Danville Life Saving Crew celebrates EMS week and receives recognition from the community

DANVILLE, Va. (WDBJ) - The community has been celebrating The Danville Life Saving Crew all week as part of National EMS Week. They also received multiple awards for their hard work and dedication.

Every day this week they were treated with goodies or cookouts from the community.

They also received the Pinnacle Award from the Danville Pittsylvania County Chamber of Commerce and an Appreciation Plaque from AirLife Virginia.

“It means so much to hear those thank-yous from the people that we serve every day, because sometimes you’re an unsung hero here,” said Bryan Fox, Deputy Chief of Operations. “You don’t get pat on the backs and thank-yous very often. So, when they do come, it means a whole lot to the providers.”

The Danville Life Saving Crew responds to around 15,000 calls per year.

“They really give their heart and soul in dedicating to providing the best pre-hospital care that we can, which is our mission statement for all of our patients. From the pauper to the millionaire, we serve them the same. It makes no difference,” added Deputy Chief Fox.

They are prepared for an increase in calls this weekend due to holiday travel and activities.

“You may have family traveling from out of town that are going to be spending time here, which increases our population. With the new casino here, there may be more people traveling to the area. So, we expect a little influx of population, and with more people come the probability of more calls,” said Deputy Chief Fox.

They want to remind people to take lifejackets on the water and to stay off phones while driving this holiday weekend.

“We expect a little uptick in traffic. So, we’ve prepped our heavy rescue operators that run our heavy rescue crash trucks to be alert. I think already today we’ve experienced a couple of motor vehicle crashes just locally here that they’ve had to respond to with no significant injury of any kind,” added Deputy Chief Fox.

To become a volunteer for the Danville Life Saving Crew, visit dlsc.org/.

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