Lifeline mar apr 2015

MARCH / APRIL 2015

VIRGINIA LIFELINE

P a g e 2 O f f i c i a l P u b l i c a t i o n o f t h e V A V R S

J a n u a r y / F e b r u a r y 2 0 1 5 P a g e 3

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

2014-2015 VAVRS Committee Chairs

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

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

2014-2015 VAVRS Officers

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

President Victoria Gaudin

Vice President Elizabeth Pittman

Secretary/Treasurer Savannah Hise

Historian Cara Beasley

Chaplain TBA

2014-2015 VAJVRS Officers

Advisor, Chair Alfred Smith

Advisor Brandon Baugus

Advisor Woody Conner

Advisor Micky Grodski


For a complete list of the current

courses being

offered by the

VAVRS—go to

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 [email protected]

Deadline for future issues as follows:

April 1, 2015 for May/June 2015 Issue

June 1, 2015 for the July/August 2015 Issue

August 1, 2015 for the September/October 2015 Issue

September 1, 2015 for the 2015 Conference 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 protected]

Requests for advertising

rates, material

specifications and

deadlines should be

directed to the Editor.

President - Sharon Campbell

Vice President - Harry Householder

Secretary - Dolores Hudson

Treasurer - Patsy Wingfield

Chaplain - Ailease Short

Historian - Linda Berkstresser

Parliamentarian - Maxie Skeen

2014-2015 AVAVRS Officers

Immediate Past President - Fern Puckett

Midwestern VP - Nancy Linkous

Northeastern VP - Debbie Smallwood

Southcentral VP - Clara Craig

Southeastern VP - Roger Lynthlin

Southwestern VP - Valarie Becker

Western VP - Janis Slough

Conference: Vickie Arnold

Conference: Sheila Gordon

Nominating: Ruth Swicegood

Life Membership: Carolyn Brand

Emergency Care: Laura Booze

Resolutions: Maxie Skeen

2014-2015 AVAVRS Committee Chairs

Membership: Patsy Wingfield

Finance: Harry Householder

Roll Call: Donna Porter

Roll Call: Valarie Becker

Fundraising: Stacey Frame

Fundraising: Tracey Frame

M a r c h / A p r i l 2 0 1 5 P a g e 5

After you have received enough

information and reviewed the

statements the committee may

be expanded to a larger forum.

These Mission Statements and/

or Core Values do not have to

be a lengthy epistle. If you

have a one page top to bottom

Mission Statement who [your

members or the community] will

read the entire statement or

remember what it says. My

squad [Forest View] had a very

lengthy mission statement

which was good and stated

what we believed as our service

to the community and values of

the membership. Recently at a

Membership Meeting our Chief

[Dave Johnston] asked, during

his report, did anyone know the

points in the Mission

Statement? Everyone looked

like a “deer in headlights”. No

one knew what they were. A

committee was formed and new

Core Values and Mission

Statement was voted on by the

Does your Squad have a Mission Statement?

Membership as a part of the

Bylaws. These simple but

powerful statements are easy

to learn. They encourage our

members as Professionals as

they serve our community and

squad with PRIDE.

Our Core Values are:

Professionalism

Respect

Integrity

Dedication

Enthusiasm

Our Mission Statement:

“PRIDE IN SERVICE TO

OTHERS”

Once your Values are voted on,

you may have them framed or a

plaque made. They should be

placed on display where all who

enter your squad will see what

your squad stands for in its

Mission, its Values and its

Service to the Community.

Submitted by Fran Phillips, Recruitment & Retention Committee Chair

Mission Statements and Core

Values are important. They tell

what your Rescue Squad stands

for and its commitment to the

community. They tell your

membership what you believe

and how they, the members,

should conduct themselves

within the squad and

community.

There are many ways to decide

what these statements should

encompass. The membership

should vote that they want this

type of statement and put a

designated time when the

Mission Statement and/or Core

Values should be presented to

the membership for

acceptance. Six months is a

good length of time.

First form a committee. This

committee should be small to

begin with. The initial

committee should include the

President, Chief, Secretary and

Parliamentarian. They may

start their task by asking

other squads, fire

departments, hospitals, etc. if

they have such a statement

and/or core values and if they

do ask them to send the

committee a copy.


P a g e 7 M a r c h / A p r i l 2 0 1 5


They are:

Mary Jane “Mickey” Harden

of Millwood Station, formerly

Winchester Auxiliary.

Mary Senger of Waynesboro

Auxiliary

Kitty Barrack of Woodstock

Auxiliary

Gayle Ragland of Bensley -

Bermuda Auxiliary

Submitted by Ailease Short

Before we know it, Spring

Officers Meeting will be here.

It seems to have been a fast

year already. Hope everyone

has had nice winter and stayed

warm.

In the AVAVRS we have thus

far had four deaths that I am

aware of.

AVAVRS Chaplain If there are more please let

me know. For the Auxiliaries

listed above, I am asking

someone to please send me a 4

X 6 photo, survivors, and any

auxiliary and rescue work these

ladies were a part of. It would

be nice if any of you are coming

to Spring Officers to bring me

the info and pictures then.

District V.P.’s, if you have

another meeting before Spring

Officers please bring this up

and help spread the word. All

of these ladies played an

important part in our growth

and deserves to be

remembered at Conference at

the Memorial Service.

There has been much sickness

and sympathy throughout our

AVAVRS already this year.

Please remember our friends

with cards, prayers and calls.

If anyone knows of someone

needing card for whatever

reason, please let me know.

Thanks for all you do for our

association and hope to see

some of you at Spring Officers.

Is so, request an application.

Applications must be approved

by their District and then sent

to the Life Member

Chairperson 90 days before

the Conference. So don’t wait

too long to start this process.

To request an application, email

or call Carolyn Brand:

[email protected] or

804-746-2289.

Submitted by Carolyn Brand

Now is the time to begin the

process of submitting someone

for Life Member of the

AVAVRS. To be voted a Life

Member in the AVAVRS is the

highest honor one can receive

in this organization. Is there

someone in your Auxiliary who

is deserving and has met the

qualifications for this award?

AVAVRS Life Membership Chair

mailto:[email protected]

Submitted by Jill Stachowski

Hello from Waynesboro. Well

in October we had a wonderful

movie night at our building, we

were all present at Mom

Sanger’s funeral. She was our

last chapter member, she was

96 years old.

Danny has put up new ceiling

tiles in the multipurpose room

we also went to the district

meeting . We gave the crew and

their families a Thanksgiving

dinner. The Junior banquet

was at Masaki's this year in

Staunton. We had our annual

vectors Christmas meal, they

loved it and we look forward to

it every year. We continue to

cook for drills on Thursday

night and provide Friday

morning breakfasts. We also

held the crews children's

Christmas party with Santa

Claus. We bought and donated

a new microwave for the ACR

group. The crew hosted a

blood drive with some auxiliary

members participating. We had

our annual New Year's Eve

party which was wonderful.

The crew gave us our auxiliary

banquet with our new 2015

officers. The auxiliary donated

$1000 to a crew member, Chris

Ott, whom is battling cancer.

We also hosted the Mason’s

banquet at our building. The

auxiliary voted to buy some new

stuff for our kitchen including

much needed cutting boards.

We hope everyone is staying

warm and can't wait to see

everyone at the next district

meeting .

Waynesboro FAC Auxiliary

P a g e 9 M a r c h / A p r i l 2 0 1 5

CSRS Crew Member Ryan Boughal, with the help

of Auxiliary Member Barbara Chase, demonstrates

the new Stryker Stair Chair to the members of the

CSRS Auxiliary during their January meeting.

Representatives from the VAVRS attend the Virginia

Legislature in January, 2015

L-R Steve Grayson, Steve Southworth, Rickey Hodge, Bubby

Bish, Kim Craig and Victoria Gaudin.

The 60 Second Parliamentarian Tip

Submitted by J.C. Phillips, VAVRS Parliamentarian

The following information is

true. It shows that a

Parliamentarian has no

authority when making a ruling.

Only the President and/or the

Membership has the authority

to accept a ruling or not to.

A squad’s Executive Board took

disciplinary action against one

of its members. The member

decided to appeal the decision

of the Executive Board to the

General Membership as

covered in the squad’s bylaws.

After all of the information

was presented to the

membership, a motion was made

to dismiss the disciplinary

action imposed on the member.

