About us
The stories and inspirations that brought it all together.
The Propagule
Veteran and First Responder Services, Inc or “VetFirst” was formed in 2021 as a venture among veterans and children and spouses of veterans and was originally called Inside the Wire. How each founder came to know one another is matter of interactions over time, place, and circumstance, however each had a firm understanding that we all must do more.
The propagule of it all sprouted from one of our founders thumbing through one of the real estate apps out of boredom at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. He stumbled upon a modest 2.6 acres just outside Berkeley Springs, made a trek to view the land a fellow veteran happened to be onsite touring the property. Both were immediately drawn to the now infamous "meandering creek" that flows from the overlooking bluff above and almost simultaneously said, "I could sit here and listen to that for hours." As fate would have it, our founder secured the winning offer on that property and then reality hit as to what to do.
Work begins
Work began quickly with another founder tackling the physical tasks of clearing and securing the property and build-outs of sheds into primitive buildings for those who need protection from the elements. Numerous obstacles have tried to slow our resolve, from Potomac Edison refusing to connect power, to the sheer personal drain on our founders’ finances. Despite it all, The Retreat at Meandering Creek, will begin operations later in 2023.
A bigger obstacle and an unfortunate and unforeseen reality struck all of us…
Pandemic and Response
As an organization, we recognized the parallels many first responders shared with our veteran population and how many either served in parallel or sequential military then civilian capacity. The resolve of our first responders was stretched to the brink with the horrific autarchies each doctor, nurse, PA, EMT/Paramedic, fire, and police ran towards every day,
While revising the original Inside the Wire LLC structure and mission, we collectively agreed it was time to start anew and without the stigma and baggage from so many dead-ends before. Veteran and First Responder Services Inc came to life, with a renewed vigor and dedication.
Growing StrongER Together
The new Veteran and First Responder Services, Inc (“VetFirst”) offers virtual and in-person services at our much larger (and more cost efficient) new offices. By partnering with more vendors, a lower bottom line, improved fiscal planning and accounting, and more focus to our mission, we have managed to grow our offerings and extend our reach. We have also, through generous grants, deployed leading technologies to extend our digital reach permanently into the safe spaces we create worldwide. Our staff, volunteers, board, veterans, and first responders thank you and look forward to seeing you soon.
Yours in Service, and may we all work to achieve success together!
VetFirst, Inc
