VIRGINIA LIFELINE MAR CH / A P R I L 2 0 1 4

P a g e 2 O f f i c i a l P u b l i c a t i o n o f t h e V A V R S

M a r c h / A p r i l 2 0 1 4 P a g e 3

CVFR Speaks Up

for PTSD

Service Dogs

Chancellor Volunteer

Fire & Rescue members

Ryan Rankins (left) and Administrative

Chief Kevin Dillard (center) and Ryan's

Service Dog, Madeline, met with Senator

Bryce E. Reeves (R-District 17) to discuss

the Senator's bill to broaden the state's

definition of Service Dogs for veterans

suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress

Disorder (PTSD). The goal of the bill is

for PTSD Service Dogs like Madeline to

be recognized and covered under the

same laws as those for Seeing-Eye Dogs.

Senator Reeves is also reviewing criteria

for how someone with a Service Dog can

still be involved in Fire and EMS work.

Nominating: Bruce Stratton

Membership: Connie Moore

VRSAWG: Bruce Edwards

VRSAWG: Gary Dalton

VRSAWG: Karen Wagner

By-Laws: Bruce Edwards

Lifeline: Gary Dalton

Conference: Ford Wirt

Camporee: Ronnie Slough

Finance: Steve Grayson

Scholarship: Carolyn Brand

EMS Memorial: Kevin Dillard

Grant: Elizabeth Papelino

Facility Manager: Lin Matthews

Web Page: Gary Dalton

2013-2014 VAVRS Committee Chairs

P a g e 4 O f f i c i a l P u b l i c a t i o n o f t h e V A V R S

Legislative: Dreama Chandler

Legislative: Edward B. "Bubby" Bish Jr.

Rescue College: Rickey Hodge

Rescue College: Wayne Myers

Human Resources: Connie Moore

Life Membership: Ronnie Slough

Rescue Hall of Fame: Ford Wirt

EMS Advisory Board: Dreama Chandler

EMS Advisory Board: Wayne Myers

Strategic Planning: Karen Wagner

New Course Development: Wayne Myers

Recruitment and Retention: Fran Phillips

Recruitment and Retention: Bobby Hill

Volunteer Management: A. Page Entsminger

EMS Exchange Program: Jane Laverne

President Rickey Hodge

Vice President Connie Moore

Secretary Scott Davis

Treasurer Steve Grayson

Training Officer Cecil Leach

Chaplain Darleen Ferguson

Historian Dreama Chandler

Editor Gary Dalton

Legal Advisor S. Craig Lane

Parliamentarian J. C. Phillips

Lobbyist Ed Rhodes

Immediate Past President Edward B. Bish Jr.

Medical Advisor James R. Dudley, MD, MBA

2013-2014 VAVRS Officers and Office Staff

District 1 V. P. Steve Southworth

District 2 V. P. Carolyn White

District 3 V. P. Kenny Frenier

District 4 V. P. Gary Dalton

District 5 V. P. L. Frank Smith

District 6 V. P. Doug Adams

District 7 V. P. Coby Fizer

District 8 V. P. Steven Reynolds

District 9 V. P. Darrell Beavers

District 10 V. P. George Langford

Office Manager Frances Brooks

Training Coordinator Kathy Eubank

Administrative Secretary Shirley Bagby

President Cora Fearnow

Vice President Victoria Gaudin

Secretary/Treasurer Elizabeth Pittman

Chaplain Montana Looney

Historian Danielle McCormick

District 1 VP Emily Snyder

District 3 VP Cora Fearnow

2013-2014 VAJVRS Officers

District 4 VP Connor Smith

District 7 VP Patrick Jones

Advisor, Chair Alfred Smith

Advisor Brandon Baugus

Advisor Woody Conner

Advisor Micky Grodski

Advisor Steve Dove

For a complete list of the current

courses being

offered by the

VAVRS—go to

Deadline for the Upcoming Issues

of the VIRGINIA LIFELINE Articles may be submitted by any member of the VAVRS, AVAVRS

and VAJVRS. Feature articles are encouraged. Photos and/or

graphics are acceptable and can be returned if requested.

Contact the Editor if you need assistance in writing an article

at gdalton@vavrs.com

Deadline for future issues as follows:

April 10, 2014 for May/June Issue

June 10, 2014 for July/August Issue

August 10, 2014 for September/October Issue

September 1, 2014 for Conference Issue

THE VIRGINIA

LIFELINE

ISSN 0279-6023

is the official bimonthly

publication of the Virginia

Association of Volunteer

Rescue Squads, Inc.

Editorial material should

be sent directly to the

VAVRS Editor at

P O Box 522

Woodstock, VA 22664

(H) 540-459-4849

(W) 540-536-2758

(FAX) 540-459-4925

(C) 540-481-0125

Email-gdalton@vavrs.com

Requests for advertising

rates, material

specifications and

deadlines should be

directed to the Editor.

M a r c h / A p r i l 2 0 1 4 P a g e 5

President - Sharon Campbell

Vice President - Harry Householder

Secretary - Dolores Hudson

Treasurer - Patsy Wingfield

Chaplain - Ailease Short

Historian - Linda Berkstresser

Parliamentarian - Maxie Skeen

2013-2014 AVAVRS Officers

Immediate Past President - Fern Puckett

Midwestern VP - Nancy Linkous

Northeastern VP - Debbie Smallwood

Southcentral VP - Clara Craig

Southeastern VP - Fay Browning

Southwestern VP - Valarie Becker

Western VP - Debbie Rohr

Conference: Vickie Arnold

Conference: Sheila Gordon

Nominating: Ruth Swicegood

Life Membership: Carolyn Brand

Emergency Care: Laura Booze

Resolutions: Maxie Skeen

2013-2014 AVAVRS Committee Chairs

Membership: Harry Householder

Finance: Patsy Wingfield

Roll Call: Donna Porter

Roll Call: Valarie Becker

Fundraising: Stacey Frame

P a g e 6 O f f i c i a l P u b l i c a t i o n o f t h e V A V R S

Oh, The Places We Have Been and Are Going

Submitted by Sharon Campbell, AVAVRS President

I am sitting here tonight

watching the weather

predictions for the next few

days. I don’t know about you

but I am truly ready for spring.

Things have been fairly quiet

around the state but it is that

time of year when installations

are held. If your Auxiliary has

elected new officers for the

coming year or if your

information has changed,

please let Dolores Hudson and

myself know so that you will not

miss important information

concerning upcoming events.

I was scheduled to go to

Waynesboro on January 4th

but the entire area had an

electrical blackout and the

event had to be postponed until

March 1st. Staunton Augusta

had their installation on

January 11th and thankfully

Patsy Wingfield was able to

attend for me as I was under

the weather. I traveled to

Colonial Heights on January

18th to install the Bensley

Bermuda Auxiliary officers.

Their hospitality was certainly

appreciated. January 21st,

Patsy Wingfield and I were

lucky enough to attend the

Virginia General Assembly with

VAVRS President, Rickey

Hodge, as well as several other

VAVRS Officers. We also met

with many of the delegates to

discuss upcoming bills that

would affect the association.

We felt special as the

delegates gave us a standing

ovation. Snow greeted us as we

left to go back to the hotel;

although the next day was cold

the roads were clear. On our

trip home, Patsy and I went by

the State office to go over

questions with Frances, Kathy

and Shirley. We had lunch with

them and tried to clean and

rearrange some things in the

AVAVRS storage room.

February 1st I attended the

VAVRS Executive meeting in

Buena Vista. The members of

the Buena Vista Auxiliary

served us a delicious lunch and

I got to visit with them for a

short period of time.

There are many things going on

around the state in the

upcoming months. April 5th

the Spring Officers’ Workshop

will be held in Bristol at the

Holiday Inn. If you have any

thing that you feel needs to be

addressed, contact me so that

it can be added to the agenda.

All Auxiliary Presidents are

invited to this meeting but

please let me know if you plan

to attend so that we will have

enough seating.

May 16th and 17th the VAVRS

Camporee will be held in Buena

Vista at Glen Maury Park. My

idea of camping is a Holiday Inn

but for those who enjoy it,

camping is available or there is

a motel in Buena Vista or other

motels a short distance away in

Lexington. There are some

great stores in the area and

history buffs will be kept busy

exploring. Friday night is a

cookout with all food provided.

Ronnie Sough has asked if

members of the AVAVRS could

provide desserts for all of the

guests. Let’s get our recipe

books out and show everyone

that the AVAVRS members

know how to make delicious

desserts. The VAJVRS has

some fun things planned for

those attending so it sounds

like a fun week-end.

you there as we have two

fun filled days planned

with new and exciting

things to learn and

discuss. Friday night is

always great as we have a

delicious picnic (free to

all college attendees),

some great door prizes

are given out and it is a

beautiful place to relax and

enjoy each other’s company.

Rescue College is also on the

horizon. The Auxiliary

Management Class will be held

June 13th and 14th at The Inn

of Virginia Tech. The

brochure is on-line and

registration closes on Monday,

April 14th. A $50.00

administrative fee is required

but please remember this

allows you to take any of the

classes offered from June 5th

to June 15th. I hope to see

Mark those calendars now and

I hope to see each of you at

the upcoming events.

M a r c h / A p r i l 2 0 1 4 P a g e 7

2014 VAVRS CAMPOREE - Glen Maury Park, Buena Vista

May 15, 16 and 17

For details go to

www.vavrs.com

Waynesboro FAC Auxiliary

activities as well as

refreshments for all. We had

our annual Christmas dinner

for Vector Industries, a

physical and mentally

challenged shelter workshop.

