Meeting Minutes for June 24 - 25, 2005
NC Association of Rescue & EMS, Inc.
June 24, 2005
Adams' Mark Hotel Winston Salem NC
Commander Robert Poe called the meeting to order.
Invocation was given by Chaplain Dean Wall.
Welcome was given by Chief Billy Sparks Jr of Winston Salem Rescue.
The Auxiliary was excused for their meeting.
Adoption of order of business; motion by Henry Sermons; second by Herb Roberson; motion carried.
Roll call of voting delegates by Jerry Bradshaw.
Resolution Committee was introduced; Chair Randy Skinner, members David Pease and Marvin Harris.
Guests were recognized; Ed Browning Assistant Chief OEMS and staff, Robert Swiger Field Service Supervisor Department of Insurance/ OSFM, Mike Hill with VSWCF, Rhonda Stevens Fire Rescue Pension Fund Coordinator Pension Fund and Darlene Johnson EM.
None.
Commander Poe recommended Honorary Life Membership for Terry Foxx and Scott McCaskill. Both were elected to Honorary Life Membership. Motion by Glen Cowan; second by Tommy McNeill; motion carried.
Robert Swiger Field Service Supervisor Department of Insurance; (1) High Angle Rescue School, November 4-5-6, 2005, Pilot Mountain State Park. (2) Mountain Rescue School, March 24-25-25, 2006, Stone Mountain State Park. (3) Rescue College will be February 10-11-12, 2006 and Feburary 24-25-26, 2006 at Surry Community College. (4) Gene Gladin retiring 12-31-2005. (5) Structural collapse exercise was held June 3-4-5, 2005 at the Onslow Inn Motel, Jacksonville NC in coorporation with OSFM, EM, NCAR&EMS, Jacksonville FD and USAR Teams from accross the state. 384 persons from 47 agencies participated. Special thanks to Joe Burris who planed and coordinated the exercise.
Ed Browning Assistant Chief of OEMS; (1) Introduced staff members. (2) Staff has worked hard to prepare the BLS competition. (3) EMS rules in place for a couple of years. Public meeting will be held this fall to seek input to see if any changes need to be made. (4) Regional specialist working with HRSA grants for compliance. (5) Ambulance state contract has been awarded, information on OEMS web site. (6) Thank the Commander and Executive Director for their support and work with the EMS Advisory Council. (7) Thank the NCAR&EMS for handling the EMS certification patches.
Henry Sermons /Terry Foxx ; Next meeting 7-20-2005 at Pineroft-Sedgefield Fire Depatment in Greensboro.
Terry Fox; (1) Meets quarterly. (2) Next meeting 7-19-2005 at Pinecroft-Sedgefield Fire Dept. in Greensboro. (3) Issues with RT program being worked out. (4) All ERT's will be certified as RT's to the 2003 standard. (5) Certification will be RT + VMR. (6) Confined Space and Ropes Specailties should be on line 7-1-2005. (7) Other specialisties are being piloted now.
Robert Poe; (1) AED ($192,000.00) grant for the 3rd year begining September 1. (2) Second draft of the National EMS Scope of Practice is out. (3) Local EMS needs to develop a policy to assist non EMS responders if they are exposed to body fluids when helping on scene. A template was mailed. EMS may not know until later that someone has been exposed. Ultimately it is the responsibility of the bystander. (4) Regional meetings for EMS Directors and Medical Directors are planned for June. There will be 3, one in the east, central and west. (5) EMS data reporting to OEMS will be changed to follow the national data set. (6) EMS tool kits are being developed and will be ready in late summer. One will address EMS response and the other will address the number of technicians. (7) There is legislation to identify and provide for stroke centers. EMS and hospitals need a plan to deal with stroke patients. (8) OEMS is sending two staft members to Emmitsburg for NIMS training. All EMS needs to have NIIMS training especially if they receive Homeland Security funds. (9) 58 Community colleges will receive an adult and a child bioterriosm manikan for training. (10) SMAT teams will receive radios. Carl Van Cott is working on that. (11) Next meeting August 9th in Raleigh.
Robert Poe; (1) There is some confusion as to which NIMS courses are acceptable. Tim Bradley and Chairman Harley Cook are looking into this to get clarification. (2) The Rescue Tech program will remain core plus one. Chapter 8 Ropes will be a pre- requisite before taking any other disciplines. (3) Next meeting 7-12-2005 in Greensboro.
