The Southside Rescue Squad is in the process of making plans to celebrate 50 years of serving the local community by hosting an open house at the squad building on Saturday.

From 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. Southside Rescue Squad (SSRS) treasurer Floyd Edmonds said several displays and real life situations will be on exhibit as viewers experience a day in the life of a SSRS volunteer. He said the day will kick off with a basic life support demonstration.

“The volunteers will perform basic EMT(Emergency medical technician) skills on a patient for the basic life support demonstration,” Edmonds said. “The five man team is not going to know any of the scenarios in advance. Each one is suppose to resemble what happens when we get a real call.”
Following the first real life scenario, Edmonds said viewers will have a chance to see an advance life support demonstration which will involve SSRS volunteers administering life saving techniques in order to save a person who is experiencing a heart attack.

“We will have someone who is having an heart attack and volunteers will actually use a heart monitor we use in the field for the demonstration,” he said. “This scenario will be a four to five volunteer team.
“Next we will have a vehicle extrication demonstration where a patient will be trapped inside a vehicle,” he added. “Volunteers will have to remove the doors and the top of the vehicle with equipment to get the person out.”

Edmonds said after all the demonstrations are completed, a cake cutting ceremony and refreshments will be offered to all guests who attend. He added tours of the SSRS building will be made available throughout the day along with free blood pressure screenings, goodie bags for children and an informative presentation involving using a cardiac monitor. All of the squad’s equipment and vehicles will also be displayed during the afternoon event. The Southside Rescue Squad encourages everyone to come out and experience an informative program.