HENRICO COUNTY, Va. -- Every day, every hour, members of the Tuckahoe Volunteer Rescue Squad, like Dennis Morales, are spending their time at their Horsepen Road location, on standby to save lives.
“I’ve got a young child, she’s almost three, so when she’s sick or something and my wife is home alone with her, that can just be a tax on my wife, but I think it’s a shared sacrifice," Morales said.
A shared sacrifice that comes with no paycheck. All members are volunteers. "About 70-80% of fire and EMS in the country is volunteer, and a lot of people don't know that," said Squad President Eric Dement.
At least 80% of the volunteers are in high school or college, many of them paving their way toward a career in the medical field.
"We're here to help out our fire department. We want to be here, we like doing it, and we're always here to learn," said high schooler Rithika Ravirala, one of the youngest members on the squad.
Once the high school or college volunteers leave, however, it leaves open spots in the squad. Turnover, and donations, Dement says, are always top of mind, given the cost of operations.
A fully stocked emergency vehicle can cost at least $300,000. Annually, the squad receives about $200,000.
Without the support, volunteer squads like Tuckahoe disappear.
“Donations obviously are a big part of how we’ve existed for as long as we have," Dement explained. "And that’s been the demise of some of the other volunteer organizations in the country, is staffing and donations."
Since 1953, the squad has managed to stay afloat. The mentorship and memories often keep volunteers like Dement active for decades.
On Sunday, the group held an open house for the first time since COVID-19, showing them their home away from home and the basic medical procedures they practice daily, hoping to garner more support for their life-saving service.
“Knowing that we have been able to help somebody, to learn how to coexist with other people, how to help other people, the volunteer part of it… We get a paycheck in simple smiles and thank yous from the people we take to the hospital," Dement said.
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