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The Heart of the Matter Submitted by: Captain Annie Edwards Southside Virginia Emergency Crew Heart related deaths are the leading cause of death in this country. In fact it is estimated that 1 out of 3 people have one or more forms of heart disease. It is a rampant disease in our country and community. One out of six deaths is attributed to coronary disease. These are staggering statistics. According to the C.D.C. about half of these deaths will occur prior to the patient reaching the hospital. This data underscores the importance of the pre hospital healthcare provider. It is necessary that we are always aware and able to recognize the signs and symptoms of heart attack in order to provide care efficiently. Many of us learned about the “chain of survival” well before becoming E.M.Ts in our basic CPR classes. It is imperative that we adhere to these basic truths so that we provide good quality care for our patients. As EMTs we are crucial links in the chain of survival. Our interventions directly affect the
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outcome of the patient. According to the CDC, most chest pain calls are responded to by basics. Their keen sense of awareness and recognition of symptoms is critical in transport times and good outcomes. We have always heard about the classic symptoms of heart attack like substernal chest pain and radiation down the arm. But many of us can attest to the fact that there are as many symptoms as patients. African Americans, females, and diabetics often present atypically. Jaw pain, upper back pain, nausea, and weakness are just a few of the vast symptoms one may have. It is up to us as providers to immediately recognize this medical emergency and begin interventions and transport. Sometimes patients may only have a bad feeling and no distinct signs or symptoms so it is up to us to rely on our training and knowledge to discern. It is often best for us to err on the side of caution, and listen to our patients. In a country where heart disease is so prevalent, it is up to us to get to the heart of the matter. Our good education and experience serve not only ourselves but our patients and community.
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AHA BLS Instructor Course Date: Saturday March 23 & Sunday March 24, 2013 Time: Saturday and Sunday 9:00am to 4pm Location: VAVRS 2535 Turkey Creek Rd. Oilville, VA 23129 To Register— Call Jeff McPhearson 804-461-9234 (8a-5p) Email: ahatraining@ networkingmedics.com Students need to preregister two weeks before class starts with payment in FULL so materials can be ordered. Cost of Class: $ 135.00 per person (Core Instructor Course material included with fee) Class Size: Limited to 12
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VAVRS Officers
For a complete list of the current courses being offered by the VAVRS go to www.vavrs.com
THE VIRGINIA LIFELINE ISSN 0279-6023 is the official bimonthly publication of the Virginia Association of Volunteer Rescue Squads, Inc.
President Edward B. “ Bubby” Bish Jr. Vice President Rickey Hodge Secretary Connie Moore Treasurer Steven Dove Training Officer Scott Davis Chaplain Darleen Ferguson Historian Dreama Chandler Editor Gary Dalton Immediate Past President Steve Grayson Legal Advisor S. Craig Lane Medical Advisor
James R. Dudley, MD, MBA
Parliamentarian Lobbyist Office Manager
J. C. Phillips
Ed Rhodes Frances Brooks
Training Coordinator Kathy Eubank Administrative Secretary
Shirley Bagby
District 1 V. P. Scott Masincup District 2 V. P. Carolyn White District 3 V. P. Kenny Frenier District 4 V. P. Gary Dalton District 5 V. P. James Fontaine
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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.
District 6 V. P. June Ann Wilkes District 7 V. P. Thomas E. Harris “Ted”
VAJVRS Officers
District 8 V. P. Blake Byrd
AVAVRS Officers
President Cora Fearnow
District 9 V. P. Darrell Beavers
President - Fern Puckett
Vice President Emily Snyder
District 10 V. P. Matt Tanner
Vice President - Sharon Campbell
Secretary/Treasurer Aryn Onnen
Secretary - Dolores Hudson
Chaplain Dakota Looney
Treasurer - Kitty Campbell
Historian Shannon Cain
Chaplain - Clara Craig
District 3 V. P. Cora Fearnow
Historian - Heather S. Fox
District 7 V. P. Dakota Looney
Parliamentarian - Harry Householder
District 9 V. P. Christina Stanley
Immediate Past President - Joan Smoot
Advisor, Chair Alfred Smith
Midwestern VP - Sheila Gordon
Advisor Woody T. Connor
Northeastern VP - Eddie Ann Orndoff
Advisor Brandon Baugus
Southcentral VP - Patsy Wingfield
Advisor Woody Connor
Southeastern VP - Fay Browning
Advisor Micky Grodski
Southwestern VP - Jean Garrett
Advisor Kim Craig
Western VP - Debbie Rohr
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Deadline for the Upcoming Issues of the 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: April 10, 2013 for May/June June 10, 2013 for July/August August 10, 2013 for September/October September 1, 2013 for 2013 Convention Issue
VAVRS Committee Chairs Nominating—R. Bruce Stratton Membership—Rickey Hodge Human Resources– Rickey Hodge Life Membership—Ronnie Slough Bylaws—Bruce Edwards Rescue Hall of Fame—Ford Wirt Convention—Ford Wirt Rescue College—Rickey Hodge
AVAVRS Committee Chairs
Rescue College—Wayne Myers EMS Advisory Bd.—Dreama Chandler EMS Advisory Bd.—Wayne Myers
Convention - Janis Slough
Strategic Planning—Karen Wagner
Convention Co-Chair - Vickie Arnold
Course Development—Doug Eberhardt
Life Membership - Ruth Swicegood
Grant—Elizabeth Papelino
Nominating - Carolyn Brand
Scholarship Fund—Carolyn Brand
Resolutions - Harry Householder
EMS Memorial Service—Kevin Dillard
Emergency Care - Ailease Short
EMS Exchange—Jane LaVerne
Membership - Sharon K. Campbell
Rec. & Ret.—Fran Phillips
Finance - Kitty Campbell
Course Development—Doug Eberhardt Facility Manager—Lin Matthews
Roll Call - Jean Garrett
Volunteer Management—J. C. Phillips
Roll Call Co-Chair - Valarie Becker
Legislative—Dreama Chandler
Rec. & Ret. - Marie Householder
VAVRS Web Page—Gary Dalton
Fund Raising - Linda Berkstresser
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The Legislative Attic Submitted by Ed Rhodes The 2013 legislative session began in earnest on January 9th 2013. To say the least it has been a fastpaced session, and by the time you read this it will be over. This year is the "short" session of 45 days. If history holds true, it will go longer. This time, besides the budget, transportation should be a key ingredient. VAVRS legislative proposals are moving forward thanks to an array of wonderful patrons. The EMS background checks are being sponsored by Delegate Brenda Pogge and Senator Bill Carrico. The pharmacy protocols for drug boxes has Senator Harry Blevins and Delegate Chris Stolle behind them and the recertification bill has Delegate Pogge and Senator Richard Stuart as patrons. The return of the interest of the RSAF funds is with Delegate O'Bannon. As you can see, we have patrons from the House and Senate who are supportive of the EMS system. All have carried bills in the past for EMS and have been successful in most cases. Up until mid January, legislation was continually being introduced. A number of bills that could have a
direct effect on you as members of our volunteer agencies are among them. Bills such as workers compensation, texting while driving, health insurance and even jury duty. Delegates are limited to the number of bills, Senators are not, so over 2,000 bills have been introduced for this session. Therefore, you can see it is a lot of reading and defending or being on the offense. This does not include budget amendments, so there are more of those also.
