Call to order; introduction of guests, correspondence, enforcement noticifations.

A CON comes to us from Woodhull and it pertains to a section of the Town of Rathbone that has been covered by Woodhull. They have been covering it, but it's not on their certificate. So this will be handled as an expansion of territory. But we have 30 days from now to do it, to do it and make a recommendation back to the council and if we do the expansion of territory, that is easier. But in any event we have to let Woodhull know within 30 days and the problem is we won't meet again until May. So it's over the 30 day limit. I would suggest that we write to Woodhull telling them we don't meet in April. We will put the process in motion to do the expansion of territory and then do the final vote in May. Motion made and seconded (Lewis/Kintz) and passed.

Approval of the February minutes.

State EMS Council report: the new basic life support trauma protocol was approved. The Vital Signs Conference for 2004 will be held October 29th to the 31st in Buffalo. The New York City pilot project for stroke center designation is moving forward.
     Point 17 in your summary has to do with the State Emergency Medical Advisory Committee with the cooperation of the New York State current advisory committee. That project is to transport patients who are in need of emergent angioplasty is moving forward on the state level. Regionally you have in your packet the first protocol in the state to determine the classifications to be set for primary cardiac angioplasty.
     We participated in a state wide intubation study. That data is not fully prepared for presentation, but it looks like the success rate is going to be somewhere between the high 70s to the high 90s in terms of success rate of initial intubation.

Protocol Approvals: Pediatric Advanced Life Support Protocols. Approved Community marketplace .
Adult Advanced Life Support Protocols. Approved.
Drug Formulary. Approved.
Scope of Practice. Approved.
AED Policies and Procedures, revision: Approved.

Training committee: reviewed course evaluations and grades. Pediatric PowerPoint review: Out of 1,100 active EMTs in the area, 102, which is a minimal 10 percent, have actually taken the test. Instructor recommendations: Mr. Chip Wood, Rita Costello, and Nancy Snyder approved as CLIs. Reviewed new course schedules for completeness of the schedules to make sure that all of the material that is suppose to be covered within the courses are indeed at least identified to be covered. Another note for sponsors or instructors, please be sure in any of the courses, even if it's the CFR level, a complete CPR course has got to be taught. It can't be just the refresher. It has to be a complete course. That is a mandate from the state.
     The three year pilot recertification update: the DOH published a new program guide but there is an error in the new book. The hours don't match the curriculum.
     CFR refresher curriculum, a new version came out for the refresher courses testing on or after September 1st, 2004 and there are new CPR protocols coming out.
     Version 5 of the PCR forms contains an error as well. Under "location," residence is listed twice instead of residence and recreation.

Quality Improvement Program Participation awards presented to those agencies that have at least 75% participation in the quality improvement program. For 2003 those agencies that participated with at least 75 percent attendance and reports and all the requirements, are: Troupsburg Ambulance, Jasper Ambulance, Chemung County 911 Center, St. James Mercy Hospital, Cohocton Ambulance, Cameron Ambulance, Hornell Ambulance, Wayne Ambulance, Schuyler Ambulance, Hammondsport Ambulance, Addison Ambulance, Ira Davenport Hospital, Arnot Ogden Medical Center, Erway Ambulance, Schuyler Hospital, Tyrone Ambulance, Pulteney Ambulance, Bath Ambulance, Corning Hospital, St. Joseph's Hospital, Woodhull Ambulance.

Public Relations: Recent Gold Star of Life recipients: Tammy Lynn Faulkner from GVEMS; Tompkins Corners Fire Department; Michael Johnson, Webbs Mills Fire Department; Rick Kimball, Erway Ambulance.

STREMS Conference: Meeting the Challenge '04 is scheduled for Saturday, October 16th, Corning Community College.

Walt Ersly award is on the website so anyone you feel meets the qualifications for nomination, please do so by April 15th.

Systems Committee: MVA trailers continue to be worked on. The trailers are in the respective counties and we are just resolving some minor equipment issues with those. EMO directors are working on helping to fill out the STAR questionnaire so the STAR project is more complete. The Systems Committee is working on developing a cooperative purchasing program to offer to EMS agencies throughout the region. We are looking at creating buying agreements whereby agencies would be responsible to order and purchase their own equipment or supplies, but could do so under a deal sponsored by the EMS council.
     We received correspondence from the Steuben County Emergency Medical Services Association: discussion.

Tri-County Stress Management: January and February 2004 - 12 debriefings, no defusing and one educational offering. Total activity time is around 30 hours for those two months.

Spring '04 issue of the EMS Dispatch distributed.

Correspondence from the Fire Department of the City of New York, in appreciation to Woodhull Ambulance, Greater Valley EMS, Erway Ambulance Service, Cohocton Volunteer Ambulance, Bath Volunteer Ambulance Service, and the City of Hornell Fire Department Ambulances.
     We've had several town meetings in all three counties asking all three counties to come together talking about EMS concerns. We've had one in Bath, one in Big Flats, and scheduled for in Hornell, March 23rd at 6 p.m.

911 updates.

Currently the council has an opening in Chemung County. Schuyler, we have two openings for Schuyler County. Steuben County we have three openings.If you know of people who you feel would make good representatives on this Council, please have them contact our office for the application.

Meeting adjourned.