History
Humble Beginnings
The Squad's fleet during its time as a substation consisted of a single ambulance, crash truck and quick response vehicle.
The Small community of Riner is known as a rural area of Montgomery County, Virginia. Although a small community, the need for a rescue squad was apparent as neighboring squad, Christiansburg Rescue, answered many calls in the Riner area. With hard work, patience and dedication from several special individuals, Riner Volunteer Rescue Squad became a reality as it began service as a sub-station of the Christiansburg Rescue Squad in May of 2007. Furnished with a new building located at 1610 Auburn School Drive, as well as one ambulance, one response vehicle and one crash truck, all was needed to being answering calls to service.
In 2011, Riner Volunteer Rescue Squad broke its ties with Christiansburg Rescue to become its own independent squad. Shortly after, Riner was furnished with another Advanced Life Support (ALS) certified ambulance. More volunteers joined, leading to a shift rotation consisting of five call-teams that served throughout the week. We currently have 7 call teams, covering from 6:00 PM - 6:00 AM every night of the week. Due to an increase in daytime calls, we now collaborate with Montgomery County Fire and EMS to ensure consistent daytime staffing. Riner also has several student and associate members who cover shifts and answer calls as well.
The grand opening of Riner Volunteer Rescue Squad on July 16th, 2011.
A New Station and a New Chapter
As the agency expanded, we quickly outgrew our Auburn School Drive station. Due to increasing call volume and volunteer membership the need for a larger station was obvious. On September 1st, 2020, after several renovations and fresh coats of paint, Riner Volunteer Rescue Squad officially moved into our new station located at 4171 Riner Road. This building was previously occupied by the Riner Volunteer Fire Department. The move to the Riner Road station has ensured our future and commitment to providing high quality services to the Riner community.
In June of 2021, we celebrated our 10 year anniversary and unveiled our new color scheme to celebrate our continued progress and growth.
Side view of the new color scheme on Chief/1100 and Medic 11-3
Rear view of the new color scheme on Chief/1100 and Medic 11-3
Today
As of April 2023, we manage a fleet consisting of:
2 ALS Certified Ambulances (Medic 11-1 and Medic 11-3)
1 BLS Certified Ambulance (Rescue 11-2)
2 Command Response Vehicles (Chief/1100 and Deputy Chief/1101)
1 Quick Response Vehicle (Response 11-5)
1 Utility Terrain Vehicle (UTV 11-6)
1 Enclosed Swiftwater Rescue Trailer and Inflatable Raft
1 Flatbed Trailer
Chief/1100, Medic 11-1 and Medic 11-3 in front of the Riner Road station.
Riner Volunteer Rescue Squad is currently comprised of 53 members, including Junior, Student, Associate, Active, Honorary and Life members. Our members are dedicated to providing high quality patient care and have trained as EMTs, Advanced EMTs, EMT-Intermediates and Paramedics. Riner Volunteer Rescue Squad is dispatched to approximately 700 calls every year while primarily serving the Riner area of Montgomery County.
Our Squad is always accepting new volunteers! If you are interested in becoming a member or have any questions about becoming a part of Riner Volunteer Rescue Squad, you can always pay us a visit and speak with a member or send an email at membership@rinerrescue.org or call (540) 381-6043.