The “Real” Attic
The VAVRS officers and those of the AVAVRS and VAJVRS visited the Capital and General Assembly building on January 22nd. Appointments were made for them to visit legislators and discuss the VAVRS legislative agenda. Bubby, Dreama, Fern and Cora all had good meetings with legislators and have a lot to talk about come Spring BOG and convention. Bubby even talked to a screech owl!
for the background checks. That item will come from RSAF. The remainder of the bills have not received any opposition and have moved quickly. A proposal concerning the 12-lead EKG machines received attention from both the House and Senate and both were included in their amendments for the budget. They were not alike, so that will be taken care of in conference. Funds for the three poison control centers will be taken from the General Fund and placed in the VDH budget, nothing from OEMS, so far.
The VAVRS legislative package, as I said earlier, is generally moving on towards the Governor's office for signature. We did not get the interest money back on the RSAF account, which I had hoped to pay
Work continues on the Line of Duty Act again this year, with one bill being left in subcommittee by the patron. Here is the website for the report from the Line of Duty Workgroup from December 2012. http://leg2.state.va.us/dls/ h&sdocs.nsf/By+Year/HD212012/ $file/HD21.pdf At this writing, there are only two more weeks to go with this session. There maybe more days afterwards, but we will wait and see. Please feel free to contact the Legislative Chair, Dreama Chandler, or my self if you have questions. See you at Spring BOG.
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A Great Place to Spend Time Submitted by Fran Phillips, Chair VAVRS Recruitment and Retention Committee RETENTION is one of the most important aspects of your squad’s membership. Members who are running call, are well trained, know the rules and are the backbone of your organization. They want to feel appreciated and needed. There are many ways to express your organization’s gratitude: free classes, food before meetings, uniforms, sending them to Rescue College and/or our Annual Conference to be held in Virginia Beach in September. Having a GREAT PLACE, your squad building, to spend time when on duty or for meetings, is very important to the moral of your membership. Next time you go to your building, closely look at the outside and inside. Is there some improvement that is needed to make it a better place to congregate for your membership or to make an impression on a new recruit or a visitor? One of the best ways to show your membership how much they are appreciated is to do a “cleaning” or “refurbishing” of your squad building. This can be an excellent
way to get your community involved with your squad. Lets look at some ways to “refresh” your building: - SUGGESTIONS: Have your membership give you suggestions for a makeover. After you receive these suggestions, make a list of everything that your membership would like to see happen to make their squad building a wonderful place to spend time. Now that you have a list put it in order of “must have” - such as new mattresses, water heater, carpet, painting inside and out of the building, etc. - FUNDS: Now you have to decide how this very important list will be paid for. If you have lots of money, you just hire a contractor. Most of us do not have these funds available. If you are low on funds ask your town, neighbors, Lowe’s, Home Depot, ALL of the churches in your response area, civic groups, etc. for help with the expense and help you with the labor involved. Go and meet with the leaders/ managers of these groups and let them know what is needed - money and labor. - LET THEM KNOW: When you are ready, make sure that all the groups that you contacted, even if they said they could not help, are aware of your need for help and the dates that you will be working on your building. Send everyone a listing of the work that will be done on a certain day, times, lunch provided, money and labor still needed. Be organized! - DESIGNATED DAY OR WEEKEND: Set aside a couple of
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weekends or more if needed [with rain/snow dates] to have interested persons come to help you with the required work. Make sure that all of your members, even former members, know of your plans and ask them to be there to provide labor, and conversation on what your squad does and to thank Neighbors Helping Neighbors. Have a time to begin and a time to end. Church groups usually are the ones who will come and spend the day on Saturday. You may want to have a designated weekend: painting, carpentry, roofing, etc. Have your Auxiliary or other group serve food to the workers during this time of fellowship. Think about the Amish community who construct a huge barn in a day. That is what a community working to accomplish one job can do! - MATERIAL NEEDED IS READY FOR USE: Make sure you have all of the required material that is needed to do the work. - PEOPLE HELPING PEOPLE: is a great way to interest new recruits in your squad and to let the community you serve know what you do and how hard you work to bring them the best pre-hospital care possible. - MEDIA COVERAGE: Contact (Continued on page 9)
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your local news paper and TV station. Let them know of your workday and what you will be doing. They may come to film your endeavor. This is great PR for your squad.
Exciting News from Colonial Beach VRS Submitted by Sara Hunt Colonial Beach Volunteer Rescue Squad is off to a great start for 2013, which is destined to be a banner year. Here’s a snapshot of the organization’s recent accomplishments, along with some ambitious plans for the coming months: At the recent VAVRS competition on Feb. 3, 2013, CBVRS won top awards in most all of the categories. Rescue Chief Wesley Melson, Lt. Mike Nance, Lt. Alex Nance and Lt. Danny Stinson won First Place in both Advanced Life Support and Basic Life Support. Also, Melson won First Place in EVOC, and Mike Nancy won Second Place in EVOC. The organization will soon launch a new website to share information about CBVRS and its activities in Colonial Beach and Westmoreland County. Stay tuned for updates on when the website will go live. At the annual banquet and awards ceremony on Jan. 5, Assistant Chief Pat FitzGerald won the organization’s highest honor, EMS
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of the Year. FitzGerald is wellknown throughout the Colonial Beach region for her community service involvement and her tireless support of emergency rescue volunteers. She was the organization’s Top Call Runner in 2012 with over 600 calls made out of 1,181 total calls made.
- THANK EVERYONE WHO HELPED: Have a designated person in charge of making a list of everyone who helped and what group they represent. Put their name in a THANK YOU letter to the editor of your local paper or on a poster that may be placed in a local store, church, doctors office, etc. Persons who came to improve the condition of your building will be proud of how the building looks because they helped. Your membership will have a GREAT place to spend time. You may wish to make this community weekend an annual event.
Two new ambulances were purchased to replace aging vehicles, adding to the feeling of renewed energy that the squad members are experiencing in 2013. Most exciting of all is the organization’s announcement that it will be moving into a new building during this year. According to Rescue Chief Wesley Melson, the old building has been flooded several times, most recently during Tropical Storm Lee. The new building, which was a former golf cart store, is located at 116 Washington Avenue in Colonial Beach and will be renovated for the needs of CBVRS. “We are currently reaching out to ask the community for their support as we make preparations for our new home,” said Melson. “It Official
takes a family atmosphere to grow a successful volunteer rescue organization, and we are proud that the community depends on us 24/7 for emergency rescue services.” Based on the organization’s accomplishments since the new year began, there’s no question that the future looks very bright for Colonial Beach Volunteer Rescue Squad! Publication
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Remembering the Basics: The Key to Providing Effective EMS Care items I have included.
