Lifeline july august 2015

JULY / AUGUST 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 u l y / A u g u s t 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

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 Shane McAdams

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:

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

October 1, 2015 for the November/December 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 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: Pat Bryant

Nominating: Ruth Swicegood

Life Membership: Carolyn Brand

Emergency Care: Laura Booze

Resolutions: Maxie Skeen

2014-2015 AVAVRS Committee Chairs

Membership: Harry Householder

Finance: Patsy Wingfield

Roll Call: Donna Porter

Roll Call: Valarie Becker

Fundraising: Stacey Frame

Fundraising: Tracey Frame

J u l y / A u g u s t 2 0 1 5 P a g e 5

Treasurer

Fay Browning

Henrico Auxiliary

Historian

Valarie Becker

Glade Spring Auxiliary

Chaplain

Linda Berkstresser

Glasgow and Lexington Auxiliaries

AVAVRS Nominating Committee Chair

If you would like to nominate

someone from the floor to run for

an office, that will be done at the

Friday morning Business Meeting.

You will need to have a resume and

a signed statement of willingness

to run to be presented to the

Nominating Chair.

Thank you and see you at

Conference.

Submitted by Ruth Swicegood, Nominating Committee Chair

This is a slate of officers for the

AVAVRS:

President

Harry Householder

Loudoun County Auxiliary

Vice President

Ailease Short

Brunswick Auxiliary


Busy Times—AVAVRS President

provides a great way to learn new

things, make new friends and

renew friendships.

Due to a family illness, Sheila

Gordon had to step down as the

AVAVRS Conference Co-Chair. Pat

Bryant has agreed assume the

position as Conference Co-Chair

for the rest of the term and she

and Conference Chair, Vickie

Arnold are working to make our

2015 Conference

memorable. Please remember to

complete the Auxiliary reports and

Submitted by Sharon Campbell, AVAVRS President

I want to thank everyone who

contributed desserts to the

VAVRS Camporee. The variety was

fantastic and enjoyed by all. The

weather cooperated and the

number of members and family

attending was fantastic. It was a

weekend of good memories.

By the time you read this, Rescue

College 2015 will be a over. I am

excited with our instructors and

our agenda. Rescue College

questionnaires and return them by

the deadlines indicated. I am

looking forward to our upcoming

conference and keep in mind if you

have any questions, your AVAVRS

officers are always ready and

willing to help.

My best wishes to each of you for

a wonderful, safe and fun filled

summer.

News From the AVAVRS Western District

District I has asked the Western

District for help with their

training day coming up on October.

We have a committee currently

working on plans for that and are

looking forward to being able to

serve our senior district.

Our officers for this year are:

Janis Slough

Vice President

Debbie Rohr

Assistant Vice President

Bernice Payne

Secretary/Treasurer

Submitted by Janis Slough

The Western District has held

two meetings since conference.

Our November meeting was held

in Buena Vista with several VAVRS

and AVAVRS officers present.

The February meeting had to be

postponed until March due to snow

and more snow! So, in March

Fairfield Auxiliary hosted our

meeting. We will have our third

and final meeting for this year

June 28th and will be hosted by

The Lexington Auxiliary.

Joyce Campbell

Chaplain

Christy Jeffreys

Historian

Lana Nicely

Parliamentarian

Nellie Ritchie

EMT Chair

Laura Booze

Life Member Representative

We hope everyone has a great

summer and we hope to see you at

conference in September.

P a g e 7 J u l y / A u g u s t 2 0 1 5

Cave Spring Auxiliary

“Cooks

Extraordinaire”

Class. The Auxiliary provided

snacks and lunch for all of the

students, instructors and

assistants. The food must have

been good because there were

no leftovers.

Once these two projects were

behind us, we needed to start

preparations for our Annual

Spring Chicken Barbecue. We

needed more barbecue sauce so

several members spent the day

making gallons and gallons of

sauce. The days that we make

sauce mean a smelly building

due to the onions and

vinegar. May 2nd arrived and

so did former members, life

members, family and friends,

all with one goal in mind, that

was to make the barbecue a

success. We offer eat in or

take out service to our

customers. This year we had a

record number of people

Submitted by Sharon Karlet Campbell

Cave Spring Auxiliary-It seems

that in the last few months the

members of the Cave Spring

Auxiliary have spent many

hours working in the kitchen to

raise money. First was our

Easter Egg project. We made

over 1200 Chocolate Covered

Easter Eggs with 7 different

flavors. Many days were spent

making the eggs, then they

needed to be dipped in

chocolate, decorated, boxed,

labeled and delivered. In all

honesty this is a hard project

but the profit makes it

worthwhile. We are also

pleased to donate eggs to the

children being assisted by The

Rescue Mission.

The crew was holding an EMT

Class at the crew hall which

required an all day Saturday

enjoying their dinner at the

crew hall. We realized a profit

of over $4,000.00 for the

day. We were also able to make

a donation to The Rescue

Mission so that the residents

could enjoy a delicious meal.

We have several projects on

the horizon. The 15th of June

we will begin selling restaurant

booklets. This is a new project

for us so we'll keep you posted

on it's success. June 25th, we

will be volunteering at The

Daleville Town Center to work

at the Event Zone. This is a

family friendly event where we

will sell drinks, hold a raffle

and be able to promote the

crew and auxiliary through

flyers and interaction. Again,

this is uncharted waters for us

but we are hopeful. We are

sponsoring a Crew/Auxiliary

Picnic on Sunday, June 28th.

The auxiliary will be providing

all of the food and drinks. We

have also invited the members

of the Cave Spring Volunteer

Fire Dept. and their families to

join us for the fun. We need to

avenge our softball loss from

last year.

Several of our members will be

attending Rescue College at VT.

We look forward to learning

new things, making new friends

and enjoying the company of old

friends.

Other than working on our

scrapbook we hope to take a

much needed rest starting,

July 1st.


Nelson Wayne Brookman

Williamson Road LSC

Wade Brooks

Bristol Life Saving Crew

Richard Douglas Brown

Buena Vista Rescue Squad

James Hubert Browning

Salem Rescue Squad

Joseph Carderelli

Campbell Co. Rescue Squad

David M. Coddington

West Hanover Vol. Rescue Squad

Edward Cook

Gretna Rescue Squad

David Burton Cronk

Cleveland Life Saving Crew

James (Jimmy) W. Dean, Jr.

Roanoke Life Saving Crew

Jon Reed Donnelly

Manchester Vol. Rescue Squad

Edward Epperson

Kenbridge Emergency Crew

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

Robert (Bobby) Guyer, Sr.

