From the Desk of Dick Reiners, President

As I write this letter, one month of the New Year is already behind us.  Christmas and New Year’s Day are memories, and that furry little buck-toothed, oversized rodent, “Punxsutawney Phil”, did indeed see his shadow – Six more weeks of winter.  Of course, with a mild winter like this one, who’s really complaining?

It’s also that time of the year to treat that special someone in your life with a token of your affection; be it a quiet candle lit dinner, flowers and some chocolates or maybe a quiet weekend get-away- that perfect gift to profess your unquenchable love and admiration.

One particular Valentine’s Day comes to mind for me when I took my wife, Lorie to Guzzardo’s Italian Restaurant in Lincoln to be followed by a movie that we both wanted to see.  As we finished our dinner and were heading out of the restaurant, we heard a frantic scream from across the room.  Nearby, lying on the floor was an elderly gentleman with his fragile wife trying desperately to help him up; perhaps a simple fall; maybe a broken hip.  Lorie and I rendered first responder care until the Lincoln City Fire/Paramedics arrived to assume patient care and transport.  Lorie ended up driving the patient’s wife to the Hospital in their car while I followed in ours.

As it turned out, our patient, Emil Stahlhut was the retired administrator of the Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital (ALMH), and although Lorie and I missed that movie we wanted to see, we felt proud of our EMS training and education, and were grateful for the opportunity to help out someone else in their time of need. After all, isn’t that what EMS is all about?   Maybe not the most romantic Valentine’s Day I ever had, but I’ll always remember it.    

As we look forward to March, whether it comes in or out like a lamb or a lion, it promises to be an exciting month.  Why, because of the IEMTA Seminar, of course!

The flyers have all been mailed to our members, and those of you who did not receive one can download the flyer and registration form from our website.  I along with the rest of the board of directors, personally invite you to join us for the three day event.

We’ve added something new this year- The first all-day pre-conference class focusing on EMS Safety.  And although I realize that it might be hard to get time off on a Friday, I am sure that if you do attend, that you won’t be disappointed.  The entire weekend will be worth a whopping 23 CEUs, more than half of a year’s training requirement.  The conference certificates will be issued at the end of each day with the exception of the pre-conference class, for which that certificate will be mailed to you by the NREMT.

On another note, I’ve been talking with EMTs from around our state about holding 1-day regional seminars.  Each seminar would be a standardized theme with useful training material, but it would be held at a location much closer to you and your region.  We would need a department or agency to provide a host facility and assist with audio-visual equipment and perhaps snacks and beverages.  Please give this some thought and if you attend the upcoming seminar, please feel free to approach me or any member of our board with your ideas.

We are also looking into offering some type of accidental death insurance that would be included with your IEMTA membership package.  This would then require more timely membership renewal reminders on our end as well as prompt renewal and payment of your membership dues on your end.  Just as a reminder, all membership renewals are normally due by the end of October each year. 

Remember, this is your EMT association and the directors that you have elected will try their best to meet your needs.  So send us your ideas and let us know how we can help you…. achieve Excellence in EMS!!!

Membership is open to all Illinois EMS professionals.  Please fill out an application today!  The Board and I are here to serve you. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me or the Board member in your region (the region map is available on the website).