Director's Corner
Rolly Churchill, AEMT-P, Executive Director
New York State Volunteer Ambulance and Rescue Association (NYSVARA)
March 7, 2011
The New York State Volunteer Ambulance and Rescue Association (NYSVARA) is a statewide not‑for‑profit, 501(c)(3) membership organization, that has been active since 1939. NYSVARA has a mission to promote and assist the interests of the state’s community volunteer and nonprofit EMS and First Responder agencies across the state. NYSVARA appears to be the only organized group in the state of New York that sets a pace for educational, legislative and organizational structure to represent agencies like Thousand Islands Rescue. NYSVARA is growing in popularity and new members are uniting under its direction and mission. It still appears that most of the members are from the downstate area or below the Interstate 90 corridor.
TI-Rescue has been a member of the NYSVARA for three years. We have “joined” what is called District 15 within NYSVARA’s structure. District 15 is an “at large” district which has no specific geography but it is comprised of multiple non-profit independent agencies similar in structure to TI-Rescue. We meet with these other agencies’ managers quarterly; the agenda of items that we discuss range from policies and procedures, health and or vehicle insurance to simply uniform styles and recruitment and retention principles. NYSVARA leadership actually calls District 15 the State Group. For the last two years the “State Group” has provided speakers and program participants at NYSVARA’s annual conference in Albany called Pulse Check (this year’s Pulse Check is scheduled for September 22-25).
I am very impressed with District 15 and the ability of the group to not only discuss many innovative things, but also to go back to our own organizations to implement them. I have learned many things from our meetings but I feel very good that we often lead the conversations with the programs and initiatives that we have developed here at TI-Rescue.
EMS in New York State has simply been a ship without a rudder. In tough times when independent ambulance agencies struggle to get through state or federal regulations or are faced with difficult tasks or decisions, we always seem to “go it alone.” It’s certainly time that we begin looking at ways to organize, and NYSVARA appears to have this capacity and the strongest membership to carry the word of EMS in our state. It is time that we independents come together to be heard as one large agency rather than fight the battles alone. The "upstate" independent squads could have a larger voice if only we could combine them.
I would propose that every independent squad first of all join NYSVARA to increase the membership roll geographically north of Interstate 90. Secondly, that squads gather together to form a district within NYSVARA--specifically the North County region--where typical agencies share many, many similarities. Lastly, that squads meet regularly with district members and take up issues that affect your squad or region and bring that word to NYSVARA for a stronger voice.
Soon I will be sending out correspondence to independent ambulance squads in Lewis, Jefferson and St. Lawrence counties to invite them to our next District 15 meeting scheduled for Thursday May 19, 2011 at 9:00 am here at TIERS to discuss NYSVARA and talk about a real possibility of forming a district in the North County.
RC 201
TI-RESCUE to promote EMT and Paramedic Careers
March 7, 2011
Working with local school district counselors, Fort Drum Regional Health Planning Organization and Jefferson Community College, Thousand Islands Emergency Rescue Service (TIERS) is meeting the challenge of Paramedic shortages in the North Country. Just like the shortage of nurses and other allied health care professions in the area, paramedics are also in need by multiple EMS agencies, including TI-Rescue.
For over seven years, TI-RESCUE has had a Junior Membership Program in place to attract area teens into the agency. The Junior Membership program allows young adults 15 to 17 years of age to join TI-RESCUE as a volunteer and obtain training in CPR, First Aid and many other lifesaving techniques working side by side with field Paramedics. Participants actually respond on calls with the crew once they complete orientation. Many of TI-RESCUE’s Junior Members obtain further training as Emergency Medical Technicians and have even gone on to become Paramedics. The NYS Emergency Medical Technician classes are given through Jefferson County Public Health EMS Department for local agencies. As long as you are with a volunteer agency, EMT training is free to the individual. Graduates from the NYS Emergency Medical Technician course may also test for “National Registry EMT” should they be moving out of New York. Nationally Registry Certification is generally accepted in every state in the USA and testing can be done at Fort Drum.
Beginning in August of 2011, TI-RESCUE will sponsor a new program called the Paramedic Student Bunk-In Program. This new program was modeled after other programs around NYS that usually “bunk” firefighter career students. TI-RESCUE will offer a Paramedic candidate attending Jefferson Community College a scholarship and essentially “free room and board” for taking 24 hours of “call” each week. The candidate must be a NYS Emergency Medical Technician who stays enrolled in the JCC Paramedic Program and will get a dorm-style room with a bed, dresser, desk, refrigerator and free laptop computer and will have access to kitchen facilities and the amenities available to all TI-RESCUE members. The student will become a volunteer member of TI-RESCUE. During the 18-month program period, the student would receive a scholarship of $1500.00 for each semester which would be paid as a stipend every two weeks.
During the program time and duration, the student will be working and receiving on-the-job training by TI-RESCUE career Paramedics and Administrative staff as well as other members of the organization. The goal of the program will be to groom the student to graduate and become a career Paramedic with TI-RESCUE or another agency in the North County.
TI-RESCUE’s administration has also been working with the Fort Drum Regional Health Planning Organization to expand the Paramedic Student Bunk-in Program to other EMS agencies throughout the North County.
RC 201
Summer, 2010
Thousands Islands Rescue is a member of the New York State Volunteer Ambulance and Rescue Association (NYSVARA). The Association is divided up into geographic sections or districts but they also have one “district at large” which is District 15. District 15 is composed of many different active EMS agencies that are all independent squads and are not affiliated with Fire Departments. All have paid managers and a combination paid/ volunteer staffing. When TIERS joined NYSVARA we also became active in District 15 and we meet quarterly. What appeals to me with “this” group are the professionalism, relevant current topics and agendas, and the informative problem solving abilities that each member can bring to the meetings that we have. I feel this group is capable of looking at most issues and collectively solving them or able to bring great information together to assist other individual services.
During the last District 15 meeting the seemingly small topic came up about uniforms. Basically the question seemed to be what everyone’s agency is wearing for uniforms, dress, casual, the costs of certain items, Class A uniforms for special details, etc., in a fairly active conversation. It was inherently obvious that everyone was doing something different, nothing was consistent and nearly every agency chief disliked what their own squad had for a uniform in some manner. One constant topic was all agencies wanted to go to a look that is “different” than fire agencies and even police agencies that would or could be distinctively EMS, but also get away from the shoddy-looking “job-shirt” with the jean collar that easily fades and looses it professional appearance. The job-shirt, however, has seemed to have infiltrated nearly all Fire and EMS agencies. It was agreed that EMS should avoid this “look” and let the fire service have it.
All the managers agreed that the EMS “look” be consistent, have a professional crisp look to it, be comfortable to work in and an appeal that the agency could promote within the ranks. As an experiment most of these agencies agreed on the “look” and to give it a try to see how it would appeal. We unveiled the new uniform shirts during EMS Week this year and we outfitted most of the Paramedics and some staff with these new shirts to get some input on them.
I have personally been wearing the shirts and I like them very much and the feedback from everyone has been very positive. Acting on this positive feedback, TIERS will be implementing the new uniforms for all staff. The message to our community will be to begin noticing our new uniforms and see that our image is important and that EMS personnel should look different than police and fire personnel. I think we have succeeded.
RC