Colonial Beach Vol. Rescue Squad

Douglas Wayne (Bo) Hall


Submitted by Mike Smoot, VAVRS Chaplain

As Conference is drawing

closer, if you wish to have your

Squad or Auxiliary Member

which has passed away since

last Conference to be included

in the Memorial Service this

year, please submit their names

along with a clear picture of

the member to be recognized

and a Squad patch by August 1,

2015 to me. Any Squad or

Auxiliary member that passes

away after this date will be

recognized at the 2016

Conference. I want to

recognize all of our members

that we have loss, so please

make sure to get this

information to me by the

August 1st date.

Luther David Adkins

Wise Rescue Squad

Terye Akers

Forest View Rescue Squad

Tony Barr


Katie Barrick

Woodstock Auxiliary

Kenny Wayne Bennett

Lake Anna Rescue

Karen Aldridge Bornstein

Prince George Emergency Crew

Paula Thomas Brandt

Brunswick Rescue

Debbie Brill

Millwood-Station Vol. Fire

Chaplain Report

Mary Jane “Mickey” Harden

Millwood-Station Auxiliary

Gladys Heflin

Mountain View Rescue Auxiliary

Donald R. Heironimus

Covington Rescue

Cecil Jones

Concord Rescue Squad

Hazel Jones

Madison Co. Rescue Squad

Alma Perry Kerns

Millwood Station Fire Auxiliary

Betty Kidd

Northumberland Rescue

Paula Lindsay

Lakeside VRS

Barbara Moore

Altavista EMS

Danny L. Parsons

St. Charles Vol. Rescue Squad

John Pauley

Longshop-McCoy Vol. F&FA

Elmer R. “Randy” Pugh Jr.

Virginia Beach Rescue Squad

Patricia Reamy

Colonial Beach Vol. Rescue Squad

Mike Reid

Eagle Rock Fire & Rescue

Richard P. Ridgell

Millwood Station Vol. Fire

“When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single

bit of talent left, and could say, I used everything you gave me”. Erma Bombeck.

Leo Herschel Rutherford

Bristol Life Saving

Carl Wayne Salyers

Scott County Life Saving Crew

Anne Sterrett

Buena Vista Rescue Squad Auxiliary

Mary Switzer

Creeds Vol. Rescue Squad

Rebecca Thompson

Clifton Forge Auxiliary

Retha Marie Carr Thompson

Roseland Rescue Squad

Glen Stanley Unroe

Cave Spring Rescue

Everett Vaughan

Southside Rescue Squad

Robert Kehrer Wilcox

Lakeside Vol. Rescue Squad/

Southside

Wallace Roger Witcher

Altavista EMS

Stanley Wright

Strasburg Vol. Rescue Squad

If you need information on the

Death Benefit Plan, I will be happy

to answer any questions that I can

or come out to speak with your

group concerning the plan. Be sure

to include your new members as

well as your life members.

Sometimes we forget about those

that are not running calls every

day, however, if they are on your

roll and you consider them a

member, they are eligible.

Please continue to keep the office

and myself informed of anyone

needing cards and in the event of

the loss of a member. My email is

[email protected].

God Bless Each of You and God

Bless our Troops and keep them

safe.

P a g e 9 J u l y / A u g u s t 2 0 1 5

mailto:[email protected]

The 60 Second Parliamentarian Tip

Submitted by J.C. Phillips, VAVRS Parliamentarian

ELECTRONIC VOTING -

WOW, what is that all

about? It is even mention in

Robert's Rules Of Order on

page 419. Get ready guys &

gals, it looks like paper ballots

and the ballot boxes will soon

be extinct, just like the

dinosaurs. I am not an

electronics person because

when I follow directions very

carefully and something shows

up on the screen that is not

suppose to be there, I don't

know what to do next. If I

want to vote in the future, I

will have to learn how to vote

their duties and must be able

to explain the use of the

devices to the voters. It may

be advisable to have the

devices available for the voters

inspection on the day before

the elections, since most of

them may never have

participated in electronic

voting before.

Don't be afraid of electronic

voting, because if I can do it,

anybody can do it.

electronically, just like you.

Plans are in the works to do

electronic voting for the

VAVRS Officers and new Life

Members at the 2015

Conference. I understand that

some organizations with

hundreds of voters are already

doing electronic voting. This is

because it is faster, no more

paper ballots and no one has to

count the ballots.

As stated in Robert's Rules Of

Order, the secrecy of the vote

and proper counting of the

votes must be

maintained. Persons who are to

tend to the electronic devices

must be carefully instructed in

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 J u l y / A u g u s t 2 0 1 5


Commander for CVFR’s Honor

Guard, will head up the team

that will make the round trip

from Fredericksburg, Va., to

Colorado during the second

week of July. On the way back

(approximately July 11-15),

they will stop in several cities

to raise awareness about

NEMSMS and the Tree of Life.

Be sure to “Like” Chancellor

Volunteer Fire & Rescue on

Facebook to see photos posted

as the Tree of Life makes the

journey to Virginia. You can also

follow CVFR on Twitter at

@chancellorfire and

#NEMSMSTreeofLife.

According to CVFR’s Chief

Kevin Dillard, the Tree of Life

will be kept safely at CVFR

while awaiting transport to the

2016 service next June.

“Everyone at Chancellor

considers it such an honor to

be entrusted as guardians of

the Tree of Life,” said Dillard,

who was a founder and past

Submitted by Sara Hunt PR

Several members of Chancellor

Volunteer Fire & Rescue (CVFR)

have accepted a special

assignment this summer. They

will proudly escort the National

EMS Memorial Service’s Tree

of Life on its journey of honor

to a permanent home in

Northern Virginia or the

greater Washington, DC area.

The Tree of Life is one of the

most iconic visual elements of

the National EMS Memorial

Service (NEMSMS), since the

names of those who died in the

line of duty are etched on

bronze leaves of a tree that is

prominently displayed on the

stage at the service. Relatives

and friends of the honorees

often make rubbings of the

loved one’s name to honor their

sacrifice and to remember

their commitment of service to

others.

For the past several years, the

National EMS Memorial Service

has been held in Colorado

Springs, Colo., having been in

Virginia for many years prior to

that. The 2015 service was

held in Colorado, and the

NEMSMS board voted to move

the prestigious annual

ceremony back to Northern

Virginia or the greater DC area

effective with the 2016 service

in the hope of collaborating

with similar efforts there.

Kurt Murray, Honor Guard

Chancellor Team Escorts NEMSMS Tree of Life

president of the National EMS

Memorial Service. “The Tree of

Life is a treasured symbol of

fallen EMS heroes, and it

deserves our utmost respect.

We are so proud to bring it

home to Virginia.”

