In May of 1946, the Altavista Life Saving & First Aid Crew, Inc. was organized, becoming among one of the first rescue squads organized in the Commonwealth.  The only local squads in the immediate region to precede Altavista Life Saving & First Aid Crew, Inc. was Roanoke Life Saving Crew, Lynchburg Life Saving Crew and Danville Life Saving Crew.  The organization of this squad was largely the brainchild of Dr. James P. Kent Sr., who at the time owned and operated the Piedmont Hospital located on 7th Street in the Town of Altavista.  The early meetings for Altavista Life Saving & First Aid Crew, Inc. were held in borrowed space in the basement of the Piedmont hospital with the first vehicles & equipment stored in a shed in the hospital’s parking lot. 

Initially the squad was not involved in transporting ill and injured patients.  Early efforts of Altavista Life Saving & First Aid Crew, Inc. focused on such things as rescue type work such as assisting injured victims involved in automobile accidents, performing dragging operations to recover bodies of drowning victims in nearby rivers or lakes and occasionally sitting the night and/or providing oxygen to elderly homebound patients. 

The first vehicle used for rescue work was an old laundry van donated by Brendle’s Laundry and Dry Cleaners.  Patients requiring transport to a hospital were transported by Finch & Finch Funeral home in hearse style ambulances.

As time progressed, the Altavista Life Saving & First Aid Crew, Inc. eventually was relocated to a building of its own located at the intersection of 7th Street & Pittsylvania Avenue.  During the next couple of decades the squad would become more directly involved in handling all types of injuries and medical emergencies, as well as assuming handling the transportation needs of ill and/or injured patients.  By the 1980’s, the squad members were required to minimally become certified as Emergency Medical Technicians.

In 1982, the Altavista Life Saving & First Aid Crew, Inc. was relocated to a new, spacious, modern facility located on North Main Street in Altavista.  This facility continues to serve as the location of the squad’s headquarters to date.  The squad operates a fleet of (5) ambulances, (2) utility/rescue vehicles, (1) crash truck, (1) rapid response vehicle, (2) boats, and (2) administrative use vehicles. 

Constant changes and updates directly affected our service prompting the employment by the squad of (2) individuals to handle necessary day-to-day administrative and financial needs.  During late 2001, the squad began operating under the name Altavista EMS.  This was done to project a name that better suited the changing times, public expectations, and the continued evolution of emergency medical services.  Altavista EMS now handles emergency medical service needs for more than 35,000 citizens living in the Town of Altavista, the Town of Hurt, a vast section of northern Pittsylvania County, much of southwestern Campbell County, and a small community located in the southeastern area of Bedford County.

During 2003, Altavista EMS responded to more than 2,500 calls (most of which take 2-3 hours from initial call to completion/return to service) while driving more than 130,000 miles.  It is the goal of Altavista EMS to meet our call load 100% of the time on our first due calls.  For more than 2 years, our squad has met this goal nearly 99% of the time.