Rescue, Inc. reports 4,174 calls in 2024, details Mobile Integrated Health and training needs

Jeanette White presented Rescue, Inc.'s April 2025 status report to the Selectboard on behalf of the volunteer organization that serves 14 Vermont towns and two New Hampshire towns. The report said Rescue covers about 500 square miles with 10 ambulances, responded to 4,174 calls in 2024, and logged roughly 309,000 miles of travel.

White described the organization's services: 911 ambulance responses (Basic and Advanced Life Support), inter‑hospital transfers, a technical rescue team that performs high/low angle and water rescues, and Brattleboro Retreat transports (349 patients in 2024). She detailed the Mobile Integrated Health (MIH) program — a partnership with Brattleboro Memorial Hospital and Grace Cottage that provided in‑home care to 178 patients on 520 occasions in 2024, funded by a BMH grant — and said MIH can reduce emergency department visits and readmissions.

Rescue, Inc. highlighted workforce and training challenges and described a proposed state‑of‑the‑art mobile training and incident simulation trailer intended to improve EMS training and on‑scene rehabilitation capabilities. The report noted the Vermont EMS Academy in Newfane opened in 2022 and has expanded course offerings, and that Rescue's programs rely on a mix of town assessments, insurance reimbursements, grants, subscription services and fundraising to cover costs.

White urged continued support and noted that while member town assessments fund 911 responses, many Rescue services (training, MIH, retreat transports) depend on grants and other funding streams. The Selectboard received the report; no board action to change funding levels was recorded at the meeting.