VIRGINIA LIFELINE JULY / AUGUST 2014
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2014 Annual VAVRS Conference Housing Info Mail or fax reservation to: VAVRS Housing Bureau, 2101 Parks Ave Ste 500, VA Beach, VA 23451 or fax to 757-437-6039 or email to ellogan@vbgov.com RESERVATIONS DEADLINE: 8/15/2014. For complete details go to www.vavrs.com
WANTED —— RESCUE TEAMS The Rescue Contest Committee is seeking teams for the 2014 VAVRS conference in Virginia Beach. The contest provides each team member the ability to demonstrate their knowledge and skills in a problem designed specifically for rescue teams. The guidelines and rules for competing teams will be mailed to you upon request. Questions – contact Lin Matthews (804-405-1247) Kelly Southard (540-718-0342) or Bill Camm (434-546-6909) Come join the fun and excitement of competing, use your knowledge and skills, and represent your squad at the conference. Hear your squad’s name called at the awards ceremony when you win a trophy. We are looking forward to seeing more teams compete in the Rescue Contest at the annual conference September 23 -28, 2014.
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2013-2014 VAVRS Officers President Rickey Hodge Secretary Scott Davis Treasurer Steve Grayson Training Officer Cecil Leach Chaplain Darleen Ferguson Historian Dreama Chandler Editor Gary Dalton Legal Advisor S. Craig Lane Parliamentarian J. C. Phillips Lobbyist Ed Rhodes Immediate Past President Edward B. Bish Jr. Medical Advisor James R. Dudley, MD, MBA
District 1 V. P. Steve Southworth District 2 V. P. Carolyn White District 3 V. P. Kenny Frenier District 4 V. P. Gary Dalton District 5 V. P. L. Frank Smith District 6 V. P. Doug Adams District 7 V. P. Coby Fizer District 8 V. P. Steven Reynolds District 9 V. P. Darrell Beavers District 10 V. P. George Langford Office Manager Frances Brooks Training Coordinator Kathy Eubank Administrative Secretary Shirley Bagby
2013-2014 VAVRS Committee Chairs Nominating: Bruce Stratton Membership: Kim Craig VRSAWG: Bruce Edwards VRSAWG: Gary Dalton VRSAWG: Karen Wagner By-Laws: Bruce Edwards Lifeline: Gary Dalton Conference: Ford Wirt Camporee: Ronnie Slough Finance: Steve Grayson Scholarship: Carolyn Brand EMS Memorial: Kevin Dillard Grant: Elizabeth Papelino Facility Manager: Lin Matthews Web Page: Gary Dalton
Legislative: Dreama Chandler Legislative: Edward B. "Bubby" Bish Jr. Rescue College: Rickey Hodge Rescue College: Wayne Myers Human Resources: Kim Craig Life Membership: Ronnie Slough Rescue Hall of Fame: Ford Wirt EMS Advisory Board: Dreama Chandler EMS Advisory Board: Wayne Myers Strategic Planning: Karen Wagner New Course Development: Wayne Myers Recruitment and Retention: Fran Phillips Recruitment and Retention: Bobby Hill Volunteer Management: A. Page Entsminger EMS Exchange Program: Jane Laverne
2013-2014 VAJVRS Officers President Cora Fearnow District 4 VP Connor Smith Vice President Victoria Gaudin District 7 VP Patrick Jones Secretary/Treasurer Elizabeth Pittman Advisor, Chair Alfred Smith Chaplain Montana Looney Advisor Brandon Baugus Historian Danielle McCormick Advisor Woody Conner District 1 VP Emily Snyder Advisor Micky Grodski District 3 VP Cora Fearnow Advisor Steve Dove Official
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2013-2014 AVAVRS Officers President - Sharon Campbell Immediate Past President - Fern Puckett Vice President - Harry Householder Midwestern VP - Nancy Linkous Secretary - Dolores Hudson Northeastern VP - Debbie Smallwood Treasurer - Patsy Wingfield Southcentral VP - Clara Craig Chaplain - Ailease Short Southeastern VP - Fay Browning Historian - Linda Berkstresser Southwestern VP - Valarie Becker Parliamentarian - Maxie Skeen Western VP - Debbie Rohr
For a complete list of the current courses being offered by the VAVRS—go to
2013-2014 AVAVRS Committee Chairs Conference: Vickie Arnold Conference: Sheila Gordon Nominating: Ruth Swicegood Life Membership: Carolyn Brand Emergency Care: Laura Booze Resolutions: Maxie Skeen
Membership: Harry Householder Finance: Patsy Wingfield Roll Call: Donna Porter Roll Call: Valarie Becker Fundraising: Stacey Frame
Deadline for the Upcoming Issues of the VIRGINIA LIFELINE Articles may be submitted by any member of the VAVRS, AVAVRS and VAJVRS. Feature articles are encouraged. Photos and/or graphics are acceptable and can be returned if requested. Contact the Editor if you need assistance in writing an article at gdalton@vavrs.com Deadline for future issues as follows: August 10, 2014 for September/October Issue September 1, 2014 for Conference Issue October 10, 2014 for November/December Issue December 10, 2014 for January/February 2015 Issue
THE VIRGINIA LIFELINE ISSN 0279-6023 is the official bimonthly publication of the Virginia Association of Volunteer Rescue Squads, Inc. Editorial material should be sent directly to the VAVRS Editor at P O Box 522 Woodstock, VA 22664 (H) 540-459-4849 (W) 540-536-2758 (FAX) 540-459-4925 (C) 540-481-0125 Email-gdalton@vavrs.com Requests for advertising rates, material specifications and deadlines should be directed to the Editor.
