Growing up in Prince William County and while attending high school at the Holy Family Academy near Manassas, Quang became interested in EMS from information shared by his older sister who was (and still is) a volunteer EMT in Dale City. By searching the web, he found the GMVRS and learned of the Squad’s Junior program, which provides an opportunity for students between the ages of 16-22 to join. He was attracted by the Squad’s mission statement, and that volunteering with the GMVRS would be a good fit for his schedule.
Quang joined the Junior Squad in January 2020, graduated high school in June of that year, and started at Northern Virginia Community College in Woodbridge majoring in Computer Science. Quang plans to get his Associate’s Degree this summer and begin classes at George Mason University where he has been accepted to start in August 2022.
In spite of the COVID restrictions that started in March 2020, which limited nonessential members from running calls, Quang wasted little time after joining to complete the requisite training to become eligible to run calls when those restrictions were relaxed. Also, eager to obtain his EMT certification, in October 2020 he enrolled in the EMT Basic course offered locally, and obtained his National Registry EMT-B certification in January 2021.
Based on a prior agreement with the City of Manassas Fire and Rescue System to provide a year of volunteer EMS service after completing the course, which is required for all who receive City-funded EMT training, Quang was reimbursed for the tuition cost. During this time, Quang transitioned from the Junior to the Senior Squad as an Operational member, and began his intern program to learn and demonstrate proficiency in applying the Fire and Rescue System’s EMS medical directives and protocols. He successfully completed the program, and became a “cut loose” EMT-B provider in August 2021.
“I like the challenge of assessing my patients to figure out how best treat them and then doing so”, Quang said smiling while being interviewed for this article. “Having the skills and confidence to help people in difficult situations is really rewarding.”
During Quang’s relatively short tenue with the Squad, his “can do” attitude and willingness to staff extra hours has commanded the respect of his peers, who elected him Vice President in 2022. He also assists as a Junior Squad advisor.