Fincastle Rescue Squad has questions about volunteers in Botetourt EMS system
Fincastle Volunteer Rescue Squad members after a night run: Matt Shadowski, Adam Finn, Terry Shadowski, Jessica Powell, Holly Brenner, Garry Taylor, David Bush.
Volatility continues in the volunteer ranks of Botetourt EMS.
On the night prior to the meeting with County officials, three members, David Bush, Garry Taylor and Terry Shadowski of the Fincastle Rescue Squad had questions and answers. First of all though reported as so, Capt. David Bush did not resign from the squad. The squad did not accept his oral resignation. Later in the conversation, he said, “They are like my family and you don’t walk out on your family.”
They are concerned as a group about the non returned phone calls from two very important people. County Administrator Kathleen Guzi and EMS Director Carr Boyd. Guzi became county administrator in late March of 2012. Boyd came aboard in June of 2012.
Said Bush simply, “This has become a dictatorship. We love the paid staff here who cover five days a week from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. We cover 7 p.m. until 7 a.m. and on weekends. This isn’t Charlotte or Richmond though.” One significant issue is their lack of use of a newer model Blue and Gold response truck called 458. They have a truck 457 that needs to be replaced that has 132,000 plus miles on it while 457 only has 13,000 miles. They use it to sit at events like churches, girl scouts or football games. Stubborn? Likely, but the fear is it will not be replaced and if so it will be a hand me down green squad vehicle from paid staff use– a vehicle that meeting discussion said can be unreliable.
They had been in the running for a replacement, but the grant fell through after they were told they would receive it said Bush.
Boyd said at the March 5th meeting with the FVRS, that the break down for two years in November 2010-012 was the following: Fincastle had 446 billable call transfers. $338,000 billed $178,000 in recovery in Fincastle alone in 2 years. They answered the largest amount of calls of any volunteer squad. The career staff had 1.3 million in recovery in 2 years. Taylor of FVRS said, “If we could get 15% of of what we do per year for 8 years we could replace trucks without having to ask for it.” The county gave Fincastle $45, 007 in 2012-13 for operations. The rest of operations is funded by the volunteer squad’s efforts.
Guzi who appeared flustered at times said, “We need volunteers. It can be fought out in the newspaper or we can work together.” She continued, “The realities have changed over the last five years. We have challenging circumstances, it is not me or Carr Boyd.”
Terry Austin who has been a past champion of FARST and is proud of paid staff as well especially in Buchanan where he represents said, “We can compensate you, but it won’t create more volunteers. We are in tough economic times in the county. We have many things to fund.”
FVRS president Jayson Parr let them membership air concerns. Several years ago the Fincastle volunteers refused to paint their squads green like everyone else. Notable was Jessica Hensley’s comment. A former Buchanan volunteer and one of eight young people who volunteer in Fincastle, she noted after the discussion of green paint on ambulances. “It is apparent to me since we were the only volunteer squad to resist the green paint, it is significant that we are the only volunteer squad left answering a large amount of calls.”
Suzan Keith spoke to volunteer identity. “I am a volunteer. I don’t want to be seen as a career staff. I think a citizen should know we are volunteers.”
Fincastle Supervisor Jack Leffel became the voice of reason “The points just brought up are good points. I want you volunteer people to know the community is getting behind you. I had a call about Fincastle Volunteer Rescue that asked, “Why doesn’t the county value the volunteers?” Another said, “I thought everyone is paid now.” Green and Gold is not a community identity for Fincastle. If that blue and gold is their identity or psychedelic colors if that’s what you want, it is your community. Fincastle citizens donate to their Rescue Squad. I believe the County needs to do everything they can to I encourage volunteers. We need a plan to recruit and keep volunteers and keep them happy.
Leffel continued, “We have to get the message across to the public. Why do you have volunteers here in Fincastle? You have leadership. We have to make this work and it has to be both career and volunteer. Every one has to be on the same page and make it happen because we can’t afford not to do it.”
March 6, 2013 - 3:48 PM
It seems like a very small request to have Fincastle Volunteer Rescue Squad response vehicles maintain a recognizable and identifiable paint scheme. If volunteers who give their time, energy, heart, and soul for the citizens of Botetourt can be made to feel appreciated in this way, I think the county officials should make good on past promises and just get it done. As for the idea that some citizens believe all emergency services in the county are performed by paid staff now, I can understand why people would believe that–after all, the county has a sizable paid staff–but, believe me, if the volunteers are not made to feel appreciated and finally walk away after years of hard work and dedication, the county citizens will have an undeniable way to confirm this–their tax bills will go up! The money to replace the volunteers will have to come from somewhere. Are there enough volunteers? No. For those volunteers who have already thrown in the towel, no wonder. The question is this: Should we be alienating the precious few volunteers who are still out there in the middle of the night saving lives? I don’t think so. In lieu of monetary compensation, these people ask simply for respect.
I just would like to comment in regards to the conversations in the Botetourt View pertaining to the volunteer rescue squad and the career EMS staff.
I joined Fincastle Rescue Squad the summer of 2011. I went through the EMT class held at Fincastle Fire Dept that was taught by Camille Moore and Nathan Herlocker, both career EMS staff here in Fincastle. They did a great job teaching the class and many other career and volunteer staff came in, taking time away from their personal lives to help us practice on the hands-on lessons that we would have to be ready to perform during the state certification exam. We spent hours with the career staff on their ambulances to gain the required number of patient transports needed to complete the course. It was a great experience all the way around with the meshing of career and volunteer providers. Although I am old enough to be the mother of many of these people, I never felt disrespected or intimidated by any of them. Everyone was very encouraging.
Fast forward to today. I am still with FRS and serve as the First Lieutenant and I am responsible for ongoing education of the volunteers at FRS. The career staff still help us every month by offering a class for members to obtain continuing educational units required for recertification. I am new to this position of responsibility and take it very seriously. But by no means can I accomplish it alone. I am grateful that we have many career members that are willing to help out my fellow volunteer members who need some extra help with both basic EMT certification classes and the advanced classes several are taking to become medics themselves.
To the average citizen, it makes no difference who shows up to help them out in their time of need. I myself was on the receiving end of EMS help this past weekend when we had a flu fire at my house. Unlike many who are crosstrained as both EMTs and fireighters, I am not. I was extremely happy to see both paid and volunteers show up for us. When the first ambulance showed up, it was a career crew who, once I assured them there were no injuries, promptly put on their fire gear stowed in the truck and went in to investigate the situation. Embarrasing to say, I had called dispatch to cancel that truck since I knew another ambulance was coming and did not want to take medics away from being available for an emergency elsewhere. Thank goodness that request was ignored and Cecil, my career buddy just smiled and went on about the business at hand. I am not usually staged up close on a fire call and had forgot the career ambulance crews did both fire & rescue.
I guess the bottom line is this, our citizens and our county government need both career and volunteer fire and rescue. We are all proud of the work we do for our citizens. And while some of us get paid and some of us do not, we all do it because we have chosen to do it. And as a volunteer, I know the only things I want in return for the many hours of service I willingly give each and every month to the citizens of Botetourt is a thank you from my patients, the continuation of a great working relationship with the career staff and the undeniable visible recognition my volunteer squad gets when responding to a call, no matter where it is, in a truck with our squad colors of blue, gold and white. We are proud of our identity, proud to be volunteers and proud to serve the citizens of Botetourt county.