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October 2004
The Union County EMS Association
met Wed., March 19 at GRMC in Creston. The meeting was called to order at 1832
by President Mick Landers. Those present were Landers, Monte Parrott, Brett
Weis, Cheryl Blazek, Bobby Jo Stanley, and Jan Beach-Sickels. Randy Crum arrived
at 1845.
The previous minutes were approved as written.
The Education Report was given by Cheryl. The EMT-B class in Creston
didn’t go forward, as not enough students, and there are no other EMT classes
pending at this time. There will be EMT practicals scheduled. Fire school will
be April 26, and there is a class on ethanol and Amtrak April 15.
The Financial Report was distributed.
Old business: Update from the tactical worksheet subcommittee was
given, and forms were distributed for consideration. Each department is
encouraged to look them over, decide what they like and don’t like, what is most
useful to them, and let Jan know of changes requested.
New business: This year’s HRSA grant is for $1000 and requires that
at least 90% of the EMS providers on the rosters in the county have completed
START, JumpSTART, NIMS Awareness, and ICS-100 or 200. Departments are encouraged
to meet this requirement as soon as possible. The NIMS and ICS-100 and 200 are
available online, with links to the classes on the website. Jan was also asked
to email the links to the members. Cheryl was asked to set up two classes for
START/JumpSTART.
Items from the floor: Cheryl suggested getting an
Excel/Office program for the Association, as our current treasurer doesn’t have
the needed programs to complete the required business of the Association. After
discussion, it was decided to pursue the purchase of a laptop with the needed
software installed.
The next meeting will be April 16 at the Creston Fire Station, 6:30.
Meeting adjourned at 1935.
The
Union County EMS Association met Wed., Feb. 20, 2008 at Afton Fire Station.
Those attending were: Mick Landers, Bobby Jo Stanley, Monte Parrott, Jim
Schaffer, Cheryl Blazek, Gary Hansen, & Jan Beach-Sickels. The minutes from the
previous meeting were approved.
Monte Parrott was introduced as the new representative from
Afton FD.
Education report – March 10 – EMT-B class starts at GRMC.
April 26 Fire School at SWCC. Ice Rescue class that was held recently was
considered a success and has stirred up interest in additional equipment and
supplies that will be carried by UC FDs. Possibility of a mass drill going on in
May, more information later. March 4 is EMS instructor update, ICN.
Financial report – distributed. There was an error in where
the $ was sent to for All-Med but it has been corrected and paid. Reminder to
turn in bills for training.
Old business:
HRSA grant (last year’s) – all the
supplies came in, I have pumps for the vacuum splints, vests and tarps for Afton
and Lorimor.
Update from the tactical worksheet
subcommittee – still working.
Update on ICS training subcommittee –
working on a class for tabletop, will report later.
MCI trailer supplies – it was
suggested that we put a presentation together to present to the Board of
Supervisors to introduce them to what the trailer is and what it’s for – Public
Health, Emergency Mgmt board, 911 board, etc.
System Development Grant – 2nd quarter report was
sent in (January).
New business:
The website account was combined with Jan’s other accounts. This
will save the Association about $73 a year and doesn’t change the management of
the account at this point. If at a later date, the Association wants to transfer
it to a separate account, that can be done.
System Standards Grant –BJ moved to drop the pursuit of the grant, 2nd
by Monte, passed. No grant application will be made.
Items from the floor
HRSA grant for this year – four classes – each department needs to
get copies of their roster and certificates for the classes for each person on
the roster to the next meeting.
Next meeting date
March 19 at 6:30 at GRMC.
Meeting adjourned at 8:05 p.m.
There was a presentation from Afton, briefing us on the Afton
operation.
A special meeting of the Union County EMS Association was held at noon Saturday, January 26 at SWCC with a shortened agenda after cancellation of the regularly scheduled meeting due to weather. Those attending: Mick Landers, Gary Hansen, Randy Crum, BJ Stanley, Cheryl Blazek, Jim Schaffer, and Jan Beach-Sickels.
The previous meeting’s minutes were approved.
Ballots were counted for election of the at-large position on the Board and Brett Weis was re-elected to the Board. Election of officers was held for Vice-President and Secretary/ Treasurer. Randy Crum was elected Vice President and BJ Stanley was elected Secretary/ Treasurer.
There was no education or financial report.
The Minimum System Standards grant was discussed and the Board voted that Union County should apply. Randy Crum is committee chairman and will work with Jan to organize the grant application process.
The next meeting will be Feb. 20 in Afton at 6:30.
Adjourned at 12:20.
The Union County EMS
Association met Wed., Oct. 17 at the Lorimor Fire Station The meeting was called
to order at 6:05 p.m. by President Mick Landers. Present were Landers, BJ
Stanley, Jim Schaffer, and Jan Beach-Sickels.
The previous meeting's minutes were approved. There was no formal education
report, but Jan announced upcoming educational opportunities including the IEMSA
Conference in November.
There was no official financial report but the Treasurer did inform Mick
that the carry-over funds the funds had not yet been transferred to the
Association checking account. A report will be presented at the next meeting.
Supplies have been ordered through All-Med with use of HRSA grant funds.
Some supplies have come in and we are still waiting for the rest of the order.
We now have our own account.
There was a report on the Preparedness Fair that UCEMS participated in with
a display. We also handed out first aid kits.
The update from the tactical worksheet subcommittee was that there are 3
sheets ready for consideration and revision. The committee will continue to work
on additional forms.
There was discussion regarding AED updates. CFD has one updated now and one
that still needs updated. It is still unknown if public access AEDs located in
Creston have been updated, and if Afton’s AED is updated. There was also
discussion on laws and rules regarding AED use, public access, and transport
laws.
The System Development Grant- 07/08 Contract has arrived, and will be
signed and sent in; part B is 50% of the original amount. Part A is a slight
increase from last year..
The display board was discussed regarding storage and use. It was decided
that it will be used only at non-alcoholic functions, for activities of the
departments in the county, with the departments responsible for good judgment in
its use. The Coordinator will store it for the time-being and will be able to
taylor the display to the needs of the department planning to display it.
The next meeting date - 3rd Wednesday of November – is the night
before Thanksgiving. With no pressing business, it was decided that the next
meeting will be the regular meeting in January. Mick encouraged subcommittees to
continue to work on their projects.
The meeting adjourned at 7:15 p.m.
Following the meeting, a presentation from Lorimor, briefing us on the
Lorimor Operation, was given by BJ.
The Union County EMS
Association met Wed., Sept. 19 at the Creston Fire Department. The meeting was
called to order by President Mick Landers at 1805. Present were Landers, Randy
Crum, Jim Schaffer, BJ Stanley, and Jan Beach-Sickels. The agenda was corrected
to note that the next meeting is in October, and the November meeting is not the
next meeting.
The previous meeting’s minutes were approved as written.
HRSA funds from the 07 grant were discussed. The list previously approved
was discussed and the order will be placed as soon as possible. We will also add
a triage vest to the order per discussion and vote.
Training funds from Part A of the grant were discussed. The
possibility of adding SWCC as a recipient of part of the funds was discussed.
Cheryl Blazek arrived at the meeting. Several opinions were voiced on the matter
of how the training funds are spent. At a previous meeting Cheryl had requested
that SWCC be considered as a recipient of part of the funds. At the last meeting
a motion was made and later withdrawn that would have included SWCC as an equal
recipient of funds. After discussion on this matter, Cheryl withdrew her
original request. A motion was presented by Cheryl Blazek and seconded by Randy
Crum that the training funds would be divided equally among the four service
programs in Union County to follow the grant guidelines, with any amount that is
left at the end of the FY to be dispersed by the Board after needs are presented
and reviewed.
Education report – Mini Jamboree will be Sept. 29
Financial report – no formal report. An invoice will be presented to
have funds left from last year transferred to the checking account.
Expenses paid out of pocket by the coordinator were discussed, and it
was approved that reimbursement could be made from the checking account as long
as the expenses had been approved and the receipts were presented.
The Preparedness Fair was discussed. Carole Borland described what
would be presented at the Fair. The members were encouraged to be present, as
our Association will have a booth.
Incident Command training was discussed as part of the follow-up on
the after-action report from our disaster exercise. A committee was formed to
plan for training to involve Union County and neighboring counties. Randy,
Cheryl and Jan will work on this committee. A committee was assigned the task of
developing a draft of the tracking tools that the county services can use at
major incidents. The committee members are Mick, Gary Hansen, and Jan.
There is an open house at the Creston Fire Department Oct. 10 from 5
– 8 p.m.
