NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2014

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

M a y / J u n e 2 0 1 4 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

P a g e 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 V A V R S

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 gdalton@vavrs.com

Deadline for future issues as follows:

December 1, 2014 for January/February 2015 Issue

February 1, 2014 for March/April 2015 Issue

April 1, 2015 for May/June 2015 Issue

June 1, 2015 for the July/August 2015 Issue

THE VIRGINIA

LIFELINE

ISSN 0279-6023

is the official bimonthly

publication of the Virginia

Association of Volunteer

Rescue Squads, Inc.

Editorial material should

be sent directly to the

VAVRS Editor at

P O Box 522

Woodstock, VA 22664

(H) 540-459-4849

(W) 540-536-2758

(FAX) 540-459-4925

(C) 540-481-0125

Email-gdalton@vavrs.com

Requests for advertising

rates, material

specifications and

deadlines should be

directed to the Editor.

M a y / J u n e 2 0 1 4 P a g e 5

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: Harry Householder

Finance: Patsy Wingfield

Roll Call: Donna Porter

Roll Call: Valarie Becker

Fundraising: Stacey Frame

Fundraising: Tracey Frame

P a g e 6 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

through engaging videos,

animations, simulations, and review

exercises.

The dynamic online curriculum

covers high voltage vehicle and

safety systems, basic electrical

concepts, identification techniques

for electric and hybrid vehicles,

immobilization and power-down

procedures, extrication

challenges, recommended

practices for dealing with vehicle

and battery fires, incidents

involving charging stations, and

more. Highly-interactive modules

are video and graphic intensive,

and you can repeat any section on

demand.

Upon completion of five modules

you should be able to:

· Safely conduct emergency

scene size-up and management

· Identify an electric vehicle

· Effectively immobilize the

vehicle for scene safety

· Disable the vehicle's High

Voltage and SRS systems

· Conduct occupant rescue

more safely

· Execute EV recovery and

disposal

A built-in learning management

system lets you exit the program

anytime and return where you left

off, so you can maximize time and

schedule training around

professional demands.

Demonstrate your proficiency in

Electric/Hybrid/Fuel Cell Safety Course for Trucks, Buses, and Commercial Fleet Vehicles

course

content by

completing a

series of

data

reviews at

the

conclusion

of each

training module and final scenario

room activities. Pass these reviews

and earn your Certificate of

Educational Achievement and CEU

credit.

Who Will Benefit:

Anyone who may respond to

incidents involving electric or

hybrid vehicles, including fire

service and law enforcement,

emergency medical service

technicians, and tow and salvage

personnel.

Continuing Education Credit:

Complete all five modules and

qualify for 0.2 Continuing

Education Units. Upon completion,

participants will be prompted to

download the CEU certificate

directly from the course site.

Please verify applicability with

your professional board before

attending.

This training application is only

accessible to individuals within the

United States. Customers residing

outside the U.S. should not

purchase this training, as they will

not be able to view it.

READ MORE: http://

evsafetytraining.org/

Submitted by Kenneth P. Clark, AEM (Virginia); Training & Curriculum Development Manager Office of Training & Exercises Virginia Department of Emergency Management

This training application is only

accessible to individuals within the

United States. Customers residing

outside the U.S. should not

purchase this training, as they will

not be able to view it.

All registration fees will be waived

for the first 20,000 first

responders who sign up at

EVSafetyTraining.org

NFPA®'s self-paced Electric

Vehicle Safety for Emergency

Responders Online Course*

teaches emergency responders

how to safely deal with emergency

situations involving electric and

hybrid vehicles. Earn a Certificate

and CEUs.

Please Note: NFPA is now offering

this online course free of charge

to the US Fire Service. Also

available to the US Fire Service is

the Electric/Hybrid/Fuel Cell

Safety Course for Trucks, Buses,

and Commercial Fleet Vehicles.

It is predicted that 13.9 million

electrified vehicles will be on the

world's roadways within five

years. To help emergency

responders handle the unique

challenges presented by this new

technology, NFPA has developed

the Electric Vehicle Safety for

Emergency Responders Online

Course. In approximately two

hours, the self-paced program

effectively trains responders

Free Course: Electric Vehicle Safety for Emergency

Responders Online Course

M a y / J u n e 2 0 1 4 P a g e 7

P a g e 8 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

M a y / J u n e 2 0 1 4 P a g e 9

Staying Busy—Cave Spring Auxiliary

The 15th will find us fixing dinner

for the members of the crew for

their training meeting. As part of

the training there will be a "meet

and greet" with the crew's new

medical director. We always find

that there is a good turnout when

food is involved.

The players and coaches from the

Cave Spring High School football

team will be treated to dinner on

the 17th of October. We fix

dinner for the team and parents

Submitted by Sharon K Campbell

Vickie Arnold, Karla Sprouse,

Patsy Wingfield and I represented

the Cave Spring Auxiliary during

the 2014 AVAVRS Conference in

Virginia Beach. Member, Laura

Clark was also at the beach and

spent her time attending the wide

array of classes offered. As usual

it was fun seeing old and new

friends and it is always great

exchanging ideas. We attended

each meeting and helped other

members of the Southcentral

District host the Friday Business

Meeting. We were honored to have

our hard work recognized when we

placed 4th in the Scrapbook

Competition. Congratulations to all

of the scrapbook winners, the

books were beautiful.

There was no rest for the weary

as we arrived back in Roanoke and

needed to make the final

arrangements for our Fall Chicken

Barbecue. October 4th was almost

a perfect day for the BBQ. Our

breakfast consisting of scrambled

eggs, fried apples, biscuits,

sausage gravy and bacon was a big

hit with the workers and later in

the day they enjoyed a big lunch.

We try to feed them well as it is a

long hard day and we appreciate

their help and support because we

know we couldn't do it without

them. Many of the crew's Life

Members and former members

pitch in to make it a successful

day. A big thank you goes to

Camilla, one of our Honorary

Members. She made 31 cakes plus

assorted cookies and snacks for

our bake sale. Our profit for the

day totaled approximately

$4,000.00.

will pick up the food and deliver it

to the school and serve it. An easy

project with lots of PR as we are

recognized in the program and

announcements throughout the

game.

Fall has arrived in the valley which

means that cold weather and the

holidays will not be far behind. To

each of you we wish you a great

Thanksgiving with friends and

family.

The 2nd cooking of chicken halves, 1258 half chickens

are cooked for the dinners.

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

regional medical directors,

several EMS competitions and

opportunities to network with

other volunteer agencies and

many EMS vendors.

“The VAVRS’s mission is to

promote and assist member

rescue squads in improving pre-

hospital care in Virginia,” said

Wesley Melson, Rescue Chief

for CBVRS. “The competition is

fierce among the statewide

squads, so we were honored and

proud to be recognized in so

many categories at the annual

awards banquet, especially

Rescue Call of the Year and

Promotion of Safety. ”

Colonial Beach Volunteer Rescue Squad Wins Big at VAVRS Conference

Submitted by Sara Hunt PR

Colonial Beach, VA (October 3,

2014) – Colonial Beach

Volunteer Rescue Squad was,

once again, one of the most

highly decorated squads at the

annual Virginia Association of

Volunteer Rescue Squads

(VAVRS) convention, held

recently in Virginia Beach, Va.

At the awards banquet, CBVRS

won the following honors:

Rescue Call of the Year

First Place - Promotion of

Safety Award

First Place - Website

First Place – Junior

Scrapbook

First Place – Marching Unit

(Junior Honor Guard)

Second Place – Emergency

Vehicle Operator

Second Place - Scrapbook

Third Place – Auxiliary

Scrapbook

The Rescue Call of the Year

was a house fire where CBVRS

Assistant Chief Pat FitzGerald

entered with a police officer

and fire chief to rescue the

homeowner before any other

units arrived on the scene.

CBVRS was well-represented at

the convention with 22

members, including 10 juniors.

The annual event features

training seminars taught by

A delegation from Colonial Beach Volunteer Rescue Squad,

including 10 Junior members, admires the awards that they

collected at the recent annual convention of the Virginia

Association of Volunteer Rescue Squads. CBVRS was one of

the highest decorated squads in attendance.

M a y / J u n e 2 0 1 4 P a g e 1 1

help you get signed up. If your

Squad is already a member, please

make sure your fees are paid.

Should your Squad experience a

death of a member this year,

please send me the information

with a picture of the member

along with a squad patch as soon as

reasonably possible thereafter.

This way, I can begin to organize

the Memorial Service for next

year and keep everyone advised of

our members who have passed.

Hopefully, we will not have as many

as this past year.

Again, thank you for your support

and I look forward to serving you

this year. May you all have a won-

derful holiday season and a joyful

new year!

Submitted by Mike Smoot, VAVRS Chaplain

Thanks to everyone for their sup-

port in electing me to the position

of Chaplain. Please be sure to let

me know of any cards that may

need to be sent to your Squad

members. If you have a death of

a member in your Squad, please

advise the State Office and my-

self as soon as possible.