Submitted by Gerald W. Morton, NREMT-P, Bristol Lifesaving Crew Personal Address: P.O. Box 16353 Bristol, VA 24209 E-Mail: gerwmor@gmail.com Effective ALS treatment begins with solid BLS treatment. We have all heard this statement in one form or the other, and I doubt that we would find many experienced ALS providers who would disagree. In fact, because I work within an urban area, with relatively short transport times to an ER, the majority of the patients I do care for would be fine with only BLS treatment. Those of you serving rural agencies in more remote communities might feel, and correctly so, that you have a greater need to provide ALS treatment in route. Largely, however, effective field treatment will be achieved by EMS personnel who pay close attention to the basics. After five years as an ALS provider, I have either made, or observed others making, enough mistakes with the basics that I now have my 10 item list of things EMS providers, regardless of their certification level, need to keep in mind. I realize that others might have a somewhat different list, but suspect that many of you will have a list with some of the same Official
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“If you don’t have time to do it right, you sure don’t have time to do it twice.” A paramedic that I respect enormously said this to me early in my EMS career. Another veteran put it to me another way: “If the leads aren’t on your chest, it’s not your emergency.” Using very different tones, both were trying to teach me that the best way to treat effectively is to treat efficiently, to not get so excited that I allowed my emotions stand between me and my ability to provide effective patient care. BSI! The first lesson we learn in our EMT-B classes is to wear gloves. The quickest way to fail a practical station is not to indicate BSI precautions. Nonetheless, I have seen others, and myself included, not taking proper BSI precautions. The habit I have had to break is that of taking off my gloves after treating my patient to make it easier in route to write down information. When the patient suddenly pulls out an IV or aspirates, I am left coping with blood or other body fluids without gloves. Although I cannot directly connect this experience to patient exposure, having recently had to go to the ER for multiple IV antibiotic treatments just in case I had a MRSA infection has been the only reminder I need to keep those gloves on from the beginning to the end of patient contact. You want to feel stupid? Transport an elderly patient with multiple health issues and needing immediate treatment from an ER physician, but not be able to tell VAVRS
that doctor whether your patient is a full code or not. The more serious the patient, the more likely we are to feel the need to treat and transport rapidly. However, leaving the scene with such a patient without knowing his or her advanced directive status is a mistake. Often, family on scene are in a panic or simply do not know whether any advanced directives exist. This fact does not relieve us of our responsibility to do all we can to determine a patient’s code status. It affects what we do in route and what the ER physician will do at the hospital. Just as important as code status is a patient’s medications and allergies list. I am sure that we have all been more than frustrated by the inability of patients and/or their family caretakers to provide this information for us. However, we need to take the time on scene to look for that information. As with code status, the patients who need rapid treatment and transport are the ones who tempt us to leave the scene without all the information we need. However, these are also the patients who will likely have a large number of medications and who would be least likely to tolerate the administration of a drug to which they are allergic. If nothing else, grab all the medicine bottles you can find and sort out whom they belong to in route or at the ER. You might also consider selecting the one person on scene who seems the most likely candidate to be helpful and make sure that he or she rides with you in the cab and is
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available to the ER personnel. Glucose level is considered a vital sign because it is VITAL. The fact that a patient denies being diabetic does not mean that he or she is not at risk for hypo or hyperglycemia. Many diabetics do not experience onset of symptoms until later in life. Persons who have been sick for several days or who are septic can have sugar imbalances. My rule of thumb has been that a patient with altered mental status, difficulty breathing, or prolonged symptoms of any kind is a candidate for a glucose check. We should not leave out trauma patients either. After all, is a patient altered because of the bump on his head or because of the glucose level of 26 that was the cause of his weakness that made him fall? “If you can’t start an IV in a moving truck, you don’t need to be on that truck.” Heard that one? If so, you probably heard it from someone who is a little too impressed with his or her skills than with the importance of providing good patient care. Sure, it is important to be able to establish IV access under less than ideal conditions, during emergency transport or inside a wrecked car during an extrication. However, many patients for whom we need IV access will prove to be difficult sticks. If they need drug intervention or fluids for us to stabilize their condition, then we are much better served staying on scene long enough to gain IV access. The use of the easy IO has perhaps lessened my concern with this issue a bit, but not all agencies have easy IO equipment. Either way, I still consider it our job to make sure that we have the Page
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IV access we need, not to prove how skilled we are by assuming we can get it in route. We are all going to find that with ever more-demanding Medicaid and Medicare requirements that our narratives will have to become more detailed if our agency wants to receive adequate compensation. Private insurance companies will be quick to follow. Where most narratives tend to fall short, both for reimbursement and for the role they play should an ER physician want to read our EMS reports, is in one simple component: What did we do? Why did we do it? How did the patient respond? Most of the PHR software provides check off boxes for us to indicate what we did. Medicaid and Medicare will want the narrative to also indicate what we did and why we did it, and ER physicians will want to know how the patient reacted. Expose! If you have run a call with a patient whose full condition was not revealed until reaching the ER because you did not fully expose that patient, you will know how important this part of assessment can be. Seriously ill patients or those with multiple traumatic injuries will often not be aware of everything that is going on with them. We have to use judgment about exposing patients in a “public” setting. But to miss an open fracture, uticaria, or some other “hidden” symptom or injury because we hesitated to cut a pair of Guess blue jeans is a serious failure in treatment. Having worked as an ER paramedic, I can assure you that serious trauma and medical patients are going to lose their clothes in the most efficient manner possible, and that usually Official
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means cutting. The little things. It takes only a few minutes to check some of the little things when going over a truck, but having paper towels, emesis basins, toilet paper, an extra roll of monitor paper . . . I bet you all have your own list of those little non-essentials that you really wish you had under certain conditions. None of these items will make the difference between lifesaving and non- lifesaving care, but they can make a difference to our comfort level during treatment and transport. CPR! The best predictor of a successful outcome with a cardiac arrest patient is whether that patient received early and effectively performed CPR. This should be enough said, but we have all seen careless, one-hand, excessively slow CPR performed. The only way to refer to such performance of this life saving BLS skill is negligent. As I said in the introduction, we all probably have our own list of basics that we have to keep in mind whenever we are working in the field. No matter what list any of us comes up with, however, I bet it will focus mostly on the basics!
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Chancellor Volunteer Fire & Rescue Announces Award Winners, 2013 Officers Submitted by Sara Hunt, Senior Public Relations Manager
Firefighter of the Year – Josh Johnson
Top EMS Hours – Nicholas Gilbert (2,092 hours)
Spotsylvania, VA (January 29, 2013) – At its annual banquet and awards ceremony on January 26, 2013, Chancellor Volunteer Fire & Rescue (CVFR) installed administrative officers for 2013 and also presented awards to members in a variety of categories.
Most Improved Firefighter – Dustin Wright
Top Firefighting Hours – Ryan Passera (2,306 hours)
Administrative Member of the Year – Connie Grennan
Special Recognition for 16 Years of Service – Deputy Chief Bill Whitby
The organization’s highest honor, Chancellor Member of the Year, was presented to John Rayman, a Life Member of CVFR. All CVFR members are asked to nominate someone for this prestigious award. Other awardwinners included:
Honor Guard Member of the Year – Kurt Murray
Chief’s Award – Kevin Dillard
Leadership Award – Tom Couch
President’s Award – Hollie Williams
Station 5 Member of the Year - Tony Berger
Chief Chris Eudailey, Spotsylvania County Department of Fire, Rescue and Emergency Services, installed CVFR’s administrative and operational officers for 2013.