We have been giving them a

dinner for over 20 years and

they look forward to it every

year because they love our mac

and cheese. We also hosted

the Waynesboro Public Schools

Health Fair this year and

provided donuts and a light

lunch. For one of our fund

raisers, we hosted a dinner for

a motorcycle club during

Christmas. We served about

60 people. We had a good little

crowd for our annual New

Year’s Eve party at the building

with crew members/family and

auxiliary. We had a power

outage which canceled our

annual awards banquet on

January 4th, so we opened our

Submitted by CeCe McCormick

Hello everyone from

Waynesboro's Auxiliary.

We all hope everyone is staying

warm despite the cold weather

we are having. At the end of

November we visited the only

living charter member of the

WFAC Auxiliary, Mary Senger

(Mom), who turned 97 years

young and is in pretty good

health. Each of us try to go

see her at her home a few

times a year. She loves talking

about the old days in the

Auxiliary.

In December we helped

decorate the ambulances that

were entered into the

Waynesboro's City Christmas

Parade and a good time was had

by all. We also had our

children's party. With Santa in

tow, we gave out gift cards and

had children games and

building for family members of

all agencies (police, fire, and

rescue). We also had the police

bring the homeless during one

of our coldest days. We were

very lucky to have power

restored later that evening but

for others it was much longer.

We also had our annual blood

drive, in memory of Kyle

Southern, and had a pretty

good turn out of auxiliary, crew

members and citizens of

Waynesboro. We closed out

our annual picture project with

a amazing turnout considering

the difficult economy. We

thank everyone who came out.

We have a wish list from our

senior crew of items that they

would like to have, one of them

will be presented to them at

our rescheduled award banquet

on March 1st. We are working

on more things for the year and

waiting for the warm weather.

Hope to see you all at the next

district meeting.

P a g e 8 O f f i c i a l P u b l i c a t i o n o f t h e V A V R S

2014 AVAVRS

Scrapbook Competition

Each year the AVAVRS President

picks a theme. You may or may not

follow this theme. This year

AVAVRS President Sharon Camp-

bell has chosen:

“Oh, the Places We Go Together”

For rules for the competition visit www.vavrs.com

DEADLINE – SCRAPBOOKS MUST BE IN THE HANDS OF THE AVAVRS HISTORIAN LINDA BERKSTRESSER ON OR BEFORE AUGUST 25, 2014

M a r c h / A p r i l 2 0 1 4 P a g e 9

From the VAVRS President

Executive Committee. However

there is a sure fire way to keep

your squad in good standing and

that is GOOD MANAGEMENT.

The Leadership Challenge is

taught at Rescue College each

year and until this year has

been by a grant from RSAF.

However I honestly feel that

we have to offer this class as

it has been shown time after

time that we have to have good

leaders with many specialties

to keep doors open. A true

leader has to be fair to all his

members, set an example in

every decision they make and

be willing to listen and give in

to better ideas. A good leader

has to also be responsive to

local governments and assist in

any way possible. A good

leader has to work with and not

against these community

leaders. Ask yourself, are we

struggling??? Here is a sure

fire answer to help.

The VAVRS Camporee will be

held May, 15-17, 2014 at Buena

Vista. The campsite prices are

greatly reduced for us at 15.00

a night. Buena Vista Rescue

Squad again this year is

working very hard to make this

Submitted by VAVRS President Rickey Hodge

Since the last issue of the

LIFELINE I have been very

busy for the Association. I

have made several trips to the

General Assembly for meetings

of committees that I serve on.

On January 3rd, I attended

the Ground Breaking Ceremony

for the Virginia Public Safety

Foundation to begin the

building of the Police-Fire-EMS

Memorial. That was true honor

to represent the Association in

such a manner. There are

several items that I would go

over in this issue.

Honestly it all revolves around

services that this-YOUR

ASSOCIATION- offers to you

–ITS MEMBERS. I have

spoken with four squads that

have been having issues with

managing their Squads or

issues with the local governing

body that assist them

financially. First off, we have

the Volunteer Management

Team that will gladly respond

to meet with your officers and

Squad to listen, make

suggestions or do whatever

necessary to assist your squad.

The key to getting the most

out of the Volunteer

Management Committee is

calling as early as possible to

get assistance. This is a

confidential service as there is

no reporting of the issues to

other members of the

a booming success. Ronnie

Slough and his committee

members, Kim Craig, Gary

Dalton, Karen Wagner, and Fran

Phillips are also working on

activates. Concord Rescue

Squad also is assisting.

Lastly, the Raffle…We read

the questionnaire that you

wrote at the Conference. The

majority do not want the

registration fee to go up unless

there are activities added. We

just cannot add anything so the

idea of a raffle came up. This

is your association folks. In

order to do more, we all have to

work and do all we can. I see

this raffle as a sure way to

raise money to benefit the

Conference and to enhance the

training there. There is an

account that this money is put

in to help reduce cost for all of

us. We are offering a HTR

School Bus Class and Farm

Machinery Class at the

Conference. Also the Cookout

will happen on Thursday

Evening. This is a FREE meal

catered for YOU. Bring the

family for a GREAT Cookout.

Good fellowship included. The

next time I will see you will

probably be at the Spring

Board Meeting in Bristol. Have

a safe winter and see you soon.

P a g e 1 0 O f f i c i a l P u b l i c a t i o n o f t h e V A V R S

M a r c h / A p r i l 2 0 1 4 P a g e 1 1

Submitted by VAVRS Chaplain Emeritus–Page Entsminger

As many of you know, at our

79th annual Conference, I was

awarded the honor of Chaplain

Emeritus. This was a surprise

beyond my imagination. I want

to thank President Rickey

Hodge and each of you who

voted to bestow this great

honor on me.

My first term as Chaplain

began in 1979 so many of my

friends who were active at that

time were not at the

Conference. Thank you for the

honor of allowing me to be your

Chaplain at that time and the

many terms since.

Each morning as I sit in my

recliner having my first cup of

coffee, I look at this plaque,

although I cannot see to read

it, and I’m reminded of the

2014 Spring Board of Governors Meeting The Spring Board of Governors meeting will be held on April 5, 2014, at the Bristol Holiday Inn Hotel,

3005 Linden Drive, Bristol, VA 24202—For reservations call 276-466-4100 and mention the VAVRS to

get the prevailing state rate of $82.00 plus tax.

The meeting will begin promptly at 9:00 AM on Saturday.

NOTE: IF YOU ARE REPRESENTING YOUR SQUAD/CREW AND YOU ARE NOT THE PERSON YOUR

SQUAD LISTED ON THE LAST ACTIVITY REPORT AS THE BOG

DELEGATE OR ALTERNATE, YOU MUST BRING A LETTER ON YOUR

SQUAD STATIONERY, SIGNED BY YOUR SQUAD PRESIDENT OR

SECRETARY, STATING THAT YOU ARE YOUR AGENCY’S DELEGATE.

You will receive a full report from each of the State Officers. You will also

receive a report of any items that were passed during the 2014 General

Assembly which affect EMS in the Commonwealth, as well as any bylaw

changes. We will do everything we can to make sure this meeting is

informative, productive and beneficial to everyone who attends.

fact that I always need to be

humble and not allow pride to

slip into my life.

My goals as Chaplain Emeritus

are to attend as many meetings

as possible and to be a mentor

to the present and future

Chaplains helping them anyway

I can. Since Conference I have

attended my District I

meetings and attended several

visitations and funerals on

behalf of the Association to

prevent the Chaplain traveling

great distances.

Although I am 78 years old and

legally blind with many other

health issues, God has blessed

me beyond measure and my

desire is to help others in

times of sickness and need.

May God bless each of you and

contact me if I can be of

assistance to you.

VAVRS Chaplain Emeritus

VAVRS Chaplain Emeritus

A. Page Entsminger

P a g e 1 2 O f f i c i a l P u b l i c a t i o n o f t h e V A V R S

The 60 Second Parliamentarian Tip

write ins will not be allowed and

you do it anyway, then all write

ins will not count in the

election.

No.2 If your bylaws state

what the qualifications are to

be elected and you write in a

person's name that does not

meet the qualifications, then

he or she can not be elected.

No.3 If your bylaws state

that the Secretary may cast a

unanimous ballot for all

unopposed positions and you

write in a person's name next

to the unopposed position, it

will not count. This is because

the Secretary has already cast

everyone's vote for that

Submitted by J.C. Phillips, VAVRS Parliamentarian

What does a "write in" mean on

a ballot when having an

election? Most people think

that it is a member's right to

write in the name of a

candidate that they want to

vote for. Yes, you as a voting

member of an organization has

the right to write in the name

of the person that you wish to

vote for. Whether this means

anything or not, is another

matter. There are

three situations where a write

in means nothing and does not

count in the election.

No.1 If your bylaws state that

position and the person's name

on the ballot has already been

elected.

Write ins are very seldom

elected, unless an organized

effort has taken place to get

members to write in a certain

person's name before the

election takes place. I hope

this clears up any concerns you

may have had on write ins.

2014 VAVRS and VAJVRS

Scrapbook Competition

Each year the VAVRS Historian picks a theme.

This year VAVRS Historian Dreama Chandler

has chosen:

“SERVICE BEFORE SELF” For rules for the competition visit

www.vavrs.com DEADLINE

SCRAPBOOKS MUST SUBMITTED TO THE VAVRS HISTORIAN ON OR BEFORE

AUGUST 18, 2014

M a r c h / A p r i l 2 0 1 4 P a g e 1 3

P a g e 1 4 O f f i c i a l P u b l i c a t i o n o f t h e V A V R S

National EMS Memorial Service Adopt-A-Family Program

The National EMS Memorial Service will be held on June 28, 2014 at 6:00

pm MDT at Pikes Peak Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The purpose of

the National EMS Memorial Service is to honor those emergency medical

services personnel who have died in the line of duty and to recognize the

ultimate sacrifice they have made for their fellow man.

