The 1999 State Convention is history.
Due to Hurricane Floyd, the attendance was down. Rescue Competition and Rescue Challenge were cancelled due to the Dept. of Insurance and other participants being in the Eastern part of the state assisting our neighbors and friends. BLS was held. To the participants, you did an excellent job. To the Four Oaks Junior Rescue Team, which won their division, you renewed our faith in our youth.
We are still getting reports of the hard work that our members, who were affected with the water that Floyd left with you and us, are to be commended for the way in which they performed. Regardless of what the outcome will be, it was you, the volunteer members, in your own community, that bore the brunt of the disaster for the first twenty-four hours. You put your life on the line for your neighbors when your own property was being destroyed. The people of Eastern North Carolina will never forget what you did during the disaster. What can we do to assist our members who lost everything? Please let us hear from you. Thank you all for stepping forward when you were needed.
To start with, I would like to commend each and every member of a rescue squad, EMS or fire department, paid or volunteer that responded to help the citizens of North Carolina during the flooding due to Hurricane Floyd. Your dedication and services are invaluable. For those of you who want to and can help with monetary contributions to individuals and squads who were devastated by the flooding, a Relief Fund has been set up through the Association office.
Also, as the fall of the year is upon us, hopefully all of you will have an opportunity to attend one or more of the many weekend classes offered in the rescue field. North Carolina is fortunate to have the Department of Insurance and their many full-time and part-time instructors who are willing to give their weekends teaching.
Finally, don't forget to file your rosters on time. Your benefits depend on it!
Winston-Salem Rescue Squad was recently inspected and passed the requirements to be recognized as a Heavy Rescue Provider. Brad Trogdon, chief of the 50-member department, says it took a tremendous amount of work on the part of the members to meet this goal. The squad has 46 volunteers and 4 paid members and makes over 3,100 calls per year on an annual budget of approximately $107,000.
Winston-Salem Rescue Squad recently passed the inspection and requirements to be recognized as a high level rescue provider. They are the first in the state to be recognized at this level.
Bob Bailey, retired Chief of OEMS, was awarded Emeritus Membership in the N.C. Association of Rescue and EMS, Inc. This is the highest, non-member award of the Association. Bob was recognized for outstanding and dedicated service to the Association. The award was presented at the annual convention, September 18, 1999 in Winston-Salem, N.C.
Steve Lineberry, a 17-year member of the Alamance County Rescue Unit, was honored August 31 as a recipient of the "2 THOSE WHO CARE AWARD" given annually by WFMY-TV in Greensboro. This award honors 10 Piedmont Triad residents for their contributions to their communities.
Lineberry was among over 200 nominees for the awards. He was selected for his numerous activities in helping others who need a helping hand. His accomplishments include organizing a golf tournament which raised almost $10,000 for a fellow Alamance County EMS paramedic who sustained a career ending injury when hit head-on in a 1996 automobile accident; organizing and chairing the rescue unit's annual Christmas cheer project and American Red Cross blood drives; mowing and raking lawns for numerous disabled and aging citizens; and many other projects which have benefited those who assisted him as well as those who were helped.
Alamance County Board of Commissioners and the Graham City Council recently passed resolutions recognizing Steve for his volunteer work.
Steve Lineberry represents what is good about rescue and EMS in North Carolina.
November 19-20, 1999 to be held at the Ramada Plaza Hotel West, 435 Smoky Park Hwy., off I-40, Exit 44 in Asheville, N.C. Sponsored by the N.C. Department of Insurance, Office of State Fire Marshal.
The purpose of the '99 Terrorism Conference is to bring together fire, rescue, EMS and law enforcement groups from across North Carolina and the southeast. With terrorism on the rise in the United States, emergency responders are becoming more involved by being the first on the scene of an incident. You may think a bombing would never happen in your neighborhood, just as the emergency responders in Colorado, Atlanta and even Asheville once thought. Terrorism is no longer restricted to metropolitan areas. Its here in our back yard.
TEAM stands for "Together Everyone Achieves More". Together we can achieve more in helping to insure the safety of our co-workers in the field. The sponsors of this conference represent 50,000 or more emergency personnel who may respond to a terrorism incident. Are you ready?
We ask that you send at least on representative from your department so that he/she may bring back valuable information to aid in efforts made toward saving the lives of citizens you serve and rescuers you work with.
For registration information, contact Kelly Williams, 1999 N.C. Terrorism Conference, Office of State Fire Marshal, P.O. Box 26387, Raleigh, NC 27611.
| NUM | NAME | SQUAD | DOD | AGE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #613 | Jerry Wayne Hensley | Boiling Springs Rescue | 08-11-99 | 50 |
| #614 | Gladys J. Eakins | Harrells Rescue | 08-15-99 | 79 |
| #615 | Lloyd W. Latham | Harrells Rescue | 09-02-99 | 69 |