District #3 Board Meeting

November 13, 2003

 Attendance:

Rod Moore Milton (A)                                                           Lee Jones Richmond/IBM ( R)   

Debbie Baron Grand Isle (R )                                              Howard Rice Jr. Essex Fire ( R)                              

Charles Cole Essex Jct. Fire (A)                                        Leslie Lindquist SMRS (A)

Jesi Valentine SMRS ( R)                                                   Colin Shea Essex Fire (A)                   

Greg Cluver Essex Rescue ( R)                                          Pat Malone UVM (V)

Mike Richard BFD (R )                                                        Joe Keenan BFD (A)

Jaqueline Goss IREMS (V)                                                 Wendy James FAHC Medical Advisor

Peter Weimersheimer FAHC Medical Advisor (R )         Brian Longe Essex Rescue (V)

Gilbert Helmkin FAHC-ED (R )                                           Scott Jacobs Williston Rescue (R )

Chris McCarthy Williston Rescue, Treasurer                    Virginia Pelletier UVM Rescue (V)

Jerry Beaudry UVM Rescue (R )                                        Joseph Pare UVM Rescue (A)

Chris Putnam Hinesburg Fire Department (R )                Lisa Whittemore FACT (R )

Scott Flieger Colchester, Vice Chair                                 Jason Ziter Colchester/EJctFD, Training Coordinator

Kirsten Jaquith FAHC Radio Room (R )                           Doug Brent SBFD, Chair

Rebecca Webb SMRS, Clerk

Meeting called to order: 1943

Minutes from last meeting approved with no comments.

Treasurer’s report accepted:

               Classes $.37

               Dues $1,1164.82

               Equipment $8,680

               Merrill Lynch $3,252.37

Medical Direction: 

Wendy James and Jackie Goss presented the new protocols for the ‘03I curriculum.  The protocols were approved by board members as published in final draft by VTEMS.  Protocols to take effect on 1/1/04.  Now is the time to have service medical directors write prescriptions for the drugs/order the drugs.  If there are questions about what to order please call Jackie Goss.  By the middle of December if individual service medical directors are unable to write the prescriptions please contact Wendy or Peter.  Under the new protocols the crews will need to ask for an attending via phone when giving report.  This will ensure that the attending is paying full attention, can ask questions, and nothing is lost with a person in the middle.

Combitube SA: This is in the new I-O3 curriculum.  Peter is currently developing a power point presentation which will act as an in-service for previously combitube certified people.  Once the in-service has occurred we can use the SA combitube.

QA:  There will be a monthly newsletter to services discussing case(s).  If you have good ones that you want to have discussed in this format please contact Peter or Wendy.  If you want to have a case review on a service level contact Peter or Wendy and they are willing to come to review.

Diversion: Wendy is drafting a protocol on contacting services during diversion times.  A fax will be sent to all dispatch centers from the radio room via group fax.  Stressing the key word is diversion.  After receiving the fax, dispatch centers will contact the individual services they dispatch.  Each crew needs to contact MHCIC to let know that they got the fax.  Once on a call crews should contact the radio room and talk to an attending.  Together the decision will be made to 1-transport to another facility 2-refer to FAWIC (not opening as a primary site at this time, just minor injuries that people walk in with anyway), 3- wait 6+hours at FAHC, 4-non-transport.  ALL TRAUMAS AND CRITICAL PATIENTS WILL CONTINUE TO GO TO FAHC-ER.  This is a DRAFT- it has not gone through FAHC administration yet.  Feedback from services present:  Contact pagers? The hospital is trying to reduce the initial cost outlay of this. KIJ also mentioned that the computer program necessary to send out group page is probably not compatible and past experience shows a delay in installing programs onto the hospital computer system by hospital technology team. Follow-up possibilities of the teletype from dispatch to dispatch.  Many police departments dispatch and all are in contact with each other through this.  This would be a safety net in addition to the fax.  Service Heads or Training Officers please e-mail Kirsten your services fax number or the phone number to call if you do not have a fax machine at dispatch.  Kirsten.jaquith@vtmednet.org

The Spinal Immobilization protocol is still in DRAFT form.  We are waiting for the approval to hold it as a research project.

Radio room report- Kirsten

Thank you  for stamping the forms and using the phone for updates!  It relieves a lot of pressure. 

Please watch the wind tunnel effect as we enter the ER.  Walk around if possible or make sure that the doors close behind you prior to triggering the second set.

Question posed to Kirsten about who the radio room asks for drugs/access.  Attendings are to be asked if they are available and always are asked for drug orders.  Charge nurses can give saline lock and IV orders if there is no attending available.  Stating your case clearly (best via landline) is the best way to ensure that those who need to receive these orders get them.

MCI committee- Becca

We have met once and are meeting again next week to review the MCI plan and to develop protocols.  More of a report to follow at December’s meeting

Policies/Procedures-Lee

Ambulance dispatch policy- Lee passed out the changes from what was proposed at last month’s meeting.  A new back-up list was sent out via the listserve. 

