The meeting was called to order at 1830 hours by Chair Greg Thweatt. 21 people were in attendance representing 4 District posts and 14 out of 22 services. Those in attendance were:

Pat Malone EMT - B Coordinator

Greg Thweatt EMT - I Coordinator, Training Committee Chair

Dr. Peter Weimersheimer Medical Direction

Tara Pacy District Board Chair

Peter Keibel (R) Bolton Valley Ski Patrol

Kevin Williams (R) Burlington Fire Department

Rebecca Webb (R) Charlotte Rescue

Lauri L’Ecuyer (R) Colchester Rescue

Kathy Mumma (R) Essex Rescue

Gilbert Helmken (R) FAHC E.D. Nursing

Debbie Baron (R) Grand Isle Rescue

Peter Keibel (A) Iroquois First Response

Howie Rice (R) Malletts Bay Fire Department

Darren Adams (R) Milton Rescue

Jeff Curren (R) Shelburne Rescue

Maureen Leahy (A) So. Burlington Fire Department

Keara Cahill (R) St. Michael’s Rescue

Heather Bramwell (A) St. Michael’s Rescue

Jim Laskarzewski (A) St. Michael’s Rescue

Bill Clark (R) Vergennes Rescue

Steve Fleming (R) Vergennes Rescue

Gwyn Engelken (V) Shelburne Rescue

Introductions: None

Review Agenda: The chair briefly reviewed the agenda for the meeting.

Approval of Minutes

Motion to accept minutes of March 9, 2000 meeting by Peter, second by Bill. Motion passed.

• Next meeting will be held on May 11, 2000 at 1830 hours at St. Michael’s College.
• EMT-B Refresher Exam Schedule:

• May 6^th, Sat., for recerts, starts @ 1000 (hope to end between 1400 & 1600 hrs). Written followed by practical. In Rowell @ UVM. Initial certification starts earlier in the morning. Initial testing for both basic and intermediate.
• Sat., May 13^th in Middlebury starting at 0900. Refresher recertification only. Contact Charlene at 453-3461 to help or reserve a spot.
• Examiners and patient models needed in both locations. To help at UVM, contact Greg Thweatt at 985-3270. To help in Middlebury, contact Charlene at above number.

• FAHC Case Review: May 16^th, 1900 hrs, Seizures by Dr. Weimersheimer. Kathy Karg would like suggestions for topics. Case review is held every other month.
• BFD, Kevin: Distributed a flyer announcing a program on the Columbine shootings. Limited to 150 people distributed equally amongst educators, police and fire/EMS. High response from educators. Applications needed early next week.
• AHA CPR Instructor course. May 16, 18, 23, 25 from 1800-2200 hrs at Colchester rescue. $60.00 for manuals. For more info or to register call Brian at 655-3555 or e-mail Becca at rswebb@globalnetisp.net. Registration deadline is May 8^th.
• CPR Instructor renewal course: May 11^th, 6-10 p.m. @ CRS. No fee if you have current books.
• Drug of the Month: Keith Robinson has presented two drugs so far. The next drug is due out soon. Drug of the month is posted on District web page, e-mailed and posted in the hospital.
• Airfield Incursion: Ski distributed a memo from the FAA regarding emergency vehicles traveling into aircraft movement areas without an escort. This is a very dangerous practice. If you come to the airport for an emergency, do not travel around without an escort or travel outside of a clearly defined vehicle movement path.

