About Us
The mission of the St. Croix Rescue Squad is to protect the lives and property of all US Virgin Islands residents and visitors, by preventing the occurrence and minimizing the effects of accidents, natural and man-made disasters, sudden illness and fire. We endeavor to promote and provide quality emergency health care and prompt emergency rescue, to develop a first class volunteer based community rescue squad, and to provide quality patient care in the pre-hospital setting.
Rescue personnel are on duty 24 hours per day and responds to 911 calls for fire, emergency medical response and situations requiring specialized rescue on land or at sea. St. Croix Rescue has been an emergency services provider and training agency for emergency services personnel for almost 25 years.
The St. Croix Rescue Squad is more than an emergency response organization; it is also a premier emergency training provider under the purview of the Training Division. The Training Division has three sections: Domestic Training Office of EMS Education, International Training, and the St. Croix Rescue Academy.
Our Domestic Training Section - Office of EMS Education provides emergency response training to public and private sectors of communities under the jurisdiction of the United States. It offers First Aid, CPR, Medical First Responder (MFR), Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), Basic Trauma Life Support (BTLS), Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD), Mass Casualty Management, and Search and Rescue courses. Also, it is a major provider of continuing education courses for Emergency Medical Technicians, Registered Nurses, and physicians.
Our International Training Section offers Medical First Responder (MFR), Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), and Search and Rescue courses across the Caribbean and South America. A plus for our International Staff is the knowledge of the customs, dialects, and cultural diversities among Caribbean countries. This allows the staff to better communicate and interact with the students. Where applicable, Train the Trainer (TTT) courses are utilized, which gives the host country the ability to train local instructors.
The St. Croix Rescue Academy, established in 1986 to meet the training and continuing education needs of the Rescue Squad, is the “Center for Emergency Medicine and Technical Rescue Training.” It is a leader in emergency preparedness training in the Caribbean Region and offers wide range of Disaster Preparedness, Technical Rescue, and Emergency Medical Care training. The mission of the Academy is to enhance the ability of fire and rescue services and allied professionals to deal effectively with day-to-day fire and medical related emergencies, as well as, disaster response. We achieve our mission by providing our clientele with updated information, management of state of the art equipment, and progressive training techniques. Further, most of our instructors are active emergency care providers and have to keep abreast of the latest advances in medical equipment, emergency management, and treatment modalities.
It is important to note, the primary responsibility of the Academy is to recruits and trains residents of the St. Croix Community, from the public and private sectors, as volunteers in all aspects of emergency response within our community. The Academy operates in a paramilitary environment. Specialists in each area cover the theory, fundamental knowledge and practical skills required for graduation. Upon graduation, recruits are assigned to a unit within the organization to complete the mandatory one-year probationary period.
The Academy provides technical consulting and training assessment services. Training Assessment is an ongoing task. A training assessment gives policy makers and supervisors an insight and perspective on the present condition of their emergency management organization. It indicates the type and amount of training that is needed to maintain adequate levels of proficiency or to raise present levels to acceptable, adequate, and professional standards. Needless to say, a comprehensive training assessment is an organization’s roadmap to effective delivery of emergency services to the community. As part of our consultation services, our assessment team that can conduct a comprehensive training assessment of your agency and identify the training source to correct deficiencies.
Our staff consists of practicing Physicians, Paramedic, Firefighters, EMT’s and Emergency Management Professionals who are certified educators.
All training programs are designed to meet local and (US) National Standards for certification. Along with being a continuing education provider for the emergency services community, we are an authorized Regional Training Center for the National Safety Council, the American Heart Association, and the American Safety and Health Institute. Our faculty is certified to instruct most nationally recognized EMS/Rescue continuing education courses.
The Academy provides training and certification for prerequisite and professional level courses representing several industry leaders such as: US Department of Homeland Security, Office of Domestic Preparedness (ODP), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Department of Transportation (DOT), National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), and BTLS International.
The EMT/ MFR training program is managed by an experienced cadre of professionals. On-site training is available for anyone seeking instruction in Emergency Medical Services practices and techniques. Through lectures, practical skills, laboratory and clinical training, students are prepared to treat patients in the field and en route to the hospital. During the course, students will ride along with an ambulance service affiliated with the program. Students are also required to complete a 40 - hour internship and observe Emergency Room operations at a local hospital.
Additionally, we offer a variety of dynamic, individualized continuing education seminars and workshops. We are dedicated to providing quality consulting and training. Also, we afford participants a safe and comfortable environment conducive to the learning process. Further, the objective of the staff goes beyond “getting certified.” Our medical protocols and rescue training are designed to balance practical application with textbook concepts.
In summary, the St. Croix Rescue Academy offers professional services to local, as well as, international communities. We specialize in providing international on-site rescue training and continuing education programs for:
- EMS Responders
- Law Enforcement
- Industrial Personnel
- Red Cross Volunteers
- Fire Fighters
- Disaster Preparedness Personnel