The motion failed by one vote

of a 2/3 vote as required to

override the decision

of the Executive

Board. The bylaws

state that it takes a

2/3 vote to override

the decision of the

Executive Board when

dealing with

disciplinary action.

The President stated

since the vote was so

close, he would call for

another vote. The

Parliamentarian told

the President that

this was out of order

because the result of

the vote has already

In conclusion, the

Parliamentarian did his job,

even if the President and the

Membership did not do theirs.

been decided and the decision

of the Executive Board still

stands. The President stated

that the members will vote

again since the vote was so

close. He instructed a member

to go to the dispatching area

and tell anyone there to come

to the meeting and vote on the

motion that he says is still on

the floor. The vote was taken

again and the motion passed

this time by two votes over the

2/3 vote required. The

disciplinary action taken by the

Executive Board was dismissed.

The two sad things about this

whole situation was that the

President took it upon himself

not to follow proper

parliamentary procedure and

also, not one member said

anything about what had

happen.

P a g e 1 0 O f f i c i a l P u b l i c a t i o n o f t h e V A V R S

P a g e 1 1 M a r c h / A p r i l 2 0 1 5


Tech. This is a great time to

exchange ideas and learn in a

relaxed atmosphere. I am

working on the class schedule

and I think that you will find

that there is something for

everyone. The $50.00 fee

covers the two day class, a

picnic on Friday night and

snacks galore. Make your

reservations now!

Conference Chair, Vickie

Arnold, Conference Co-Chair,

Sheila Gordon and I have

updated the Conference

Brochure which should be

available after SOW. Our

agenda pretty well stays the

same and following is a list of

the reports and their due

dates. It is very important

that you fill out these reports

and return them to the

appropriate individual by the

date due.

Submitted by Sharon Kartlet Campbell, AVAVRS President

As I sit here at my desk

looking out at the world, the

sun is shining but it is cold,

cold, cold. It is hard to believe

that the first month of 2015 is

just a memory.

Since the first of the year, I

have installed the officers of

the Auxiliary to the Staunton-

Augusta Rescue Squad

Auxiliary and attended the

Southwestern District meeting

in Saltville. It is always great

traveling around the state

visiting with all of my friends

We have some important dates

coming up and I want to keep

you in the loop so hopefully you

can make plans to attend. April

11, 2015, we will be holding the

Spring Officers’ Workshop in

Fredericksburg. You are

welcome to attend but I do ask

that you let me know you plan

to be there so that we will have

adequate seating. May 7th

through 9th ,are the dates of

the VAVRS Camporee in Buena

Vista. This is a fun event for

the entire family. I have

spoken with Ronnie Slough and

he would love for members of

the Auxiliary to provide

desserts for the Saturday

night picnic. June 19th and

20th are the dates of the

Rescue College Auxiliary

Management Class at Virginia

Important Upcoming Dates from the AVAVRS President

LIFE MEMBERSHIP

NOMINATIONS

THURS, JUNE 25, 2015

AUXILIARY PRESIDEN’T

ANNUAL REPORT

SAT., JULY 25, 2015

AUXILIARY OF THE YEAR

SAT., JULY 25, 2015

AVAVRS CONFERENCE

QUESTIONNAIRE

SAT., AUGUST 1, 2015

AVAVRS CHAPLAIN’S

REPORT

SAT., AUGUST 1, 2015

AVAVRS OUTSTANDING

SERVICE AWARD

NOMINATION

MON., AUGUST 24, 2015

AUXILIARY/DISTRICT

SCRAPBOOKS


AVAVRS EMERGENCY CARE


AVAVRS ROLL CALL

DELEGATE FORM


I look forward to seeing many

of you in the coming months

and please let me know if you

have any questions or concerns.

P a g e 1 3 M a r c h / A p r i l 2 0 1 5

thoughtful and collaborative

discussions with our EMS

partner organizations, the

board voted to move to

Virginia,” she said. “This change

will enable NEMSMS to

strengthen its focus on what

we do best, which is planning

and executing a meaningful

memorial service and

supporting the families who

lost a loved one in the line of

duty.”

“The state of Colorado and the

city of Colorado Springs,

particularly the citizens and

volunteers in the EMS

community, have been so

supportive of the National EMS

Memorial Service and we can’t

thank them enough for their

gracious hospitality, their

spirit of cooperation and their

compassion for EMS families

during the past five years,”

continued Williams. “It has

been a privilege to hold the

NEMSMS in such a

breathtaking setting.” Williams

noted that the June 2015

service will take place in

Colorado Springs.

The National EMS Memorial

Service traces its beginnings to

the early 1990s in Virginia,

when several members of the

Virginia Association of

Volunteer Rescue Squads

(VAVRS) wanted to recognize

EMS providers who sacrificed

their lives while in service to

Submitted by Sara Hunt

Decision enables NEMSMS

to better collaborate and

consolidate resources for

the annual memorial

service that honors fallen

EMS providers and

supports their families

Service in 2015 will be

held in Colorado Springs,

Colo.; Service in 2016 will

be held in Virginia

January 14, 2015 10:00 AM

Eastern Standard Time

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.--

(BUSINESS WIRE)--The

National EMS Memorial Service

(NEMSMS), held in Colorado

Springs, Colo. since June 2010,

will transition its location to

Virginia effective with the

memorial service in 2016. Prior

to 2010, the NEMSMS had

been held in Virginia, where it

was founded, for over 15 years.

The announcement of the move

was made today by the

NEMSMS board of directors.

“Each year, the memorial

service holds a special place in

the hearts of all EMS

providers and their families.”

According to Jana Williams,

president of NEMSMS, the

decision was prompted by the

board’s desire to unify and

consolidate efforts by several

groups wanting to honor fallen

EMS providers. “After many

National EMS Memorial Service to

Transition from Colorado to Virginia

save others. Held in Roanoke,

Va., for many years before

going to Colorado Springs, the

inspirational memorial service

includes an Honor Guard, a

National Moment of Silence, a

special presentation to the

families and a tribute video,

among other uplifting

remembrances, before

concluding with a flyover by air

medical agencies.

“We support the decision by

the National EMS Memorial

Service to move to Virginia,”

said Steven Sweeney, co-

founder and board chair of the

Air Medical Memorial in

Littleton, Colo. “It allows the

NEMSMS to take advantage of

significant efforts already

underway in that area—a win

for everyone. We look forward

to attending their impressive

ceremony in Virginia in 2016.”

Sweeney noted that Colorado

will continue to be the home of

the Air Medical Memorial “We

are proud that several

significant memorial events to

honor fallen first responders

(Continued on page 15)


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and increase collaboration

amongst the many groups that

seek to honor our fallen EMS

professionals. We are proud

that the history of the

NEMSMS includes a chapter in

Colorado and we will continue to

support the efforts in

Virginia.”

“It is heartening to see the

collaborative efforts that have

transpired recently to enhance

will remain in Colorado,” he

said.

“The Virginia Office of EMS

has been an ardent supporter

of the National EMS Memorial

Service since its inception,”

said Gary R. Brown, director,

Virginia Office of EMS. “We

are excited about the decision

of the NEMSMS board of

directors to return to Virginia

and we continue to support its

mission to honor EMS providers

who have died in the line of

duty.”

Randy Kuykendall, director,

Health Facilities and EMS

Division for the State of

Colorado, also expressed

support for the NEMSMS to

return to its roots in Virginia.

“We are proud to have hosted

the NEMSMS for the last

several years,” he said.

“However, we support the move

and applaud the goal to

consolidate duplicative efforts

(Continued from page 14)

the service. This builds on the

foundation created over 20

years ago to honor our fallen

EMS providers,” said Kevin

Dillard, founder of NEMSMS.

“Each year, the memorial

service holds a special place in

the hearts of all EMS

providers and their families.”

“For over two decades, the

National EMS Memorial Service

has offered comfort, created

lasting memories and paid

honor to families whose loved

one made the ultimate

sacrifice,” concluded Jana

Williams. “Our future memorial

ceremonies in Virginia will

certainly build on the rich

traditions established during

our very special stay in

Colorado Springs.”

More information about the

transition of the NEMSMS to

Virginia and about the location

of the service in 2016 will be

forthcoming at a later date.

P a g e 1 5 M a r c h / A p r i l 2 0 1 5

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LIFECARE MEDICAL TRANSPORTS SHARES LIFE-SAVING SKILLS

Submitted by Thomas McGowan Customer Relations-LIFECARE Medical Transports, Inc.