The AEDs previously received through grants were discussed. The
Lifepak 500s have been found to have a software malfunction that causes the
machine to reprogram itself to a different level of joules than is standard. The
CFD has received notice and will be getting an update to correct this. Other
departments that have a LP500 could borrow this update once it arrives. Board
members are asked to check with anyone who is known to have an AED regarding
what type of AED they have, and Jan was asked to place an article in the
newspaper so that we can take the lead in getting the AEDs in Union County
updated to the new standards.
Mick suggested that each time a department hosts the meeting they
give a brief tour and overview of what their department has. The next meeting
will be October 17 in Lorimor.
The Union County EMS Association met August 29,
2007 at Southwestern Community College. The meeting was called to order at 1805
by President Mick Landers. Attending were Cheryl Blazek, Carole Borland,
Landers, Brett Weis, Gary Hansen, and Jan Beach-Sickels.
The previous meeting's minutes were approved.
The education report included an EMT-B Flex Course, EMT-B class
beginning in October, Mini Jamboree Sept. 29, and an ice rescue class, all
through SWCC.
Comments on the proposed system standards are due by Sept. 21. For
more information, visit the Bureau’s website.
There are scholarships for EMS courses available through IEMSA and
anyone interested is encouraged to apply. The deadline is in October.
The financial report was distributed. It was moved, voted on and
passed, that the $1400 from last year’s unspent HRSA funds would be transferred
to the Association checking account.
The HRSA grant was discussed. There were problems in getting a final
answer on whether or not the funds had to be spent by Aug. 31, but it was
decided that we would not spend the funds until they had been received. A list
of items has been compiled and a quote has been obtained. The list was adjusted
to remove the black tarps and vests, and add pumps for the vacuum splints. After
the money is received, the items can be ordered. The Association is also
applying for its own credit account with All-Med.
A report on the status of the FEIN for the Association was given. We
do have a number and this will be kept on file.
The PIO class was held with 12 participants, two from Union County.
Though we did not meet the minimum 15 participants due to several cancellations,
the Homeland Security grant funds will still be utilized for the cost of the
course according to Vicki Feidler at Iowa Central College.
The Preparedness Fair has been changed to Sept. 22, and will be held
from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in room 180 of SWCC. The disaster trailer will be
displayed, along with other specialty vehicles on the circle drive. A schedule
for attending the UCEMS booth will be made at the next meeting.
The improvement plan that was part of the after-action report
following the disaster exercise was discussed. It is planned to develop tracking
tools that would be user friendly and specific to the needs of Union County.
Communications were discussed, and it was decided that more thought on problem
solving of this issue is needed.
The training grant was brought up and discussion on how the funds
would be spent. Gary Hansen moved that the funds be split five ways between GRMC,
Lorimor FD, Afton FD, Creston FD, and SWCC EMS Training Program. The motion was
seconded by Weis. After discussion,Hansen withdrew his motion and asked that the
matter be tabled and that spending of the funds be discussed at the next
meeting.
To help improve attendance, a regular meeting date was decided upon.
The Association will meet on the 3rd Wednesday night of each month.
The next meeting will be Sept. 19 at the Creston Fire Department at 6 p.m.
The Union County EMS Association
met July 24, 2007 at the Creston Fire Station. The meeting was called to order
at 6:05 p.m. by President Mick Landers. The previous meeting's minutes were
distributed and approved as submitted. Present were Landers, Gary Hansen, Cheryl
Blazek, Carole Borland, BJ Stanley, and Jan Beach-Sickels.
The Education Report included the SWCC Mini Jamboree Sept 29; PIO class
Aug. 25-26; trench rescue Aug 11-12; and EMT-B class Lenox online/classroom
beginning Aug. 28.
The Financial Report was distributed by Cheryl and approved as
submitted.
The HRSA grant was discussed and the goal is to finalize spending of
HRSA funds (if necessary prior to Aug. 30).
Regarding the PIO class, everyone is asked to spread the word about
the class and its importance. Jan was directed to put an article about the class
in the paper and make a brochure to distribute. She has already notified
neighboring counties and had a flyer sent out on the list-serve through the
Bureau.
The System Development grant for FY08 will be $4504 for Part A.
Submission of bills was discussed and it was agreed that all bills should be
turned in to Cheryl by the director/chief of the department, as the bill must be
approved by the department chief prior to reimbursement. Bills should not be
turned in to Sandy Hysell. Cheryl mentioned that there is a need for training
equipment for the training program if there are funds available.
The contract for the Coordinator for Part B of the funds was discussed
and Jan was approved to continue as Coordinator. Discussion was held on
approaching the Board of Supervisors regarding a position for a county EMS
coordinator.
Carole mentioned that Wellmark has a $10,000 grant that may be useful
to the Association and should be looked into.
Distribution of Office supplies and Public Education materials was
made. A display board was purchased and each department is asked to submit
action photos, department photos, or other items for the board.
Discussion was held on the proposed EMS System Standards.
The next meeting will be set and members notified.
The meeting adjourned at 7:10 p.m.
The Union County EMS Association met May 16,
2007 at the Creston Fire Station. The meeting was called to order at 1905 by
President Mick Landers. Those present were Landers, Cheryl Blazek, Gary Hansen,
Bobbi Jo Stanley, Sarah Johnson, Jim Schaffer, Carole Borland, Randy Crum, and
Jan Beach-Sickels. The previous meeting's minutes were approved.
Cheryl Blazek gave the Education report. She stated she needs better
attendance at the advisory committee meetings, as she would like more input on
the programs offered and upcoming conferences. The PS class is scheduled to
start May 31, and three practicals are scheduled – June 7, 5:00 p.m. and June 9
in Creston for EMT-Bs; and in Red Oak June 12 for EMT-B.
Cheryl also gave the Financial report, which was distributed to each
person present. All training expenses must be turned in to Cheryl by the June 13
so she and Sandy Hysell can get things balanced. Whatever is unspent at that
point will either go to other departments who had expenses higher than the
allotted funds for their department, or to SWCC for training aids.
The HRSA grant Medical Resources list is due the end of the month.
All departments have now turned this in.
The After Action Report (draft) will be e-mailed to the Board and
will be discussed at the critique meeting. All bills for drill expenses need to
be turned in as soon as possible.
The HRSA grant was discussed regarding how to spend the funds we
will receive. Additional MCI supplies were discussed, with all departments
needing more triage tags and scene management supplies. Jan was asked to
assemble a list of possibilities for purchasing supplies, and website addresses
were shared with the group so the Board could be looking at possible additions.
Dates were chosen for the PIO class and Jan will contact the
instructor to finalize a date. SWCC will host the class and a small fee will be
charged for out-of-county attendees, with Union County residents being able to
attend at no charge.
System Development grant spending of Part A & B funds was discussed. The
first item discussed was Lorimor’s paging situation. Lorimor is currently paged
through Madison County. According to Lorimor’s EMS Chief, 75% of calls are in
Madison County, not Union County, but when the call is in Union County there
seems to be a 7-10 minute delay in getting the call transferred over to Union
County. Their radios are not always able to get radio transmissions from Union
County. There was a consensus that this seems to be a dispatch problem, and not
an equipment problem that could be solved with our funding.
It was reported that there is a possible problem with paging being
discontinued by FCC on the frequencies that we currently page on. County
departments that need more pagers should hold off purchasing new pagers until we
know what kind of pagers may be required.
Departments needing office supplies should get their list to Jan or
Cheryl.
The critique for the disaster drill will be held at the next meeting,
June 13, at Afton. Our goal will be to revise the disaster plan as needed based
on findings from the drill.
The fundraiser at Hardee’s will be May 24 (during EMS week) and each
department is asked to be represented. The hours are 5-8 p.m. We receive 20% of
the sales and each department will have flyers to distribute for the event.
Items from the floor: Jan, Mick and Cheryl will do the next year’s
grant application that is due by June 4.
Carole Borland reported that the 800 mghz radio that Public Health
had is in dispatch now, and dispatch can contact all the hospitals, public
health, EMAs, all of region 4, helicopters, etc. with that radio.
Submitted by Jan Beach-Sickels
The Union County EMS Association met March 6,
2007 at SWCC in Creston. The meeting was called to order by President Mick
Landers at 1807. Present were Mick, Gary Clear, Gary Hansen, Brett Weis, Jim
Schaffer, Carole Borland, and Jan Beach-Sickels. Laryl Vandenburg arrived at
6:30 p.m.
The minutes of the previous meeting were approved.
The Education report includes Paramedic Specialist/Bridge Course
starting March 27; FR online and EMT-B classes in progress; Confined Space
Rescue April 21-22 in Mt. Ayr; Trench Rescue April 28-29 in Creston; Grain Bin
rescue May 5 in Creston.
The Financial report was distributed and corrections were noted.