Station 10 Members of the Year – Jean and John Rayman EMS Training Award – Beth Addington
Administrative Officers for 2013 are: President – Phillip Gouldman Secretary – Mary Padgett Treasurer – Hollie Williams Board of Directors – Joseph Habib, Nick Haynes and Fred Hedge Administrative Chief – Kevin Dillard Operations Officers for 2013 are: Fire Chief – John “JR” Richter Rescue Chief – Charlie Schultz Deputy Chief – Fred Broccolo Asst. Chief 5-1 – Bob Weber Captain 50 – Tony Dennis Captain 5 – Justin Harrison
Chief Chris Eudailey (standing at podium) of Spotsylvania County Department of Fire, Rescue and Emergency Services installed the new administrative officers of Chancellor Volunteer Fire & Rescue at the organization's annual banquet on Jan. 26. From left to right are: Phillip Gouldman, President; Mary Padgett, Secretary; Hollie Williams, Treasurer; Joseph Habib, Board of Directors; Nick Haynes, Board of Directors; Fred Hedge, Board of Directors; and Kevin Dillard, Administrative Chief. Official
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Rescue Captain 10 – Sarah Rees Lieutenant 5 – Geoffry Knight Lieutenant 5-1 – Ryan Passera Lieutenant 5-2 – Dave Hipkins (Continued on page 13)
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Chancellor Member of the Year at Chancellor Volunteer Fire & Rescue's annual banquet and awards ceremony on Jan. 26. This is the highest honor bestowed by the organization, since the winner is chosen by the membership. He is standing between Kevin Dillard (left), CVFR Administrative Chief and Phillip Gouldman, CVFR President. Hollie Williams, CVFR Treasurer, is at the podium. (Continued from page 12)
Rescue Lieutenant 5 – Nick Gilbert Rescue Lieutenant 5-1 – Crystal Harrison Rescue Lieutenant 10 – Logan McNeil
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Rescue Lieutenant – 10-1 – John Manson Safety 5 – Steve Davidson “All of these dedicated members are passionate about volunteerism in our community,” said Kevin Dillard, Administrative Chief for CVFR. “Collectively, they have
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donated thousands of hours every year in training classes and while on-duty. They are committed to providing professional, high quality fire and rescue services to the citizens of Spotsylvania County.”
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Millwood Station Fire & Rescue Auxiliary Submitted by Maxine Kerns Auxiliary Membership Chair Lilli Gaunt, Millwood Station Fire & Rescue Auxiliary received her certificate for Auxiliary Life Membership at the January 2013 Auxiliary meeting. Lilli volunteered with the Auxiliary when it was Winchester Volunteer Rescue Squad Auxiliary and transitioned from bingo associate to active status with the Auxiliary. Lilli is a dedicated auxiliary member, and has served as auxiliary secretary and historian, with perfect attendance for a number of years. On the district level, Lilli has served as District Secretary/Treasurer and enjoys attending district meetings with the auxiliary, when not working. On the state level, Lilli has attended convention and has compiled and submitted the auxiliary scrapbook on occasion. Lilli enjoys assisting the auxiliary
Maxine Kerns proudly presents Lilli Gaunt with her highly deserving Millwood Station Fire & Rescue Auxiliary Life Membership certificate. Lilli is the daughter of Alma "Sis" Gaunt and lives in Winchester.
and is known for her friendly demeanor and hard work. Lilli works behind the scene but is an asset to the auxiliary team. Congratulations Lilli...Thanks for your friendship and service .......Job Well Done!!!
AVAVRS Membership Chair Submitted by Ruth Swicegood, AVAVRS Life Membership Chair I have sent out several Life Membership applications as requested. Should anyone need an application, please let me know. My phone number is: 1-540-483-5303. The Deadline to receive Life Membership applications is June 28, 2013
June 28, 2013 Deadline for Life Membership Applications
I look forward to seeing everyone at the Spring Officer's Workshop in Lynchburg on April 6th.
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The 60 Second Parliamentarian Tip Submitted by J.C. Phillips, VAVRS Parliamentarian PRECEDENT - How does the word "precedent" relate to organization's Boards and Membership Meetings? The New Illustrated Webster's Dictionary states one definition as, previous usage or established mode of procedure . Some organizations do the same thing over and over again year, after year, because that is the way they have always done it. What they do is not covered in their bylaws or any other rules or guidelines. Doing the same thing over and over again year, after year, means that this organization has set a precedent. You often hear people say, "A precedent has been set." Some examples of a precedent not covered by any rules are; at a
meeting, reading the minutes of the previous meeting, having the annual picnic at the same place as years and years before, close each meeting with a prayer, etc. (Some organizations will open a meeting with a prayer, but do not close the meeting with a prayer.) The opening ceremony of the annual VAVRS Conference does close the meeting with a prayer. What happens if some of the members decide that they do not want to do the same thing again this time or the same thing again this year? The way to change what the organization has been doing for years and years is to agree not do it anymore or to make a motion not to do it anymore and/or to do something different. Remember, just because your
organization has been doing the same thing year, after year, after year, doesn't mean that you have to continue to do the same thing year, after year, after year. Just Food For Thought
EMERGENCY CARE—AVAVRS Submitted by Ailease Short, AVAVRS Emergency Care Chairperson Now that we are in a New Year, let’s get ready for Emergency Care in the AVAVRS. I challenged each of the Auxiliaries at Convention last year to think about competition in some form throughout the year to promote Emergency Care in our state. It is time to be thinking now about what you want to do at Convention in September. Loudon Auxiliary was the only team last year signed up and they did compete but they want some competition this year. Page
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Please discuss at your district meetings and get some interest going. I recently installed the Officers of Henrico Auxiliary using the theme of Friends and used the sock monkey to encourage them to “Knock your socks off as they sock it to you in 2013. Let’s all the AVAVRS Auxiliaries “sock it to your individual counties as you knock everyone’s socks off in promoting Emergency Care throughout our commonwealth. The icon, “ sock monkey” has been around a long time. The sock monkeys made from red-heeled socks emerged at the earliest in 1932 the year the Nelson Knitting Company added the trade-marked red heel to its product line. At Official
that time, the sock monkeys were hand- made and no two were alike. Now they are machine made and come in all colors and styles. Please try and keep Emergency Care alive in the eyes of the AVAVRS.
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Designated Infection Control Officer Update Requires Training Submitted by Karen Wagner, VAVRS IDC Course Coordinator In October 2012, the updated changes made to the Virginia Department of Health, Office of Emergency Medical Services Regulations went into effect. One of the sections of the regulations that was updated addresses the notification of “EMS Agency Status Report” and the requirement for training of an agency’s Infection Control Officer. The need for an agency to have an IDC Officer is nothing new, however, the updated regulations now require the person that serves as your IDC Officer to be knowledgeable and trained in infection control practices. The updated regulation reads as follows: 12VAC5-31-570. EMS Agency Status Report. A. An EMS agency must submit an
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"EMS Agency Status Report" to the Office of EMS within 30 days of a request or change in status of the following: 1. Chief Executive Officer. 2. Training Officer. 3. Designated Infection Control Officer. B. The EMS agency shall provide the leadership position held, to include title, term of office, mailing address, home and work telephone numbers, other available electronic addresses for each individual, and other information as required. 12VAC5-31-10. Definitions. "Designated Infection Control Officer" means a liaison between the medical facility treating the source patient and the exposed employee. This person has been formally trained for this position and is knowledgeable in proper post
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exposure medical follow up procedures and current regulations and laws governing disease transmission. So why was this change put into place? The 1990 Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency Act, Public Law 101-381 (PDF, 2.4 Mb) requires every emergency response entity in the country to have a DICO (designated infection control officer). This includes all volunteer and career emergency medical agencies where EMT’s, fire fighters or police units provide or could provide patient care. The emergency response provisions of this law were stricken from the 2006 Congressional reauthorization; however, these provisions were reinstated in the reauthorization of October 1, 2009. That reinstatement means all EMS agencies must have a DICO to be compliant. There are some agencies that use the infection control nurse or doctor at the hospital or health department in their serving area as their agencies DICO. This Page
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requires a contract or agreement in writing naming the individual, contact information and interaction with the members of the agency when they begin membership and on an annual basis. If the agency chooses to have one of their members serve as the agency’s DICO than as spelled out in the updated regulations, that individual must be educated in infection control process. The selection of your agency’s DICO is very important and should be based on choosing an active individual that has a serious interest in the 24/7 responsibility, self-motivation, and desire to stay current on medical information, laws, and regulations. The prospective candidate should understand there is much more involved than just knowing when to send a potentially exposed employee to a medical facility. A knowledgeable DICO will assist in ensuring providers get proper care if an exposure occurs and will assist your agency with liability and cost reduction by determining the validity of sending providers for unnecessary tests and medication.
