South Orange Rescue Squad volunteers keep Orange County safe through pandemic

Throughout the pandemic, one source of protection for community members has been the South Orange Rescue Squad. 

The medical support organization – commonly called SORS – is made up entirely of volunteers who provide emergency medical and technical rescue services to Orange County. Matthew Mauzy, SORS chief, said the rescue squad works in partnership with Orange County EMS, providing an ambulance in the system each night and working special event coverage throughout the county.

He said most staff members are undergraduate or graduate students at UNC, or they work other daytime jobs locally. Mauzy, who joined the staff as an undergraduate student, works for UNC Information Technology Services (ITS) during the day and oversees the squad after hours. 

He said that volunteers can be hired right out of EMT class to SORS, which is unusual among emergency medical services organizations. This hiring process, Mauzy said, offers students a unique opportunity to lead in the medical field as an undergraduate.

“There are very few places in which a sophomore, junior or even a senior can have some of the leadership opportunities that we are able to provide,” he said. “They really are able to take an active role in both supervising others in making decisions and truly being a part of the daily operations of our group.”

UNC senior Sachi Shinde is an example of someone who benefited from this opportunity. After joining the squad in April 2019, she became a lieutenant in January. As lieutenant, she is responsible for overseeing four trainees – referred to as cadets – and keeping track of equipment and supplies.

Shinde said she has received great experience in patient care and in the medical field as a whole, but most of all she has found a community within Chapel Hill and formed close friendships on the squad.

UNC senior and SORS volunteer Olivia Nichols said the squad feels like family to her. 

“They’ve taught me a lot, and not only that, but I just feel a community with them,” Nichols said. “They’re very supportive.”

This sense of community, Mauzy said, is integral to the SORS experience because of the nature of the shifts. Volunteers are paged out for 911 calls at all hours of the night, so they see each other at their best and at their worst, which establishes tight bonds across the squad.

“I met my wife through the rescue squad,” Mauzy said. “Most of the people in our wedding party were members of the rescue squad, so it’s where just a lot of friends and colleagues have come from.”

Due to COVID-19, the SORS station changed some of their protocols. Nichols said only a limited number of people is allowed in the station at a time, and volunteers wear P100 respiratory masks on runs that involve risk.

Mauzy also said one of the squad’s primary responsibilities is covering special events such as football games, community events, marathons and larger gatherings throughout Orange County, which is not possible during the pandemic.

As a result of canceled special events, their overall revenue since March is down nearly $100,000, Mauzy said. However, the squad still has continued its normal EMS operations in the 911 system and has taken emergency COVID-19 calls.

“It was amazing to see my leadership handle it the way that they did because it’s scary; we’re all volunteers,” Shinde said. “I saw my whole squad step up and take responsibility and take action and try to keep our members safe.”

Renee Price, chairperson of the Orange County Board of County Commissioners, said the squad is important to all emergency medical services in the greater Chapel Hill area.

“They are a vital part of our emergency management system certainly,” Price said. “They are essential.”

Despite their importance to EMS services, Shinde said the squad is unknown to many local residents, and she encourages people to come stop by the station once the pandemic ends so that others can see the work they do.

Mauzy, Shinde and Nichols all take on varied roles within the squad but agree the station is a second home and the staff is their Chapel Hill family. 

“It’s great experience in the field, but more than anything, it’s the people,” Shinde said. “It’s also really showed me that Orange County is so diverse and so amazing, and Chapel Hill is such a great community. That’s something I’ve learned from being on SORS.”

@Kelli_Rainer

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