National EMS Week each May recognizes the work of emergency medical personnel nationwide. In Virginia Beach, it is an opportunity to honor the dedication of the more than 1,000 volunteers that comprise the largest volunteer-based EMS system in the country.

This year and for the first time, four squads, Chesapeake Beach, Kempsville, Princess Anne Courthouse and Virginia Beach, are partnering on a fundraising drive, asking residents to help the squads who are there for them 365 days a year, providing expert care and free ambulance rides if they need them.

In 2012 volunteer EMT’s answered a combined 40,000 9-1-1 calls, saving the city an estimated $22 million.

For EMS Week, Rubin Communications Group coordinated marketing, created collateral materials and broadcast ads and conducted a public relations effort, urging people to make a donation at www.LivesNeedSaving.org.

“We are extremely proud of our administrative and operational volunteers who give as many as four 12-hour shifts a month to respond to emergencies on a moment’s notice and do so with such a high level of professional training and personal dedication,” says Kitty Schaum, executive director of the Virginia Beach Rescue Squad Foundation, which supports the recruitment and retention efforts of all squads.  “We count on Rubin Communications Group to help us tell the stories of our volunteers during this critical annual campaign.”