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Data collection Conscientious performance of these duties can make a huge difference in protecting your membership from exposure to or spread of communicable diseases. This is the reason why your agency DICO must have formal training to perform their duties properly. The VAVRS offers a Designated Infection Control Officer Training Program. The program is one of two programs recognized by the Virginia Office of EMS as meeting the required training for a DICO. The program will help participants understand the duties a DICO as they pertain to the preparedness and protection of emergency services sector personnel. Since
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the DICO must have a clear knowledge of basic infection control, there is a prerequisite of certification in the VAVRS IDC basic program. Candidates must have completed the VAVRS IDC basic training program prior to attending the DICO course. The VAVRS will offer both the basic IDC and the DICO training classes at the 2013 Rescue College. We are encouraging early registration for these and all Rescue College classes as they will reach capacity quickly. To find a listing of additional training programs being offered at various locations across the state go to vavrs.com click on the training classes link.
Here is a summary of the DICO major duties for consideration: Notification of key personnel for exposure reporting Evaluation of possible exposure events Documentation of the exposure follow-up process Consultation with the medical facility Monitoring laws, regulations, and guidelines for compliance Education of department members Page
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From June 8-16, 2013 the VAVRS will host the Annual Rescue College at the Virginia Tech Skelton Conference Center in Blacksburg, Virginia
Ever wonder how you will meet all your CEU hour requirements?
Well, you can do that at Rescue College to maintain your all levels of EMT certification. We are offering EMT recertification hours, PHTLS, ACLS, PALS, GEMS, AMLS, and Tactical Medic.
I have been to Rescue College Before is there anything new?
Yes, this year we are offering NAEMT EMS Safety Course and Spanish for the EMS Provider. Bring your Operational Medical Director, we are offering a program to allow the OMD’s to reach and maintain their required certification hours.
Are you or your squad in need of some management courses?
We have lots to choose from. We offer auxiliary workshops, parliamentary law, recruitment and retention, “Keeping the Best” series, grant writing and the EMS Leadership Challenge Summit.
How about some physically challenging and/or team building courses?
There are Basic & Light Duty Rescue Awareness and Low Angle Rescue Operations, Vertical Rescue High Angle Operations Level and Advanced Vertical Rescue–Technical Rescue from the ground and up, up, up toward the clouds. Learn how to handle yourself and your patients in these exciting educational programs.
Ever thought about what you would do if you had to respond to a suicide bombing or terrorist bombing incident? We are offering an eight-hour program that would help you prepare.
Does farming go on in your area, do you have school buses and vehicles that could be involved in a crash?
The VAVRS provides training programs that can help you learn how to extricate patients from these potential events. You will use hand tools and hydraulic tools; no matter your experience level these programs will help you help your patients when they need you!
Does your squad own an ATV? Do you know the do’s and don’ts of operating one safely? This course is offered and since you will probably be bringing the ATV on a trailer, we can assist you with a basic course called Emergency Vehicle Operator Trailer Operations.
Have you or your squad ever been called in to assist your local jurisdiction with a search for a missing person? Didn’t know what to do or maybe you just didn’t understand the “big” picture? The VAVRS offers a sixteen-hour program that is certified through VAVRS and Virginia Department of Official
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Emergency Management (VDEM). You can finally learn how to read and use a compass and learn how to watch for signs during a search that will help find the missing person (s).
Did you know that your agency is required to have an Infectious Disease Control Officer? If you do know and don’t have one ever wonder how and where to get the training? We will be offering the Infectious Disease Control Basic class and the Infectious Disease Officer class. For good measure how about a Hazardous Materials First Responder Class, if you haven’t ever taken one you need this certification!
Did you ever wonder what types of personnel safety and response you would use or that is used in mining incidents? FEAR NOT! We have a sixteen-hour course that will prepare you for the challenge!
What about boating an water emergencies? Well we can help you with that too! You can take the Introduction to Swift Water Rescue and the Swift Water Rescue Class. We are offering PADI Open Water Dive Class. If you or your squad operate a water craft, did you know you have to have Boating Safety Training? In 2007, a law was passed that requires everyone to have this education. So climb aboard we are waiting for you!
I really want to attend the College but my 8 to 15 year old children would be B-O-RE-D there with nothing for them to do and I promised the summer would be full of new, different and physical activities as they would be backing away from the computer and the wonder games they can play! Well AWESOME! We have two programs for your children to learn about EMS, Fire and other public safety jobs. They will participate in educational programs such as CPR, first aid, splinting, basic water safety, some rappelling and other field trips to help them prepare for what we hope will be our replacements some day!
So I know you are thinking this is all great but can I take instructor courses? Did you know we offer instructor training in all our VAVRS programs at College? We DO! So come on out and become the instructor you want to be…what are you waiting for…we are ready for you to join the instructor ranks. We can’t wait to see you there!
So all this sounds really great but how much does it cost? The cost is $50 for registration that’s all. You can take one class or five classes the cost is $50 per person only. You will have to provide your own lodging but we do have a group rate for that as well!
So what are you waiting for? Go to the VAVRS website at www.vavrs.com Get registered today!
Deadlines to remember:
Instructor Pretest: Monday, April 8, 2013 Registration Deadline: Monday, April 15, 2013 Cancellation Deadline: Monday, April 22, 2013
So Share the SECRET! We want to see you ALL there! Where all the action is! Where we hang out! Information submitted by Kathy Eubank, VAVARS Training Coordinator Page
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Greetings from District 5 Submitted by Joan Smoot, VAVRS District 5 Historian Hope everyone is ready for Spring! I know all of us in District 5 are. Not all of us have had the snow that some of you have seen, but have had the cold temps that have chilled us to the bone! At our January meeting, hosted by Lynchburg Life Saving Crew, we welcomed a new Squad, Bachelors Hall VFD of Danville. We are certainly glad to be adding to our district. Jack Morgan, EVOC Coordinator for District 5,
presented Doug Wright with the EVOC of the Year Award. Doug is from the Gretna Rescue Squad and has scored higher on the EVOC test and driving range throughout the past year at the district meeting. Congratulations Doug! We are proud of you! Campbell Co. Rescue won 1st place in ALS and BLS competition with Danville taking 2nd place in ALS and BLS. Congratulations to both teams. We also want to congratulate our BLS coordinator, Heather Palm, and dad Daniel Palm, on
the birth of a little girl, Danika Lynn Palm. She is gorgeous! For those of you in District 5, remember, applications for the Kimball Glass Scholarship are due to the District VP by May 15th and are available at the VAVRS website. We hope to see each and every one of you at the Spring BOG meeting here in Lynchburg in April or at one of our District Meetings. See you soon!
Auxiliary-Staunton Augusta Rescue Squad
Photos submitted by Paige Wagner 2013 Officers of the Auxiliary-Staunton Augusta Rescue Squad were recently installed at the installation banquet by Fern Puckett, President AVAVRS:
Recently the Auxiliary–Staunton August Rescue Squad presented the Staunton Squad with a check in the amount of $40,000.00 to be use toward the purchase of a new ambulance.