As EMS providers, we can all

share in the frustration and

sadness of arriving on the

scene of a cardiac arrest to

find that by-standers have not

initiated CPR. Quite often the

reason for withholding this life

-saving act is the fear that

performing CPR incorrectly

would either cause further

harm to the victim or have legal

repercussions. The American

Heart Association (AHA)

recognized that because by-

stander CPR is often critical to

successful cardiac

resuscitations, lay public CPR

training needed to be simplified

and more easily accessed.

On December 16, 2014,

LifeCare Medical Transports

provided more than 30

employee family members and

visitors to their corporate

office in Fredericksburg with

“Friends and Family CPR Kits.”

The kits were distributed

through an American Heart

Association Community CPR

Anytime Program for people

residing in the Fredericksburg

area. The non-certification CPR

training kit comes with not only

an instructional DVD, but also

an inflatable CPR manikin for

hands-on practice of CPR skills.

Recipients of the kits were

asked to use the kits to train

at least four other people how

to do CPR. Many employees who

received the kits were

appreciative of this new

opportunity to teach their non-

EMS family members just how

important it is for by-standers

to initiate CPR, and how easy it

now is to recognize cardiac

arrest and perform this

potentially life-saving skill.

In 2005, the AHA introduced

“Hands-Only” CPR which took

the often dreaded breathing

step out of CPR. The AHA also

began the production of

Friends and Family CPR kits

that provided simple CPR

training that the lay public

could use on their own time. By

2010, the AHA created several

short, simple, and in some cases

entertaining videos, that

spread the word through social

media that, “It is better to do

CPR on someone who doesn’t

need it, than to withhold it

from someone who does.”

LIFECARE MEDICAL TRANSPORTS HOLDS COMMUNITY CLASSES

Submitted by Thomas McGowan Customer Relations-LIFECARE Medical Transports, Inc.


has teamed up with local Babies

R Us locations to provide new

parents with First Aid and CPR

Skills.

This class teaches new parents

the importance of knowing

First Aid kits are a very

important

item for

new

parents to

have and

ready for

use. This time is spent

talking about the

important items that need

to be placed in first aid

kits, along with reminding

parents that items in First

Aid Kits expire and that we

need to be checking these

items on a regular basis.

Car Seats have been a question

that a lot of new parents want

to know about as well. What

are the laws concerning having

your child in a Car Seat and

how do we know they are

installed properly. LifeCare has

added a small portion to the

presentation that covers the

basics of Car Seat and the laws

as well as provide each parent

with an informational paper

that gives them additional

resources as well as where they

can go to assure that there Car

Seat is installed properly.

LifeCare’s goal is to at the end

of each class is to assure that

new parents are comfortable

and know what they need to do

in an emergency situation.


has been teaming up with

Babies R Us for about 6 months

now. Classes are held at least

once a month and sometimes

twice a month. When we first

started offering these class’s

First Aid skills and CPR along

with other important safety

tips. The class covers the

Friends and Family CPR for the

adult and child along with

choking, each participant

receives a copy of the Friends

and Family CPR Book. During

the class parents have the

opportunity to practice these

lifesaving skills and ask

questions so that they are

familiar with what should be

done in an emergency situation.

We also discuss the importance

of Child Proofing the house. We

cover the dangers of children

getting into cabinets, being

around water, and stairs.

During this portion of the class

we take the opportunity to talk

about and show some of the

safety items that can be used

to protect children from

dangerous areas in the house.

We also discuss the importance

of placing a Information Sheet

on the refrigerator with

information such as allergies,

phones numbers, and important

health information.

there would be an average of

about 10 – 12 people attending.

Class size has continued to

grow, on average now there are

about 25 – 30 attendees each

class. In the past couple of

months we have taught over

150 new parents important

skills.

LifeCare is pleased with this

opportunity that they have to

team up with Babies R Us and

are continuing to work on other

classes that they can bring out

to the communities that we

serve.

If you would like any additional

information on these classes or

when there will be another

class being held please contact

our offices at 540-752-7721

and ask for the Training

Department.

P a g e 1 7 M a r c h / A p r i l 2 0 1 5

New Parent CPR/First Aid Class

Babies R Us—Woodbridge, VA

Pictured Above: Sue Connors,

Training Coordinator LifeCare

Medical Transports and AHA

Instructor

District Ten News


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VAVRS Chaplain

Nelson Wayne Brookman

Williamson Road LS Crew

Richard Douglas Brown

Buena Vista Rescue Squad

James Hubert Browning

Salem Rescue Squad

Joseph Carderelli

Campbell Co. Rescue Squad

David Burton Cronk

Cleveland Life Saving Crew

Jon Reed Donnelly

Manchester Vol. Rescue Squad

Mary Ann Fellows

Colonial Beach Vol. Rescue

Bobbie France

Franklin Co. Rescue Squad

Kathy George

Davis Corner Vol. Rescue

John V. Goodall

Fieldale-Collinsville

Julian B. Griffin

Hot Springs Rescue Squad

Mary Jane “Mickey” Harden

Millwood-Station Auxiliary

Donald R. Heironimus

Covington Rescue

Hazel Jones

Madison Co. Rescue Squad

Betty Kidd

Northumberland Rescue

Paula Lindsay

Lakeside VRS

Danny L. Parsons

St. Charles Vol. Rescue Squad

Elmer Randolph Pugh Jr

Virginia Beach Rescue Squad

Submitted by Mike Smoot, VAVRS Chaplain

“Friends come into our

lives and friends leave

our lives. But friends

never leave our hearts.

And best friends always

get to stay in the best

places, in our

hearts.” John Simmons

Remember our friends that

have left us in the past year,

they will forever be in our

hearts:

Luther David Adkins, Wise

Rescue Squad

Terye Akers

Forest View Rescue Squad

Katie Barrick

Woodstock Auxiliary

Karen Aldridge Bornstein

Prince George Emer. Crew

Paula Thomas Brandt

Brunswick Rescue

Debbie Brill

Millwood-Station Vol. Fire

Mike Reid

Eagle Rock Fire & Rescue

Leo Herschel Rutherford

Bristol Life Saving

Glen Stanley Unroe

Cave Spring Rescue

Robert Kehrer Wilcox

Lakeside Vol. Rescue Squad/

Southside

Stanley Wright

Strasburg Vol. Rescue Squad

Please continue to keep the

office and myself informed of

anyone needing cards and in the

event of the loss of a member.

I will need pictures of your

members that have passed and

a patch of your squad to be

included in the Memorial

Service at Conference by

August 1st. Please send them

in as soon as possible. You may

email them to me at

[email protected] or mail

them to the state office.

“God Bless Each of You and God Bless our Troops and keep them safe.”

P a g e 1 9 M a r c h / A p r i l 2 0 1 5


Appomattox, 1st Place ALS Competition


Danville Jrs., 3rd Place, BLS Competition

Danville, 2nd Place ALS Competition EVOC Competitors at District 5 Meeting

BLS Call of the Quarter

ALS Call of the Quarter

Concord

Rescue Call of the Quarter

Appomattox

Photo to Right

2014 BLS Team of the

Year - Danville

District 5 Photos

Submitted by Joan Smoot

District 5 Report

you as a part of our group and

look forward to seeing you at

future District Meetings.

In January we met at Altavista

EMS for our District meeting.

Special thanks to Rhonda

Morgan, Brandi Morgan and Lelia

Johnson who pitched in at the

last moment to help out and lend

a hand with the dinner

preparation. The Captain really

appreciated their help and the

meal was delicious.

Competition is really picking

back up in District 5. Junior

teams are competing against the

Senior squads and are really

giving them a run for their

money. Keep up the good work.

They are our future and we

encourage more of the Junior

teams to come and compete.

Teams that competed in

January were:

ALS Competition

1st Place: Appomattox

2nd Place: Danville

BLS Competition

1st Place: Appomattox

2nd Place: Danville

3rd Place: Danville, Jrs.

EVOC (13 drivers)

1st Place:

Barry VandeVeer – Pamplin

2nd Place:

Frank Smith – Appomattox

3rd Place:

Doug Wright – 640

4th Place:

Mike Johnson – Appomattox

Submitted by Joan Smoot, District 5 Historian

Greetings from District 5.

Spring is finally coming and

District 5 is definitely ready

for it. At our November

District meeting, hosted by 640

Community Rescue, it was voted

to sponsor a State-wide training

weekend at our March 13th

District Meeting to be held in

Danville. Frank Smith, our

District VP, hit the road

running, planning the event

which will have a Grant Writing

Class, EVOC Class, ATV Class

and Continuing Ed Hours.

