Lifeline nov dec 2014

VIRGINIA LIFELINE

NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2014

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2014-2015 VAVRS Officers President Rickey Hodge Vice President Kim Craig Secretary Scott Davis Treasurer Steve Grayson Training Officer Cecil Leach Chaplain Mike Smoot Chaplain Emeritus Page Entsminger Historian Dreama Chandler Editor Gary Dalton Legal Advisor S. Craig Lane Parliamentarian J. C. Phillips Immediate Past President Bubby Bish Medical Advisor James R. Dudley, MD, MBA

District 1 V. P. Steve Southworth District 2 V. P. Carolyn White District 3 V. P. Warren Winner 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. Dwayne Stanley District 10 V. P. George Langford Office Manager Frances Brooks Training Coordinator Kathy Eubank Administrative Secretary Shirley Bagby Lobbyist Ed Rhodes

2014-2015 VAVRS Committee Chairs Nominating: Bruce Stratton Membership: Kim Craig 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: Bubby Bish

Rescue College: Rickey Hodge Rescue College: Wayne Myers Human Resources: Kim Craig Life Membership: Ronnie Slough Rescue Hall of Fame: Page Entsminger EMS Advisory Board: Valeta Daniels EMS Advisory Board: Denene Hannon Strategic Planning: Bubby Bish New Course Development: Wayne Myers Recruitment and Retention: Fran Phillips Recruitment and Retention: Bobby Hill Volunteer Management: Page Entsminger EMS Exchange Program: Jane Laverne

2014-2015 VAJVRS Officers President Victoria Gaudin Vice President Elizabeth Pittman Secretary/Treasurer Savannah Hise Historian Cara Beasley Chaplain TBA Official

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Advisor, Chair Alfred Smith Advisor Brandon Baugus Advisor Woody Conner Advisor Micky Grodski

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2014-2015 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 - Roger Lynthlin Historian - Linda Berkstresser Southwestern VP - Valarie Becker Parliamentarian - Maxie Skeen Western VP - Janis Slough

For a complete list of the current courses being offered by the VAVRS—go to

2014-2015 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 Fundraising: Tracey 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: December 1, 2014 for January/February 2015 Issue February 1, 2014 for March/April 2015 Issue April 1, 2015 for May/June 2015 Issue June 1, 2015 for the July/August 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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Electric/Hybrid/Fuel Cell Safety Course for Trucks, Buses, and Commercial Fleet Vehicles Submitted by Kenneth P. Clark, AEM (Virginia); Training & Curriculum Development Manager Office of Training & Exercises Virginia Department of Emergency Management This training application is only accessible to individuals within the United States. Customers residing outside the U.S. should not purchase this training, as they will not be able to view it.

All registration fees will be waived for the first 20,000 first responders who sign up at EVSafetyTraining.org NFPA®'s self-paced Electric Vehicle Safety for Emergency Responders Online Course* teaches emergency responders how to safely deal with emergency situations involving electric and hybrid vehicles. Earn a Certificate and CEUs. Please Note: NFPA is now offering this online course free of charge to the US Fire Service. Also available to the US Fire Service is the Electric/Hybrid/Fuel Cell Safety Course for Trucks, Buses, and Commercial Fleet Vehicles.

It is predicted that 13.9 million electrified vehicles will be on the world's roadways within five years. To help emergency responders handle the unique challenges presented by this new technology, NFPA has developed the Electric Vehicle Safety for Emergency Responders Online Course. In approximately two hours, the self-paced program effectively trains responders Official

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Free Course: Electric Vehicle Safety for Emergency Responders Online Course through engaging videos, animations, simulations, and review exercises.

The dynamic online curriculum covers high voltage vehicle and safety systems, basic electrical concepts, identification techniques for electric and hybrid vehicles, immobilization and power-down procedures, extrication challenges, recommended practices for dealing with vehicle and battery fires, incidents involving charging stations, and more. Highly-interactive modules are video and graphic intensive, and you can repeat any section on demand.

Upon completion of five modules you should be able to: · Safely conduct emergency scene size-up and management ·

Identify an electric vehicle

· Effectively immobilize the vehicle for scene safety · Disable the vehicle's High Voltage and SRS systems · Conduct occupant rescue more safely · Execute EV recovery and disposal A built-in learning management system lets you exit the program anytime and return where you left off, so you can maximize time and schedule training around professional demands.

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course content by completing a series of data reviews at the conclusion of each training module and final scenario room activities. Pass these reviews and earn your Certificate of Educational Achievement and CEU credit.

Who Will Benefit: Anyone who may respond to incidents involving electric or hybrid vehicles, including fire service and law enforcement, emergency medical service technicians, and tow and salvage personnel.

Continuing Education Credit: Complete all five modules and qualify for 0.2 Continuing Education Units. Upon completion, participants will be prompted to download the CEU certificate directly from the course site.

Please verify applicability with your professional board before attending.

This training application is only accessible to individuals within the United States. Customers residing outside the U.S. should not purchase this training, as they will not be able to view it.

READ MORE: http:// evsafetytraining.org/ Page

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Staying Busy—Cave Spring Auxiliary Submitted by Sharon K Campbell Vickie Arnold, Karla Sprouse, Patsy Wingfield and I represented the Cave Spring Auxiliary during the 2014 AVAVRS Conference in Virginia Beach. Member, Laura Clark was also at the beach and spent her time attending the wide array of classes offered. As usual it was fun seeing old and new friends and it is always great exchanging ideas. We attended each meeting and helped other members of the Southcentral District host the Friday Business Meeting. We were honored to have our hard work recognized when we placed 4th in the Scrapbook Competition. Congratulations to all of the scrapbook winners, the books were beautiful.

There was no rest for the weary as we arrived back in Roanoke and needed to make the final arrangements for our Fall Chicken Barbecue. October 4th was almost a perfect day for the BBQ. Our breakfast consisting of scrambled eggs, fried apples, biscuits, sausage gravy and bacon was a big hit with the workers and later in the day they enjoyed a big lunch.

We try to feed them well as it is a long hard day and we appreciate their help and support because we know we couldn't do it without them. Many of the crew's Life Members and former members pitch in to make it a successful day. A big thank you goes to Camilla, one of our Honorary Members. She made 31 cakes plus assorted cookies and snacks for our bake sale. Our profit for the day totaled approximately $4,000.00.

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The 15th will find us fixing dinner for the members of the crew for their training meeting. As part of the training there will be a "meet and greet" with the crew's new medical director. We always find that there is a good turnout when food is involved.

The players and coaches from the Cave Spring High School football team will be treated to dinner on the 17th of October. We fix dinner for the team and parents

will pick up the food and deliver it to the school and serve it. An easy project with lots of PR as we are recognized in the program and announcements throughout the game.

Fall has arrived in the valley which means that cold weather and the holidays will not be far behind. To each of you we wish you a great Thanksgiving with friends and family.

The 2nd cooking of chicken halves, 1258 half chickens are cooked for the dinners.

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Colonial Beach Volunteer Rescue Squad Wins Big at VAVRS Conference Submitted by Sara Hunt PR Colonial Beach, VA (October 3, 2014) – Colonial Beach Volunteer Rescue Squad was, once again, one of the most highly decorated squads at the annual Virginia Association of Volunteer Rescue Squads (VAVRS) convention, held recently in Virginia Beach, Va. At the awards banquet, CBVRS won the following honors: Rescue Call of the Year First Place - Promotion of Safety Award

A delegation from Colonial Beach Volunteer Rescue Squad, including 10 Junior members, admires the awards that they collected at the recent annual convention of the Virginia Association of Volunteer Rescue Squads. CBVRS was one of the highest decorated squads in attendance.

First Place - Website First Place – Junior Scrapbook First Place – Marching Unit (Junior Honor Guard) Second Place – Emergency Vehicle Operator

regional medical directors, several EMS competitions and opportunities to network with other volunteer agencies and many EMS vendors.

Second Place - Scrapbook Third Place – Auxiliary Scrapbook The Rescue Call of the Year was a house fire where CBVRS Assistant Chief Pat FitzGerald entered with a police officer and fire chief to rescue the homeowner before any other units arrived on the scene.

CBVRS was well-represented at the convention with 22 members, including 10 juniors.