The September/October issue

of Lifeline will have some

photos and details about the

Tree of Life’s trip across

America from Colorado. Also,

more news is forthcoming

about NEMSMS and the 2016

service in Virginia. Stay tuned!

P a g e 1 3 J u l y / A u g u s t 2 0 1 5

and a one year of life guard

training to offer. I was soon

thrust into the world of EMS

being placed on a crew and on

an ambulance after attending a

one-month orientation class to

orient myself with the

equipment and basic patient

assessment and vital signs.

What I learned both about

myself and about others

through my 3 or so years with

EMS has changed my life

forever.

You see, the typical stereotype

of rescue squad is the stigma I

had put on it from the get-go:

sirens, blood and guts, etc. But

I soon learned that EMS is real

people with real lives and real

livelihoods. I learned that some

calls could leave you sick to

your stomach while others

brought joy that only another

fellow EMT could understand. I

learned that EMS was my niche

throughout my high school

years, and that coming up to

the station was an escape from

all other stresses of life.

As I eventually obtained my

EMT certification and gained

more training from the squad, I

began to invest myself even

more in EMS both at an

administrative level and by

picking up more duty shifts

other than my own. I became

Co- Fundraising Officer and

helped organize three

fundraising nights at Sweet

Frog Frozen Yogurt raising

Each year I ask a Junior Squad person or former Junior Squad person to write an article on what their experience as a Junior meant to them. I have the pleasure of serving on the Forest View Executive Board with Paige Lawson. [Our Juniors are ages 16 to 20.] She has achieved many goals such as EMT and an Attendant in Charge [AIC] on the unit. At our Annual Awards Banquet in 2015 she was honored with "Junior Squad Person of the Year" and "Junior Officer of the Year". Below is her story. I believe that you will agree that she is an exceptional young lady. Fran Phillips, Recruitment & Retention Chair

Submitted by Paige Lawson, Junior Squad Article

My name is Paige Lawson and I

have been a member of Forest

View Volunteer Rescue Squad

for almost three years. I

joined the Forest View Junior

Squad summer after my

freshmen year of high school,

and at the time, I did not know

that becoming an EMT and

being a part of a rescue squad

would have such a profound

impact on me.

I joined Forest View as a very

naïve, ill-experienced sixteen

year old, having only a CPR card

Rescue Squad Is Not Just A Hobby

almost $850 in total and helped

facilitate Forest View’s first

blood drive. I then took on the

role as Junior Squad Captain

and helped lead my team to a

1st place victory at the VAVRS

2014 Conference for Junior

BLS. Winning 1st place is one of

my favorite memories to this

date. I began applying

everything in my life to EMS

whether it be doing school

projects about the importance

of CPR or volunteering myself

to help with first-aid at school

events, I was always finding

ways to incorporate EMS into

my daily life.

I have realized that my work

with Forest View and

volunteering as an EMT is not

just a hobby anymore. It is a

huge part of my life. I ride 2-3


really gave me some

perspective on how

blessed I am to be

able to volunteer as

an EMT in

Chesterfield County.

Being a part of a

rescue squad is such

a privilege. I feel as

though some

providers get jaded

with EMS and often

burn out. During my

four months of

leave, I realized how

much of an honor it

is to serve others

through EMS because not all

people are able to do it. I am

lucky to be a part of a rescue

squad.

There are many awesome

things coming for the Forest

View Junior Squad. Ben Brody,

one of our newest junior

members recently put on a

tennis tournament raising

times weekly at the squad,

often over night before high

school braving the inevitable 4

am call. I still hold the role as

Junior Squad Captain and both

conduct junior meetings

monthly and attend the senior

executive board meetings as

the representative of the

Junior Squad. I also recently

become a BLS AIC investing

myself for months in the

precepting process. I consider

everyone at Forest View to be

family, and I consider myself

blessed to know some of the

best people you will ever meet.

At school, I am known widely as

the “EMT fanatic” with many

people coming to me for

medical advice some of which is

often TMI… Instead of a sport

or musical group, rescue squad

is my “thing”, and I share my

EMT card proudly to anyone

who inquires about it. I have an

extreme passion for helping

others, and I plan to attend

nursing school in the future to

invest myself even further into

my passion for medicine.

My road with EMS has not

always been easy though. In

January of my junior year, I

tore my anterior cruciate

ligament (ACL) resulting in

surgery and 4 months medical

leave from the squad. This

injury was very hard for me,

and at the time, I could not

fathom how I could last four

months without doing my

favorite thing ever: helping

people in need. This injury

almost $3500 for the Junior

Squad. It was very impressive

and well done. We currently

have six new prospective

members all of whom seem very

passionate about EMS. As for

myself, I will attend VCU in the

fall and will still have my home

away from home to return back

to every week: Forest View.

P a g e 1 5 J u l y / A u g u s t 2 0 1 5


gotten to where we are today.

I invite each of you to take

that opportunity. Take the

time to reflect through the

changes and the positive impact

that VAVRS has made in our

practice currently.

Throughout the year Ed Rhodes

meets with our Senators and

Delegates to make the changes

that are necessary at the

recommendations of VAVRS

members, so that we can

continue to provide prompt and

effective patient care. The

association promotes pre

hospital care to the public,

educates and trains, is an

advocate for the members in

governmental affairs and

provide opportunities for

members to interact, discuss

trends and disseminate

knowledge.

It is time for you to get

involved. Become active at the

district level. Go to district

meetings, compete on a team at

the district meeting and or

conference. The best place to

get started is at the district

level. Become a judge for one

of the district meet

competitions. Have your

agency host a district meet.

Submitted by Kim Craig, Vice President

EMS Strong: The week of

May 17-23 all agencies and

their providers were able to

celebrate the work they do

that makes them EMS strong.

It was a time to Thank all

fellow providers for the work

they do to save lives and

improve health. All providers

can stand proud for the

difference that is made in

someone’s life by being there in

the most difficult moment in

someone’s life. Thank you for

what you do every day to Make

a Difference.

I am so often asked why should

I get involved with VAVRS?

Karen Wagner has said it best.

VAVRS is the voice of EMS and

is the advocate between other

EMS agencies, providers and

legislative bodies. There is no

better way to network with

others in the same field of

practice and learn from others.

I have learned so much from

meeting, visiting and talking

with others. There is nothing

more interesting than to sit

and visit with a Life Member to

learn the history of where it all

got started and how we have

Serve as an officer or VP of

your district. Understand and

know the VAVRS by-laws. Know

the mission and purpose of

VAVRS. Become an instructor,

attend Rescue College and

Conference. When at

conference go to the Board of

Governor’s meetings. There is

no better way to understand

the process than to attend

those meetings. Get to know

VAVRS State Officers. Know

the purpose of each VAVRS

committee and let it known to

the Officers that you want to

be appointed to the committee

of your interests. It takes

initiative to become involved.

