Commanded by
Chief Kyle Padgett, administers a program that provides for the immediate response and timely arrival of a specially designed and equipped rescue vehicle to requests for rescue in which patients are entangled or entrapped; to apply special procedures and equipment to safely and expeditiously remove the patient; and to provide additional assistance to BLS and ALS personnel when necessary according to medical and operational protocol.
With (3) Heavy Rescue/Squad Trucks in the City of Virginia Beach, personnel are always ready to respond to calls for Specialized Resources, Tools and Personnel. Through Virginia Beach EMS Mutual Aid agreements, EMS units also support neighboring cities in times when their own resources are overwhelmed, they are out of position or unable to respond. Squad Trucks may be called upon by North Carolina to respond to a serious accident due to the close proximity of our Squad-6 in Creeds, or Squad-9 in Kempsville may be called upon by NAB Little Creek for an accident on a Military Transport Ship docked at their piers.
Squad Trucks (commonly referred to as "crash trucks") are used to provide Hydraulic, Pneumatic, Powered and Non-Powered Tools in support of Technical Rescue evolutions. Squad Truck personnel are cross trained in Rope Rescue techniques, Stabilization procedures, Hazardous Materials Awareness and Support, Specialized Lifting and Movement techniques and all facets of Patient Care in arduous and often traumatic circumstances.
As part of the Technical Rescue component, Squad Truck crews are called upon most often to perform extrication of patients from being trapped in automobiles, farm equipment and industrial machinery. A secondary function of all Squad Truck crews is the direct Medical support of all field activities. Each Squad Truck is a 'mini' Mass Casualty Response Truck that supplements Ambulances and Fire Apparatus whenever overwhelmed by large numbers of patients or equipment needs. Squad Trucks can also be responded to Military or Civilian Air Fields and Bases to provide Specialized Tools for Aircraft crashes or Heavy Equipment disentanglement. Future Plans for Squad Truck crews include the support of Marine Rescue Teams and Fire Department Chemical and Biological Response Teams (counter terrorism response).