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“The VAVRS’s mission is to promote and assist member rescue squads in improving prehospital care in Virginia,” said Wesley Melson, Rescue Chief for CBVRS. “The competition is fierce among the statewide squads, so we were honored and proud to be recognized in so many categories at the annual awards banquet, especially Rescue Call of the Year and Promotion of Safety. ” VAVRS

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Report From the VAVRS Chaplain Submitted by Mike Smoot, VAVRS Chaplain Thanks to everyone for their support in electing me to the position of Chaplain. Please be sure to let me know of any cards that may need to be sent to your Squad members. If you have a death of a member in your Squad, please advise the State Office and myself as soon as possible.

If your Squad is not participating in the Death Benefit Plan, please encourage your members to sign up for this benefit. The costs are minimal and it does help the families when a death occurs. If you have any questions about the Plan, please contact me and I will be glad to meet with your Squad to go over the details of the Plan and

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help you get signed up. If your Squad is already a member, please make sure your fees are paid.

Should your Squad experience a death of a member this year, please send me the information with a picture of the member along with a squad patch as soon as reasonably possible thereafter.

This way, I can begin to organize the Memorial Service for next year and keep everyone advised of our members who have passed.

Hopefully, we will not have as many as this past year.

Again, thank you for your support and I look forward to serving you this year. May you all have a wonderful holiday season and a joyful new year!

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The 60 Second Parliamentarian Tip Submitted By J.C. Phillips, VAVRS Parliamentarian

statement. Shall, must and will all mean that it must be done.

Some organizations can get in into a lot of trouble on the little words that are in their bylaws. You must be very careful how you write statements in your bylaws. MAKE SURE THE STATEMENT SAYS WHAT YOU WANT IT TO SAY. Some of the little words are: shall, must, will, should, can, and may.

However, as stated in the VAVRS bylaws, it says as follows, "The secretary may cast all unopposed positions as a unanimous ballot." The word "may" is used in this statement and that means that the secretary does not have to cast the unanimous ballot if the membership does not want him or her to do so May, should and can means that this does not have to happen, if the membership does not want it to happen The membership can make a motion to vote on all unopposed positions as well as those positions that have two or more candidates running for each position. It is not

For example, your bylaws could say, "The secretary shall cast a unanimous ballot for all unopposed officers." This means that the secretary has to cast the unanimous ballot whether he or she wants to or not because the word "shall" is in the

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recommended that words like should, can and may be used in your bylaws, unless you really want the organization to be able to make a motion to do something else.

In conclusion, make sure you use the right words in your bylaws and it says what you really want it to say. After they are part of your organization's bylaws, then you have to follow them, no matter how you feel about them later.

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Bobby Hill Susa Palmer ECPI Medical Institute Career Fair

Chief Edwards Speaking Fire EMS Line of Duty Death Memorial

Above: Oceana Air Show Standby Crews Ocean Park Rescue Squad John Burkard Page

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Report From District 5 Submitted by Joan Smoot, District 5 Historian Another successful Conference has come and gone. Thanks go out to our wonderful Conference Committee Members and to all of the Judge’s for the Competitions.

Without all these people, Conference would not be possible.

Of course we have to thank our Vendors who also help pull Conference off.

Congratulations to District 5 competitors in EVOC: Jason Morgan of Campbell County Rescue for taking 1st place; Woody Connor of Kenbridge Rescue placed 4th; John Smith of Southside placed 6th; Julie Ferguson of Danville placed 11th and Heather Matherly of Altavista placed 18th.

In the Vehicle Extrication, Southside grabbed 1st place in Modular Ambulance, 1st place in Light Duty Rescue Truck and 2nd place in Heavy Rescue Truck.

Danville took 4th place in Heavy Rescue.

In Advance Life Support, Southside took home 4th place.

In the EMT Contest, Southside placed 2nd place, Altavista EMS came in at 11th and Danville at 13th. District 5 really took home some Gold! Congratulations to all!

Jack Morgan, Jr. of Campbell County was given Life Member in the VAVRS. This is one of the highest and most prestigious honor anyone can receive in the VAVRS. Jack was certainly surprised and was most appreciative of this honor.

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Mike Smoot, Life Member was installed as VAVRS Chaplain and Frank Smith was installed as District 5 VP. During the Memorial Service, there were 19 remembered from District 5. It was a very nice service conducted by our State Chaplain.

The Conference this year was more family oriented than it has been in the past and was certainly Jason Morgan (L) 1st Place State EVOC enjoyed by all. This Jack Morgan, Jr (R) VAVRS Life Member picnic was a great idea and hopefully will be repeated next year. Thanks Ricky for coming up with this idea. I great way to kick back and relax after a day of meetings and competitions.

I hope that each and every one of you have a wonderful holiday season and may the New Year bring happiness, wealth and prosperity to each one of you. See you at a meeting soon!

VAVRS

Frank Smith (L) installed as District 5 VP and Mike Smoot (R) installed as VAVRS Chaplain Page

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Photos taken at the VAVRS Conference during the Vehicle Extrication Competition by Greg Burton and submitted by Kate Burton

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Staunton-Augusta Rescue Squad Submitted by Chrissy Snyder, Community Outreach Chairperson, Staunton-Augusta Rescue Squad

E Brubeck Memorial Trophy” for First Place. This is the third time in four years that this team has accomplished this goal. Our Modular Ambulance Team placed 2nd only seconds behind Southside. Our famous EVOC drivers finished with high marks, Steve Rohr was 2nd in the Instructor category and Patrick Scott was 3rd in Non-Instructor.

Our EMT team finished with a remarkable 6th place after unforeseen circumstances left them with only two members.

The 2014 Conference left us speechless. Our Auxiliary has supported our agency wonderfully over the years and this year wasn’t and different. They continue to provide us with delicious food for training events and meetings. They were instrumental in the planning and execution of our yearlong 75th Anniversary festivities which included our member and special guest social event, our community celebration, and the “then and now” Christmas parade float.

They stepped outside their box and decorated an ambulance that was in attendance at a local Trunk n Treat where they saw over a 1000 kids. This is to just to name a few of the supportive activities that help them earn the “Outstanding Auxiliary of the Year” and the “Emergency Care Award”.

It was an honor that the VAVRS Board of Governors elected Kim Craig, Life Member of SARS to be the Association’s Vice President.

Kim has held many leadership roles within our organization over the years including the offices of Captain and President. She has served as a Junior Advisor at both the District and State level and on the VAVRS Human Resources Committee.

Our competition teams were pleased with their outcome. Our Heavy Rescue Truck once again was able to bring home the “Ronald

Earlier this summer the Central Shenandoah EMS Council held their regional awards. This year our agency is extremely honored to have three of our Members recognized for their extraordinary accomplishments in the Virginia EMS system.

Life Member, Matt Lawler was awarded the “Excellence in EMS”, Life Member, Buford Scott Masincup was named “Outstanding EMS Administrator”, and Part Time Career Staff Member Rob Pierce received “Outstanding PreHospital Provider. Recipients of the regional awards will be nominated for the 2014 Governor’s Award to be announced during the

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Virginia EMS Symposiums Ceremony. Our winner’s bios were provided by the CSEMS Council.

Excellence in EMS: Matt Lawler Matt Lawler, Program Director and Assistant Director of Central Shenandoah EMS Council were selected as the 2014 Excellence in EMS award winner. Matt has been intimately involved in Virginia’s EMS system for more than 30 years. He is a volunteer provider who has been involved at the local, regional and state level.

As a life member of Staunton‐ Augusta Rescue Squad, Matt still actively runs calls with SARS. He joined in SARS in June of 1983 as a junior member and earning his EMT Ambulance certification in 1984. Since that time, he has continued his EMS education culminating in his current certification as a National Registered Paramedic. Matt is a faithful, committed, and dedicated volunteer—dedicating the better part of his life to the betterment of his community.

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Matt is a Virginia certified Education Coordinator and he plays an integral role in the region as an educator, mentor, administrator and friend. He established, directs and oversees the region’s only accredited ALS training programs and he is working to bring paramedic education to the region in 2015.

Students from his class and other classes across the region speak very highly of him as a preceptor and mentor. As an educator, Matt is at the top of his profession. He makes every minute count as a learning experience to his students, fellow providers and coworkers. He is extremely knowledgeable in pre-hospital emergency care and shares his knowledge willingly and enthusiastically. Matt serves as a role model to others he is considered an expert in care of the pre-hospital patient. He provides support, knowledge, skills, and leadership abilities which greatly impacts the entire region.

