Congratulations Steve & Courtney

Steve and Courtney welcomed to the world a son, Owen Bradley Boonstra, born on December 7, 2010. The Fulton Fire Protection District would like to congratulate to the both of them and wish for them to have a very happy holiday and enjoy their new arrival. Future EMT in 18 years!!!

Dave Rogis EMS Coordinator FFPD EMS

4th Street Fire November 23, 2010

On the evening of November 23, 2010 members of the Fulton Fire Protection District responded to two fires. One at 6th Ave and 8th Street and the other soon to follow at 10th Ave and 4th Street. The Fulton Fire Department was OUTSTANDING at both fires and certainly showed our community that we certainly have a very professional volunteer department. During these fires we had numerous outside agencies responding from both Illinois and Iowa. All of the Fire Officers on scene did a wonderful job and coordinating the scenes and a member in particular did a excellent job at operating the radio keeping track of times and making many numerous phone calls. Thanks for all that you do Keith King. Though we had some issues of which were not in our control, we handled them very professionally. Also outstanding work to the Fulton EMS crews who provided care to several paitents on the scene of the fire on 10th Ave and 4th Street. It is our sincere hope that families that were affected by both fires will be cared for and be able to move on after this incident. - Dave Rogis EMT-P EMS Coordinator FFPD

Fulton Fire Responds To Aid Savanna for Manny's Pizza Place

A fire broke out this morning up in Savanna. Manny's a popular pizza place was ablaze with the building a total loss. Area departments responded including the Fulton Fire Protection District. The fire was still under investigation during time of this blog. In the photo, an engine and squirt were on the scene assisting Savanna Fire. Great job and community support.

Ice Water Rescue - December 10, 2010

Mark your calendars to be free on December 10. The Fulton Fire Protection District will be conducting outdoor training for Ice Water Rescue. That is right, cold, ice water rescue. Dress warm and prepare to have fun learning. EMS personnel will be needed for rehab Ops as well. More information coming soon. Look at the whiteboard by the lockers for more on this training.

Boot Drive for Salvation Army

The Salvation Army and the Fulton Fire Protection District will be conducting a Boot Drive out on Hwy 84 and Hwy 136 Saturday November 20, 2010 during the day. There will be a sign up sheet I assume. Any members available that day our encouraged to help out for this good cause. Any questions can be directed to the fire chief.

November 2010 EMS Schedule

The schedule for November 2010 is out. An email was sent to those in my email list and copies of the schedule are down in the radio room at the fire station. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the schedule please contact me immediately!!!

Dave

Training for the Month of October

There is a lot of training going on this month. For October 12, 2010 we will conduct training after the truck check on Management of Burn Injuries (2.0 CE). Wednesday the 13th of October a billing agency will be over at the fire station to answer questions regarding billing. For those who are not aware, Becky is resigning as our billing person. The Fire District is looking for an outside billing company to do our billing. The group that is coming this Wednesday is being highly looked at by our district because of their cost and reputation. On the 2nd and 4th Thursday of this month the fire side is doing Auto Extrication. EMS members are encouraged to go to one of those sessions to train along side the fire department. This should be some very worthwhile training. Our 4th Tuesday will be a rig detailing night and last cookout. See you all next week. Dave

Members Helping Members

Here is the story, Keith was washing his vehicle in the washbay when a fire call came out for a Mutual to Clinton for a house fire. Bruce took his on call for the ambulance so Keith could go to the fire call. After Bruce finished washing his own car, he took it upon himself to wash Keith's truck. That is one OUTSTANDING member who helps another. Great Job Bruce. Keep up the good work.

Dave

Awesome Video of Medforce

Hero's from the Sky!!!!!

New Glucose Meter for the Fulton Ambulance - PLEASE REVIEW VIDEO ASAP

Please Watch this video on the new Contour Glucometer that is in place on both 1-G-19 and 1-G-20. Very simple to use..... Plus it was free...... Dave

Pastor Wendall Needs HELP - THIS SATURDAY 9 AM

Hey GUYS!!!! Pastor Wendall needs are help this Saturday to help move furniture into the moving van, any available EMS Provider that is free to help is needed!!!