Dean Wall/Mike Hill; (1) Cloyce Anders is chair and Jerry Bradshaw, Gordon A. Joyner and Dean Wall are on the Board. (2) The fund is in its 10th year and is very sound. (3) Lost 4.5 million from Legislature this year. (4) 1226 member departments covering over 42,000 members. (5) 93% are volunteers, 4% part-time and 3% are paid personnel. (6) Board is pro-active in preventing injuries; 3 losses in a year will trigger an administrative review. (7) The simplest thing to save money on claims is to make sure they are reported within 24 hours. (8) Strains and sprains are the leading cause of claims. (9) Our safety programs seems to help reduce claims. (10) Departments who have several claims will be worked with to make sure they have good safety programs and a safety officer.
Rhonda Stevens Coordinator for the Fire & Rescue Pension Fund; (1) The fund is very sound. (2) New 800 number has cut down the hold time. (3) $2.00 increase in benefits this year is in budget bill. (4) Contact her is you would like for her to come to your department and explain the pension fund.
Gary Whitman; Advisory Committee recommended to the Board of Directors who have approved the award for Past Commander Hiram Brinson Jr to be set up and funded by the Duplin County Rescue Association.
Henry Sermons / Gordon A. Joyner; (1) Budget presented for information only. (2) Budget approved at the January Board of Directors Meeting.
Henry Sermons / Gordon A. Joyner; (1) List of legislation that made the crossover is in the package. (2) $2.00 increase in pension is in budget bill. (3) VSWCF funded $2.5 million dollars this year and $4.5 million next year is in the budget bill. (4) Contact the office for copies of the bills. (5) Use our web site for further information on legislation, Federal or State.
Gary Whitman; (1) 13 New squads in 2005, 519 Squads in the Association. (2) Total membership 20,431. (3) 10 Lifetime Members. (4) 4 Emeritus Members. (5) 43 Associate Members. (6) 598 Individual Members. (7) Total membership 21,300. (8) 230 departments in the Brotherhood 5,221 Members. (9) 598 Individual Members. (10) Total membership 5,819.
Gary Whitman; (1) Keep the media informed about your operations. (2) Newspaper and TV stations were sent press releases for the convention. (3) TV station did filming of the rescue competition.
Gordon A. Joyner for Sprunt Hall; Committee contiuning to work on job descriptions for new position.
Randy Skinner; motion to accept by Randy Newman; second by Tommy McNeill; motion carried. (Attachment #1)
Jerry Bradshaw; (1) Committee certified that the delegates were qualified. (2) Credentials Committee certified the election for the area Directors and they have been notified. (3) Certified that Alternate Directors for Area V and X were eligible. (4) Election for Commander was held; Gary Whitman was elected. (5) Election for Vice Commander was held; Tommy McNeill was elected. (6) They were certified by the Credentials Committee.
Glenn Cowan; (1) Proposed changes to by-laws have been sent to all departments. (2) Motion from committee to accept the proposed changes; seconded by Bill Henderson; motion carried. (Attachment #2)
Robert Poe; (1) Several mutual aids during year. (2) I-40 Reversal is still in effect.
Robert Poe; (1) Your package contains benefits available to members and most of these benefits come from the relief fund. (2) Will continue working on increasing benefits. (3) Funding 420 scholarships at a cost of $700,000 per year.
Terry Foxx; (1) 9 teams competed in Rescue Challenge. (2) Six teams will compete in Rescue Competition. (3) Would like to thank OSFM for their help in putting on the competition. (3) Thank Winston-Salem Rescue for the help in the logistics on putting on the competition. (4) Old & Goldies competion will be at 7 PM. Invited all to come and see the Old "F.A.R.T.S." show their skills.
Gary Whitman; (1) 19 teams in competition. (2) Please adhere to the schedule. (3) Thanks to OEMS and Allen Johnson who was the liaison for the competition.
Robert Poe for Anita Cox; Long Range Planning Committee; (1) Continuing to work. (2) Will meet 6-25-05.
Robert Poe; Memorial Fund Committee; (1) Continuing to work on the project. (2) Money that has been donated is drawing interest. (3) Memorial will be at the State Vistitor Center to be built in down town Raleigh.
Gordon A. Joyner; (1) We are here and things seem to going well. (2) Works much better with the Convention Center and the hotel under the same management.
Gordon A. Joyner; Twin City Quarter, Mariott and Embassy Suites , Winston-Salem, June 22-23-24, 2006.
The Association is doing very well. Financially it probably is in the best shape it has ever been thanks to Executive Director Gordon A. Joyner and his staff.
As you have heard in the Membership Committee report we have lost 10 squads due to mergers and closings and not meeting meeting membership requirements. However we have gained 13 new ones. The new member squads were doing rescue all along, but now have opted to join us because of the benefits and the professionl recognition of the standards.
