Southeast Shelby Rescue was formed in 1982 because there was no emergency medical care in the Columbiana, Wilsonville and Shelby areas. We started with approximately 10 members in 1982 and we now have 35 active members, two of which were founding members. We are a 100% volunteer unit. The unit received donations from the City of Columbiana and the Town of Wilsonville and had numerous fundraisers to purchase its first response vehicle and emergency equipment. In the first year of operation the unit responded to approximately 80 calls. In 2000 we responded to over 1500 calls. We cover 220 square miles, which is approximately 6700 addresses. Our fleet has grown from one rescue response vehicle to 4 trucks, one boat and one car. A portion of our funding comes from the Town of Wilsonville and the City of Columbiana. We also receive grant money from Shelby Baptist Health Association and Birmingham Regional EMS to purchase needed equipment. The remainder is left up to the unit to obtain from donations and fundraisers. Our average operating cost is $45 per call. Other services provided by our unit include search and rescue, vehicle extrication, water rescue, stand-by for events such as football games, rodeos, and medical stand-by for seven fire departments in our area.