Dave

Daytime EMT Duties

You guys, this has been brought to my attention again by the same individuals. Some of you are not doing your chores according to those same people that tell me that they are coming down the day after and picking up after you. Well, here it is, I will be monitoring this more closely with the help of my fellow officers. Everyone who takes call during the day and is underlined to do the chores must do the chores as directed by the Fulton Fire Department. If you do not want to do the chores, then, you will not be assigned to do day call and be paid as the daytime EMT. Those who will do the chores will be given the shifts. Now, lets make no mistake about this. The Daytime EMT who is being paid MUSTt do a truck check and station duties as assigned in the daily rig check book. I have been lax on the time that this is too be done. Daytime chores will need to be done by noon. EMS Officers will be coming down to the station to check to see that the chores have been done. Overall, we are all responsible to keep our station clean, that includes the fire side vs just EMS. It does not take much to mop the floors, clean the bathrooms, sweep the truck bays, or clean and check the trucks. Bottom line, lets just do the job that your are assigned and do it without complaint. - Any questions, please, please direct them to me. - Dave Rogis EMT-P / EMS Coordinator FFPD

Albany EMS Personell to help at Fulton Steamer Football Games

You guys, this was an idea from Keith King that I support 100%. This makes good relations with the Albany EMS and our EMS. They will supply one EMT to each home game. We will be also staffing both EMS Units for those evenings so that the 911 is covered completely. All I ask for is everyones cooperation as this in my opinion is a very good thing. Look for upcoming post and news regarding the football games that are quickly approaching.

Dave

What is going on the Week of August 9 2010

You guys, we have lots on the agenda this week. Tuesday Night we have truck check at 6 PM and training at 7 PM. We will be going over Football Related Injuries and have a guest speaker from Sterling. We have invited Albany EMS to attend as well (I will explain Albany in another post). Schedules will be coming out to for next month. I only want what you can not be available for, not what you can do. This will make it hopefully easier to get people to volunteer more. Remember there is 24 hours in a day, most of us can do at least six hours of.

On Friday we have the drive thru lunch at the fire station. This is from 11 AM to 2 PM. If you are free, please come down to attend this important function between the both sides of the organization.

MDA "Fill the Boot" Drive - July 31 9 AM to Noon

ATTENTIONAL ALL MEMBERS. The Fulton Fire Protection District will be out at the Intersection of Hwy 84 and Hwy 136 FULTON to conduct the "Fill the Boot" MDA Drive this coming Saturday July 31 from 9 AM to Noon. There are two sign up sheets on the bulletin board. Please sign your name on both sheets if you plan on attending a specific time. This is for a very good cause, if you are free, we need your help.

Update on Status of New Rig 1-G-20

The stuff that has to be done to get it ready for State Inspection is just about complete. I would personally would like to thank all of you who have helped make this come to our station. We have been used to MedTech and now a LifeLine is in our station. AWESOME!!! Thursday evening the goal is to pull the old 1-G-20 out of SERVICE!!! Yes!!! All our neighboring department will be made aware of this and mutual aid will be enacted if a second call comes in. Friday afternoon, the State will come to inspect. If you have not seen Steve Myers, please do so to be trained on the new unit as the gadgets are unique. 1-G-19 will be the primary truck till a good number of EMS personnel are trained on this truck. Again an great job on everyones part in the making of this unit, certainly will make the citizens of our community very proud. - Dave Rogis

