Emergency Medical Services Division
South Orange Rescue Squad has been providing excellent emergency care and educational opportunities to the citizens of Orange County, North Carolina, since 1971. It is our mission as an all-volunteer organization to serve local residents, students, and visitors, and to provide a coordinated service in conjunction with established professional emergency response agencies in Orange County.
Services We Provide
The EMS Division of South Orange Rescue Squad provides standby EMS coverage at UNC Football, UNC Basketball, and Baseball athletic events, in addition to various special events such as high school football games, 5k's, and community festivals in the Chapel Hill/Carrboro area.
The EMS Division also staffs a BLS ambulance with two South Orange EMTs. This fully functional ambulance runs in the regular 9-1-1 system, responding to calls throughout Orange County.
South Orange Rescue Squad is also the on-call medical provider for unplanned emergency situations such as structure fires or to address a need for additional coverage when the system gets busy. When "paged-out," we can quickly assemble resources to staff an ambulance to respond to both community medical calls or to provide support for fire-fighting efforts or other extended operations.
Training Process
Prospective members are interviewed and evaluated by the existing Membership Committee before being brought into the organization as Cadets. These Cadets undergo a rigorous training process before they earn regular status and are able to act independently. The training includes 48 hours a month actively working on an ambulance, either on a South Orange or Orange County EMS ambulance, in addition to specialized training sessions designed to supplement their medical expertise. Each cadet is also assigned to a Lieutenant, to monitor and mentor him or her throughout their preceptorship. It takes provisional members an average of 4 months to complete all the training requirements, after which they undergo an intense cut-loose process involving tests of their medical and operational knowledge.
After the cadetship, full division members are then required to work 24 hours per month on either our BLS ambulance or SORS special events. These individuals also attend monthly Continuing Education training sessions; these sessions cover everything from logistical SORS-specific operations and recent protocol changes to generalized remediation of common medical conditions. Many sessions are lead by esteemed members of the community, such as other providers of medical care or health facilitators.
Volunteer Opportunities
South Orange Rescue Squad is always accepting applications to join. We look for bright, eager, and dedicated individuals who want to further their experience in Emergency Medicine and provide a service to their community.
We do expect our prospective members to have their State or National certification as an EMS Basic-level provider. If you are interested in becoming an EMT, classes are available through Durham Tech in Carrboro and Hillsborough. Please follow this link to register Durham Tech EMT class.
More Information
For more information on the EMS Division, or to request EMS Standby Coverage for an event - visit the contact page.
Billing and Records Requests
For any billing or records requests, please contact 1-800-814-5339, option 5 or submit a request in writing to legalservices@emsmc.com. Additional information can be found at: https://emsmc.com/patient-portal/