Over the past year we have had numerous meetings with Tim Bradley, Larry Hughes, Robert Swiger, Steve Sloan and others from the OSFM staff to get the RT program to where it will meet the need of rescurers across the state and still be within the boundaries of NFPA and IFSAC. We are still working on this and will be tweaking this constantly.
We continue to award scholarships to children and members. We now have 420 children and members receiving scholarship at a cost of over $700,000.00 per year.
A committee was appointed to explore long term goals of the Association. They promptly advised two areas that needed to be addressed. One was to look at property to build or expand the Association office. The other concern was to hire additional staff for the office.
The Board of Directors was very receptive to the recommendations and are planning to move forward on the recommendations.
In closing, I along with the citizens across the state wish to thank you for a job well done.
The meeting was recessed until the Awards Program.
Awards Program
Welcome: by Commander Robert Poe.
Forsyth County EMS Honor Guard presented the colors.
Invocation: Chaplain Dean Wall.
Forsyth County EMS Honor Guard member sang the National Anthem.
Memorial service for the 42 members and 5 Auxiliary members who passed away during the year was held by Chaplain Dean Wall, names were read by Executive Director Gordon A. Joyner. Candles were lit by Commander Robert Poe, Vice Commander Gary Whitman and Auxiliary President Cherri Dunn.
Forsyth County Honor Guard member sang Amazing Grace followed by the retiring of the colors by Forsyth County EMS Honor Guard.
Commander Robert Poe Recognized the head table; wife Debbie, daughters Jessica and Telana, Vice Commander Gary Whitman and Ladena, Executive Director Gordon A. Joyner and Lena, Sr. Deputy Commissioner of Insurance Tim Bradley, Deputy Commissioner of Insurance Larry Hughes and Connie, Chief of OEMS Drexdal Pratt and Sherre, Director of Fire & Rescue Pension Fund Rhonda Stevens and Chuck, NCAR&EMS Chaplain Dean Wall, President of the NCAR&EMS Auxiliary Cherrie Dunn and Earl, Vice President of the NCAR&EMS Auxiliary Carol Butts and Henry, Secretary/Treasurer NCAR&EMS Auxiliary Melva Thompson and Gilbert, Piedmont Traid Ambulance & Rescue Board President Dwight McDowell, Parliamentarian Ricky Joyner and Lee, Lynette Bryan and Steve, Becky Strickland and Sarah Strickland and Past Commander Henry Sermons.
Past Commander Henry Sermons installed the NCAR&EMS officers. Commander Gary Whitman, Vice Commander Tommy McNeill.
2005 Winners:
Auxiliary Awards:
Scrapbook Awards:
1st - Beaver Lane
2nd - Tabor City
3rd - Yadkin
Honorable Mention-Scrapbook - Fremont Auxiliary
Outstanding Auxiliary Award - Tabor City
Outstanding Auxiliary Honorable Mention - Fremont
Outstanding Auxiliary Member of the Year Award - Amy Radford
Director of the Year Award - Amy Radford
NCAR&EMS Awards:
Chad M. Smith Memorial Spirit Award - Alexander Rescue
Steve Richey Memorial Award - Tim Pennell
William F. Osborne Outstanding Chief Memorial Award - Billy Sparks
Rescue of the Year Awards:
1st - R.E.D.S. Team
2nd - Atlantic Beach Fire Dept.
3rd - Ash-Rand
Director of the Year - Benny Greene
Gordon A. Joyner Secretary of the Year Award - Debbie Hennessee
Old and Goldies Senior Rescue Competition:
1st - Richard Caudill (White Team)
2nd - Gene Gladin (Red Team)
3rd - Joe Burris (Blue Team)
Rescue Competition:
1st - Alexander
2nd - Winston-Salem
3rd - Claremont
4th - Gates Co.
5th - Hickory
6th - Sherrills Ford
Rescue Challenge Awards:
1st - Winston-Salem Team 1
2nd - Winston-Salem Team 4
3rd - Winston-Salem Team 2
4th - Gates Co. Team 2
5th - Gates Co. Team 3
6th - Winston-Salem Team 3
Junior BLS Competition Awards:
1st - Fremont EMS
2nd - Clayton Team 1
3rd - Clayton Team 2
BLS Competition Awards:
1st - Clayton
2nd - Goldsboro EMS
3rd - Mt. Olive EMS
4th - Piedmont Triad Team 1
5th - Seven Springs
Life Memberships - Terry Foxx and Scott McCaskill
Emeritus Membership - Gene Gladin
There being no further business the convention was adjourned.
Gordon A. Joyner/Secretary-Treasurer
(Not official until approved by the Board of Directors.)
Meeting Minutes for June 24 - 25, 2005