To give you an update on the

Office Manager position in the

State Office. The Human

Resource committee met to

review the position of the

Office Manager and update the

job description. There was

discussion on what is best for

the office and the Association.

Several options are being

looked at. Please be patient

with Kathy and Shirley at the

State Office. They are doing

the best they can to stay

caught up, keep everyone

informed and get the

certification cards out. If you

get the opportunity thank them (Continued on page 17)

VAVRS Vice President

P a g e 1 7 J u l y / A u g u s t 2 0 1 5

have served as your Vice

President. In my role as the

Vice President I have worked

with the Officers, District VP’s

and members to promote the

mission of the Association.

Work is done on a daily basis to

support agencies so that they

can progress in pre hospital

care by training, education and

community work. My

involvement with the different

committees has shown me how

much the Association makes a

for stepping up and getting the

job done.

Hopefully you have registered

for Rescue College. It is a

week filled with training and

networking. Hope to see you

there.

Another successful and

fulfilled weekend in Buena

Vista at the Camporee. Sure

hope that you got to take the

time to join us. It was great

food, games and time to spend

time with friends and family of

the VAVRS. Thanks to Wayne

Myers, Bruce Stratton, John

Craig, Rickey and Kathryn

Hodge and Kathy Eubanks for

managing the food and

beverages. Gary Dalton and

Karen Wagner putting the

games together. Believe me it

does take a team to get

everything done so a Big Thank

You goes to Ronnie Slough for

getting it all organized. Mark

your calendars next year for

the second weekend in May.

Always be sure to read the

Legislative Attic by Ed Rhodes.

It is always has information

that goes on at the Legislative

level. Especially take the time

to read the last edition Lifeline

for an update on the Senate

and House Bills. I found it

being very educational to

attend the General Assembly

on EMS Legislative day. Thank

you Ed for having the voice of

VAVRS heard.

I will be seeking the

Nomination for VAVRS

President. For the past year I

difference in the survival of

Rescue Squads. Being an

integral part of the Executive

Committee has given me the

opportunity to work with

others in implementing visions

and ideas to uphold the purpose

of VAVRS. It has been my

honor to serve as Vice

President and it would be a

privilege to serve as your

President so together we can

continue to make a difference.

Youth attending the VAVRS Camporee enjoyed

the cupcake eating contest.

Attendees at the VAVRS Camporee received a free t-shirt

courtesy of Davis EMS Systems.

Vinton First Aid Crew Recognized for over 75 Years

of Service

help their friends and family

the next time an emergency

occurred, 18 men met in the

basement of the church and

officially established the

organization on October 5 of

that year.

The crew was one of the first

16 first aid crews formed in

the state.

Seventeen of those original

men completed

and passed an

American Red

Cross advanced

first aid course.

Like many

volunteer squads,

the crew's

beginnings were

humble. They

Submitted by Jordan Fifer—Photos attributed to Roanoke County.

The Vinton First Aid Crew was

honored in March by the

Roanoke County Board of

Supervisors with a resolution

recognizing over 75 years of

service by the volunteer crew.

VFAC Chief Tom Philpott

accepted the resolution at the

board's March 24 meeting

along with roughly a dozen

current members.

VFAC was founded in 1939

after a member of Vinton

Baptist Church fainted. With a

strong desire to be ready to

relied on

personal

vehicles and

later a donated

1934 Ford panel

truck, first aid

supplies and a

few pieces of

homemade

equipment.

Today, VFAC

has roughly 50 members who

respond to about 1,500

emergency calls per year in

Vinton and eastern Roanoke

County, and neighboring

Roanoke city, Bedford and

Botetourt counties. Volunteers

served the community with

more than 22,000 hours of in-

station duty in 2014.

In addition to BLS and ALS

coverage, the crew operates a

crash rescue truck, a rehab

unit, quick response ALS

vehicle, and mass casualty

trailer.

The crew was earlier

recognized by the Vinton Town

Council, and a special 75th

anniversary banquet was held.


P a g e 1 9 J u l y / A u g u s t 2 0 1 5

District Five

interested people who might be

willing to join. The concept was

to solicit interest in becoming

the fourth station of the

Tunstall Volunteer Fire

Department. The meeting was a

success and it was agreed at

this meeting that Tunstall would

provide two trucks, a pumper

and a tanker to help them start

and would locate it in the

community in a location that

would allow them to respond in

all four directions.

Two members of the community,

Henry and Bill Brown, were

owners and operators’ of

Brown’s Texaco and donated

land beside their store for the

new fire station. A Building

Fund was begun and footings

were dug with the help of

residents in the community who

has access to backhoes.

Submitted by Joan Smoot, District 5 Historian

Hello from District 5. This

month I want to feature one of

squads, Mount Hermon

Volunteer Fire Department,

located down in Pittsylvania

County. We never really get to

know how some of our squads

actually get started, so I want

to start sharing some of the

history of our District 5 squads.

Mount Hermon was organized in

1962 by a small group who at

first could not get enough

people interested to start the

fire department on their own.

They then incorporated the

help of the Tunstall Volunteer

Fire Department, another

District 5 member, to assist

them in starting up this new

department. With the help of

members Gene Richardson,

Arnette Burch, James Rich and

Kermit Law, the first meeting

was held at Mount Hermon

Elementary School for all

Footings were poured and block

were brought in. On one

particular Saturday, fire

department members and

residents worked all day

packing and leveling the floor.

Apparently, they did a good job

because it has not settled and

no cracks have shown up in 38

years. The fireman themselves

finished the building by putting

on the roof, doors, etc. The

Building Committee consisted of

E. B. Cassada, Bob Brown,

Raymond Haskins and Julian

Simmons. The station was

completed and dedicated in the

early Fall of 1963.

While the station was being

built, meetings were held in

various peoples’ homes

throughout the community.

Jerry Dodd was appointed

Lieutenant and Gene Richardson (Continued on page 21)


P a g e 2 1 J u l y / A u g u s t 2 0 1 5

become a rescue transport

agency. The department has 37

members, serves one of the

fastest growing areas of the

county, covers 38 square miles

and responded to over 700 calls

last year.

Mount Hermon is building a new

fire station that will cost $1.4

million. They have already

began to clear a three-acre site

behind the station on Franklin

Turnpike and hopes to begin

construction soon. The new

12,000 square foot station will

feature a metal shell building

with five

drive-

through

bays, a

community

room,

was appointed Captain.