If your Squad is not participating

in the Death Benefit Plan, please

encourage your members to sign up

for this benefit. The costs are

minimal and it does help the fami-

lies when a death occurs. If you

have any questions about the Plan,

please contact me and I will be

glad to meet with your Squad to go

over the details of the Plan and

Report From the VAVRS Chaplain

P a g e 1 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

The 60 Second Parliamentarian Tip

Submitted By J.C. Phillips, VAVRS Parliamentarian

Some organizations can get in into

a lot of trouble on the little words

that are in their bylaws. You must

be very careful how you write

statements in your bylaws. MAKE

SURE THE STATEMENT SAYS

WHAT YOU WANT IT TO

SAY. Some of the little words

are: shall, must, will, should, can,

and may.

For example, your bylaws could

say, "The secretary shall cast a

unanimous ballot for all unopposed

officers." This means that the

secretary has to cast the

unanimous ballot whether he or

she wants to or not because the

word "shall" is in the

recommended that words like

should, can and may be used in

your bylaws, unless you really want

the organization to be able to

make a motion to do something

else.

In conclusion, make sure you use

the right words in your bylaws and

it says what you really want it to

say. After they are part of your

organization's bylaws, then you

have to follow them, no matter

how you feel about them later.

statement. Shall, must and will all

mean that it must be done.

However, as stated in the VAVRS

bylaws, it says as follows, "The

secretary may cast all unopposed

positions as a unanimous

ballot." The word "may" is used in

this statement and that means

that the secretary does not have

to cast the unanimous ballot if the

membership does not want him or

her to do so May, should and can

means that this does not have to

happen, if the membership does

not want it to happen The

membership can make a motion to

vote on all unopposed positions as

well as those positions that have

two or more candidates running

for each position. It is not

M a y / J u n e 2 0 1 4 P a g e 1 3

P a g e 1 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 V A V R S

M a y / J u n e 2 0 1 4 P a g e 1 5

Bobby Hill Susa Palmer ECPI Medical Institute Career Fair

Chief Edwards Speaking Fire EMS

Line of Duty Death Memorial

Ocean Park Rescue Squad John Burkard

Above: Oceana Air Show Standby Crews

Right: Randy in 1427

Mike Smoot, Life Member

was installed as VAVRS

Chaplain and Frank Smith

was installed as District 5

VP.

During the Memorial

Service, there were 19

remembered from

District 5. It was a very

nice service conducted by

our State Chaplain.

The Conference this year

was more family oriented

than it has been in the

past and was certainly

enjoyed by all. This

picnic was a great

idea and hopefully will

be repeated next

year. Thanks Ricky

for coming up with

this idea. I great way

to kick back and relax

after a day of

meetings and

competitions.

I hope that each and

every one of you have

a wonderful holiday

season and may the

New Year bring

happiness, wealth and

prosperity to each

one of you. See you

at a meeting soon!

Submitted by Joan Smoot, District 5 Historian

Another successful Conference

has come and gone. Thanks go out

to our wonderful Conference

Committee Members and to all of

the Judge’s for the Competitions.

Without all these people,

Conference would not be possible.

Of course we have to thank our

Vendors who also help pull

Conference off.

Congratulations to District 5

competitors in EVOC: Jason

Morgan of Campbell County Rescue

for taking 1st place; Woody

Connor of Kenbridge Rescue placed

4th; John Smith of Southside

placed 6th; Julie Ferguson of

Danville placed 11th and Heather

Matherly of Altavista placed 18th.

In the Vehicle Extrication,

Southside grabbed 1st place in

Modular Ambulance, 1st place in

Light Duty Rescue Truck and 2nd

place in Heavy Rescue Truck.

Danville took 4th place in Heavy

Rescue.

In Advance Life Support,

Southside took home 4th place.

In the EMT Contest, Southside

placed 2nd place, Altavista EMS

came in at 11th and Danville at

13th. District 5 really took home

some Gold! Congratulations to all!

Jack Morgan, Jr. of Campbell

County was given Life Member in

the VAVRS. This is one of the

highest and most prestigious honor

anyone can receive in the VAVRS.

Jack was certainly surprised and

was most appreciative of this

honor.

P a g e 1 6 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

Report From District 5

Frank Smith (L) installed as

District 5 VP and Mike Smoot (R)

installed as VAVRS Chaplain

Jason Morgan (L) 1st Place State EVOC

Jack Morgan, Jr (R) VAVRS Life Member

M a y / J u n e 2 0 1 4 P a g e 1 7

Photos taken at the

VAVRS Conference during

the Vehicle Extrication

Competition by Greg

Burton and submitted by

Kate Burton

P a g e 1 8 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

E Brubeck Memorial Trophy” for

First Place. This is the third time

in four years that this team has

accomplished this goal. Our

Modular Ambulance Team placed

2nd only seconds behind

Southside. Our famous EVOC

drivers finished with high marks,

Steve Rohr was 2nd in the

Instructor category and Patrick

Scott was 3rd in Non-Instructor.

Our EMT team finished with a

remarkable 6th place after

unforeseen circumstances left

them with only two members.

It was an honor that the VAVRS

Board of Governors elected Kim

Craig, Life Member of SARS to be

the Association’s Vice President.

Kim has held many leadership roles

within our organization over the

years including the offices of

Captain and President. She has

served as a Junior Advisor at both

the District and State level and on

the VAVRS Human Resources

Committee.

Earlier this summer the Central

Shenandoah EMS Council held

their regional awards. This year

our agency is extremely honored

to have three of our Members

recognized for their

extraordinary accomplishments in

the Virginia EMS system.

Life Member, Matt Lawler was

awarded the “Excellence in EMS”,

Life Member, Buford Scott

Masincup was named “Outstanding

EMS Administrator”, and Part

Time Career Staff Member Rob

Pierce received “Outstanding Pre-

Hospital Provider. Recipients of

the regional awards will be

nominated for the 2014 Governor’s

Award to be announced during the

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

The 2014 Conference left us

speechless. Our Auxiliary has

supported our agency wonderfully

over the years and this year

wasn’t and different. They

continue to provide us with

delicious food for training events

and meetings. They were

instrumental in the planning and

execution of our yearlong 75th

Anniversary festivities which

included our member and special

guest social event, our community

celebration, and the “then and

now” Christmas parade float.

They stepped outside their box

and decorated an ambulance that

was in attendance at a local Trunk

n Treat where they saw over a

1000 kids. This is to just to name

a few of the supportive activities

that help them earn the

“Outstanding Auxiliary of the

Year” and the “Emergency Care

Award”.

Our competition teams were

pleased with their outcome. Our

Heavy Rescue Truck once again

was able to bring home the “Ronald

Virginia EMS Symposiums

Ceremony. Our winner’s bios were

provided by the CSEMS Council.

Excellence in EMS: Matt Lawler

Matt Lawler, Program Director and

Assistant Director of Central

Shenandoah EMS Council were

selected as the 2014 Excellence in

EMS award winner. Matt has been

intimately involved in Virginia’s

EMS system for more than 30

years. He is a volunteer provider

who has been involved at the local,

regional and state level.

As a life member of Staunton‐

Augusta Rescue Squad, Matt still

actively runs calls with SARS. He

joined in SARS in June of 1983 as

a junior member and earning his

EMT Ambulance certification in

1984. Since that time, he has

continued his EMS education

culminating in his current

certification as a National

Registered Paramedic. Matt is a

faithful, committed, and dedicated

volunteer—dedicating the better

part of his life to the betterment

of his community.

Staunton-Augusta Rescue Squad

M a y / J u n e 2 0 1 4 P a g e 1 9

Regionally, Matt is active and

serves on a number of committees

to include the Augusta Health

Chest Pain Accreditation

Committee, the TJEMS/CSEMS

Regional Pharmacy Committee, the

Regional Stroke Triage Committee,

the regional Medical Control

Review Committee and the regional

Performance Improvement and

Trauma Performance Improvement

Committees.

At the state level, Matt serves or

has served on several committees

to include the EMS Symposium

Program Committee, the EMS

Formulary Workgroup, the ALS

Competency Subcommittee and he

serves as a site reviewer for state

accreditation visits.

Matt’s many accomplishments,

certifications and credentials are

too numerous to list, but suffice it

to say, he is highly qualified and

respected. He has received

numerous awards over the years

for volunteer man hours and he is

the recipient of three regional

EMS awards: Outstanding EMS

Educator – 2004, Outstanding

Administrator – 2009 and

Excellence in EMS – 2011.

Outstanding EMS Administrator:

Buford Scott Masincup

Matt is a Virginia certified

Education Coordinator and he

plays an integral role in the region

as an educator, mentor,

administrator and friend. He

established, directs and oversees

the region’s only accredited ALS

training programs and he is

working to bring paramedic

education to the region in 2015.

Students from his class and other

classes across the region speak

very highly of him as a preceptor

and mentor. As an educator, Matt

is at the top of his profession. He

makes every minute count as a

learning experience to his

students, fellow providers and co-

workers. He is extremely

knowledgeable in pre-hospital

emergency care and shares his

knowledge willingly and

enthusiastically. Matt serves as a

role model to others he is

considered an expert in care of

the pre-hospital patient. He

provides support, knowledge, skills,

and leadership abilities which

greatly impacts the entire region.

