Is
St. John Rescue a non-profit organization? Yes, STJ Rescue, Inc. was incorporated
on November 30, 1996 as a non-profit 501(3)c corporation -- EIN # 66-0549890.
What does STJ Rescue
do? St. John Rescue, Inc. is an all-volunteer non-profit organization on the
small island of St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands dedicated to providing:
Emergency rescue and medical support
services to the St. John's EMS, Police, Fire, National Park and Health Clinic personnel
Safety and medical support services for
community events and activities
Equipment and supplies as shared resources
within the St. John community
How do you differ from
EMS? EMS, the National Park, Police, Fire, etc. may call on us when they need
additional assistance at the site of an incident, as we have specialized skills that can
be critical - vehicle stabilization, extrications, triage training, etc. We also have
specialized tools that can be of value including jaws of life, portable AED's, oxygen
kits, etc. Our responding STJ members Certified First Responders, and a few of our
members are certified EMT's. We respond primarily to requests
from 911 dispatch.
I thought you were paid
for your services? No. STJ Rescue members are all volunteers. We operate
through the generosity of our members and of our community. Both corporate and private
donations are welcome. We regularly hold fundraising events on St. John. St. John
Rescue members pay for much of their own equipment, uniforms and transportation out of
their own pockets.
How Do You Stay Trained? STJ
Rescue members train regularly, with group-wide training sessions generally held twice a
month. See our Training page for more
information. Training sessions are held in various locations, dependent on the nature of the
training. An example is extrication training (opening cars using the Jaws of Life) at the Susannaburg dump. We train with other agencies, such as Police, EMS, Fire, etc. to be
ready to respond to any emergency for the community of St. John, whether it be a vehicle
accident, a medical emergency, or an Act of God. Add to this the various certification
requirements (55 hrs/First Responder, almost triple that for an EMT-B
certification), and the training
commitment is large.
Why are you
needed - don't we have paid people who do this work? Like any small community,
the diverse needs of St. John goes beyond the capabilities of it's government
infrastructure. Our rugged terrain and limited road access make it prudent for St. John
to have as many trained personnel available as possible in the case of an emergency. St.
John Rescue personnel have proven willing to step in and fill that necessary void. Other
organizations that we interface with all provide critical assistance at various times -
Red Cross and ARES for example - and this is why St. John Rescue has members in these
organizations too.
Who is eligible to join
St. John Rescue, Inc.? Any adult member of the community who is willing to help
further the interests of St. John Rescue, Inc. is eligible for membership. Prospective
members are nominated by active members, and voted on by the whole. To be a
responding
member, current First Responder certification or above (Red Cross or
equivalent certification), is required.
We're planning to
start a Junior Rescue group soon, so if you know any youngster who
might be interested, or if you'd like to help, contact us at
340-693-RESQ.
What has St. John Rescue
accomplished? Along with regularly responding to emergencies,
and helping at community events (See our
Incident Log for recent details),
our organization has done a lot. community. STJ Rescue has improved the infrastructure on St. John: We've brought
two Jaws of Life, and Rescue-1 (a specially
built and equipped rescue vehicle), to the island. It's designed to withstand the rigors of
our roads, carry heavy equipment safely and fast to an incident scene, and to provide
power and lighting to ensure scene safety wherever needed. The lighting capability
alone was worth the efforts. Rescue-2, a donated end-of-life
ambulance was salvaged and refitted to become our invaluable Coral
Bay equipment vehicle.
We are in the process of installing a new
radio system which will be useable over the entire island of St. John, minimizing 'dead
spots', and will facilitate a more rapid response to community needs.
We are about to order a new modular ambulance/transport vehicle for
the Coral Bay area to replace Rescue-2 and to launch our first
marine vehicle Marine-1.
And,
we're working on long term plans for development of an EOC/ headquarters building to house supplies and equipment
needs and jointly meet the needs of other organizations including
ARES, VITEMA, etc. As you can see, we're always trying to look
forward to the growning needs of St. John.
Check out our
News, News Archives,
and other pages for much more information.
How do I know that St.
John Rescue will be around? St. John Rescue has been a formal organization on
the island of St. John since 1996. We have sister organizations on St. Thomas and St.
Croix. Our St. John membership is strong and growing. Check out other sections on this
website for information on our past history and future plans.
How can I help? St. John
Rescue welcomes any and all contributions of money, time, expertise, or
materials/supplies. You can contact us by leaving a phone message at 1-340-693-RESQ,
or sending an e-mail to
info@stjohnrescue.org
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