Orange County honors rescue squad for 40 years of service

Danny Willner grew up with a strong interest in science, though not specifically in medicine.

But when a chance to get involved in patient care emerged in 2006, Willner jumped at the opportunity and joined the South Orange Rescue Squad.

Five years later, Willner is the operations captain of the technical rescue team and is on the path to becoming a doctor at UNC.

“The squad provides college students with the opportunity to have leadership positions that really matter,” Willner said.

The group is a volunteer organization with about 80 members that provides emergency, general and technical rescue services to Orange County.

Now, with 40 years of service under its belt, the county is giving back to the squad by declaring June 4 South Orange Rescue Squad Day.

“They have worked tirelessly for years and have served the county with their volunteer effort,” Commissioner Earl McKee said. “The least we can do is honor and acknowledge all the work that they’ve done.”

To celebrate, Caroline Williams, a member of the group’s membership committee, said the squad will hold an open house on Saturday with a rappel demonstration, ambulance tours and free Maple View ice cream.

“We’re hoping a lot of people will come celebrate with us,” she said.

Before becoming cadets, volunteers attend a semester-long EMS class at a community college and get CPR certified, Willner said.

“In the class, you get the basic rudimentary skills,” he said. “But it is really when you ride in the ambulance that you learn how to interact with the patients.”

But being in the squad is not all about patient interaction. Willner said volunteers often find themselves in high-stress situations.

“At that moment, you just freak out for a second and you kind of wonder ‘How am I going to deal with this?’” he said.

“Then, you kind of go on autopilot and you just go to work. You don’t really think about the steps because you know what you have to do to stabilize the patient.”

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