About Us:
On September 15th 1941, Mortician Mr. Casper Timberlake, Davidson County Sheriff Mr. Raymond Bowers and Lexington Fire Chief Mr. Normand Owens met for the first meeting of the Lexington Rescue Squad. Lexington Rescue Squad started for the recovery of drowning victims and to search for lost persons. With the close proximity to high rock lake and an increasing number of drownings at the lake, a group of concerned citizens found the need to form such an organization. Fourteen men, who elected Mr. Lonnie Davis as there first Captain because he had the first outboard motor. Mr. Timberlake donated the first equipment used in the recovery of bodies from the water. The first Squad call was the search for a lost child, Jerry Gallimore, 23 months old in the Emmons Township (Silver Valley area). The child was found asleep in a field. The Lexington Rescue Squad was housed in the Lexington fire department until September 8th, 1955, when it was moved to a service station operated by Mr. Ross Michael. Mr. Michael served as a squad member for 20 years and 6 of which as a captain. Many of the volunteer and city firefighters were also rescue squad members. When they were involved in searches for drowning victims and lost persons for long periods of time, it left the city short on man power for fire protection. It became necessary to separate the squad from the fire department. In 1958, the name was changed to Davidson County Rescue Squad and the organization was expanded. The united fund organizations in Lexington and Thomasville were contacted and today are still the major contributers that fund the squad’s operational expenses. In 1956 the annual fish fry was started to aid in the funding for the purchase of a new lot and building. As the needs grew, so did the membership. In December, 1961 the squad headquarters moved to the corner of West 9th and Hargrave St., where in current resides. In the early year of the squad there was no enhanced 911 system. The members relied on a phone relay system, one member would call another and if the person was not home they would simply call the next until they got hold of someone. This took time away from the rescue operations. As technology and funding the squad upgraded to pagers that the 911 center sets off for each station. As the organization grew so did the services that the squad offered to the community. The need for outlying stations was realized in 1969. In the early years the members drove to the main base in Lexington to get to the trucks and equipment this also took time away from the rescue operations. As the outlying stations were formed, response time was cut to a minimum. Currently there are four sub-stations in the communities of Tyro (station 7), South Lexington (station 8), Southmont (station 9), and Denton (station 10).With the headquarters in Lexington (station 6). The Davidson County Rescue Squad is a charter member of the North Carolina Association of Rescue Squads and Emergency Medical Services, Inc. Under this statewide organization, different squads give mutual aid to each other if the rescue operation is too large to handle by an individual squad.