Skilled in interpersonal communication; he is approachable and down to earth.

A noted perfectionist, Matt approaches his administrative duties and responsibilities with an eye towards detail. He has developed protocols and guidelines that insure correct patient care.

He is responsible for all EMS education conducted at the Council and he ensures that educational records are meticulously maintained. Matt coordinates the regional Instructor Network group making sure that initial and continuing education courses are scheduled throughout the region and available to every agency and provider.

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Regionally, Matt is active and serves on a number of committees to include the Augusta Health Chest Pain Accreditation Committee, the TJEMS/CSEMS Regional Pharmacy Committee, the Regional Stroke Triage Committee, the regional Medical Control Review Committee and the regional Performance Improvement and Trauma Performance Improvement Committees.

At the state level, Matt serves or has served on several committees to include the EMS Symposium Program Committee, the EMS Formulary Workgroup, the ALS Competency Subcommittee and he serves as a site reviewer for state accreditation visits.

Matt’s many accomplishments, certifications and credentials are too numerous to list, but suffice it to say, he is highly qualified and respected. He has received numerous awards over the years for volunteer man hours and he is the recipient of three regional EMS awards: Outstanding EMS Educator – 2004, Outstanding Administrator – 2009 and Excellence in EMS – 2011.

Outstanding EMS Administrator: Buford Scott Masincup

Scott Masincup began his career as a junior member of Staunton Augusta Rescue Squad over 25 years ago. As a junior member, he enthusiastically sought out new learning opportunities and gained a broad foundational knowledge of EMS from the various challenges he tackled.

Scott began supporting the regional EMS system in Augusta County as a 911 dispatcher. His combined experience with the Emergency Operations Center and at his home agency–StauntonAugusta Rescue Squad–lead him to make a personal evaluation of the area and determined that there was a need for a non-emergency transportation service. His young business mind lead to a successful venture with the opening of Mountain View Medical Transport, which later became such a desirable business that Augusta Health purchased the business.

Upon the sale of his business, Scott was offered the opportunity to join the team at Augusta Health as the director of the transportation division. After 10 years of serving as the Director of Augusta Health Transportation, he was offered the position of Environment of Care Coordinator, (Continued on page 21)

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Staunton-Augusta Rescue Squad county. He oversees a number of stations that have County career staff that respond to EMS alarms and reviews those calls for completeness and accuracy. Rod also oversees three additional EMS providers that review calls in other County staffed stations. He is a member of the ACFR’s EMS committee and assists in county skills drills to ensure compliance with regional protocols.

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where he used his pre-hospital emergency preparedness and disaster management skills within the hospital setting.

In late 2012, Scott once again assumed the role as Director of Transportation for the Augusta Health Transportation department. The department was in a financially troublesome time.

The fiscal goals set by the hospital were not being met, the department’s revenue had decreased and expenses were up.

Over the past 10 months, Scott has decreased the overtime to an acceptable level of less than 3 percent, increased productivity by making schedule changes that meet the demand of the services and has partnered with the Emergency Department to utilize transportation staff when staffing is available. Scott pursued this integration in order to increase the skill level of the transportation providers, give them a better understanding of the preparation of a patient for transport to another facility and increase relationships with the ED staff.

Outstanding Pre-hospital Provider: Rod Pierce.

He has been a dedicated provider to the regional EMS system since first obtaining his EMT certification in 2001. Over the years, Rod has demonstrated excellence in EMS by providing high-quality patient care which is evidenced by his responsibilities as the chair of the Augusta County Fire-Rescue Continuous Quality Improvement Committee.

Rod spends countless hours reviewing call sheets and monitoring system quality for the

He has steadily risen through the ranks and currently holds the rank of Lieutenant with Augusta County Fire-Rescue. He also serves as a part-time employee with the Staunton-Augusta Rescue Squad.

From a regional perspective, Rod serves as a preceptor and instructor for the Council’s accredited EMS programs. In addition to these responsibilities, Rod is also an ACLS, PALS and CPR instructor. He always takes the extra time to help those learn the new skills.

As 2014 draws to an end, SARS members are excited about the possibilities that lay in store for us in 2015. We wish all of our VAVRS family safe holidays!

Scott has been certified as an Intermediate for many years and just recently enrolled in the VCU Paramedic program. He is the type of administer who does not ask his providers to take steps that he is not willing to take himself.

He has taken a vital department— one that was failing financially— and turned it around, putting the department back on the right track.

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Chancellor Volunteer Fire and Rescue Celebrates Fire Prevention Week with Open House Event Submitted by Sara Hunt PR Chancellor Volunteer Fire & Rescue invited the community to an Open House event on Sunday, Oct. 5 from 11:30 AM – 3:00 PM to kickoff national Fire Prevention Week (Oct. 5-11). The Open House took place at CVFR’s Company 5, located at 5992 Plank Road.

members and volunteers who worked hard to coordinate the Open House so that it would be a memorable afternoon for all of the participants.”

The free and fun, family-friendly activities for all ages at the Open House included: Lunch with hot dogs, chips and lemonade Bounce house for kids Fire station tours Vehicle extrication demo Ladder-climbing contest Fire safety info Hands-on CPR demos

At Chancellor's Open House on Oct. 5, a crowd of people gathered to watch a mock demo of CVFR volunteers extricating a passenger from a vehicle using the Jaws of Life equipment. This was just one of many activities planned for families to enjoy for the kickoff of Fire Prevention Week.

Kids Safety House Sparky the Fire Dog Volunteer recruitment info And more!

Media coverage about the event included a Letter to the Editor by Chief Kevin Dillard in the Free Lance Star on the morning of the Open House, an announcement on Fredericksburg Patch, a radio remote on-site by B101.5, plus lots of posting on Facebook and tweeting on Twitter.

“We had a great turnout on a beautiful fall Sunday,” said Beth Addington, President of CVFR. “A big thank-you goes to our

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District Three Submitted by Cindy Swann, District Three Historian I hope everyone had a good time at the Conference and a safe trip home. As always between BOG meetings I attended some of the classes, which were good as always.

Gary Brown, Mike Berg and Scott Winston from OEMS attended the Conference and covered changes and activities that will be coming up. Our Lobbyist Ed Rhodes also went over some of the changes.

District 3 did Ok this year.

VAVRS Life Member: Doug Everhart. Congratulation Doug.

Congratulation to Elizabeth (Liz) Papelino, who is Instructor of the Year.

Scholarship Awards: Sylvia and Garry Clatterbuck, Amanda Gates with Richmond VRS. (Formerly West End VRS) Ann Gwaltney Memorial, Amanda Penn with West Hanover.

Competition: Emergency Vehicle Operator: Instructor, 4th Place, David Tesh, Forest View, 3rd Place, Bubby Bish, Southside VA Emergency Crew.

Vehicle Extrication: Advanced Life Support, 1st Place, Forest View VRS. EMT Contest; VAJVRS: 1st Place, Forest View.

Parade Award received by District 3.

Quick Response Support Unit, 4th Place, Forest View.

Thanks to all of you for a great job and I hope I haven't left anyone out.

News from District Nine Submitted by Ruth Stanley, District 9 Historian Several squads from District 9 recently attended the 2014 VAVRS Annual Conference and several awards were brought home. Congratulations to all the teams that competed and to all that brought home trophies. Bristol Life Saving Crew 6th Place ALS, Washington County Life Saving Crew 2nd place ALS, 4th place BLS and 3rd place Best Appearing Rescue Truck, Glade Spring Volunteer Life Saving Crew 4th place Best Appearing Ambulance, 3rd place Senior Scrapbook, 2nd place Junior Scrapbook and 2nd Place Auxiliary Scrapbook.

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Several crews from District 9 participated in a drill on October 8, 2014 at Virginia Highlands Airport, Operation The Sky's the Limit. The drill involved a simulated airplane crash with multiple victims and fire. The drill was hosted by Washington County Department of Emergency Management and sponsored by VDEM. Washington County Life Saving Crew, Bristol Life Saving Crew, Damascus Rescue Squad, Damascus Fire Department, Glade Spring Volunteer Life Saving Crew, Glade Spring Fire Department, and Washington County Fire and Rescue participated in the drill. This was a great learning experience for everyone that participated.