Mount Hermon Fire Department

started with a 1942 Ford,

500gpm pumper American

LaFrance and a surplus oil tank

truck with a 3-1/2 HP gasoline

engine on the back to supply

water was purchased in 1962.

Since the start of the

organization, the current

building has gone through 2

additions. The first in the 1980

added one additional bay and

the second in 1990’s with two

additional bays with the

volunteers again doing most of

the work themselves.

In 1998, Mount Hermon was

among the first fire

departments in the county to

(Continued from page 20) commercial kitchen, showers

and restrooms, and dorm rooms

for men and women. The new

station will also have a gym.

Compared to the old station,

which has just 3,400 square

feet, this will seem like fitting

3 stations in one.

I don’t know if the volunteers

will be building this or if a

contractor will, but I know with

their determination and

dedication, they will raise the

money needed and I for one,

look forward to the grand

opening celebration and the

razing of the old building. Best

of luck to Mount Hermon and

hope to see each of you at a

District Meeting soon.

Photos submitted by

Joan Smoot

District 5

Historian

P a g e 2 2 O f f i c i a l P u b l i c a t i o n o f

"Last year alone, our county

responders, which includes

fire/EMS and law enforcement,

answered just over 40,000 calls

for assistance. Think about

that for a moment, 40,000.

That’s an average of 110 calls a

day. Of those 40,000,

approximately 10,000 were Fire

and Emergency Medical

Services related. Those 10,000

Submitted by Christie Groover, WCLS

On Sunday, May 24, 2015,

members of the Washington

County Life Saving Crew, along

with Abingdon Fire Dept., Glad

Spring Fire Dept., Green

Spring Fire Dept., and

Abingdon Ambulance Service,

attended a memorial service at

the Veterans Memorial Park in

Abingdon, VA. Not only were

veterans honored for their

service, but first responders in

the area were recognized for

their dedication to the

communities they serve. During

one of the speeches, Theresa

Kingsley-Varble from the

Washington County Emergency

Services division, gave numbers

on the amount of calls

answered by only 13 agencies.

Most of these agencies are

volunteer. Below is an excerpt

from her speech.

were covered by 7 EMS

agencies which are primarily

volunteer. One common factor

in all 40,000 calls that goes

largely overlooked, is the fact

that each one of the 40,000

calls are handled by one of our

911 dispatchers. They are the

true “FIRST RESPONDER” in

receiving the call and being the

first contact for the caller,

Washington County Life Saving Crew

P a g e 2 3 J u l y / A u g u s t 2 0 1 5

giving the appropriate

instructions, then sending the

appropriate agency. They, as

well as you all, do an amazing

job in unfathomable

situations."

WCLSC covers nearly 80

square miles of territory

ranging from rural to heavily

industrialized areas, as well as

mountainous terrain. The

55,000 residents and

80,000 visitors and merchants

in Washington County, Virginia,

utilize our services nearly

3,000 times annually. With the

support of roughly 50 active

volunteers, Washington County

Life Saving Crew sets the

benchmark in the region for

Emergency Medical Services.

Remembering those that have

served our country and have

allowed us to remain free, is

always a humbling time for

first responders, because we

of all people, understand what

it's like to give so much of our

lives for others. But it meant

even more to us, that we too,

were recognized and

appreciated on this Memorial

Day.

(Continued from page 22)

P a g e 2 4 O f f i c i a l P u b l i c a t i o n o f t h e

Submitted by Gary Dalton

Sterling Volunteer Rescue

Squad hosted it’s first District

10 Meeting on June 7, 2015.

The district squads, officers

and guests were treated to a

wonderful meal, great

hospitality, a presentation of

the squad’s 50 year history and

many of their apparatus on

display in the squad parking lot

at 46700 Middlefield Drive,

Sterling, VA.

The most inventive and unique

unit on display was a Patient

Support Trailer. Sterling VRS

secured a grant through the

Virginia Rescue Squad

Assistance Fund to purchase a

trailer, retrofit their transport

units, and secure the necessary

equipment to properly and

safely transport bariatric

patients. Chief Byron Andrews

stated, “Over the past few

years we have seen an increase

in the number of larger patients

in need of transportation to the

hospital and in the past these

types of transports have

challenged our first responders

often times causing delays in

transports, risking injury to our

members and the patient, and

transporting patients in less

than professional

circumstances.” Andrews said,

“We wanted some method to

properly transport these

patients safely with dignity and

insuring the safety of our

personnel and our patients.”

According to Chief Andrews

other agencies have purchased

or modified a specific vehicle

with a specific intention on

transporting bariatric patients.

“We had to find a solution, but

felt that obligating ourselves to

a single unit was not only costly

but limited our options. We

decided to equip our transport

units with the necessary mounts

and attachments installed in the

units; and then, have the trailer

store and transport all the

necessary equipment

(stretcher, winch, and other

assorted equipment).”

Sterling Volunteer Rescue Squad Hosts District 10 Meeting

P a g e 2 5 J u l y / A u g u s t 2 0 1 5


Colonial Beach Volunteer Rescue Squad & AirCare Medevac Receive

American Heart Association's

Mission: Lifeline® EMS Recognition Award

Every year, more than 250,000

people experience a STEMI, or

ST Elevation Myocardial

Infarction, a type of heart

attack caused by a complete

blockage of blood flow to the

heart that requires timely

treatment. To prevent death,

it’s critical to restore blood

flow as quickly as possible,

either by surgically opening the

blocked vessel or by giving clot-

busting medication.

Unfortunately, a significant

number don't receive prompt

Submitted by Sara Hunt, Public Relations Coordinator

Colonial Beach, VA (May 11,

2015) — Colonial Beach

Volunteer Rescue Squad and

AirCare Medevac, a service of

PHI Air Medical, have jointly

received the American Heart

Association’s Mission: Lifeline®

EMS Bronze Award for

implementing quality

improvement measures for the

treatment of patients who

experience severe heart

attacks.

reperfusion therapy, which is

critical in restoring blood flow.

Mission: Lifeline seeks to save

lives by closing the gaps that

separate STEMI patients from

timely access to appropriate

treatments. Mission: Lifeline’s

EMS recognition program

recognizes those emergency

responders for their efforts in

improving STEMI systems of

care and improving the quality

of life for these patients.

