Scottsville Volunteer Rescue Squad

General Membership Meeting

5/08/07

Call to Order: The President called the meeting to order at 20:10 hours, at which time an

attendance sheet was circulated

Approval of the April minutes: because of the delay in providing copies of the April minutes to

the membership, approval of the April minutes will take place at the June meeting

President’s Report (J. MacDonald):

a. Mac welcomes Frances Moore as the new member of the Board

b. The Squad extended its sympathy to Karen Ward for the loss of her mother

c. Two articles appeared in the Scottsville Monthly for May, one on Jackie Moore and the

other on the donation of old 707

d. Special thanks to Treasurer Brandis Roman for her hard work on the FUNDRAISER and

in IDENTIFYING BILLS

e. Mac notes that the change of accountants has been helpful

f. Revenue Recovery committee – Mac and Tammy sit on committee along with Chiefs of

Charlottesville FD, Albemarle CFR, CARS, Western and an ACFRAB representative

from North Garden VFD. The committee is chaired by supervisor David Wyant. A

representative from a billing company made a presentation at the last meeting. That

meeting was a sharing of information and thoughts.

g. Albemarle County Day on May 24

th

– Mac will take a truck, probably ambulance 706.

Anyone want to attend with Mac.

h. SVRS is in compliance with the OEMS regarding PPCR/PPDR reporting for the first

quarter of 2007. Thanks to Karen Ward for her hard work with data entry.

i. Mac will be contacting inactive Squad members to determine their membership status

j. Mac noted that we have a problem with lack of coverage by some of our duty crews, and

questioned how such issues are best resolved…

k. The President noted that since the adoption of the 800 mHz radio system, there is no

way to “page" the bulk of the membership, and he further indicated that this lack of

communication capability is an issue to be addressed by the Chiefs; Administrative

Officers and Duty Officers. Input from all Squad members

on this problem is most

welcome.

Vice President’s report (Jeremy Graybill)

a. Nancy Smith’s six-month candidacy period has been completed and Nancy was

presented to the entire membership for approval as a full member. Nancy’s status as

a full member was approved.

Secretary’s Report (Karen Ward) – no report

Treasurer’s Report (Brandis Roman)

a. Brandis indicated that the materials for the fundraising mailing are impressive, and

she thanked Scott for assisting her in the mailing of the solicitations.

b. We have received a number of donations, some of which are designated as

memorials to Jackie Moore and others.

c. Brandis and Tracy Cersley have been working together on the Squad’s expenditures,

and have already identified over $2000 in charged for good and services no longer

used by the Squad. This new arrangement has been very productive.

BOD Report (Kevin Quick, Linda Lloyd, Phyllis Johnson, Frances Moore, Don Linden):

no report

Report by Chief RC 7 (Tammy Johnson)

•

The County budget was not approved as of the meeting, so SVRS budget is not

completed.

•

The Chief asked that members think about capital expenditures they would like to see.

Perhaps adding a second floor to a larger portion of the building might be a possibility.

•

Tammy invited anyone who wishes to participate in the July 4

th

parade to see her.

•

The Chief thanks Matt Coffey of ACFR for the excellent job he did stripping and waxing

the floor in the Community Room.

•

The Chief attended an informational meeting on pandemic influenza, and asks that each

member tell her the number of persons in his/her family in order that the correct amount

of medication be allotted to our area for first responders. Tammy also demonstrated a

“Heater Meal," similar to the military’s MRE.

•

Tammy indicated that the new 707 is not being completed in a timely fashion, and that

she and RC 7-2 will be returning to NC to determine the status of the new truck.

•

705 broke down and will be taken for repairs.

•

Bloody trash must be disposed of in the red box/bags for biohazard.

•

Revenue Recovery – The President and the Chief sit on a panel that is chaired by

Supervisor David Wyant and is charged with determining the advantages and

disadvantages of charging for services provided by EMS.

o

Tammy wishes to get the feelings of the members regarding the billing and the

impact it would have on volunteerism, etc. Please speak with her, email her, or

place a note in her mailbox.

o

Through the committee, Mac will be contacting about a dozen squads that are

currently billing for service and speaking with them about their experiences.

o

The Chief noted that public information and how such a biling plan is presented

to the citizens is critical, the case in point being in the Staunton/Augusta rollout of

billing that precipitated a public outcry.

o

Kostis Alibertis, Chief of WARDS suggested to the Revenue Recovery

Committee that a “fire tax" be applied to all citizens in place of EMS billing.

o

Tammy indicated that we might gain revenue from Buckingham, Nelson, and

Fluvanna were such a plan to be adopted.

o

Questions from the membership:

.

Emilie Wheeler questioned would there be “hard" or “soft" billing. (would

failure to pay result in the bill being automatically turned over to a

collection agency.) The Chief responded that there would probably be

“compassionate billing," in that some accounts would simply be written

off.

.

Linda Lloyd asked what level of care would the public expect. Tammy

responded that this would be a public relations issue that would require

that the citizens be informed of the levels of response.

.

Scott Roman asked about differentiated billing depending on whether a

call were BLS or ALS. The Chief indicated that there is a distinction in

cost between the levels of care. He also wondered about the impact on

donations.

.

Steve Besecker suggested that a meeting be scheduled to discuss only

this topic for those interested. Steve also questioned whether the “Good

Samaritan" law would continue to protect providers. Tammy indicated that

she believed that there would be no change in the “Good Sam"

protection.

.

Erica Storey indicated that she has worked for an agency that

participates in revenue recovery, and she stated that there has been little

change in how the public sees the Squad, in participate by the

membership, or in the number and dollar amount of donations.

.

As an adjunct to the Treasurer’s report, Tammy noted that there was a

$1,700 Metrocall charge for pagers no longer in use that has caused that

line item to exceed budget. There are also charges for an Alltell phone no

longer in use (434-981-2909) from old 707.

RC-71 Report (James Napier): no report

RC72 Report (Larry Antonacci): no report

RC-73 Report (Joe Jordan): no report

RC-74 Report (Gene Johnson):

- Rescue Chief 7-4 reminded all members that the minimum O2 tank volume for the large

tanks on the ambulances is 800 pounds.

- Gene also reminded us all that the O2 system in the units leaks, and that the system

should be off at the tank

after each use.

- Phyllis reminded us to check the O2 levels in all units when coming to duty, as an

unfortunate incident arose when her crew had to go to third-due unit and the O2 tank

was empty

- All units are currently up-to-date with inspections, although the enclosed trailer needs to

be inspected

- New tires mounted and front-end alignment completed on trucks in need

Call Sheet Review (Valerie Quick): due to family illness, Valerie was unable to be present and

consequently there was no call sheet review.

Old Business: none

New Business: none

Motion for Adjournment: a motion for adjournment was made, seconded, and carried. The

meeting was adjourned at 21:08 hours.

Respectfully submitted,

James R. MacDonald

President