MEETING RECAP
Saturday, July 24, 2021
By: Eric T QuinnSaving Lives with West Pierce
THE LAKEWOOD KEY for July 23, 2021
Jim promptly rang the meeting to order. Chris Kimball performed the invocation. Carl Bronkema led the salute to our Flag. Leanna Christian set up the meeting and co-hosted the Zoom with Jim. Eric Quinn wrote the bulletin and we all remained the designated photographers. Greg Rediske recorded the fines.
Above: The day after the meeting, Five Rotarians Ran the Yard at Zawilski’s
Has anyone heard any good “non jokes” lately? I guess not. Here’s one:
What does one French Guy say to another French Guy? “My name is also Guy.” (We still haven/t heard any good ones. The Ed.)
Greg Rediske introduced no visiting Rotarians. Greg also introduced no guests. But Jim Rooks introduced a guest named Anthony Veliz, who was with us last week too and is checking out Lakewood Rotary.
Jim recognized the Puffins: Mike Brown, Carole Wier, Jessica James, Dave Hall, Carl Bronkema, Rachel Mazoff, Steve Saalfeld, Jamie Simons; James Osundwa, and Wendy McGowan, some of whom were in attendance and some who were not.
Jim is reinstituting the Member Spotlight program that Chris Kimball did a few years back. Our Member Spotlight was on Bob Bruback today. Bob is the new Chairperson of the Community Concerns Committee, and is an outstanding Rotarian. Bob graduated from Bellarmine High School and the University of Puget Sound. After graduation, Bob spent 25 years at what became Key Bank. He then moved on to Columbia Bank for five years. Then he was recruited by Heritage Bank and retired from there in 2013. He enjoys the job of retirement better than any job that he ever had. Bob was sponsored by Jim Rooks. Bob recently became a member of the Lakewood Rotary Board. Bob and his wife Karen have been married for 23 years. Bob paid $50 to the Club. Thank you, Bob, for being an outstanding Rotarian.
Another non-joke: You know what's really odd? Numbers that aren't divisible by two. (Gawd, these non-jokes are non-funny! The Ed.)
John Forkenbrock had no Sunshine to report. Greg Rediske informed the Club that Donn Irwin is making headway toward full recovery after his 11 days in the hospital. He is doing well.
Jan Gee had an announcement about hybrid meetings. Lakewood Rotary is going to be getting back together again, in person, toward the end of August. Jan is the Board Member responsible for Administration and therefore oversees how our meetings take place. Rob Erb stated that as Chair of the Setup committee, he is in need of volunteers to help run the hybrid meetings that we are going to be doing soon. The committee is meeting on August 3 and August 11. To be clear, a hybrid meeting is a meeting where some attend in person and some attend virtually. Jim thanked Jan and Rob.
Above: We get back here August 27th. Be there!
And another: Why do we dress baby boys in blue and baby girls in pink? Because they can't dress themselves.
Chuck Hellar reminded us that the Courage Classic is taking place on August 28 and 29. We need more volunteers to staff our rest stop on Saturday and help other Rotary clubs on Sunday. Please inform Chuck if you are able to help out. Chuck also informed us that Sam Hunter and his wife are recovering from a recent bout of Covid.
Jim and Jason Whalen went to a general assembly of the Pierce County Rotary Club Presidents, where various members were discussing how to increase membership. Jim informed us about a lead agent of the consortium of clubs, who discussed the “97 Ways to Increase Membership.” Jim has a “blurb” on the “97 Ways” that he can send to you.
Heard any non-jokes lately? Here is one for you: Why did the dinosaur eat the baby? He didn't. Humans did not appear until after the extinction of dinosaurs.
As for fines, Kendra Riconosciuto and her family went on a trip to Orlando and Disney World. The temperature there was over 90 degrees. Because of that, and after adding 90% humidity, Kendra gave $100. Leanna Christian received a scholarship from the Puget Sound Business Journal’s Women of Influence-Lytle Enterprises Scholarship Fund. Here is a link to some information on the fund: https://seattlefoundation.smapply.org/prog/psbjs_women_of_influence_-_lytle_enterprises_scholarship/. Leanna gave $20.00 for her achievement. Jim gave $20 to match Leanna. Rob Erb went on a bike ride recently and he gave $20. Mark Edgecomb and his wife had a staycation in Ruston and told a story about the water they sprayed out of the hotel jacuzzi. Mark gave $20 for that. Barb Spriggs donated $100 for a return to her pre-retirement hospital, about the Arctic Circle in Kotzebue, Alaska.. Barlow Buescher gave $16 for his 16th Anniversary of his marriage to Karen. Jan Gee gave $25 for a keepsake flag that a legislator gave her upon her retirement. Chuck Hellar’s friend accidentally flew to North Bend, Oregon instead of Bend Oregon. So, Chuck paid $25 for his friend’s screw up. Dave Hall gave $50. Generous Giving indeed!
