Volunteering is a noble tradition in America. It is to give of oneself; to sacrifice with no expectation of reward. It is friends and neighbors helping each other in times of need.

 


“Volunteers do not necessarily have the time; they just have the heart.”

— Elizabeth Andrew


 

Since 1955 the volunteers of PVRS have answered our community’s call for help. Your friends…your neighbors…freely giving of themselves. Pulled away from family, from jobs, at all hours of the day and night to answer the call for help.

We currently have 50+ volunteers; a dedicated group consisting of local residents, students enrolled at the area universities and auxiliary members from neighboring emergency units. They are tasked with the responsibility of responding to a call volume that annually averages 2200+ responses. To assist in meeting the demand, in July 2004 we hired a full-time Advanced Life Support (ALS) provider for weekday daytime coverage. The decision was not made lightly, but was needed in order to continue to provide timely daytime response to our community. PVRS remains a volunteer driven agency and we are always in need of members of the community who may wish to volunteer.

Our members are dedicated, but only so much can be asked of so few. We ask our community to help keep the spirit of volunteerism alive and well. Knowing you have done just one thing for a neighbor, friend or stranger in need is one of the most rewarding experiences one can ever know. Why not consider becoming a team player and find out what a heartfelt “thank you” is all about?

By the way, you don’t need to be an EMT to join!

So what do you have to do to be a member?

Membership Information


 

These are the requirements for applicants:

  • You must be at least 18 years of age
  • possess an unrestricted driver’s license valid in New York State
  • Be physically and mentally capable of performing the duties of a PVRS member.

 

There are four types of membership:

  • Regular membership: requires that you be a permanent resident of our primary service area.
  • Associate membership: does not require that you have a permanent residence within our primary service area, but you must reside within our primary service area at least 50% of each year. Most of the students of local universities who are members of PVRS have this type of membership, which allows them the flexibility to take a leave of absence when they are on vacation from school. Associate members are not permitted to vote on Constitutional matters.
  • Auxiliary membership: may be obtained by those who are already members of other EMS agencies. They are not required to attend our meetings or be a member of a PVRS duty crew, but they must complete a 16-hour tour of duty each month; they are also not permitted to vote on Constitutional matters.
  • Non-Operational Members: do not answer ambulance calls but may help with office work, care of the building and equipment, etc. They are not required to attend meetings or training sessions.

 

The responsibilities of memberships include the following:

  1. Regular and Associate members are assigned to a duty crew which is typically scheduled one night out of every six nights from 10 pm until 6 am the next day which time you are required to answer any calls received. The frequency of the duty crew may increase at certain times if the year, primarily at times when Associate members are on leave.
  2. Regular and Associate members must attend membership meetings on the second Tuesday of every month at 7 pm at the Potsdam Station unless a valid excuse is submitted. Meeting typically last approximately two hours.
  3. Members must either be an EMT or be enrolled in (and attending) an EMT class within one year after they have become a member.
  4. Members are expected to help with facilities and equipment clean and well-maintained.

Not an EMT? No problem. PVRS sponsors members to become EMT’s at no cost to the member!

Interested in applying now? Apply Online Now

Need more information? Or want to ride-along with a crew to see what EMS is about? Send an email to: info@pvrs.org