Jan. 18, 2005 — St. Croix Rescue Chief Gregory Richards told the newest members of the St. Croix Rescue squad on Sunday, "you are a select group who will move on to be heroes in our community."
Richards told the group of six men and four women, who had recently completed four months of intense training to receive their certificates as first responders, that sometimes funding is poor and community support drops off but for nearly twenty-five years Rescue has always been there, ready to serve.
The training includes being certified in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), Automatic External Defibrillator (AED), Extrication, Repelling, First Responder, and Water Safety, according to a release from St. Croix Rescue.
Jason Henry, valedictorian, spoke about the class theme, "Preserving Lives." He said it meant both emotionally and physically. Henry said he was "honored that the men outnumbered the women." He explained it was not a bias but that "normally at graduations and such women outnumber men," the release said.
Along with Henry, the other new members of St. Croix Rescue Squad are: Akil-Talib Andrews, Ramona Cruz, Henry, Henry James, Laura Martin, Angel Navarro, Dustin Rhodes, Lisa Richards-Ryan, Ricardo Simmons, and Tasha Warner.
The graduation ceremony was held at Hovensa and was attended by family and friends of the new first responders.
Two members of the Rescue Squad were honored at the ceremony for service in 2004, above and beyond the call of duty. Rachel Tank and Vincent Joseph received plagues and will share a $500 award.
The St. Croix Rescue Squad is a non-profit community organization and has been an emergency services provider and training agency for emergency services personnel for more than 20 years. Rescue squad officers and staff are on duty 24 hours per day to respond to 911 calls for fire, emergency medical response and situations requiring specialized rescue on land or at sea. And they are all volunteers, according to Liz Goggins, public information officer for the squad.
"These guys respond to almost all accidents," she said. The machinery used to extract people from car accidents, known as the "jaws of life" is under the care of the rescue squad.
Henry concluded his remarks saying, "We are your angels … we'll be there for you."
For more information on St. Croix Rescue or joining the next Recruit class, please email stxrescue@netscape.net or chief@stxrescue.com or call 692-9400.
