Siren song

For a local youth and her family, sirens have become a sound of opportunity and service.

Alanna Rinker 17, is one of several junior members of Culpeper County Volunteer Rescue Squad Co. 11.

The Culpeper County High School junior says having an impromptu opportunity to see other rescue workers in action helped her realize her passion. A couple of years ago, Alanna was at a Warrenton street festival when a car struck a pedestrian.

“I heard the sirens and I saw what was going on,” she said, “and that’s what I wanted to do.”

With Co. 11’s help, Alanna recently completed a five-month class to earn her EMT-basic certification, meaning she’s qualified to respond to emergency calls and assist with patient care. That places her just two steps and a birthday away from being a fully certified paramedic.

And because of Alanna’s interest, her mother and stepfather now help with the squad.

“When Alanna wanted to join and become involved, we just came alongside because we wanted to be a part of what she was doing,” mother April Varner said. “We found our own little niche doing different things here, just supporting more or less in the background. At the same time, we want to be a part of it and able to know what’s going on and what’s happening.”

Co. 11 President Tricia Trenary said the squad currently has about 80 members; about half respond to emergency calls while the others assist in various capacities. She said volunteers, especially young people like Alanna, are the key to the squad’s continued service and support to the community.

“I think we’ve gotten away from volunteerism,” Trenary said. “We’ve kind of moved away from that. I was brought up that you should give back to your community. It just makes the community a better place to live. There are so many ways you can volunteer.”

In early 2007, concerns about the squad’s response times to calls led the state to temporarily close Co. 11. After agreeing to meet state-established benchmarks, the squad reopened last summer.

Since then, officials say Co. 11 has continued to meet or exceed all the requirements set by the state.

Over the past year, there were times when Alanna devoted six days a week to studying her EMT work in addition to her regular school work. She also recently began firefighter training with the Brandy Station Volunteer Fire Department.

Alanna admitted she was a bit nervous on her fist real call — a CPR in progress.

“But when I got there, I did what I was supposed to do and what I was told to do,” she said. “After I realized that the situation was under control, everything was going to be OK.

Alanna said she’d like to continue her studies at Lord Fairfax College. Her long-term career goal is to be a flight medic.

“Volunteering as a junior opens up a world that they can’t find anywhere else,” Trenary said about young people in the Culpeper area. “They can’t learn about emergency care and services as young people in high school unless they join a fire-and-rescue or EMS squad.

“We kind of promote a family atmosphere here for the kids in that we actually look over them like a second set of parents. We also make it our goal and of great importance that they maintain good school grades and stay within the parameters of their parent or guardian’s approval.”

Such rules go over well with Varner.

“If I say to Trish, ‘This is what I would like to have happen,’ they make it happen so that Alanna can be here,” Varner said. “I don’t worry. I know she’s with the best people she can be with, and they protect her.”

Trenary agreed.

“Members like myself aren’t going to be here 15 or 20 years from now in the capacity that we are now,” she said. “It’s going to be up to these young people and the young people that come behind them.”

Want to help?
The Culpeper County Volunteer Rescue Squad will host EMS Day May 17 from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. Members will be on hand to answer questions and explain volunteer opportunities. A mock vehicle extrication and helicopter fly-out are also scheduled. Call the squad at 825-2247 or e-mail .