During the service a family member or agency representative will be presented with a United States

flag that has flown over the U.S. Capitol denoting the honoree’s service to their country, a white rose

representing their undying love, along with a medallion signifying their eternal memory.

Each year there is a need to financially support some of the family expenses for the service. You or

your department can help by “adopting” one or more of the families by sending in a tax-deductible

contribution of $350.00 for each family that you would like to adopt. This year, the National EMS

Memorial Service will recognize over 20 emergency medical providers who lost their lives in the line of

the selfless duty they loved.

If you decide to adopt a family, your donation will go towards offsetting family lodging and other

expenses of the National EMS Memorial Service. You will also be provided with information on your

“adopted family”.

Remember your financial support allows these families and friends the opportunity to attend a

memorial that will be remembered and treasured.

For additional information or to sponsor a family or families please contact Kevin Dillard, Founder and

Past President via email kdillard@lifecare94.com. Make checks out to National EMS Memorial Service

and mail to Kevin Dillard at 1170 International Pkwy, Fredericksburg, VA 22406.

The National EMS Memorial Service appreciates your support for these families and helping the

National EMS Memorial Service continue its work to honor those men and women who have made “the

Ultimate Sacrifice.”

M a r c h / A p r i l 2 0 1 4 P a g e 1 5

“The Ultimate Sacrifice”

National EMS Memorial Service

represented by their state

flag. After the last name has

been read there is a National

Moment of Silence, followed by

an air-medical flyover and the

playing of taps.

The names of those who are

honored here appear on the

"Tree of Life," the National

EMS Memorial.

As I announced at the 2013

Conference, we have hired a

fund raiser to raise funds for

the permanent memorial,

Pelofsky & Associates of

Kansas City, MO. They have

started off doing a great job.

They are making significant

contacts to get some major

money to start coming in so

that we can build the memorial.

We are looking at raising about

two million dollars for this

project. We do not have a final

price from the architect yet.

The designer of the National

EMS Memorial is Chevo

Studios. Their website

address is

www.chevostudios.com They

have asked that we answer the

following questions so that

they can start their design

process by getting inspirational

input—

What inspired you to become

an EMS professional?

What is the most rewarding

part of your job?

What qualities do successful

EMS professionals exhibit?

Submitted by Kevin Dillard, Past President

The National EMS Memorial

Service will be on June 28,

2014 in Colorado Springs, CO.

This will be the 22nd annual

service!

The purpose of the National

EMS Memorial Service is to

honor and remember those

emergency medical services

personnel who have died in the

line of duty and to recognize

the ultimate sacrifice they

have made for their fellow

human beings.

Each year during the service a

family member or agency

representative will be

presented with a United States

flag that has been flown over

the U.S. Capitol denoting the

honoree’s service to their

country, a white rose

representing their undying love,

and a medallion signifying their

eternal memory.

As part of the service, each

person being recognized is also

What are the resources that

help you recharge/renew and/

or manage the emotional

challenge of your work?

What are the things that have

given you comfort in time of

loss?

Please get the word out about

the design process we are going

through and have everyone that

is interested in responding to

the above questions to mail or e

-mail their response to me. My

e-mail address is

kdillard@lifecare94.com

I would like to ask each of you

to please help us to raise funds

by reminding your agencies

that we are in need of financial

P a g e 1 6 O f f i c i a l P u b l i c a t i o n o f t h e V A V R S

To Be Held on June 28, 2014 in Colorado

There have been recent

discussions at the Board

meetings of the National EMS

Memorial Service about the

possibility of another move.

There is a push among many

members of the board to move

the service from Colorado

Springs, CO to Littleton, CO.

Littleton is located just outside

of the Denver area and is the

location of the land that the

Air Medical Memorial has been

trying to build their permanent

memorial. There is talk about

help with the Adopt- a- Family

program. For a $350 donation

per family you, your agency,

business, etc. can help sponsor

one or more families by

contributing to this worthwhile

program. You can send in your

donations now for the 2014

service. Please make the

checks payable to the National

EMS Memorial Service and mail

to me at --

Kevin Dillard, Past President

National EMS Memorial Service

1170 International Parkway

Fredericksburg, VA 22406-1126

combining the two boards and

services and having one

location.

There is yet another group

that is trying to get the

permanent memorial built in

Washington, DC.

There are many pros and cons

about the moves, so at this

time I am just bringing it to

everyone’s attention. I am

willing to discuss this in more

detail to anyone that is

interested. We may be able to

even consider getting the

memorial to move back to

Virginia.

As always, thank you for your

continued support of the

National EMS Memorial

M a r c h / A p r i l 2 0 1 4 P a g e 1 7

P a g e 1 8 O f f i c i a l P u b l i c a t i o n o f t h e V A V R S

VAVRS Death Benefit Plan

To Be Honored….For $3.00

Submitted by VAVRS Vice President Connie Moore

In the most recent issue of the

Lifeline, VAVRS Chaplain

Darleen Ferguson revealed how

few VAVRS squads are

members of our Death Benefit

Plan, yet the process to join is

SO Simple. All of the forms

for applying, as well as the

Bylaws, can be found on the

VAVRS website, so let’s take an

over-view of the process and

the cost.

When your Squad decides to

join the Plan, you determine

who will be responsible for

handling the applications for

membership (Secretary,

Treasurer, or designated

Agency individual). It will be

this person’s responsibility to

keep member information

current, and to be sure that

new members of your Agency

are included when you

determine that they are

eligible. For a mere $3.00 per

person ---- you are now a part

of the Death Benefit Plan.

With the death of members

within the Plan, an assessment

of 50 cents per member is

charged, multiplied by the

number of individual members

of your Squad, and this is done

quarterly. If there are no

deaths within a quarter, no

assessment is charged.

All forms for membership,

M a r c h / A p r i l 2 0 1 4 P a g e 1 9

have seen how this small

amount of payment has made a

difference in a family’s funeral

plans and how they were able

to pay for them. Once a

Deceased Member form is

completed at the death of your

member, and a copy of the

death certificate included, the

Plan’s payment is made to the

beneficiary within 10 days. All

of the VAVRS office staff, as

well as your District Vice

President, are available to

assist you in properly

completing this process.

It is such a small price to pay

to honor one of your members

who served your Squad and

your community with dedication

as a Volunteer. Get your

Squad to enroll today – it only

costs a little to help in a time

of loss.

changes in beneficiaries, or

deletion of members who are to

be removed from the Plan, are

on-line on the VAVRS website.

Within the Death Benefit Plan

Bylaws is the chart of payment

at the death of one of your

members. This payment is

based on how many total

members in VAVRS are

currently enrolled in the Plan,

and currently the payment to

the designated beneficiary is

$1,250.00. There are less than

3000 members currently

enrolled and it will only take a

little more than 100 more

members joining to increase

this payout amount to

$1,500.00.

Over the past several years, I

a team they learned how to

properly long roll a patient to

place them on the long board

immobilization device. They

practiced hands-on skills by

applying the “spider-straps” to

secure the patient to the

device. Finally they learned

how to immobilize the patients

head to the device and conduct

a final check of the pulse,

motor and sensory functions.

This hands-on training proved

to be very exciting and

encourage participation by all

Juniors present.

The Juniors also competed in a

Basic First Aid Competition.

While many Juniors have not

yet obtained certification as

EMT’s we conduct Basic First

Aid scenarios for the younger

Submitted by Steve Dove

On February 09, 2014 District

10 held out meeting at the

Madison Volunteer Rescue

Squad. We kicked off the first

meeting of the New Year with a

training lecture on “Emerging

Drugs of Abuse” presented by

Audrey Snyder. We also

conducted EVOC Competitions

during out meeting.

The great news from the

District is the involvement of

our Junior Squads. We will

soon be voting in at least three

new Junior Squads from

District 10 in the VAJVRS. We

are motivating the Juniors on

District 10 by changing the

typical activities that have

been offered to Juniors in the

past at our meetings. In

February we began to offer a

Junior Training Lecture. This

lecture in February was

focused on proper

immobilization techniques for

back boarding a patient. The

Juniors are not yet trained as

EMT’s so we will offer training

seminars for the Juniors that

focus on one particular skill.

Juniors learned how to maintain

C-Spine when approaching a

patient complaining of next and

back pain. They learned how to

measure and apply a cervical

collar. They assess the patient

pulse, motor and sensory prior

to applying the long board. As

generation to compete in. The

scenario for this competition

was based on a patient who was

suffering from an allergic

reaction as the result of a bee

sting. The patient exhibited

signs of hives and difficulty

breathing. While the patient

had a prescribed EPI-Pen she

was unable to inject this

medication without assistance.

The Junior did an outstanding

job of immediately recognizing

this life-threat through a

comprehensive quick

assessment of the patient.

They did not hesitate to

assisting with the patient with

administering their prescribe

auto-injection device. Those

that competed did an

outstanding job providing

P a g e 2 0 O f f i c i a l P u b l i c a t i o n o f t h e V A V R S

District Ten News

follow-up reassurance to the

patient and were ready to

answer EMS Provider’s when

they arrived on the scene to

take over patient care.

Congratulations to Meghan

Sullivan for winning 2nd Place

and Maddie Smith for being

award the 1st Place medals in

the Junior First Aid

Competitions. Meghan and

Maddie are both Junior

Members with the Mountain

View Volunteer Rescue Squad.