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From the VAVRS President
Submitted by Rickey Hodge, VAVRS President Greetings from the Inn at Va. Tech and the 39th Annual VAVRS Rescue College. It is Tuesday night here in Blacksburg and we will begin Day 5 of classes in a few short hours. It has been a busy week so far as the day for me begins at 5 am and its 1130 pm now. There has been a lot of behind the scene work done so our students have a good learning experience. The week just gets busier with a lot of classes getting started tomorrow. The Advanced Extrication Class is rolling out in the morning on its first time out of the box. Many thanks to John Craig, Cecil Leach, Kelly Southard, Wayne Myers, and Kathy Eubank for all their hard work to make this a reality. We have met several times working on this class and I hope for the best. That is followed up by the Leadership Challenge and EVOC Instructor Class this weekend. The Auxiliary Workshop also starts on Friday. Many thanks to all of our Rescue College Committee members, many of which take the entire 9 Days off to bring our members the Best Training in Virginia. I want to stress once again the importance of the Raffle the Association is working on this year. Please sell as many tickets
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President Ricky Hodge and Editor Gary Dalton are greeted by the HokieBird, the official mascot of Virginia Tech, at a recent VAVRS Rescue College as we can to raise money to help offset the cost of the 80th Conference. Also, on your Conference registration, please remember to check the box and tell us how many total people in your party will attend the Cookout on Thursday evening. Bring your entire family for a free meal and enjoy the fellowship with each other. Those of you who faithfully sponsor our trophies each year and would like to once again sponsor your trophy. So, please contact VAVRS
the State Office ASAP to reserve your trophy. Do this by August 1st. After that date we will take them on a first-come, first-serve basis to get ALL of our trophies sponsored and save the Association many dollars. In closing, I want to thank you for all the hard work you are putting into our Raffle and I hope to see you this summer at a District Meeting. Thank you for allowing me to serve this awesome Association as your President and I would like your support in September as I will once again run for President Thank you and be safe!
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Waynesboro First Aid Crew Auxiliary Submitted by CeCe McCormick, Historian Just a few highlights to let you know what's going on in our part of the world. A few of us went to the Camporee at Glen Maury Park in Buena Vista. What a great time was had by everyone. There were senior crewmembers, junior crew members and we met people from the Buena Vista Fire Department. There were also auxiliary members and people from all over the state. There were hayrides for the kids and a corn hole competition which was fun for everyone. If you
didn't join us this year please try and join us again next year it was a great time. We continue to go out for our birthday dinners every month, we also did a luncheon and breakfast for the EVOC and Extrication classes that were held at the Waynesboro FAC building. We continue to feed our crew and the fire department for their monthly drills at our building. We also donated ice again for the annual Special Olympics torch run that is held in June by SunTrust Bank. The auxiliary put wreaths on the buildings
for Memorial Day to celebrate our veterans. The auxiliary is putting a new backsplash is in the kitchen of the crew building. We put new locks on the cabinets in the multipurpose rooms and more upgrades are to come. The auxiliary is also sponsoring a luncheon for the Virginia Animal Control Association and the for the VA Law Enforcement Group. We hope everyone has a great summer. Thanks to Sis Charlotte for planting all the beautiful flowers in our memorial garden.
2014 AVAVRS Scrapbook Competition Each year the AVAVRS President picks a theme. You may or may not follow this theme. This year AVAVRS President Sharon Campbell has chosen:
“Oh, the Places We Go Together” For rules for the competition visit www.vavrs.com DEADLINE – SCRAPBOOKS MUST BE IN THE HANDS OF THE AVAVRS HISTORIAN LINDA BERKSTRESSER ON OR BEFORE AUGUST 25, 2014 Official
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Look Out Virginia Beach, Here We Come! Submitted by Sharon Campbell, AVAVRS President September will be here before you know it and we will be headed to the beach for our annual Conference. I am looking forward to seeing the majority of you there, now we will just hope for nice weather. Please check the deadline for reports, nominations and scrapbooks. It is important that these reports be filed so that we can be up to date on each Auxiliary and their activities. If you need additional information or forms, please let me know so that we can get them out to you ASAP. Also please let Dolores Hudson, AVAVRS Secretary, know if you have changed officers. As a reminder, the opening of the Conference will be held on Wednesday, September 24th at 6:00 p.m. at the Virginia Beach Convention Center, Suite 5. There will not be a reception following the opening. The first meeting of the AVAVRS will be the Delegates
meeting which will take place at 1:00 on Thursday, the 25th. Please note this is a new beginning time. From 4 pm to 7 pm. Chesterfield Insurers will be sponsoring a Family Picnic at Red Wing Park which is located at 1398 General Booth Blvd. in Virginia Beach. Bring a chair and come out and enjoy the relaxation, good food and fellowship. Our Friday business meeting will begin at 10 am and hopefully we will be out in time to enjoy the sun and sand. Don’t forget that the parade will take place that evening followed by the VAJVRS Casino Night. The AVAVRS Breakfast meeting will begin at 8 am on Saturday the 27th and we will finish the day with the Installation of Officers and Memorial Service at 4 pm. I was able to attend one day of the VAVRS Camporee and it was fun and wonderful seeing so many people. I was surprised at the number of people camping and hopefully next year we will have even more people taking part in
this great VAVRS family event. I am very proud of the desserts that were provided by members of the AVAVRS. Thanks to those who provided these desserts. By the time you read this, Rescue College will have ended for another year. Please make plans now to attend this wonderful learning experience next year. The venue is beautiful and we have a lot of fun while learning. Best wishes to each of you for a safe summer season and I’ll see you “at the beach”.
From the AVAVRS Chaplain Submitted by Ailease Short, AVAVRS Chaplain I hope everyone across the state is enjoying the beautiful weather we are having now. I am in process of preparing the Memorial Service for Conference at Virginia Beach, but remember I need the help of the local auxiliaries. We have had seven deaths in the Auxiliaries that I know of. They are as follows:
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Jo House-Danville Patricia Jones-West End Evelyn Persinger-Clifton Forge Virginia Walters- Christiansburg Jean Bailey- Middlesex Triva Cites- Broadway Frances McDonnell- Forest View. If anyone knows of others please let me know as soon as possible. To the Auxiliaries list above- please send me the Chaplain report and a 4 X 6 or 5 X 7 picture of your
deceased member as soon as possible. I do not want to wait to last minute to prepare my Memorial Service. Thanks to each of you in advance for your cooperation. All of these ladies played an important part in our Association and I want to remember them appropriately. Please continue to let me know when someone needs a card for sickness, death or good news. May
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September 24-27, 2014 Virginia Beach Go to www.vavrs.com for details! Register Today!
