Student Named New Rescue Squad Captain

The Fredericksburg volunteer rescue squad has a new captain who may look familiar to some University of Mary Washington students.

Senior Jamie Larounis, a member of the rescue squad since September 2009, was named captain in October.

Larounis initially volunteered for the rescue squad after being in charge of health and safety at Ockanicon Scout Reservation in Pipersville, PA, in 2008.

“It’s good to feel like you can make a difference,” Larounis said, after being asked how it felt to be captain.

As captain, Larounis plans to raise staffing levels by boosting membership, volunteer recruitment and retention.

In order to do this, Larounis plans to have the rescue squad more visible on campus by participating in more events like the COAR community fair, which the rescue squad participated in last month.

One of the changes Larounis has already made is to initiate an open-door policy for whenever someone has an issue they feel needs to be addressed.

Amanda Jenkins, a senior and a sergeant with the rescue squad, said there have “been a lot of changes for the better.”

According to Jenkins, morale has improved because Larounis is very approachable.

The volunteer rescue squad has around 15 members that are also UMW students.

“We don’t run a lot of emergencies over at Mary Washington, but people see us on campus and think ‘we can do this too.’” Jenkins said. “That’s how we get most of our membership.”

Photo by Marie Sicola.