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Ham, Turkey, and the CHF Patient Submitted by Harold Good, Southside Virginia Emergency Crew With Thanksgiving and Christmas rapidly approaching, preparations are under way for many people for two of the biggest meals of the year. Holiday dinner tables are full of all sorts of tasty dishes, usually including all those things that doctors warn their patients not to eat too much of. For most of us in EMS, it’s no more of a problem than having to let our belts out a notch or two, but for some of our patients this can have a major impact. Patients with congestive heart failure who splurge a little too much over the holidays can have severe complications.

For thirty years or more, the “holy trinity” of the prehospital management of CHF has been nitroglycerin, morphine, and furosemide. The theory is fairly simple- use nitroglycerin (sublingual and paste) and morphine to increase vasodilation and follow them up with furosemide to get rid of excess fluid. While this is a fairly well-reasoned theory, research has shown in recent years that this may not work as well as previously thought.

While nitrates for vasodilation are still a cornerstone of CHF management, morphine has become somewhat more suspect in its role for CHF management. Previously,

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the thought was that morphine would have solid vasodilatory effects while relaxing the patient, leading to decreased anxiety and overall improvement. These actions do not seem to be as effective as once thought. Yes, morphine relaxes your patient, however as a vasodilator its effects are transient and often not as profound as what is required. Studies have shown that more aggressive nitrate therapy is more effective than morphine. While morphine is not necessarily harmful in this case, it just might not be the most useful tool in the toolbox either.

Furosemide, or Lasix, is a completely different animal.

So, the second half of the “bigger container/less fluid” approach. To be able to effectively utilize Lasix for the CHF patient, one must be able to quickly and reliably ascertain the cause of this episode of heart failure. Is your patient in failure because they have too much fluid in their system, is their body is having trouble properly distributing fluid to where it needs to be, or is it because the pump is having more trouble than normal?

If fluid overload is suspected, Lasix is effective at correcting the problem. On the other hand, if the patient is properly hydrated or even a little dehydrated, Lasix can cause more problems than it fixes.

Lasix has a significant impact on VAVRS

electrolytes, such as calcium, potassium, and magnesium, which can further complicate definitive therapy for these patients. Several other effects can be noted for specific patient populations, such as glucose intolerance for diabetics, increased electrolyte impact on patients with liver disease, and increased risk for ototoxicity and further kidney damage for renal disease patients. Most of these conditions are things that require lab work and other testing only available in the hospital setting, which renders Lasix administration tricky at best.

With CPAP being a common prehospital tool these days, perhaps a better treatment plan would be aggressive nitrate therapy coupled with CPAP and the consideration of morphine based upon your patient’s presentation.

Lasix could then be considered if history and physical exam indicates likely fluid overload. Consulting medical control is never a bad option, either. As always, local protocols take precedence.

SVEC would like to wish everyone happy holidays and best wishes for the New Year!

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2014—2015 Members of the Recruitment and Retention Committee Submitted by Fran Phillips, Chair If you have ideas you would like to share, on either Recruitment or Retention, let us know. Each VAVRS District should have a person designated to help their district with R & R issues. Those on the VAVRS Recruitment & Retention Committee for 2014— 2015 are listed below: Fran Phillips, Chair Post Office Box 1118 Midlothian, VA 23113 Cell Phone: [804] 794-5208 Email: rs1va@aol.com Bobby Hill, Co-Chair 740 Virginia Beach Blvd.

Virginia Beach, VA 23451 Phone: [757] 647-2789 Email: recruitment@ vbrescuefoundation.org

80th ANNIVERSARY GIFT: The VAVRS Recruitment & Retention Committee was able to give an “80th Anniversary” gift of a green insulated beverage container with the VAVRS logo and “80th Anniversary” imprinted on the container to each registered guest at the Conference. Thank YOU to Rickey Hodge for selecting and transporting the cups for the Committee to give out.

THANK YOU to those who helped distribute the cups. On Wednesday Bobby Hill [VAVRS R & R Co-Chair and Frank Smith [District 5 Vice President], on Thursday Steve Southworth [District 1 Vice President] and Steven Reynolds [District 8 Vice President], and on Friday the Registration Committee.

A GREAT BIG THANK YOU to

Bobby Hill, J. C. Phillips and Kenny Frenier for their help in moving the boxes from Hall A to the storage area a Hall C. If Bobby or I can help you with R & R issues or give you suggestions, give us a call or email us.

Thank YOU for your continued service to the citizens of Virginia and to the VAVRS.

Bon Secours has a charitable heart, but today WE were on the receiving end!

Forest View Volunteer Rescue Squad graciously donated an EMS stretcher to be used to respond to emergencies in the hospital and to assist with the transfer of patients who are Medevac transports. A basket of homemade goodies was given Forest View VRS from the ED staff!

Pictured left to right: Cam Crittenden, Director of ED Operations and EMS Outreach, John Hilliard, President of Forest View VRS, Savannah Hartbarger, EMT-P, ED Tech, Michele Mclasky, SFMC ED Nurse Manager, Molly Parker, EMT-P, ED Tech, Corrie Hughes, RN, Dave Johnston, Operations Chief, Forest View VRS Page

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Oh, the Places We Have Been Submitted by Sharon Karlet Campbell, AVAVRS President

A very deserving, Clara Craig from Bassett received the "Outstanding Service Award" on Saturday morning.

What a fantastic time we had during the 2014 AVAVRS Conference. As usual it was great hearing how much time and money the auxiliaries across the state had donated to their squads and support groups. Each of you deserve a pat on the back.

Special congratulations go to all of the winners of the Scrapbook competition. Honorable Mention went to Waynesboro, Cave Spring placed 4th, Colonial Beach won 3rd place with Glade Spring placing 2nd and Bensley Bermuda winning 1st place. The Western District won the district competition with the Midwestern District placing 2nd.

A big thank you goes to each of you who helped sell the VAVRS and AVAVRS Raffle tickets. Your hard work paid off by raising funds for both organizations. I know that Stacey and Tracey Frame appreciated all of the help selling the 50/50 tickets on Saturday night. The profit from this was excellent and Patsy Wingfield was a happy winner.

In the weeks and months ahead I hope to attend at least one meeting in each district. Please know that I am always available if you have any questions or concerns. Together we will be "Charting a Course to Success".

From the AVAVRS Chaplain Submitted by Ailease Short We had a wonderful conference at Virginia Beach in September. Our congratulations to VAVRS on the picnic held on Thursday night which everyone enjoyed. Great time and fellowship enjoyed by all who attended.

The AVAVRS remembered 12 ladies at their Saturday morning breakfast meeting in a Memorial Service using our President’s theme Oh, the places we will go or have been. These 12 ladies had served the AVAVRS well over the years. One was a Life Member of AVAVRS, Virginia Walters, and one a past President and Life Member, Jo House Official

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Remembered in the service were as follows: Marjorie Anderson- Millwood Station; Glennie Bower- Brunswick; Madeline Dixon-East Hanover; Jo House- Danville, Patricia JonesWest End; Judith MillerWaynesboro; Rebecca Morgan- Campbell County; Frances McDonnell- Forest View; Evelyn Persinger- Clifton Forge; Virginia Walters- Christiansburg; Rhoda York- Staunton-Augusta.

We commend all the ladies for their legacy and paving the way for the rest of us as we carry on in the AVAVRS. I hope everyone is enjoying the

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cool crisp fall weather.

Remember to let me know if anyone needs cards for sickness, sympathy or good news.

We have already had one death in AVAVRS since conference- Mary Jane “Mickey” Harden of Winchester Auxiliary.

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District 2 Junior Meeting

EMT Competition 1st place Southside Emergency Crew 2nd place Greensville Vol. Rescue Squad

District 2 Junior Meeting

L-R: District 2 Junior VP Elect Maygan Clary and Alternate Arron Whitby

VAVRS District Two Photos from the

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District 2 meeting held August 23rd at Brunswick Vol. Rescue Squad submitted by Danny Clary, NRP May

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Virginia Association of Junior Volunteer Rescue Squad’s Casino Night Submitted by Steve Dove During the 80th Annual VAVRS Conference held in Virginia Beach in September the VAJVRS hosted a Casino Night for everyone to take part in. The event was very well attended by the Juniors that attend the Conference. The Casino Night was such a success the prior year, at this year’s event we tripled the number of gaming tables.