We would also like to thank

Sylvia Sullivan with Mountain

View for excellent role playing

skills as the patient during this

competition.

The VAVRS District 10 Juniors

also participated in a

community service project

during their meeting. The

Juniors conducted a Blanket

Drive to collect blankets for

homeless children in the

Fredericksburg Region. Many

thanks to those that donated

new or gently used blanket for

this valuable community service

project. The Junior present at

the meeting took time to

decorate the care bags that

would be filled with the many

donated items to would be

given to the homeless kids.

Each bag contained hygiene

items, a blanket, a book and

various items donated by

businesses and fire/rescue

agencies. These care packages

were delivered to 15 kids

ranging in age from 3 weeks to

15 years old that are currently

at the Thurman Brisben

Homeless shelter in

Fredericksburg. The staff

and kids at the homeless

shelter were so thankful for

what our Juniors had done and

thrilled to see that kids would

take time from their schedules

to help others that are in need.

The Juniors were so excited

about this project that they

have asked that additional

M a r c h / A p r i l 2 0 1 4 P a g e 2 1

community service projects be

incorporated into their future

Junior Meetings.

District 10 continues to

coordinate our upcoming

Training Weekend in the

District. We will offer some

great classes and will have

information about the Training

Weekend in the near future, so

be on the look-out for that

information. This is the first

Training Weekend within

District 10 in many many years

so we are counting on a

successful turn out to make

this an annual event.

Our next District 10 Meeting

will be held on June 1, 2014 at

the Colonial Beach Volunteer

Rescue Squad. We look

forward to seeing everyone

there and encourage any Junior

that wishes to participate to

take part in the exciting

activities we have planned

during this meeting.

The Legislative Attic

with the EMS

terminology bill

being the biggest -

literally. The length

is 125 pages. Bills

were introduced in

both houses and

both were carried

over and sent to

OEMS and the

Advisory Board for

vetting by the system,

to be returned in

January 2015 session. There

were no budget amendments

submitted this year as the

budget bill reflects that

interest funds should be

returned to the affected

agencies beginning July 1 2015.

Of course, one also has to be in

a defensive mode during the

session. House Bill 1010 was one

of the biggest ones that

VAVRS has had to deal with in

years. This bill reduced the

hours for EMT Responder and

EMT Basic by half. VAVRS led

the opposition along with the

VFCA, VAGEMSA, VPFF, VFPA,

Regional Councils, Emergency

Physicians, OMDs and others.

The entire system was opposed

to the bill! The bill came out of

Bedford County because of

issues with recruitment and

retention, which they felt, was

because of the hour's

requirement to become

certified. No problem with fire

training which is actually more.

They were apparently not

Submitted by Ed Rhodes

As I begin this article, the

legislative "crossover" has

occurred in the General

Assembly. What is in store

from the budget report will not

be until this weekend on

February 16th. Also as I begin

this, reports are for snow, ice

and warnings in the next few

days and I certainly hope that

will not happen.

First, let me say to all of you

who wrote letters to our

representatives in Washington

last year, thank you. Your e-

mails and letters caused

Senator Mark Warner to

submit legislation that fixed

the health care issue that the

IRS had caused. The IRS came

out and changed their

definition and did away with

the health care requirement

for volunteer organizations.

You did good, as they say.

The 2014 General Assembly has

been interesting to say the

least. The Virginia Senate

started with a Republican

majority, but about 10 days

into the session, the Democrats

took control, thus changing the

makeup of all committees and

chairs. Let us say the "power

structure" changed one

hundred eighty degrees in one

day. Once the change took

effect, strategies on bills had

to be revamped.

VAVRS had few bills this year,

aware of the ramifications

associated with this proposed

change. The bill was carried

over to 2015 and the EMS

Advisory Board will work on the

issue, which they approved

during their November 2013

meeting at symposium. Again,

thanks to all who answered the

call to contact their legislators

asking that they oppose this

bill.

As usual, there were a few "red

light" bills to surface again.

Most were taken care of, but

one involving the National

Guard and another defining the

lights because of LED lights,

have passed the House.

Three Line of Duty bills were

submitted, two in the Senate

(Senators Carrico and Puckett

patrons) and one in the House

(Delegate Sickles patron), and

all three were sent to JLARC

for study. The Senate bills for

one-year study and the House

for two years. We will continue

to work on these and will

The “Real” Attic

P a g e 2 2 O f f i c i a l P u b l i c a t i o n o f t h e V A V R S

continue to let you know the

progress.

We have been tracking close to

90 pieces of legislation this

session and some have required

attention in asking for

amendments or being involved

in further conversation on

legislation. We continue to

watch the budget to insure

that the 4 for Life funds are

not used for other items.

There have been budget

amendments submitted to fund

the poison control center in

Washington DC and the other

two centers in Virginia. These

were general fund requests,

but the chance remains that

our funds could be used.

Finally, Rickey Hodge, Connie

Moore, Bubby Bish, Kenny

Frenier, Sharon Campbell and

Patsy Wingfield visited the

General Assembly in January

and visited a number of

delegates and senators. They

were also introduced by

Delegate Bobby Orrock to the

House of Delegates as part of

their visit. I would be remiss if

I did not thank their guides, my

"staff", Jane Hornbeck and

Carol Rhodes for helping out

while I was in committee

meetings.

Thanks to all of you in being

the "grass roots" voice of the

VAVRS. Believe me it really

works.

See you at Spring BOG!

VAVRS and AVAVRS Visit Virginia General Assembly

L-R Front Row-VAVRS President Rickey Hodge; VAVRS Vice President

Connie Moore; VAVRS Immediate Past President Edward “Bubby” Bish;

VAVRS District 3 Vice President Kenny Frenier; VAVRS Legislative

Committee Chair Dreama Chandler; AVAVRS President Sharon Campbell

and AVAVRS Treasurer Patsy Wingfield. Back Row Carol Rhodes

M a r c h / A p r i l 2 0 1 4 P a g e 2 3

Submitted by VAVRS Chaplain Darleen Ferguson

We are now in a New Year,

please check with the State

Office for a listing of the

names your Squad has sum-

mited to the Death Benefit

Plan. At your monthly meetings

please review this list. If

someone on the list is no longer

with your Squad summit the

(Deletion Form) to remove

their name, if you have a new

member to add to the list have

them complete a Death Benefit

Plan Application.

All Squads that have lost mem-

bers since September 2012

that were not honored at the

Memorial Service during the

2013 Conference, please send

in their names to be honored

at the 2014 Conference Memo-

rial Service.

“PLEASE DO NOT ASSUME

YOUR SQUAD ( IS) OR( IS

NOT) A MEMBER OF THE

DEATH BENEFIT PLAN”

It is not too early to send in

Names, Photo and Squad patch-

es for the 2014 Memorial Ser-

vice.

Please send them to the

VAVRS State Office

Attn: VAVRS Chaplain

PO Box 279, Oilville VA 23129

These items can be sent by

Fax, Mail or E-mail

VAVRS Chaplain

P a g e 2 4 O f f i c i a l P u b l i c a t i o n o f t h e V A V R S

LifeCare Wins

Chamber of Commerce Green Frontier Award

motivating factor and payoff

for some, the broader theme is

one of a sense of collective

intelligence and responsibility

in wanting to enhance quality of

life and, at the same time, help

preserve the planet’s natural

resources.

At LIFECARE – We ARE our

name. We are a company with a

deep commitment to our

community … commitment to

the patients we serve … to the

health of the community … & to

the environment in which we

live & call home.

Over the past decade

LIFECARE has made it a

priority to implement GREEN

company-wide policies. Some of

these GREEN policies were

easier to implement than

others because they were

already accepted, established

practices in our region such as

the recycling of paper, glass,

plastic products & vehicle oil.

Other GREEN policies were

more challenging to implement.

1. PAPERLESS NEW HIRE

ORIENTATION PROCESS

Submitted by Kevin Dillard

At the Fredericksburg

Chamber of Commerce Gala in

January, LifeCare was

presented with the prestigious

Green Frontier Award. This

award recognizes the business

that best exemplifies the

green initiative – an effort to

reduce its carbon footprint and

help conserve natural

resources.

Sustainable energy and water

use, carbon-neutral or negative

solutions, eco-friendly

transportation, ecological

services, greener buildings and

IT infrastructure are

generating ever-greater

interest in the business

community. Companies ranging

from Google to mom-and-pop

enterprises are reducing their

big carbon footprints and

cutting their operating costs.

This wave is sweeping over the

Region’s business community.

While profit is both a

Throughout the new hire

process, each person must read

& sign approximately 35

individual documents as well as

read our Standard Operating

Guidelines. We begin with an

online application process. We

then proceed to a paperless

hiring process in which each

new hire is assigned a laptop

with all required documents

loaded. After reading the

documents, the employee can

then sign them utilizing an

electronic signature pad. All

documents are then

electronically delivered to the

Human Resources department &

placed in the individual’s

electronic personnel file.

Impact & Savings: a minimum

of 9,000 of pieces of paper per

year!

2. ELECTRONIC

PERSONNEL FILES

The personnel files of all of

LIFECARE’s employees are

safely managed & stored

electronically. Each employee

has many documents in their

personnel file. Also challenging,

but doable thanks to the fast

growth of the computer

technology industry, was the

assurance of the

confidentiality of all personnel

files.

Impact & savings: a minimum

M a r c h / A p r i l 2 0 1 4 P a g e 2 5

the provider’s handwriting.

Impact & savings: The

electronic patient care

reporting saves a minimum of

125,000 pieces of paper

annually.