Discussion on how to utilize the Part B funds listed as “other” was
held and Jan was asked to present details at the next meeting of how it could be
used under grant guidelines. She will also talk to the Lorimor department to see
if they are satisfied with their paging and radio system, as the grant outlined
plans to create simultaneous paging capabilities for all Union County Services.
This part of the grant will be placed on the agenda for the next meeting.
The HRSA grant requirements were discussed. The next incentive next
deadline is March 31 when the Disaster Preparedness Training Report is due. All
EMS Directors are asked to bring the report to the next meeting, or turn in to
Jan by that date so the report can be filed on time. The Resources Report will
be due May 31 and each department should turn this in to Jan by May 20. The
drill report has to be in by Aug. 31 which should not be a problem since our
drill is in April.
The disaster drill is scheduled for April 25 at the East Union High
School. It was decided to prepare a letter from the Association that EMS
providers in the county can present to their employers, encouraging the
employers to allow the EMS/Fire personnel to participate in the drill. Jan
reported having met with Roger Nurnberg, Carole Borland, Wilma Perrin, and Mick
Landers this morning for grant planning. The group will be meeting again March
13, and Jan is meeting with East Union School staff March 9.
Decontamination supplies for disaster preparedness was discussed and
Mick distributed a list of suggested supplies. He reported that a propane space
heater with a fan is $3400 to $3800, so an alternative type of heater was priced
instead. The portable space heaters with propane bottles are forced air
heaters. The bottle would be outside the tent but heater blows into tent. The
concern of carbon monoxide building up was considered low risk, as those being
treated shouldn’t be in the tent long, and the decontamination will be
monitored. All prices are from Farm and Home in Creston. After discussion, Gary
Hansen moved to double the items on the list. Mick suggested that some items
would be adequate without being duplicated. Gary amended his motion to
increasing specified items by double and approve the purchase. Jim seconded the
motion and the motion passed unanimously.
There were no items from the floor.
The next meeting was set for March 21 at 6:00 p.m. at Afton. It will be
a special meeting to discuss the drill and grant issues. Reports (training,
financial, etc.) will not be given. Everyone was reminded that the training
reports will be due by that date.
Jan Beach-Sickels, Coordinator
The Union County EMS Association met Jan. 30, 2007. The
meeting was called to order by President Gary Clear at 7:00 p.m. at the SWCC
Multi-purpose Room. Those present were Gary Clear, Gary Hansen, Brett Weis, Mick
Landers, Sarah Johnson, Jim Schaffer, and Jan Beach-Sickels.
The previous meeting’s minutes were approved. Announcement of the
election results for the at-large position was made, and Jim Schaffer was
elected to the Board for the ensuing two year term. Jim accepted the position
and is present.
Educational opportunities coming up include an on-line First Responder
course beginning in February, the next paramedic program beginning in late
March, an EMT-B class beginning in March in Mt. Ayr, and other classes which can
be found on the website.
The Financial report was tabled until next meeting.
Election was held for the offices of President and Sec/Treas. Cheryl
Blazek was elected Sec/Treas and Mick Landers was elected President.
The HRSA grant requirements for this year were read. The first item on
the list, due January 31, 2007, is that all services are entered into the
Bureau’s System Registry, which is done, as it was a requirement for renewal of
service authorizations. The next requirement is due March 31 and all services
are encouraged to begin now to collect training information on their members
regarding NIMS, and any of the ICS classes that have been completed. An
inventory of medical assets is due in May, and the functional exercise must be
completed by August. The Coordinator was asked to send a reminder to the
services of the requirements.
The System Development grant requires a quarterly report due January 31
and it will be forwarded to Board members as well.
The upcoming Disaster Drill was discussed and Gary Hansen will talk to
Steve Clark at East Union High School regarding their willingness to participate
and dates available. The Coordinator will follow-up and obtain those dates,
notify the Board, and a date will be chosen.
Items from the floor included:
Discussion on the possibility of CFD using HRSA grant funds to purchase
a heater for the decontamination unit that can be utilized in a mass casualty
incident requiring decon. They are also in need of towels and gowns. Mick stated
that the community has been making donations for some of the needed supplies,
but estimated the heater would be at least $500. Gary H. suggested that Mick
bring figures to the next meeting so that the best choice could be made for the
heating unit. The decon unit is a 25 person trailer.
It was suggested that triage tags be added to both the disaster trailer
and the decon trailer. All of the county response units carry the tags, but
having them in the trailer as well was considered a good idea. The Coordinator
will take care of ordering for the trailer and for the upcoming drill.
The concern of county training funds being used to pay for training for
EMS students who do not finish or pass the class was discussed. It was suggested
that the Association have a policy on not dispersing funds for EMS classes until
the student had passed. After discussion, the Board stated that they didn’t feel
that was the Association’s place; however, it is strongly suggested that the
individual services look at their local policies and assure that EMS students
are responsible for their own training costs if they do not finish or pass the
class they enrolled in. Gary H. and the Coordinator both have forms they use for
this situation and this will be shared with others in the group.
The next meeting date will be set by the President and the Coordinator,
location to be announced.
The meeting was adjourned at 7:55 p.m.
Jan Beach-Sickels, Coordinator
Minutes October 2006
The
Union County EMS Association met October 10, 2006 at GRMC. Attending were Gary
Clear, Gary Hansen, Brett Weis, Mick Landers, Carole Borland, and Jan Beach-Sickels.
The previous meeting's minutes were approved.
The Education report included discussion on a PIO Class. Carole
Borland reported that our Hospital Region through HRSA is looking at setting one
of these up also. It is possible that Roger Nurnberg is also looking into this
through Emergency Management. Carole will get some instructor info to our group.
There was concern whether the instructor will be multi-faceted to work with
public health and public safety. We will try to work together to share the
sponsorship of a class in February or March of 2007.
Financial report was distributed. The HRSA grant report, including
equipment update was given. The Public Health / Disaster trailer was “toured”
and discussion was held concerning how we would get it to the scene when needed.
Also we discussed the possibility of taking it to the different services for
orientation. Public Health has designed the trailer so that it can be utilized
to give mass vaccinations if needed, with a bench for patients to sit on,
shelves, and refrigerator. It was suggested that whenever the trailer goes out,
there is a clerical person to be in charge of tracking what’s in the trailer and
what is distributed.
CERT training will begin soon. There has been a good response for
registration. Carole has the equipment to make identification badges so that we
can begin that process. This allows us to put information on the ID that the
county Ids don’t allow for, such as medical qualifications.
Carole will start giving reports on Hospital and Public Health HRSA
activities to our group to aid in communication between our groups.
Mick reported that there are
4 people getting training on weapons of mass destruction. Team purpose is to
neutralize the threat of the substance. The four from Creston are Mick, Gary
Thompson, Eric Shawler, and James _______. There are also four from Harlan, and
several from Council Bluffs. The closest team will go to the area affected by a
WMD situation.
The System Development grant arrived and our association was approved
for the third year of the plan. Gary will have Sandy sign it and send it in
tomorrow.
There was no further business. The next meeting will be held in
January unless something occurs to require a meeting prior to that. The date
will be announced. It was noted that election of one at-large member and
election of officers of the Board will be held in January.
The Union
County EMS Association met September 26, 2006 at Barbi Holtry’s home in Lorimor,
with a barbeque prior to the meeting provided by the hostess.
The meeting was attended by Brett Weis, Gary Clear, Gary Hansen, Mick
Landers, Barbi Holtry, and Jan Beach-Sickels. The previous meeting’s minutes
were approved. The Education report was that there is a B class and an I85 class
beginning next month in Creston. The Financial report was not available. A
report on the HRSA grant was given, including an equipment update. All of the
ordered equipment has not arrived yet. There has been no communication received
yet from the State on the System Development grant for the current fiscal year.
Items from the floor – thanks to Barbi for meal. The next meeting
date was set for Oct. 10 at GRMC, with the hope that a tour of the disaster
preparedness trailer can be done.
Union County EMS Association met Aug. 1, 2006 in the conference room at GRMC in
Creston. President Gary Clear called the meeting to order. In attendance were
Clear, Randy Crum, Brett Weis, Gary Hansen, Cheryl Blazek, and Jan Beach-Sickels.
The minutes from the previous meeting were approved.
Cheryl Blazek gave the Education report. She reported that the site visit
at SWCC went well and that the Bureau’s representative, Joe Ferrell, had good
things to say about the training program. SWCC received approval for three
years, the maximum number of years possible. Cheryl also said that the advisory
committee and instructors can expect more activities based on recommendations
from the Bureau. Upcoming educational opportunities are the Mini-Jamboree
September 23, and an EMT-B class starting in Creston in October.
