The Hardy County Emergency Ambulance Authority (HCEAA) met on Wednesday, October 9, 2024 at the 911 Center in Moorefield. Present were Paul Lewis, President; Tim Thorne, Vice-president; Jean Flanagan, Secretary; members Ronnie Crites, and Fran Welton; County Commissioner Steve Schetrom; Executive Director Derek Alt; Assistant Director Nathan Kesner; David Pratt, Billie Jo Biddle, Terena Dolly, Mike Phillips of the West Hardy Emergency Medical Services (WHEMS); Becky Fishel of the Wardensville Volunteer Rescue Squad.
The meeting opened with the Pledge of Allegiance and prayer.
Minutes from the meeting of August 14, 2024 were approved.
Treasurer’s Report
Derek Alt reviewed revenue and expenditures for September 2024. HCEAA income for the month totaled 138,221including $90,000 from the ambulance fee account. The agency brought in $47,296 from services provided, and $924 from other sources such as software rebates. Expenses for the month came to $135,872. At the end of September, the checking account held $16,620.75. The savings account totaled $12,598.19.
Old Business
Building/Equipment – A grant from Firehouse Subs will be used to purchase new IPads. All equipment is in working order. New grant opportunities will soon be available. Items being considered for funding include additional portable radios, Toughbook tablets, and McGrath software.
Vehicles – Units 371 and 372 are functioning well. Unit 373 needs a new transmission for the second time in three years. The first replacement was made when the truck had 36,000 miles, however the one-year warranty on that transmission has expired. The truck currently has 56,000 miles. Alt said repair estimates are in the $5,000 to $10,000 range. The dealer contacted the Ford Motor Company to work out an at cost arrangement. It was pointed out that as this vehicle falls under the provisions of the Lemon Law, that option should be pursued. The broken ignition key in Unit 376 has been removed and replaced. The repair cost was under $10. Unit 383 and Serv/3 ARGO is in service with no problems to report.
Training – Heart Saver CPR training is being offered in October to the public free of charge. One person has registered thus far. An ACLS (Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support) class is scheduled on October 20th. All classes are held at the office in Baker. GRIN (Assisting Individuals in Crisis and Group Crisis Intervention) training was provided in September.
Audit – The audit for Fiscal Year 2023 is underway and is expected to be completed sometime the week of October 14th. Information for the Worker’s Compensation audit has been submitted.
Mold Testing – ServPro in Winchester has been contracted to conduct a mold test at the building in Baker later this month.
New Business
Calls for Service – Paul Lewis announced the emergency service calls for September
West Hardy 114
HCEAA 86
Wardensville 35
County Commission
Monthly funds that have been directly provided by the Commission to West Hardy Emergency Medical Services (WHEMS) will now be forwarded to HCEAA. That agency will be responsible to distribute those funds to WHEMS. Per an agreement made at the October County Commission meeting, WHEMS financial officer Billie Jo Biddle provided the Board with a data sheet of the agency’s monthly revenue and specific expenses. This is the first time that board members have reviewed from HCEAA. Biddle reported results from a business model different revenue for September reached $68,565. WHEM expenses totaled $50,939, including $36,982 for is $33,263. Staff paid on a per call basis made $33,667 collectively. WHEMS is that allotted $10,000 each month from the County Commission as well as $5,000 every month from the ambulance fee, which payroll. The monthly payout for employees who work per hour comes from the county general fund. Biddle has asked for a raise in that appropriation to $15,000/month. She stated that this will allow their drivers to receive $17 an hour, EMT staff $20 an hour, and paramedics $25 an hour. These rates are compatible with staff at Grant, Hampshire, and Morgan County agencies. Paul Lewis asked that a requisition for additional monies be provided in writing. The request will be taken up at the HCEAA meeting on November 13th. Biddle also distributed an example of a typical shift schedule. Staff may be penciled in to work an hourly paid shift or pay per call shifts. Employees on latter schedule are on call for certain time periods during they are paid when responding to an emergency.
Company 21 (WHEMS) Financial Report
Comments
Alt provided the following updates. A revision in the Memorandum of Understanding with WHEMS, Section D, now includes a section titled, “Services Provided by Authority”. This list the use of equipment components Stryker Power-Pro stretcher, Stryker Powerload system, Lucas 3 devices and Stryker batteries. WHEMS agreed to sign off on the added language and submit it during the meeting on November 13th. Tim Thorne stated that he learned from an acquaintance in Cleveland that ambulance in that city use vans instead of the box unit ambulances. Alt said that HCEAA considered using vans a year ago. Although vans are less expensive, trucks with four-wheel drive services are more suited for rural area roads and also withstand the impact better when hitting a deer. He said that an ambulance hit a bear last month, destroying the entire front end.
The state has asked EMS agencies to keep a close eye on the use of IV fluids as donations may need to be sent to hurricane affected areas in North Carolina and Florida due to potential shortages. An allocation of $10 million was released by the state legislature to EMS agencies. Half of the funds will go toward training and education. The remainder will be used to provide grant monies to counties. The Office of Emergency Medical Services Communication Meeting is scheduled for Thursday, October 10th beginning at 3:00 p.m. The quarterly Emergency Medical Services Advisory Council will meet on Thursday, October 17th starting at 1:00 p.m.
Invoices
Following a question and answer session, a motion was made and seconded followed by unanimous approval by the board to approved all invoices for September.
Executive Session
Following a motion and second, the board voted to enter into an executive session.
Following the executive session, a motion and second to adjourn the meeting was passed. The HCEAA Board of Directors will meet next on Wednesday, October 9, 2024 beginning at 6:30 p.m. at the office in Baker.