Breakfast and lunch will be

provided both days for all of

the participants at no cost. We

hope that you will make plans to

attend and update any classes

that you may need that are

being offered.

We would like to say “Welcome

to Renan Volunteer Fire

Department” who joined our

District. We are glad to have

ALS Call of the Quarter

Concord

BLS Cal of the Quarter

Appomattox

Rescue Call of the Quarter

Appomattox

2014 BLS Team of the Year

Danville

2014 ALS Team of the Year

Appomattox

2014 EVOC Driver ofthe Year

Doug Wright

Vice President’s Award

Jim Fontaine

As you can see, we have a lot

going on in the District but we

are always looking for more

teams to compete at each

District Meeting. Get a team

together, call Frank or the

appropriate coordinator and

come on out and compete. You

may not win 1st place, but you

will have a great time and will

certainly find friendly people

who will welcome you to District

5 and you will leave knowing

that you did the best job that

you could have done. Let’s see

how many teams we can have

for the next District Meeting.

Hope to see you there!

P a g e 2 1 M a r c h / A p r i l 2 0 1 5


Submitted by Ruth T. Stanley, Glade Spring VLSC

The January meeting was held

at Saltville Rescue Squad's

building on the 17th, Glade

Spring Vol. Life Saving Crew co-

hosted with Saltville

Rescue. Vehicle Extrication

Competition was held for the

first time at a District 9

meeting, while only one team

participated we are hoping to

have more at the April meeting,

which will be held at

Washington County Life Saving

Crew on April 25th.

On February 2nd the squads

from Washington County lost a

long time Dispatcher, Becky

Hayter lost her courageous

battle with cancer. She had

been a dispatcher with the

Washington County Sheriff's

office for over 40 years when

she retired. She was a

dedicated professional that will

be missed by many.

On February 3rd the squads

from Washington County held a

farewell dinner for Pokey

Harris, Washington County's

Director of Emergency

Management. Pokey is leaving

the county for a job

opportunity in North Carolina.

District 9 News

Vice President’s Award

Jim Fontaine

2014 ALS Team of the Year

Appomattox

Photo to Right—

2014 EVOC Driver of

the Year

Doug Wright

640 Community

Rescue

More

District 5

Photos

Submitted

by Joan

Smoot

P a g e 2 3 M a r c h / A p r i l 2 0 1 5


providing a variety of

exceptional training programs;

from EMT recertification to

Operational Medical Director

Training to Management

programs and Technical Rescue

training utilizing the most

current training course outlines

available.

The 2015 Rescue College

Committee wants to help you

understand our program since

in the past we have had

opportunities arise that we

hope have been addressed

because of your input.

We have divided this year’s

program into several sections:

EMS Programs for EMT,

EMTE, EMTI, & EMTP

Management Programs

Technical Rescue Programs

Youth Rescue Programs

Instructor Programs

We want you to take as many

programs as you wish; however,

when registering, please make

sure that your courses do not

conflict in begin and end dates.

Some programs require special

PPE so please look at the

beginning of the Technical

Programs or within the

descriptions to verify the need

for those items.

The VAVRS State Rescue

College is held annually to offer

basic and instructor level

training programs. Rescue

College provides training that

enables providers to become

better qualified in the many

phases of basic and specialized

rescue services statewide.

Our goal is to increase the level

of patient care provided

statewide by successfully

training candidates who exhibit

advanced knowledge and

leadership skills in a particular

VAVRS course to become

qualified instructors. The

VAVRS has able to increase the

basic and advanced levels of

emergency service provided

statewide. Specialized

education in these areas will

assist our members in their

effort to become well-rounded

and productive members of

their rescue organization. The

VAVRS is committed to

If there are book fees or

specialty fees, we have

attempted to provide those

within the course description.

Please note with your class

acceptance letter from the

instructor, we will try to verify

the cost of the books since

they can change after the

printing of this brochure.

Some of the Technical Rescue

Programs require that you have

other certifications before

taking them and we have noted

those requirements within the

course description. If a course

requires you to hold another

certification you MUST mail a

copy of it with your

registration. If it is not

submitted with your

registration, your registration

will be returned as incomplete.

All VAVRS Instructor

programs require that you hold

either instructor certification

with:

Virginia Department of Fire

Programs, Virginia Office of

EMS, Virginia Department of

Criminal Justice System,

Accredited Instructor

Certifications or you will be

required to take METHODS OF

INSTRUCTION. This course is

offered twice a year: at the

VAVRS Spring BOG and at the

40th Annual VAVRS Rescue College

P a g e 2 5 M a r c h / A p r i l 2 0 1 5

Virginia Tech Skelton

Conference Center, for all

participants needing housing

during college. When making

your room reservations, you

must state that you are

attending the VAVRS Rescue

College to receive the

discounted room rate. You must

CALL the Inn at Virginia Tech

and Skelton Conference Center

direct to make your room

reservations. (Sorry - Discount

room rate is NOT AVAILABLE

with on-line reservations.)

To make your reservations call

the Conference Headquarters:

The Inn at Virginia Tech

Skelton Conference Center

901 Prices Fork Rd

Blacksburg, Virginia 24061

540-231-8000

Special Discounted Room rate

is $96.00 + 5% tax per night

(Virginia State Sales tax is

subject to change without prior

notification). Students are

responsible for their own

housing reservations. You are

advised to make your

reservations early as rooms will

sell out. Affordable breakfast,

lunch buffets, dinner specials

and entertainment will be

available daily at the hotel

restaurant and sports lounge.

Reservation cut-off date is

Monday May 8, 2015.

Additional Lodging:

Comfort Suites, 1020

Plantation Rd., Blacksburg, VA

24060 540-552-5636 (located

1/2 block from The Inn)

annual Rescue College. In the

course description you will find

the dates of the Spring BOG

and the annual Rescue College.

If you currently hold any of

the instructor certifications

you MUST submit that

documentation with your

registration. If it is not

submitted, your registration

will be returned as incomplete.

The VAVRS Instructor

programs require that you hold

basic certification and take a

pretest on which you must

score an 80 to successfully

qualify for the program. These

pretests are available by

contacting the VAVRS State

Office who will supply you with

the contact information for the

Course Coordinators and/or

Instructor Trainers who will

administer them. You will need

to make arrangements to take

the pretest (s) prior to the

deadline of Monday, April 6,

2015. Please note the pretests

are good for two Rescue

Colleges.

If you have any questions

please contact the VAVRS

Office at:

800 833 0602

804 749 8191

[email protected]

They will be glad to assist you.

We look forward to seeing you

at the 2015 Rescue College

Discount room rates have been

secured at the conference

headquarters, The Inn at

Courtyard Marriott, 105 S.

Park Dr., Blacksburg, VA 24060

540-552-5222 (located 1 mile

from The Inn)

Hotel rates/tax comparable to

The Inn; early registration is

recommended.

Rescue College Deadline Dates:

INSTRUCTOR PRETEST

DEADLINE

MONDAY, APRIL 6, 2015

REGISTRATION DEADLINE


CANCELLATION DEADLINE


Please Note:

All participants are required to

submit a $50.00 Administrative

Fee. You may submit the fee

by one of the following: credit

card, debit card, money order,

or cashier’s check.

Classes Limited:

In order to reserve a space in

the class or classes you wish to

take, register EARLY.

Please note you must be a

member of the VAVRS or an

organization that is a member

to attend the VAVRS

Rescue College. Contact the

VAVRS Office for membership

information.

L-R, President Chad Gregg, Life Member Dan Moses and Captain Tony

Hitt. Photo submitted by H. Janney

Luray Volunteer Rescue Squad

Charter Member Dan Moses

(center) was recently

recognized for 45 years of

active service at their 2014

Awards Banquet held at

Historic Mimslyn Inn in Luray,

VA on January 18, 2015.


Words cannot express the deepest appreciation Jack and

I have for our Rescue Family. The prayers, cards, and

phone calls we received during the loss of our only

grandson and my brother, helped us during a very

trying time. They made it a little bit more bearable.

A simple thank you is not enough but THANK YOU

very much. We are Blessed to have each and everyone

of you in our lives. Thank You Again,

Jack & Ruth Swicegood

P a g e 2 7 M a r c h / A p r i l 2 0 1 5


Upcoming Projects—Cave Spring Auxiliary

scheduled to be in service soon.

