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4 <br />Assessment <br />The North Carolina Association of Rescue and Emergency Medical Services, Inc., of which OCRS is <br />a member, provide certification of Rescue and Emergency Medical Services Providers. The OCRS is <br />listed with the North Carolina Association of Rescue and Emergency Medical Services as a "Heavy <br />Rescue Provider". Under this standard, they are required to have a minimum of eight personal <br />certified as rescue technicians or higher and medical responders or higher. The North Carolina <br />Fireman's and Rescue Squad Workers' Pension Fund provides a pension to eligible rescue squad <br />members who are members of rescue squads that are eligible for membership in the North Carolina <br />Association of Rescue and Emergency Medical Services, Inc. (NCARSEMS), and who have attended <br />36 hours of training and meetings in the last calendar year. This certification and eligibility in the <br />Pension fund is the criteria that the Emergency Services reviews to determine the rescue squad is <br />operating at the standard level of service. <br />On July 15, 2008, the OCRS was asked to provide training records, department standard operating <br />guidelines and procedures and a roster explaining the structure and function of the department <br />personnel. Emergency Services also contacted NCRSEMS, who provided documentation that the <br />OCRS had indicated to them that they had 34 members, but on July 21St, the squad removed 21 <br />members from their membership roster. (See Attachment 4, Fax from NC Assoc. of Rescue and <br />EMS) After repeated telephone and emails to Chief Mathews and the OCRS, on August 5th, the <br />OCRS provided the personnel roster and the training documents to Emergency Services. (See <br />Attachment 5, Timeline) The OCRS personnel roster indicated that the squad has only seven (7) <br />members who are certified to provide Vehicle and Machinery Rescue service. (See Attachment 6, <br />Personnel Roster) <br />The OCRS also provides the County "Dive Rescue" services. At the July 24th meeting, Chief <br />Mathews informed Emergency Services staff that the Dive Rescue portion of the squad was no longer <br />a valid resource and had been unavailable for some time. This was the first notification to Emergency <br />Services that this service was no longer being provided. <br />The training documents provided by the OCRS indicated that of those seven person certified to <br />provide vehicle and machinery rescue services, none of the seven, including the . Chief, had <br />completed the 36 hours of trainings and meetings required by Pension fund in the 2007 calendar <br />year. (See Attachment 7, OCRS Training Attendance by Staff) <br />At this time the OCRS is not meeting the staffing and training standards set forth by either the <br />NCAEMRS or Orange County for a rescue squad in Orange County. <br />Next Steps <br />Based on the information provided above, Emergency Services Department shall continue the <br />dialogue with OCRS to determine what useful role OCRS can play in the Orange County Emergency <br />Services system. The department will conduct this dialogue over the next sixty days and come back <br />to the Board with a recommendation on this issue. <br />FINANCIAL IMPACT: The County currently provides $20,000 a year in in -kind services and $2,409 <br />per /mo in rent to the OCRS. <br />RECOMMENDATION(S): The Manager recommends that Board review the information provided. <br />