Cheryl also gave the Financial report, and it has been confirmed that we
get to keep the incentive money earned by completing the HRSA grant requirements
this year! The money still has to be used in compliance with the grant’s
purposes, but it doesn’t have to be spent by the end of Aug. Cheryl also
distributed a corrected financial report, as the wrong balance was on last
month’s report. This was verified by Gary Clear. The financial report was
approved
The table top disaster drill was held July 10, and Jan distributed a report
on the drill.
Public Information Officer training update is that the course is $2000, and
we will try to set up a regional course which consists of 2 days. It was decided
we need more info.
Ideas for HRSA funds were discussed, for the funds that must be spent by
the end of August. A PEPP class was discussed, Afton would like a laptop
computer, and Randy suggested pediatric training equipment. Mick Landers (not
present but provided input outside the meeting) suggested additional supplies
for the trailer if needed. It was decided that all proposals for spending be
submitted to Jan or Cheryl by Aug. 17 and then final decisions would be made by
e-mail communications.
Regarding the System Development Grant, we have not received official word
on the coming year yet.
The next meeting was set for September 26, 2006 at Lorimor, with a barbeque
prior to the meeting at 6:30.
Jan Beach-Sickels, Coordinator
Minutes – May 2006
The Union County EMS Association met May 31, 2006 at 6:30 p.m. at the SWCC
Multi-Purpose Room. Gary Hansen, V-P, called the meeting to order at 6:33 p.m.
Others attending the meeting were Randy Crum, Cheryl Blazek, John Coulter, Betty
Wallace, Mick Landers, Barbi Holtry, and Jan Beach-Sickels, Coordinator.
The minutes from the previous meeting were approved.
Cheryl gave the Education report. There will be an EMT-B class starting in
Bedford in June; a Creston class in October; the current Paramedic Bridge class;
Jamboree upcoming in September. She also noted that SWCC EMS Training Program is
scheduled for a site visit by the EMS Bureau in July. Other items noted: Ray
Jones, former Bureau Chief is having serious health problems. Criminal
background checks of SWCC EMS students will be done starting in the fall.
According to a report downloaded, UC is 75%-99% NIMS compliant.
Betty reported that SWCC’s AHA Training Center has been approved for 2
more years.
Financial report - need bills by June 16; lists of supply needs to be in
by June 19. The financial report was approved.
The table top disaster drill is scheduled for July 10. It was decided to
have the drill in conjunction with an evening meal. The coordinator is to make
arrangements for both, with the group’s first choice for a location being
Charlie’s and second choice The Windrow, both in Creston. HRSA funds allow for
meal and travel costs as well as costs for the drill. It was voted that the
coordinator choose the incident for the drill and invite the appropriate
players, so that the group will drill on a surprise event. A table top drill kit
will be constructed and expenses involved in this were approved.
Public Information Officer training update was that there has not been a
class set yet. Cheryl will see if an instructor is available for a class prior
to August 30, the deadline for the HRSA grant.
There will be a START class in Afton June 19. This class is free for UC
EMS members, $20 for non-members, and tuition includes a shirt. John will check
on getting pizza from Caseys.
The MCI Plan has been turned in and we are waiting for notification of
approval so that it can be submitted. The plan must be sent in by June 30th
to receive the HRSA incentive money.
There was discussion on this years System Development Grant. Requests for
office supplies should be in by June 19.
There was a request from John Coulter regarding EMS Instructor class
tuition of $395. He requested half to full funding from training funds for the
tuition. In discussion it was noted that UC is in need of more instructors, and
Cheryl indicated a recommendation for John had been made. Gary H. and Randy both
indicated that funds left from their training money could be used for that
purpose, and that John’s tuition should be paid in full. Randy also mentioned
that he had a staff member who may be interested in an instructor class. He will
look into the possibility of him also enrollilng.
Lorimor has a bill for $1818 for 3 B students, but may be able to split
the cost for those students into two grant years. CFD and GRMC still have bills
to turn in for training. Bills should be in to Cheryl by June 16.
Update on request from GRMC regarding ropes and harnesses was that the
equipment would not be allowed under the HRSA grant guidelines. Randy explained
reasons for wanting to add these to their truck, and stated that they intend to
purchase the equipment and do the training involved to use it safely.
After bills for training are turned in, Cheryl was given permission to
utilize funds left for equipment that the training program needs.
A date has not been set for our next meeting, as communication will be
through e-mail in June, and will be possible at the START class in Afton if
necessary.
Meeting adjourned at 7:45 p.m.
Jan Beach-Sickels, Coordinator
The Union County EMS Association met Tues, April 19, 2006, at SWCC Multi-Purpose Room. Gary Clear called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. Present were: Clear, President; Gary Hansen, V-P; Cheryl Blazek, Sec-Treas.; Mick Landers, and Jan Beach-Sickels.
The minutes from the previous meeting were approved. The Educational Report and Financial Report was given by Cheryl. The Association now has a bank account at Great Western Bank, opened with incentive money received last year by timely completion of grant components, and money received from the cartridge recycling project. The paperwork for the Federal ID number was reviewed and Cheryl and Gary C. will take care of attaining the number.
The System Devleopment Grant was discussed, and the application renewal must be in by May 1. The group reviewed the goals of the original grant, and decided the application will state the continuation of those goals.
The HRSA grant was also discussed. If we meet all requirements of the grant, we will receive $4021. GRMC sent a list of items that they would like to request from those grant funds, including rescue training, harnesses, ropes, and other supplies. After discussion it was decided to request someone from that department be present at the next meeting with an itemized list, including estimated cost, so the group can make a more informed decision on this funding request. Two projects already designated through the HRSA grant are START classes and a PIO class. The START classes will be free to Union County EMS Providers and $20 per person for those not in that category. The group chose a shirt design for the START shirts. There was discussion on the PIO training, and whether the group wanted an informal class that everyone could take, or the official two-day course. It was decided that the 2-day course is what is needed for NIMS compliance, and that many entities in the community and surrounding areas will likely need to send people to the class also. The cost of holding the course is estimated at $2000, so to make the class affordable we would need several participants. HRSA funds would be used for Union County EMS personnel who take the course.
Jan gave a report on the Virtual Functional Exercise that was completed last week. Written information will be available after the review of the exercise is held later this week.
A proposed brochure to promote I.C.E. (In Case of Emergency – cell phone contact) was distributed. Revision suggestions were made and Jan will revise and print the brochures for distribution during EMS week.
The MCI plan, which the committee revised and approved, has been turned in to Emergency Management and we are awaiting approval. This plan must be in by June 30 to receive part of the HRSA grant. We also have to hold a disaster drill by August 30 to receive another designated portion of the grant. We set the drill, which will be a table top drill, for July 10, beginning at 5:30 p.m. Supper will be served. Suggestions for scenarios are requested.
Mick presented a request by his Chief that we hold quarterly CEH classes, and suggested topics such as pediatric emergencies, START, trauma, and medical emergencies. This matter will be reconsidered, since our previous offerings have not been well-attended. We do have START classes scheduled for May 17 and June 19.
Each department should get their requests for office supplies to Jan prior to the next meeting.
The next meeting is set for Wed., May 31, in the Multi-Purpose room of SWCC Arts and Wellness Center at 6:30 p.m. Supper will be provided. All EMS providers are welcome to attend.
Jan Beach-Sickels, System Development Coordinator
Union County EMS Association met Thurs., March 30, 2006 at the Afton Fire Station, with meeting time delayed by one hour due to weather. The meeting was called to order by Gary Clear, President, at 7:35 p.m.
The minutes from the previous meeting were approved.
Education report was given by Cheryl who reported that National Registry is changing to computer testing in 2007, with pilot testing in Iowa this June and July. There will be a site in Creston for testing. Unfortunately, the fees are much higher than the current method, but the fees are set by NR, so there is nothing we can do.
Cheryl distributed the financial report.
Discussion was held on data collection, use of Fire House or other software, and the importance of data collection for statistical and grant writing use.
There was discussion on the disaster drill that will be held according to the requirements of the HRSA grant. It was agreed that the committee must get the plan finished first before setting details on the drill. There was a suggestion to do a table top drill this year and a full drill next year.
Public Information Officer training was discussed. It was agreed that it is needed, and the Board voted that the Association should sponsor a class, and have the Coordinator set one up. Cheryl offered to assist with getting the class arranged.
A START class is also a need, and the Board voted that the Association should also sponsor this, with special attention to the new triage tags that were purchased for all of the departments in the county.
Items from the floor that were discussed were:
Mick suggested departments in Union County consider restructuring the numbering system in the county to better identify who and what the numbers stand for.
New BLS standards, and AEDs and how they will be updated to the new standards.
