EMS calls: 29

EMS calls: Final count still being tallied.

By Nate Delesline
Published: January 27, 2011

Culpeper’s eight volunteer fire and rescue companies are meeting and exceeding the community’s public safety expectations, but they’re in need of funding and more volunteer support to maintain the status quo.

“The system is working, the citizens needs are being met,” Culpeper County Volunteer Fire and Rescue Association President Anthony Clatterbuck said Saturday. “No system is perfect, but we’re in better shape than we’ve been in a long time. We’ve got a lot to be proud of for what’s going on right now.”

Clatterbuck shared his remarks at a public safety summit, a gathering of the area’s full-time and volunteer public safety workers, along with about a half-dozen elected officials.

About 30 people attended the event overall. The fire and rescue association serves as a single point of representation to the town and county for the area’s volunteer emergency worker corps.

“We can tell each other the truth,” Clatterbuck said about the relationship between the member agencies. “No one is worried about the repercussions because we’ve got each other’s back.”

Without the continued financial support of the county however, Clatterbuck said the age of the volunteer emergency response organization could become history.

“We know we’re in a budget crisis and an economic crisis,” Clatterbuck said, “But we’re at the point where it’s financial cancer. You don’t know you’re sick until you’re about to die. “We don’t want to develop stage three or stage four.

“If you want to preserve this system, you’re going to have to make a decision,” Clatterbuck said, referring to the elected leaders at the meeting. “We’re just going to need more help. We’ve had some tough times lately. We’ve gone almost to complete failure of departments. So it’s important that our departments don’t further degrade.”

Culpeper has 300 primary volunteers and 300 auxiliary and support members ready to go into action to help the community. Clatterbuck valued the assets of the volunteer companies at $27 million in equipment and facilities.

Clatterbuck said several elements are contributing to the situation. They include the extremely high cost of replacing rescue equipment, high call volumes, increased training requirements mandated by the state and member burnout.

He said Co. 1 is facing a $1 million price tag for a long overdue replacement for a 1974 model aerial truck, which happens to be the only vehicle of its type in the county. As another example, Clatterbuck, who is also president of Co. 16, said that in 1999, an ambulance cost $85,000. Now, replacing and equipping a similar vehicle can cost upwards of $175,000.

Following Clatterbuck’s remarks, leaders went around the room to share their perspective on the situation.

Tom Williams, head of the county’s office of emergency management, expressed frustration with the ever-increasing state mandated requirements.

“It saddens me that we see our commonwealth moving everything towards college level in EMS,” Williams said. “By 2014, EMT classes may have to be done through a college program. That to me spells the end of volunteerism and I don’t want to see that happen.”

Supervisor Sue Hansohn agreed. “I don’t want to see us going to paid fire and rescue totally—we just can’t afford that.”

Culpeper County Sheriff Jim Branch conveyed to the group that deputies on the road regard the volunteer groups very highly and expressed optimism that the challenges would be overcome.

“I certainly hope that among us all, that we can work on the answers to the problems we face,” Branch said.

Although updated revenue projections are still pending, County Administrator Frank Bossio said it’s possible that the county may face an overall shortfall of up to $3 million for the coming budget year.

Download the flyer here: Chili’s Flyer

Below is the write up that was published by the REMS council.

Patricia Mullins
Patty is a sincere, thoughtful ALS provider who regularly staffs a Medic unit at Little Fork Fire and Rescue before light in the morning and keeps it staffed most weekdays until members get home form work and arrive for duty at the station. She unselfishly considers herself “employed” at the station, and is always at the building ready for calls. Patty provides excellent patient care on a daily basis. Her empathy and concern are coupled with her medical knowledge to give her patients a feeling of well being. The best way to describe Patty is with 3 simple words: Commitment, Compassion and Competence.

Patty, thank you so much for the three “C”s that you provide to our community!!

Local Information Sign – We have an information sign located at Clevengers Corner, the corner of Route 211 and Route 229 (across from the gas station).  The community is welcome to rent this sign on a weekly basis for local community events.  Please contact the fire station at 540-937-7717 for further information or send an email request by clicking here.

Barbecue Cookers – We have two full size barbecue cookers available to be rented on a weekend basis.  The cookers are great for large sized family picnics and gathers.  Please contact the fire station at 540-937-7717 for further information or send an email request by clicking here.

The following members are now EVOC-2 certified:

• Ben Garber
• Elliot Foster
• Jeremy Sawlyers

Please welcome Barbara Williams as a new member joining us this month.

Number of Fire Calls: 27

The ride will take place on October 16, 2010 unless it should rain, which then it will be held the following weekend on October 23, 2010. The cost of the poker run will be $20 per rider and $10 per passenger. There will be prizes for best and worst hand. There will also be a 50/50 raffle where 50% of the cost of the money raised will be given to the winner, the other %50 will go towards the cancer treatment fund.

The ride will begin and end at Emerald Hill Elementary School in Rixeyville Virginia. The ride will go through the town of Front Royal, Marshall, and Warrenton, with a brief stop at each before coming back to the school in Rixeyville (See map below).

View Larger Map

Come out and enjoy a ride around the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains and help support Patty. If you don’t ride or can’t make the ride, you can still support Patty and donate by sending a check to our station at 6011 Rixeyville Road, Rixeyville, VA, 22737. Please make the check out to Little Fork VFRC and note in the memo line that the donation is for Patty’s Ride.

Download color flyer.

Download B&W flyer.

(Note: Adobe Acrobat required to view flyers)