AMBULANCE FOR SALE Bristol Life Saving Crew 2007 CHEVY 4500 MED-TEC BOX 119,000 MILES NEW TIRES ALL SERVICES UP TO DATE Contact person is Captain Mark Blankenship @ 423-340-1407 Page
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The 60 Second Parliamentarian Tip Submitted by J.C. Phillips, VAVRS Parliamentarian You are a voting member of the organization and the President, or whoever is chairing the meeting, makes a decision to do something that you believe is against your bylaws. You ask the Parliamentarian to rule on this and the Parliamentarian states that this decision is going against your bylaws. The President does not agree with the Parliamentarian's ruling and moves on with the original decision. Remember, a Parliamentarian has no power in his or her ruling. The President decides whether to accept the ruling or not.
the vote is carried, then the President has no choice but to accept the results of the motion. As the VAVRS Parliamentarian, my job is to help the President to have a smooth and productive meeting. My goal as Parliamentarian is to never have to call for a "Point of Order." I do not wish for the president to be put on the spot. What I have done
in the past is to quietly tell the President that he or she is not handling this issue properly and suggest what needs to be done. I get the same results and not having the President to be embarrassed. I need to do this, if possible, before a member calls for a "Point of Order." In all my years as Parliamentarian, this situation rarely happens. In closing, a Parliamentarian can only rule on an issue, the President makes the decision on that ruling.
What do you do now, when you know the whole situation is not right? You can call for a "Point of Order" and you or someone else can make a motion to accept the Parliamentarian's ruling. (If your organization does not have a Parliamentarian, you still can make a motion that the decision of the President is violating a bylaw.) If
Staunton-Augusta Rescue Squad Auxiliary Submitted by Paige Wagner At the Auxiliary dinner meeting in April, Debbie Rohr a member of the Auxiliary was presented with a tree of life necklace honoring her 25 years of service to the Auxiliary. Debbie has served her Auxiliary well. She has held different office having served for five years a president and has served on various committees. Debbie is currently Vice President of the AVAVRS Western District and Vice President of her local Auxiliary. Debbie is married to Steve Rohr and they have three children. Thank you Debbie for 25 years of dedicated service. Official
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FBI Background Checks effective July 1, 2014 Important information from the Virginia Office of EMS Pursuant to ยง 32.1-111.5 of the Code (http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe? 000+cod+32.1-111.5), any person who, on or after July 1, 2013, applies to be a volunteer with, or employee of, an Emergency Medical Services (EMS) agency must submit fingerprints and provide personal descriptive information to be forwarded by the Office of EMS along with his fingerprints through the Central Criminal Records Exchange (CCRE) of the Virginia State Police to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, for the purpose of conducting a state and national criminal history check. The CCRE shall forward the results of the state and national records search to the Office of EMS. It will be the responsibility of the Office of EMS, based on EMS personnel requirements outlined in the Virginia EMS Regulations (12VAC5-31-910, http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?000+reg+12VAC5-31-910) to determine if each person is eligible for certification and/or affiliation with an EMS agency. EMS practitioners, by virtue of their state certification have unsupervised, intimate, physical and emotional contact with patients at a time of great physical and emotional vulnerability, as well as unsupervised access to personal property. In this capacity, they are placed in a position of the highest public trust, even above that granted to other public safety professionals and most other health care providers. Citizens in need of out-of-hospital medical care rely on the EMS system and the existence of state licensure/ certification to assure that those who respond to their calls for aid are worthy of this extraordinary trust. In light of the high degree of trust conferred upon EMS personnel, the Office of EMS has a duty to exclude individuals who pose a risk to public health, safety and welfare by virtue of conviction of certain crimes. Applicants for affiliation with an EMS agency can obtain appropriately coded fingerprint cards from their local Regional EMS Council office (www.vaems.org). Once the card is obtained, the applicant must provide certain personal descriptive information as well as their fingerprints (at their expense, if any.) The fingerprint cards must be forwarded to the Office of EMS where they will be processed and submitted electronically to the Virginia State Police (VSP) via our Live Scan program. It is important to note, for the purposes of satisfying the requirements of ยง32.1-111.5 of the Code that VSP will only accept a Live Scan print submitted by the Office of EMS, thus the need to submit the inked fingerprint cards. It is estimated it will take approximately seven (7) calendar days from the date the fingerprints are forwarded by the Office of EMS to CCRE to receive a report of the results of the criminal history check. The Office of EMS shall issue a determination of eligibility by letter and email to the chief executive officer of the EMS agency for each person who applies to be a volunteer with, or employee of, an emergency medical services (EMS) agency. Individuals who submit an application for volunteer membership or employment to more than one EMS agency are not required to submit additional fingerprint-based criminal history and background checks if application is submitted within sixty (60) days of the original request. Persons who fail or refuse to cooperate in obtaining criminal history records checks shall be denied volunteer membership or employment with an EMS agency. Should the applicant feel the information returned from their criminal background check is not correct, they must contact VSP to initiate the appeal process. The Office of EMS maintains the right to conduct additional checks of records of other state agencies (i.e. Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles, Department of Health Professions, Sexual Offender Registry, etc.) and records at city and county courts on persons who apply to be a volunteer with, or employee of, an EMS agency. The cost to run a state and national criminal background check will be paid for from funds set aside from the EMS Fund. However, the cost to obtain fingerprints is not covered by the Office of EMS. The actual results of the background check cannot be shared or divulged in any form by the Office. For any additional information, please visit the Office of EMS website at www.vdh.virginia.gov/oems, or contact Michael Berg, manager of Regulation and Compliance, 804-888-9100 or 800-523-6019 (VA only). Page
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District 10 Juniors Submitted by Steve Dove The District 10 Meeting was held on Sunday, June 1, 2014 at the Colonial Beach Volunteer Rescue Squad. With beautiful weather filling the skies the day began early with the EVOC Competition for the Seniors and BLS Teams
competing in hopes of agency taking home a first place trophy recognizing their outstanding skills.
the Basic First Aid Competition but are certified at EMT-Basic’s.
continues to bring smiles to their faces.
