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The Orange County (North Carolina) Emergency Medical Service and Rescue Squad (OEMSRS) is a nonprofit organization composed of paramedics, emergency medical technicians and emergency rescue technicians. They serve the citizens of Orange County by providing 24/7 emergency medical care and transport for the sick and injured. The Rescue Squad constantly trains to effectively and quickly respond to emergency rescue calls in hazardous environments, automobile accidents, and similar rescue operations. OEMSRS works under the direction of Orange County Emergency Management officials and with support from local fire departments and law enforcement agencies.

OEMSRS has 150+ members serving as paid staff and volunteers operating out of four different station houses. Scheduling this many people, to cover a fast growing population base, had become a logistical challenge.

In 2000, Waddell Software Development LLC (WSD) was contracted to design and maintain a web site for the OEMSRS. The process began by posting general information about the Squad, including list of Officers, list of Directors, list of general membership and current communications from the Officers. It soon became apparent, however, that the web site could provide a far greater advantage to the membership.

WSD researched available web-based scheduling programs which would effectively allow any member with access to the Internet to enter a Members Only portal and be able to see the overlapping EMS, Rescue, Special Events, and training schedules weeks in advance. Furthermore, this web-based system could allow the members to sign-up for unfilled time slots or request trades, without leaving their homes.

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WSD chose WebEvent as the server based calendaring/scheduling program to mange its multiple calendars in an Internet environment. WebEvent had several features, which made it the best program for OEMSRS's application. Full access to WebEvent's source code meant that WSD could create custom calendaring and scheduling solutions, such as vehicle maintenance and individual training records. Because of its non-profit status, OEMSRS qualified for a substantial discount of its licensing fees. Additionally, the early support from the technical staff was valuable in the providing advice and an evaluation copy until the server and T1 were ready for final installation.

The OEMSRS web pages and Members Only portal combine to provide a valuable public relations tool, as well as, a practical solution for the members to communicate with each other and maintain their in-house multi-calendar scheduling system.