In lieu of the Presidents Reception the Juniors held this event for everyone to take part in. The Sunset Ballroom at the Virginia Beach Resort & Conference Center was transformed into a Vegas style Casino where attendees could learn how to win big at a Blackjack table. They would take their chances on breaking the bank at the Roulette table. They would roll the dice down the Craps table hoping to add to their collection of winning chips. Kids enjoyed spinning the Money Wheel

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to earn more winning tickets to increase their chances at winning one of the great prizes at the end of the night. Participants would watch other players at they placed their bets at the Texas Hold’Em tables.

As the night came to an end the kids turned in their winning tickets for a chance to win from the prize table. Each Junior would also receive a VAJVRS Water Bottle for taking part in the Casino Night.

CVS Pharmacy Stafford Volunteer Rescue Squad Fern Puckett VAVRS H.A. Dove & Sons Kings Dominion Karen Wagner & Gary Dalton We would also like to thank the following sponsors for their financial contribution to help support the Casino Night

We would like to thank the following individuals and businesses that donated prizes for the event: Firehouse Subs Chick-Fil-A Steve Dove LifeCare Medical Transports Tasha Browne Red Lobster

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Photos Taken at VAJVRS Casino Night—Submitted by Steve Dove

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We would also like to thank the following sponsors for their financial contribution to help support the Casino Night:

Special Thanks to our Corporate Sponsor Golden Living Centers Pictured on right is Victoria Fetherolf, Director of Admissions/ Marketing with the VAJVRS Officers.

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From the VAVRS President Submitted by Rickey Hodge, VAVRS President The 80th Conference of the Virginia Association of Volunteer Rescue Squads is in the books !! It was a great week for competitions as well as business being taking care of by the BOG’S. I was so honored to start the week off by having dinner with the Past President’s on Wednesday evening.

I was in a room with men and women that have stood as I do in meetings and honestly face the same issues and just to be with these great people was an honor.

We then had the Opening Ceremony and I stand before you again honored to have Va. Beach Rescue Color Guard present our Flags. As being a Gold Star Parent of our Military I can’t tell you how moved I am when we pay tribute to our Flag and Country. On Thursday the competitions got into full swing as did our first BOG Meeting. This was followed by the 1st Annual Picnic at 4pm at Red Oak Park. I want to thank Bruce Edwards and the City of Va. Beach for all they did to make this event happen The facilities were great to have our picnic. The food was awesome as I have never had a catered meal as good as it was and the price was very affordable. Thanks to Chesterfield Insurers for their support in this. We made the decision early on to discontinue the President’s Reception on Friday night for the cookout. Conference

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or Convention is and should be a family event. It takes families to allow us to serve our communities and we owe each and everyone a good time. I heard many compliments on the cookout and how good it was to share a meal and be able to catch up with old friends. I’m pretty sure everyone who attended was Happy Happy Happy when they left. I look forward to the 2nd Annual Picnic at our next Conference. I was honored to attend the Life Member Breakfast on Friday morning. Over 1900 years of combined service to the Commonwealth of Va. was in attendance this year. True Hero’s each and everyone. I want to welcome Jack Morgan, Doug Eberhardt and Greg Burton as the newest Life Members of our Association. We did not have anyone for the Virginia Lifesaving Hall of Fame this year and I’m sure that there are members worthy of at least a nomination. To nominate someone, go to the vavrs.com

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website and download the application and rules. Remember the application has to be in the State Office by December 31st to be considered for the coming year.

I want to congratulate the newly elected officers for the coming year and look forward to working alongside them. I told them on Sunday morning that I will not ask them to do anything that I won’t do myself and I won’t hesitate to

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do it myself if they won’t or can’t for some reason. I think they know where I’m coming from. We are here to serve you!! The highlight was the Saturday Evening Memorial Service and Awards.

Many thanks to Darlene Ferguson for a very good service to recognize the folks that had passed away this past year. The many awards and the enthusiasm were very overwhelming as there is so much passion by you the members in competing. I would like to thank a few people for making this night very special. Kelly Walters and Wayne Myers who did the Installing of our Officers for the coming year. It was so good to have Kelly back with us this year as he has been absent the last few years taking care of Virginia who

was so ill for a long time. We sure miss her being here. I can tell you that is a home that was full of love and I can just walk in anytime and sit down with them and feel like a son to them. I have a lot of respect for Kelly as he has always been a great friend. The many years of service that he has given the Christiansburg Rescue Squad and now the Riner Rescue Squad speaks as an example to us all what a great hero Kelly is. Wayne and I have known each other since the 8th grade of school and have done a lot together. The statute of limitations doesn’t allow me to elaborate any further. But I can tell you that Wayne and I are great friends and there isn’t much we haven’t done over the years.

Wayne joined Blacksburg Fire-

Rescue in 1976 and has served faithfully since, as Chief for 8 years. To Ford, Ronnie, Jack and Mike... Thanks for your hard work all week long to make this Conference so enjoyable for our members. Thanks to all the judges that come down every year and do such a great job as well. The entire Conference committee did a great job. I thank you. This article would not be complete if I didn’t thank Page Entsminger for the phone calls, support and most of the great friend he is. If we all could be like Page. Love ya buddy. I will close for now and will do my best to see you at a District meeting soon. If I don’t see you, have a Great Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas and be safe.

Photos taken at the VAVRS Conference during the Vehicle Extrication Competition

by Greg Burton and submitted by Kate Burton

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2014 EMS Leadership Challenge Graduation Submitted by Karen Wagner, VAVRS EMS Leadership Challenge Coordinator SEPTEMBER 2014 When the candidates of the EMS Leadership Challenge began the program by attending the Leadership Challenge Summit in June of 2014, each of them came with a different expectation as to what they would acquire out of the program. One common premise, however, was a desire for discovering ways in which they could create success in their lives.

They weren’t looking for the latest fad or “program of the month”, instead each of them were in hopes of capturing a piece of the magic they witnessed in others who they knew to be highly successful leaders. They wanted to emulate those strong role models and Sharpen their Focus, Build their Competence and Ignite their Passion.

by participating in the EMS Leadership Challenge Program.

Each story has a theme that could easily be shared by any agency leaders statewide. It is those who were successful by investing in their learning or learning from the failures of those that disengaged that will help to strengthen our EMS system statewide.

Here are some of the highlights from our graduates of the EMS Leadership Challenge Steven Willougby joined a volunteer agency with a 55 year existence. In his professional life he was employed in a position that immediately gained him respect from his peers, so as a new member, with less than 10 years of service, based on his background, he was asked to take over a major leadership role. Things were not going so well. He had no one to talk to about the challenges he was

At the 80th Anniversary Conference of the Virginia Association of Volunteer Rescue Squads, each of those graduates was given the opportunity to receive certification as a Gold Standard Leader. The graduates were invited to reunite with their fellow classmates from the Summit and to participate in the Gold Standard Leadership Project Presentation Ceremony. At the ceremony, these individuals presented the leadership project they had completed or were currently working on along with a summary of how they had developed their goals, worked on identified competency gaps, and what they felt they had enhanced Official

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facing, this was the first time he lead individuals who were not career subordinates to him and they didn’t respond to the same type of leadership he was accustom to practicing. The agency was struggling to meet its call volumes, and members were leaving because the changes that had to be made were not widely accepted.

Steven thought if he could offer the membership something to draw them to the building, to get them to hang out, he could improve the culture. Challenges included finding funding for needed equipment, there was recruitment of membership, meeting with local government to get by in, and cooperation with other leaders of his and neighboring agencies. Steve stated that “I learned how to delegate which was something I was really bad at, I learned to see the big picture and not to think I was the only one who knew how to do something, and to let other people take the lead, to mentor and to accept mentoring as constructive input. You can’t do everything, pick the thing you want to focus on and do the best you can at it, the other things will fall into place if you stay positive and encourage coordination.”

Missy Tuttle-Ferrio is the PIO for a large metropolitan combination Fire and EMS station.