Daily EMS Uniforms

I want to get everyones attention regarding the daily uniforms of the Fulton Fire Department Ambulance. Lets make this perfectly clear, I do like uniforms and feel that the uniform that was selected presents us in a professional manner and makes us look like an organization. During very hot summer months, like now, I DO NOT have problems with EMS personnel wearing jean pant shorts vs the long uniform and very warm pants. The idea behind my decision is not to make EMS providers uncomfortable during summer months. None of us volunteer to be uncomfortable. And lets all be honest, if you have to wear this uniform all day in the warm climate, it sucks. So, I would ask for everyones cooperation that if you decide to want to wear the jean pant shorts that is okay but you should have on a T-shirt that represents Fulton Fire so at least you look like a department member. Also, please do not wear shorts that are inappropriate that show a little too much. If you know what I mean. If not, just ask. Now as for the picture, it does not represent our uniform, but I hope it got your attention. When the weather starts to be more comfortable, I would ask that all members should make an effort to wear the uniform that was provided for normal EMS wear as again, it makes us look very professional out there. - Dave Rogis

Reminder of Drive Thru Lunch This Coming Friday July 9 from 11 AM to 2 PM

Attention All EMS Personnel, this is a reminder that you are needed for help at the Drive Thru Lunch that is put on by our department. Any members available to help at this event would be greatly appreciated by those in charge. This is a very good event that helps pay for various things that we need on our department. - Dave Rogis

IMPORTANT INFO - Additional Security Measures At CGH Medical Center - Sterling, IL

To Whom it may concern:

The ambulance entrance door at CGH is now locked 24/7 for added security of our emergency department. As a result, we have installed a video intercom just to the right of the door. To activate, stand in front of the device and press the round button once. Dispatch will acknowledge and open the door. Please be prepared to identify yourself, department affiliation, and business reason at CGH. we appreciate your cooperation as we work to make our emergency and EMS departments safer. Thank You, Ryan Venema EMT-P (Director of Prehospital Care CGH EMS)

New 1-G-20 to Arrive July 15, 2010

Yes, its the date that we are going to take possession of the new ambulance. If everything goes the way it should we should have it inservice per IDPH by July 23, 2010. I hope!!! As you can see in the photo it is just about done. I want to thank the EMS Truck Committee for doing such a wonderful job with assisting to design the truck. Awesome Job! - Dave Rogis

July 2010 Fulton EMS Schedule

The schedule is out for July 2010. There are alot of open spots during the day. If you are available and can help it would be to your advantage to help us and the community out. The schedules are down at the fire station in the radio room. Again if you are available during the day and here our tone, come on down. WE AND OUR CITIZENS NEED YOU!!!

Dave

ALS Assist Calls - Important Please Read!

If you call for an ALS Assist with either Medic or Clinton Fire and you are going enroute, make sure that you contact the ALS Unit that you are tiering in with so they no where you are at. Otherwise if the patient is not that critical stay on the scene and wait for the ALS Unit. - Dave Rogis EMT-P

Mercy's EMS Supply Closet

Attentional All EMS Personnel. I received a complaint from the Emergency Room Staff regarding the EMS supply cabinet that is in between the garage and the ER. There is a lock on the cabinet for a reason. The staff informed me that a new lock will be put on the cabinet and EMS staff will have to get the key from the ER desk clerk. As a reminder, the cabinet has too stay locked. This is a Joint Commission requirement.

Need Pager and Radio Serial Numbers

At our Truck Check for Thursday, make sure you have your pager and radio with you so that Steve Woods can record the serial number off of them. Keeping our records up to date since pagers and radios seem to move around the station between personnel occasionally. Truck Check starts at 6 PM.

We Need To Keep Our Rigs Clean and Stocked

Attentional All EMS Personnel. We need to start working on keeping the rigs clean and stocked. I was down at the fire station over the weekend and discovered that 1-G-20 had not been washed and the floor in the driver's compartment needed a serious vacuuming. Not only that but both ambulance were needing backboards and spider straps. Now enough is enough. It is everyone's responsibility before they leave for home to get the ambulance cleaned up and stocked. Both of these issues are important and need to start improving now. Soap and water can get our units very clean, it just does not happen with osmosis or diffusion. If you have questions on this see me. Or better if I see the truck dirty I will be calling you to come down and help me clean and restock the truck. Lets not have it come to that. Dave Rogis EMT-P

TRUSTEE's MEETING JUNE 2010

The next meeting of the Fulton Fire District Trustee's will be at 7 PM June 16 at the Fulton Fire Station 1802 16th St. Fulton, IL.

