Information shared by Longwood University, Hampden-Sydney College (H-SC) and the Prince Edward Volunteer Rescue Squad (PEVRS) granted further understanding on where funding presently does and does not come from for Emergency Medical Services (EMS) in Prince Edward County.

Rather than providing an exhaustive list, this article will simply add to the list of funding sources previously reported while also adding clarity on what specific organizations are helping fund the PEVRS executive director position.

In July, PEVRS Treasurer Carol Broadwater said, “Cumberland, I just got a letter from them yesterday with a check for $10,000. They have gone from $9,500 to $20,000 to fund us for the year. So, our funding has gone up in Cumberland too.”

She confirmed with PEVRS Captain Andrew Watters that the rescue squad provides coverage for about a third of Cumberland County.

Longwood University Assistant Vice President of Communications Matt McWilliams offered a summary Wednesday of the contributions Longwood and its associated organizations make to benefit EMS in the county.

“The Longwood Real Estate Foundation (REF) has agreed to join Farmville and Hampden-Sydney College in each committing $30,000 to fund an executive director position (for PEVRS),” he said. “Last year, the REF also made a contribution toward a firetruck for the town.”

McWilliams added that “no student fees or regular support goes to the EMS” from Longwood.

H-SC Director of Communications & Marketing Gordon Neal also confirmed Wednesday that Hampden-Sydney students do not pay any kind of fee that goes to benefit area EMS agencies.

Neal said his understanding is that H-SC is not aiding area EMS agencies through any other avenues, financial or otherwise, outside of the one-year commitment of $30,000 made to help fund the PEVRS executive director position and outside of “the support we offer the Hampden-Sydney fire department, where many of our students volunteer.”

At a request from The Herald, Watters attempted to determine to what degree Longwood and Hampden-Sydney students, temporary county residents, benefit from PEVRS’ services, but the data proved to be difficult to ascertain outside of a rough estimate that did not include the county’s other EMS agencies.

“Farmville Communications was looking into the numbers but was unable to pull the data specific to the colleges from their end,” he said. “On our end we don’t have the ability to either. My best estimate at numbers between the two would be less than 200 calls a year. We go to the colleges some but not overly often.”

He said the rescue squad’s total call volume last year was a little less than 3,500, and it is on track for somewhere between 3,500 and 4,000 this year.