NDEMSA  
               February                    Newsletter

From the President:

I was a little disappointed last weekend when Punxsutawney Phil emerged from his den and prognosticated that we would have six more weeks of winter.  I’m hoping that the forecast had to do with a mistranslation of groundhogs or maybe the amount of drinking that was going on in Gobbler’s Knob and not an actual meteorological forecast.  Either way, I anticipate that everyone is ready for winter to be done and we can start enjoying the two weeks of summer we typically experience here in North Dakota.

Fortunately, there’s a tremendous opportunity for all of us to come together and enjoy a little fun in February.  The 2018 Northeast Region Conference will be held February 16 -  18 at the Red Roof Inn in Grand Forks, ND. The NE Directors have done an excellent job putting together the weekend conference.  It’s also a chance for you to get those last few hours you need to recertify.  Details are available on the NDEMSA website at http://ndemsa.orgor you can call Corrie at 701-221-0567 for more information.  While you’re at the NDEMSA website don’t forget to check out the information on the 43^rd Annual NDEMSA Rendezvous April 12, 13, 14 in Bismarck, ND. 

Elections for the North Dakota EMS Association Regional Director positions will be held February 19 to March 05, 2018.  The deadline to submit nominations for candidates was December 31^st.  Information on the nominated candidates is posted on the NDEMSA website.  Current members of the ND EMS Association will receive information via e-mail on the voting process.  This is a safe and secure on-line voting method that will help ensure all members have an opportunity to vote for their regional candidates.  We’d also ask that at your next staff meeting you remind everyone to make sure the NDEMSA office has their current email.  If we don’t have a current e-mail address on file you will not be included. Only one person per e-mail is allowed a vote via that email.  If more than one person shares an email you can submit a paper ballot or set up a separate e-mail account.  Just make sure we have your information. With candidates running unopposed there is no regional elections in the Northeast and Southeast regions.  The Southwest and Northwest both had three nominations for the two available Regional Director terms.  There WILL BE regional voting for the Southwest and Northwest region NDEMSA members.       

There has been a lot of discussion recently on the EMS Assistance Grant distributed by the ND Division of EMS – Bismarck.  The EMS Assistance Grant has done a great deal to help North Dakota Ambulance Services across the state offset  critical operational budgetary needs and we are thankful for the support that we have received from the Legislature.  From a personal standpoint, I think that we need to do a better job at helping with real, critical budget needs for all of the EMS agencies here in North Dakota.  The limitations of the grant are that it cannot meet every need for EMS in North Dakota.  So, we understand when there is disagreement with how the grant is distributed and not everyone may be satisfied with the final results.  The NDEMSA provides input on the grant process, but the final decisions on the distribution of the grant are made by the Division of EMS. The DEMS and their staff work hard to make sure this is a fair and equitable process.  They are also very interested in how the grant may be managed and want your input.  They have sent surveys out to squad leaders asking for their thoughts and suggestions. Please make sure that your agency has returned the survey to DEMS soon and forwards any feedback your group may have on the issue.  They really do want to hear all sides of the discussion.

I want to extend our thanks to Kelli Sears for her work at the North Dakota Division of EMS.  Kelli has found other opportunities in EMS and will be moving on to new challenges. THANK YOU for all that you have done for the individual providers and agencies across the state.  We appreciate your willingness to listen and work with us to create a better system of EMS in North Dakota.   

Please let us know what we can do to help your service meet the challenges of providing EMS in North Dakota.  Thank you for what you do in your communities every day!  I look forward to seeing you at an upcoming NDEMSA event.

Sincerely,

Jim Restemayer

NDEMSA President

From the Education Coordinator:

Greetings fellow EMS providers,

Last October the Association offered its first online EMR course. Seventeen people participated. The course ended in January with the students taking a practical exam at either the SE Regional conference in Jamestown or the NW Regional conference in Minot. There will also be a practical offered at the State EMS Rendezvous in Bismarck in May for those who could not make either of the two.

I am happy to say that out of the 11 who have tested, all passed and are now members of the Association and our EMS family.Congratulations and a big thank you, to those who sponsored students. Your dedication is very much appreciated.

The second online EMR course started on February 4 and will end just prior to the EMS Rendezvous in April.

The Rendezvous planning committee has been busy getting the schedule, speakers, topics, entertainment and paperwork in order. This years conference promises to be not only educational, but also fun. Baby Boomers,I've heard rumors that this conference could be "bigger than Woodstock". We'll have to wait and see.

Remember, you can find out what's happening within the Association by visiting our web site at www.ndemsa.org

I hope to see many of you at the NE Regional in Grand Forks on February 16-18.

Until then, happy early Valentine's day, keep warm.

Randal Severson

Education Coordinator

2018 ND EMS Rendezvous Update

Brochures for the Rendezvous have been mailed out/ registration and information can be found here.  If you have any questions please contact the office.

