When you’re in need of emergency medical help, you expect the response to be well-equipped to handle a dire situation.

EMS doesn’t come without expenses though, and Louisa County Ambulance Service is seeking to raise money to update their equipment and uniforms. Louisa County EMS volunteer Aimee Buol says, “Our call volume has greatly increased I’d say over the past three to five years. And the t-shirts that we get, get worn out real quick and we’d like to have a type of nice shirt and nice EMS pants that can be worn for functions that we are presenting ourselves to in the public.”

Buol says the volunteers currently wear their own pants to medical calls, and the spread of fluids that get taken home is of concern. Louisa County EMS is also looking to purchase new CPR and pediatric training equipment, “We currently only have a few things for pediatric training equipment just because of the expense that comes with them. They’re outdated, they aren’t as multifunctional as some of the new equipment could be.”

Buol is co-chairing a BBQ Smoke Off fundraiser to purchase new training equipment and uniforms. Louisa County Ambulance is looking for competitors to register for the event, which will take place October 14.