Skilled in interpersonal

communication; he is approachable

and down to earth.

A noted perfectionist, Matt

approaches his administrative

duties and responsibilities with an

eye towards detail. He has

developed protocols and guidelines

that insure correct patient care.

He is responsible for all EMS

education conducted at the Council

and he ensures that educational

records are meticulously

maintained. Matt coordinates the

regional Instructor Network group

making sure that initial and

continuing education courses are

scheduled throughout the region

and available to every agency and

provider.

Scott Masincup began his career

as a junior member of Staunton

Augusta Rescue Squad over 25

years ago. As a junior member, he

enthusiastically sought out new

learning opportunities and gained a

broad foundational knowledge of

EMS from the various challenges

he tackled.

Scott began supporting the

regional EMS system in Augusta

County as a 911 dispatcher. His

combined experience with the

Emergency Operations Center and

at his home agency–Staunton-

Augusta Rescue Squad–lead him to

make a personal evaluation of the

area and determined that there

was a need for a non-emergency

transportation service. His young

business mind lead to a successful

venture with the opening of

Mountain View Medical Transport,

which later became such a

desirable business that Augusta

Health purchased the business.

Upon the sale of his business,

Scott was offered the opportunity

to join the team at Augusta

Health as the director of the

transportation division. After 10

years of serving as the Director

of Augusta Health Transportation,

he was offered the position of

Environment of Care Coordinator,

(Continued on page 21)

P a g e 2 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

District Ten News

Staunton-Augusta Rescue Squad

Outstanding Pre-hospital

Provider: Rod Pierce.

He has been a dedicated provider

to the regional EMS system since

first obtaining his EMT

certification in 2001. Over the

years, Rod has demonstrated

excellence in EMS by providing

high-quality patient care which is

evidenced by his responsibilities as

the chair of the Augusta County

Fire-Rescue Continuous Quality

Improvement Committee.

Rod spends countless hours

reviewing call sheets and

monitoring system quality for the

where he used his pre-hospital

emergency preparedness and

disaster management skills within

the hospital setting.

In late 2012, Scott once again

assumed the role as Director of

Transportation for the Augusta

Health Transportation

department. The department was

in a financially troublesome time.

The fiscal goals set by the

hospital were not being met, the

department’s revenue had

decreased and expenses were up.

Over the past 10 months, Scott

has decreased the overtime to an

acceptable level of less than 3

percent, increased productivity by

making schedule changes that

meet the demand of the services

and has partnered with the

Emergency Department to utilize

transportation staff when

staffing is available. Scott

pursued this integration in order

to increase the skill level of the

transportation providers, give

them a better understanding of

the preparation of a patient for

transport to another facility and

increase relationships with the ED

staff.

Scott has been certified as an

Intermediate for many years and

just recently enrolled in the VCU

Paramedic program. He is the type

of administer who does not ask his

providers to take steps that he is

not willing to take himself.

He has taken a vital department—

one that was failing financially—

and turned it around, putting the

department back on the right

track.

(Continued from page 19)

M a y / J u n e 2 0 1 4 P a g e 2 1

county. He oversees a number of

stations that have County career

staff that respond to EMS alarms

and reviews those calls for

completeness and accuracy. Rod

also oversees three additional

EMS providers that review calls in

other County staffed stations. He

is a member of the ACFR’s EMS

committee and assists in county

skills drills to ensure compliance

with regional protocols.

He has steadily risen through the

ranks and currently holds the rank

of Lieutenant with Augusta County

Fire-Rescue. He also serves as a

part-time employee with the

Staunton-Augusta Rescue Squad.

From a regional perspective, Rod

serves as a preceptor and

instructor for the Council’s

accredited EMS programs. In

addition to these responsibilities,

Rod is also an ACLS, PALS and CPR

instructor. He always takes the

extra time to help those learn the

new skills.

As 2014 draws to an end, SARS

members are excited about the

possibilities that lay in store for

us in 2015. We wish all of our

VAVRS family safe holidays!

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 t h e V A V R S

members and volunteers who

worked hard to coordinate the

Open House so that it would be a

memorable afternoon for all of

the participants.”

Chancellor Volunteer Fire and Rescue Celebrates Fire Prevention Week

with Open House Event

Submitted by Sara Hunt PR

Chancellor Volunteer Fire &

Rescue invited the community to

an Open House event on Sunday,

Oct. 5 from 11:30 AM – 3:00 PM

to kickoff national Fire Prevention

Week (Oct. 5-11). The Open House

took place at CVFR’s Company 5,

located at 5992 Plank Road.

The free and fun, family-friendly

activities for all ages at the Open

House included:

Lunch with hot dogs, chips and

lemonade

Bounce house for kids

Fire station tours

Vehicle extrication demo

Ladder-climbing contest

Fire safety info

Hands-on CPR demos

Kids Safety House

Sparky the Fire Dog

Volunteer recruitment info

And more!

Media coverage about the event

included a Letter to the Editor by

Chief Kevin Dillard in the Free

Lance Star on the morning of the

Open House, an announcement on

Fredericksburg Patch, a radio

remote on-site by B101.5, plus lots

of posting on Facebook and

tweeting on Twitter.

“We had a great turnout on a

beautiful fall Sunday,” said Beth

Addington, President of CVFR. “A

big thank-you goes to our

At Chancellor's Open House on Oct. 5, a crowd of people gathered

to watch a mock demo of CVFR volunteers extricating a passenger

from a vehicle using the Jaws of Life equipment. This was just one

of many activities planned for families to enjoy for the kickoff

of Fire Prevention Week.

M a y / J u n e 2 0 1 4 P a g e 2 3

District Three

Scholarship Awards:

Sylvia and Garry

Clatterbuck, Amanda Gates

with Richmond VRS.

(Formerly West End VRS)

Ann Gwaltney Memorial,

Amanda Penn with West

Hanover.

Competition:

Emergency Vehicle

Operator: Instructor, 4th

Place, David Tesh, Forest

View, 3rd Place, Bubby Bish,

Southside VA Emergency

Crew.

Vehicle Extrication: Advanced Life

Support, 1st Place, Forest View

VRS.

EMT Contest; VAJVRS: 1st Place,

Forest View.

Submitted by Cindy Swann, District Three Historian

I hope everyone had a good time

at the Conference and a safe trip

home. As always between BOG

meetings I attended some of the

classes, which were good as

always.

Gary Brown, Mike Berg and Scott

Winston from OEMS attended the

Conference and covered changes

and activities that will be coming

up. Our Lobbyist Ed Rhodes also

went over some of the changes.

District 3 did Ok this year.

VAVRS Life Member: Doug

Everhart. Congratulation Doug.

Congratulation to Elizabeth (Liz)

Papelino, who is Instructor of the

Year.

Parade Award received by

District 3.

Quick Response Support Unit, 4th

Place, Forest View.

Thanks to all of you for a great

job and I hope I haven't left

anyone out.

News from District Nine

Several crews from District 9

participated in a drill on October

8, 2014 at Virginia Highlands

Airport, Operation The Sky's the

Limit. The drill involved a

simulated airplane crash with

multiple victims and fire. The drill

was hosted by Washington County

Department of Emergency

Management and sponsored by

VDEM. Washington County Life

Saving Crew, Bristol Life Saving

Crew, Damascus Rescue Squad,

Damascus Fire Department, Glade

Spring Volunteer Life Saving Crew,

Glade Spring Fire Department, and

Washington County Fire and

Rescue participated in the

drill. This was a great learning

experience for everyone that

participated.

Submitted by Ruth Stanley, District 9 Historian

Several squads from District 9

recently attended the 2014

VAVRS Annual Conference and

several awards were brought

home. Congratulations to all the

teams that competed and to all

that brought home

trophies. Bristol Life Saving Crew

6th Place ALS, Washington

County Life Saving Crew 2nd place

ALS, 4th place BLS and 3rd place

Best Appearing Rescue Truck,

Glade Spring Volunteer Life Saving

Crew 4th place Best Appearing

Ambulance, 3rd place Senior

Scrapbook, 2nd place Junior

Scrapbook and 2nd Place Auxiliary

Scrapbook.

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 V A V R S

Ham, Turkey, and the CHF Patient

the thought was that morphine

would have solid vasodilatory

effects while relaxing the patient,

leading to decreased anxiety and

overall improvement. These actions

do not seem to be as effective as

once thought. Yes, morphine

relaxes your patient, however as a

vasodilator its effects are

transient and often not as profound

as what is required. Studies have

shown that more aggressive nitrate

therapy is more effective than

morphine. While morphine is not

necessarily harmful in this case, it

just might not be the most useful

tool in the toolbox either.

Furosemide, or Lasix, is a

completely different animal.

So, the second half of the “bigger

container/less fluid” approach. To

be able to effectively utilize Lasix

for the CHF patient, one must be

able to quickly and reliably

ascertain the cause of this episode

of heart failure. Is your patient in

failure because they have too much

fluid in their system, is their body

is having trouble properly

distributing fluid to where it needs

to be, or is it because the pump is

having more trouble than normal?