5. PAPERLESS MANUALS

OEMS mandates that all

emergency vehicles have a copy

of the HAZMAT Awareness

Emergency Response

guidebook. LIFECARE no longer

carries the hardcopy version of

that guide book, but instead

of 13,500 pieces of paper &

300 file folders per year!

3. ELECTRONIC PAYSTUBS

All of LIFECARE’s employees

receive their paystubs via

email. This policy has provided

great savings to the company -

both environmental & financial

– by eliminating all of the

paper, ink, envelopes, stamps &

manpower associated with the

previous method of delivering

paper paystubs.

Impact & savings: a minimum

of 3,600 pieces of paper, 3,600

envelopes, 3,600 stamps & the

manpower to prepare the

paystubs for mailing annually!

4. PAPERLESS PATIENT

CARE REPORTS

LIFECARE EMS providers

prepare all of their patient

care documentation utilizing

the state approved Image

Trend electronic patient care

reporting system on

Toughbook's. Completed

reports are uploaded to

LIFECARE’s Billing Office & to

the Virginia Office of EMS.

The previous paper patient

care reports (PPCRs) were

often difficult to read due to

the triplicate carbon copies &

the reliance on the neatness of

carries the paperless version as

a PDF readable file on the

Toughbook computers in each

ambulance.

Other documents that

LIFECARE has loaded on each

Toughbook include a copy of

the Virginia Office of EMS

Rules & Regulations,

LIFECARE’s Standing

Operating Guidelines (SOGs), &

all applicable Regional Medical

EMS Protocols.

Impact & Savings: The

abovementioned documents are

lengthy, requiring a tremendous

amount of paper to ensure

their availability on all of our

ambulances. The other benefit

to our providers is the easy

access to these important

documents.

(Continued on page 26)

Pictured L-R at the Chamber of Commerce Gala -

Sandy Passera, Call Center Supervisor;

Danny Wildman, Vice President; Kevin Dillard, President;

Jackie Taylor, Office Manager;

Jeff French, Operations Supervisor;

Sue Connors, Training Coordinator;

Tasha Browne, Vice President of Finance & HR;

John Brandrup, Operations Manager

P a g e 3 8 O f f i c i a l P u b l i c a t i o n o f t h e V A V R S

to reporting vehicle or

computer problems to taking

required training.

Impact & Savings: The

implementation of

communication technology has

saved LIFECARE countless

dollars in time, vehicle wear

and tear & fuel.

8. RECYCLING – PAPER,

GLASS & PLASTIC

PRODUCTS

LIFECARE’s offices across the

state recycle plastic, paper,

glass & cans. Recycling

containers for plastic, glass &

cans are conveniently located in

the kitchen areas. Office areas

are equipped with boxes for

paper recycling & shredders

for confidential papers.

Impact & savings: Less trash

in landfills...fewer trees lost.

9. RECYCLING VEHICLE OIL

LIFECARE’s mechanics ensure

that all of the used vehicle oil

is recycled.

Impact & savings: Over 800

gallons of oil are recycled

annually which means a cleaner

environment & cleaner water.

10. ENVIRONMENTALLY

SAFE CLEANING PRODUCTS

LIFECARE chooses to utilize

environmentally-safe cleaning

supplies from State Industrial

Products GREEN PRODUCTS

line when possible to provide a

6. ELECTRONIC

SIGNATURE PADS

The use of electronic signature

pads has not only saved on the

amount of paper used by our

providers, but also by our

accounting department which

utilizes electronic signatures

with vendors & purchase

orders.

Impact & savings: Reduction

in the amount of paper utilized

for purchases.

7. VIRTUAL TRAINING &

MEETINGS

To save time & fuel, LIFECARE

utilizes teleconferencing &

Skype to allow for our

statewide management team to

meet & train. Webinars are also

utilized to bring important new

industry trends to our

management team without the

need for costly travel. In

addition, LIFECARE employees

receive company newsletters

via email. Vital messages &

documents requiring the

immediate attention of

employees is managed

electronically through

TraumaSoft – a program

utilized for everything from

clocking in & out, to scheduling,

(Continued from page 25) less toxic work environment for

its employees.

Impact & savings: Healthier

employees...cost savings for

bulk purchase of cleaning

supplies from state industries.

11. MOTION-DETECTION

LIGHTING & LED LIGHTING

LIFECARE

We have placed motion-

activated light switches in its

corporate office. Lights in

rooms that are minimally used

are set to turn on upon

entering, & off within minutes

of leaving. LED lighting is used

throughout the interior of the

building. LIFECARE has also

gone to all LED lighting for its

outside lighting. As a company

that operates 24/7/365, it is

essential to provide adequate

lighting for the employees who

work at night. The LED bulbs

outlast their predecessors.

Impact & Savings: Light bulb

replacement reduction &

electric bill savings of

hundreds of dollars each year.

12. VEHICLE IDLE POLICY

One of the most dramatic

GREEN policies implemented by

LIFECARE for both its

environmental & financial

impact has been the vehicle

idle policy. Our business

requires the use of many

vehicles on the road 24 hours a

(Continued on page 27)

M a r c h / A p r i l 2 0 1 4 P a g e 3 9

environment, the providers, the

patients and the engine.

Impact & savings: A large

decrease in the diesel

emissions into the air, wear &

tear on our engines and a large

fuel savings.

WHAT ENVIRONMENTAL

OUTCOMES HAVE WE

ACHIEVED?

We have reduced the amount

of time that our vehicles are

emitting diesel exhaust from

idling by more than 50% with

our vehicle idle policy.

We have reduced the amount

of trash from our agency

ending up in landfills by over

50% with our recycling policies.

We have reduced the amount

of paper products used by well

day/7 days a

week. LIFECARE

has enacted a

company-wide policy that

reduces vehicle idling. Each

vehicle is equipped with a GPS

system that monitors a variety

of items from seat belt use, to

speeding, to the amount of time

a vehicle engine is running idle.

LIFECARE’s biggest challenge

to the implementation of the

Vehicle Idle Policy was

changing the mindset of the

providers who thought the

engines needed to stay on. We

had to re-educate our

providers by means of a policy

document that outlined the

reasons why idling was actually

detrimental to the

(Continued from page 26) over 50% by utilizing electronic

patient care reports, electronic

personnel documentation and

electronic payroll.

We have reduced the amount

of electricity used by utilizing

automated on/off interior

lighting and LED outdoor

lighting.

We have helped our

community’s soil and water by

utilizing environmentally safe

cleaning products and by

recycling our vehicle oil.

The Regional Chamber of

Commerce was proud to

present the award to LifeCare

for its role in helping with the

"go green initiative", and

helping to make the Region an

even better place to live, work

and play.

Some features and information of this unit are:

WARN 15000 wench (new never been used)

Onboard Diesel Generator 6.5 KW

Hurst JL32B Jaws of Life

Actual mileage is 10400

Ambulance box / 4 wheel drive

Adjustable rear scene lights

Set up for a gurney

Has a bench seat.

Asking price for this unit

is $45,000.00 negotiable.

FOR SALE

By Providence Forge VRS—For information call 804 966-2801

2001 F-450 XLT Super Duty Power Stroke Diesel V8 Crash Truck/Ambulance

P a g e 2 6 O f f i c i a l P u b l i c a t i o n o f t h e V A V R S

VBEMS Marine Rescue Team Training

on the Seas

Princess Anne Courthouse Retired EMS Volunteers

next to new blue ambulance

Scott Hill, Chesapeake Fire Captain and Harold Hill, VA Beach Fire Captain, on far right

is Mike Wade Retired VBFD District Chief. This photo is by Tricia Hartman.

Chesapeake Beach Ambulance on Call during Snow Storm

Bobby Hill Recruiting with the

Geico Gecko

In Memoriam

Robert “Spencer” Hill

Life Member

Davis Corner VFD

father of Bobby Hill,

VA Beach RS

Historian.

M a r c h / A p r i l 2 0 1 4 P a g e 2 7

1st Night VB EMS EMT Academy-71 in attendance

Polar Bear CPR at

Ocean Front Polar Plunge

Plaza Squad Truck 16 crew digging out the

truck during snow storm

Princess Anne Courthouse

Volunteers Demonstrate CPR

at Recreation Center

EMS NIGHT VA Aquarium-700+ in attendance

Photos from

around Virginia

Beach submitted

by Bobby Hill

or member attend your District

Meeting or other District

Meetings in the VAVRS? The

District Vice President should

be able to tell you the latest

information on what is going on

in the General Assembly,

OEMS and what is going on in

your OEMS regional council.

You will also find out what

squads in your area are

accomplishing in Recruitment,

Retention, Training, and Fund

Raising to name a few. If a

squad is having difficulties,

you or your organization

may be able to help them

with ideas and

encouragement.

APRIL BOARD OF

GOVERNOR’S and

CONFERENCE MEETINGS:

At these annual meetings

[the BOG in April and the

Conference in September]

you as the Delegate or Board

of Governor have the

opportunity to vote on changes

in the VAVRS Bylaws, hear the

officers and

committee reports,

and to vote on the

direction of the

VAVRS. At the

Conference you will be

responsible for voting

on the VAVRS Elected

Officers, the Budget,

Bylaw changes, Life

Membership, and

other unique possible

Submitted by Fran Phillips, VAVRS R&R Chair

SQUAD MEETINGS:

If you are an elected officer it

is your responsibility to attend

every meeting of your Board

and Membership. OK, I know

that at some time there are

extenuating circumstances that

may prevent your attendance at

every meeting [marriage,

childbirth, death,

hospitalization, job, etc.] Your

attendance at each meeting will

prepare you to advance in your

organization with the

knowledge that you are

prepared with the previous

history of meetings. As a

Member of your squad or

auxiliary, it is your

responsibility to attend

meetings, training and events

that will make you a qualified,

engaged person, to take your

organization and its tradition

to new levels of excellence.