On the 8th we were invited to

Patsy's house for dinner and a

"Dirty Santa" party. This

evening proved as usual to be a

lot of fun as we chose a gift

only to see it taken. In the end,

I think everyone was pleased

with their gift.

We supplied refreshments to

the members from Mason Cove

Rescue who provided manpower

during our banquet and we also

provided goodies to our duty

teams that manned the crew

hall Christmas Eve, Christmas

Day, New Year's Eve and New

Year's Day.

In January we stocked the

crew hall pantry with staples.

With the prediction of a bad

winter we wanted the members

to be able to fix a meal when

needed while they were on call.

Although, we

have not had

bad weather, we

have stayed

busy running

calls so the

food has

already come in

handy.

In January we

presented the

crew with 500

pens. We have

done this

before and find

it a great way

to leave

Submitted by Sharon K. Campbell

The first part of December

was a fairly busy time for the

members of the Cave Spring

Rescue Squad Auxiliary. On the

6th we dressed up in our finest

to attend the Crew/Auxiliary

Installation and Banquet. The

Auxiliary handles all of the

details for the event and

provided approximately

$2,500.00 to help cover some

of the expenses. Crew Life

Member, Bill Duff installed the

officers of the Auxiliary.

Sharon Campbell continues as

President, Vickie Arnold is Vice

President, Angela Williams

serves as Secretary, Patsy

Wingfield is our Treasurer and

Laura Clark will serve as

Chaplain. Our gift to the crew

was a Stryker Stair Chair for

the new ambulance that is

P a g e 2 9 M a r c h / A p r i l 2 0 1 5

information at a patient's

home. The pens have the crew

name and address on them and

makes note of the fact that we

are volunteers.

During the January Auxiliary

meeting we fixed Valentine

bags for each of the crew

members. The bags contain a

Valentine card and candy.

These will be passed out during

the crew's February business

meeting. We also collected

soup and crackers for Senior

Citizens which we will deliver to

LOA for distribution.

At our January 28th meeting

we discussed many upcoming

projects. In February we will

need to get Barbecue Sauce

made for our May 2nd Chicken

Barbecue and we need to start

thinking about Easter Eggs. We

are considering a new flavor

and I am anxious to give it a

try. We also want to do some

upgrades to the kitchen but

right now that is just in the

pricing stage. We are taking on

the monthly task of providing

healthy snacks to an area

elementary school. This school

has many kids who complain of

tummy aches when what they

need is a snack. This is our

"Mrs. Edith" project in memory

of Edith Kelley. We are also

working on plans for a Crew/

Auxiliary Picnic in June.

Let's all think SPRING, I am

ready for it.


Infectious Disease Response Team

Submitted by Thomas McGowan Customer Relations at LifeCare Medial Transports

LifeCare Medical Transports is

proud to announce that we have

partnered with

FITRESPONDER Public Safety

Fitness, Wellness & Injury

Prevention.

The FITRESPONDER Program

is a comprehensive program of

Injury Prevention, Employee

Fitness & Wellness, Risk

Reduction, Behavior

Modification Training, and

Physical Abilities Testing.

When talking about these

comprehensive components of

the FITRESPONDER program,

LifeCare is able to provide our

employees with several options

and or techniques that will help

them in assuring that they are

properly stretching, lifting, and

taking care of themselves to

insure a long and injury free

career in EMS.

When looking into this program,

it came to LifeCare’s attention

that most injuries within in

EMS are Soft Tissue Related

and with Patient and Equipment

Handling. This program focuses

a lot on the proper Soft Tissue

Stretching and Equipment

Movement to prevent these

injuries from happening.

LifeCare has begun encouraging

our crew members to do daily

stretches prior to and during

their shifts. When talking

about a lot of the soft tissue

stretches, these are stretches

that can be done at the

ambulance and is called Active

Stretching. Active Stretching

covers areas such as:

Hip Flexor

Hamstring

Calf

Chest

Lat and Shoulder

LifeCare has developed a

program call 4 Stretches, 4

Minutes. This is based on each

stretch should be for a minute.

We have provided posters in

each of our offices reminding

out employees of the four

stretches, the Calf & Ankle

Glid, Hamstring Wave, Hip

Flexor Rotation, and the

Thoracic Rotation.

LifeCare offices are also

providing additional equipment

Pictured: Cpl. David Stanley,

Kevin Dillard President,

FTO Bobbie Zuggner,

Tasha Brown, VP, doing the

Hamstring Stretch)

Pictured Above—

FTO Bobbie Zuggner

Chest Stretch

such as foam rollers and tennis

balls to allow employees to work

on some of their Tissue

Mobility and Trigger Points.

The FITRESPONDER Program

allows crew members to also

have an app on their smart

phones to help remind them of

the different exercises that

can be done.

LifeCare is very pleased to be

offering this program to their

employees, as a Governor’s

Award Winner for Health and

Safety it is our goal to continue

providing our employees with all

resources available to make

their jobs safer with the

moving of patients.

P a g e 3 1 M a r c h / A p r i l 2 0 1 5

Photo on right above is of Captain Mike Passera, who received the organization's most prestigious honor,

the Chancellor Volunteer Fire & Rescue Member of the Year Award. He is standing with CVFR President

Beth Addington. Story can be found on Page 32 (next page). Photo submitted by Sara Hunt.

LifeCare Management learning proper stretching

Pictured Above-

J. Howard

Chancellor Volunteer Fire & Rescue Announces New Officers & Award Winners

Capt. Mike Passera named CVFR Member of the Year

Other top award winners

included:

Rookie Firefighter of the Year

Gerald Calaway

Firefighter of the Year

Brandon Murray

Oscar Award

Fred Payne, Jr.

EMS Rookie of the Year

Randi Miles

EMS Provider of the Year

Nick Gilbert

EMS Driver of the Year

Amber Smith

Honor Guard Mbr. of the Year

Dustin Wright with 137 hours

Administrative Mbr. of the Year

Jessica Dziak

President’s Award

Mary Padgett

Chief’s Award

Mike Passera

Top EMS Hours Runner

Nick Gilbert with 922 hrs.

Top Fire Hours Runner

Patrick Edwards with 1,721 hrs.

The newly-installed Administrative

Officers for 2015 are:

Beth Addington- President

Phillip Gouldman- Vice President

A.P. Bullock- Secretary

Hollie Williams- Treasurer

Steven Dove- Board of Directors

and Member at Large

Connie Reynolds- Board of

Directors and Member at Large

Kevin Dillard- Administrative

Chief


Spotsylvania, Va. (Jan. 5, 2015)

At its annual banquet and

awards ceremony on Jan. 3,

2015, Chancellor Volunteer Fire

& Rescue (CVFR) kicked off the

new year with installation of

officers and presenting a

number of awards to honor

several members for their

outstanding performance in

2014. The featured speaker

was Capt. Jeff Pearce of the

Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s

Office, who praised the

organization’s members for

being superheroes who are

dedicated to serving the

citizens of Spotsylvania County.

The organization’s most

prestigious award, Chancellor

Volunteer Fire & Rescue

Member of the Year, is

presented to the member who

embodies the best of

Chancellor in the areas of

leadership, dedication, service

and excellence. This year’s

winner, who was selected in a

secret ballot vote by the

membership, is Capt. Mike

Passera. A CVFR member since

2007, Passera was recognized

for serving as a positive role

model for new firefighters,

being active at covering shifts

and always motivating his team

at the station.

The newly installed Operational

Officers for 2015 are:

John Richter- Fire Chief

Robert Weber- Deputy Fire Chief

Tony Dennis- Asst. Fire Chief

Sarah Rees- Rescue Chief

Mike Passera- Captain 5

Ryan Passera– Lieutenant 5

William Bryce– Lieutenant 5-1

James Butler– Lieutenant 5-2

Jacob Mahoney– Lieutenant 5-3

Meredith Howdyshell– Rescue

Captain 5

Janice Tate – Rescue Lt. 5-1

Heather Breeden – Rescue Lt. 5-2

Janna Roland – Rescue Lt. 10-1

Nick Gilbert – Rescue Lt. 10-2

“We congratulate Capt. Passera

and all of the award winners

who were recognized for their

dedicated service and

achievements over the past 12

months,” said Kevin Dillard,

Administrative Chief of

Chancellor Volunteer Fire &

Rescue. “Thanks to their

exemplary efforts, CVFR had a

great year in 2014.”