We were thrilled that more Juniors competed in the Junior EVOC than adults the competed in the Senior EVOC Competition. Juniors competed in the same course that the Seniors did although the course was taken in to accommodate an ATV that would be used for the Junior EVOC Competition. This competition has always been a huge hit at the District 10 meetings for the Juniors and
After the competition were complete and the meeting called to order the Juniors met to learn what items had been discussed during the Spring BOG and what future plans they would be preparing for at the District level. They were excited to learn that District 10 had increased our Junior Membership within the VAJVRS with four new Junior Squads joining at the Spring BOG. This makes District 10 one of the
There was a noticeable increase in the number of Junior Members represented at this meeting. In fact, more Junior’s competed in the Basic First Aid competitions than we have ever had in the past. Nine Juniors splinted a patients leg that was injured during a fall, as they awaited arrival of the first responders. Trophies were awarded to the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Place for 8 – 13 year olds and 14 – 18 year olds. There were also 1st, 2nd and 3rd Place trophies for those Juniors that participated in Official
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largest VAJVRS Districts. There was also encouraging news that another agency joined in the meeting and is interested in joining the VAJVRS at the Annual Conference in September. The Juniors are enthusiastic about providing another Community Service Project this summer with the local homeless shelter. The discussion about doing a pancake breakfast at the shelter on a Saturday morning this summer was favored by all. The Juniors have decided to raise money for this project by having a bake sale at the next District 10 meeting and also host the Horse Races during that meeting as a fundraiser for this project. The Juniors are extremely excited about holding elections for Junior Officers at their next meeting. For several years the Junior involvement on the District level has been less than desirable and no official Officers have ever been selected. The Juniors will be electing a Junior District Vice President, Junior District Secretary/Treasurer and a Junior
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District Historian at the next meeting. Each Junior Squad has also been tasked with selecting a Junior BOG representative for their agency. We are very proud of the progress our Junior Membership has made this past year. We look forward to working with our Juniors and making them a valuable part of the future of EMS in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
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Chancellor Fire & Rescue Promotes Safety mascot the importance of when to call the emergency number and when not to. The students were left with paper to participate in a poster coloring contest about Red E. Fox and the importance of 911. Each class was awarded a 1st, 2nd and 3rd Place winner along with a Best Overall poster for each school. There was also a Best in Show award for the best poster amongst all three schools. Red E. Fox presented the ribbons and awards during the final award ceremony at each school.
Submitted by Steve Dove As the school year ended the Chancellor Volunteer Fire & Rescue Department seized the opportunity to get into the classrooms one last time before summer vacation to promote safety with kids at local elementary school. During EMS Week Steve Dove & Beth Addington made appearances at Salem, Wilderness and Chancellor Elementary Schools providing the 911 for Kids Program
for the 2nd Grade classes. Unfortunately because of budget constraints the regional EMS Council was unable to fund the program this year. However, Chancellor Volunteer Fire & Rescue Department committed to continuing the valuable educational program to the kids in the elementary schools in their jurisdiction. The kids learned from Red E. Fox, the 911 for Kids Official
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Beth, along with member John Mason recently took part in training a local Girl Scout Troop in Basic First Aid Skills. There girls learned how to bandage wounds and apply splints. They learned how to assist a patient with an EPI -Pen or rescue inhaler. The practiced dragging a simulated patient out of an unsafe environment to render aid. Chancellor has also recently hosted a local Boy Scout and Cub Scout troop teach CPR and First Aid. The local Boy Scout group will be participating in a bike ride across the US this summer. In order to participate each of them had to be certified in CPR and First Aid. The local Cub Scout group was interested in teaching their members the Family & Friends CPR so they would know how to help in an emergency.
acting quickly when someone goes into cardiac arrest, Steve & Beth provided a Hands-Only CPR station along with an AED station during the 5th Grade Field Day at Courthouse Road Elementary School. The students learned that immediate recognition of cardiac arrest with early defibrillation can save lives. They demonstrated proper hand positioning to perform chest compressions on and adult or teen victim. Emphasize was placed on quickly contacting additional help by phoning 911. Hopefully the students will never face an emergency where someone is in cardiac arrest, but if they do they are not better prepared to help save a life.
