Louisa County - Virginia Department of Fire Programs

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system be developed and oversight and verification of the point status system occur.This would be of utmost importance if the County was to consider a pay‐per callprogram.3. Due to the long transport times it is suggested that a different duty shift beconsidered so as to better utilize the time the volunteers have available tovolunteer.a. It is recommended that the current release processes be reevaluated toensure consistency across all departments.4. It is also recommended that the County examine the feasibility of establishing aVolunteer Coordinator position whose main focus should be the support of theexisting volunteers as well as the recruitment of prospective members. Thisposition, in coordination with a County wide initiative to improve relationshipswithin the existing emergency services, should help with the recruitment of newmembers and retention of existing members.a. This program should also take into consideration the needs of currentvolunteers and identify motivational factors to keep this populationengaged and committed to the fire service. This should also includesome level of incentives that are consistent across the County.(i) The leadership may want to consider benchmarking with bothvolunteer and combination departments to develop ideas forincentives that support volunteer retention efforts.b. It is also critical to note that there have been recruitment and retentionprograms in the past, but no information is available to reference theeffective or ineffective parts of these programs. Therefore, it isrecommended that the County work with the volunteers to determinewhat programs have been successful and which have not. Based on theinformation gathered, the County needs to retain this information forfuture reference.5. In addition, the County should take advantage of pre‐existing recruitment andretention information. Resources may be downloaded at the following locations:(i) EMS ‐ http://www.vdh.state.va.us/OEMS/Recruitment_Retention/index.htm.(ii) Fire/Volunteer (Guide) ‐ http://www.nvfc.org/index.php?id=1056.(iii) Fire/Volunteer (Video) ‐ http://www.nvfc.org/files/documents/Retentionand‐Recruitment‐Volunteer‐Fire‐Emergency‐Services.wmv.(iv) 2004 JLARC Report. “Review of EMS in Virginia” Part III of thereport; Recruitment, Retention and Training of EMS Providers(Page 55) –http://leg2.state.va.us/dls/h&sdocs.nsf/4d54200d7e28716385256ec1004f3130/87c75ac37063994d85256ec500553c41?OpenDocument.The foregoing is a recommendation authorized pursuant to Va. Code 9.1‐203.A.4 and is not to beconstrued as legal advice or as a binding recommendation.23 of 30
Theme 4: TrainingTraining and continuity are closely joined in that solid basic training will foster strong,continued leadership with the County’s emergency response agencies. In order torealize success with the below mentioned recommendations and any other attempts atcoordinating and improving service delivery, it is recommended that internalorganizational development strategies be considered. The recommendations will serveto stimulate the Fire and EMS services organizational cohesiveness, innovation, andeffectiveness while guiding the inevitable change that will occur as you strengthen yourfire suppression and EMS capacity.Stated herein are findings and recommendations for the following areas: CoordinatedEMS Training; Cross Training; Training Standards and Continuity of Leadership.Coordinated EMS Training:The County of Louisa has supported Fire Fighter training through development of theFire Training Center, however, there is not as coordinated an approach to EmergencyMedical Services (EMS) training.Recommendations:1. It is recommended that an EMS training coordinator be implemented to assist inthe management and coordination of EMS training programs for the County’spaid and volunteer EMS providers.2. It is recommended that the County develop an EMS sponsored EMS trainingprogram so that both classes and Continuing Education Unit (CEU’s) can beoffered.Cross Training:Based on the rural composition of the County of Louisa, response times to calls areoften protracted. As a result, valuable time is often lost. Therefore, it is recommendedthat the County’s volunteer fire service members become trained Emergency MedicalResponders. By having Fire Fighters cross trained valuable time could be spared asrelated to the amount of time between the initial call and initial care.Recommendation:1. It is recommended that all County agencies work towards a program whereby allnew fire fighters become, at minimum, Emergency Medical First Responders.a. It is also recommended that the County offer an Emergency Medical FirstResponder class with each Fire Fighter I program.The foregoing is a recommendation authorized pursuant to Va. Code 9.1‐203.A.4 and is not to beconstrued as legal advice or as a binding recommendation.24 of 30
Page 6: MethodologyFor each task of the wor
Page 10: The EMS providers within the County
Page 13 and 14: Theme 1: Organizational Development
Page 15 and 16: i. PPE/SCBA - Personal Protective E
Page 17 and 18: 5. Current EMS reporting software (
Page 19 and 20: Theme 2: BudgetWhile the agencies f
Page 21 and 22: THEME 3: PERSONNEL, RECRUITMENT AND
Page 23: 3. It is recommended that minimum t
Page 27 and 28: ReferencesU.S. Census Bureau, Virgi
Page 29 and 30: Louisa County Letter of RequestThe
Page 31 and 32: BASIC PUMP OPERATIONS ‐ 16‐HOUR
Page 33: Virginia Fire Service Needs Assessm

Louisa County - Virginia Department of Fire Programs

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