14 Vermont EMS Crews Headed to Houston

Convoy of ambulances on schedule for 4 p.m. departure

For Immediate Release: Sept. 22, 2005
Contact: Communication Office
Vermont Department of Health
802-863-7281

BURLINGTON, VT – Fourteen ambulance crews and more than 30 Vermont Emergency Medical Services personnel are on schedule for a 4 p.m. departure from Brattleboro to help fulfill an urgent request of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

As Hurricane Rita continues to gain strength, 14 experienced EMS crews were assembled in a matter of hours, and will be leaving behind family and homes for up to a 30-day deployment. A staging area is being established by FEMA at Reliant Stadium in southern Houston.

Vermont Health Department officials expect the crews to serve two primary missions if Hurricane Rita hits land and is as powerful as predicted:

The first portion of the 1,800-mile trip will be approximately 400 miles. Friday will be the longest travel day. Houston is expected to be the final destination at 12 p.m. on Saturday, unless the storm pushes the convoy to another location nearby.

“I am incredibly proud of all the organizations and the people we are sending for stepping up as quickly as they did,” said Dr. Paul Jarris, MD, commissioner of the Vermont Department of Health. “This latest effort to help others in need exemplifies once again the spirit and the willingness to serve that I see every day in Vermont.”

Services Deploying to Texas:

Bennington Rescue Squad
Bennington, VT
Business Phone: 802-442-5817

Rescue, Inc.
Brattleboro, VT
Business Phone: 802-257-7679

Regional Ambulance Service, Inc.
Rutland, VT
Business Phone: 802-773-1746

Upper Valley Ambulance
Fairlee, VT
Business Phone: 802-333-4043

Mad River Valley Ambulance Service
Waitsfield, VT
Business Phone: 802-496-8888

Milton Rescue
Milton, VT
Business Phone: 802-893-4556

Vergennes Area Rescue Squad, Inc.
Vergennes, VT 05491
Business Phone: 802-877-3683

Essex Rescue, Inc
Essex Jct. VT
Business Phone: 802-878-4859

Richmond Rescue, Inc.
Richmond, VT
Business Phone: 802-434-2394

Newport Ambulance Service, Inc.
Newport, VT
Business Phone: 802-334-2023

Derby Line Ambulance, Inc.
Derby Line, VT
Business Phone: 802-873-3250

Enosburg Ambulance Service
Enosburg Falls, VT
Business Phone: 802-933-2118

Town of Barre EMS
Barre Town, VT
Business Phone: 802-476-3147

Poultney Rescue Squad, Inc.
Poultney, VT
Business Phone: 802-287-5575