To promote the importance of VAVRS
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2014 Rescue College Photos Submitted by Bubby Bish
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Forest View Juniors
New Member Orientation Classes. In May a fund-raising event was held at the “Sweet Frog” at Westchester in Midlothian. Seven Juniors were there in uniform receiving donations and answering questions from members of the Forest View Juniors answering questions community. Senior Board Members and others Submitted by Fran Phillips, donated “Gift Cards” which were Secretary and Life Member of raffled off. The owner of “Sweet Forest View Rescue Squad Frog” gave a percentage of profits that day during the hours of 4:00 The Junior’s at Forest View are p.m. to 10:30 p.m. to the Junior AWESOME! There are currently Squad. There were three twelve [12] sixteen to twenty year ambulances, with duty crews, and -old members in our Junior Squad, the First Response Vehicle lead by Junior Captain Paige available for members of the Lawson. community and their children to After completing an application enjoy. A great PR event for our and being interviewed by the organization. Senior Squad Vice President they Juniors are our FUTURE. We are complete the New Member extremely proud of their Orientation Class and are assigned eagerness to learn and their to a crew. At this juncture they responsible attitude in may be allowed to ride on the an adult world. Ambulance. Between their sixteenth and eighteenth birthday they ride as thirds on the unit. After they turn eighteen they may be cleared as a driver or AIC on the unit. They are required to attend all Junior meetings and keep a minimum of a “C” average in school plus pull their weekly duty hours. They are constantly training and taking classes such as EMT, CPR, EVOC or helping with the Page
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Forest View Ambulance At “Sweet Frogs” in May
Forest View units at Junior fundraising in May
L to R Juniors Breanne, Autumn, Senior Amy, and Junior Captain Paige take donations and sell tickets
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Shawsville’s 50th Anniversary
It’s the 50th year anniversary of the Shawsville Volunteer Rescue Squad! The Alleghany District Volunteer Life Saving Crew began its service to the eastern end of Montgomery County at 7am on July 4, 1964. The crew was the 95th such squad established in the state of Virginia. Grant E. Bryant, an Elliston funeral home owner and operator, worked diligently for seven years to form what is today known as the Shawsville Volunteer Rescue Squad. Mr. Bryant had long believed that an organization other than his would be better suited to handle emergency calls in the area. He finally convinced members of the community that their service was needed in March, 1964, and officially handed off rescue duties from his funeral home business to this group in July, 1964. According to an article written by The Roanoke Times, the Alleghany District Volunteer Life Saving Crew was Montgomery County’s first such rural group.
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Members were introduced and officers were installed by Glenn Simmers, President of the Salem Crew, at a banquet in their honor at the Elliston Lafayette Elementary School on July 24, 1964. Mr. Simmers likened the work the rescue squad does to that of the Good Samaritan in the
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Bible. Julian S. Wise, who founded the nation’s first life saving crew in Roanoke in 1928, was the guest speaker at the affair. According to crew documentation, Mr. Wise told the 14 members of the new crew, “Human life is in your hands. The people who call you assume you have a very good idea of what you are doing.” Realizing the seriousness of the situations these men would encounter, Mr. Wise, the man who pioneered what is now a national expectation for emergency medical services, urged the crew members to “use good judgment and to be alert”. He also advocated the need for education and for remaining informed of new techniques and developments. He stressed “cooperation with police and doctors.” Neighboring Roanoke, Salem and Fort Lewis crews also donated equipment and time to the newly (Continued on page 25)
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formed organization. These first members received their 16 week intensive first aid training at Roanoke County’s Fort Lewis Rescue Squad. Several education classes followed as they progressed with their training. Mr. Bryant donated two vehicles to be used as ambulances. These ambulances were housed at the funeral home until a permanent location was found. According to historical archives of the crew, a Wytheville woman heard of the area’s desire to begin a volunteer rescue squad and sent the first donation – $1.
and Virgil Sarver, Chaplain. Frank Wills served as legal advisor, and Dr. George Smith, Jr., and Dr. Clarence Taylor, Jr., served as medical advisors. Today’s Shawsville Volunteer Rescue Squad is still all-volunteer! We’re located at 6620 Roanoke Road in beautiful downtown Shawsville, Virginia. We take pride in our community and the
service we provide. We have 29 active, probationary and associate members. Volunteer help is always needed. If you have an interest, please stop by the station to obtain a squad application. If you have any questions, please call 540.268-5414. Look for additional recognition at the Fourth of July event at the Shawsville Middle School.
The first officers of The Alleghany District Volunteer Life Saving Crew installed in July of 1964 were Grant E. Bryant, President; Marvin Alls, Captain; Frank Johnson, First Lieutenant; W. W. Wallace, Vice President and Second Lieutenant; Larry Atkinson, Sergeant; Charlie Davis, Treasurer; Donn Harr, Secretary;
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Spring & Summer Are Busy Seasons for CBVRS
Submitted by Sara Hunt, Touch Points Public Relations
officially opened.
When the weather heats up, so do the activities sponsored and attended by members of Colonial Beach Volunteer Rescue Squad. Here’s a look at some of the seasonal highlights: CBVRS celebrated the annual Back to the Beach Bash on May 24 with festivities that included a family carnival, craft exhibits, the Great Golf Ball Drop and the everpopular Inflatable Horse Racing competition. A good time was had by all as the beach season
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In mid-May, the squad was well-represented at the VAVRS Camporee in Buena Vista, Va. Several participants noted that it was “tons of fun.” Over Memorial Day weekend, CBVRS and the CB Juniors passed out water and coordinated a huge standby and cooling station for the Memorial Day service. The squad hosted the VAVRS district meeting on June 1. The 63rd Annual Potomac River Festival takes places on June 6-8.
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CBVRS and CBVFD will host the Nation’s Noisiest Fire and Rescue Parade on June 6 to kickoff the weekend event. Lots of great outdoor fun in store for all participants! CBVRS is already promoting its annual Golf Tournament on Aug. 18 at Cameron Hills Golf Links in King George, Va. Tell your friends and join us!
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Human Resource Committee Submitted by Kim Craig, Acting Chairman I have been fortunate to have been a volunteer with the Staunton-Augusta County Rescue Squad since 1981 and became a Life Member in 1994. In 2008 I became the Executive Director of the squad which exposed me more to the management, business side of the organization and responsible for the day to day operations. In my experiences as a pre hospital health care provider and as an Emergency Department nurse I have come to value and realize the important role that Volunteers play in the EMS system throughout Virginia. I also understand the importance of the valuable resources to Volunteer Rescue Squads and other agencies provided by the Virginia Association of Volunteer Rescue Squads through training, communication, legislative support, leadership and fellowship. Being involved with the Squad, both as a volunteer and an employee, has given me the opportunity to do what I love, to be able to work for an organization that I have put my heart and soul into. It has also given me the chance to work with the Virginia Association of Volunteer Rescue Squads, the Virginia Office of EMS, various EMS councils and Local Governments. I have learned so much through networking and working with other organizations. I feel my experience, the knowledge that I have gained of pre hospital care, leadership and management along with education would be of a benefit for the future growth of the Association. Official
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As a Life Member of The Staunton -Augusta County First Aid and Rescue I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate, Life Member, Glenn Drumheller for 45 years of dedicated service to the squad. Glenn was recognized at the Squad banquet. We Thank you for your loyalty, commitment and dedication. In February of this year the VAVRS President approached me to assume the duties of the Vice President. I was so honored to have been asked that I accepted without a doubt or hesitation. I have found that working with the VAVRS Executive Committee is a very rewarding experience. To learn from and watch a group of people that work together as a team with cohesiveness, with a goal and purpose to the serve the Association. I was appointed to be Acting Chairman of the Human Resource Committee and Membership Committee. During this time the Human Resource Committee has updated the Job Descriptions of the Office Manager, Training Coordinator and Office Secretary. We will be continually evaluating other employee policies as needed. The membership committee will meet the end of June to discuss updating the activity reports and dues for the different types of memberships. There has been a lot of questions and discussions on these issues and the committee will work to get these concerns cleared up. Stay tuned for the follow up.