Chief Dillard noted that

construction on a new fire

station will continue in 2015

and the organization also will

look forward to getting some

new breathing apparatus and a

new radio system this year.

“There are lots of exciting

changes coming to Chancellor

over the next 12-18 months,”

he said.


P a g e 3 3 M a r c h / A p r i l 2 0 1 5

even your best isn’t going to be enough, and you’re going to fail. In fact, if you answered those questions easily and with confidence, you’re probably fooling yourself. What matters is acknowledging that the stuff on the inside of the uniform will never live up to the stuff on the outside. The stuff on the outside is a legend, a myth, a façade. The stuff on the inside is human. What matters is how you face that realization, and how you balance the human you are with the superhuman the rest of the world expects you to be. And where the two come together, you’ll find EMS Strong. EMS Strong is what draws a special few together to do incredibly important work, often under difficult circumstances, and many times with little thanks. EMS Strong is the bond you share with fellow first responders. Sometimes that bond is expressed in a silent nod of recognition, and other times it takes the form of war stories shared for the umpteenth time. But it’s always there. EMS Strong is the knowledge that you’re part of something very special. It’s the belief in something bigger than yourself—bigger than your level of certification, bigger than the color of the patch on your

EMS Strong is presented by ACEP in partnership with NAEMT

What Is EMS Strong?

What matters more – the stuff on the outside of a uniform, or the stuff on the inside? Next time you’re getting dressed for work, take an extra moment for a good look in the mirror. What — and whom — do you see looking back at you? Look that person in the eye, take a deep breath, and ask some tough questions: What if today’s shift brings me face-to-face with a mother whose teenage son has hanged himself in the basement? This is a moment she’s going to remember forever. The way I break the news, the look on my face, my body language – those all matter as much as my words. Am I ready for that? What if today I find myself with a partner who cuts corners, who drives irresponsibly, whose personal triage system involves treating people differently based on the color of their skin, the shade of their religion, the hue of their sexual orientation? Am I prepared to do what I know is right? What if today’s shift brings nothing but mundane, routine calls that don’t use my skills or challenge me? Will I be professional and courteous, but nothing more? Or will I find or make opportunities to be the best part of someone’s day? What if today is the worst shift of my career? What if I find myself utterly exhausted, annoyed, sore, uncertain, discouraged or afraid? Where will I look for strength when mine is used up?

Now, are you ready for a shock? The answers to these questions don’t really matter. What matters is that you’re willing to ask them honestly and reflect on what they mean. What matters is acknowledging that sometimes you’re going to come up short, sometimes you’re going to be unsure of yourself, and sometimes

shoulder or the union card in your wallet. EMS Strong is the well from which you draw the fortitude to maintain your composure when the going gets tougher than most people can imagine. EMS Strong is the willingness to keep learning and growing, as an individual and as part of a profession that’s evolving into a true partner in the healthcare continuum. EMS Strong is what allows people to trust you with their secrets, with their nakedness, with their safety, with their very lives or the lives of their loved ones. It’s also what makes you able to accept the burden of that trust. EMS Strong is what draws you to help, what empowers you to face danger when others are running away. It’s there in those moments, big and little, when you find out what you’re made of. It’s what makes you proud. It’s what keeps you humble. EMS Strong is precious, but it doesn’t belong to you. It’s on loan to you, and you need to pay it back with interest for future generations. EMS Strong is us. EMS Strong is you. Now, stop talking to yourself in the mirror. It’s time to get to work.

http://www.emsstrong.org/what-is

-emsstrong/

Submit your “EMS Strong” Photo to [email protected] and

make plans for 2015 EMS Week Today!

Vinton FAC member who

coordinated this as his first

class since becoming an

instructor at Rescue College in

2014. Assistant instructors

were Greg Burton (Covington

RS), Kate Burton (Covington

RS), and Matthew Hauschildt

(Christiansburg RS).

There were 18 students in the

class who took part in a lecture

session on Saturday morning

Submitted by Greg Burton, EMT-E , VAVRS District 1 Asst. VP & Covington RS

On January 3rd and 4th, to

start the New Year, the Vinton

First Aid Crew in Roanoke

County hosted a Vehicle Rescue

Awareness and Operations

class. The lead instructor for

the class was Chris Sayre, a

and then, after a break for

lunch, proceeded to the field

where they utilized some of

the skills discussed in the

power point presentation.

Hydraulic tools, power tools,

and hand tools were put to use

as students had to stabilize a

vehicle on its wheels and then

perform maneuvers that may

be necessary to gain access to

and disentangle a trapped

patient. Skills included using

wooden cribbing to build 4-

point stabilization, breaking

glass with various hand tools,

and making sure the battery

was located and disconnected.

Next was what many referred

to as the “fun” part of the

class; students were able to

see and use the hydraulic tools,

i.e. the “Jaws of Life” spreader

and the O-Cutter, to remove

doors and the roof, and to

displace the dash. After a hard

afternoon of “working” in a cold

drizzle, the students were

dismissed.

Sunday morning proved to be a

breath of fresh air. When (Continued on page 35)


VAVRS Vehicle

Rescue

Awareness and

Operations Course

January 2015

L-R Kate Burton, Chris Sayre, Matthew Hauschildt and Greg Burton

P a g e 3 5 M a r c h / A p r i l 2 0 1 5

students

arrived at

8:00 am, the

early morning

temp was

already in the

middle 40’s

with no rain in

sight. After being split into

teams, and having the same

equipment to work with, there

would be a new challenge on

this day: students now faced

the task of doing the same

maneuvers as they did on

Saturday, but the first vehicle

they encountered was found

turned up on its side. The

students learned how to

stabilize a vehicle in this

position by using rescue jacks

and cribbing. After

stabilization was accomplished,

the goal was once again to gain

access to a trapped patient via

door removal, roof removal,

etc. The second half of Sunday

was more of the same


techniques, only this time, it

involved a vehicle resting on its

roof. In this scenario,

rescuers were introduced to air

bags for lifting purposes, as

well as being able to use all of

the other equipment they had


already been exposed to, in

order to perform a roof

removal.

At the end of day, after a

(Continued from page 35) thorough cleanup of the

equipment used, students were

gathered together with

instructors to discuss the

events of the past two days.

Lessons learned were reviewed,

any questions that students had

were answered, and a critique

of the instructors was

conducted. Thanks to VAVRS

for providing a trailer full of



Photos submitted by VAVRS Instructor Greg Burton

Students were urged to attend

other VAVRS classes and

continue the basic extrication

skills learned at their own

agencies. Thanks for a great

weekend!

tools and equipment; without

this equipment, trucks would

have to be taken out of service,

possibly causing a delay in

response to a live call.


P a g e 3 7

Loudoun County Volunteer Rescue Squad is

looking to dispose of 2001 16ft Mark VII Zodiac

Rescue Boat with center console steering. The boat

has a 2001 Tohatsu 50hp Motor

Needs repair and motor work.

Send all request for info to

[email protected]

M a r c h / A p r i l 2 0 1 5



Colonial Beach Volunteer Rescue Squad's Top Call Runners

posed at the squad's annual banquet on Jan. 3, 2015.

Front row, left to right, are Luis Bermudez and Patricia FitzGerald (Top Call Runner);

Standing, left to right, are Kaila Worrell, Jamie Little, Chris Kerns, Denise Weaver,

Alex Nance, Wesley Melson and Danny Stinson. Not pictured, Charles Bowie.

Support Team Members of the

Year

Elta Melson and Kim Melson

Hudson-Costenbader Award for

Outstanding Support

Valerie Ivanyshyn

The Operational Officers for

2015 are:

Wesley Melson – Chief

Patricia FitzGerald – Asst. Chief

Lieutenants: Alex Nance, Danny

Stinson, Chris Kerns, Robert

Rivenbark

The Administrative Officers

for 2015 are:

Robert Rivenbark– President

Danny Stinton– Vice President

Patricia FitzGerald– Treasurer

Shelia Monroe– Secretary

Carlton Hudson– Member-at-Large

Lewis Bowen, Sr.– Member-at-

Large

Patricia FitzGerald– Member-at-

Large

The Support Team Officers

for 2015 are:

Kim Melson– Co-Leader

Elta Melson– Co-Leader

Patricia FitzGerald– Treasurer

Debra Guest- Secretary

Certificates of Appreciation

for Outstanding Support and

Service were presented to:

Colonial Beach Volunteer Rescue Squad Announces Award Winners,

Installs Officers for 2015

Pat FitzGerald Named Squad Member of the Year and Top Call Runner

Colonial Beach United Methodist

Church

Colonial Beach Baptist Church

Colonial Beach Police Department

Colonial Beach Volunteer Fire

Department

Oak Grove Volunteer Fire

Department

King George Termite and Pest

Control

“We congratulate Pat

FitzGerald and the other award

winners on their outstanding

achievements throughout

2014,” said CBVRS Rescue

Chief Wesley Melson. “Our

squad had a great year in 2014

and we’re anticipating that

2015 will be even better. There

are lots of events and activities

already planned in the

community for 2015.”