Front Row: Fern Puckett, Kim Galloway-Vice-President and Paige Wagner, Treasurer.
Pictured: Seated (l-r) Donna Hurst, Kim Galloway, Kim Craig and Scot Harvey.
Second Row: Debbie Rohr-President, Judy Leach-Vice President and Eugenia Taylor-Chaplain
Second Row (l-r) Jane Maupin, Tori Warrington, Debbie Rohr, Judy Leach, Eugenia Taylor Nancy Lawler, Paige Wagner and Randy Swisher.
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Stress
Submitted by: Lt. Brian F. Talty NREMTP, FPC Assistant Operations Supervisor Richmond Ambulance Authority ~Feeling tired? Easily aggravated by things that usually do not irritate you? Catching a “cold” and feeling sick? Unable to concentrate? I think it’s safe to say that almost all of us feel at least one of those more than once a week. Those are symptoms of stress and can have disastrous effects on our mental and physical health, as well as interfering with our personal and professional lives. Stress is a normal and healthy part of our daily lives. The difficult part of stress though is effectively managing it so that it does not become unhealthy and interfere with our lives. ~I’m taking this weeks word in a slightly different direction than normal because of last week’s tragic events in an elementary school. The unfortunate part of our job is that we witness tragedy and the cruel brutality that humans inflict on one another. The further we progress in our careers the easier it is to see the things we see on a daily basis but there are still those calls that hit home or have so much shock factor that you can’t just walk away and forget the sights or sounds. ~Stress is both internal and external. External being the actual stressors, relationships, job, money and other difficulties of daily life. Internal is the body’s ability to handle stress and include Page
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your nutrition, health, sleep, fitness levels and overall well being. Without taking care of ourselves first by crafting the internal factors, the external factors will overtake our lives and make coping almost impossible to deal with. ~Being proactive and eating healthy, exercising regularly, getting plenty of sleep and separating home life from work life are important to managing stress before it even arrives. However, I don’t care who you are, seeing 20 kids lay dead, shot multiple times at close range and then having to pronounce them dead will take it’s toll on the healthiest of individuals. It’s not always just one big event, it can be a combination of small things that snowball into the inability to cope. No matter how stress presents itself, it is imperative that we be able to recognize the symptoms of poorly managed stress in ourselves and most importantly in our coworkers. You spend more time with your partner or crew in close quarters during the week than most people spend with their families, it is fairly obvious when someone’s mood changes. ~Physical symptoms may manifest as sleep disturbances, muscle aches and tension, headaches, GI problems and overall fatigue. Emotional symptoms may present as nervousness, anxiety, change in diet, flat affect, mood changes and irritability. People under a great deal of stress may also engage in unhealthy behavior such as excessive alcohol or drug use, risky sexual behavior and poor nutritional or exercise choices. Despite the specific changes that are associated with stress, it is Official
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most important to monitor yourself or be able to recognize the possibility of poorly managed stress in your friends or coworkers. ~Recognizing ill managed stress is important, exploring ways to mitigate stress is key to a healthy and successful life. Talking about incidents with qualified individuals is a great way to cope. Whether it is with a psychologist or with your buddy, talking is a great way to express your emotions and is one of the easiest ways to manage stress. Many departments have on call mental health professionals that are covered as benefit of employment. Critical incident stress management (CISM) is a highly effective program in the Fire/EMS realm that uses trained co-workers to express emotions and deal with difficult situations. These people or teams are available 24/7 and in my opinion are highly under utilized. Not because we don’t think about using them, it’s because as providers we for some reason think that letting a call, incident or patient get to you and turn the need for help from others is weak. This could not be further from the truth. Despite what our job entails, we are human and we have emotions and we need to manage those emotions in order to maintain a healthy personal and professional life. ~We all have different activities to help relieve the body of stress including exercise, meditation, art or even going to the shooting range and squeezing off a few rounds. There is nothing wrong with going out with some friends for a beer and talk about what happened in order to manage your emotions. (Continued on page 24)
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However, some people will take that to the extreme and let it go from a healthy social exercise to an unhealthy addiction that interferes with life. Jim Bean has drunk himself retarded over the years and he does not hold the answer at the bottom of the bottle. The only thing at the bottom of the bottle is a an empty wallet and awful headache.
part of our job to see the evil in mankind on a daily basis. Be ready for it and know how to deal with it so you are able to maintain mental health. Keep your head on a swivel out there and stay safe. ~An education is expensive but knowledge is free, please feel free to distribute this to whoever you like. ~The person that knows HOW will
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always have a job, the person that knows WHY will always be their boss. ~Remember to always act in your patient’s best interest, always use sound clinical judgment and always follow your protocols. ~Brian Talty, btalty@raaems.org, 804-874-8724 ~Sources: Me, myself and I
~This is a pretty unorganized article so I apologize for that. I felt it necessary to address the issue since we as healthcare providers that witness tragedy everyday are very poor at maintaining mental health. Being proactive to maintain a healthy body and healthy mind are extremely important to manage stress when it comes along. Stress is an inevitable part of life and the uniqueness of our jobs make it more prevalent than others. Recognizing when you or your friends/co-workers need help is vital to being able to cope. Once recognized, talking is the easiest and highly effective way of dealing along with healthy activities. Don’t forget that there is always help out there for you. If your agency does not have a program set up it is a great idea to start one. Also know that we are all part of a huge EMS family and just because your agency does not have the means to assist you or your partner, a neighboring agency may have a program and it is only a phone call away. ~Take care of yourself, look out for your partner and stay safe. I hope none of you have to face an incident with the magnitude of last weeks shooting. Unfortunately, it’s Official
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Rockhill Rescue Visit Ecuador After Donating Ambulance Submitted by Steve Dove
reviewed patient assessments. Following the training the students engaged in a mini EMT test site, similar to that of OEMS, where they had to use their new skills in evaluating patients. All of the participants received a certificate indicating that they had attended the training. Members of the Rockhill Volunteer
Members of Rockhill Volunteer Rescue Squad recently traveled to Ibarra, Ecuador. Ibarra is the capital of the province of Imbabura in Ecuador. Jean Helmandollar, Nancy Shanks and James Vitaletti spent a week in the rugged mountains of Northern Ecuador. James Herrera of the Fredericksburg Rotary accompanied them on their trip. At the request of the Rotary Club in Fredericksburg, Virginia the Rockhill Volunteer Rescue Squad in District 10 donated two ambulances and EMS equipment to the Red Cross of Ibarra, Ecuador. Prior these donations the Red Cross used pickup trucks and SUVs to make EMS transports. Both of the ambulances have been placed into service and are making hundreds of EMS calls serving patients in Imbabura Province. The Red Cross does not charge patients for their services and often performs transports to hospitals in Quito which is two hours away. One of the ambulances has the call sign "The Virginia" on the radio. The second has been called "The Jean" after Jean Helmandollar the rescue chief of Rockhill Volunteer Rescue Squad. Members of the Rockhill Volunteer Rescue Squad were guests of the Red Cross of Ibarra. During their weeklong visit they provided members of their ambulance squad with three days of training on the use of the ambulances, introduced them to hands-only CPR, START Triage, the use of MAST pants and Official
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Rescue Squad also visited other Red Cross Facilities including a nursing home and a mountain rescue facility in Imbabura Province. The Red Cross in Ibarra also provides a medical clinic for low income persons where they are provided with eye exams, dental work, medical exams, blood analysis and medications. Dr. James Herrera of the Fredericksburg Rotary club helped to establish a blood collection center that is kept busy seven days a week. The visitors from Rockhill Volunteer Rescue Squad donated blood while they were there and now their blood is circulating in someone in Ecuador. The Red Cross is trying to obtain equipment that can be used in vehicle extrication. The Pan American highway goes through Ibarra and is known for its high speed accidents involving trucks, buses and multiple automobiles. They would also like to obtain an all terrain vehicle that can be used in Mountain rescues. The squad has been involved in several mountain rescues and must carry patients
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over rough terrain to get to the ambulance. If any squads would like to help the Red Cross in Ibarra please contact James Vitaletti of Rockhill Volunteer Rescue Squad at jfvitaletti@hotmail.com.
