Kitsap County EMS and Trauma Care Council

Combined Board of Directors & Council Meeting Minutes

October 20, 2016

Olympic Ambulance

Bremerton, WA

Kim DroppertOlympic Amb. Steve Engle NKFR

Dr. RogerMPDJared MoravecBIFD

Rena BeykeBIAALisa GnassiKCEMS

Jeff FaucettSKFRJeff SorensonCKFR

Charlie AleshireHMCDan SmithNKFR

Jeff GriffinPFDAl DukeBFD

Steve WrightSKFRScott WeningerCKFR

The meeting was called to order by Chair Chief Griffin at 09:05.

  1. Approval of Minutes
  1. I.

II.Old Business

  1. Logo

Chief Griffin reported on the new logo that is under design at the request of the MPD. Print quality artwork is needed from each agency. Any questions should be directed to Chief Griffin.

B.Physician Delegates

Nearly 100% of the agencies have had a meeting with their respective physician delegate. The feedback has been very positive. There have been some structural suggestions, such as determining when new paramedics are ready to practice and how they will interact with their physician delegate throughout the process. The MPD will examine the current process to determine steps ahead.

C.Medical Officers Committee

There was discussion regarding the need toprovide structure for the relationship between the medical officers and the physician delegates, from where and who orders are taken and how they relate to the fire chiefs. Ms. Droppert noted that Dr. Brenner had reached out to her agency and was very well received.

D.NWREMS Grant

Ms. Gnassi reported that the grant request has been sent to NWREMS and the expected grant monies will be approximately $13,000 for the current fiscal year.

II.New Business

  1. Web Conferencing

The committee discussed the advantages and disadvantages of purchasing web conferencing services. It was agreed that the service could be valuable and add efficiency to the current system when used appropriately. The cost for GoToMeeting and WebEx were provided. Chief Smith offered to share his current GoToMeeting membership. He and Dr. Roger will discuss the logistics for meetings because there is a maximum 25-person limit for each meeting. The service will best be used for meetings that do not require a large number of attendees or face time. It will be determined if any additional equipment is needed and how meeting documentation can be assured if the service is used.

  1. ESSO Licensure/Tactical Medic

Chief Griffin reported on the tactical medical program employed by the Kitsap County Sheriff’s office SWAT team, which includes our paramedics, and requested authority to sign the new agreement thathe presented to the committee. A previous agreement has been in place and the current request is a 2-year renewal. Chief Griffin reported that under the agreement there are huge benefits for incident training and the incident management system. Thus far there has been good relationship growth between EMS and law enforcement. Discussion ensued regarding the Council’s role, liability concerns and it was emphasized that when the system is activated by the KCSO, our paramedics become automatically employed when the system is activated. They are deputized and insured against any liability by the KCSO. Chief Faucett noted that the system has worked very well, is effortless and positive. Chief Weninger pointed out that the KCSO does receive a benefit from this Council, yet they do not pay into the Council dues and may need to pay a fee in the future. If this program grows further, the Council will need to review the impacts and path forward, including fees, in order to continue the agreement.

  1. EMS Space

Ms. Gnassi reported there has been little progress is locating suitable space for the EMS Office within the current hospital. As the hospital is absorbing area medical clinics, they have the first opportunity for any available space. There may be space available near the current hospital with unknown costs due to the need for interior build-out and also utility costs. This option can be further explored as necessary. The new hospital opening has been officially pushed to 2020.

Chief Weninger reported that there may be a possibility for EMS space in the CKFR district with a shared building, standardized furniture and some parking costed out to the EMS office available in early 2017.

  1. Budget Report

Chief Duke reported on the 2017 Budget progress which includes a) no increase in dues, and 2) requires $91,000 be transferred out of reserves to balance. Chief Duke reported the current balances of the checking, savings and money market accounts. Transfer from reserves has never occurred before. There was discussion about increasing dues and if council members are willing to pay an increase in order to receive a higher level of service from the council.

Chief Duke will email the budget and finalize it at the next meeting.

  1. Elections

Chief Griffin opened the slate for biannual elections.

Ms. Droppert nominated Ms. Aleshire for Chair.

There were no further nominations. The slate will be presented at the next meeting.

III.Staff & Regional Review

  1. Health District Report

There was no report

  1. Regional Report

There was no report.

  1. Staff Reports

MPD

Resuscitation Academy - Dr. Roger reported that he attended the Resuscitation Academy in King County and he will now be focusing on a new policy for High Performance CPR training. The concept is very simple with great outcomes. The MPD would like to have all Council personnel receive the training over the coming months.

There is a grant opportunity for Resuscitation Academy to match the purchase of a training doll with an additional doll. The MPD made a request for funds for purchase of a doll. The value for standardization and outcomes in the county cannot be underestimated after 3-4 hours of training per individual. It is unknown currently how many dolls are in inventory among the county agencies. An email will be sent to the CMOs to determine how many manikins we actually have and where they are located. Also a request will be made for a staff roster of volunteer and paid staff from each agency. A determination ofadditional resources will be made.

Medical Officers Meeting – Dr. Roger requested clarification regarding the medical officers meeting and whether the committee is “ad-hoc” and meets only when needed. There was discussion of the value of holding regular meetings and if the CMOs should create the timing of meetings as they see fit even though there has always been a standard schedule. It was noted that the CMOs are an effective group and especially for QI/QA items, they are the necessary “connective tissue.”

It was clarified that the MPD has authority over the CMO Committee. MPD stated he wants MSOs to meet Quarterly to analyze data and improve outcomes. The MPD wants buy-in from MSO Chair and will approve meeting agenda together with that Chair; the MPD does not need to run the meetings. The structure and flow of information will be from the MPD through the physician delegates and any necessary items will come back up the chain through the MPD. The meeting schedule will be deferred to the MPD and Physician Delegate who will use GoToMeeting web conferencing when appropriate. Dr. Roger thanked Captain Engel for his respect and leadership for the MSO team.

  1. Good of the Order
  1. Ms. Beyke reported that Bainbridge Advanced Care Ambulance will open in 2017.
  2. Chief Griffin brought up the CBD license for Cencom because the Training Agreement is due for update. Ms. Droppert will search her email for a copy of the current agreement and Ms. Gnassi will search the files at the EMS Office.
  3. Chief Moravec, BIFD, reported that Paramedic Coatsworth will be retiring on October 31, 2016.

The meeting was adjournedby mutual consent at 11:29 AM.

The next EMS Council meeting will be on January 19, 2017 at 9:30.

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