The 43rd annual conference is filled with over 60 educational sessions and the exhibit hall is filling up!

EMS Management Conference Survey

The 4th Annual EMS Management Conference will be held in Bismarck on June 4-5, 2018.  The service leader committee is currently putting together the conference schedule and are seeking input on what topics and content North Dakota EMS leaders would like to see offered. 

If you would like to provide your input on topics and/or individuals who would make good presenters please email rseverson@ndemsa.org. 

NDEMSA SE Regional Conference

The ND EMS Association SE Regional Conference was held January 13 and 14 at the Quality Inn, Jamestown, ND. Sanford Health Emergency Education put on an 8 hour Pediatric Advanced Emergency Assessment, Recognition and Stabilization (PEARS) course as a  preconference Friday which was well attended. The PEARS preconference prepared attendees to provide appropriate lifesaving interventions within the initial minutes of response until a child can be transferred to an advanced life support provider. Thank you presenters Bob Klein and Tyler Dekrey.

Saturday started out with Ron Lawler speaking on special health care needs followed by Katy Kressin and VAD.  Caponagraphy by Stefan Hofer and the Zoll Lifevest presentation by Megan Mistro ended our morning sessions. The service leader’s round table was held over the noon hour with lots of good discussion.

The afternoon started with Stefan and his dog Penny talking about search and rescue. Stroke by the Sanford Hospital Stroke Center followed. Randy Severson presented on neurological/seizures and the day ended with Perham ambulance members Mark Ebeling and Barb Felt telling us their story of CO poisoning.

Sunday began with Jason Eblen waking us all up with Psychiatric followed by toxicological/ opioids. Ron taught us the importance of research and PJ Hardy covered pediatric transport and culture of safety.

Following the SE annual meeting the SIMS trucks and stations took over for excellent hands on training.

Thank you to all of the amazing speakers for sharing your knowledge with the participants.

Thank you to the SE Board of Directors Cheryl Flick, Jason Eblen, Katy Kressin, and Loretta Haas for putting on an amazing conference.

Thanks you to Montpelier 4-H for serving the food, Quality Inn and Suites for your hospitality,  and Sanford AirMed for sponsoring the breaks.

2017 Northwest Region EMS Conference

                                                          The Northwest Region EMS Conference

The Northwest Region EMS Conference was held January 27 and 28^th, 2018 at the Grand Motel in Minot with 114 participants attending the conference.

Friday night kicked off the weekend with preconference topic pediatric emergencies simulations presented by SIM- ND.

On Saturday nine NCCR topics were covered. The morning began with Ron Lawler presenting roles of research, followed by Wayne Fahy teaching VADs and Post Resuscitation Care. The day concluded with Darci Grunett presenting special healthcare needs and Jerelyn Alexander talking about stroke. Other topics discussed throughout the day were trauma triage, at-risk populations, culture of safety, hygiene and vaccinations by Wayne Fahy and Ron Lawler.

During Saturday lunch NDEMSA Regional Advisors Lynn Hartman, PJ Hardy, and Tom Engen held a well-attended service leader meeting. Kelli Sears from the NDDEMS gave updates on what is happening throughout the state.

Sunday had many NCCR presentations.  Cory Johnson presented on pediatric cardiac arrest,OB emergencies, and pediatric transport. Greg Hughes presented on crew resource management, while Ron Lawler discussed neurological emergencies and seizures and psychiatric and behavioral emergencies.  Jordan Rabe presented toxicological/ opioid emergencies.  A last minute schedule change allowed for PJ Hardy to present hemorrhage control. Thank you PJ for stepping in! Sunday wrapped up with Great Plains Quality Innovation Network discussing early recognition of sepsis in rural communities and Dr. Jeffrey Sather with medical/ trauma case studies.

Thank you to our sponsors: Enbridge, Hess, Trinity Health, Northstar Criticair, Sanford EMS Education, and Aflac.

Thank you to regional directors Tami Petersen, Diane Witteman, Aden Clark, and Emily Hughes for setting up the conference and collecting door prizes.  Abig thank you to all those who attended the NW Conference. We appreciate everything you do for EMS.

A special thankyou to presenters Greg Hughes, Division Chief of Training, Williston Fire Dept.

Jerelyn Alexander, Trinity Health Stemi/Stroke Coordinator, Wayne Fahy, Trinity Health/Community Ambulance Education, Ron Lawler, Sanford Health EMS Education, NDEMSA Education Appointee, Cory Johnson,EMS Division, Williston Fire Department,

PJ Hardy, Ringdahl EMS, Dr. Jeffrey Sather, Chief of Medicine, Trinity Health,ND Medical Director,Jordon Rabe, Trinity Health/Northstar Criticair, Darci Grunett, BSC EMS/Paramedic Education, and Great Plains Quality Innovation Network

The 2019 Northwest Conference is scheduled for January 19-20, 2019.  You can view the NCCR hours that will be being offered in 2019 at www.ndemsa.org/NCCR-Hours-Offered.