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Greetings from the Southeastern District Submitted by Fay Browning, District Vice President
as the AVAVRS.
Happy New Year to everyone! It is hard to believe by the time you read this, we almost will have finished a quarter of the year! Time flies when you are having fun. I’m sure all of our auxiliaries have had their installation of officers by now and congratulations to all of the new officers. AVAVRS Emergency Care Committee Chairperson Ailease Short installed the officers of my auxiliary, Henrico, on January 26, with a meaningful installation focused primarily on friendship. She challenged us all to knock our socks off with every project we undertake as well as remember AVAVRS President Fern Puckett’s 2013 theme of Serenity Angels. Our Auxiliary also was very pleased and surprised by our Squad to learn that our upstairs banquet room was named the “Helen Brand Memorial Hall” in honor of Helen Brand who passed away September 19, 2012. Her daughters, Carolyn and Fran Cory, were present to accept the plaque that will be placed on the entrance wall. This was a very fitting honor to Helen because she and Deloris McKee Farmer were instrumental in renting this room for many years as income for the squad. Our District lost another great matriarch on January 19, 2013, Sylvia T. Clatterbuck. Sylvia passed away exactly four months to the day of Helen Brand, another great matriarch. Both of these ladies volunteered many years to their respective auxiliaries as well Official
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Being a new kid on the block as the AVAVRS Southeastern District Vice President, I have been very impressed with what I see and have learned through our State organization and the meetings I have attended so far. I realize I have a lot to learn and a long way to go to fill some of the shoes that have filled my office. I was impressed at the 2012 convention how our organization handled the challenge and opportunity we were faced with in deciding our relationship with the VAVRS. I am very proud that we chose to be a Standing Committee of the VAVRS. I feel this is very appropriate for us because that’s what we are all about—standing strong to support and assist our squads in any way and any time we can. I look forward to representing the Southeastern District by attending other District meetings, the Board of Governors meeting on April 6 in Lynchburg, and certainly the 2013 Convention in Virginia Beach in September. The AVAVRS has a lot to offer everyone who wishes to be a member. If you are a competitor, there is a lot of ways to champion those skills through our scrapbook competitions, EMT, or just showing off your leadership skills. We also need those of you who are just willing to show up and support our organization by just VAVRS
being a member in good standing. The friendships and comrades I have made over the years have been great for me. Receiving the AVAVRS Outstanding Service Award this year was a total surprise to me. I was blown away that my auxiliary would take the time and effort to nominate me. Then to actually receive it was most humbling. The AVAVRS is also an avenue to show off your leadership skills. We are in the process of accepting applications for all new officers for 2014. I encourage anyone in our District who is willing to fill one of those offices to please submit an application through your auxiliary to Nominating Committee Chairperson Carolyn Brand. Our District is being challenged to get some EMT teams together for competition at convention. I realize we are all getting older and stiffer, but encourage some of your younger members who are more agile to join the fun of competing. I am offering a personal incentive to those who come up with a team. I also want to encourage all of our auxiliaries in our District to promote the Julian Stanley Wise Scholarship among their members as well as the other scholarships that are available through the VAVRS. Carolyn Brand from our District is the Julian Stanley Wise Scholarship Committee Chairperson and can answer any questions you have about these scholarships. Our next District meeting is March 17, 2013, at Bensley(Continued on page 29)
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Bermuda Auxiliary, and our July 21 meeting will be at Brunswick Auxiliary. Our meetings usually start at 1:00 p.m. We welcome anyone to join us on a Sunday afternoon. I think we have a lot of challenges and opportunities ahead of us this year, and if we all work as a team for the good of the organization, we can face them together. AVAVRS President Fern Puckett’s theme for 2013 is Serenity Angels, and I challenge all of our Districts to shine bright and steady in 2013!
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Waynesboro FAC Auxiliary Submitted by CeCe McCormack, Auxiliary of the WFAC Historian Hello again from Waynesboro, Just a few things going on here, We had our Thanksgiving dinner for the crew members, auxiliary, and their family's. We gave Vector Industries their annual Christmas dinner where they honored us with a beautiful plaque, we also had our annual Children's Christmas party. with goodies for all from Santa. We continue to cook for Drill's on Thursday night for the crew and fire department, and Breakfast for Friday morning drill. We had a wonderful Christmas Banquet given to us from our Crew. We also put chevron's on Unit 10 and Squad 2 as a gift to our Crew. We continue to go out for Birthday dinners for our Auxiliary members. We have and will be doing two breakfast's
one in January and one in February, and a dinner in March for our Warm Shelter. We will be cooking for the Crew to give the Career staff a dinner. Maxine Kerns installed out 2013 Auxiliary officers this year at our annual Crew Banquet held at the Best Western in Waynesboro. We the Auxiliary will be soon welcoming a new member Angela Perry. Our annual Picture Project did well this year and again Thanks for all your hard work and time Cindy Banks. Congratulations to our own Audrey Robers for her 50 year Achievement award. Congratulations to our own Danny McCormick for receiving his Life Time with the Auxiliary of the W.F.A.C. Can't wait to see u all at the next District meeting at S.A.R.S. In February.
Mountain View Rescue Squad Juniors At Christmas time the Junior Members of the Mountain View Volunteer Rescue catered their annual luncheon for our elderly neighbors. Our six Juniors greeted and seated their guests and served them. Gifts were made and given to each guest. The Junior Squad has received lots of positive comments regarding their efforts to create a restaurant setting and their dedication to our community members. The Junior Membership is small but the Senior Members continue to encourage them as much as possible because soon they will be our senior members and in charge.