Cartridge recycling – plastic bags can still be used. Laser cartridges are now being accepted again, and boxes are shipped to New York, where we should receive more money for the laser and inkjet cartridges, and cell phones.
The committee working on the MCI plan will meet April 4 at GRMC in Creston at 6 p.m.. The next meeting of the Association will be at 6 p.m. at Cheryl’s office, Arts and Wellness Center of Southwestern Community College, April 17.
Meeting was adjourned at 9:10 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Jan Beach-Sickels, Coordinator
The Union County EMS Association held a regular meeting Tues., Jan. 31, 2006, at the Greater Regional Medical Center in Creston.
The meeting was called to order by Gary at 6:36 p.m. Present were President, Gary Clear; V-P Mick Landers; Secretary-Treasurer, Cheryl Blazek; Board Members Dennis Cheers and Gary Hansen; Carole Borland, GRMC Public Health, and Jan Beach-Sickels, Coordinator.
The minutes from the last meeting were approved as read.
Cheryl gave the Education Report: There will be a P to PS bridge course starting in March; Thermal Imaging class Feb. 1; EMT-B class going on in Creston now; Afton FFI class starts Feb 27; FFI class going on in Bedford now; Lamoni FFI class is coming up; Instructor update by ICN March 14; evaluator update March 16 by ICN.
Feb 4 and 25 will be EMT practicals; Jamboree went well, there are t-shirts left.
Cheryl will be going to Ohio Feb 15 for National Registry test writing sessions. The Bureau has enacted a system registry for renewal on line. June/July of this year will be pilot testing of the computer testing for FR and B’s. Since it is a pilot, if the students don’t pass, it won’t count as an attempt; if they do pass they will know right away.
EMS Day on the Hill Feb. 1, Leadership Conference; Counties can join IEMSA for $100, free registration for one person at the preconference management session. Trauma system funds got completely cut – we will lose a person at the Bureau if new funds aren’t found; rural AED funds are being cut and block grant is being reduced.
Cheryl distributed the financial report to those present.
Election of the At-Large position held by Dennis Cheers, whose term is up, was held by counting ballots received. Brett Weis was elected to the term. He was contacted by phone and accepted the position. phone
Election of officers of board was held. The terms of the Vice President and Treasurer are up. Gary Hansen was elected Vice President, and Cheryl Blazek was re-elected Treasurer.
Cheryl suggested to the group that a Scholarship for EMS training be created with training funds. This will be considered and discussed again at the next meeting.
The HRSA grant was discussed. Cheryl sent the paperwork in and verified that it was received. Some details are known to be different this year. The grant is for $4021, with similar guidelines for spending as last year. However, there is a $1250 incentive payment for submitting a NIMS compliant mass casualty plan by June 30, and another $1750 incentive payment for conducting a qualified drill by August 30 using the plan. Cheryl and Jan will be attending a meeting in Indianola Feb. 3 and will have more information on the grant requirements after that. The information will be passed on to the rest of the Board. Members are encouraged to check out HAN – Health Alert Network - and participate in it.
Upcoming Virtual Functional Exercise begins March 30, and will run for 15 business days. The drill will revolve around pandemic flu and is expected to start slowly and get heavier by the third week. This drill will be by communications only – fax, phone, and emails. Jan will be the initial contact for EMS in Union County for the drill.
Knowing that we will be required to do a disaster drill in order to receive the HRSA incentive money, we decided to try and begin plans by the next meeting. A planning committee will begin working on the EMS MCI plan, starting with the current pertinent section from the EMA county-wide plan. The planning committee will meet Tues., Feb. 21 at 6:30 p.m. at the Creston Fire Department.
Jan relayed information on Triage Tuesdays to the group. This entails using the triage tags for all patients on Tuesdays – to get everyone used to using the triage system and the tags. It was suggested that for an area like this in which call volume can be light, this may want to be done for a week every quarter, or in some other way. Jan will forward the link to the information to the Board members for further consideration.
Jan reported that she has met with Wilma Perrin Neighbor, Carole Borland, and Roger Nurnberg, regarding disaster preparedness in the county. One topic being discussed is issuing identification cards to people in the county who may be needed in the event of a disaster. The current ID’s don’t say (and can’t) the level of training or the type of certification the person holds. We also have no list of those who have disaster cards. Developing our own system would allow us to verify qualifications, track those who have cards, and provide for more control and security over disaster response. Region 4 is purchasing a new ID card system and we hope to be able to bring it to Union County to begin the process after it is in service.
Public Information Officer training was discussed, since one of the requirements for NIMS and for disaster preparedness is having a public information officer. We are looking at having a PIO class and would like each department to send one or more people to the class to learn about being a PIO. Each department is asked to consider who they may want to send to the training. Information is being sought on cost, time involved, and whether or not grant funds may be available for the costs of the class.
Fundraising report was given by Jan. The Association has earned $52.60 from the cartridges. The first check has not arrived yet. Currently, GRMC is on board with the project, and bags are located at Wal-Mart, Copy Plus/US Cellular, the Courthouse, and SWCC Adult Ed.
The Hardees fundraiser is on hold until their new manager arrives. We may try to do the fundraiser during EMS week.
Items from the floor included: IEMSA-sponsored legislative issues, which were mentioned by Cheryl. There are several items being addressed by the House and Senate and they are listed in a brochure Cheryl passed around. EMS Day on the Hill will be Feb. 1 and this is an opportunity to discuss the items with the legislators.
The next meeting will be Thursday, March 30 at 6:30 at Afton.
Meeting adjourned at 8:10 p.m.
Respectively submitted,
Jan Beach-Sickels
The Union County EMS Association met at the Afton Fire Station on Nov. 29, 2005. Those attending were Gary Clear, President, Mick Landers, Vice President; Cheryl Blazek, Secretary-Treasurer; Board Members Gary Hansen, Randy Crum, and Barbi Holtry; Roger Nurnberg, Emergency Management; John Coulter, Randy Flaherty, Jared Otten, Carole Borland, and Jan Beacy-Sickels, Coordinator.
Gary Clear called the meeting to order at 1840. The minutes were approved as corrected. The previous minutes had indicated that Cheryl had replaced a battery in a laptop purchased partly with UC EMS funds, but that replacement has not been done yet.
The Education report was given by Cheryl. There is an EMT-B class starting Jan. 16 at GRMC in the classroom – Randy Crum will be teaching the class. NIMS will be held Nov. 30-05; EMS Jamboree will be January 20-21, 2006. Practical exams are scheduled for – Dec. 17 and Feb 4.
Cheryl distributed a copy of the Financial report to everyone. The report was approved.
The HRSA equipment update was given by Jan. Everything that was ordered has arrived. The MCI trailer is not ready yet; the floor is being done, then it will be separated into a front office and storage area in the back. Mick suggested that once the trailer is done, it be taken to the different departments for orientation to the trailer. Carole Borland, who works with the project at the hospital, agreed that this could occur.
Mick explained the triage tags that have been distributed to each department. The tags are new, include hazmat (contaminated), as recommended by the Bureau of EMS. The tags are compliant with standards, and go along with START triage and privacy standards. Jan will put together a PowerPoint for departments to use in orientating their staff on the tags.
The reflective vests were distributed. They are lime green because of a fairly new DOT recommendation which states that for areas over 35 mph, lime green is the required color. Orange is okay for less than 35 mph.
The upcoming election process was discussed. Jan will send out call for nominations, followed by ballots, within a time frame to allow two weeks for each step, and ballots being in prior to the next scheduled meeting.
Roger led a discussion regarding responses to the Thayer area, and the responses of Murray, Lorimor and Afton departments as first responders for GRMC Ambulance. The situation was discussed by all involved. This group has no decision making authority on the matter. Roger will let the directors of the affected services know of the next city council meeting in Thayer, so that the matter can be decided there.
The Afton department was thanked for the chili supper provided prior to tonight’s meeting.
The next meeting date was scheduled for Tues., Jan. 31, 2006, at Greater Regional Medical Center, at 6:30. Exact location will be announced.
Meeting closed at 1930.
Jan Beach-Sickels
Coordinator
The Union County EMS Association met Sept. 28, 2005 at the Lorimor Fire Station. President Gary Clear called the meeting to order at 1900. Present were Gary Clear, Gary Hansen, Dennis Cheers, Cheryl Blazek, Barbi Holtry and Jan Beach-Sickels. Minutes from the previous meeting were read and approved.
The education report was given by Cheryl Blazek. Items mentioned were the upcoming EMS Mini Jamboree later this month. She also talked about Hurricane Katrina relief efforts, with NAEMT collecting donations that will go to EMS providers directly affected with damage from the hurricane. There were over 300 families displaced by the hurricane. Anyone interested in donating can visit www.naemt.org for more information. NAEMT is donating the administration costs, so 100% of the donations go to relief. Those interested can also volunteer to go south and help – check the website for details on this. Carnival Cruise donated a ship for emergency responders to stay on while there for relief efforts.
