About
Our History
Prior to 1976, emergency services in Vestal were delivered by the Vestal Police Department. Terry Beishline foresaw the need for a volunteer emergency squad that could deliver skilled patient care. He, along with five others, Rich Williams, Dave Bennett, Brian Mather, and Chuck & Cheryl Greene, founded what has since been known as the Vestal Volunteer Emergency Squad.
Each founding member was in charge of a specific subject area to be researched, such as: training and recruitment, communications, exploring ambulance types, and recruiting volunteers. It was determined that at least 80 people would be needed to run a full-time ambulance service. Over 120 residents responded from a variety of backgrounds to become original members.
Training courses were developed and implemented and VVES received NYS certification on April 1, 1976; we were officially open for service. In January 1976, an Emergency Medical Technician course was offered for VVES members, and by October 1977 we had 90 EMT’s, 30 IV Technicians, 8 Cardiac Care Technicians, and 100 total members certified in CPR.
The Union Volunteer Emergency Squad played a key role in the start up of VVES’ Heartmobile. With training and support provided by UVES, Advanced Emergency Medical Technicians III from Vestal could now offer Advanced Life Support services to the community in the form of a Heartmobile.
Currently
VVES proudly protects an area of 53 square miles. We operate out of one station that serves a primarily rural area. We are a public department whose members are on a combination of paid and volunteer status. We are no longer financially supported by the Town of Vestal, but generate income by billing patient’s insurance companies for services. If you’re interested in joining, see our membership page.
VVES is also the charter sponsor for the VVES EMS Explorer Program. Explorer programs were started for individuals from ages 14 to 20 by the Boy Scouts of America in order to foster learning in specific career areas. The three main goals of the VVES Explorer Post are to provide community education about Emergency Medical Services, to teach CPR and basic first aid, and to offer interesting information about careers in EMS. Anyone in their age group, male or female, interested in this program should contact the Explorer Coordinator.