One last non-joke: What did one lawyer say to the other lawyer? "We're both lawyers!" (Now that is really hilarious! Not. Everyone knows lawyers do not talk to one another—they shout. The Ed.)
Our Program was from our very own resident Fire Chief, Jim Sharp. Jim is the Fire Chief of West Pierce Fire and Rescue (WPFR). The Mission of WPFR is to “Save Lives, Improve Health and Safety, and Protect Property.” The motto of WPFR is “Respond Efficiently, Execute Flawlessly, Be Nice.” Jim provided us an update on WPFR. He obviously spoke about the impacts of Covid. Jim also discussed how wildfires have become a major problem in Western Washington, especially last year (2020). There has also been a lot of civil unrest that WPFR has had to coordinate with law enforcement on. Calls slowed down a little bit last year (about 100-200 fewer calls than 2019 at the same time). This is likely because people were scared to go to the hospital, during the early months of the pandemic.
WPFR received $1.35 Million in Grant money in 2020. This money has been devoted to improving automobile extrication equipment and training, smoke alarm provision, purchasing a new technical rescue vehicle, and improving hazardous-material spill mitigation. WPFR graduated its largest recruit academy in 2020, its largest graduation of recruits in WPFR’s history, despite the uncertainty of the time. WPFR also employed its first all-female firefighting crew. That is a landmark.
One thing that WPFR struggled with in 2020 was community engagement, due to all of the closures resulting from the pandemic. But WPFR adapted. For example, WPFR started a reading program where WPFR firefighters were reading stories virtually to children in the community. They were also delivering pumpkins!
Underlying all of this is the fundamental shift in how emergency medical services (EMS) are being provided, particularly by virtue of low-acuity calls that do not necessarily require EMS. It is important to note that the EMS system was designed to take care of critical patients. Jim discussed changes in the response model of WPFR that have been made in response to the increase in non-emergent or less-emergent calls. To respond to these non-emergent/less emergent calls, a “squad unit” was formed in 2020 as a pilot. The squad unit is staffed with two people in a pickup truck that responds to the low-acuity calls.
Another way that the response model has changed is using a “hybrid program” where a medic unit includes one paramedic and one EMT—rather than having two paramedics on a unit. This allowed WPFR to add a new medic unit. Jim discussed how this change has improved patient outcomes. WPFR now has medic units in five out of six stations.
WPFR also discussed its Connected CARE program (we will call it the CARES program). The term “CARES” stands for “Community Assistance, Referral and Education Services.” CARES is designed to reduce burdens on the EMS system by providing non-emergency services (within supervision of the applicable medical program director) to those suffering from crises that do not necessarily rise to the level of an emergency—such as issues involving mental health, substance abuse or poverty, or issues specific to the elderly. WPFR’s plan was to get its CARES program implemented in 2020. Covid got in the way of that and therefore WPFR is hoping to implement a CARES program in 2021. Jim has great hopes for the program. He opened up his presentation for questions.
Jim Bisceglia asked a question pertaining to how 911 dispatchers (and law enforcement) would be involved in the context of these low-acuity calls. Chief Sharp stated that this is an ongoing conversation nationwide. Chief Sharp noted that it is very difficult for dispatchers to isolate calls by type, and therefore EMS may be dispatched to certain calls which could have been properly addressed by law enforcement.
Dave Coleman—who initially was muted but who made it out of the darkness—thanked WPFR for responding to a few emergencies involving his son, who was suffering from sepsis. WPFR transported his son to St. Clare, and he is doing well. Dave gave $20 for that. Jim wished Dave’s son well.
Jim Rooks thanked Chief Sharp for the amazing presentation. Jim adjourned the meeting at 1:29 PM.