that helped with the Camporee. It again was a very successful event. A lot of planning and hard work goes into getting everything together. Friday evening was a night of pizza, laughter and enjoying the Gary Dalton show. Saturday was filled with games, hay rides and a horse race. Hamburgers, hot dogs and all the "fixins" started the evening off and ended with music by DJ Jimmy Rice. It was a very chilly weekend but fun filled with laughter and fellowship. The biggest Thank You goes to Buena Vista Rescue Squad. As co-Chairman of the Camporee committee I can’t say enough about how they pulled it all together. Driving us everywhere to pick up groceries and pizza. And they definitely kept the kitchen in order with some good cooking. Come September Conference I will be seeking the office of VAVRS Vice President and I would appreciate your support. I have been honored to serve interim role in the duties of the VAVRS Vice President for the past several months. It has been a privilege to serve you in this capacity. I would like to continue to serve the Association and you so that together we can make a difference.
I would like to take this opportunity to Thank everyone VAVRS
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2014 VAVRS Rescue College EVOC Instructor Course
Instructors Doug Eberhart and Bubby Bish w/EVOC Instructor Candidates
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Bobby Hill Shooting Recruiting Video
Cart 5 & Cart 14 Sandsoccer Classic EMS standby Monster Trucks on Beach
Creeds VRS Bar-B-Cue
Patriotic Festival Volunteers
Rescue 14 Honor Guard
VBVRS standby School Fair
Rescue 14/8 EMS week
Stephanie—Rescue 17 New Recruit
Ocean Park Rescue 1 Official
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Eastern Virginia Med School Virginia Beach EMS Volunteers Graduates
Citywide Bike Team Patriotic Festival
Playing Cornhole and waiting for a call EMS Week ad
EMT Academy 2 Workshop
Erin—Ice Cream Break
EMT Academy Class 2
Patriotic Festival Volunteers
Jonathan—Never Enough Radios
Law Enforcement Unity Bike Ride EMS crews Page
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MCI Training Academy Class 2
Marine Rescue Team May
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Junior Members Are Amazing! Submitted by Fran Phillips, VAVRS R&R Committee Chair I attended a District 10 meeting recently in Colonial Beach. There were nine Junior Members present, ranging in age from 8 to 18. They participated in First Aid and EVOC competition. To see the smiling faces of those who won awards for their competition was gratifying to me. For those of us who are plus fifty years old we remember when there was nothing to do after school - maybe some baseball or TV. Now there is something to do all hours of the day and evening. Some parents want more for their children than sitting in front of the TV, computer or smart phone when they are not in school. The squad is a good place to encourage life giving learning and how to be a responsible person.
running their own ambulance service, Fire Department Chiefs, nurses, police officers and all the other millions of jobs that require responsible persons to make a difference.
like with the enthusiasm of youth. Take a chance! You may be very pleased when in the future, one of these extraordinary Juniors becomes the Chief or President of your squad.
If you do not have a Junior Membership, you may want to consider what your squad would be
BE A ROLE MODEL TO A YOUNG PERSON!
In some areas squads have Junior Members starting at eight years old. They are taught CPR and First Aid and are very serious about being treated as a responsible person. These Junior Members are excited about their knowledge and their parents are too. Soon they grow into young adults and transition into an age of being able to ride on an Ambulance. They have been taught from a very early age how to act and help in case of an emergency which is a very essential part of growing up in today’s world. These exceptional young people go on in life to be doctors, lawyers, Official
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Photos above were submitted by Steve Dove and taken at a recent District 10 meeting depicting their Junior Members. VAVRS
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39th Annual VAVRS Rescue College—2014
Photos taken at 2014 Rescue College and submitted by Bubby Bish, Kathy Eubank, Kate Burton and others.
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Plan now to attend the 2015 VAVRS Rescue College—our 40th Annual Event to be held at Virginia Tech from June 12-21, 2015
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VAJVRS Horse Races a Success! Submitted by Steve Dove The Officers of the Virginia Association of Junior Volunteer Rescue Squad’s decided in November 2013 to help offset expenses of the VAJVRS to support fundraising efforts. After learning about Horse Racing as an option to earn additional funding, the President of VAVRS committed to the VAJVRS that financial support from VAVRS for 2014 would not be a concern if the Juniors agreed to help support the sale of the VAVRS Conference Raffle Tickets. After pledging to help support the sale of the tickets the VAJVRS Officers were still interested in doing the Horse Races as it was a new concept and should prove to be extremely entertaining.
