REMS, short for Roanoke Emergency Medical Services, is looking at a uncertain future while Roanoke City leaders juggle many possible budget cuts for the remaining year and following year. REMS was told that there mere $80,000 funding from the City would be cut out of the next budget year. That $80,000 helps REMS continue on each year and remain an active force within Roanoke City’s Public Safety.
REMS was formed when the Roanoke Life Saving Crew and Williamson Road Life Saving Crew merged in the 1990′s (forgive me if I am off on my history a little). The Roanoke Life Saving Crew was formed in 1928 by Julian Wise and was the first of its kind. Touted as the World’s first life saving crew, many others formed in the region and across the Globe. You can view more here.
REMS has maintained funding over the years through mailings seeking donations. Those donations dropped off when Roanoke City began charging for EMS transports. REMS now draws a mere $20,000 from mailing/donations each year. According to Ken Harper, REMS VP, Roanoke City currently makes around $200,000 – $280,000 from those transports. That is the profit after collections and should not be misidentified as the billed amounts.
Updated: How could I forget that we use the REMS building as our training center all the time. Roanoke Fire/EMS crews are in and out of the REMS building for IMS, EMS, Continuing Ed., and Fire classes daily. The main reason it is used is because our training center is outside of the City and the training room at the new Fire Station 1 can’t be used because there is nowhere for the apparatus to park.
REMS also does many other things within the City. They do EMS standbys at most major events at the Roanoke Civic Center and elsewhere in the City. They take care of stocking and distributing EMS supplies for all of the Medic Trucks and Stations in the City. They also provide storage for our reserve medic trucks at their station. REMS has the only 4×4 ambulances in the City and the only bariatric ambulance in the City (excluding private ambulance companies). Those are some of the benefits of REMS and I am sure there are more.
Just recently, Sidney Robertson passed away:
He was an active member of Huntington Court United Methodist Church and was President and CEO of Roanoke Emergency Medical Services for a number of years. In 1998 received the Crew Member of the Year Award in recognition of over 60 years volunteer service. This award is now known as the Sidney F. Robertson Award. He had been a volunteer for Williamson Road Life Saving Crew and REMS for over 70 years.
Sidney’s Eulogy was delivered by Roanoke’s Assistant City Manager Jim Grigsby. I know how much time and effort Sidney put into REMS and the organizations which became REMS and I wonder what he would say if he knew the current state of affairs.
Read about Sidney in depth here, and here.
Visit REMS online at RoanokeEMS.org. If you would like to speak your mind, I suggest contacting Roanoke City Council and letting them know you think that the funding should be restored. Contact Roanoke City Council here.