Mission
It is the Mission of South Orange Rescue Squad to foster high professional standards & acts of service by its membership to its community for the provision of Emergency, General and Technical Rescue Services. South Orange Rescue Squad seeks to carry out these spirited goals by organizing local residents and students, providing training and coordinating provision of services in conjunction with established professional agencies in Orange County, North Carolina and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Vision
To explore and establish relationships within the community of Orange County, North Carolina for the purpose of providing Rescue & Emergency Services training. To establish and promote educational programs in Rescue & Emergency Services. To provide adjunct Volunteer Rescue & Emergency Services to the citizens of Orange County and the state of North Carolina in conjunction with the established professional volunteer/career agencies. To promote professional development for members who are working towards future careers in Health Care, Public Health, Emergency Services or Public Service.
To make this vision a success SORS has the active participation of membership and a continued collaborative affiliation with agencies and establishments in Orange County with whom we have enjoyed past associations and those new relationships we hope to create.
History
South Orange Rescue Squad [SORS] in its current state was established in June 2004. The organization was formed by a group of dedicated community volunteers who desired to create a corporation that could respond to the needs and desires of the local community utilizing resources available in a manner that would be inciting and palatable to prospective members.
Volunteer Rescue Services in Orange County were first established in 1968 with the creation of Orange County Rescue Squad and a second service, South Orange Rescue Squad, established in 1971. Two locations of operation were constructed with Station 1 located on South Churton Street in Hillsborough & Station 2 on Roberson Street in Carrboro.
The volunteer Rescue Squads enjoyed a healthy relationship with the municipal service of Orange County Emergency Management [now Orange County Emergency Services] working in conjunction to provide training & human resources to staff the ambulance's that serviced Orange County citizens and the University of North Carolina campus and North Carolina Memorial Hospital [now UNC Health Care System]. Additionally the Rescue Squads provided volunteer services of vehicle extrication, confined space rescue, high angle rescue and swiftwater rescue.
In 1999 Orange County Emergency Management [OCEM] established an innovative change in how Emergency Medical Services were delivered to the residents of Orange County by implementing the IRV system. Subsequently the 2 volunteer squads merged into one agency Orange EMS and Rescue Squad [OEMSRS].
During the next several years implementation of the new systems of IRV and OEMSRS left a void for growth of volunteer and career EMS and Rescue services for our younger membership. In response to this OEMSRS's paid EMS division members transitioned to OCEM employees in July 2003. This step has allowed the volunteer squad to return to its roots and move forward with reestablishing a strong student and community volunteer service focused at promoting education and participation in technical rescue and emergency medical services.
To address this vision, South Orange Rescue Squad was reestablished in 2004.
In January of 2005, South Orange Rescue Squad was granted tax-exempt status by the Internal Revenue Service. All donations may be deducted from your taxes as well.
If you are interested in learning more about South Orange Rescue Squad, please attend one of our squad meetings, which are open to the public. Meetings are held on the second Thursday of the month at the station in Carrboro.