Volunteer rescue squad reports building progress, new truck and tight fundraising; seeks continued county support

Leaders of a local volunteer rescue squad updated the Health, Welfare and Recreation Committee on July 24 that their building renovation is near completion, a replacement truck was recovered and returned, and fundraising remains critical to sustain operations, training and equipment.

Neil (last name not provided), a rescue squad officer, introduced five officers and said the squad had 30 names on its roster with roughly 15 active members. “I’ve got 30 on the roster. We probably got 15 active,” he said. He described recent calls that included a person with serious burns and a water-rescue retrieval and noted the squad provides on-scene rehabilitation — water, Gatorade and cooling towels — for firefighters and other first responders at hot calls.

The rescue squad reported multiple enterprise-scale volunteer responsibilities: structural-collapse, trench, confined-space, high-angle/low-angle rope rescue, swift-water and dive teams. Training is recurring and has a cost; the squad told the committee a state training session costs about $125 per person when the squad pays association dues (the cost rises to ~$400 without those dues). The squad also said it runs frequent fundraisers — mud runs, Bonnaroo cookouts, a July event and a spring chicken dinner — and that a good year for the chicken-dinner fundraiser can net about $10,000–$12,000.

The squad reiterated that it does not bill for rescue services and operates as a nonprofit; it said it accepts donations and holds fundraisers to sustain gear, training and building repairs. The officers asked for continued county support and coordination; the committee scheduled a fuller review and return visit by the squad at the next meeting for a more detailed report.

No formal funding decision or change to county support was recorded on July 24; the squad will present a fuller review at the next committee meeting.