She was placed in the position to help improve the membership numbers for her agency. She has only been involved with her agency for a little over 2 years and coming into her position, she knew a lot about marketing and recruiting but she knew little about EMS. Her

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the membership probationary process. The agency has over 120 volunteers that serve in a variety of roles. Of the last 10 members who have completed or entered into the new mentoring process, 7 are still an active member which is an 85% increase in the membership turnover rate. “I learned so much about EMS in this program, more than I had in the two years at my agency. I have a new respect for the leaders above me and an even higher respect for those who give of their time freely to make our agency the number one agency in our area.”

challenges started right off the bat. “I didn’t see the road blocks; I just got out there and went for it, you know think outside the box.” Some may think that would set her up for success, however, in EMS and Fire, there is an order and to break into the system one must “work within the system”, see the rank and file and respect the established protocols that make up the history of the service. In the completion of her Myers Briggs assessment, Missy and her mentor noted that her work style was most likely the stumbling block for her. As an owner of an IT company, Missy decided that she could incorporate what she knew best into helping her find out how the membership, leaders and citizens they served wanted to address her challenge. She polled the membership and the leaders separate and together and found that members were “getting left behind once they got in the agency”. She worked with other leaders of her agency to develop check points that were critical in Page

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Jeremy Wampler moved in to a leadership role as a result of changes that occurred to a long standing volunteer agency when it became necessary to incorporate career providers into the rank and file. What Jeremy had once considered his “relax time hanging at the squad” became his profession and being on the employer side of the fence opened his eyes to some of the efficiencies or lack thereof in his

agency. One of the first things Jeremy had to overcome was learning how to communicate with the people he once served alongside of as a volunteer. “At first for some reason, when you start doing EMS as your job, other provides look at you differently, like you are a trader or something, but once they saw me as an advocate that whole environment changed.” Jeremy worked with the membership to develop a mission statement, something he had no idea was even necessary until he came to the Leadership Challenge.

He had never worked as a project leader and in reality he had little experience working on a project team and he credits his learning from the Leadership Challenge for teaching him how to do so. His project helped him to build trust with the membership, to show them the career staff was not there to run them off or take their position, but instead they were there to make them a better organization and make each of the providers better at what they did.

He worked with the membership to develop a program that utilized quality assurance as its measuring tool to assure that current providers were at the needed performance level as well as assure that new providers start out on the right foot. Jeremy worked closely with his mentor during his self study phase of the program. They utilized his Myers Briggs result to determine how he related to people and how he could make changes in his communications to better his mission. His mentor even visited his agency to see his progression which helped Jeremy to test the (Continued on page 36)

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2014 EMS Leadership Challenge...continued (Continued from page 35)

waters before he made enhancements to his agencies processes.

Steve Southworth was pleasantly surprised when he received his Gold Standard Leader Certificate.

When he left the Leadership Challenge Summit he had barely two sentences written out on his one page plan. “Life got in the way”, said Steve, as it does for many leaders and sometimes what seems like a good plan doesn’t always go in the direction you think it should. What carried Steve through to complete his Gold Standard Leadership status were the now two complete pages he had on his “one page” plan the day he came to the presentation ceremony. Steve was very active as a summit participant. He volunteered for the exercises in class, he was one of the first

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candidates to complete his on line assessment and he had his readings and presentation work competed way before the established deadline. The problem he had in completing his project and moving into Gold Standard Leadership status was time. At the time he completed phase one and two of the program, he walked away not knowing for sure if he was going to remain in the same leadership position that his project was focused on. Things turned out that he was elected to serve and remains in that same position, so the hard work had to begin quickly for him to complete his project in a timely manner. All candidates of the Leadership Challenge are required to read the book Monday Morning Leadership. The book breaks down the basics of leadership in a way that allows the candidate to easily compare their role to the eight principles of leadership. Steve found that the book provided him with immediate answers that he could utilize to fulfill the responsibilities of his leadership position, in a time effective manner. Steve stated that in choosing his leadership team, “they interviewed me as much as I interviewed them and creating the team was not easy, I had to let go of the reigns and allow the officers to do what they do best.” Steve also found that “hiring and firing” a person for a volunteer position was challenging but often necessary. “I respected the people who had given years of service, but had to recognize that the positions needed a boost if we were going to advance forward.”

Hire tough and you will succeed in VAVRS

growing a stronger team.

Chris Henderson works for a commercial ambulance service as a manager for a large division of the company. His employer recognized the benefits of having their management team attend the EMS Leadership Challenge and since 2006 has been sending members to receive the training. Chris started his presentation by saying that he more or less was ”made to come to the training, but I learned so much about myself and my leadership style, I will encourage all the members of our leadership team who have not to attend and to make it a priority.” What Chris stated is the most common reaction that candidates of the program have. What started out as “just another leadership program” turned out to be the beginning of lifelong learning. Chris focused on his personal development in the program; he recognized that he had challenges knowing when to talk and when to listen. “Before someone could tell me what they were thinking I was finishing their sentence, I felt like I was wasting time waiting for them to think about what they wanted to say and I had 100 things to do and just wanted them to get it out so I could get to what I needed to do.”

What Chris discovered was he needed to hear what his team was trying to tell him, they weren’t happy and the confusion was frustrating them and he was losing control. When Chris finally realized that he was the problem, he started using the tips he learned at the summit, like Keeping the Main Thing the Main Thing.

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Chris gathered his staff and asked them what would make their scheduling easier so he could make sure shifts were covered in a timely manner. What he found was that there were “16 different ways for a staff member to make a schedule request”. The staff didn’t know what the management wanted from them so he addressed the issue and now the one online process makes it quick, paperless and simple for staff to use. “I listened to the audio book, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. I talk a lot, but until now I don’t think people listen to what I was saying and I wasn’t hearing what they were asking for, that’s different now. It is just one of my skills, but it was the best one to start with and I am glad I did.”

certification, the EMS Leadership Challenge plays an intricate role in the progression of achieving EMS ranking in Virginias EMS System.

The EMS Leadership Challenge was developed as a selfdevelopment leadership program created exclusively for EMS agency leaders through the cooperation of the VAVRS and the VA Office of EMS. As candidates work with professional skills development consultants and instructors, and a system of Accountability Mentors through a program that takes a four step approach to leadership enhancement, the results is the development of well rounded leaders with the skills needed to secure a productive and unified EMS system for Virginia.

Step 1-Complete an online assessment- This identifies your leadership competency strengths and areas for development.

Step 2-Attend the EMS Leadership Challenge Summit- A two day, 16 hour, workshop where you work alongside other EMS leaders like yourself solving common agency problems, identifying your personal

leadership goals, and focusing on core EMS leadership success competencies. At the summit you meet your personal Accountability Mentor who will be available to help you through your self-study development to help assure your success.

Step 3-Self Study- You will customize your personal One Page Plan. Your plan will include required readings, exercises and applications that build on your strengths and focus on opportunities for your development. In this phase your Accountability Mentor will be available to assist you to reach a predetermined plateau in your program participation process.

Step 4-Complete “Gold Standard Leadership Project”. Candidates choose a leadership project utilizing their newly developed skills. They complete a project plan, keep a project journal, write a final thesis and present their project results to a team of EMS professionals.

The EMS Leadership Challenge enhancing the EMS system one Leader at a time.

The EMS Leadership Challenge in its 10 years of existence has gained statewide recognition as the Gold Standard in EMS Leadership training. As the Office of EMS moves forward with the development of EMS Officer

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Ebola Information for EMS Providers regions of concern.

Symptoms occur abruptly and include: * Early: sudden high fever, headache, chills, muscle aches * Late: skin rash, followed by nausea, vomiting, chest pain, sore throat, abdominal pain, diarrhea, bleeding inside and outside of the body

Submitted by Karen Wagner, VAVRS IDC Coordinator On August 6, 2014, members of the World Health Organization (WHO) officially declared Ebola a public health emergency of international concern. Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) also known as Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever is one of the world’s most virulent diseases and is transmitted through direct contact with the blood or bodily fluids of an infected symptomatic person or through exposure to objects (such as needles) that have been contaminated with infected secretions. The WHO has announced a cumulative total of 1,779 suspected and confirmed cases of EVD throughout Africa with 961 deaths to date. Although no human illness has ever been acquired or transmitted in the Unites States, there is potential for EMS providers to come in contact with the virus through infected people who have returned from or been exposed to individuals returning from the

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*Symptoms become increasingly severe; may include jaundice, severe weight loss, mental confusion, shock, multi‐ organ failure Incubation period ranges from 2‐ 21 days; 8‐10 days is most common.

The disease is not communicable until the patient begins exhibiting signs and symptoms of the illness.

If the patient is exhibiting symptoms consistent with Ebola, especially if there is also fever, providers should ask if the patient

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has recently traveled or been in contact with anyone who has traveled to or through West Africa during the previous 21 days, particularly the countries of Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone.