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The Governor’s EMS Award for Outstanding EMS Administrator Johnny Skeen—Russell County Rescue Squad and committees he’s participated on. Johnny’s significant contributions to Virginia’s local, regional and state EMS system are exceptional and greatly valued in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
The Governor’s EMS Award for Outstanding Contribution to EMS and Health Safety LifeCare Medical Transports, Inc. Johnny has dedicated more than 50 years of service to EMS and he was a charter member of the Russell County Rescue Squad. He’s spent the last 20 years serving as captain for Cleveland Lifesaving Crew. His administrative experience enabled his rescue squad to maintain 24/7 coverage on a strictly volunteer basis while finding alternative sources of funding for rescue equipment. He’s highly regarded by his colleagues, students and community because he leads by example, teaches compassion and respect in the field and visits local schools to provide EMS education. He’s a provider in Russell County and actively runs EMS calls. He’s an EMT-Enhanced and also holds certifications in EVOC and extrication. He was one of the region’s initial First Aid and CPR instructors and actively attends continuing education classes. His level of expertise and leadership is noted on a local and regional as evidenced by the various boards Official
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LifeCare Medical Transports has worked to promote a healthy lifestyle and safe working environment through the creation of a wellness and safety program focused on physical fitness, healthy diet, weight loss and injury prevention. In order to promote a safe working environment, they equipped every ambulance with GPS-enabled tracking devices that detect vehicle speed, location, seatbelt usage and the activation of emergency lights. In order to promote a healthy lifestyle, they have a no tobacco policy, which strictly prohibits tobacco use during working hours. Employees also got involved in a weight loss VAVRS
initiative by creating an in-house “Biggest Loser” contest, where they’d participate in weekly weighins and the top three winners would receive prize money. In order to assist staff with better health insurance benefits, LifeCare participates in a Captive Health Plan, which offers customized health care options at reduced rates. LifeCare Medical Transports’ significant contributions to Virginia’s local, regional and state EMS system are exceptional and greatly valued in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
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CBVRS Announces Award Winners & New Officers Submitted by Sara Hunt Senior Public Relations Manager Colonial Beach, VA (January 16, 2013) At its annual banquet on January 5, 2013, Colonial Beach Volunteer Rescue Squad (CBVRS) celebrated the new year with installation of 2013 officers, presentation of many awards to honor individuals and organizations in the community, and the announcement of a new home for the squad. Assistant Chief Pat FitzGerald won the organization’s highest honor, EMS of the Year.
The Operations Officer of the Year Award went to Mike Nance Sr. and Danny Stinson.
FitzGerald is well-known throughout the Colonial Beach region for her community service involvement and her tireless support of emergency rescue volunteers. She was the organization’s Top Call Runner in 2012 with over 600 calls made out of 1,181.
The new Operational Officers, who were sworn in by Colonial Beach Mayor Mike Hamm, are: Chief Wesley Melson Assistant Chief Pat FitzGerald Lt. Robert Rivenbark Lt. Mike Nance
The Eugenia Urbank Award, presented to one or more citizens who help in a lifesaving emergency, was presented to Taylor Pitts and Steven King.
Lt. Alexandra “Alex” Nance Lt. Danny Stinson Community Awards were presented to:
King is a member and Pitts is a former member of Colonial Beach Fire Department.
Trinity Builders William and Jay Hall
The BLS Provider of the Year Award went to Randy Brandy.
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The Administrative Officer of the Year Award went to Val Ivanyshyn.
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The organization also unveiled photos and plans for its move to a new 6,000 square-foot facility in Colonial Beach sometime in 2013. The current location at 225 Dennison Street has flooded several times, most recently during Tropical Storm Lee in 2011. “We will be providing information soon about our fundraising goals to refit and renovate the building as the new home of Colonial Beach Volunteer Rescue Squad,” said Chief Wesley Melson. “This represents an exciting new chapter in our organization’s future.”
Oak Grove Volunteer Fire Dept. Colonial Beach VRS Support Team the
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Photo Caption Contest
Here are your humorous captions to this photo of Lin Matthews and Shirley Bagby;
NOTE: There was a late submission for a caption to this photo of J. C. Phillips that appeared in the January/February 2013 Issue of VIRGINIA LIFELINE. It was too good not to print: From S. Johnston, VAVRS Life Member, J.C. is saying to the VAVRS Convention Registration Desk, “That’s right, I am short two ribbons on my convention badge !”
From Derek J., “I am jealous, my favorite Yankee fan should be sitting on my lap..” From a retired Chesterfield policeman, “Lin is saying, “Now watch carefully while I drink this water and my ventriloquist dummy eats a donut and sings “Yankee Doodle.” From a member of the VAVRS Office Staff, “I don’t know why Shirley always eats her lunch on Lin’s lap but I starting to get concerned.” In each of the 2013 issues VIRGINIA LIFELINE we have been having a photo caption contest. This is our latest submission and we are soliciting your humorous captions to this photo of the VAVRS EVOC Coordinator Bubby Bish and several students of a VAVRS EVOC Instructor Course.. All entries will be (after censoring) printed. Send your captions by email to gdalton@vavrs.com.
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Dear Rescue Ranger Dear Rescue Ranger, Don’t know if it is long hours at the squad, all the time I spend on training or local and state meetings that take me away so long but women just don’t stay interested in me very long. Any insight? Lonely in Lebanon Dear Lonely, I know how you feel. In fact one night while I was out on a call my wife ran off with my best friend. I sure do miss him. Dear Rescue Ranger, I have been having some trouble on the home front and need your advice. My wife loves me, I know she does. She finds humor in all of my stories, chuckles at my jokes but every morning when I wake up she is in our spare room sleeping? Do you have any clue what my problem may be? Afraid in Abingdon Dear Afraid, Laugh and the world laughs with you. Snore and you sleep alone. Dear Rescue Ranger, Sometimes I wish I could go back in time. I would have taken a paramedic course when I first got out of high school, I would have had better grades in school and I would have paid more attention to the older members of the squad because they knew so much and I listened so little. Sigh! Looking Back in Lexington Dear Looking Back, Listening is true gift not many of us possess. Remember this, we are all time travelers - moving at the speed of exactly 60 minutes per hour. Dear Rescue Ranger, Why is it so easy to spend time, listen, play, enjoy, mentor, Official
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cultivate and yes, love our grandchildren? Grandparenting in Goshen Dear Grandparenting, The reason grandchildren and grandparents get along so well is because they have a common “enemy”.
To all my readers: Call me on my new phone, I am anxious to use it.
Dear Rescue Ranger, I am taking a paramedic course and having real trouble with drug calculations and math in general. I also have trouble remembering statistics that are important such as dosages and weight and temperature conversions. Is that common or just a problem I have to learn to live with. Can’t Add in Covington Dear Can’t Add, I think that is pretty common, in fact, I believe five out of four people have trouble with fractions and over 42.7% of all statistics are made up.
Dear Rescue Ranger, I attended a banquet several weeks ago in Manassas and you were the guest speaker. You told a story of a paramedic during a routine drop off at a nursing home was speaking to an administrator and asking “How do you determine whether or not an older person should be put in an old age home?” The administrator told him that they fill up a bathtub, then offer a the patient a teaspoon, a teacup and a bucket and tell them to empty the bathtub. Depending on what they choose they suggest admission. You asked all of us to determine which one we would choose. I think a normal person like myself would use the bucket because it is bigger than the spoon and the teacup. Do I pass the test or should I be admitted? New Hip in Manchester Dear Kathy, No. A normal person would not use the spoon, teacup or the bucket. They would just pull the plug. Do you want a bed near a window?
Dear Rescue Ranger, I have failed. Took EVOC twice, passed the written test but destroyed too many cones. Took an EMT course and failed the written test twice. Took CPR and couldn’t even save Annie. I just don’t think EMS is for me. I am thinking of joining the Air Force, what do you think? Failure in Floyd Dear Failure, I don’t think that is a good idea. Just know this, if at first you fail, then skydiving isn’t for you. VAVRS
For Sale: Parachute. Only used once, never opened, small stain. Page
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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." - St. John 15:13 REMINDER: VAVRS Spring BOG Meeting will be held on April 6, 2013 at the Kirkley Hotel and Conference Center, 2900 Candlers Mountain Road, Lynchburg, VA
Mark Your Calendars
VAVRS Rescue College June 8-16, 2013
Virginia Tech Blacksburg Registration Deadline April 15, 2013