DISTRICT MEETINGS:

Why should you as an officer

P a g e 2 8 O f f i c i a l P u b l i c a t i o n o f t h e V A V R S

Meeting Attendance Advice from the VAVRS R&R Committee

actions that make the VAVRS a

vibrant organization.

In 2014, I challenge you to

attend all the meetings that

you possibly are able to attend

as a leader or a member. In

this way your organization,

through your report, will be

knowledgeable in all aspects of

your District and the VAVRS.

We hear of squads closing their

doors usually because they are

not able to answer their

community call volume.

Attending these meetings may

give you ideas to increase your

membership or a VAVRS

contact to help your group with

individual problems.

EXPAND YOUR KNOWLEDGE!

ATTENDING MEETINGS

MAKES AN INFORMED

LEADER.

M a r c h / A p r i l 2 0 1 4 P a g e 2 9

P a g e 3 0 O f f i c i a l P u b l i c a t i o n o f t h e V A V R S

Emergency Vehicle Operators Course

The Emergency Vehicle

Operator Course (EVOC) is

patterned after the State

Office of Transportation

Safety EVOC guide. The

course emphasizes safe

driving skills. Additionally, the

course gives you (the

emergency driver) all the

vehicle codes of Virginia which

will affect you. This course is

designed to help reduce the

number of crashes involving

emergency vehicles. The course

includes classroom and driving

range skills.

Upon completion of the EVOC

course, five points can be

added to the driver s record of

VAVRS members in the state

of Virginia. This point system

for your license is allowed only

once every two (2) years.

Note: A textbook is required

by each student taking this

course and the course hours

are 16, 8 hours didactic and 8

hours practical. Refresher

Hours are 8 hours (can include

both classroom & practical).

The basic course prerequisites:

· MUST be 18 years of age

· MUST possess a current

operators license

Instructor Course

Prerequisites:

· MUST be 21 years of age

· MUST hold current EVOC

certification

· MUST be certified in basic

EVOC for at least one year

· MUST have successfully

completed the EVOC pre-test

with a score of 80

· Active squad member for

three (3) years

· MUST be a member of the

VAVRS

· MUST maintain a current

operator's license

· MUST submit a copy of your

driving record not more than

30 days old from date of

application

TO SCHEDULE A TRAINING

CLASS IN YOUR AREA:

E-Mail (vavrs@vavrs.com) or

call the VAVRS State Office

at 800-833-0602

Auxiliary-Staunton Augusta Rescue Squad

Submitted by Paige Wag-ner

It was exciting and enjoya-

ble time for the Auxiliary-

Staunton August Rescue

Squad on January 11, 2014.

Our Auxiliary members at-

tended a joint banquet with

our rescue squat at the

Stonewall Jackson Hotel in

Staunton, VA.

Our officers were installed

at the banquet by Patsy

Wingfield, a member of

Cave Spring Auxiliary and

Treasurer of the AVAVRS.

The 2014 officers are as

follows: President—Kim

Galloway; Vice-President—

Debbie Rohr; Secretary—

Judy Leach; Treasurer—

Paige Wagner and Chap-

lain—Jane Drumheller.

Randy Swisher, a member

of the Auxiliary, was rec-

ognized for 10 years of

dedicated service as a sup-

port member of the Rescue

Squad.

Another highlight—Eugenia

Taylor was awarded Life

Membership in the Auxilia-

ry. Life membership is

awarded to a member with

10 years of active dedicat-

ed service in the auxiliary.

The joint banquet between

the squad and auxiliary is a

yearly event that members

look forward too.

M a r c h / A p r i l 2 0 1 4 P a g e 3 1

2014 Officers of the Auxiliary—Staunton Augusta RS

L-R—Patsy Wingfield, AVAVRS Treasurer/Installing Officer;

Kim Galloway, President; Debbie Rohr, Vice President;

Judy Leach, Secretary; Page Wagner, Treasurer and

Jane Drumheller, Chaplain

L-R - Kim Galloway, President of the Auxiliary Staunton Augusta

Rescue Squad presenting Eugenia Taylor with a certificate

for Life Membership in the Auxiliary

Colonial Beach Volunteer Rescue Squad

Other top award winners:

Chief’s Service Award

& Medal of Honor

Carlton Hudson

EMS Provider of the Year

Lt. Daniel Stinson

Outstanding BLS Provider

Ryan Huffman

Outstanding ALS Provider

Lt. Michael Nance

EMS Rookie of the Year

Melissa Feltner

Outstanding Junior Member

Devon Dudley

Outstanding Support

Team Member

Elta Melson

Chief’s Service Award

Barry Melson

Outstanding EMS Officer

Lt. Alexandra “Alex” Nance

Special Service Award

CBVRS Support Team

Hudson-Costenbader Award

for Outstanding Support

Lewis Bowen Sr.

Kevin Dillard

Outstanding Administrative

Officer

Valerie Ivanyshyn

2014 Operational Officers

Chief Wesley Melson

Asst. Chief Patricia FitzGerald

Lieutenants: Alexandra Nance,

Michael Nance Sr., Chris Kerns,

Daniel Stinson, Melissa Feltner

and Robert Rivenbark

2014 Administrative Officers

President Robert Rivenbark

Vice President Daniel Stinson

Submitted by Sara Hunt Sr. Public Relations Manager Touch Points Public Relations

Colonial Beach, VA (Jan. 6,

2014) – At its annual banquet

on Jan. 4, 2014, Colonial Beach

Volunteer Rescue Squad kicked

off the new year with

installation of officers and

presenting a number of awards

to honor several members for

their outstanding performance

in 2013. The featured guest

speaker was Pat Ivey, author

of EMT—Beyond the Lights and

Sirens.

The squad’s most prestigious

award, Squad Member of the

Year, went to CBVRS Assistant

Chief Patricia “Pat”

FitzGerald, who was also the

squad’s top call runner in 2013

with 582 calls---200 more calls

than the second place call

runner.

Treasurer Patricia FitzGerald

Secretary Amber McKenzie

At Large John Chomeau

At Large Carlton Hudson

Community Liaison Zedda Viets

2014 Support Team Officers

Co-Leader Valerie Ivanyshyn

Co-Leader Elta Melson

Treasurer Patricia FitzGerald

Secretary Debra Guest

In other news:

--An anonymous donor

contributed $25,000 to CBVRS

to be used for renovations and

remodeling to the squad’s

station house on Dennison

Avenue.

--Certificates of Appreciation

for Outstanding Support and

Service were presented to:

Colonial Beach United

Methodist Church

Hall’s Supermarket

Jake Marshall – Spotsylvania

Regional Medical Center

Sara Hunt – Touch Points

Public Relations

“Our squad had a great year in

2013 and we’re anticipating

that 2014 will be even better,”

said CBVRS Rescue Chief

Wesley Melson. “We

congratulate Pat FitzGerald

and Carlton Hudson on their

outstanding achievements

throughout 2013, along with all

of the other members who

were recognized at the annual

awards ceremony. The strength

of our squad is in direct

proportion to the dedication of

our members—they are the

best!”

P a g e 3 2 O f f i c i a l P u b l i c a t i o n o f t h e V A V R S

M a r c h / A p r i l 2 0 1 4 P a g e 3 3

Photo by VAVRS District One Vice President Steve Southworth directly following the District-1

competition meeting at the Wintergreen Overlook; October 27, 2013. The ambulances from left to

right: Wintergreen RS, Hot Springs RS, Staunton-Augusta RS, Waynesboro FAC, Stuarts Draft RS,

Buena Vista RS, and the Rockfish Valley VFD. At our meeting, we had approx. 100 VAVRS members

in attendance, which was hosted by the Wintergreen Fire & Rescue Department.

Photo by VAVRS District One Vice President Steve Southworth directly following the District-1

competition meeting in front of the Churchville Fire & Rescue building; January 26, 2014. The photo

depicts the Churchville FR volunteers, who hosted our meeting. Approximately 100 VAVRS

members were in attendance at this meeting.

Quarterly District-1 meetings consist of EMT-Basic Team, Light Duty Rescue Team and EVOC

Driver competitions, followed by a luncheon, business meeting and awards presentation.

District One

P a g e 3 4 O f f i c i a l P u b l i c a t i o n o f t h e V A V R S

Submitted by Jim Cromer

December is a time for

celebration, to reflect on past

year’s successes and to plan for

the future. 2013 was a good

year for Loudoun Rescue.

Membership grew which meant

putting more providers on the

street, we increased our

community involvement with

the local businesses and we

upgraded our fleet to better

serve the community.

Typically, the Squad will

purchase a new ambulance each

year to replace one of the five

existing ambulances. This was

not done this for many years.

In July 2013 and January 2014

we replaced 2 of our oldest

ambulances with two Type 1

Horton 623-series ambulances

on International 4300 series

chassis. They were designated

Ambulance 613-E and

Ambulance 613-D.

One is a model year 2013 since

it was ordered towards the end

of 2012 while the other is a

2014 model year chassis. Even

though the chassis differ by

one model year they are nearly

identical in design especially

the patient care areas. Both

new ambulances offer a number

of features and enhancements

that our older 2005 and 2006

ambulances did not provide.

