VAVRS Members, Life Members, and Officers,

My name is Andy Neagle and I’m writing to ask for your support and vote for the office of Vice President of the Virginia Association of Volunteer Rescue Squads, lnc. for 2023-2024.

I have been married to my wife, Tina, for over 40 years. We have a son, 2 daughters, 5 grandsons and, as of this writing, a granddaughter due in June.

I began my involvement with EMS in 1983 when I joined the West End Volunteer Rescue Squad, lnc., now known as Richmond Volunteer Rescue Squad. I have been active in the VAVRS for most of my 40 years in EMS giving me a historical and working knowledge of the organization; first as a Board of Governors (BOG) representative and through many positions on the District and State level. Currently I am serving as the VAVRS Treasurer, Facilities Manager, and Death Benefit plan Committee Chair. Although not an official member of the Bylaws Committee I worked with that committee in drafting the current Bylaws recently passed by the BOG at the convention last year. I was honored with Life membership in the VAVRS at the convention in 2008 and was inducted into the Virginia Rescue and Lifesaving Hall of Fame in October 2020.

Serving as Treasurer has been a challenge. However, with the support of the Finance Committee and the Board of Directors, we have faced those challenges head on and made decisions to address those challenges for the success and betterment of the VAVRS.

As Vice President I would like to see the Membership Committee become more active and take a serious look at the types of membership and the requirements to be a member of the VAVRS. We need to make membership in the VAVRS attractive and of value to maintain our current members and to attract new members.

My number 1 goal as Vice President will be to bring stability to the office staff. I feel that as an organization we have failed our employees; we hire people and leave to their own defenses. The Human Resources Committee needs to work with the Executive Director to do a comprehensive review of the employee manual and the job descriptions for each of the paid staff positions and bring them up to date to meet the current needs of the VAVRS. Our employees need to know what is expected of them. We need to provide our employees with the proper training so that they understand their respective position and its tasks along with how the VAVRS works. We also need to make sure they have the tools to properly do their jobs in the most efficient way possible.

Attached is a list of all the positions I have held over the years with the number of years, including the current year, served in each position. I ask for your support and hope you will vote for me for the office of Vice President of the VAVRS for 2023-2024.

Sincerely, Andy Neagle, VAVRS Life Member, Hall of Fame