AirCare Medevac, based at

Shannon Airport in

Members of Colonial Beach Volunteer Rescue Squad and AirCare Medevac gather for a group photo after

conducting a mock accident demo at a high school prior to prom. Pictured from left are Lt. Alex Nance,

CBVRS; Assistant Chief Patricia FitzGerald, CBVRS; Denise Weaver, CBVRS; Kaila Worrell, CBVRS; Sheila

Monroe, CBVRS; Debbie McIntyre, flight nurse, AirCare Medevac; Vern Miller, pilot, AirCare Medevac;

and Steve Mitchell, flight paramedic, AirCare Medevac.

http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3061532#reperfusion

P a g e 2 7 J u l y / A u g u s t 2 0 1 5

medical point of contact, they

can shave precious minutes of

life-saving treatment time by

activating the emergency

response system that alerts

hospitals. We applaud CBVRS

and AirCare Medevac for

achieving this award that shows

it meets evidence-based

guidelines in the treatment of

people who have severe heart

attacks.”

“Our organization is dedicated

to making our unit among the

best in the country, and the

American Heart Association’s

Mission: Lifeline program is

helping us accomplish that by

implementing processes for

improving STEMI systems of

care with the goal of improving

the quality of care for all

STEMI patients,” said Wesley

Melson, rescue chief of Colonial

Beach Volunteer Rescue Squad.

“This is the first time that we

have been honored with a

Fredericksburg, Va., often

airlifts CBVRS’ most severe

cardiac patients to the nearest

hospital to reduce ground

transport time.

Emergency Medical System

providers are vital to the

success of Mission: Lifeline.

EMS agencies provide access

to 12-lead ECG machines

(devices that measures the

electrical activity of the

heartbeat and can help medical

personnel determine if a heart

attack has occurred), and

follow protocols derived from

American Heart Association/

American College of Cardiology

guidelines. The correct tools

and training allow EMS

providers to rapidly identify

the STEMI, promptly notify

the medical center, and trigger

and early response from the

awaiting hospital personnel.

Agencies that receive the

Mission: Lifeline Bronze award

have demonstrated at least 75

percent compliance for each

required achievement measure

for three months (one

quarter), and treated at least

four STEMI patients for the

year.

“EMTs and paramedics play a

vital part in the system of care

for those who have heart

attacks,” said Nancy Brown,

Chief Executive Officer of the

American Heart Association/

American Stroke Association.

“Since they often are the first


Mission: Lifeline award, and we

are especially pleased to be

recognized along with our great

partners at AirCare Medevac

for our dedication and

achievements in emergency

medical care for STEMI

patients.”

“It’s exciting to share this

award with CBVRS and we look

forward to another great year

of working with this

organization,” said Chris

Shaffer, operations manager

for AirCare Medevac. “Our goal

for 2016 is to meet and exceed

the Mission: Lifeline

achievement measures, and

continue to provide the highest

level of clinical care to patients

in our community.” AirCare

Medevac has bases in a number

of locations in Virginia,

including Fredericksburg, Front

Royal, Harrisonburg, Leesburg

and Manassas.


P a g e 2 9 J u l y / A u g u s t 2 0 1 5

Submitted by Dave Edwards,

Virginia OEMS

Recently the Virginia EMS for

Children program was able to

purchase 160 pediatric

immobilization boards (LSPs)

for distribution to Virginia

volunteer ground ambulances

that needed them. There are

still about 25 of these

pediatric immobilization

devices that are available to

distribute. If you do not

currently have an appropriately

-sized pediatric immobilization

device for potentially children

from __ , contact David

Edwards by email at

[email protected]

with your request. These are

very easy to carry and may

decrease the time it takes for

EMS providers to appropriately

package an injured child.

Also, if any of your volunteer

ambulances do NOT have a

length-based pediatric

emergency tape (like a

Broselow®), or the tape that

you have is not current, please

contact David Edwards in the

Office of EMS at

[email protected]

and make a request. The most

current version of the

Broselow® tape is “2011 Edition

A”. Both of the items above

have been purchases with

federal grant money (see

paragraph below).

“This project is supported by the Health Resources and

Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of

Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number

H33MC07871 EMS State Partnership Grant. This information

or content and conclusions are those of the author and should

not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor

should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the

U.S. Government.”

Pediatric Immobilization Boards and Broselow® Tapes Available Free from EMSC




installation are moving forward

and part of the requirements

take effect on July 1, 2015.

Construction on an ambulance

that begins after this date is

required to meet the new

compliance standards.

Additional standards start

taking effect in January 2016.

VAVRS is working on getting

additional funds to pay for the

stretcher requirements from

$4 for Life funding that goes

to the General Fund.

With the passage of the EMS

terminology bill during the 2015

session, we have received some

comments that because of

change in the code, agencies

have to change their name. This

is in fact not the case. There is

Before I get started, please

note a correction in the May/

June Lifeline. In the second

paragraph I referred to HB

1379 and thanks to George

Langford, it should be HB 1579.

My apologies for those who

looked and could not find it.

Over the past couple of

months, I have been attending

numerous meetings concerning

Line of Duty. As part of the

working group, two issues that

have been discussed are (i)

definition of a volunteer and (ii)

not keeping current records of

membership and who are

beneficiaries. There is also

discussion on the required

training for LODA. There are

two more meetings scheduled

between now and conference.

The EMS Compact bill is the

number one priority of the

Office of EMS for the 2016

session. The office has already

submitted it to the

Commissioner to be included in

the Governor's legislative

package. The EMS Advisory

Board voted unanimously at

their May meeting to this.

The requirements for stretcher

nothing in code that makes this

a requirement; it only gives the

code some continuity in the

EMS language.

Besides the number of

meetings forthcoming, it is also

time to begin working on the

VAVRS legislative agenda for

2016. We will continue to work

on the driving immunity

legislation, look at LODA

changes, additional funding for

the cot requirements, EMS

compact bill, and of course to

protect what we already have in

place.

Thanks for your continued

support and should you have

questions, please feel free to

contact me or anyone on the

legislative committee.

The “Real” Attic

P a g e 3 1 J u l y / A u g u s t 2 0 1 5

Picture from Fire EMS Memorial Service yesterday

Mike Berg - President Charlottesville Albemarle RS, Gary Brown - Director of

OEMS, Gary Critzer - Life Member Waynesboro FAC and Chairman EMS Advisory

Board

Photo from Fire EMS Memorial Service June 6, 2015—Left to Right: Mike Berg, President Charlottesville-

Albemarle Rescue Squad, Gary Brown, Director of the Virginia Office of EMS and Gary Critzer, Life

Member of Waynesboro First Aid Crew and Chair of the Virginia EMS Advisory Board

Spring BOG Meeting in

Fredericksburg was offered by

the VP. Information was

presented concerning the sale

of raffle tickets again this

year, to help off-set the

expenses of the annual

conference. District Training

Officer, Kate Burton, reported

on the success of the recently

held March Medical Madness in

Fluvanna County as well as the

upcoming District One Super

CE Day, which will be held at

Dabney S Lancaster Community

College in Clifton Forge on

October 10th. Robbi

Blackburn, District Legislative

Officer, presented a bylaws

change regarding the election

of District Life Members that

will allow votes (for or against)

to be cast via secret ballot.