Ray Jones, EMS Bureau Chief, is retiring January 19. On-line system registry is ready to go. All students will have to register for a classes on-line through the state. Of the 274 EMS services, 268 now have internet access. Look for more use of on-line features.
Cheryl also encouraged everyone to join IAEMSA by explaining some of the purposes of the organization. The IAEMSA conference coming up soon and flyers will be out soon.
The NIMS matrix for incident command is available on line and can be arranged for in-house training. This is a requirement per Homeland Security. The HAN system is a computer based system in which alerts go out for public health. There are three levels, high, medium and low. High alert sends a phone call and email, medium alert sends a message by pager and email, and low alert sends email. It is being integrate into a variety of public health agencies, and they are working to try and get EMS involved, which is difficult because of the volunteerism aspect.
EMT-B class is starting in Creston in January, two nights a week at the hospital. Oct. 4 there will be an instructor update at the college. There will be an EMT practical Oct. 22.
Financial report summary was distributed. Next meeting we will need to decide on how to utilize the grant funds. Equipment needs a dollar to dollar match. No word on HRSA grant for this year yet.
We discussed the $100 we are supposed to get from the incentive money. Cheryl and Gary C. will get together and open the bank account. We decided on First National, because it will be accessible in Afton and in Creston.
Discussed the HRSA funds from last fiscal year. Most of the ordered items have arrived and CFD has graciously allowed the shipments to be delivered there. Some of the supplies have been taken to the hospital for storage until the MCI trailer is ready. Vacuum splints, backboards and pediatric immobilization devices, and other items have been dispersed to county services. Next meeting we will review the triage tags and what is in the trailer.
Gary C talked about the table top drill that was in August. The exercise was a drill with terrorists doing something to Nebraska power, which eventually affected Union County with loss of power. During the drill, they actually made calls for shelters and other needs, and found that shelter locations have no generators. There were other areas that they found were not really ready as well. It was a good learning tool. The search is on for funds for generators and helping places that could likely be shelters get prepared. Gary said overall it was a good exercise. They learned that in this area we are efficient in taking care of each other, and have less need for shelters than some other places because people are willing to take someone else in.
Jan presented two fundraising ideas. The first is to set up a night a fundraising night at Hardee’s in Creston. We put out flyers, and Hardee’s donates a portion of sales for the designated night to the Association. The other idea is to set up a system of collecting used printer cartridges and cell phones. There are two companies that supply all the needed materials and pay cash for the empty cartridges and phones that are no longer being used. This is a fundraiser that would be continuous and would not involve selling anything. Phones that may be eligible for the domestic abuse project would be taken there instead. Both projects were approved. Jan will proceed.
Miscellaneous business: One of the laptops that Union County EMS bought had the battery go dead, and the college paid for a new one. Cheryl felt this was appropriate since the college EMS instructors utilize the computer, but she encouraged the group to consider a plan for repair/ replacement of different items.
Meeting adjourned at 2020.
Jan Beach-Sickels, Coordinator
Corection made at November meeting: SWCC has not yet replaced the battery but plans to. JB
Union County EMS Association met July 11, 2005 at the Creston Fire Station, with the meeting called to order by Mick Landers, VP, in absence of president Gary Clear. Attending were Mick Landers, Cheryl Blazek, Gary Hansen, John Coulter, Mike Baker, Roger Nurnberg, and Jan Beach-Sickels.
The minutes from the June meeting were approved as read.
The Education Report was given by Cheryl. She passed out a list of upcoming classes and reported on the recent meeting of the EMS Advisory Committee. The committee discussed EMS student and class policies and several changes will take place beginning immediately. Changes include a new payment policy which will require that students pay for books upon receipt of the books, and a set time for students to pay tuition in full. Students will now have 3 weeks to drop from class before fully responsible for tuition. FR’s will have 5 weeks to pay their tuition in full; EMT-B’s will have 8 weeks; and Iowa P’s will have 18 weeks to pay. The time for completing clinical and all other requirements of the class is also being changed. FR’s will have 30 days; B’s 90 days and P’s 180 days to finish all class requirements. Criminal background checks are being considered prior to the students going into clinical settings.
NR will be starting computer based testing and details are being worked out. The I85 may not be offered through SWCC anymore. The class had a poor pass rate, and this is common throughout Iowa. Site visit will be coming up at some point. The fall Jamboree will be September 24. For the January jamboree, the committee decided not to get shirts and will have a different item for participants instead. Finally, Cheryl is working on reorganizing the advisory committee, and hopes to add representatives from each county that SWCC serves.
FYI, the EMS Bureau has moved. Most phone numbers remain the same. The next National Scope of Practice draft is ready to be viewed by following the links at www.emsscopeofpractice.org .
The Association was notified that our System Development grant was approved for continuation for the next fiscal year, with 3% less on Part A (training funds) and the same about for Part B that we received last year. The financial report from FY05 was distributed. All funds under Part A were spent, and we spent all but $1340 left on Part B. HRSA money available is $7676, to be spent by August 30.
The coordinator was asked to leave the meeting temporarily while the members discussed her work-for-hire contract being renewed. When asked to return to the meeting, she was informed that the members had voted to renew her contract and she accepted.
The HRSA money and acquisition of disaster supplies was discussed. Jan is to review with Randy Crum at the hospital and also discuss the rotation of supplies which will outdate, and storage of certain supplies. She was also asked to talk to Wilma Perrin, the hospital, and service directors, to further assess needs. When a final recommendation of the supplies to order is ready, the Board will be e-mailed for approval, and the order will be placed. Suggestions for additions to the list are telescopic flags, gazebos, markers for areas, green flashing light for each department to mark the incident command post.
The Coordinator distributed a draft of a county-wide CQI plan for review by the departments. After review, the plan will be presented to medical directors for review, amendments and approval.
The bank account with the $100 bonus for on-time reports will be opened and a Federal ID number will be applied for.
The Year-End System Development report was distributed for review prior to the report being sent in. Members were asked to forward questions to the Coordinator as soon as possible, as the report will be sent in within the next two weeks.
Roger reported that there are Homeland Security conferences coming up. He also said that he received information on blast injuries to distribute to departments.
There will be no meeting in August and the next meeting date will be set at a later date for either September or October. The Coordinator was asked to recommend a date for the next meeting at a later time.
Meeting was adjourned at 7 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Jan Beach-Sickels, Coordinator
The Union County EMS Association met June 15 at SWCC Multi-Purpose Room, with the meeting convening at 5:35 p.m. Present were Gary Clear, Gary Hansen, Cheryl Blazek, Dennis Cheers, Mike Baker, Todd Jackson, and Jan Beach-Sickels.
The minutes from the previous meeting were approved.
Jan reported that the on-line CEH’s were not getting much participation as of yet. The group recommended to continue and allow more time for EMS personnel to begin utilizing the site.
Cheryl offered to take service patches or other small memorabilia to leave at the World Trade Center site as a memorial when she travels to New York in an upcoming trip. Anyone having something they would like to have placed at the site should contact her.
The financial report was distributed. Funds remaining in the education fund were discussed. Cheryl moved that the remainder be used to pay for EMT-B training for Afton members, seconded by Dennis, passed. The RFA for the System Development Grant has been submitted and we are waiting to hear the status of the grant for next fiscal year. Cheryl also reported that she reconciled their financial records for the grant funds and both had the same figures. The group discussed the $100 bonus for on-time reports, which can be used any way the Association sees fit. It was moved by Todd, seconded by Gary H., and passed, that we open a checking account for miscellaneous expenses of the Association. Jan will check on a local bank that offers free checking. We will also look into acquiring a Federal ID#.
The HRSA grant was discussed. We are to receive $7676 for the primary purpose of disaster preparedness. The money must be spent by August 30, 2005. Jan was asked to put lists together for disaster kits for each service, a plan for use, and a plan for rotating items which expire. She will e-mail the proposals to the Board for consideration and discussion. The final decision for spending will be made at the next meeting of the Association.
System Development Part B funds remaining in this year’s grant fund were discussed. Todd Jackson reported that he was given a quote of approximately $2500 for six new pagers, $500 each for reprogramming pagers belonging to CFD and GCH Ambulance, and $500 for reprogramming in the dispatch department at the LEC, for a total of $4000. The purpose of this reprogramming and pager update is to allow simultaneous dispatching, something deemed essential by the Association. Gary Hansen presented a quote of $1397 to purchase a handheld radio and repeater for Afton. This would allow Afton EMS personnel to communicate with the transporting ambulance service without having to return to the truck to use the radio. The grant funds that can be utilized for communications include 10% of the Salary/Expense line, which is $2173, and the remainder of the “other” funds, or $3027, for a total of $5200. After Afton radio/repeater expense, $3803 is left. The group voted to utilize the funds in this way and Todd was asked to contact his pager contact to see if the pagers and reprogramming could be done for that amount. All bills must be in to Cheryl B. and Sandy Hysell by June 23.