Colonial Beach, VA (Jan. 8,

2015) – At its annual banquet

on Jan. 3, 2015, Colonial Beach

Volunteer Rescue Squad kicked

off the new year with

installation of officers and

presenting a number of awards

to honor several members for

their outstanding performance

in 2014. The featured guest

speaker was Deputy Chief Ricky

Matiak from Caroline County

Fire & Rescue.

The squad’s most prestigious

award, Squad Member of the

Year, went to CBVRS Assistant

Chief Patricia “Pat” FitzGerald,

who was also the squad’s top

call runner in 2014. FitzGerald

also won both of these awards

at last year’s banquet.

Other top award winners

included:

Chief’s Service Award

Alex Nance

Officer of the Year

Danny Stinton Stinson

Eugenia Urbank Award

Artemio and Beatrice Mendez

and Atouria Stephens

Junior Member of the Year

Mackenzie Melson

P a g e 3 9 M a r c h / A p r i l 2 0 1 5


are taking the odds that TEN-

TO-ONE you will find this

journey amazing, amusing,

informative and hopefully

entertaining. So come along for

the ride and enjoy this brief

journey….Back to Our

Future………

Before we start…here’s a little

history on our annual

convention. One of the most

interesting facts about the

convention history has to do

with the numbering of the

Conventions. Due to World War

Submitted by Karen D. Wagner

In 1935, when Julian Stanley

Wise started the Virginia

Association of Rescue Squads,

one has to wonder what he

believed the future of the

organization would be. Did he

think the VARS would last for

a DECADE much less 8

DECADES? If he had to place

a bet, would he have risked

taking the overwhelming TEN-

TO-ONE odds that faced being

a successful business in an

unknown environment of

emergency medical care?

Welcome to the 80th Annual

Conference of the VAVRS. On

the next few pages we are

going to take you on a

journey….a journey back

through the DECADES of

conventions and notable or not

so notable events of the

Virginia Association of

Volunteer Rescue Squads. We

II, no Convention was held in

1945, but the Board of

Governors did meet on

September 25, 1945 at Virginia

Bridge Company to conduct

business and elect officers.

The subsequent minutes

referred to the 1946

Convention as #11 and not #12.

This numbering system that

skipped 1945 continued until

the 1980’s when the 1945

meeting was again counted as a

Convention. In any event, 2009

marked the 75th meeting of

the Board of Governors of the

Association, thus in 2014….we

celebrate our 80th anniversary.

A Look at the 80 Year History of VARS / VAVRS

P a g e 4 1 M a r c h / A p r i l 2 0 1 5

Don’t miss the viewing of

the sound movie “Before

the Doctor Comes” which

will take place in the

auditorium starting at 1100

am on Saturday.

Make sure to attend the

new equipment

demonstration of the Iron

Lung and Life Line throwing

apparatus presented by the

Jefferson Rescue Squad.

And finally, get your tickets

early for the Convention

Dinner and Dance (cost

$1.25 per person).

Our 2nd Decade…..Doc, Set the

time machine to

Sept 23-25, 1954

The 20th Annual Convention

was held in Abingdon at the

Martha Washington Inn

Room cost for the

conference was $22.00 per

night- today packages at

the resort hotel start at

$465.00 per night

Room 217- believed to be

haunted by the Yankee

Sweetheart- was reserved

for dignitaries, however, it

So buckle your seat belt for Our

1st Decade….. Doc, set the time

machine to

Sept 29-30, 1944

To all the members of the

Virginia Association of Rescue

Squads—the 1944 Convention is

on! To you, your wives, &

sweethearts, we extend a most

cordial invitation to attend the

10th Annual Convention of the

Virginia Association of Rescue

Squads to be held at the

George Mason Hotel in

Alexandria VA.

Please make your hotel

reservations as soon as

possible:

Room with double bed,

lavatory, toilet but no

bath—$5 per day

Room with double bed,

toilet and private bath—$6

per day

Room with twin beds, toilet

and private bath—$8 per

day

Seven teams registered to

complete in the First Aid

Contest. Prizes were $50

cash for first place; $25

cash for second place and

$15 cash for third.

The Board of Governors

meeting began at 8:00pm on

Friday night; the entire

Association met on

Saturday morning starting

at 9:00 a.m.

was not occupied by any of

the convention attendees.

Nobody wanted to stay in

that suite.

The parade was held on

Saturday afternoon

followed by a social where

ladies were required to be

escorted or not attend.

The first aid contest was

held at 3:00 PM on

Saturday.

BOG Meeting held a long

discussion on a volunteer

rescue squads being formed

at town firehouses, one

even had an ambulance and

15 volunteers.

Our Silver Anniversary…..Doc,

set the time machine to

Sept 25, 1959

Welcome to the 25th

Anniversary VARS Convention

held at General Shelby Hotel in

Bristol VA-described as

“Bristol’s newest and only

fireproof hotel”

There were 37 squads

present and voting

The main point of business

was the approval of the (Continued on page 42)


The 32 parade entries were

to “line up at Sears and

Roebuck at 6:15 pm.

Participants were invited to

attend an informal party

following the parade at the

Lee Jackson Hotel here

parade awards were given

out with music and plenty of

beer on tap”

The most coveted award was

the VA Highway Users

Association First Aid Award-

awarded to Bristol with “a

near perfect score”.

On Saturday, from noon to

6:00 pm attendees were

encouraged to have “lunch on

your own, visit the exhibits,

visit the historic spots

around Winchester, go

shopping, visit with a friend,

or just relax if you can’t find

anything else to do”.

The following treasurers’

report was accepted…..

Our 4th Decade…..Doc, set the

time machine for

Sept 5-7, 1974

The 40th Annual VAVRS

Convention was held in Roanoke.

The registration desk welcomed

1411 attendees to the

conference.

A resolution was passed to

build a state office for the

VAVRS and “hire a secretary

who could help the president

maintain the day to day

correspondences” of the

VARS logo (state emblem)

was presented and accepted

with the cross to be GREEN.

(Legend has it this is where

“the GREEN coat” was

established as the official

officer color).

Our 3rd Decade…..Doc, set the

time machine for

Sept 25-27, 1964

The 30th Annual Convention was

held at the George Washington

Hotel in Winchester VA-and

was opened by the Mayor of

Winchester giving the Key to

the City to VARS president,

Kimball Glass.


VAVRS.

The pouring rain canceled

the Friday night

parade…”however we would

like to thank all the great

groups that served the

“beer” at our Friday night

affair.

A motion was made and

tabled for a later date to

establish a membership

status for associate

members. More information

was needed to find out why

they wanted to join if they

were not actually answering

calls.

The VAVRS state Chaplain

Bennie T. Rice passed away

suddenly one week after

this convention….at

convention he spoke of his

faith in God and the

dedication of his family to

the Christian way of life….”I

am on my way to a greater

life because I have a

greater love and the rest of

my life will be the best of

my life because the test of

my life Is God’s love”.


P a g e 4 3 M a r c h / A p r i l 2 0 1 5

Death Benefit Plan.

A lengthy discussion was

held on the future plans for

the state training center

which was to be located in

Lynchburg. This project was

abandoned several years

later due to conflicts among

ownership.

The Friday night parade

lasted 1.5 hours followed by

the social and dance, where

it was reported that water

from the men’s restroom

spilled over into the dance

floor….No one saw anything

happen.


time machine for

Sept 28- Oct 1, 1994

The 60th Annual Convention of

the VAVRS was held at the VA

Beach.

2391 persons attended the

convention

After a lengthy discussion

the BOG’s voted to support

the continuance of the To

the Rescue Exhibit. The

contract with the Roanoke

History/Transportation

Museum was extended to

May 31, 1995 to allow the

JS Wise foundation to

locate a new facility to

house the exhibit. The

exhibit was moved to a

store front in a shopping

mall.

