Welcome to To The Rescue Museum! To The Rescue Museum, located in Roanoke, Virginia, was the only museum of its kind in the nation to tell the story of the rescue movement and today's emergency medical services.

The rescue movement began in 1928 in Roanoke, Virginia when Julian Stanley Wise and nine other men founded the first independent volunteer rescue squad. This was the precursor of today's EMS system. During the 1960s the EMS system became organized through state and federal laws, establishing standards for training, certification, and equipment maintenance. Today there are over 750,000 pre-hospital emergency medical service workers in the United States. The 3000 square foot museum houses 52 exhibits, including a real automobile

accident, a simulated ride in a real crash truck, an iron lung, a CPR mannequin, the National EMS Memorial, the Tree of Life, historic artifacts, and modern EMS technology. To The Rescue Museum offerd a fascinating glimpse of the history of emergency medical services and the excitement of EMS today.

As a young boy in 1909, Julian Stanley Wise's life changed when he witnessed a drowning. "Right then I resolved that I was going to become a lifesaver," he later said. "Never again would I watch a man die when he could be saved." In 1928, Wise organized the world's first ambulance, the Roanoke Life Saving and First Aid Crew. This was the forerunner of today's pre-hospital emergency medical services. Ten years later he wrote, "There is no comprehensive history of the safety movement; someday it will be written and we shall find it a romance of high adventure." Wise died in 1985 never having his vision of a "comprehensive history of the safety movement" realized. With the support of a grant from the Commonwealth of Virginia, the Julian Stanley Wise Foundation formed in 1988 to chronicle the history of the volunteer rescue squad movement and emergency medical services in the US. In a cooperative effort with the Virginia Association of Volunteer Rescue Squads, the Wise Foundation raised $1.8 million for the research, design, development and endowment of a national EMS museum. To The Rescue Museum opened in 1991. The Julian Stanley Wise Foundation The Julian Stanley Wise Foundation is dedicated to the promotion and support of our nation's emergency medical services, and the individual recognition of those who provide this service, through the national To The Rescue Museum and associated programs.

National EMS Memorial

To The Rescue Museum is home to the National EMS Memorial, which is dedicated to the men and women of emergency medical systems across the US who have given their lives in the line of duty. These fallen heroes are memorialized on the Tree of Life, which is made up of gold leaves representing each victim. Every Memorial Day weekend, To The Rescue Museum holds the National EMS Memorial Service. The victims' friends, family members and fellow squad members come from across the nation to attend the event.

The Memorial begins in the morning with tours of To The Rescue Museum. This is proceeded by a formal memorial service at Greene Memorial United Methodist Church and a reception.

Programs and Classes

School Tours To The Rescue Museum offers tours to: -Day care centers, stressing safety issues to children; -Career centers, giving insight on the ever-changing fields of health care and rescue; and, -School groups, teaching the history of one of the leaders of our community. Tours involve interactive technology and hands-on exhibits and are designed to address the grade level of the students. They last about 30 minutes and allow 30 minutes for students to explore the museum. Cost: 80 cents per student; free for teachers.

CPR Classes To The Rescue Museum offers CPR classes to: -Comstruction companies, to meet OSHA regulations; -Persons in job fields that require emergency care, such as lifeguards; -Day care providers and teachers; -Medical professionals; -Businesses, for on-site care of employees; and, -The general public interested in learning CPR. CPR classes are both American and Red Cross Certified. Cost: $30.00

Childrens' Programs To The Rescue Museum offers the following programs for children: "Fun in the Sun" How to have fun and keep safe in the summer. "Hug-A-Tree" A safety program that emphasizes not getting lost. "Bugs, Bugs, and More Bugs" Teaches children the differences between safe and harmful insects. All classes are free.

Volunteer at To The Rescue Museum! There are four volunteer programs at To The Rescue Museum: -The In-Between Rescue Team for junior high and high school students -The High School Honors Program, which fulfills students' community service hour requirements -The Paramedic Volunteer Program, in which paramedics learn about the history of Emergency Medical Services -The Community Service Program for people to fulfill community service requirements while learning about safety Contact the museum for more volunteer information.

Contribute To The Rescue Museum is determined to continue growing and fulfilling its goals. These goals include bringing in exhibits from other museums and companies and moving into a larger space in downtown Roanoke. We rely on the gracious support of our donors, and for the first time since the museum's opening, we are holding a donor drive. Your tax-deductible contribution will help ensure our growth and the realization of our goals and dreams. Please send contributions to: To The Rescue Museum P.O. Box 12605 Roanoke, Virginia 24027-2605 You can also make a contribution to the National EMS Memorial Service. All the funding received is used for the memorial service and to maintain the Tree of Life Memorial at To The Rescue Museum. Support categories are as follows: $100 - Contributor $250 - Sponsor $500 - Patron $1000 - Bronze Charter Member $2500 - Silver Charter Member $5000 - Gold Charter Member Gifts may be given in memory of a loved one or friend who has been or will be recognized at the National EMS Memorial Service. Please send contributions to: National EMS Memorial Service PO Box 279 Oilville, Virginia 23129

General Information The Museum is closed at this time!.

Contact E-mail: ttrescue@rev.net Phone: (540) 776-0364 Fax (540) 344-6109 To The Rescue Museum P.O. Box 12605 Roanoke, Virginia 24027-2605

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T O   T H E   R E S C U E   M U S E U M P.O. Box 12605  ,   R O A N O K E ,   V I R G I N I A   2 4 0 27-2605

(Above) Julian Stanley Wise, founder of the first volunteer rescue squad. (Below) Members of the first-ever volunteer rescue squad.

The ambulance of the first volunteer rescue squad.

To The Rescue Museum's booth at a show in Tanglewood Mall.

The ambulance exhibit in To The Rescue Museum.

Various exhibits at To The Rescue Museum: (Above left) The original volunteer rescue squad's first aid kid. (Above) An iron lung. (Left) Historical recussitation instruments.

<<<The National EMS Memorial "Tree of Life" during a memorial ceremony.

Julian Stanley Wise

The crashed car exhibit.

Photo Gallery

TO THE RESCUE MUSEUM IS CLOSED AT THIS TIME !   WE WILL ANOUNCE OUR NEW LOCATION AS SOON AS SITE IS AVAILABLE!

All Classes and programs have been canceled until further notice!

All Programs have been canceled until further notice!.

This page was last updated on: July 18, 2006