Above: West Pierce F& R: Save Lives, Improve Health & Safety, and Protect Property
The non-jokes today were brought to you by https://bestlifeonline.com/anti-jokes/
Oh yes, remember that if you shop online, do so at Amazon Smile so a portion of your purchase can be allocated to Lakewood Rotary. Also, if you read this bulletin, tell Greg Rediske so you can get a make-up for a missed meeting.
What does one French Guy say to another French Guy? “My name is also Guy.” (We still haven/t heard any good ones. The Ed.)
Greg Rediske introduced no visiting Rotarians. Greg also introduced no guests. But Jim Rooks introduced a guest named Anthony Veliz, who was with us last week too and is checking out Lakewood Rotary.
Jim recognized the Puffins: Mike Brown, Carole Wier, Jessica James, Dave Hall, Carl Bronkema, Rachel Mazoff, Steve Saalfeld, Jamie Simons; James Osundwa, and Wendy McGowan, some of whom were in attendance and some who were not.
Jim is reinstituting the Member Spotlight program that Chris Kimball did a few years back. Our Member Spotlight was on Bob Bruback today. Bob is the new Chairperson of the Community Concerns Committee, and is an outstanding Rotarian. Bob graduated from Bellarmine High School and the University of Puget Sound. After graduation, Bob spent 25 years at what became Key Bank. He then moved on to Columbia Bank for five years. Then he was recruited by Heritage Bank and retired from there in 2013. He enjoys the job of retirement better than any job that he ever had. Bob was sponsored by Jim Rooks. Bob recently became a member of the Lakewood Rotary Board. Bob and his wife Karen have been married for 23 years. Bob paid $50 to the Club. Thank you, Bob, for being an outstanding Rotarian.
Another non-joke: You know what's really odd? Numbers that aren't divisible by two. (Gawd, these non-jokes are non-funny! The Ed.)
John Forkenbrock had no Sunshine to report. Greg Rediske informed the Club that Donn Irwin is making headway toward full recovery after his 11 days in the hospital. He is doing well.
Jan Gee had an announcement about hybrid meetings. Lakewood Rotary is going to be getting back together again, in person, toward the end of August. Jan is the Board Member responsible for Administration and therefore oversees how our meetings take place. Rob Erb stated that as Chair of the Setup committee, he is in need of volunteers to help run the hybrid meetings that we are going to be doing soon. The committee is meeting on August 3 and August 11. To be clear, a hybrid meeting is a meeting where some attend in person and some attend virtually. Jim thanked Jan and Rob.
Above: We get back here August 27th. Be there!
And another: Why do we dress baby boys in blue and baby girls in pink? Because they can't dress themselves.
Chuck Hellar reminded us that the Courage Classic is taking place on August 28 and 29. We need more volunteers to staff our rest stop on Saturday and help other Rotary clubs on Sunday. Please inform Chuck if you are able to help out. Chuck also informed us that Sam Hunter and his wife are recovering from a recent bout of Covid.
Jim and Jason Whalen went to a general assembly of the Pierce County Rotary Club Presidents, where various members were discussing how to increase membership. Jim informed us about a lead agent of the consortium of clubs, who discussed the “97 Ways to Increase Membership.” Jim has a “blurb” on the “97 Ways” that he can send to you.
Heard any non-jokes lately? Here is one for you: Why did the dinosaur eat the baby? He didn't. Humans did not appear until after the extinction of dinosaurs.
As for fines, Kendra Riconosciuto and her family went on a trip to Orlando and Disney World. The temperature there was over 90 degrees. Because of that, and after adding 90% humidity, Kendra gave $100. Leanna Christian received a scholarship from the Puget Sound Business Journal’s Women of Influence-Lytle Enterprises Scholarship Fund. Here is a link to some information on the fund: https://seattlefoundation.smapply.org/prog/psbjs_women_of_influence_-_lytle_enterprises_scholarship/. Leanna gave $20.00 for her achievement. Jim gave $20 to match Leanna. Rob Erb went on a bike ride recently and he gave $20. Mark Edgecomb and his wife had a staycation in Ruston and told a story about the water they sprayed out of the hotel jacuzzi. Mark gave $20 for that. Barb Spriggs donated $100 for a return to her pre-retirement hospital, about the Arctic Circle in Kotzebue, Alaska.. Barlow Buescher gave $16 for his 16th Anniversary of his marriage to Karen. Jan Gee gave $25 for a keepsake flag that a legislator gave her upon her retirement. Chuck Hellar’s friend accidentally flew to North Bend, Oregon instead of Bend Oregon. So, Chuck paid $25 for his friend’s screw up. Dave Hall gave $50. Generous Giving indeed!