If fluid overload is suspected,

Lasix is effective at correcting the

problem. On the other hand, if the

patient is properly hydrated or

even a little dehydrated, Lasix can

cause more problems than it fixes.

Lasix has a significant impact on

Submitted by Harold Good, Southside Virginia Emergency Crew

With Thanksgiving and Christmas

rapidly approaching, preparations

are under way for many people for

two of the biggest meals of the

year. Holiday dinner tables are full

of all sorts of tasty dishes, usually

including all those things that

doctors warn their patients not to

eat too much of. For most of us in

EMS, it’s no more of a problem

than having to let our belts out a

notch or two, but for some of our

patients this can have a major

impact. Patients with congestive

heart failure who splurge a little

too much over the holidays can

have severe complications.

For thirty years or more, the “holy

trinity” of the prehospital

management of CHF has been

nitroglycerin, morphine, and

furosemide. The theory is fairly

simple- use nitroglycerin (sublingual

and paste) and morphine to

increase vasodilation and follow

them up with furosemide to get rid

of excess fluid. While this is a

fairly well-reasoned theory,

research has shown in recent years

that this may not work as well as

previously thought.

While nitrates for vasodilation are

still a cornerstone of CHF

management, morphine has become

somewhat more suspect in its role

for CHF management. Previously,

electrolytes,

such as

calcium,

potassium,

and

magnesium,

which can further complicate

definitive therapy for these

patients. Several other effects

can be noted for specific patient

populations, such as glucose

intolerance for diabetics,

increased electrolyte impact on

patients with liver disease, and

increased risk for ototoxicity and

further kidney damage for renal

disease patients. Most of these

conditions are things that require

lab work and other testing only

available in the hospital setting,

which renders Lasix administration

tricky at best.

With CPAP being a common

prehospital tool these days,

perhaps a better treatment plan

would be aggressive nitrate

therapy coupled with CPAP and the

consideration of morphine based

upon your patient’s presentation.

Lasix could then be considered if

history and physical exam indicates

likely fluid overload. Consulting

medical control is never a bad

option, either. As always, local

protocols take precedence.

SVEC would like to wish everyone

happy holidays and best wishes for

the New Year!

M a y / J u n e 2 0 1 4 P a g e 2 5

2014—2015 Members of the Recruitment and Retention Committee

80th ANNIVERSARY GIFT: The

VAVRS Recruitment & Retention

Committee was able to give an

“80th Anniversary” gift of a green

insulated beverage container with

the VAVRS logo and “80th

Anniversary” imprinted on the

container to each registered guest

at the Conference. Thank YOU to

Rickey Hodge for selecting and

transporting the cups for the

Committee to give out.

THANK YOU to those who helped

distribute the cups. On Wednesday

Bobby Hill [VAVRS R & R Co-Chair

and Frank Smith [District 5 Vice

President], on Thursday Steve

Southworth [District 1 Vice

President] and Steven Reynolds

[District 8 Vice President], and on

Friday the Registration Committee.

A GREAT BIG THANK YOU to

Submitted by Fran Phillips, Chair

If you have ideas you would like to

share, on either Recruitment or

Retention, let us know. Each

VAVRS District should have a

person designated to help their

district with R & R issues. Those on

the VAVRS Recruitment &

Retention Committee for 2014—

2015 are listed below:

Fran Phillips, Chair

Post Office Box 1118

Midlothian, VA 23113

Cell Phone: [804] 794-5208

Email: rs1va@aol.com

Bobby Hill, Co-Chair

740 Virginia Beach Blvd.

Virginia Beach, VA 23451

Phone: [757] 647-2789

Email: recruitment@

vbrescuefoundation.org

Bobby Hill, J. C. Phillips and Kenny

Frenier for their help in moving the

boxes from Hall A to the storage

area a Hall C.

If Bobby or I can help you with R &

R issues or give you suggestions,

give us a call or email us.

Thank YOU for your continued

service to the citizens of Virginia

and to the VAVRS.

Pictured left to right: Cam Crittenden, Director of ED Operations

and EMS Outreach, John Hilliard, President of Forest View VRS,

Savannah Hartbarger, EMT-P, ED Tech, Michele Mclasky, SFMC

ED Nurse Manager, Molly Parker, EMT-P, ED Tech, Corrie Hughes,

RN, Dave Johnston, Operations Chief, Forest View VRS

Bon Secours has a charitable heart, but

today WE were on the receiving end!

Forest View Volunteer Rescue Squad

graciously donated an EMS stretcher to be

used to respond to emergencies in the

hospital and to assist with the transfer of

patients who are Medevac transports. A

basket of homemade goodies was given

Forest View VRS from the ED staff!

From the AVAVRS Chaplain

Remembered in the service were

as follows:

Marjorie Anderson- Millwood

Station; Glennie Bower- Brunswick;

Madeline Dixon-East Hanover; Jo

House- Danville, Patricia Jones-

West End; Judith Miller-

Waynesboro;

Rebecca Morgan- Campbell County;

Frances McDonnell- Forest View;

Evelyn Persinger- Clifton Forge;

Virginia Walters- Christiansburg;

Rhoda York- Staunton-Augusta.

We commend all the ladies for

their legacy and paving the way

for the rest of us as we carry on

in the AVAVRS.

I hope everyone is enjoying the

Submitted by Ailease Short

We had a wonderful conference at

Virginia Beach in September. Our

congratulations to VAVRS on the

picnic held on Thursday night

which everyone enjoyed. Great

time and fellowship enjoyed by all

who attended.

The AVAVRS remembered 12

ladies at their Saturday morning

breakfast meeting in a Memorial

Service using our President’s

theme Oh, the places we will go or

have been. These 12 ladies had

served the AVAVRS well over the

years. One was a Life Member of

AVAVRS, Virginia Walters, and

one a past President and Life

Member, Jo House

P a g e 2 6 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

cool crisp fall weather.

Remember to let me know if

anyone needs cards for sickness,

sympathy or good news.

We have already had one death in

AVAVRS since conference- Mary

Jane “Mickey” Harden of

Winchester Auxiliary.

A very deserving, Clara Craig

from Bassett received the

"Outstanding Service Award" on

Saturday morning.

A big thank you goes to each of

you who helped sell the VAVRS

and AVAVRS Raffle tickets. Your

hard work paid off by raising

funds for both organizations. I

know that Stacey and Tracey

Frame appreciated all of the help

selling the 50/50 tickets on

Saturday night. The profit from

this was excellent and Patsy

Wingfield was a happy winner.

In the weeks and months ahead I

hope to attend at least one

meeting in each district. Please

know that I am always available if

you have any questions or

concerns. Together we will be

"Charting a Course to Success".

Oh, the Places We Have Been

Submitted by Sharon Karlet Campbell, AVAVRS President

What a fantastic time we had

during the 2014 AVAVRS

Conference. As usual it was great

hearing how much time and money

the auxiliaries across the state

had donated to their squads and

support groups. Each of you

deserve a pat on the back.

Special congratulations go to all of

the winners of the Scrapbook

competition. Honorable Mention

went to Waynesboro, Cave Spring

placed 4th, Colonial Beach won 3rd

place with Glade Spring placing

2nd and Bensley Bermuda winning

1st place. The Western District

won the district competition with

the Midwestern District placing

2nd.

M a y / J u n e 2 0 1 4 P a g e 2 7

Brunswick 1st place Truck Competition

District 2 Junior Meeting

District 2 Junior Meeting

L-R: District 2 Junior VP Elect Maygan Clary

and Alternate Arron Whitby

EMT Competition

1st place Southside Emergency Crew

2nd place Greensville Vol. Rescue Squad

VAVRS

District Two

Photos from the

District 2 meeting held August 23rd

at Brunswick Vol. Rescue Squad submitted by Danny Clary, NRP

P a g e 2 8 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

to earn more winning tickets to

increase their chances at winning

one of the great prizes at the end

of the night. Participants would

watch other players at they placed

their bets at the Texas Hold’Em

tables.

As the night came to an end the

kids turned in their winning

tickets for a chance to win from

the prize table. Each Junior would

also receive a VAJVRS Water

Bottle for taking part in the

Casino Night.

We would like to thank the

following individuals and

businesses that donated

prizes for the event:

Firehouse Subs

Chick-Fil-A

Steve Dove

LifeCare Medical

Transports

Tasha Browne

Red Lobster

Submitted by Steve Dove

During the 80th Annual VAVRS

Conference held in Virginia Beach

in September the VAJVRS hosted

a Casino Night for everyone to

take part in. The event was very

well attended by the Juniors that

attend the Conference. The

Casino Night was such a success

the prior year, at this year’s event

we tripled the number of gaming

tables.