Mike Baker was presented with a certificate of appreciation and an acrylic Star of Life for his dedicated service to the Association over the past several years. Others will be honored at future meetings.
The next meeting will be July 11, 2005, at the Creston Fire Station, beginning at 5:30 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Jan Beach-Sickels, Coordinator
The Union County EMS Association meeting was called to order by Mick Landers, Vice President, in the absence of the Association President, at 6:08 p.m. Present at the meeting were Mick, Cheryl Blazek, Dennis Cheers, Laryl Vandenberg, Gary Hansen, Carrie Kleckner, and Jan Beach-Sickels.
Cheryl read the minutes from the previous meeting. They were approved as read.
The Website was discussed. On line education is up and running, has worked well, but the certificates did not print correctly and will be adjusted. The continuing education hours received from on-line courses are considered optional hours by the Bureau rules, therefore there will be no cost involved and no need for the college to issue the certificates. It was decided that the classes will be kept on the website for a time following the month it was active so that people who completed the test can review the answers.
The education report was given by Cheryl. There are plans for a possible B class in Lenox, and a P class on campus, in the fall. The new Scope of Practice is now on the website, and everyone was encouraged to review the changes. There was discussion on incorporating changes into the training at future meetings.
The financial report was distributed by Cheryl. She also announced that the Association received a $100 bonus for getting reports in on time; she is waiting on a phone call back from Steve Poole regarding what we can use it for. Cheryl suggested promotional items.
The grants were discussed. The RFA was sent in for the system development grant, and we will hear June 1 whether or not the grant will be continued. The HRSA grant has been approved, but the signed copy has not been received yet.
There will be money not spent from portions of the present year’s grant. There was discussion on using some of the money that will be left to purchase a radio for Afton and update the pagers. We will check on needs and how we can reallocate funds. There is also training money to spend. It was decided that all bills should be brought to the next meeting or turned in prior. If a department doesn’t submit bills to spend the funds allocated to it, that money will be shifted to another department. Jan was asked to send a notice out to each department regarding this decision.
The HRSA grant funds were discussed. There was discussion on a disaster trailer and/or medical equipment, triage tags, and Mark I kits. Jan will send a needs assessment out to the departments, and lists and prices will be collected.
It was decided not have continuing ed after meetings again until fall.
Bylaws discussion tabled.
Next meeting will be June 15, Wed., 6 p.m., at SWCC. Meeting adjourned at 7:15 p.m.
Following the meeting Jan presented a 2 CEH class on Treatment of Burns, with 7 people attending: John Coulter, Jerry Nurnberg, Jim Schaffer, Mick Landers, Carrie Kleckner, Jim Krantz, and Roger Cheers.
Minutes of Union County EMS Association April 18, 2005
Gary Clear, President, called the meeting of the Union County EMS Association to order at 6:02 p.m. Those present were: Gary Clear, Gary Hansen, Mick Landers, Cheryl Blazek, Dennis Cheers, Jim Krantz, Roger Nurnberg, Barbi Holtry, Roger Cheers and Jan Beach-Sickels.
The minutes from the previous meeting were approved as read.
Discussion on the Association Web site concerned the on-line continuing education aspect of the site and the fees associated with providing CEH’s to those who participate. It is desired that Union County EMS members could receive these CEH’s at no charge, and that the Association can fund the project. Cheryl Blazek, representing SWCC, suggested that we do a trial period to test the idea and get an idea of how much work will be involved to award the CEH’s. After a trial, fees will be discussed. This was agreeable to the group and Jan was directed to get a self-study class on line for trial.
Education report by Cheryl included Rope Rescue April 22-24, and that B classes are being held in Creston, Osceola, Corning and Bedford, in case anyone needs to audit a class for hours. It was also reported that an Instructor class may be held early next year through a combination of classroom and ICN instruction for new EMS Instructors.
Roger Nurnberg talked about the NIMS (National Incident Management System) and how all EMS providers, as well as Fire and Law personnel should be taking classes offered, as it will be mandated in the future. Classes are available through grants.
Financial report was distributed and the amount of training funds used by Afton will be corrected and e-mailed to the group.
Continuing education was discussed and Medical Emergencies and Paramedic Assist Skills will be taught after the next Association meeting.
Grant availability was discussed. The RFP for the System Development Grant is due May 2. Cheryl will complete the form, acquire the needed signatures and send it in. This was voted on and passed. The HRSA grant application was not received as it was supposed to be, and will go in late. Cheryl will report to the group after knowing if we will get the grant. If the Association is awarded the HRSA grant, there will be $7676 available for training, equipment and other purposes, and will need to be spent by August.
Discussion was held on the By-Laws, particularly that it is not mentioned who votes on matters of business of the Association. Discussion on whether all active members should vote, or only the Board, on business matters. One motion died without a second, and Gary Clear appointed Mick Landers and Gary Hansen to work with Jan on determining feasible options that are to the benefit of the Association and its relationship with both the members and the government entities we may work with on grant and other opportunities.
CQI was discussed in regards to run report audits. Forms were distributed for use if a form is not in place. Jan will meet with the individual departments to help get a CQI program started.
Items from the floor:
Board members and Service Members needing office supplies for Association business should put in a request to Jan, or may purchase the supplies and present a bill at the next meeting or to the treasurer.
Mick requested a flyer be mailed to Service Members as a reminder of the next meeting.
The next meeting of the Association will be held May 17 at 6 p.m. with Continuing Education to follow. The meeting and class will be held at the Creston Fire Station.
Meeting adjourned at 7:15 p.m. and after refreshments provided by the Afton Fire Department, continuing education was held. The topic was Documentation for the Non-Transport EMS Provider, and 8 people attended.
A special meeting of Union County EMS Association was called to order by Mike Baker, Chairperson, at 7 p.m. March 10, 2005. Attending were Barbi Holtry, Gary Hansen, Mike Baker, John Coulter, Cheryl Blazek, Mick Landers and Jan Beach-Sickels.
Motion to approve the minutes from the previous meeting was made by John, 2nd by Cheryl, carried.
Ballots for the election to the Board were counted with Gary Clear and Dennis Cheers being elected to the Board as at-large members. Dennis was contacted by phone and accepted the position, and arrived at the meeting shortly after. Gary was unable to be reached, and his acceptance is assumed based on the accepted nomination.
Election of Officers of the Board was held. Officers elected are as follows:
President – Gary Clear
Vice-President – Mick Landers
Secretary / Treasurer – Cheryl Blazek
In the absence of the new president, VP Landers assumed leadership of the meeting. He thanked Mike Baker and John Coulter, as did others, for their long and dedicated service to the Association.
Discussion on spending training funds was held. For training costs to be reimbursed, bills should be turned in to the service director. If the service director approves the bills, they will be turned in to the UC EMS Treasurer who will turn it in to the Auditor for reimbursement. Mick requested Cheryl to get a copy of the training funds availability, and the rules for spending to him. Cheryl will e-mail that information out as soon as possible so that everyone will have the information.
Discussion was held on continuing education classes to be held throughout the county. It is hoped, as part of the county-wide education plan, to offer a continuing education class once a month with the departments taking turns hosting the class. Gary offered to host a county wide continuing education class April 18. Mick requested that a flyer be mailed to the departments, and the class will be posted on the web site. The next meeting of the Association will be held at 6 p.m. prior to the class, and the class will begin 7 p.m. The topic will be Documentation (geared primarily for non-transport services) and will receive formal education hours. Afton Fire Dept. will provide food.
Cheryl distributed information about IEMSA, and talked about the importance of membership. She would like to give a presentation about IEMSA at an upcoming meeting.
A financial report was not available; Cheryl will email it out.
Discussion on a standard report form was held. Gary shared Afton’s report, which we have reviewed at a prior meeting, with Lorimor. Our goal is to have consistency in reporting and information passed on to the tiering agency for non-transport services. There was also brief discussion on minimum data set for patient records, and Jan will be working with Firehouse in the non-transport services to set required and non-required fields, keeping all non-transport services consistent, while meeting minimum standards.
The new Web site is up and the address is http://www.unioncountyems.com In the near future continuing education opportunities will be available on-line, with certificates being mailed from SWCC. Jan will work with Cheryl on fees and this will be discussed at the next meeting. The plan is to offer a different topic each month. Pictures of the Board will be added to the site, as will current events as received by Jan.
