HALIFAX — Representatives from Deerfield Valley Rescue (DVR) gave an update at the April 19 Selectboard meeting.
DVR Business Administrator Heidi Taylor opened her presentation by thanking the Halifax Volunteer Fire Department and Halifax EMS. Halifax is a significant distance from DVR's base in Wilmington.
“We couldn't make it work,” she said, without those partners.
Then she ran the numbers. On the service side, she said that of DVR's 884 calls in 2015, 41 were to Halifax; of the 170 subscription forms DVR sent to local residents, 54 were returned; of the 399 sent to second home owners, 29 were returned.
Taylor welcomed suggestions of how to increase the return on this investment, since it is “an important part of [DVR's] funding.”
Keith Stone asked about the levels of subscriptions, which elicited information that doesn't appear to be available on the DVR website. Taylor said there were three subscription levels that correspond with three levels of care.
For an annual subscription of $50, DVR transports to the three local hospitals in Bennington, Brattleboro and Greenfield, Mass., for an additional fee of $80. Transports to Albany (N.Y.) Medical Center and Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H., are $125. DVR also transports to metropolitan centers in Boston, New York, and Connecticut.
Taylor also ran the numbers on the volunteer side of the ledger. She said that DVR has 23 volunteers, one of whom is a Halifax resident, and Taylor described incentives for volunteers, including stipends for days of service and paid training in exchange for a contractual commitment to a full year of service.
Kaitlin Stone, a new member of Halifax EMS, asked if it was possible to be a member of both services.
Dennis Pike - a DVR board member and volunteer, as well as a member of Whitingham First Response - was recognized as living proof that you can helm and, as he said, the more people can “spread themselves and help out,” the better.