They include the following:

Improved engine and

transmission performance as

well as an improved gearing

ratio which provides for

better acceleration from a

stop as well as better highway

driving

Improved chassis heating and

cooling systems as well as an

additional cooling compressor

for more robust air

conditioning in the patient

compartment

New DOT-required

emissions systems

Increased on-board

equipment storage

both in exterior

compartments and

interior cabinets

Improved temperature

-controlled ALS

storage

Loudoun County Volunteer Rescue Squad

All LED exterior emergency

lighting package, LED exterior

scene lighting, and LED patient

compartment lighting

Whelen ® Howler siren

Interior camera system which

provides an exterior rear-view

as well as an interior view of

the patient compartment

Loudoun County Volunteer Rescue Squad

However this year we lost a

very beloved member of our

squad. Our Chaplain of 6 years,

Rev. Glenn “Reiff” Lesher

succumbed to cancer on

Thursday December 19th.

“Reiff” as he was known around

the station served as the

Reconfigured action-area

counter layout to better allow

provider access to the LP-15

cardiac monitor

Reconfigured "notched back"

bench seat to allow providers

more space to access the

patient

The enhancements allow

Loudoun Rescue providers as

well as our Loudoun County Fire

Rescue career staff partners

to better provide emergency

medical services to the

residents of Leesburg and

Loudoun County. Special thanks

to Lt. Tony Mino and his

Committee for the many hours

they spent on this project, a

job well done.

minister for Leesburg

Community Church. He was also

a member of the Loudoun

County Fire & Rescue Chaplain’s

Committee. The many

volunteers at the squad and the

people we served will remember

him for his gentle and caring

manner. His genuine approach

welcomed those in need.

Words cannot describe what

the members thought about

“Reiff”. One member summed

up Reiff’s life as “He walked

the talk”. Reiff, you surely will

be missed.

The Squad is looking forward

to 2014 and the challenges we

may face.

M a r c h / A p r i l 2 0 1 4 P a g e 3 5

1998 MedicMaster on Freightliner

FL-60 Chassis Type 3 Ambulance

$15,900 - Specifications:

- Mileage: 161,400; Current Virginia inspection;

GVWR = 26,000#, 168” wheelbase

- Transmission: Allison MD 3060; 6 speed

automatic - Motor: Cummins B-5.9 diesel; ABS

disc brakes; Limited slip differential - Fuel

tank: 45 gallon; 4 battery system in slide out

tray under driver door - Fast idle; Auto eject shoreline; Power Source 75 battery conditioner - 1250 watt

block heater, wired off shore line - KKK compliant package, sequenced; Powercall and EQ2B sirens, Grover air

horns - Map book storage rack in cab (holds 6 3-inch binders) - 6 exterior storage cabinets; plus separate lock

access for electrical - Interior bench seat with storage; attendant and CPR seats - Firecom intercom system

with 3 headsets - 3 Litebox hand lights, 2 fire extinguishers, mounting bracket for on-board O2 - Lockable

interior drug storage cabinet - Bracket for Stryker cot; air bag loading system with override

FOR SALE

By Fair Oaks Fire and Rescue - For Information email apparatus@fovfr.org

or call Deputy Chief Jonathan Wood 703-925-9120; Cell 703-217-1747

P a g e 3 6 O f f i c i a l P u b l i c a t i o n o f t h e V A V R S

Chancellor Volunteer Fire & Rescue Announces New Officers & Award

presented to the member who

embodies the best of

Chancellor in the areas of

leadership, dedication, service

and excellence. This year’s

winner, who was selected in a

secret ballot vote by the

membership, is Assistant Chief

Robert “Bob” Weber.

Other top award winners

included:

Rookie Firefighter of the

Year

Tyler Johnson

Firefighter of the Year

Will Cook

Oscar Award

Dustin Wright

EMS Rookie of the Year

Krystal Cole

EMS Provider of the Year

John Rayman

EMS Driver of the Year

Matt Goldsborough

Honor Guard Member of the

Year

Brandon Murray with 165 hours

Admin. Member of the Year

Hollie Williams

President’s Award

A.P. Bullock

Chief’s Award

Tom Couch

Top EMS Hours Runner

Nicholas Gilbert with 1,039 hrs

Top Fire Hours Runner

Brandon Murray with 2,345 hrs

Special Award of Recognition

Greg Leitz

Submitted Sara Hunt, Senior Public Relations Manager Touch Points Public Relations

Spotsylvania, Va. (Jan. 29,

2014) – At its annual banquet

and awards ceremony on Jan.

25, 2014, Chancellor Volunteer

Fire & Rescue kicked off the

new year with installation of

officers and presenting a

number of awards to honor

several members for their

outstanding performance in

2013. The featured speaker

was David Hirsch, Senior

Pastor of New Life Outreach

Church in Fredericksburg, who

thanked the organization for

its role in saving the life of his

daughter when she was involved

in a serious car accident.

The organization’s most

prestigious award, CVFR

Member of the Year, is

2014 Administrative Officers:

President Beth Addington

Vice Pres. Robert Padgett Sr.

Secretary Mary Padgett

Treasurer Hollie Williams

Board of Directors and

Member/Large Joseph Habib

Board of Directors and

Member/Large Connie Grennen

Admin. Chief Kevin Dillard

2014 Operational Officers:

Fire Chief John Richter

Dep. Chief Frederick Broccolo

Asst. Chief Robert Weber

Asst. Chief Tony Dennis

Rescue Chief Charles Schultz

Fire Captain Mike Passera

Fire Lt. Geoffrey Knight

Fire Lt. Ryan Passera

EMS Captain Sarah Rees

EMS Lt. Meredith Howdyshell

EMS Lt. Janice Tate

EMS Lt. Janna Roland

“We congratulate Assistant

Chief Weber and all of the

award winners who were

recognized for their dedicated

service and achievements over

the past 12 months,” said Kevin

Dillard, Administrative Chief of

Chancellor Volunteer Fire &

Rescue. “Thanks to their

exemplary efforts, CVFR had a

great year in 2013, and we

anticipate that 2014 will be

even better.”

M a r c h / A p r i l 2 0 1 4 P a g e 3 7

On January 18, Bensley

Bermuda Rescue Squad held

their annual installation

banquet. Bubby Bish installed

the officers. Kenny Frenier

and his wife Harriet were

invited guest. Below the newly

elected officers are sworn in.

The General Assembly started

and VAVRS Lobbyist Ed Rhodes

has been tracking and keeping

all abreast of the many bills

being presented. Two Bills that

are of interest are SB 493 –

Funding for the LODD and

HB1010 – A proposal to lower

the training hours for First

Responders

and EMT’s.

Both bills

have gone

back to

committee.

On January

21 members

from VAVRS

visited the

General

Assembly

Submitted By Kenny Frenier District 3 Vice President

Things have been pretty busy

in Third District since the

beginning of a new year. With

extremely cold temperatures

and 2 snow storms the District

has been inundated with house

fires and transports for flu

like symptoms. Pictured below

is a picture of Colonial Heights

Fire & EMS working a fire as

the result of a pan left un-

attended. This incident

occurred on January 14 in the

2400 BLK of the Boulevard. No

injuries occurred but

substantial damage occurred

to the structure.

and talked to representatives

on the stance of VAVRS.

Those visiting the General

Assembly were President

Rickey Hodge, Vice President

Connie Moore, Past President

Bubby Bish, District 3 VP Kenny

Frenier, Legislative Committee

Co-Chair Dreama Chandler,

Auxiliary President Sharon

Campbell and Auxiliary

Treasurer Patsy Wingfield. I

would like to thank Ed & Carol

Rhodes and Ed’s Assistant for

guiding us around and having

VAVRS recognized during the

opening of the General

Assembly session.

On February 1 several District

III Officers attended the

officers meeting held in Buena

Vista. During this meeting the

80th anniversary raffle tickets

were handed out for each

district to distribute. Tickets

are $1.00 each or a book of 12

for $10. Twenty tickets will be

drawn at conference and each

District Three

P a g e 4 0 O f f i c i a l P u b l i c a t i o n o f t h e V A V R S

Bensley-Bermuda Volunteer Rescue Squad Officers being sworn

in by VAVRS Immediate Past President Edward “Bubby” Bish.

M a r c h / A p r i l 2 0 1 4 P a g e 4 1

Important

VAVRS

Events

2014

Spring BOG Meeting

April 5, 2014 - Holiday Inn,

Bristol, VA

VAVRS Camporee

May 16-17, 2014 - Buena Vista

EMS Week

May 19 - 25, 2014

VAVRS Rescue College

June 6-15, 2014--Virginia Tech,

Blacksburg

IRECA 2011 Conference &

Competition

June 6-15, 2014--TBA

National EMS Memorial Service

June 28, 2014--Colorado Springs

VAVRS Conference

September 24-27, 2014--Va Beach

Virginia EMS Symposium

November 11-15, 2014 -- Norfolk

VAVRS Executive Committee

April 4, 2014 - Bristol

May 31, 2014 - Teleconference

August 9, 2014 - TBA

September 25, 2014 - Va Beach

winner will receive a $500 cash

prize. The more you buy the

more chances you have to win.

Later in the evening of

February 1, the District III

meeting was held at Ashland

Rescue Squad.

We would like to thank Ashland

for the hospitality and great

meal as it had been several

years since they had hosted a

meeting. A Continuing

Education class was conducted

by Training Officer Valeta

Daniels on Medical Legal. The

meeting was conducted by

District VP Kenny Frenier with

15 squads represented. The

District was advised of the

changes for the 80th

Conference. A new category

for Heavy Extrication

competition called open, where

as the equipment will be

provided and the team only

needs to bring their personal

safety equipment. The opening

ceremony will be held on

Wednesday and a cookout will

be held on Thursday evening.