• Summer EMT-B course (Pat): Motion to accept course proposal by Maureen, second by Kathy. Course schedule distributed. Course to be held Friday evening, Saturday day & Sunday day from May 12 through July 23, every other weekend. Course to be held at the new facility on Spear St, max. students = 24. Cost $325, does not include books. Expect to have two teams of practical instructors, one team for Saturday, the other for Sunday. Those students who have expressed interest need to submit application with payment by May 1. There is some leeway with the Friday night schedule to accommodate work schedules. This will be a fast paced course, it is important to get the books and become familiar with the material.
• Need for Refresher Course? (Greg): Creation of a pseudo-refresher course coupled with the Basic course was halted because enough interest in having a complete refresher course was expressed by both instructors and students. Greg will ask instructor coordinators to plan a course with the hopes of having a proposal at next month’s meeting. Model courses are available in the State, the course is 24 hours long. Kevin asked if the course would be in the Summer or in the Fall? Greg answered it depends on the instructors’ availability and the needs of the students.
  Greg also hopes next month to propose the EMT-B and EMT-I courses for next year (Fall and Spring).
• First Responder/ECA Instruction – Report from subcommittee: Draft #2 distributed. Changed EMS Office to their full name and changed the third bullet under "beliefs" paragraph to reflect the comments made by Pat last month. Open for questions: Peter: last line concerning course content, as long as course content is met there should not be a problem if additional material is added. Bill and Debbie replied that the First Responder (FR) course is a 40-hour course and it will be hard to add material and still hold a 40-hour course. Greg added this is a new course, very different from old ECA courses and we should stay away from creating another old ECA course. Peter added that there are some out there who would like more in a course and sees no problem with meeting course requirements then adding material to meet student needs. Greg stressed that FR students need to focus on the national curriculum as presented. Additional material is addressed in the modules, lets take one step at a time. Module rollout is scheduled for May 6 & May 8. Gil reminds everyone that the State does not always meet their projected schedules, will the modules be on time? Bill reminds the committee that the modules are just one path toward becoming an EMT and that we may not be able to teach modules all the time. Tara is currently researching textbooks, as there are a number of books available. Greg decides to move on, third reading of policy will be next month with the intention of voting for approval.
  Course Proposal – Bill: District course to be proposed, probably 16 classes, Mon & Wed, will follow the curriculum, Bill & Tara to coordinate, possible start date in June. Location is big question as many services "need" a course. Bill reminds all that this course will be a trial course allowing the instructors and coordinators to learn how the course will function. Tara suggests one course in North and one in South. Howie: if there are instructors available for two courses that would be helpful. He hopes to address some of Mallets Bay’s needs as they have a severe need for people, he acknowledges that there are other services out there in need as well. Tara hopes to get other instructors involved, those who wish to teach FR courses in the future, help develop lesson plans, teach, commit to the course. Greg suggests stagger starting multiple courses with four weeks between start dates. Pat adds the Spear St training site will be available.
  He also asks for someone to explain the concept of "we need an ECA course". Bill: his service has used media & mass mailings but are still having recruiting problems. The problems developed with the ECA course moratorium. Success rate of EMT-B students from his area has plummeted. Concern also with travel time and added time commitment. Having a second option locally available may help with recruitment. Pat: no real need to rush, EMT is still the national starting point, lets spend some effort getting people into and through the EMT course. Need for another course? Debbie: District 1 has tied a couple of modules into the FR course, graduates can then run on an ambulance. Peter: some are afraid of the EMT course, FR course is a way to ease into EMS. Pat moves that the District propose an initial First Responder course, second by Bill. Howie suggests services phone or e-mail needs to Bill so he can make an informed decision about the roster. Greg: we still need to discuss how we will incorporate the modules into the program. Motion passed.

• Election of officers, chair turned over to Tara:
• Maureen nominates Ski (Jim Laskarzewski) for clerk, second by Bill. Ski accepts nomination. Chair calls for vote. Ski re-elected.
• Maureen nominates Greg for committee Chair, second by Bill. Greg accepts. Clerk directed to cast one ballot for Greg.
• Info session on new ECA (first responder) course presented by Pat and Bill. Tuesday May 2^nd at 7 p.m. in Rowell, look for signs. Please contact service directors and any individuals who have expressed interest in teaching this new course.

Motion to adjourn by Steve, second by Maureen. Meeting adjourned at 1930 hours.

Respectfully submitted,

Jim Laskarzewski, clerk

Back to the VTEMSD#3 Training Committee Minutes Webpage
Webpage maintained by Greg Thweatt
gthweatt@shelburne.k12.vt.us
Last updated: May 05, 2000