graciously donated the lumber needed and his time building the stands the horse would be attached to during the race. Next the track was purchased and a grid was painted on the track. Finally a coat of polyurethane was applied to the horses to seal and protect them. The horses then traveled to Buena Vista for the VAVRS Camporee. On Saturday, each horse was auctioned off to the
Lowe’s Home Improvement of Fredericksburg graciously donated the plywood used to make the horses. An image of the horse was selected and Staples printed a large
version of this image to use as the cutout pattern. John Cook Life Member of the Fredericksburg Volunteer Rescue Squad and Chancellor Volunteer Fire & Rescue Department provided the tools and his craftsman skills to cut the horses from the plywood. The horses were then primed and painted. Each horse was given a number and the jockey a unique color for their particular horse. John also Official
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highest bidder to assume ownership rights for the day. Each owner would have naming rights of their horse for the races to be held later in the day. Some owners even dressed up their horses to increase their winning chances. By 4 0’clock the betting window at the track had opened and many were a little apprehensive about how the races would be conducted. Bets were $2.00 and participants could bet as many times as they wanted and on as many horses as they wanted. By 4:30 p.m. the gates had opened and the horses were off for the first race. With odds of 3-1 VAVRS
Owner Ronnie Slough’s (representing the Life Member’s) horse “Rickey Dickey” would cross the finish line paying out $10.25 to five lucky winners who had bid on this horse. Seeing this first race was increasing the momentum of those in the crowd to place their bets on their favorite horse for the upcoming races. Shortly after the betting window closed for Race #2 the horses were back out of the gate racing towards the finish line. Owner Wesley Melson’s horse “Madam Whozit” would take the first place prize for this race with 9-5 odds. By now the concept of how the races worked was catching on. Our official dice roller Brandon Baugus would roll a dice. The heads up number would indicate which horse would be moving. The next dice rolled would indicate the number of track spaces the horse would progress. “Lucky 7” owned by Bob Varner would prove the 4-1 odds were in his favor as Horse #5 would take the lead for Race #3. Placing bets seemed to be catching on as more participants were arriving at the betting window for their chance at Page
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winning the odds at the track. Bets were $2.00, but the payouts were averaging $10.00 - $15.00. With a $12.40 payout for Horse #2 on Race #4, “The Price is Right” owned by Dave Price would take the lead with 4-1 odds.
Race #5 would be a good run for “Has Done Bubby” owned by Kenny Frenier which would payout $9.60 with odds of 3-1. Horse #3 had become somewhat of a celebrity as the bidding on this horse had sparked some friendly bidding competition. While it is believed that the #3 potentially would have the horsepower of the “Intimidator”, this District 3 VP was not about to lose the bidding war on behalf of his District. The final race of the day was the Owners Cup Race. For this race the winning horse’s owner would win the
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proceeds from the auction held earlier in the day. The total winning prize amount for the Owners Cup was $148.00. Shortly before 6:00 p.m. the gates opened one last time as the horses moved onto the track. While there was some tense moments with several horses neck -and-neck, all ears were listening to which dice would come up next. With 2-1 odds and a payout of $8.00 “Lucky 7” would cross the finish line first, making owner Bob Varner the winner of the Owners Cup Race. Not having such a great day on the track was Horse #1 “Sarah’s Nag” owned by Gary Dalton. Although that did not dampen his spirits and we promise to bring Horse #1 back conditioned and primed for future races.
Auction and the total bets going to the VAJVRS, a total of $120.00 was raised. In addition, Owner Bob Varner graciously donated $40.00 back to the VAJVRS, making the days take for the Virginia Association of Junior Volunteer Rescue Squad’s $160.00. We would like to thank all those that came out to support the VAJVRS Horse Races at the Camporee, either by bidding on a horse, placing a bet or just being a spectator of the races. We hope everyone had an enjoyable time and we are looking forward to future events where we can bring back the horses and watch them gallop to the finish line.
While the purpose of the races was for everyone to have an enjoyable time with an afternoon at the track, the Junior’s did use the event as a small fundraising activity. With 20% of the proceeds from the Horse Ma
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Successful Outreach to the Community Submitted by Kevin Dillard and prepared by P. I. Officer Amanda McDaniel for Fredericksburg RS The Fredericksburg Rescue Squad celebrated their 2nd Annual Fredericksburg Rescue Squadapalooza this past Saturday, May 31st. The weather was perfect and each ray of sunshine brought out another smiling face from the community. The event was held in concurrence with the Fredericksburg Farmers Market. FRS displayed Unit 16, the Gator, and the Bike apparatus. Tours were given on Unit 16 in addition to the opportunity to play with the equipment used throughout the unit. A station was also set up for
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CPR demonstrations both on adult and baby training dolls. There were over 40 members of the organization present at the event. Rescue Sam made an appearance and paraded through the event and enjoyed hugs and pictures with the children. He even rode the Barrel Train with throughout Hurkamp Park. Additionally, there was an inflatable moon bounce and obstacle course for the children
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to play on while the parents and family caught a tune by the Joe Vex Band, a live band from Hartwood, VA. The Rappahannock Area Comfort Canines set up a booth at our
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event as well. They brought out their therapy dogs and promoted more information about their organization. They are a volunteer group that serve the area. Their star pupil of the event was Diesel, a Cane Corso that was described as 'a runt' but was easily 85 lbs., and nothing but a lover by heart. He had been serving as a therapy dog for over 8 years. The Fredericksburg Fire Department extended their support at our event by offering tours on all their units and promoting fire safety. There even had their kid favorite, stove-top fire extinguisher demo. While promoting the relationship between the organization and the
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community, the Fredericksburg Rescue Squad also accepted donations and raised approximately $310. Furthermore, the Recruitment and Retention booth was able to obtain 15 or more names of members in the community interested in obtaining more information about joining the organization. The event was a great success bringing in approximately 1000 visitors and the planning for next year is already underway. The Fredericksburg Rescue Squad would like to thank all of those who aided in the success of the event and enjoyed creating a stronger relationship with the community. May
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CVFR Celebrates EMS Week, May 18-24
Submitted by Sara Hunt, Touch Points Public Relations Chancellor Volunteer Fire & Rescue (CVFR) planned several activities and events to celebrate national EMS Week in May: On May 19, CVFR helped a local Boy Scout troop sharpen their skills in CPR and First Aid. On May 21 and 22, CVFR members gave “911 for Kids” presentations at Salem Elementary, Wilderness Elementary and Chancellor Elementary. The program teaches children how to identify an emergency that requires a call to 911. On Wednesday, May 21, Rita’s Italian Ice on Leavells Road in Fredericksburg donated a portion of all proceeds sold from 5:00-9:00 PM to Chancellor Volunteer Fire & Rescue. During the event, CVFR members were on-site with an EMS vehicle and also distributed a free Summer Safety Tip Sheet to participant. The tip sheets covered information and treatment for summertime problems such as sunburns, bug bites, grilling accidents and more.
said Kevin Dillard, Administrative Chief of Chancellor Volunteer Fire & Rescue. “It’s a great opportunity to focus on first responders, who work on the front lines to treat people in their time of need wherever they live, work and play.”