Our 5th Decade and Gold

Anniversary….Doc, set the time

machine for

Sept 27-29, 1984

The 50th Anniversary

Convention of the VAVRS was

held at the Hotel Roanoke, in

Roanoke VA. Full registration

(included banquet tickets) for

the convention was $25.00 per

person, Partial registration was

$15.00 per person.

There were so many teams

signed up the EMT

competitions were held at

the Roanoke Civic Center

There was a total of 141

awards given out

2400 registrants attended

the event….with 138 squad

delegates voting

Motion was passed to issue

2 association flags to each

District VP so they could be

given to family of deceased

members of the VAVRS


The past presidents dinner

became an annual event to

be held at each convention

thereafter.


time machine for

Sept 22-25, 2004

The 70th Annual was held at

the VA Beach Hotel and

Conference Center in VA

Beach. “A little over 1950

persons attended the

convention”.

18 hours of Cat 1 CE

seminars were added to the

selection of activities

convention participants

could attend

The Rescue Ranger made

his first official public

appearance flanked by the

“Hooters Girls” in the

Friday Night Parade

As a result of a vote held at

the Spring BOG, the Friday

night social was abandoned

and no longer held at

convention to help reduce

expenses and prevent an

increase in the registration

fee

It was reported that 426

certifications were issued

at the 2004 Rescue College

It was reported that as a

result of the BOG action at

Spring BOG meeting, the

VAVRS State Office and

Training Center was (Continued on page 44)


Sept 2014, the BOG’s voted

to dissolve District 4 and

merge it into District 10

In 1984, the association

voted not to support a bill

in the general assembly

that would allow agencies to

turn in expenses incurred

from answering calls for

vehicle crashes to insurance

companies for

reimbursement….in 2014

the VAVRS provides

training and support to help

member agencies develop

fee for service/revenue

recovery programs as a

smart business practice and

method to reach financial

stability

Well here it is 2014 and as a

result of the vision and

leadership of JS Wise, and the

continued professionalism that

has been carried on by each of

the Presidents of our unique

service organization, today we

celebrate 8 DECADES of

unification, 80 years against all

odds. Through our nations’ war,

changes in leadership, changes

of our name, the development

of the Office of EMS, the

addition of paid providers, and

billing for services we are

proudly standing tall because

through it all the VAVRS

continued to focus on being….

THE VOICE OF EMS…. the advocate for Virginia’s EMS agencies and providers. We link members and agencies

updated with the addition

of new AV equipment in the

downstairs training room.

We’ve come a long way through

some of the history over the

past 80 years of the VAVRS, but

now it’s time to go back, BACK

TO OUR FUTURE IN 2014……

In 1953 Colonial Beach

Rescue Squad was the first

squad in the state to allow

women to run as full

members….. In 2014 it is

estimated that 55.4% of

Virginia’s EMS workforce

are female.

In 1969 the BOG’s voted to

expel a squad from

membership because they

had paid members…..in 2014

it is estimated that over

78% of our current

membership has or utilizes

paid staff to meet their

service needs.

In 1972 the VAVRS lobbied

the General Assembly to

approve “RS” license tags

for squad member vehicles;

in 2014 JC Phillips still has

the honor of owning the tag

“RS 1” and it is displayed on

his car to this date.

In 1975 a resolution was

approved to divide District

4 into 2 districts making a

new District 10….effective

(Continued from page 43) for the purpose of sharing ideas; we give them 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 can come to the VAVRS. When our members need assistance from leadership to planning budgets they come to the VAVRS. We help the rescue squads throughout the Commonwealth thrive and succeed so that they can provide prompt, effective patient care to the communities that they serve.

So what will the future hold?

What impact will VAVRS make

on the EMS system in the next

80 years? Whatever the future

embraces, one thing for

certain, we will do it together.

Like Marty McFly stated….”I

guess you can accomplish

anything if you put your mind to

it”……Thanks Julian Wise for

having the vision, accepting the

odds, and setting the path for

the VAVRS to be the key that

unlocks the doors of EMS

service.

P a g e 4 5 M a r c h / A p r i l 2 0 1 5

Infectious Disease Response Team

Submitted by Thomas McGowan Customer Relations at LifeCare Medial Transports

As the threat of the Ebola

virus rocked the US and

Countries abroad, LifeCare

instituted a number of

practices and protocols to

combat the threat head on.

While preparing our own

employees to properly manage

the threat of Ebola and other

infectious diseases, LifeCare

stood ready to assist other

jurisdictions and EMS agencies,

should the need arise to

transport a patient diagnosed

or suspected of having Ebola.

LifeCare employed a

comprehensive approach to

managing the Ebola crisis. This

included modifying call-taking

procedures for dispatch and

call-center staff as well

as modifying protocols

for field operations.

One of the most

significant

accomplishments of

LifeCare’s plans included

the creation and

implementation of an

Infectious Disease

Response Team training

in donning and doffing

personal protective

equipment, training in

infectious disease

transmission, and were

fit-tested for a NIOSH

approved N95 mask.

Team members are made

up of providers from

various regions of the

state and include both

basic (BLS) and advanced

(ALS) life support

providers. Team members

are on-call and available to

respond to various parts of the

state when requested.

LifeCare has worked with

regional partners, EMS

agencies, and hospitals to

coordinate an effective,

efficient and methodical

approach to appropriately

handle patients diagnosed with

or suspected of carrying the

Ebola virus.

As a regional and state award

winner for Health & Safety in

EMS, LifeCare is committed to

mitigating the threat of

infectious diseases through

concentrated efforts, forward

thinking, and a strong drive to

enhance to the emergency

medical services industry. Infectious Disease Response team

practicing how to properly suit up.

her purse out, removed a coin

and started tossing the coin in

the air and marking the answer

sheet: true for heads and false

for tails. Within ten minutes

she is all done, whereas the

rest of the class is still working

furiously. During the last few

minutes, I saw her desperately

throwing the coin, swearing and

sweating. I was alarmed,

approached her and asked what

was happening. She said, "I

finished the exam in a half

hour, and since I had more time

left, I'm rechecking my

answers."

Dear Rescue Ranger,

Several of the squad members

were attending an EVOC class

that Bubby taught. To be

honest he did a pretty good

job. But I think I caught him in

a lie. He claims he invented the

highway traffic cone. Is that

true?

Doug

Dear Mr. Eberhardt

You are correct. That is a lie.

Bubby did not invent the

highway traffic cone but he

has destroyed a few. He is an

inventor of sorts but none of

them worked out. Here is the

list of patents he tried to

Dear Rescue Ranger

Dear Rescue Ranger,

The other night we ran a call

and during my patient

assessment I was listening to

lung sounds and heard a

“swooshing or a swimming”

sound in the right lung. I

reported it to Medical Control

and after dropping off the

patient I called back to the ER

and they shared with me that

the patient had aspirated a

small orange fish into their

right lung and they were able

to remove it surgically. Pretty

unusual don’t you think?

K D W

Dear Karen,

Not that unusual. Medically it

is called Nemo-Thorax.

Dear Rescue Ranger,

Where has Bubby been lately?

We have not seen him and you

have not talked about him.

Big Maggie

Dear Maggie,

He is in Rehab. It is not what

you think. He dislocated his

shoulder when he tripped over

a cordless phone!

Dear Rescue Ranger,

How is your EMT class going?

Sam

Dear S. Meade,

I thought it was OK until the

other night I gave a test. All

the questions were true or

false and one of the students

took her seat in the classroom,

stared at the question paper

for five minutes, and then in a

evidently fit of inspiration took

obtain:

A water proof towel

A solar-powered flashlight

Submarine screen door

A book on how to read

An inflatable dart board

A dictionary index

An ejector seat for a

helicopter

Powdered water

A pedal powered wheel

chair

Waterproof tea bags


J a n u a r y / F e b r u a r y 2 0 1 5 P a g e 4 7

NO

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N..

U.S

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2

PO Box 279

2535 Turkey Creek Road

Oilville, VA 23129

ISSN 0279-6023

Phone: 804-749-8191

Phone: 800-833-0602

Fax: 804-749-8910

E-mail: [email protected]

"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.

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

HAVING AN IN-DEPTH UNDERSTANDING OF YOUR NEEDS

AND GOALS IS THE WAY WE SERVE YOU

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: [email protected]

Documents

Lifeline mar apr 2015