Michael Abraham
David English has devoted much of his life to service. Four years ago at age 30, he became the youngest chief the Blacksburg Volunteer Rescue Squad had ever had.
“It takes dedication,” he told me. “I’ve been doing this with Blacksburg Rescue for about 16 years. I started volunteering when I was 15 back in New Jersey before I moved to Blacksburg. I went to Virginia Tech, which actually was a popular destination for many people from Jersey, and got a degree in computer science and mathematics. I fell in love with the area and have stuck around ever since. Virginia as a whole is nice, but there’s something particularly special about this area that sucks people in.”
“There are a lot of people I’ve gotten to know through the Rescue Squad and as students who have been drawn to the area. The hardest thing is to ensure they have jobs that are what they want to do.
“Professionally, I’m the training coordinator for the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, and I’ve been there for about ten years.”
David’s rescue business has taken him to some of the nation’s most horrific events. He was on the scene at the World Trade Center’s collapse in New York and at the shooting at Tech on April 16, 2007.
“My dad was a volunteer EMT (emergency medical technician) back home in New Jersey. A lot of new members to our squad have family histories in rescue. Before I was old enough to start running calls or doing emergency work, I would hang out with dad at the station. It becomes part of your family. When you’re old enough, you move up to the next level.”
“As soon as I got in the door, it was fun, with lots of people having similar interests and motivations. It’s a combination of helping others and helping yourself.”
I asked him about those difficult, horrible moments.
“Whatever the call, whether minor or major, I didn’t cause it. It’s already a problem. I’m there to make the situation a little bit better. There are internal benefits to helping people and making their lives better and being part of something. Over the years, I’ve saved some lives. Many calls are minor and just need a ride to the hospital or some comfort. Others are critical, and in those you do what you can to save a life.”
“When we interview a new recruit, we try to determine their motivation. We ask why they are interested in joining us. Most answer that they want to help others. That’s important, but we want them to be realistic. There is no paycheck and a recruit who is only in it for others may not realize that it takes a toll on him or her. Younger applicants need some experience for their future career in medical school or a physician assistant program. We recognize that, but we may not want the person who is only in it to achieve something else. We’re looking for people we think will become passionate about it and vested in it. There are lots of intrinsic rewards in what we do.
“It takes lots of time and money to train a recruit. We want to weed them out early if they’re not a good fit. When a recruit spends time riding with a crew, both will get a better feel for the fit.
“I’m a volunteer like everyone on the squad. I’m managing 171 active members plus 43 inactive life members. Plus, I have a full-time job and am working on my master’s degree in public administration.
“We do more than emergency medical services. We do water rescue, search and rescue, and other types of assistance. We serve Blacksburg and surrounding areas, and have mutual assistance agreements with neighboring squads to help each other when needed.”
The squad, founded in 1950, gets monetary assistance from the town and county, but is not part of the town. They are a 501(c)(3) non-profit and get other funding from donations, and they’re governed by a board of directors, on which David sits.
“The area is growing rapidly. We have a plethora of skilled people to run calls. We’re fortunate for the community we’re in. We’re community and service focused. Tech’s motto is “Ut Prosim,” Latin for ‘That I May Serve,’ and that plays a part. We have good equipment, good support, and good people. Squads in areas of diminishing population worry about keeping good equipment and keeping the lights on.
“A big part of my job is seeing where we are and where we need to be, while pushing change to make us better. Many squads have an aversion to change; we embrace it. We are not a ‘good ole boy’ network. We embrace what diversity we have in our community. If you want to serve, we want you.”
Michael Abraham is a businessman and author. He was raised in Christiansburg and lives in Blacksburg.
