EMS Magazine Announces the Winners of the 12th Annual EMS Gold Award

     EMS Magazine proudly presents the winners of its 12th annual Gold Award competition-one volunteer service and one paid. As part of this award, a representative from each winning agency will be EMS Magazine's guest at the EMS EXPO in Las Vegas, NV, September 25-29, where they will be recognized at a special award ceremony prior to the opening keynote presentation on September 27. In addition to an engraved trophy and gifts from EMS, each service will receive thousands of dollars in discounts and prizes from the contest's many corporate sponsors. For more information on the prizes, turn to page 123.

North Adams Ambulance Service, Inc., North Adams, MA
     North Adams Ambulance Service (NAAS) may not be the largest EMS provider in the country, but providing coverage for five towns, including nearby Stanford, VT, 3,700 calls a year and mutual aid to other services in the area keeps them plenty busy. And, in addition to their normal duties, NAAS teaches CPR and first aid classes to the public and is in the process of making North Adams a "HeartSafe" community. This year, in addition to winning the EMS Gold Award for a paid service, NAAS was named 2006 Berkshire County EMS Agency of the Year. All of this, says John Meaney, Jr., NAAS's lead instructor coordinator, proves the agency is an EMS leader in western Massachusetts.

     In 2004, NAAS faced a major challenge when the state announced that, beginning in 2005, only accredited training institutions would be allowed to teach EMS classes.

     "Prior to this, as long as the instructor coordinator was certified, he/she could sponsor a class pretty much anywhere," says Meaney. "They could go to a local fire department or ambulance company and train EMTs there. With the state's new requirement, you had to be a higher-education facility, like a college or high school, or you had to meet a lengthy requirement. We had to develop a whole new program and curriculum and implement new policies and procedures in order to become accredited. So we went through the grueling process, which took about a year, and we got it. I went to school to become an IC, and we went from there. We're the only company in Berkshire County right now that is accredited to teach EMTs, and that's a big plus for us."

     Meaney is the lead instructor for the training program, which is currently only offering classes at the Basic level. He is assisted by NAAS general manager Michael Gleason, EMT-P; office manager and EMT Paige Gleason; and EMTs Michael Tessier, Lynn Richardson, Rob Luckritz and Robert Dobbert. The NAAS program exceeds state requirements, says Meaney. State requirements permit an instruction range of 110-150 hours; NAAS requires 140 hours of instruction, plus mandatory ambulance ride-along time and some mandatory observation time at the North Adams Regional Hospital ED.

     In spite of its success, however, NAAS struggles with retention like everyone else. Money, Meaney says, is the biggest issue.

     "Unfortunately, services are unable to pay what they'd like to, and people are either working several jobs for different services, or they just aren't able to stay in the business.

     "We're actually participating in a rural EMS recruitment and retention summit sponsored by our region," he adds. "It will be a day when we can get together and throw out ideas and see how others are dealing with this issue. We have people coming from OEMS in Boston, as well as representatives from New Hampshire and Vermont."

     The community is very supportive of North Adams Ambulance, says Meaney, and things are looking up. "We've only done three training classes and have already hired three new employees from the last class. We have another class starting in September, and we hope it will bring some new blood into Berkshire County EMS."

Sterling Volunteer Rescue Squad, Sterling, VA
     In people years, the Sterling Volunteer Rescue Squad would only be considered middle-aged, but in EMS, it's one of the old-timers. Formed in 1964, this totally volunteer organization is staffed by 140 members, more than half of whom are ALS-certified providers. Located in northern Virginia, just outside Washington, DC, the squad maintains two stations, with plans for a third in a county that is among the fastest growing in the country.

     Sterling Rescue responded to 7,000 calls in 2005 in an area with a population of 80,000. The squad provides mutual aid to nearby Dulles Airport and Fairfax County (VA), and provides BLS and ALS care, technical and water rescue and a bike team. In 1974, members implemented a county-wide CPR Pyramid program for instructor trainers, instructors and county citizens. Sterling still maintains an active public education program, including CPR courses for the community.

