Candidacy for VAVRS Vice President

I am pleased to announce my candidacy for the position of the Vice-President for the Virginia Association of Volunteer Rescue Squad.

For many of you, you may be asking who Byron Andrews is; first let me introduce myself to you. I have been an active member of Virginia’s EMS Community for over 45 years and in my various roles have had the privilege to get to know and to have participated with many members of the association. Further, I have supported the mission and the vision of the VAVRS not an officer or committee chair but through many associations and activities throughout the Commonwealth supporting not only the association but many of the volunteer agencies that it represents.

I joined the Sterling Volunteer Rescue Squad in 1978 while still in high school. Sterling Park was a bedroom committee located 25 miles west of Washington DC and right next to Dulles International Airport located in Northern Virginia at the Loudoun/ Fairfax County line. At that time, we were a small agency running several hundred calls a year. My first district meeting was just a few years later, I recall traveling to the Woodstock Rescue Squad and competing in the firstaid competition. I also recall going to Rescue College in Blacksburg where I got my certification as a Vehicle Extrication Instructor, Hazardous Materials Instructor, and Swiftwater Rescue Instructor. I would eventually assist in teaching Swiftwater Rescue from the last 1980 to the early 2000.

I became Chief of Sterling Rescue in 1988 and held that position for nearly the next 30 years. During my tenure Sterling along with Eastern Loudoun County was experiencing tremendous amount of growth and changing community expectations. Through part of the 1990’s our zip code was the fastest growing area in the country. It was during that period of time that we had to change and change quickly. Our membership swelled to over 150 active members, our fleet tripled in size, we had to build a substation, eventually building a second and third station to meet the demands. All while maintaining an all-volunteer membership. Membership Sterling Rescue was recipient of the Governor’s Award for Excellence as an EMS Agency and in 2006 was awarded the Volunteer EMS Agency of the Year from EMS Magazine. No small accomplishment if not for the dedication and commitment of excellence of our members. Sterling Rescue today still has a dedicated group of members, responding to over 8200 calls and last year gave over 110,000 hours of their time to serve the community.

As a system leader within Loudoun County, I served in many roles over my many decades of service. Eventually, as our system transitioned from an all-volunteer system to a combination Fire and Rescue System, I served on the Executive Committee which is the system’s governance board.

Retired from the City of Alexandria Fire Department three years ago. I started my career with the city as a dispatcher eventually working my way to becoming a firefighter/ paramedic, station officer, battalion chief and eventually a deputy chief where I was responsible for the EMS Division and then the Professional Development Center. An active as Fire Instructor for Fire Programs and spent many weekends teaching HTR classes across the state in the 90’s and early 2000. I have been appointed four times to the Governor’s EMS Advisory Board, have served on the Financial Assistance Review Committee, where 4 years I served as the committee’s chair. Other activities at the State level include participation in OEMS’s EMS Task Force Coordination Team, contributor to the MCI Level I and Level II curriculum along with the resent EMS Officer I program. Other committee activities at the state level include Legislative and Planning, Emergency Management, Transportation, and Workforce Development. All these activities have impacted every agency within the state with a keen empathy toward the impact on our volunteer agencies. Serving doesn’t end there. While I spoke about things at the state level, my dedication to improving our system. I have been a board member of the Northern Virginia EMS Council for 37 years and have served on its executive board and its President. A member of the International Association of Fire Chief and an active member within its EMS and Volunteer/ Combination Officer Section. For the association I have served on the Emergency Management Committee and the association’s delegate to two NFPA committees pertaining to EMS. My passion to help and to improve communities has taken me overseas to develop EMS systems, teach EMT and rescue classes and provide equipment to assist and supplies in 5 different countries.

My first 30 or so years I have been focused on challenges that Sterling Rescue and a growing community has. Encouraged by many at state meetings and other stockholder events that I was encouraged to attend district meeting, which I did eventually serving as district rescue officer, training officer, legislative committee, alternate vice president and eventually as district vice president. It is kind of fitting in a way that my career has taken me this way and with all my experiences at the agency, county, regional, metropolitan, state, national and international level I have a broad understanding of the challenges and the opportunities that lie ahead.

So, what does all this have to do with my candidacy for the position of Vice President. At the Spring Board of Governor’s meeting it became clear to me that this association is facing some challenges. I don’t look at them as a negative, rather I see them as opportunities.

We need to recognize the stress that our agencies are facing; whether internal, external, recruitment/ retention or transition. We need to examine the stresses and seek opportunities to assist them or find ways for more engagement within the association.

One of the strengths of the association is its training and training offerings. While I know everyone would like to see things online, not everything can be done, and it requires actually hands on or hands on evaluation. But are there ways that we can deliver high quality training with the convivence and flexibility that new members that are joining our agencies are seeking.

The strategic planning group has been working hard to develop a road map to lead the organization into the future. It is time that we start to implement these recommendations.

I stand ready to support the President, the other officers, district vice presidents and the executive director to move this association forward.

Thanking you for your consideration, I hopefully look forward to your favorable endorsement of my candidacy for the Office of Vice President of The Virginia Association of Volunteer Rescue Squads. Please reach out to me with any questions.

Byron F Andrews, III bandrews@sterlingrescue.org

Submitted by Gary Dalton, VAVRS and FRV Convention Chair

WHEN: September 20-23, 2023

WHERE: Hampton Roads Convention Center, 1610 Coliseum Drive, Hampton, VA 23666

WEBSITE: https://firstresponderva.com

The VAVRS and VSFA are hoping that you will join us at the 4th First Responder Virginia Conference/Expo. A time where we can network, attend business meetings, educational sessions and exhibitor displays of emergency service equipment and vehicles.

We look forward to seeing you and wish you the best as you experience all the conference has to offer. The conference app is designed to help you enjoy the conference and be an efficient communications tool. It allows you to view daily events, connect with others, post photos and stay informed...all within the app. We hope this app helps make your experience a success you can scan the QR code to connect and view the entire event schedule which includes schedules for the convention including VSFA and EMS training.

Registration and lodging information is displayed on the VAVRS, VSFA and FRV Conference websites.