As with other viruses and possible communicable diseases, when caring for patients suspected of exhibiting signs of the Ebola virus, providers need to practice meticulous Body Substance Isolation (BSI) procedures which should include but may not be limited to: * Proper and often hand washing with soap or alcohol‐based hand sanitizer * Proper wearing and disposing of exam gloves when caring for patient * Changing of gloves between patient * Use of gowns, masks and eye

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protection if exposure to bodily fluid is evident or suspected * Limiting use of needles and other sharps * Avoiding aerosol generating procedures, if possible * Proper handling and disposal of sharps * Cleaning and sanitizing of equipment and vehicles after patient care including thorough cleaning of all surfaces in the ambulance using a bleach solution, and the cleaning of all equipment with a bleach solution and or alcohol�based equipment cleaner. BE SURE TO WEAR RUBBER GLOVES FOR YOUR PROTECTION WHEN CLEANING. * Consider washing all squad uniforms at the squad/station and leaving all uniform parts including boots at the squad for protection of family members * Leave all disposable equipment

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that is used, including gloves, masks, gowns, eye protection, sharps, etc. at the ED in proper containers for proper disposal.

If you need additional guidance on BSI procedures or the use of BSI equipment, you may contact the Virginia Department of Health (VDH), Office of Emergency Medical Services, Division of Emergency Operations or Division of Education and Development.

To find out more information about Ebola virus, visit http:// www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/index.html or http://www.astho.org/GlobalHealth/WHO-Statement-ECEbola_8Aug2014/

Suspected cases of Ebola must be reported to the VDH local health departments immediately for follow�up.

If you think that you have been exposed to Ebola virus or exhibit any of the above symptoms you should advise the hospital caregivers, contact your healthcare provider and your public health office.

Early identification of symptoms and implementation of proper body substance control measures are key factors in preventing further transmission of this virus.

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From the VAVRS Vice President Submitted by Kim Craig, VAVRS Vice President As I left the conference it is hard to explain the feelings that I had.

I am excited to be your Vice President and looking forward to the coming year. I already have many travels scheduled. I attended Vinton Rescue Squad on Sunday, October 5th in Celebration of 75 years of Service. On October 11th, I will be attending the Celebration of 60 years at Manchester Rescue Squad. Congratulations to Vinton Rescue and Manchester for many years of providing exceptional pre hospital care to their community.

Again 2014 Conference was a success. Thanks to everyone in the planning of the event. Let us not forget Kathy and Francis for their hard work. Please if you have any ideas and or things that you liked about the Conference please do not hesitate to contact the Conference Committee. It takes a lot of coordination to have Conference so make sure to Thank the ones that get the work done.

There is a lot of behind the scenes work that begins way before one conference ends to plan the next.

Spread the word to others about what a great training, networking and fun opportunity Conference is.

Over and Over again I have heard how great the seminars were. We need to remember this in our future planning of marketing the Conference.

of VAVRS. It was so much fun to talk about things from the past, traditions and what the future could bring. I am looking forward to doing this again next year.

Congratulations to all the competition teams. Whether you received a trophy or not everyone is a winner. Competing is so much fun. It gives you the chance to practice your skills. It is not about winning it is what you learn from the experience and working together as a team.

involved? We must sell ourselves.

It has been discussed in meetings and amongst the District VP’s the importance of marketing. About how important it is that our members understand and can speak to the value and to the resources that VAVRS offers.

One of our goals is to put some speaking points together so that we can communicate a consistent message of what VAVRS can do for you.

I encourage everyone to make every effort to attend your District Meetings. Encourage other agencies and members to attend them as well. The information that is given out at these meetings is important and could affect how your agency operates. It also gives you the chance to meet the Officers that represent and work for you across the State.

I would like to thank StauntonAugusta Rescue Squad for supporting me for the office of VAVRS Vice President. My involvement with the Squad led me to my involvement with VAVRS. I have learned so much through my many years at Staunton-Augusta Rescue Squad. Sometimes easy lessons and sometimes very hard lessons. But no matter what, it has and continues to be a joyous ride.

The best recruiters for our association is ourselves. Who can better convey the message of what VAVRS is and what VAVRS can do for you than those that are

Most of all I would like to Thank my husband, John, who has stood by me through thick and thin. He has not only stood by me but with me. My many accomplishments

The picnic in Virginia Beach at Conference was the best. It was a great chance to eat, relax and visit with each other. I met so many members and Life members Official

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Photos taken at the VAVRS Conference during the Vehicle Extrication Competition by Greg Burton and submitted by Kate Burton could not have been done without his love and support.

Holidays are approaching very quickly. Remember to take this time to be Thankful for what you have. Remember we continually enjoy our freedom because of the men and women who fight for our country and who have fought for our freedom. They give up their time with family during the holidays so that we can enjoy the holidays with our families. God Bless them.

Wishing you and your family a very special Holiday season!!!

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“Wall of Honor” A Tribute to Glenn Drumheller Submitted by Kim Craig, Life Member of Staunton-Augusta County Rescue Squad, VAVRS Vice President How many of us can say we have a “Wall of Honor”…

Well… Glenn E. Drumheller can.

Glenn is celebrating 45 years of service with the Staunton-Augusta County First Aid & Rescue Squad, Inc. Glenn E. Drumheller joined the Squad in 1969 when Richard M. Nixon was inaugurated as the 37th President of the United States, Apollo 11 astronauts take man’s first walk on the moon, Sesame Street debuts, the Woodstock festival, Average cost of a house was $15,550.00, average income per year was $8,550.00, a new car cost $3,270.00 and the most popular toys were GI Joe and Barbie. William H. “Bill” Baker was VAVRS President, East Hanover Rescue Squad began operation, Southside Emergency Crew dedicated their new headquarters, Lynchburg Life Saving Crew celebrated its 35th anniversary, the Auxiliary Eastern District approved the creation of Northeastern and Southeastern District, Spring BOG was May 10 and Convention was August 22.

Times have changed but one thing that hasn’t changed is Glenn’s loyalty, dedication and commitment to the StauntonAugusta County Rescue Squad.

Glenn has devoted his life to serving the squad and the community. During his time with

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the squad, he has served as President, Vice President, Secretary, Maintenance, Lieutenant, Captain and Fund Drive Chairman for numerous years.

Glenn was presented with Life Membership to the StauntonAugusta County First Aid & Rescue Squad in 1980. This is an honor that is earned, not just for years of service but involvement as an officer and different committees.

His involvement with the Squad led him to his involvement with VAVRS. He served as District 1 VP for eight terms. The VAVRS Life Membership Committee makes recommendations to the Board of Governors annually at Conference to elevate a member who the committee deems has rendered a great service to the Association to the status of Life Member. Glenn E. Drumheller was bestowed the honor of Life Membership to VAVRS in 2000 for his great service to the Association. He continues to serve the Squad as our Wednesday dispatcher. He also serves District 1 on the Life Membership committee for the District.

He was one of the first to receive District 1 Life Membership. He attends Conference every year and participates in the BOG meetings.

out the most.

The VAVRS Vice President’s award is one that he received more than once.

Glenn proudly shows his wall to family and friends. I wanted to show it to you because we are the lucky ones to know him, to be friends with him and for him to be the one who represents our squad.

Thank you Glenn, for your many years of service. I am sure that there will be many more to come and we can keep adding to your wall.

Congratulations to the StauntonAugusta County Rescue Squad Vehicle Rescue Team for winning first place. This is the third time our team has won the Ronald Brubeck Memorial, 1st Place –

The “Wall of Honor” consist of awards from Years of service with the Squad, District 1 and VAVRS. His Life Membership plaques stand VAVRS

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Dunlap Volunteer Fire and Rescue - 50 Years of Service Submitted by Kevin Dillard, Administrative Chief, Chancellor Volunteer Fire and Rescue Charter, life, and current members of Dunlap Volunteer Fire and Rescue recently gathered with invited guests to celebrate the founding of the Department in July 1964.

In a surprise tribute to the Department members, the Chancellor Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department (Spotsylvania County) Honor Guard traveled to Covington to take part in the festivities. Members of the Honor Guard making the trip to Dunlap were Kurt Murray, Bill Bryce, Tony Dennis, Matt Burgett and piper Dan Butler.