In lieu of the Presidents Reception

the Juniors held this event for

everyone to take part in. The

Sunset Ballroom at the Virginia

Beach Resort & Conference Center

was transformed into a Vegas

style Casino where attendees

could learn how to win big at a

Blackjack table. They would take

their chances on breaking the

bank at the Roulette table. They

would roll the dice down the Craps

table hoping to add to their

collection of winning chips. Kids

enjoyed spinning the Money Wheel

CVS Pharmacy

Stafford Volunteer Rescue

Squad

Fern Puckett

VAVRS

H.A. Dove & Sons

Kings Dominion

Karen Wagner & Gary Dalton

We would also like to thank the

following sponsors for their

financial contribution to help

support the Casino Night

Virginia Association of

Junior Volunteer Rescue Squad’s Casino Night

M a y / J u n e 2 0 1 4 P a g e 2 9

Photos Taken at VAJVRS Casino Night—Submitted by Steve Dove

P a g e 3 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

We would also like to thank the following

sponsors for their financial contribution

to help support the

Casino Night:

Special Thanks

to our Corporate

Sponsor

Golden Living

Centers Pictured

on right is

Victoria

Fetherolf,

Director of

Admissions/

Marketing with

the VAJVRS

Officers.

M a y / J u n e 2 0 1 4 P a g e 3 1

P a g e 3 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

Submitted by Rickey Hodge, VAVRS President

The 80th Conference of the

Virginia Association of Volunteer

Rescue Squads is in the books !! It

was a great week for competitions

as well as business being taking

care of by the BOG’S. I was so

honored to start the week off by

having dinner with the Past

President’s on Wednesday evening.

I was in a room with men and

women that have stood as I do in

meetings and honestly face the

same issues and just to be with

these great people was an honor.

We then had the Opening

Ceremony and I stand before you

again honored to have Va. Beach

Rescue Color Guard present our

Flags. As being a Gold Star Parent

of our Military I can’t tell you how

moved I am when we pay tribute to

our Flag and Country. On Thursday

the competitions got into full swing

as did our first BOG Meeting. This

was followed by the 1st Annual

Picnic at 4pm at Red Oak Park. I

want to thank Bruce Edwards and

the City of Va. Beach for all they

did to make this event happen The

facilities were great to have our

picnic. The food was awesome as I

have never had a catered meal as

good as it was and the price was

very affordable. Thanks to

Chesterfield Insurers for their

support in this. We made the

decision early on to discontinue the

President’s Reception on Friday

night for the cookout. Conference

or Convention is and should be a

family event. It takes families to

allow us to serve our communities

and we owe each and everyone a

good time. I heard many

compliments on the cookout and

how good it was to share a meal

and be able to catch up with old

friends. I’m pretty sure everyone

who attended was Happy Happy

Happy when they left. I look

forward to the 2nd Annual Picnic

at our next Conference. I was

honored to attend the Life

Member Breakfast on Friday

morning. Over 1900 years of

combined service to the

Commonwealth of Va. was in

attendance this year. True Hero’s

each and everyone. I want to

welcome Jack Morgan, Doug

Eberhardt and Greg Burton as the

newest Life Members of our

Association. We did not have

anyone for the Virginia Lifesaving

Hall of Fame this year and I’m sure

that there are members worthy of

at least a nomination. To nominate

someone, go to the vavrs.com

website and download the

application and rules. Remember

the application has to be in the

State Office by December 31st to

be considered for the coming year.

I want to congratulate the newly

elected officers for the coming

year and look forward to working

alongside them. I told them on

Sunday morning that I will not ask

them to do anything that I won’t

do myself and I won’t hesitate to

From the VAVRS President

was so ill for a long time. We sure

miss her being here. I can tell you

that is a home that was full of love

and I can just walk in anytime and

sit down with them and feel like a

son to them. I have a lot of

respect for Kelly as he has always

been a great friend. The many

years of service that he has given

the Christiansburg Rescue Squad

and now the Riner Rescue Squad

speaks as an example to us all what

a great hero Kelly is. Wayne and I

have known each other since the

8th grade of school and have done

a lot together. The statute of

limitations doesn’t allow me to

elaborate any further. But I can

tell you that Wayne and I are

great friends and there isn’t much

we haven’t done over the years.

Wayne joined Blacksburg Fire-

do it myself if they won’t or can’t

for some reason. I think they know

where I’m coming from. We are

here to serve you!! The highlight

was the Saturday Evening

Memorial Service and Awards.

Many thanks to Darlene Ferguson

for a very good service to

recognize the folks that had

passed away this past year. The

many awards and the enthusiasm

were very overwhelming as there

is so much passion by you the

members in competing. I would like

to thank a few people for making

this night very special. Kelly

Walters and Wayne Myers who did

the Installing of our Officers for

the coming year. It was so good to

have Kelly back with us this year

as he has been absent the last few

years taking care of Virginia who

Rescue in 1976 and has served

faithfully since, as Chief for 8

years. To Ford, Ronnie, Jack and

Mike... Thanks for your hard work

all week long to make this

Conference so enjoyable for our

members. Thanks to all the judges

that come down every year and do

such a great job as well. The

entire Conference committee did a

great job. I thank you. This

article would not be complete if I

didn’t thank Page Entsminger for

the phone calls, support and most

of the great friend he is. If we

all could be like Page. Love ya

buddy. I will close for now and will

do my best to see you at a District

meeting soon. If I don’t see you,

have a Great Thanksgiving and

Merry Christmas and be safe.

M a y / J u n e 2 0 1 4 P a g e 3 3

Photos taken at the VAVRS

Conference during the

Vehicle Extrication Competition

by Greg Burton and

submitted by Kate Burton

P a g e 3 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 V A V R S

Submitted by Karen Wagner, VAVRS EMS Leadership Challenge Coordinator

SEPTEMBER 2014

When the candidates of the EMS

Leadership Challenge began the

program by attending the

Leadership Challenge Summit in

June of 2014, each of them came

with a different expectation as to

what they would acquire out of the

program. One common premise,

however, was a desire for

discovering ways in which they

could create success in their lives.

They weren’t looking for the latest

fad or “program of the month”,

instead each of them were in

hopes of capturing a piece of the

magic they witnessed in others

who they knew to be highly

successful leaders. They wanted to

emulate those strong role models

and Sharpen their Focus, Build

their Competence and Ignite their

Passion.

At the 80th Anniversary

Conference of the Virginia

Association of Volunteer Rescue

Squads, each of those graduates

was given the opportunity to

receive certification as a Gold

Standard Leader. The graduates

were invited to reunite with their

fellow classmates from the

Summit and to participate in the

Gold Standard Leadership Project

Presentation Ceremony. At the

ceremony, these individuals

presented the leadership project

they had completed or were

currently working on along with a

summary of how they had

developed their goals, worked on

identified competency gaps, and

what they felt they had enhanced

by participating in the EMS

Leadership Challenge Program.

Each story has a theme that could

easily be shared by any agency

leaders statewide. It is those who

were successful by investing in

their learning or learning from the

failures of those that disengaged

that will help to strengthen our

EMS system statewide.

Here are some of the highlights

from our graduates of the EMS

Leadership Challenge

Steven Willougby joined a

volunteer agency with a 55 year

existence. In his professional life

he was employed in a position that

immediately gained him respect

from his peers, so as a new

member, with less than 10 years of

service, based on his background,

he was asked to take over a major

leadership role. Things were not

going so well. He had no one to talk

to about the challenges he was

facing, this was the first time he

lead individuals who were not

career subordinates to him and

they didn’t respond to the same

type of leadership he was

accustom to practicing. The agency

was struggling to meet its call

volumes, and members were leaving

because the changes that had to

be made were not widely accepted.

Steven thought if he could offer

the membership something to draw

them to the building, to get them

to hang out, he could improve the

culture. Challenges included finding

funding for needed equipment,

there was recruitment of

membership, meeting with local

government to get by in, and

cooperation with other leaders of

his and neighboring agencies. Steve

stated that “I learned how to

delegate which was something I

was really bad at, I learned to see

the big picture and not to think I

was the only one who knew how to

do something, and to let other

people take the lead, to mentor

and to accept mentoring as

constructive input. You can’t do

everything, pick the thing you want

to focus on and do the best you can

at it, the other things will fall into

place if you stay positive and

encourage coordination.”

Missy Tuttle-Ferrio is the PIO

for a large metropolitan

combination Fire and EMS station.

She was placed in the position to

help improve the membership

numbers for her agency. She has

only been involved with her agency

for a little over 2 years and coming

into her position, she knew a lot

about marketing and recruiting but

she knew little about EMS. Her

2014 EMS Leadership Challenge Graduation

the membership probationary

process. The agency has over 120

volunteers that serve in a variety

of roles. Of the last 10 members

who have completed or entered

into the new mentoring process, 7

are still an active member which is

an 85% increase in the

membership turnover rate. “I

learned so much about EMS in this

program, more than I had in the

two years at my agency. I have a

new respect for the leaders above

me and an even higher respect for

those who give of their time

freely to make our agency the

number one agency in our area.”