She also announced, from this

point forward, alternate

District Vice Presidents will be

elected rather than appointed;

this is in accordance with a

bylaw change that was

presented and passed at the

Submitted by Greg Burton, District 1 Alternate V. P.

On Sunday, April 26th, the

VAVRS District 1 members,

guests, and families met for

the quarterly meeting in the

quaint town of Grottoes. The

event was hosted by Grottoes

Rescue Squad with

competitions held at their local

elementary school. The day

began with agencies

participating in the Modular

Ambulance Vehicle Extrication

problem simultaneously with

the EVOC written test and

driving course. The extrication

competition featured 4 teams

while there were about 12

participants in the EVOC

competition. At 10:00, the

EMT teams – including the

junior teams – began their

quarterly battle for the

trophies. Shortly thereafter,

the ALS teams made their

appearance and four teams

battled for bragging rights.

After filling up with a great

lunch provided by Grottoes

Rescue Squad, District One’s

Business Meeting began. Led

by Vice President, Steve

Southworth, the meeting was

called to order – district life

members were recognized,

along with state officers,

VAVRS life members, and

guests. Roll call of District 1

agencies was called. A report

on the recent activities at the

Spring BOG Meeting.

State Vice President, Kim

Craig, had several remarks

regarding upcoming Conference

at Virginia Beach, including

that, with the success and

turnout in 2014, the picnic will

be held again this year, at Camp

Pendleton. This is an

approximate savings to the

Association of $7,000. It was

great to see the State

Treasurer and District One

Advisor, Steve Grayson, out

and about with his wife Betty.

Steve was involved in a near-

fatal accident just after

Conference last year; while he

has a few more surgeries to

undergo, he was looking great

and feeling optimistic. Steve

reported that the vendors at

Conference this year will only

be set-up on Thursday and

Friday. The ALS and BLS

competitions will be held at the

Convention Center in an effort

to draw crowds to the vendor

area. This was in response to


District One

P a g e 3 3 J u l y / A u g u s t 2 0 1 5

Patrick Scott of Staunton-

Augusta Rescue Squad,

announced their goal of

attaining District Vice

President. Elections for this

office will be held at the July

District One Meeting.

After all business was

discussed, it was time for

competition awards!

Man Miles:

1st: Covington RS

Activity Report:

1st: Stuarts Draft RS

Vehicle Extrication

1st: Staunton-Augusta RS

2nd: Waynesboro FAC

EVOC:

1st: Justin Strader (SDRS)

2nd: Steve Rohr (SARS)

3rd: Patrick Scott (SARS)

ALS

1st: Covington RS

2nd: Staunton-Augusta RS

EMT-Junior

1st: Stuarts Draft RS

EMT-Senior

1st: Covington RS

2nd: Waynesboro FAC

3rd: Staunton-Augusta

VP Award

Stuarts Draft RS

The next meeting will be held

on Sunday, July 27th at Goshen

First Aid Crew in Rockbridge

County.

suggestions made by the

vendors who support the

association.

Upon return of the Junior

Members, whose meeting was

held concurrently, Logan Parker

gave report on the camaraderie

of their members and the team

-building activities. Woody

Conner, State Junior Advisor,

also attended the junior’s

Meeting and reported that he

was glad to be able to attend

and was impressed with the

junior’s dedication.

Under New Business, Greg

Burton announced that he

would be seeking the

nomination of State Training

Officer. Kim Craig is seeking

the nomination for VAVRS

President. Kate Burton of

Covington Rescue Squad, and

District 7 Secretary Curtis

Crawford and his trusty

assistant Mary Pardue had the

meal of hamburgers, hot dogs,

homemade chili, baked beans,

Submitted by Coby Fizer- District 7 VP

VAVRS District 7 held its

annual picnic and meeting May

2, 2015 at the Nellies Cave

Park in Blacksburg, VA.

Cornhole competition as well as

fellowship prior to the meal

was enjoyed by those in

attendance. The meeting was

called to order by District 7 VP

Coby Fizer at 6:00pm and

Garland Linkous returned

thanks and led the group in the

pledge of allegiance. Garland

has agreed to step into the

position of District 7 Chaplin

for the remainder of the year

with the passing of District 7

Chaplin Emeritus John Pauley.

and potato salad prepared on

time and ready to be devoured

by the members and guest in

attendance. Many of the

deserts were provided by

Kroger in Christiansburg.

Thanks to Anita Fizer for

working with Kroger to obtain

the deserts at no charge to the

district.

The meeting reconvened at

7:00pm with the 50/50 drawing

of $30.25 going to Roger

Bryant. The squad with the

most members present was

Riner Rescue Squad and most

miles traveled was by Wythe

County Rescue Squad. Both

squads received a 4 pack of

flashlights provided by District

7. The nine squads that were

represented at the meeting

were Blacksburg,

Christiansburg, Floyd, Giles, (Continued on page 35)


District Seven Holds Annual Picnic at Nellies Cave Park in Blacksburg

Auxiliary members at District Seven Picnic

Curtis and Mary grilling

P a g e 3 5 J u l y / A u g u s t 2 0 1 5

Newport, Riner, Shawsville,

Tannersville, and Wythe.

VAVRS officers present were

recognized as well as AVAVRS

state officers, VAVRS Life

Members, VAVRS Hall of Fame

Members, VAJVRS officers &

members, and District 7 Life

Members. In addition all US

Military Veterans were

recognized for their service to

our great country.

Lindsay Davis District 7

Training Officer conducted the

ALS and BLS competition.

Trophies were handed out with

both going to the Riner Rescue

Squad teams who did a superb

job during the competition.

Riner also entered and won call

of the quarter for an incident

in which they responded to a


MVC with the vehicle involved

sitting on top of the patient.

The person survived after

being flown to Roanoke by

Lifeguard. No EVOC

competition was held due to

the food preparation and

cooking duties of the EVOC

instructors.

The Auxiliary members were

released so that they could

conduct their business meeting.

Reports were given by the

District 7 officers as well as

the VAVRS state officers in

attendance. A list of important

dates to remember were

(Continued on page 36)

Roger Bryant, Kelcie Bower and Luke Lambert gossiping at the picnic

Curtis and Mary grilling


Photos

submitted

by

Cody

Fizer

A Nominating Committee was

appointed for District 7

Offices of Vice President,

Alternate Vice President, and

Treasurer. Kelly Walters-

[email protected] and Nick

Coalson-

[email protected] were

chosen to bring back

nominations.