“EMS Week is a very special time for our members and for all those who dedicate their lives to helping others and keeping them safe,” Official
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District Three
Submitted by Cindy Swann, District 3 Historian I hope to get caught up with some input in the Lifeline. For those that know Chuck White, he is back home and doing quite well since his heart attack. Chuck is with Henrico VRS and did EVOC competition for as far back as I can remember and did quite well. At District 3 competition he didn’t miss taking first place very often. He also did very well at the Convention. He of course hasn't missed to many District 3 meetings. After a cold winter, District 3 has been having some pretty nice weather, except for some of the crazy rain storms. We hope everyone will have a great summer. Our next District 3 meeting will be August the 2nd, at Charles City. Come and join us.
District 3 family and friends were invited by Southside Regional Medical Center for food and fun to Swaders Sports Park in observance of EMS Week. Photos submitted by Kenny Frenier, District 3 Vice President Page
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VAVRS 2014 Camporee窶認un, Fun, Fun Photos taken at the 2014 VAVRS Camporee held May 16-17 in Buena Vista at Glen Maury Park.
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Dear Rescue Ranger Dear Rescue Ranger, I saw something interesting that I would like to share. An EMS provider attended the VAVRS Rescue College and I noticed she had a latitude/longitude tattooed on her arm. She said it was for the area where she is from. Ever seen anything like that before? (Photo attached)
S.G. Dear Steve, Can’t say that I have—but are you sure it is correct? Lat./Long. would have her from Kashgar, Xinjiang, China????? Glad she is not a dispatcher. Dear Rescue Ranger, I am taking Firefighter 1 and there was a test question I could not answer. “How far can a firefighter safely run into a fire?” C. L. Dear Cecil, Only half way. If they go past that they are running out of a fire. Dear Rescue Ranger, Any healthy eating tips you can share? S. D. Dear Scott, Yes, the key to eating healthy is not eating any food that has a TV commercial. By the way, I ate a gluten-free, lactose-free, low-carb pizza for dinner last night. (It was a raw tomato!) Official
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Dear Rescue Ranger, Don’t know if there is any connection but ever since I became an EMT I’ve gotten very superstitious. Since I have had some “bad luck” lately I decided strategically place some horseshoes around the house and I have also started throwing salt over my shoulder when I drop something at the table. Think it will help? S. M. Dear Sam, For every set of horseshoes you use for luck, somewhere in this world there’s a barefoot horse. Also, research has found that because it makes you think positive thoughts, throwing salt over your shoulder can actually prevent bad luck. Or at least give you better luck than the guy behind you. Dear Rescue Ranger, Heard you responded recently to an attempted suicide but you talked the guy out of it. Way to go! How did you do it? K. F. Dear Kenny, I did have a call recently that was reported as a suicide attempt. The guy called 911 and said he was depressed and was going to take 1,000 aspirin and end it all. When we arrived he was sitting on the coach, alert and responsive. There were several bottles of aspirin near him. I took a good set of vitals and all appeared normal. Since he was alert I asked him if he was depressed. He said, “Yes, I tried to kill myself by taking 1,000 aspirin. I said, “Did you?” He said, No, after the first two I felt better. VAVRS
Dear Rescue Ranger, I heard there was an unusual break-in near your hometown. The police department of all places. D. C. Dear Dreama, Yeah, all of the toilet seats were stolen. Worse part was they say they don’t have anything to go on. Dear Rescue Ranger, Heard Bubby got a new job painting lines on the highway. T. G. Dear Tommy, Sure did, first day he painted five miles, 2nd day 2 miles and third day only one mile. They fired him on the fourth day. His excuse for getting less and less done, he said, “I kept getting farther and farther from the bucket. Dear Rescue Ranger, Have you had any interesting squad calls? O,P,Q,R,S Dear Tarry, We got a check on the condition of an elderly gentleman that was sitting on a park bench sobbing. I asked him what’s the matter. He said, “I married a beautiful twenty -two year old woman. I said, “Why are you crying?” He said, I can’t remember where I live!”
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PO Box 279 2535 Turkey Creek Road Oilville, VA 23129 ISSN 0279-6023
NON-PROFIT ORGAN.. U.S.POSTAGE PAID WOODSTOCK, VA PERMIT NO. 82
Virginia Association of Volunteer Rescue Squads, Inc.
Phone: 804-749-8191 Phone: 800-833-0602 Fax: 804-749-8910 E-mail: vavrs@vavrs.com
"Greater Love Hath No Man Than This, That A Man Lay down His Life For His Friends." John 15:13
Important VAVRS Events 2014 VAVRS Conference September 24-27, 2014--Va Beach Virginia EMS Symposium November 11-15, 2014--Norfolk VAVRS Executive Committee
2014 VAVRS and VAJVRS Scrapbook Competition Each year the VAVRS Historian picks a theme. This year VAVRS Historian Dreama Chandler has chosen:
August 9, 2014--Va Beach
“SERVICE BEFORE SELF”
September 25, 2014--Va Beach
For rules for the competition visit www.vavrs.com
September 28, 2014--Va Beach
DEADLINE SCRAPBOOKS MUST SUBMITTED TO THE VAVRS HISTORIAN ON OR BEFORE AUGUST 18, 2014