Jeremy Wampler moved in to a

leadership role as a result of

changes that occurred to a long

standing volunteer agency when it

became necessary to incorporate

career providers into the rank and

file. What Jeremy had once

considered his “relax time hanging

at the squad” became his

profession and being on the

employer side of the fence opened

his eyes to some of the

efficiencies or lack thereof in his

challenges started right off the

bat. “I didn’t see the road blocks;

I just got out there and went for

it, you know think outside the

box.” Some may think that would

set her up for success, however, in

EMS and Fire, there is an order

and to break into the system one

must “work within the system”, see

the rank and file and respect the

established protocols that make

up the history of the service. In

the completion of her Myers

Briggs assessment, Missy and her

mentor noted that her work style

was most likely the stumbling

block for her. As an owner of an

IT company, Missy decided that

she could incorporate what she

knew best into helping her find out

how the membership, leaders and

citizens they served wanted to

address her challenge. She polled

the membership and the leaders

separate and together and found

that members were “getting left

behind once they got in the

agency”. She worked with other

leaders of her agency to develop

check points that were critical in

agency. One of the first things

Jeremy had to overcome was

learning how to communicate with

the people he once served

alongside of as a volunteer. “At

first for some reason, when you

start doing EMS as your job, other

provides look at you differently,

like you are a trader or something,

but once they saw me as an

advocate that whole environment

changed.” Jeremy worked with the

membership to develop a mission

statement, something he had no

idea was even necessary until he

came to the Leadership Challenge.

He had never worked as a project

leader and in reality he had little

experience working on a project

team and he credits his learning

from the Leadership Challenge for

teaching him how to do so. His

project helped him to build trust

with the membership, to show

them the career staff was not

there to run them off or take

their position, but instead they

were there to make them a better

organization and make each of the

providers better at what they did.

He worked with the membership

to develop a program that utilized

quality assurance as its measuring

tool to assure that current

providers were at the needed

performance level as well as

assure that new providers start

out on the right foot. Jeremy

worked closely with his mentor

during his self study phase of the

program. They utilized his Myers

Briggs result to determine how he

related to people and how he could

make changes in his

communications to better his

mission. His mentor even visited

his agency to see his progression

which helped Jeremy to test the

(Continued on page 36)

M a y / J u n e 2 0 1 4 P a g e 3 5

P a g e 3 6 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

waters before he made

enhancements to his agencies

processes.

Steve Southworth was pleasantly

surprised when he received his

Gold Standard Leader Certificate.

When he left the Leadership

Challenge Summit he had barely

two sentences written out on his

one page plan. “Life got in the

way”, said Steve, as it does for

many leaders and sometimes what

seems like a good plan doesn’t

always go in the direction you

think it should. What carried

Steve through to complete his

Gold Standard Leadership status

were the now two complete pages

he had on his “one page” plan the

day he came to the presentation

ceremony. Steve was very active

as a summit participant. He

volunteered for the exercises in

class, he was one of the first

(Continued from page 35) candidates to complete his on line

assessment and he had his readings

and presentation work competed

way before the established

deadline. The problem he had in

completing his project and moving

into Gold Standard Leadership

status was time. At the time he

completed phase one and two of

the program, he walked away not

knowing for sure if he was going to

remain in the same leadership

position that his project was

focused on. Things turned out that

he was elected to serve and

remains in that same position, so

the hard work had to begin quickly

for him to complete his project in

a timely manner. All candidates of

the Leadership Challenge are

required to read the book Monday

Morning Leadership. The book

breaks down the basics of

leadership in a way that allows the

candidate to easily compare their

role to the eight principles of

leadership. Steve found that the

book provided him with immediate

answers that he could utilize to

fulfill the responsibilities of his

leadership position, in a time

effective manner. Steve stated

that in choosing his leadership

team, “they interviewed me as

much as I interviewed them and

creating the team was not easy, I

had to let go of the reigns and

allow the officers to do what they

do best.” Steve also found that

“hiring and firing” a person for a

volunteer position was challenging

but often necessary. “I respected

the people who had given years of

service, but had to recognize that

the positions needed a boost if we

were going to advance forward.”

Hire tough and you will succeed in

growing a stronger team.

Chris Henderson works for a

commercial ambulance service as a

manager for a large division of the

company. His employer recognized

the benefits of having their

management team attend the EMS

Leadership Challenge and since

2006 has been sending members to

receive the training. Chris started

his presentation by saying that he

more or less was ”made to come to

the training, but I learned so much

about myself and my leadership

style, I will encourage all the

members of our leadership team

who have not to attend and to

make it a priority.” What Chris

stated is the most common

reaction that candidates of the

program have. What started out as

“just another leadership program”

turned out to be the beginning of

lifelong learning. Chris focused on

his personal development in the

program; he recognized that he

had challenges knowing when to

talk and when to listen. “Before

someone could tell me what they

were thinking I was finishing their

sentence, I felt like I was wasting

time waiting for them to think

about what they wanted to say and

I had 100 things to do and just

wanted them to get it out so I

could get to what I needed to do.”

What Chris discovered was he

needed to hear what his team was

trying to tell him, they weren’t

happy and the confusion was

frustrating them and he was losing

control. When Chris finally

realized that he was the problem,

he started using the tips he

learned at the summit, like Keeping

the Main Thing the Main Thing.

2014 EMS Leadership Challenge...continued

certification, the EMS Leadership

Challenge plays an intricate role in

the progression of achieving EMS

ranking in Virginias EMS System.

The EMS Leadership Challenge

was developed as a self-

development leadership program

created exclusively for EMS

agency leaders through the

cooperation of the VAVRS and the

VA Office of EMS. As candidates

work with professional skills

development consultants and

instructors, and a system of

Accountability Mentors through a

program that takes a four step

approach to leadership

enhancement, the results is the

development of well rounded

leaders with the skills needed to

secure a productive and unified

EMS system for Virginia.

Step 1-Complete an online

assessment- This identifies your

leadership competency strengths

and areas for development.

Step 2-Attend the EMS

Leadership Challenge Summit- A

two day, 16 hour, workshop where

you work alongside other EMS

leaders like yourself solving

common agency problems,

identifying your personal

Chris gathered his staff and asked

them what would make their

scheduling easier so he could make

sure shifts were covered in a

timely manner. What he found was

that there were “16 different

ways for a staff member to make

a schedule request”. The staff

didn’t know what the management

wanted from them so he

addressed the issue and now the

one online process makes it quick,

paperless and simple for staff to

use. “I listened to the audio book,

7 Habits of Highly Effective

People. I talk a lot, but until now I

don’t think people listen to what I

was saying and I wasn’t hearing

what they were asking for, that’s

different now. It is just one of my

skills, but it was the best one to

start with and I am glad I did.”

The EMS Leadership Challenge in

its 10 years of existence has

gained statewide recognition as

the Gold Standard in EMS

Leadership training. As the Office

of EMS moves forward with the

development of EMS Officer

leadership goals, and focusing on

core EMS leadership success

competencies. At the summit you

meet your personal Accountability

Mentor who will be available to

help you through your self-study

development to help assure your

success.

Step 3-Self Study- You will

customize your personal One Page

Plan. Your plan will include required

readings, exercises and

applications that build on your

strengths and focus on

opportunities for your

development. In this phase your

Accountability Mentor will be

available to assist you to reach a

predetermined plateau in your

program participation process.

Step 4-Complete “Gold Standard

Leadership Project”. Candidates

choose a leadership project

utilizing their newly developed

skills. They complete a project

plan, keep a project journal, write

a final thesis and present their

project results to a team of EMS

professionals.

The EMS Leadership Challenge

enhancing the EMS system one

Leader at a time.

M a y / J u n e P a g e 3 7

P a g e 3 8 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

regions of concern.

Symptoms occur abruptly and

include:

* Early: sudden high fever,

headache, chills, muscle aches

* Late: skin rash, followed by

nausea, vomiting, chest pain, sore

throat, abdominal pain, diarrhea,

bleeding inside and outside of the

body

*Symptoms become increasingly

severe; may include jaundice,

severe weight loss, mental

confusion, shock, multi‐

organ failure

Incubation period ranges from 2‐

21 days; 8‐10 days is most common.

The disease is not communicable

until the patient begins exhibiting

signs and symptoms of the illness.

If the patient is exhibiting

symptoms consistent with Ebola,

especially if there is also fever,

providers should ask if the patient

Ebola Information for EMS Providers

has recently traveled or been in

contact with anyone who has

traveled to or through West

Africa during the previous 21

days, particularly the countries of

Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra

Leone.

As with other viruses and possible

communicable diseases, when

caring for patients suspected of

exhibiting signs of the Ebola virus,

providers need to practice

meticulous Body Substance

Isolation (BSI) procedures which

should include but may not be

limited to:

* Proper and often hand washing

with soap or alcohol‐based hand

sanitizer

* Proper wearing and disposing of

exam gloves when caring for

patient

* Changing of gloves between

patient

* Use of gowns, masks and eye

Submitted by Karen Wagner, VAVRS IDC Coordinator

On August 6, 2014, members of

the World Health Organization

(WHO) officially declared Ebola a

public health emergency of

international concern. Ebola Virus

Disease (EVD) also known as Ebola

Hemorrhagic Fever is one of the

world’s most virulent diseases and

is transmitted through direct

contact with the blood or bodily

fluids of an infected symptomatic

person or through exposure to

objects (such as needles) that

have been contaminated with

infected secretions. The WHO has

announced a cumulative total of

1,779 suspected and confirmed

cases of EVD throughout Africa

with 961 deaths to date. Although

no human illness has ever been

acquired or transmitted in the

Unites States, there is potential

for EMS providers to come in

contact with the virus through

infected people who have returned

from or been exposed to

individuals returning from the

M a y / J u n e 2 0 1 4 P a g e 3 9

that is used, including gloves,

masks, gowns, eye protection,

sharps, etc. at the ED in proper

containers for proper disposal.

