1. How can I get grant funding for recruitment and retention projects?
Starting on the September 15, 2007 grant cycle, recruitment and retention (including leadership and management projects) will be one of six priority items through the Rescue Squad Assistance Fund (RSAF). This multi-million dollar grant program is offered twice a year and offers matching grant funds for non-profit licensed EMS agencies. The deadlines are March 15 and September 15 of each year. Grant Programs
2. What EMS leadership and management manuals does the Office of EMS have?
Discipline and Due Process for the EMS Agency – This resource is designed for volunteer and career EMS agencies looking to strengthen or assesses their discipline program. Written by L. Dayton Haugh, an attorney and a veteran EMS manager, the manual features on outline of key topics with examples from volunteer and career EMS systems. Can you fire a volunteer? What documentation should you keep when implementing progressive discipline? What are some tips to help avoid disciplinary problems?
EMS Strategic Planning – Jim Kelly, a veteran paramedic and fire and EMS planner with Chesterfield Fire and EMS, provides a structure for EMS agencies to start the strategic planning process and a variety of examples from Virginia EMS agencies. His manual will help “sell” the importance of strategic planning to EMS agency leadership. Why should an EMS agency have a strategic plan? What is a mission statement? How do you prepare to write a strategic plan? Why is a strategic plan important?
Funding Your Future: Establishing Fee-For-Service Programs in Non-Profit EMS Agencies – This guide reviews the benefits and limitations of billing in a comprehensive, yet east to understand format. Funding Your Future features lessons learned from agencies that have implemented billing for services in their own agency and/or local government. There is also a PowerPoint presentation that can be used with the guide to present the idea to EMS agencies, local government officials and community groups.
3. Does OEMS have a list of agencies in Virginia that bill for services?
Yes, we try to keep it as up-to-date as possible.
4. Does OEMS have any manuals to help agencies and localities considering revenue recovery through billing for services?
Funding your Future: Establishing Fee-for-Service Programs in Non-Profit EMS Agencies
5. What is the EMS Workforce Development Committee and what do they do?
The EMS Workforce Development Committee is one of the committees on the Governor’s EMS Advisory Board. The EMS Workforce Development Committee reviews and recommends policies and standards as needed in the development of recruitment, retention, leadership and management programs. The committee reviews and recommends policies and standards that will help maintain and increase the human resources to meet emergency medical services demands. The committee will work with all other standing committees review, recommend programs that will enhance state and local EMS systems to increase the level of pre-hospital care. The committee, which features four sub-committees, is working on a variety of projects including developing standards of excellence for EMS agencies, strategies to plan a successful recruitment campaign and leadership and management standards.
6. How can someone be trained to teach the Keeping The Best! workbooks?
There are two Keeping The Best! workbooks that EMS leaders can teach, How To Use Retention Principles and Maximizing Your Retention Efforts. Interested instructors must first take the eight-hour class for either or both workbooks they want to teach and then apply to be a trainer. Once they are approved, the instructor trainee must take a train the trainer class and teach parts of a class before receiving certification.
7. Where and when are the next Keeping The Best! trainings?
Register for the classes at http://vaems.org/aemer/aemer_regis_reten.htm
8. How can I get the Keeping The Best! workbooks?
You can download copies of the workbook here.
9. How can I find a list of EMS agencies in Virginia that have volunteer and career opportunities?
EMS Online Recruitment Directory
10. How can an EMS agency leader update their volunteer and/or employment information?