Upcoming events were announced. Afton Fire will host their annual pancake supper April 2 beginning at 5 p.m. at the Fire Station. EVOC class will be held in Mt. Ayr March 21 and March 24, with the driving session April 9. The Creston Volunteer
Fireman’s Dance will be held at the Eagles ballroom, with the band Cross Country, March 12 from 8:30 p.m. - 12:30 a.m.
Discussion was held about the possibility of a fund-raiser, or asking for dues from each department, for an Association account separate of the grant funds. This will be further evaluated.
Motion to adjourn carried, meeting adjourned at 8:35 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Jan Beach-Sickels, Coordinator
The Union County EMS Association met Jan. 31, 2005 at the Multi-Purpose Room of SWCC Adult and Continuing Education.
The meeting was called to order by Mike Baker, Chairman. Present were: Mike Baker, Mick Landers, John Wonderly, John Coulter, Roger Nurnberg, Ruth McDowell, Randy Flaherty, Gary Hansen, Cheryl Blazek, and Jan Beach-Sickels.
Motion to approve the minutes of the previous meeting was made by Mick Landers, second by Gary Hansen, approved.
The draft of the By-Laws was reviewed and discussed. Changes suggested are as follows:
Section III, 1, sentence one, to read: “Individuals certified as EMS Providers who are affiliated with a Service Member shall be considered Active Members of the Association.” Motion by Landers, second by Blazek, carried.
Section III, 2: Delete … “or State Training Program Authorization” from the paragraph. Motion by Landers, second by Hansen. Roll call vote held, motion failed.
Section IV, 1, a, ii, last sentence to read: “Term will be for two years.” Motion by Coulter, second by Blazek, carried.
Section III, add: “5. State Certified EMS Providers residing in Union County but not affiliated with a Service Member will be considered Associate Members.” Motion by Landers, second by Coulter, carried.
Section IV, 1, a, last sentence to read: “… and two elected at-large elected from the Active, Affiliate and Associate Membership.” AND Section III, 1: Delete last sentence. Motion by Hansen, second by Coulter, carried.
Section IV, 2, Change “Executive Committee” to “Officers.” Delete Section IV, 2, a and b, and replace with “a. Members of the Board of Directors will elect Officers.” Change Section IV, 2, c, to: Section IV, 1, b, and change Section IV, 1, b, to Section IV, 1, c. Motion by Coulter, second by Flaherty, carried.
Section IV, 4, change second sentence to read: “The Chair of all committees shall be a member of the Board of Directors.” Motion by Landers, second by Coulter, carried.
Hearing no further discussion or recommended changes to the draft, Coulter motioned to accept the amended By-Laws as final, second by Flaherty, carried.
The education report was given by Blazek.
Upcoming classes were announced as follows:
Feb. 4, 5, 6, 11, 12, 13, Paramedic Refresher
Course
Feb. 17, EMT-B class begins in Creston
Feb. 21, Mandatory Evaluator Update
Feb. 26, Montgomery County EMS Conference, Red
Oak
March 1, EMS Instructor Update
March 3, Mandatory Evaluator Update (need only
attend one)
March 8, Storm Spotters Class in Creston
March 12, EMT-B practical exam
April 9-10, Tech I Rope Rescue
April 23-24, Tech II Rope Rescue
Blazek also noted that the EMS Day on the Hill
is approaching. It will be held Thurs., Feb. 3, from 7-9 a.m. at the State
Capitol.
Nurnberg reported several grants that are available for training, exercises, and other uses, all needing to pertain to Homeland Security issues. Any Union County EMS member that attended the EMS Jamboree Jan. 28 and/or 29, attended courses that fall in the covered category, and may be reimbursed for registration fees by requesting such from Nurnberg. Any suggestions for grant use are welcome. Flaherty suggested a Bomb Awareness class, and this will be looked in to.
A brief report on the cumulative service survey results was given by Beach-Sickels. The discussion on the prehospital reports was tabled. Beach-Sickels stated she will be doing prearranged site visits to each department within the next month. She also reported that she will soon begin to arrange for county-wide education opportunities.
Topics from the floor: Add to next meeting agenda, decision on how to spend the training funds. Concern was expressed that GCH Ambulance has had no representative at tonight’s and the past two meetings. Their input is needed.
The next meeting will be held Thurs., March 10, at 7 p.m. at the Multi-Purpose Room of SWCC Adult and Continuing Education. Election of officers will be held. Prior to that time, “call for nomination” forms will go out to the Association membership for the 2 at-large Board positions. Deadlines will be kept short, at 1 week, to return nominations. Then ballots will go out to the membership, also with a 1 week return deadline.
Motion by Landers to adjourn, second by Cheryl, carried, and meeting adjourned at 9:20 p.m.
Union County EMS Association met Nov. 22, 2004 at the Multi Purpose Room of Southwestern Community College in Creston. Present were: Chairperson, Mike Baker; Cheryl Blazek, SWCC; John Coulter, Afton Police Dept.; Rick Piel, Union County Sheriff; Randy Flaherty, |Murray First Responders; Mick Landers, Creston Fire Dept.; Gary Hansen, Afton Fire Department; Roger Nurnberg, Emergency Management; and Jan Beach-Sickels, System Development Coordinator.
October minutes were read and approved.
A proposed UCEMS logo was approved. The logo can be used with a black or navy “Iowa” and yellow letters, or with a yellow “Iowa” with navy letters, depending on the background. Jan will develop a letterhead with the new logo, for use by the Association.
The second draft of the proposed By-Laws was reviewed. After long discussion and concerns it was decided to discard the draft and start over, searching out by-law models that may be helpful. Jan will work on this and will e-mail a new draft to the group.
Cheryl gave the Education report, and distributed a list of upcoming EMS educational programs offered by SWCC. She also discussed the Scope of Practice model and National Blueprint for Rural EMS. These can be viewed and commented on at www.scopeofpractice.org. Cheryl also informed the group of the Public Hearing by ICN that will be held Dec. 6 for approval of Rule Changes in the State EMS Laws.
Department surveys were collected. Copies of the surveys were distributed to those who have not yet received one.
There was no financial report.
A pre-hospital report form was distributed, for possible approval as a county-wide data transfer form. Gary expressed concern that he had just ordered a large quantity of new department forms, approved by the Medical Director. A copy of this form was given to Jan. She will be talking to GCH Director and the forms will be discussed at the next meeting.
Next meeting will be held in January, with the date to be announced.
Respectfully submitted,
Jan Beach-Sickels
UNION COUNTY EMS ASSOCIATION MINUTES Oct 2004
Union County EMS Association met Mon., Oct. 18, 2004 at the Multi-Purpose Room, SWCC in Creston. Present were Sandy Hysell, Union County Auditor; Todd Jackson, Creston Fire Department; Sarah Johnson and Luke Johnson, Lorimor First Responders; Rick Piel, Union County Sheriff; J.V.Wonderly, Creston Police Chief; Roger Nurnberg, Emergency Management; Gary Hansen, Afton Fire and Rescue; Cheryl Blazek, Southwestern Community College; Mike Baker, Chairperson; and Jan Beach-Sickels, System Development Coordinator.
Mike Baker called the meeting to order and introduced the newly hired System Development Coordinator to the group.
The draft of the by-laws was discussed by the group. Changes were suggested and the draft will be amended accordingly. The new draft will be emailed with the next meeting’s agenda, and will be finalized at the next meeting.
Jan shared a list of goals with the group. She will be setting up meetings with each department within the next 2 months. Department surveys will be e-mailed to each department head.
A new Union County logo was displayed for comment. Law Enforcement needs to be added and a revised logo will be created and presented at the next meeting.
A mission statement was created by the group: “Mission Statement of the Union County EMS Association: To promote and enhance the quality of care, professionalism, and teamwork of those who deliver emergency medical care throughout Union County.”
Jan distributed contact information. Email address: uc.ems.sdc@ll.net Cell phone: 641-344-3020; Home phone 641-333-4333.
Department information was collected from those present. This included names, EMS certification level, department status, email addresses and phone numbers of the department members, as well as contact information for the department heads.
There was discussion regarding the shortage of the flu vaccine, and the possibility of the emergency medical providers in Union County receiving the vaccine. Roger Nurnberg will discuss this at a meeting with Public Health tomorrow and will contact the various departments if any further information is obtained.
Next meeting will be Mon., Nov. 22 at 7 p.m. at the Multi-Purpose Room at SWCC. Meeting notices, agendas and other related information will be distributed by email, as preferred by the group.
Meeting closed at 8:50 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Jan Beach-Sickels
System Development Coordinator