The NDEMA Election and Meet the Candidates

The 2018 voting for the Officers and Regional Directors of the North Dakota EMS Association will take place online from 12:00 am, February 19, 2018 to 11:59 pm, March 5, 2018. Upon conclusion of the NE Conference (February 18, 2018), all current NDEMSA members in the Southwest and Northwest regions will have a link sent to their email. The link is to an online voting site called Election Buddy. This is a secure, anonymous site that will allow you to vote for the directors in your region only, and vote for positions of the executive committee.  To view the candidates' profiles beforehand, visit   www.ndemsa.org/candidates.

The nomination deadline for the Officer and Regional Directors was December 31, 2017.  In 2018 the President, Secretary/Treasurer, and two (2) Regional Director terms in each region are up for election.   The 2018 Officer positions had one nomination for each office.  Jim Restemayer was nominated for President, and Jeri Warrenburg was nominated for Secretary/Treasurer.  With no other nominations, these individuals are running unopposed and no statewide election for these two positions is necessary.  

The Northeast and Southeast regions both had two nominations for the two available Regional Director terms.  With these candidates running unopposed there is no regional elections in the Northeast and Southeast regions.  The Southwest and Northwest both had three nominations for the two available Regional Director terms. There WILL BE regional voting for the Southwest and Northwest region NDEMSA members.       

The Election Buddy link will be sent to the email we have on file for you. If there has been a change of your email, please email your new address to ndemsa.office@ndemsa.org. If you do not have email, an absentee vote can be requested.

Voting will occur through a combination of online and mail voting methods as determined by the Board of Directors. A four (4) person committee will count votes, consisting of the election chair and three (3) additional appointed people comprised of the Election Committee and/or NDEMSA Board member.

If you have any questions regarding the new voting process or to see if you NDEMSA membership is up to date, please call Corrie at 701-221-0567.

NDEMSA is now Accepting Award Applications

The North Dakota EMS Association is proud to sponsor an awards program that highlights the accomplishments of so many dedicated EMS providers in North Dakota.  Each year we are in awe of the hard work and passion that our award winners have shown throughout their careers in EMS.  We hope you or your agency will consider recognizing the very best of North Dakota’s EMS providers. 

The deadline for all awards, both regional and statewide, is March 1, 2018.  All nominations must be submitted online at www.ndemsa.org/Awards.

The awards committee reviews the submissions, and notifies the nominator whether or not their submission was chosen. This will allow those who did win an award to make plans to attend the 2017 EMS Rendezvous Awards Banquet and Table of Honor Ceremony on Saturday evening, April 14, 2018 in Bismarck.  Some nominators choose to keep the award a “secret” while others are told ahead of time.  The awards committee will only notify the nominator, not the nominee.    

The 2018 regional awards include Siren Award, Rising Star Award, Telecommunications Award, and the Service of the Year Award.  One regional service of the year nominee is chosen for the state EMS Service of the Year.

The statewide awards for 2018 include Media Award, Medical Director of the Year, Grace Knapp Award, Distinguished Service Award, and EMS Provider of the Year Award.

The Table of Honor Ceremony pays tribute to those volunteers and career EMS/Fire personnel who are no longer with us.  You can help us honor such a person by nominating them for the Table of Honor Ceremony.  The first twelve Table of Honor nominations will be chosen.

The simple online form listing the criteria and nomination information for both the regional and statewide awards and the Table of Honor Ceremony can be found on our website at www.ndemsa.org under the “Awards Programs” tab. 

Silent Auction Items needed

The annual EMS Rendezvous is still several months away but we are already working on the silent auction.  This year the money raised will help pay for the 3rd Annual Managers Conference that will benefit EMS personnel across our state.

We are looking for ambulance services or individuals willing to donate items for the auction.  We are hoping that services will put together a “Theme Basket” that is filled with items donated from their community.

If you are interested in donating you can contact: 

Jeri Warrenburg

701-208-1186 or 701-694-6204

emtpjeri@gmail.com

Upcoming NDEMSA Events

February 17-18, 2018 NE Conference,  Grand Forks ND

March 1, 2018 All Award Nominations Due

April 12, 2018 IC Refresher, Bismarck, ND

April 12-14, 2018 43rd EMS Rendezvous Conference, Bismarck, ND

June 4-5, 2018 Management Conference, Bismarck ND

September 28-30, 2018 SW Conference,  Medora, ND 

January 19-20, 2019 NW Conference, Minot ND

February 1-3, 2019 SE Conference, Jamestown ND