These changes should make for

a different and enjoyable

conference. The raffle tickets

were handed out and most

members were eager to sell

them. District III made the

annual donation of $350 to the

EMS Memorial Service to

support the family’s that

attend. Important dates for

VAVRS were announced as well

as the next District meeting

will be Saturday May 3 at

Bensley Rescue. All are invited

to attend at North Station #2

at 5701 Jefferson Davis

Highway, North Chesterfield,

VA 23234. Continuing Ed Class

starts at 4:00 p.m. and dinner

and meeting at 5:30 p.m.

All squads are reminded that

dues and activity reports are

due in to the VAVRS by March

P a g e 4 2 O f f i c i a l P u b l i c a t i o n o f t h e V A V R S

SVEC Presents Life Saved Award to Appomattox Regional Governor’s School

found her to be pulseless and

apneic. School staff members

Jean Joyner, RN, and Kristina

Fritz started CPR immediately

and the engine arrived on scene

moments later. Ellie was

initially placed on an AED,

which delivered one shock as

Paramedic Betts on Medic 1

arrived on scene. Ellie was

switched to a cardiac monitor

while CPR was continued, and at

the next pulse check the

rhythm was identified as

ventricular fibrillation,

commonly referred to as V-Fib.

After another shock and a few

more cycles of ACLS protocols,

a pulse check revealed a strong

pulse with spontaneous

respirations. After rapid

transport to Southside

Submitted by Harold Good, Southside Virginia Emergency Crew

In EMS, it’s rare to run a call

where you truly feel like you

have made a difference in a

person’s life.

Southside Virginia Emergency

Crew’s Mary “Bee” Betts had

one of those moments on the

morning of November 22nd,

2013.

Ellie Whelan, a 16 year old

sophomore at the Appomattox

Regional Governor’s School for

Arts and Technology, was

participating in a school

assembly when she collapsed

suddenly. School personnel

quickly activated 911. The

initial dispatch was an engine

and a medic for a possible

seizure. The first unit on

scene was a police officer who

was close to the scene. The

officer quickly got to Ellie and

Regional Medical Center, Ellie

was started on VCU Medical

Center’s Advanced

Resuscitation Cooling

Therapeutics and Intensive

Care (ARCTIC) protocol and

transferred by helicopter to

VCU Medical Center’s Cardiac

Intensive Care Unit.

Two days later, Ellie was

extubated and regained

consciousness. Ellie’s initial

neurological function appeared

very promising with few

deficits noted. After nine

days, an extensive battery of

diagnostic tests, and surgery to

implant a demand pacemaker/

defibrillator device, Ellie was

discharged home. Since then,

Ellie has steadily made (Continued on page 43)

M a r c h / A p r i l 2 0 1 4 P a g e 4 3

SVEC Presents Life Saved Award to Appomattox Regional Governor’s School

Governor’s School where the

two staff members who

performed CPR were presented

their Life Saved awards by

Ellie Whelen. The school was

also given an award for

exemplary service for the care

provided to Ellie. With the

support of Ellie’s parents, Jim

and Elizabeth Whelan, the

Southside Virginia Emergency

Crew has set a goal of obtaining

five hundred Hands-Only CPR

kits to train twenty-five

hundred people in CPR.

Richmond Ambulance

progress and most of the

deficits have been resolved.

Seventeen days after suffering

a sudden cardiac arrest, Ellie

returned to school. She has

been through countless tests

since and has said multiple

times, “I just want to go back

to normal.”

There are several factors in

this case that contributed to a

positive outcome. First, and

possibly most importantly,

staff members at the school

are CPR certified and quickly

responded to the incident.

Next, first responders were on

scene quickly and provided high

-quality CPR and early

defibrillation. Return of

spontaneous circulation (ROSC)

was obtained in the field and

Ellie was started on a

comprehensive post-arrest

care plan.

Southside Virginia Emergency

Crew held a life saved award

ceremony in January at the

Appomattox Regional

(Continued from page 42)

Authority, the American Heart

Association, and the Virginia

Heart Attack Coalition have

offered assistance to SVEC to

ensure this important skill is

taught to as many people as

possible. Our sincerest hope is

that this unfortunate medical

emergency will pave the way

for a higher sense of

community emergency

preparedness and, ultimately,

increased success rates for pre

-hospital resuscitation in our

community.

Bensley-Bermuda Volunteer Rescue Squad Celebrates 60 Years, Installation of Officers

In May of 2014 the BBVRS will

proudly celebrate 60 years of

providing emergency service to

the eastern portion of

Chesterfield County. The

squad responded to

approximately 750 calls for

assistance in an area of

approximately 75 square miles

with a population of over

70,000. The service BBVRS

provides includes emergency

care on basic and advanced life

support levels and a bike team

and also relies on many

volunteers who devote their

time to serve their community.

For more information contact

us at 804-915-7367 or visit us

online at http://www.bbvrs.net.

P a g e 4 4 O f f i c i a l P u b l i c a t i o n o f t h e V A V R S

Submitted by Micky Grodski, Publicity for Bensley-Bermuda

The Bensley-Bermuda

Volunteer Rescue (BBVRS)

Squad recently held its 60th

Officers Installation Banquet

and awards ceremony at the

Holiday Inn (Southpark) in

Colonial Heights on January

28th 2014. The ceremony was

hosted by the Bensley Bermuda

Auxiliary. BBRVS members

present at ceremony included

Senior Squad, Life Members

and Auxiliary members.

Edward “Bubby” Bush, Director

of Operations, Southside

Emergency Crew, Petersburg,

VA and the immediate past

president of the Virginia

Association of Volunteer

Rescue Squads (VAVRS)

administered the oath of

office to the 2014 officers.

Pictured L-R the 2014 BBVR

Officers: Gary Frame,

Immediate Past President/

Board Member, Charles “Chuck:

Mayle, Board Member; Linda

Winger, Secretary; Dawn

Helton, Vice President; Dr.

John Olson, President; Chris

Craft, Building and Grounds;

Jim Jones, Chaplain; Micky

Grodski, Publicity and, Sandra

Epps, Transportation Officer.

Officers not pictured: Rory

Strum, Treasurer; Mike

Manzelli, Chief of Operations;

John Styer, Night Operations

and Supply Officer: Beth

Austin, Weekend Operations;

Beth Strum, Comptroller: Bill

Mangum, Equipment Officer;

Gerri Kirkhum, Parliamentarian:

Susan Lowe, Safety, Health

and Training Officer; Ron

Wright, Bike Team Captain, and

Jonathan Hughes,

Communications Officer.

M a r c h / A p r i l 2 0 1 4 P a g e 4 5

Dear Rescue Ranger,

I get so nervous and

frightened during E.V.O.C.

practical driving tests!

B. B

Dear Bubby,

Don't worry about it. You'll

pass eventually. You’re the

instructor.

Dear Rescue Ranger,

I was told that you don’t eat

vegetables? Why not?

T. G.

Dear Tommy,

Dear Rescue Ranger,

I have been struggling with

understanding medical terms.

Can you give me a good

illustration of cardiac arrest?

W.B.

Dear Wayne,

This is the best I could find...

Dear Rescue Ranger

Dear Rescue Ranger,

I have enclosed an early photo

of me and hoping you will share

one of your early photos…

B.B.

Dear Bubby,

Dear Rescue Ranger,

I attended the Stuarts Draft

Banquet and heard you tell the

group that your wife beats you.

I was so sorry to hear that.

How often does that occur?

J. S.

Dear Justin,

Every time we play Scrabble!

Dear Rescue Ranger,

My stomach is getting awfully

big. Should I diet?

Porky

Dear Porky,

What color?

Dear Rescue Ranger,

My hair keeps falling out. What

do you suggest I use to keep it

in?

R. S.

Dear Ronnie,

A shoebox.

Dear Rescue Ranger,

I was a recent patient you

treated. If you remember I

had fallen, suffered a mild

concussion and was a little out

of my head. I remember you

telling me that I was in good

health and that I will probably

live to be eighty. Well, for

your information I am 80.

A. P. E.

Dear Page,

See, what did I tell you.

P a g e 4 6 O f f i c i a l P u b l i c a t i o n o f t h e V A V R S

M a r c h / A p r i l 2 0 1 4 P a g e 4 7

NO

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U.S

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2

PO Box 279

2535 Turkey Creek Road

Oilville, VA 23129

ISSN 0279-6023

Phone: 804-749-8191

Phone: 800-833-0602

Fax: 804-749-8910

E-mail: vavrs@vavrs.com

"Greater Love Hath No Man Than

This, That A Man Lay down His

Life For His Friends." John 15:13

Virginia Association of Volunteer

Rescue Squads, Inc.

The Rescue Contest Committee is seeking teams for

the 2014 VAVRS conference in Virginia Beach.

The contest provides each team member the ability to

demonstrate their knowledge and skills in a problem designed

specifically for rescue teams.

The guidelines and rules for competing teams

will be mailed to you upon request.

Questions – contact Lin Matthews (804-405-1247)

Kelly Southard (540-718-0342) or Bill Camm (434-546-6909)

Come join the fun and excitement of competing, use your

knowledge and skills, and represent your squad at the conference. Hear

your squad’s name called at the awards ceremony when you win a trophy.

We are looking forward to seeing more teams compete in the

Rescue Contest at the annual conference September 23 -28, 2014.

WANTED —— RESCUE TEAMS

2014 Annual VAVRS Conference - September 24-28, 2014

Mail or fax reservation to: VAVRS Housing Bureau,

2101 Parks Ave Suite. 500, VA Beach, VA 23451

or fax to 757-437-6039 or email to ellogan@vbgov.com

RESERVATIONS DEADLINE: 8/15/2014.

For complete details go to www.vavrs.com

VAVRS Conference Housing Info