Question posed about triaging calls?  (#3, paragraph A) What if 2 simultaneous calls come in?  Can services have the option of redirecting their crews for the more serious calls?- There was much discussion about whether or not what we are dispatched to is what the call is and how do we communicate between the two ambulances now responding to make sure that both patients are receiving the best care. Question posed about First Responders being dispatched (#4) Sometimes the first responders are not needed because they will get there after the ambulance?  Much discussion about why first responders are not automatically dispatched.  There were concerns about access to the patient (fire first response units could help with this) and what if ambulance breaks down/accident en route?  Peter W. discussed that triaging patients is often tried in other areas and has shown that it doesn’t work.  Services can be found negligent if not dispatched when available. The updated ambulance policy was accepted with one nay.

License approvals:

All district services are in as of tonight.  New policy proposed about “inactive” members on service lists.  Much discussion about whether there should be a policy or just the suggestion for people to purge the lists.  Decision to encourage services to go through the lists more carefully when submitting next year.  More information needed from South Burlington and Essex First Response Services.  Motion made to recommend to the state full licenses for  all services except Charlotte.  Doug, Lee, and Peter to meet with Charlotte’s officers to follow-up on issues.  Board gave this subcommittee power to decide license recommendations to state after meeting with Charlotte as part of original proposal.

Heavy Rescue/FD- no report

Training Committee- Jason

(See above for earlier discussion of acceptance of I-03 curriculum)

Jason wants to hold a training meeting at IREMS with the training officers.  Please e-mail/call him with good times to hold this meeting.  Ccsd220@aol.com

Jason advised the board that Rich Pouliot was a new First Responder Instructor after mentoring with Becca last spring.

Brian will be leading a Combitube Class 12/16, 12/18 please contact him at blonge@essexrescue.org to register.

Evaluators-Jason introduced (as follow-up to conversation  a few months ago)  He would like to hold a course and require that people who are going to evaluate take the course.  This would ensure that we have trained people evaluating.  The course that other districts hold is a 2 hour course.  Discussion followed about compensating EMTs for time at recertificaiton and initial events.  How to pay for this?  Recertification fee? Incorporating into dues?

Jason will plan the class and Chris McCarthy will examine the monies behind what we are currently doing.

Pat- I-03 update there are 28 people in the program.  The day and evening classes were combined. 

Chris’-EMT-B 18 students

Kate’s-EMT-B 20 students

Please help students finish their checklists! 

Discussion held about people registering for courses and not coming.

Chris McCarthy/Kate Soons - Refresher course  Partially on-line partially practical

Jan. 22 6-9, Jan. 24 9-3, Jan.29, 6-9  Deadline to complete on-line portion Feb. 28

Contact Chris at 879-1737 or vabirom@aol.com to register  Cost $125

Pat Malone-EMT-B spring ’04

Training officers should contact Pat at 656-3489 pmalone@zoo.uvm.edu to register

Wednesdays beginning 1/21 and some Saturdays  Final certification exam Monday May 10 and Weds. May 12

Wednesday times 1730-2130, Saturdays 0830-1700

Becca- Module 1 and 2 courses proposed and accepted.  Module 1 : 1/12, 1/19 (6:30-9:30) and 1/17 (9-4) Module 2: 2/2, 2/9, 2/16 (6:30-9:30), 2/7 (9-4)  Both to be held at Colchester Fire Company.  Can be taken separately or together.  Please contact Becca to register.  Rswebb@globalnetisp.net 372-6004. 

Rich- National Registry First Responder course Thursday nights 6:30-9:30 and every other Sunday 9-12.  CCVFC.  Please call Rich at 338-9098 or e-mail at drinkingnumber9@yahoo.com.  $50  Course begins 1/15 and final exam is 3/14.

Old Business-

Doug-Interstate response- a conversation happened between various EMS/FD agencies and the State Police to discuss how to identify a vehicle called in multiple times which causes EMS/FD/PD agencies to be dispatched several times.  We are waiting for written notification of policy from VSP, but services that respond to the interstate should carry yellow caution tape and make the identification obvious.  911 dispatchers will be trained to ask if the car has yellow tape prior to dispatching responders.  Doug will follow up with State PD.

Questions around AED grant- Deb/Lee What is the result of the AED grants awarded?  $6,000 was received by the district, but only Huntington has received a confirmation notice.  Jason to follow-up with Bill Clark at VTEMS. 

Chris M.- if interested in volunteering at VT Children’s Foundation please contact her for more information.

Stowe is looking for EMTs to staff their clinic in return for passes.

For the good of the order- Thank you from Grand Isle Rescue for the support and attendance at the recent funeral.

Adjourn: 2045

Submitted by R. Webb

 Additional notes:

To continue the AED conversation from the meeting-

11/14/03

Jason spoke to Bill Clark at VTEMS.  The following is the identification of services receiving AEDs through the grants:

Huntington FR: 2 units (Zoll) 1 from state grant and one from Fire Service

Waltham (Vergennes): 1 unit (Zoll)  from Fire Service Academy Grant

Underhill (Essex): 1 unit (Physio) from the State Grant

No. Hero (Grand Isle): 1 unit (Zoll) from the state grant

Bolton (Richmond): 1 unit (Zoll) from the State Grant

Money from the Fire Service training academy will come directly to each service that it was awarded to Once 80% of the money from the State Grant is spent then the State will cut a check for the remainder of the funds. 

Call Jason Z. with questions.  (290-4938 p/655-3555 CRS)

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Last updated: January 05, 2004