the Flood of 1985 and playing a key role in moving patients from the old Lewis Gale Hospital in Roanoke to the new facility in Salem; and

WHEREAS, today, the Salem Rescue Squad, composed of more than 50 volunteer members, also provides backup service at night and weekend days to Salem’s paid emergency medical services team and serves standby at such community events as the Salem Fair, Old Salem Days, and the Stagg Bowl; and

WHEREAS, Salem Rescue Squad members provide invaluable service and savings, running about 700 calls annually and volunteering nearly 20,000 hours; and

WHEREAS, members of the Salem Rescue Squad range from college students to the oldest living life members, A. B. Hoback and Harold King, who together have 116 years of service—all brought together by their desire to serve their fellow residents; and

WHEREAS, known as the second-oldest rescue squad in the world, the Salem Rescue Squad celebrated 80 years of service to the community at a banquet on November 17, 2012, at the Salem Civic Center with active members receiving trauma shears and fleece jackets embroidered with the Salem Rescue Squad seal and dates 1932 - 2012; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend the Salem Rescue Squad on the occasion of its 80th anniversary; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Jack McDaniel, chief of the Salem Rescue Squad, as an expression of the General Assembly’s congratulations and admiration for the squad’s commitment to serving the community.