     In 2004, Sterling purchased two AEDs for every high school in the county. This motivated the county school superintendent to purchase and place AEDs in every elementary and middle school.

     Sterling Rescue has nine chaplains, who provide assistance to grieving families and provide counseling for squad members. Sterling's NOVA TF-8 is one of Virginia's disaster task forces and has mobilized for high-profile responses like: all presidential inaugurations since 1972; Nelson County floods in 1969; Hurricane Agnes flooding in 1972; a TWA crash in 1974 and an Air Florida crash in the DC area in 1982; the Pentagon terrorist attack in 2001; and Hurricane Katrina in 2005. In 1999, the squad received the Virginia Governor's Award for Outstanding EMS Agency, and it was the first recipient of the Northern Virginia EMS Council's Best EMS Agency award in 2004.

     Although Sterling Rescue has its share of problems, retention is not one of them.

     "We're actually pretty successful at retaining volunteers," says Chief Byron Andrews. "Part of it, I guess, is the way the organization is structured. Members only run one night a week, so they know that every Monday night, for example, that's what they'll be doing. We always need members, and our members come and go, but we have some with five, 10 or 15 years with the service. We're known in the area to be very professional, and that's attractive. We've also been working with the local community college, where we provide precepting time and ride-along time for students as a way for them to get experience."

     One major problem that Sterling does have, says Andrews, is that its budget was just cut by 40%.

     "That hit us pretty hard," he says. "Part of the problem was that everyone's assessments were so high, the county had to cut the tax rate, and EMS was one of those affected because we're one of the largest agencies. We still get money from private donations, and we get about $200,000 a year from a mass mailing to the community.

     "All of our members are very dedicated individuals, who take pride in what they do," Andrews adds, "and this Gold Award reflects the success of each and every one of them and their contributions not only to the community, but to the EMS system as a whole."

In other EMS News

$10 Million Deal On Claims Of Underpayment
     A $10 million settlement for underpaying hundreds of Pennsylvania ambulance services may represent a legal precedent that could benefit others in similar situations, the Pittsburgh Business Times reported.

     Major health insurer Highmark agreed to pay that amount to settle a class-action lawsuit alleging it underpaid around 300 services in western Pennsylvania between 1997-2002. The amount is believed to be a record for the ambulance industry.

     The settlement will be divided among the services based on their call volumes. Pittsburgh's Bureau of EMS will receive $400,000.

     The dispute centered around the rate Highmark paid for transports of members having its Medicare HMO coverage. That rate was approved by Medicare, but was less than what was billed by the ambulance providers. The providers claimed they should be repaid the full amount for the care provided, rather than the lower rate set by Medicare. The difference averaged $400 per bill.-Pittsburgh Business Times

Fundraiser Ends With Medic Being Shot
     A North Carolina paramedic was shot in late July as she tried to assist an allegedly intoxicated man back to his home. Tami Stephen, of Madison County EMS, was struck once in the chest and remained in serious but stable condition as this issue went to press.

     According to the Asheville Citizen-Times, Stephen was among the EMS providers dispatched for an individual losing consciousness at the Wolf Laurel Country Club. Once at the scene, they determined the man was intoxicated, a spokesman for the first-responding Ebbs Chapel Fire Department said. The man's wife asked for assistance transporting him home. Once there, providers were helping the man from his car when he reportedly pulled a .22-caliber pistol from his pocket and shot Stephen.

     A volunteer firefighter quickly disarmed and subdued the man. A second gun and two clips were later found in his car. "I believe that it was the quick action of the first responders that kept other shots from being fired," Madison County Sheriff John Ledford told the newspaper.

     Joseph B. Candler, 68, was arrested and charged with felony assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill or inflict serious injury, and sheriff's detectives said more charges may be forthcoming. He had been attending a fundraiser for the Southern Appalachian Repertory Theatre Guild.

     "Some [local firefighters] personally knew this man," Ledford said, "and find it totally out of character. No one can understand how this happened."