If you need additional guidance on

BSI procedures or the use of BSI

equipment, you may contact the

Virginia Department of Health

(VDH), Office of Emergency

Medical Services, Division of

Emergency Operations or Division

of Education and Development.

Suspected cases of Ebola must be

reported to the VDH local health

departments immediately for

follow‐up.

If you think that you have been

exposed to Ebola virus or exhibit

any of the above symptoms you

should advise the hospital

caregivers, contact your

healthcare provider and your

public health office.

Early identification of symptoms

and implementation of proper body

substance control measures are

key factors in preventing further

transmission of this virus.

Ebola Information for EMS Providers

To find out more information

about Ebola virus, visit http://

www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/index.html

or http://www.astho.org/Global-

Health/WHO-Statement-EC-

Ebola_8Aug2014/

protection if exposure to bodily

fluid is evident or suspected

* Limiting use of needles and

other sharps

* Avoiding aerosol generating

procedures, if possible

* Proper handling and disposal of

sharps

* Cleaning and sanitizing of

equipment and vehicles after

patient care including thorough

cleaning of all surfaces in

the ambulance using a bleach

solution, and the cleaning of all

equipment with a bleach solution

and or alcohol‐based equipment

cleaner. BE SURE TO WEAR

RUBBER GLOVES FOR YOUR

PROTECTION WHEN CLEANING.

* Consider washing all squad

uniforms at the squad/station and

leaving all uniform parts including

boots at the squad for protection

of family members

* Leave all disposable equipment

(Continued from page 38)

P a g e 4 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

of VAVRS. It was so much fun to

talk about things from the past,

traditions and what the future

could bring. I am looking forward

to doing this again next year.

Congratulations to all the

competition teams. Whether you

received a trophy or not everyone

is a winner. Competing is so much

fun. It gives you the chance to

practice your skills. It is not

about winning it is what you learn

from the experience and working

together as a team.

I encourage everyone to make

every effort to attend your

District Meetings. Encourage

other agencies and members to

attend them as well. The

information that is given out at

these meetings is important and

could affect how your agency

operates. It also gives you the

chance to meet the Officers that

represent and work for you across

the State.

The best recruiters for our

association is ourselves. Who can

better convey the message of

what VAVRS is and what VAVRS

can do for you than those that are

Submitted by Kim Craig, VAVRS Vice President

As I left the conference it is hard

to explain the feelings that I had.

I am excited to be your Vice

President and looking forward to

the coming year. I already have

many travels scheduled. I

attended Vinton Rescue Squad on

Sunday, October 5th in

Celebration of 75 years of

Service. On October 11th, I will

be attending the Celebration of 60

years at Manchester Rescue

Squad. Congratulations to Vinton

Rescue and Manchester for many

years of providing exceptional pre

hospital care to their community.

Again 2014 Conference was a

success. Thanks to everyone in

the planning of the event. Let us

not forget Kathy and Francis for

their hard work. Please if you have

any ideas and or things that you

liked about the Conference please

do not hesitate to contact the

Conference Committee. It takes a

lot of coordination to have

Conference so make sure to Thank

the ones that get the work done.

There is a lot of behind the scenes

work that begins way before one

conference ends to plan the next.

Spread the word to others about

what a great training, networking

and fun opportunity Conference is.

Over and Over again I have heard

how great the seminars were. We

need to remember this in our

future planning of marketing the

Conference.

The picnic in Virginia Beach at

Conference was the best. It was a

great chance to eat, relax and

visit with each other. I met so

many members and Life members

involved? We must sell ourselves.

It has been discussed in meetings

and amongst the District VP’s the

importance of marketing. About

how important it is that our

members understand and can

speak to the value and to the

resources that VAVRS offers.

One of our goals is to put some

speaking points together so that

we can communicate a consistent

message of what VAVRS can do

for you.

I would like to thank Staunton-

Augusta Rescue Squad for

supporting me for the office of

VAVRS Vice President. My

involvement with the Squad led me

to my involvement with VAVRS. I

have learned so much through my

many years at Staunton-Augusta

Rescue Squad. Sometimes easy

lessons and sometimes very hard

lessons. But no matter what, it

has and continues to be a joyous

ride.

Most of all I would like to Thank

my husband, John, who has stood

by me through thick and thin. He

has not only stood by me but with

me. My many accomplishments

From the VAVRS Vice President

M a y / J u n e 2 0 1 4 P a g e 4 1

could not have been done without

his love and support.

Holidays are approaching very

quickly. Remember to take this

time to be Thankful for what you

have. Remember we continually

enjoy our freedom because of the

men and women who fight for our

country and who have fought for

our freedom. They give up their

time with family during the

holidays so that we can enjoy the

holidays with our families. God

Bless them.

Wishing you and your family a

very special Holiday season!!!

Photos taken at the

VAVRS Conference during

the Vehicle Extrication

Competition by Greg

Burton and submitted by

Kate Burton

the squad, he has served as

President, Vice President,

Secretary, Maintenance,

Lieutenant, Captain and Fund Drive

Chairman for numerous years.

Glenn was presented with Life

Membership to the Staunton-

Augusta County First Aid & Rescue

Squad in 1980. This is an honor

that is earned, not just for years

of service but involvement as an

officer and different committees.

His involvement with the Squad led

him to his involvement with

VAVRS. He served as District 1

VP for eight terms. The VAVRS

Life Membership Committee

makes recommendations to the

Board of Governors annually at

Conference to elevate a member

who the committee deems has

rendered a great service to the

Association to the status of Life

Member. Glenn E. Drumheller was

bestowed the honor of Life

Membership to VAVRS in 2000 for

his great service to the

Association. He continues

to serve the Squad as our

Wednesday dispatcher. He

also serves District 1 on

the Life Membership

committee for the District.

He was one of the first to

receive District 1 Life

Membership. He attends

Conference every year and

participates in the BOG

meetings.

The “Wall of Honor”

consist of awards from

Years of service with the

Squad, District 1 and

VAVRS. His Life

Membership plaques stand

Submitted by Kim Craig, Life Member of Staunton-Augusta County Rescue Squad, VAVRS Vice President

How many of us can say we have a

“Wall of Honor”…

Well… Glenn E. Drumheller can.

Glenn is celebrating 45 years of

service with the Staunton-Augusta

County First Aid & Rescue Squad,

Inc.

Glenn E. Drumheller joined the

Squad in 1969 when Richard M.

Nixon was inaugurated as the 37th

President of the United States,

Apollo 11 astronauts take man’s

first walk on the moon, Sesame

Street debuts, the Woodstock

festival, Average cost of a house

was $15,550.00, average income

per year was $8,550.00, a new car

cost $3,270.00 and the most

popular toys were GI Joe and

Barbie. William H. “Bill” Baker was

VAVRS President, East Hanover

Rescue Squad began operation,

Southside Emergency Crew

dedicated their new headquarters,

Lynchburg Life Saving Crew

celebrated its 35th anniversary,

the Auxiliary Eastern District

approved the creation of

Northeastern and Southeastern

District, Spring BOG was May 10

and Convention was August 22.

Times have changed but one thing

that hasn’t changed is Glenn’s

loyalty, dedication and

commitment to the Staunton-

Augusta County Rescue Squad.

Glenn has devoted his life to

serving the squad and the

community. During his time with

out the most.

The VAVRS

Vice

President’s

award is one

that he

received more

than once.

Glenn proudly shows his wall to

family and friends. I wanted to

show it to you because we are the

lucky ones to know him, to be

friends with him and for him to be

the one who represents our squad.

Thank you Glenn, for your many

years of service. I am sure that

there will be many more to come

and we can keep adding to your

wall.

Congratulations to the Staunton-

Augusta County Rescue Squad

Vehicle Rescue Team for winning

first place. This is the third time

our team has won the Ronald

Brubeck Memorial, 1st Place –

P a g e 4 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

“Wall of Honor” A Tribute to Glenn Drumheller

M a y / J u n e 2 0 1 4 P a g e 4 3

Chancellor Volunteer Fire and Rescue Honor Guard - Left to right:

Bill Bryce, Tony Dennis, Dan Butler, Kurt Murray, Matt Burgett

Left to right

above: Assistant

Chief D. Paxton,

Vice President/Fire

First LT R. Knick,

President/Fire First

LT K. Morris, Chief

T. Mullins,

Treasurer R. Keen,

Rescue LT L.