Potential New Members

There are two individuals who are interested in becoming members on our ambulance. Josh Stepp (Chadwick) and Jonathan Conover (Fulton). Josh Stepp is currently in the Fulton EMT-Basic Class and is employed with Company One Fire Equipment. Jonathan just graduated from Fulton High School and is employed with McDonalds in Clinton. Jonathan would like to take the EMT-B class in the fall. Prior to them becoming probationary members I have asked them to come down to our ambulance meetings / training / truckcheck to see how things are done down here and to get to know some of you. Please make them feel welcome. We will be meeting with the chief soon and get them approved for probationary status by the next trustee's meeting.

Responding to Scenes

We have noticed lately that a few of you are responding to ambulance calls going right to the scene in your private vehicle. Though I do appreciate the help at times, if you can respond then you should sign up for taking call. Please report to the station do not chase down the ambulance to the scene unless it is requested by the crew that is on the EMS unit. If you have any questions, please ask. On a similar note, there have been times when a member who is not a EMT or First Responder that goes to the scene, that is not to be done. A ambulance driver should come down to the station and either drive the ambulance or be in the radio room.

Time to start working on the July 2010 Schedule

Hi you all. Tis the time to start working on the July ambulance schedule. I want to re-enforce that giving time is very important. A lot of you will be taking vacation, which you all deserve, but we do have an ambulance to get out the door and need crews for help on this. I will be putting out the calendar's by Friday June 11, 2010. I would like everyones schedules by the 20th of June. Also if you notice holes in the schedule either now or later, please, please help out. All of your cooperation on this is appreciated.

Ambulance Crash in Iowa Results in Fatality

Unfortunately, accidents do happen and when a healthcare provider is killed it makes it even worse. As EMS Providers, we need to be very careful. I always say that only a very small percentage of our ambulance calls are truly life threatening not requiring us to drive very fast. We really have to watch out. There are people driving with cell phones in their ears and more preoccupied with their conversations then they are of what is going on around them. They also have their car radios loud and children today, well they are just a problem at times in the car too. Make sure that you all are buckled up and that the patient is secured to the cot with all cot straps. Those who are caring for the patient in the back should also be buckled in the seat unless they are providing some type of care to the patient. In conclusion, lets all be careful out there, don't be a part of the problem. - Dave

June Schedules For EMS On Call

The June Schedule has been emailed to various EMS personnel and the schedule has also been copied and is ready to be picked up in the radio room at the Fire Station. Please be aware that there are several days / nights with shortage of staff. Please, Please, help out at what you can. The Fulton Community needs you.

FULTON FIRE SPONSORS TRAINING

April 24, 2010 Members of the Fulton Fire Department sponsored a ladder training with the Illinois Fire Service Institute. Area fire departments from Savanna and Cordova were also present for this training. In the photo members are practicing with Savanna Fire's aerial truck. They conducted the training at the Drives Building located next to the Fulton Windmill.

Election of Officers Held

The Fulton Fire Protection District held Officer Elections on the night of April 22, 2010 at 6 PM. After the election we had our steak fry. The newly elected Officers of the Fulton Fire Protection District are:

Fire Chief Joe Michaelsen, Deputy Chief Boyd VanDellen, Assistant Chief Ray Sikkema, Assistant Chief Steve Myers, Captain Scott Zaehringer,

Captain Kurt VanDellen, EMS Coordinator Dave Rogis, EMS 1st Assistant Bruce Christensen, and EMS 2nd Assistant Tim Green. The Fire District appreciates for all of the officers who served last year and wish for the best for those to serve this year.

Welcome to our new Blog Site

Attention all Fulton Fire Department EMS Members welcome to our new blog site. This site will be used to keep you all informed on what is going on at the Fulton Fire Department. It is my goal to keep this organization going in a positive direction one which fosters good working relationships and builds strength in our organization. Please stay tuned.

Dave Rogis, EMT-P

EMS Coordinator

Fulton Fire Protection District

EMS