WHEATON VOLUNTEER RESCUE SQUAD INC

Our vision is to to be widely recognized as the premier rescue squad in the United States. We will accomplish this by ensuring our volunteer personnel and emergency vehicles are always ready to respond; maintaining our new fire station at a high state of readiness; and building a trustworthy and accountable relationship with the public we serve.

The need for 9-1-1 service in Wheaton, Maryland and the surrounding areas of Montgomery County continues to grow. An aging population, increasing motor vehicle traffic and high density development forecast an increased need for the WVRS' advanced life support, specialized rescue and ambulance services.

In 2015 the WVRS began a strategic planning process focused on several areas: Operations and Service Delivery; Apparatus and Fleet; Financial Management; Fundraising, Business Operations and Client Services; Board and Administrative Infrastructure; Membership Recruitment and Retention; Building and Grounds; and Communications and Public Outreach.

Our strategic plan focuses on: increasing volunteer staffing; upgrading our vehicles; strengthening fiscal discipline by enforcing strict spending controls; diversifying our approaches to fundraising; continuously evaluating the financial performance of our business operations; recruiting a diverse and engaged Board of Directors; utilizing a data driven approach to recruiting and retaining our volunteer members; monitoring how we maintain and improve our new fire station; and engaging the public through outreach, frequent communication and open dialogue.

The WVRS is an all volunteer organization. We have over 250 members, including nearly 100 volunteers with over 10 years of continuous service.

Our volunteer personnel staff a fleet of emergency vehicles that includes two heavy rescue trucks, four ambulances, two paramedic chase cares, a specialized all terrain rescue vehicle and four specially equipped support vehicles.

The WVRS' volunteer personnel and emergency vehicles respond to 9-1-1 calls from a new four bay fire station built in 2013.

In fiscal year 2015 the WVRS placed a new ambulance in service.We also purchased a new advanced life support (ALS) chase car which began responding to 9-1-1 calls in the first quarter of fiscal year 2016. This ALS chase car allows us to deliver faster life saving services to patients in Wheaton and Montgomery County, Maryland. In fiscal year 2016 we completed construction and purchase of a new heavy rescue squad, a second ALS chase car, an ambulance, and a chief's car.

The WVRS recruited an all time record high of 32 new volunteers in fiscal year 2015 coordinated with Maryland's first ever statewide volunteer fire and rescue recruitment day in April 2015.

After opening Wheaton's first newly constructed fire station in several decades, the WVRS must enhance its fundraising and management practices to maintain our state of the art facility. Over the next several years we will focus on strengthening our relationship with our community of supporters.