Section B
- journal
Thursday, March 3, 1983
Rescue
Volunteers witli the
Hoke County Rescue
Squad spend long hours
with no pay, 'just
because they care'
By Sherry Matthews
A good cause makes a strong
arm
God befriend us, our cause is
just.
-Shakespeare
The Hoke County Rescue Squad
members could very easily use this
as their theme because many
believe that the cause they are
devoted to and the service they per
form is just.
According to John Melton,
squad commander, the cause they
are devoted to is "serving the peo
ple of Hoke County.
"It is not only our job and our
responsibility to serve the people;
' it is, for most of us, our only
[ reason for joining the squad,"
Melton said.
The rescue squad, which was
established back in 1962, now has
14 members.
"We would like to have more,
but it is hard to find someone who
wants to give up a lot of their time
to the squad," Buddy Dunn, a
rescue squad member, said.
The members we have are both
qualified and dedicated to their
"second job", Dunn added.
"The squad operates on an
Emergency Medical Technician
(EMT) level," Dunn said.
Of the 14 squad members, five
are EMT's and three are am
bulance attendants.
"Those guys who are ambulance
attendants are just as important as
the EMT's. They can operate any
emergency vehicle and ride in the
back with an EMT," Melton said.
Besides the EMT's and the am
bulance attendants, the squad has
four certified underwater divers.
According to Melton the (fivers
are a very dedicated group of men.
"The divers pay for their own
training and buy their own equip
ment. Nothing is provided for
them," Melton said.
The divers, however, are not the
only dedicated members of the
squad.
"Each and every member is
devoted to this cause," Dunn said.
"We are all in the business of
helping people, and we take that
very seriously." Kemp Crumpkr,
dive master for the squad, added.
The squad members put in a lot
of hours in their efforts to do
justice to the cause of "serving the
people".
Each of the members maintains
other jobs but according to Dunn
their jobs don't suffer because of
the squad.
"If we get a call during working
hours, we will leave immediately,"
Dunn said.
Other jobs, families and spare
READY TO ROLL
The rescue vehicles stand readv to roll at a moment* nntir*
time don't get in the way of the
squad doing their job.
"It doesn't really create any pro
blems for us because we are doing
what we want to do. and the ones
dose to us understand that."
Dunn said.
But e%en with the skill and
dedication, the squad does their
job for no pay.
"There is no charge to those we
serve, and there is no salary for the
squad members Our piris the
knowledge that we have helped
someore who needed it." Melton
said.
How then is the rescue squad
able to service the community?
According to Mdton the funds
for the rescue squad come from
several different places.
"We receive SI 1,000 per year
from the county; $4,000 per year
from the city and approximately
SI. 300 from United Way; the rest
comes from the donations we get
from the people themselves,"
Mellon said.
The squad adheres to a tight
budget and decides as a group
where the money should go.
"We do all the plumbing work
as well as any mechanical or elec
trical work that we can. If we
know how to do it, we do it,"
Dunn said
Even with a tight budget, the
members maintain one of the best
equipped squads in the state, Dunn
added.
"We arc well equipped, and we
are devoted and for those reasons
we do a good job on every call,"
Crumpler said.
Doing a good job is very impor
tant to the squad.
"We answer every call we get
and are dispatched within one to
two minutes after we receive the
call," Melton added.
"Anything we can help with we
don't mind doing, whether it's
sweeping up glass after a wreck,
assisting at a fire, or helping a
heart attack victim," Crumpler
said.
These are just a few of the calls
the squad receives.
They also go out of the county
to help other squads involved in
search parties and drownings.
"Our squad works together as a
team on even- call. If we don't,
then the squad is really worthless."
Melton said.
According to Dunn, the squad is
not worthless.
"J believe we provide a valued
service to the community or at
least we put forth every effort to
do so," Dunn said.
"We dedicate lots of time to the
community and to the squad itself
and love every minute of it."
Melton added.
"We have found our cause, and
we are determined to serve that
cause to the best of our abilities,"
Dunn said.