Committee appointed for

District Life Membership

recommendations which

consisted of John Akers-

[email protected] and

reported to the membership as

well as highlights of the Spring

Executive Committee and BOG

Meetings that were held in

Fredericksburg on April 10th &

11th 2015.

District 7 Treasurers report

was presented by Kelly

Walters. A starting account

balance of $4,020.08 was

reported with a check written

to Longshop/McCoy Volunteer

Rescue Squad in remembrance

of John Pauley. Checks were

also written for food, supplies

and rental of the shelter for

today’s meeting/picnic with an

ending balance of $3,555.15

reported.

Raffle Tickets for VAVRS

State Conference will be

handled through Curtis

Crawford for District 7.

Contact him to get tickets. We

will try to set up days to sell

the tickets like last year. If

you want tickets, contact

Curtis and he will meet you with

them.


Alfred Smith-

[email protected].

Both Officer and Life

applications/recommendations

are due in to the committee’s

by July 15, 2015.

Check out the District 7

Facebook page https://

www.facebook.com/

VAVRSdistric7. Lindsay Davis

is doing a great job keeping it

up to date with much needed

resources for training. We are

also looking for new entries to

put on the page. So if your

squad has a special event,

training or an announcement,

send it to Lindsay Davis or

Curtis Crawford and it will be

reviewed and placed on the

page.

Reminder of the next District

7 meeting to be held on August

15, 2015 at the Newport

Volunteer Rescue Squad in

Newport, VA.

The meeting adjourned at

8:00pm.

Cornhole Tournament participants

Cornhole Tournament participants





https://www.facebook.com/VAVRSdistric7



P a g e 3 7 J u l y / A u g u s t 2 0 1 5

Classes, which would be good

for everyone to take. It is a 4

hour class. You can check for

dates classes will be held on

VAVRS and ODEMSA websites.

The Juniors had enough

members to hold a Junior

meeting. We were glad to see

all of them.

EVOC was held again, the

second time for a long time.

Four people signed up and two

were unable to attend, still

held competition. Kenny

Frenier took first place and

Jason Wilmoth took second

place, they did real good. We

want to thank Forest View for

their Hospitality and a Great

Meal. I enter this every time,

but we always have a great

time. Our next meeting will be

held at Holly Grove VRS on

August 1’s.

May 13th Thomas Jefferson’s

EMS Council held their Awards

Banquet. Holly Grove VRS is in

TJEMS Council. We are real

proud of one of our members,

Submitted by Cindy Swann, District 3 Historian

District 3’s May meeting was

held at Forest View VRS. The

first thing I want to bring up is

Kenny Frenier. We wanted to

recognize Kenny for all the

hard work and dedication he

did as our District VP in the

past 2 years and was

presented with a plaque to

show our appreciation.

We of course went over some

of the up and coming changes

that are being made regarding

EMS. As everyone most likely

knows, after July 2015 when

and ambulance is purchased the

new type of stretcher will be

required. CEC training can

now be done on line for Initial

Certification but Practical’s will

have to be done in person.

Regular classes are still going

to be held. It was also

discussed when responding to

an accident how serious it could

be for the responders. There

is a Traffic Incident

Management Safety Security

who is Susan Anderson. At the

Awards Banquet Susan received

the Regional EMS Outstanding

Pre-Hospital Provider Award. I

have never seen the look on her

face that she had, total shock.

Susan joined HGVRS 1988 and

became an EMT and advanced

to ST. Susan became a Life

Member. She was a teacher,

got married and became a

mother, had 2 daughters. She

took a break for about 8 years

just to be a mom and teacher.

She always knew she would be

back. She decided she was

ready to come back rejoined us

and took an EMT class. We

were glad to see her back.

She now has 15 years of

service with HGVRS. At

present she is our secretary.

This is just a quick history of

Susan.

District Three

She giggled and said,

“Why not?”

I said, Good, get

your own darn blanket!”

Dear Rescue Ranger,

What is the worse call you ever

experienced?

J C from Forest View

Dear Mr. Phillips,

I was on a rescue team that

responded to an event at a rock

climbing expedition, an accident

occurred, as some of the

grappling hooks gave way. This

left the eleven climbers

clinging precariously to the

wildly swinging rope suspended

from a crumbling outcropping

on the Mountain. Ten were

blonde and one was a brunette.

As a group they decided that

one of the party should let go.

If that didn’t happen the

weight on the rope would cause

more of the hooks to give way

and everyone would perish. For

an agonizing few moments no

one volunteered. Finally the

brunette gave a truly touching

speech saying she would

sacrifice herself to save the

lives of the others. All ten

blondes applauded.

Dear Rescue Ranger

Dear Rescue Ranger,

Heard you have a new hobby,

Karate? How is it going?

T G from Surry

Dear Tommy,

Really good—after only one

Karate lesson, I can break

boards with my cast!

Dear Rescue Ranger,

Did you hear about the

skeleton that went into a bar?

B W from Cave Spring

Dear Bob,

Yeah, I heard he asked the

bartender for a beer and a

mop.

Dear Rescue Ranger,

Have you ever taken a trip on a

train? I am thinking about

taking a trip and just wanted

some good advice.

Anonymous

Dear Bubby,

Many times. I enjoy train

trips. I remember one time

Amtrak mistakenly put me in

the same sleeping carriage of a

train with a woman I had not

met. After some initial

embarrassment, we both

managed to get to sleep; the

woman in the top bunk and me

in the lower.

In the middle of the night the

woman leans over and says to

me, “I'm awfully cold and I was

wondering if you could possibly

pass me another blanket.”

I leaned out and, with a glint in

my eye, said, “I’ve got a better

idea...let’s pretend we’re

married.”

Dear Rescue Ranger,

Question for you….a wife is

sleeping in the middle of the

night, she suddenly shouts:

“Get up quickly my husband is

here!”

The man gets up from the bed,

jumps out the window, hurts

himself and then realizes,

“Darn, I am the husband.”

Who is guilty in this situation?

C L from Churchville

Dear Cecil,

Don’t know it is kind of like, a

couple came upon a wishing well.

The husband leaned over, made

a wish and threw in a penny.

The wife decided to make a

wish too. But she leaned over

to much, fell into the well and

drowned. The husband was

stunned for a while but then

smiled and said, “It really

works!”


J u l y / A u g u s t 2 0 1 5 P a g e 3 9

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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.

Make Your Plans to Join Us at the Annual VAVRS Conference

September 23-26, 2015 in Virginia Beach

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.

HAVING AN IN-DEPTH UNDERSTANDING OF YOUR NEEDS

AND GOALS IS THE WAY WE SERVE YOU

Documents

Lifeline july august 2015