Chancellor Volunteer Fire and Rescue Honor Guard - Left to right: Bill Bryce, Tony Dennis, Dan Butler, Kurt Murray, Matt Burgett

After the invocation led by William "Perry" Vail, charter and life member of Dunlap, all enjoyed a scrumptious meal prepared and served by A Cut Above Catering from Boones Mill, VA. Guest speaker for the evening was Mr. Jimmy Byer, 2nd Vice President of the Virginia State Firefighters Association.

While there were many memorable moments throughout the evening the most long-lasting was the presentation by the Chancellor Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department Honor Guard to the Dunlap membership of a Department flag. Each time it flies, it will be a symbol of pride and a reminder of the service the men and women of the Department have made and continue to make to the citizens of western Alleghany County.

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Left to right above: Assistant Chief D. Paxton, Vice President/Fire First LT R. Knick, President/Fire First LT K. Morris, Chief T. Mullins, Treasurer R. Keen, Rescue LT L. Cartwright, Sergeant-at-Arms D. Bruce, D.Altizer May

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Back to the Basics...Leadership 101 to provide yourself and others with MEASURABLE RESULTS.

Submitted by Karen Wagner, Coordinator EMS Leadership Challenge During the interview process with the Nominating Committee, candidates were asked the question “At the end of the year, how will you measure how successful you were in your office?” Wow, what a great question to ask a candidate seeking support and what a super topic to start off my article… Back to the Basics…Leadership 101.

First…To be successful at anything, you must determine what it is you want to do…SET A GOAL. Next, you have to outline a course to get you to your goal …DEVELOP AN ACTION PLAN, and finally you have to determine how long or how much time you will allow yourself to reach your goal…

MAKE A TIME LINE. If all goes well you will be successful and most certainly will be able Official

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It is important for every officer to provide those they represent with measurable results. It holds the officer accountable, it allows members to verify results, and it allows the organization to stay focused on its mission. At the VAVRS the tradition has been to provide that information to the membership by means of the officer and committee reports thus the first step in showing measurable results is to make sure you journal your actions and results and provide a report at every meeting your attend. Base your report on actions not obligations.

Measurable results are not for the purpose of trying to determine if an individual was the right person for the job or popular with the membership of the organization, instead the results are to be used for the purpose of knowing how far the organization has advanced, remained stable, or needs to change in order to continue their mission based on the actions of the leader reporting.

As a leader you have to visit your Action Plan on a regular basis when you are working toward a goal. Things change and failure to review your action plan will not allow you to VAVRS

update your direction based on the results you are experiencing. Sometimes the rules, bylaws, or operating procedures get in the way of reaching your goal and if you are not reviewing your action plan you will not be able to determine what is holding you back from success.

Each office is obligated through its job description to provide a specific function.

Let’s use the job description/ duties of the Chaplain as an example…. The Chaplain is to provide supportive care with substantive content to our membership. What if that care included but goes beyond the comfort of a listening ear.

What if the members could utilize the Chaplain to help reduce conflict at their squad?

What if the Chaplain was someone in the organization who, when invited, could help coach staff and management to communicate with one another in a healthier way? What if the

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What was planned, has it been carried out What were the results of problem solving Results of Actions not records of obligations What should not be measured?

How “many” of anything you did Chaplain could help increase management effectiveness through improving communications, what if the Chaplain could help to show an agency how to better address these issues? These are GOALS…. This is how an officer should sets goals; take your job description, look at the needs of your membership, and determine what you want to do to address those needs so as to make the organization stronger.

happier, and more productive EMS system statewide. This is your ACTION PLAN.

The number of phone calls, visits, and miles traveled or meetings attended.

Now you are ready for MEASURABLE RESULTS… set yourself up for success, think about what is offered as a service and how in your role as an officer will you address that service to meet the needs of the membership.

When an officer starts thinking about how they are going to reach a goal, they have to think far beyond their duties and job description, they should be thinking about the membership, reflecting on the boots on the ground, the people who spend the majority of their working lives out on the street providing care to the sick and injured. Some may say you need to think outside the box… but the true leader will forget there is a box and instead not waste time but take the opportunity to help to create a climate that makes providers better people, thus the byproduct will be a better,

Do you possess the skills and knowledge bases required to deal with the various types of demands which your office faces and what is available at the present

To serve as an officer your Goals, Action Plan, Time Line and Measurable Results must focus on addressing member needs. You have to be engaged with the membership, the EMS system, and the mission of the organization. Your members will hold you accountable, they want you to provide reports at each meeting, articles in each issue of the Lifeline and they need you to work closely with the other members of your leadership team to assure that you are meeting your obligation as an officer. So….what are your goals, what should we expect to see as your plan of action, and this year what will your measurable results be?

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What will be measured?

What our members needs and wants are

Do you have any supporting materials required for your office to deliver its service and what is available at present Do you have information requested by members and are we appropriately communicating this What were the reasons for ‘failed’ interactions if and when they occur What were the successes in meeting members demand

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Dear Rescue Ranger Dear Rescue Ranger, We were discussing behavioral emergencies in EMT class the other night and someone asked, “What do you call a patient that is afraid of Santa Claus? I didn’t know, do you?

R. A. Dear Randy, Yes, they are Claustrophobic.

Dear Rescue Ranger, I saw you volunteering at the mall and helping Santa hand out presents and candy. You didn’t look happy. Why was Santa's little helper depressed?

S. W. Dear Scott, I guess I was suffering from low elf esteem.

Dear Rescue Ranger, My children and I made a huge snowman and they were wondering what you feed a snowman for breakfast. Do you know?

G. B. Dear Gary, Ice Crispies Dear Rescue Ranger, Tell me a Christmas story that I can share with the crew at our holiday party.

M. B. Dear Mike, T'was the night before Christmas and all through the EMT’s house, Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. The stockings were hung by the chimney with care.

They'd been worn all week and needed the air.

Dear Rescue Ranger, I grew up believing that Santa has 9 reindeer. I heard you think that is incorrect. What makes you think so?

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W. S. Dear Warren, There are twelve. Just listen to the song, "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer". Sure, in the introduction it goes "There's Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen, Comet and Cupid and Donner and Blitzen..." That makes eight reindeer. Then there's Rudolph, of course, so that makes nine. Then there's Olive. You know, "Olive the other reindeer used to laugh..." That makes ten. The eleventh is Hal. You know, "Then Hal, the reindeer loved him..."

Eleven reindeer. Oh, and number 12? That's Andy! "Andy shouted out with glee." The proof is in the song!

Dear Rescue Ranger, Last week our squad was called to a retired NASA employee’s home.

The former astronaut had a severe rash on the planter surface of both feet. He could barely walk and was in extreme pain. We documented his severe athlete’s foot and transported. Neat guy to talk to, just thought I would share.

S. S. Dear Mr. Southworth, You may want to put an addendum on your ePCR because if athletes get athletes foot, astronauts get ………..Missletoe!

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Dear Rescue Ranger, My son asked me the other day, “Dad, you are a trained rescue technician, what would you do if Santa got stuck in our chimney?

I didn’t know what to tell him, can you help.

Bubby Dear Bubby, Tell him you will pour Santa flush on him!

Dear Rescue Ranger, What’s a good tip for the holiday?

B B Dear Bubby, Never catch snowflakes with your tongue until all the birds have gone south for the winter.

Q: What Christmas song is hidden in the alphabet: A B C D E F G H I JKMNOPQRSTUVWXY Z? A: Noel (No "L") Knock knock *Who's there?

Mary! *Mary who?

Merry Christmas

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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 Virginia Association of Volunteer Rescue Squads, Inc. PO Box 279 2535 Turkey Creek Road Oilville, VA 23129 (800)833-0602

(804)749-8191

Website: www.vavrs.com Email: vavrs@vavrs.com

HAVING AN IN-DEPTH UNDERSTANDING OF YOUR NEEDS AND GOALS IS THE WAY WE SERVE YOU The Virginia Association of Volunteer Rescue Squads is THE voice of EMS…. the advocate for our members, Virginia’s EMS agencies and providers. We link members and agencies for the purpose of sharing ideas, giving you a voice at the General Assembly, on state advisory boards, as well as on state and local committees.

When our members have training issues or needs, they come to the VAVRS. When our members need assistance from leadership to budgets they come to the VAVRS. We help rescue squads throughout the Commonwealth thrive and succeed so they can provide prompt, effective patient care 24/7 in the communities they serve.

Celebrating our 80th Anniversary