One last non-joke: What did one lawyer say to the other lawyer? "We're both lawyers!" (Now that is really hilarious! Not. Everyone knows lawyers do not talk to one another—they shout. The Ed.)
Our Program was from our very own resident Fire Chief, Jim Sharp. Jim is the Fire Chief of West Pierce Fire and Rescue (WPFR). The Mission of WPFR is to “Save Lives, Improve Health and Safety, and Protect Property.” The motto of WPFR is “Respond Efficiently, Execute Flawlessly, Be Nice.” Jim provided us an update on WPFR. He obviously spoke about the impacts of Covid. Jim also discussed how wildfires have become a major problem in Western Washington, especially last year (2020). There has also been a lot of civil unrest that WPFR has had to coordinate with law enforcement on. Calls slowed down a little bit last year (about 100-200 fewer calls than 2019 at the same time). This is likely because people were scared to go to the hospital, during the early months of the pandemic.
WPFR received $1.35 Million in Grant money in 2020. This money has been devoted to improving automobile extrication equipment and training, smoke alarm provision, purchasing a new technical rescue vehicle, and improving hazardous-material spill mitigation. WPFR graduated its largest recruit academy in 2020, its largest graduation of recruits in WPFR’s history, despite the uncertainty of the time. WPFR also employed its first all-female firefighting crew. That is a landmark.
One thing that WPFR struggled with in 2020 was community engagement, due to all of the closures resulting from the pandemic. But WPFR adapted. For example, WPFR started a reading program where WPFR firefighters were reading stories virtually to children in the community. They were also delivering pumpkins!
Underlying all of this is the fundamental shift in how emergency medical services (EMS) are being provided, particularly by virtue of low-acuity calls that do not necessarily require EMS. It is important to note that the EMS system was designed to take care of critical patients. Jim discussed changes in the response model of WPFR that have been made in response to the increase in non-emergent or less-emergent calls. To respond to these non-emergent/less emergent calls, a “squad unit” was formed in 2020 as a pilot. The squad unit is staffed with two people in a pickup truck that responds to the low-acuity calls.
Another way that the response model has changed is using a “hybrid program” where a medic unit includes one paramedic and one EMT—rather than having two paramedics on a unit. This allowed WPFR to add a new medic unit. Jim discussed how this change has improved patient outcomes. WPFR now has medic units in five out of six stations.
WPFR also discussed its Connected CARE program (we will call it the CARES program). The term “CARES” stands for “Community Assistance, Referral and Education Services.” CARES is designed to reduce burdens on the EMS system by providing non-emergency services (within supervision of the applicable medical program director) to those suffering from crises that do not necessarily rise to the level of an emergency—such as issues involving mental health, substance abuse or poverty, or issues specific to the elderly. WPFR’s plan was to get its CARES program implemented in 2020. Covid got in the way of that and therefore WPFR is hoping to implement a CARES program in 2021. Jim has great hopes for the program. He opened up his presentation for questions.
Jim Bisceglia asked a question pertaining to how 911 dispatchers (and law enforcement) would be involved in the context of these low-acuity calls. Chief Sharp stated that this is an ongoing conversation nationwide. Chief Sharp noted that it is very difficult for dispatchers to isolate calls by type, and therefore EMS may be dispatched to certain calls which could have been properly addressed by law enforcement.
Dave Coleman—who initially was muted but who made it out of the darkness—thanked WPFR for responding to a few emergencies involving his son, who was suffering from sepsis. WPFR transported his son to St. Clare, and he is doing well. Dave gave $20 for that. Jim wished Dave’s son well.
Jim Rooks thanked Chief Sharp for the amazing presentation. Jim adjourned the meeting at 1:29 PM.
Above: West Pierce F& R: Save Lives, Improve Health & Safety, and Protect Property
The non-jokes today were brought to you by https://bestlifeonline.com/anti-jokes/
Oh yes, remember that if you shop online, do so at Amazon Smile so a portion of your purchase can be allocated to Lakewood Rotary. Also, if you read this bulletin, tell Greg Rediske so you can get a make-up for a missed meeting.
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