VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Nearly every industry has dealt with staffing shortages, but for a few departments, it can be a matter of life and death.
Virginia Beach's Interim EMS Chief Bruce Nedelka said the department needs hundreds of people, but will ultimately take as many as they can get.
"I would say the level of need is high," said Nedelka. "Across the country, no one has as unique of a system as we do."
This is because Virginia Beach's EMS is made up almost entirely of volunteers, but the numbers have declined for months. These volunteers make up the force that responds to countless emergency calls.
In 2022, Virginia Beach EMS took more than 50,000 calls for help and transported more than 37,000 people to nearby hospitals.
Nedelka said when there are not enough people to do the jobs, the wait times for ambulances can become longer.
"If an ambulance is not immediately available at the moment it's dispatched because it's on a call or it might be clearing from a call, so it might not be immediately available," said Nedelka.
To prevent this from happening, Virginia Beach EMS frequently partners with the Virginia Beach fire and police departments to provide care to those who call for medical services.
There are also vacancies found on the "career" side of Virginia Beach EMS. This includes the search for an EMS chief, two EMS deputy chiefs, one EMS brigade officer, and one paramedic.
Nedelka said the search is ongoing to fill these vacancies, and that other people within the department have stepped up to make sure everything continues to run smoothly.
To increase their numbers, the Virginia Beach Rescue Squad Foundation is using $1 million for a recruitment push to bolster their numbers.
The recruitment process is set to begin in the coming weeks, but Nedelka said those interested in joining Virginia Beach EMS can apply at any time.