Cartwright,

Sergeant-at-Arms

D. Bruce, D.Altizer

Submitted by Kevin Dillard, Administrative Chief, Chancellor Volunteer Fire and Rescue

Charter, life, and current

members of Dunlap Volunteer Fire

and Rescue recently gathered with

invited guests to celebrate the

founding of the Department in

July 1964.

In a surprise tribute to the

Department members, the

Chancellor Volunteer Fire and

Rescue Department (Spotsylvania

County) Honor Guard traveled to

Covington to take part in the

festivities. Members of the Honor

Guard making the trip to Dunlap

were Kurt Murray, Bill Bryce, Tony

Dennis, Matt Burgett and piper

Dan Butler.

After the invocation led by

William "Perry" Vail, charter and

life member of Dunlap, all enjoyed

a scrumptious meal prepared and

served by A Cut Above Catering

from Boones Mill, VA. Guest

speaker for the evening was Mr.

Jimmy Byer, 2nd Vice President of

the Virginia State Firefighters

Association.

While there were many memorable

moments throughout the evening

the most long-lasting was the

presentation by the Chancellor

Volunteer Fire and Rescue

Department Honor Guard to the

Dunlap membership of a

Department flag. Each time it

flies, it will be a symbol of pride

and a reminder of the service the

men and women of the Department

have made and continue to make to

the citizens of western Alleghany

County.

Dunlap Volunteer Fire and Rescue - 50 Years of Service -

P a g e 4 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 V A V R S

Back to the Basics...Leadership 101

to provide yourself and others

with MEASURABLE RESULTS.

It is important for every

officer to provide those they

represent with measurable

results. It holds the officer

accountable, it allows members

to verify results, and it allows

the organization to stay

focused on its mission. At

the VAVRS the

tradition has

been to provide

that information to

the membership by means of

the officer and committee

reports thus the first step in

showing measurable results is

to make sure you journal your

actions and results and provide

a report at every meeting your

attend. Base your report on

actions not obligations.

Measurable results are not for

the purpose of trying to

determine if an individual was

the right person for the job or

popular with the membership of

the organization, instead the

results are to be used for the

purpose of knowing how far the

organization has advanced,

remained stable, or needs to

change in order to continue

their mission based on the

actions of the leader reporting.

As a leader you have to visit

your Action Plan on a regular

basis when you are working

toward a goal. Things change

and failure to review your

action plan will not allow you to

update your direction based on

the results you are

experiencing. Sometimes the

rules, bylaws, or operating

procedures get in the way of

reaching your goal and if you

are not reviewing your action

plan you will not be able to

determine what is holding you

back from success.

Each office is obligated

through its job description to

provide a specific function.

Let’s use the job description/

duties of the Chaplain as an

example…. The Chaplain is to

provide supportive care with

substantive content to our

membership. What if that care

included but goes beyond the

comfort of a listening ear.

What if the members could

utilize the Chaplain to help

reduce conflict at their squad?

What if the Chaplain was

someone in the organization

who, when invited, could help

coach staff and management to

communicate with one another

in a healthier way? What if the

Submitted by Karen Wagner, Coordinator EMS Leadership Challenge

During the interview process

with the Nominating

Committee, candidates

were asked the question “At

the end of the year, how will

you measure how successful you

were in your office?” Wow,

what a great question to ask a

candidate seeking support and

what a super topic to start off

my article… Back to the

Basics…Leadership 101.

First…To be successful at

anything, you must determine

what it is you want to do…SET

A GOAL. Next, you have to

outline a course to get you to

your goal …DEVELOP AN

ACTION PLAN, and finally you

have to determine how long or

how much time you will allow

yourself to reach your goal…

MAKE A TIME LINE. If all

goes well you will be successful

and most certainly will be able

M a y / J u n e 2 0 1 4 P a g e 4 5

happier, and more productive

EMS system statewide. This is

your ACTION PLAN.

Now you are ready for

MEASURABLE RESULTS… set

yourself up for success, think

about what is offered as a

service and how in your role as

an officer will you address that

service to meet the needs of

the membership.

What will be measured?

What our members needs and

wants are

Do you possess the skills and

knowledge bases required to

deal with the various types of

demands which your office

faces and what is available at

the present

Do you have any supporting

materials required for your

office to deliver its service and

what is available at present

Do you have information

requested by members and are

we appropriately communicating

this

What were the reasons for

‘failed’ interactions if and when

they occur

What were the successes in

meeting members demand

What was planned, has it been

carried out

What were the results of

problem solving

Results of Actions not records

of obligations

What should not be measured?

How “many” of anything you did

The number of phone calls,

visits, and miles traveled or

meetings attended.

To serve as an officer your

Goals, Action Plan, Time Line

and Measurable Results must

focus on addressing member

needs. You have to be engaged

with the membership, the EMS

system, and the mission of the

organization. Your members will

hold you accountable, they want

you to provide reports at each

meeting, articles in each issue

of the Lifeline and they need

you to work closely with the

other members of your

leadership team to assure that

you are meeting your obligation

as an officer. So….what are

your goals, what should we

expect to see as your plan of

action, and this year what will

your measurable results be?

Chaplain could help increase

management effectiveness

through improving

communications, what if the

Chaplain could help to show an

agency how to better address

these issues? These are

GOALS…. This is how an

officer should sets goals; take

your job description, look at

the needs of your membership,

and determine what you want

to do to address those needs

so as to make the organization

stronger.

When an officer starts

thinking about how they are

going to reach a goal, they have

to think far beyond their

duties and job description,

they should be thinking about

the membership, reflecting on

the boots on the ground, the

people who spend the majority

of their working lives out on

the street providing care to

the sick and injured. Some may

say you need to think outside

the box… but the true leader

will forget there is a box and

instead not waste time but

take the opportunity to help to

create a climate that makes

providers better people, thus

the byproduct will be a better,

W. S.

Dear Warren,

There are twelve. Just listen to

the song, "Rudolph the Red-Nosed

Reindeer". Sure, in the

introduction it goes "There's

Dasher and Dancer and Prancer

and Vixen, Comet and Cupid and

Donner and Blitzen..." That makes

eight reindeer. Then there's

Rudolph, of course, so that makes

nine. Then there's Olive. You know,

"Olive the other reindeer used to

laugh..." That makes ten. The

eleventh is Hal. You know, "Then

Hal, the reindeer loved him..."

Eleven reindeer. Oh, and number

12? That's Andy! "Andy shouted

out with glee." The proof is in the

song!

Dear Rescue Ranger,

Last week our squad was called to

a retired NASA employee’s home.

The former astronaut had a

severe rash on the planter surface

of both feet. He could barely walk

and was in extreme pain. We

documented his severe athlete’s

foot and transported. Neat guy to

talk to, just thought I would

share.

S. S.

Dear Mr. Southworth,

You may want to put an addendum

on your ePCR because if athletes

get athletes foot, astronauts get

………..Missletoe!

Dear Rescue Ranger

Dear Rescue Ranger,

We were discussing behavioral

emergencies in EMT class the

other night and someone asked,

“What do you call a patient that is

afraid of Santa Claus? I didn’t

know, do you?

R. A.

Dear Randy,

Yes, they are Claustrophobic.

Dear Rescue Ranger,

I saw you volunteering at the mall

and helping Santa hand out

presents and candy. You didn’t

look happy. Why was Santa's little

helper depressed?

S. W.

Dear Scott,

I guess I was suffering from low

elf esteem.

Dear Rescue Ranger,

My children and I made a huge

snowman and they were wondering

what you feed a snowman for

breakfast. Do you know?

G. B.

Dear Gary,

Ice Crispies

Dear Rescue Ranger,

Tell me a Christmas story that I

can share with the crew at our

holiday party.

M. B.

Dear Mike,

T'was the night before Christmas

and all through the EMT’s house,

Not a creature was stirring, not

even a mouse. The stockings were

hung by the chimney with care.

They'd been worn all week and

needed the air.

Dear Rescue Ranger,

I grew up believing that Santa has

9 reindeer. I heard you think that

is incorrect. What makes you

think so?

P a g e 4 6 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

Dear Rescue Ranger,

My son asked me the other day,

“Dad, you are a trained rescue

technician, what would you do if

Santa got stuck in our chimney?

I didn’t know what to tell him, can

you help.

Bubby

Dear Bubby,

Tell him you will pour Santa flush

on him!

Dear Rescue Ranger,

What’s a good tip for the holiday?

B B

Dear Bubby,

Never catch snowflakes with your

tongue until all the birds have gone

south for the winter.

Q: What Christmas song is hidden

in the alphabet: A B C D E F G H I

J K M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y

Z?

A: Noel (No "L")

Knock knock

*Who's there?

Mary!

*Mary who?

Merry Christmas

M a y / J u n e 2 0 1 4 P a g e 4 7

NO

N-P

RO

FIT

OR

GA

N..

U.S

.PO

ST

AG

E

PA

ID

WO

OD

ST

OC

K, V

A

PER

MIT

NO

. 8

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: vavrs@vavrs.com

"Greater Love Hath No Man Than

This, That A Man Lay down His

Life For His Friends." John 15:13

Virginia Association of Volunteer

Rescue Squads, Inc.

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: vavrs@vavrs.com