Cumberland County residents need their rescue squads.

The rescue squads need Cumberland County residents.

It’s a two-way street that’s only seen one-way traffic in the past year or so for the Cumberland Volunteer Rescue Squad. The agency has been struggling in recruiting volunteers to run calls and to help their fellow man, woman and child during their hours of need.

Squad President R.K. Elswick recently told The Herald that the agency only has four volunteers to cover the middle portion of the county. “All of us have jobs outside Cumberland,” he said.

It’s understandable that these volunteers have to leave the county for work. There’s very little business or industry in the county.

What’s not understandable is why there are such few volunteers in a county filled with good, able-bodied people who can make a difference.

My grandmother always told me that many hands makes light work. Imagine four volunteers trying to take care of thousands of people in Central Cumberland.

Here’s the perfect opportunity for residents to step up and help each other out.

County supervisors did just that when they recently agreed to allocate $20,000 to the squad to keep it going for the next few months.

“What this allows us to do is to use our revenue recovery money to pay for emergency staffing solutions … the contracting company that we use,” Elswick said.

“It’s a vital need. You’ve got to have a viable EMS system in the county because you cannot function without it,” he said.

What’s just as vital is having volunteers, who are willing to undergo training, answer calls and join not only the Cumberland Volunteer Rescue Squad, but any one of our emergency response agencies in the Heart of Virginia.

Jordan Miles is the managing editor of The Farmville Herald. His email address is jordan.miles@farmvilleherald.com.