HFMVA.org

HFMVA responds to many calls alongside the Honeoye Falls and Mendon fire departments, and many HFMVA members also serve with these agencies, as well as with other fire departments around the area. So, we thought this might be a good place to mention that this week is Fire Prevention Week 2008. The theme for this year’s event is, simply and pointedly, “Prevent Home Fires”.

Just as we often take time at HFMVA.org to encourage you to prepare for a visit from our EMS crews,
we’d also like to suggest that you take a few minutes this week to look around your home, find and eliminate fire hazards, and review your family fire escape plan. You can find a detailed list of tips on the NFPA web site.

While running errands or searching for a store or business, have you ever been frustrated by how tough it can sometimes be to locate a particular address? HFMVA’s ambulance crews certainly have - and in our line of work, finding a difficult address quickly can have a big effect on patient outcome.

Looking at the homes and businesses in our area, it’s surprising how frequently their street numbers are impossibly small, nearly unreadable - or just plain absent. Have you ever looked at your own home’s numbers? Are they clearly visible from the road, at least 3-inches high and not hidden by trees or landscaping?

Consider the perspective of the medic or driver who may someday respond to a 911 call at your home: They’ve just jumped out of bed in the middle of the night, they’re mentally reviewing their protocols and preparing for your situation, they may be collecting equipment or supplies, the weather could be doing its best to make visibility poor - and to top it off mail box numbers are too small to read! In cases like this, the ambulance might have to turn around (no small feat on narrow roads in bad weather) more than once before the crew finds their destination.

Please take a few minutes to check the numbering on your house or mailbox, and make sure it’s large enough and visible enough from the road for our crews to find you!

Today marked HFMVA’s second-annual Clam Bake, a marathon of good times, catching up with friends and - of course - eating!

As any service organization’s membership grows, it becomes important to hold occasional events to allow people to re-connect and welcome those who have joined. The HFMVA clam bake is one such (very tasty) opportunity to maintain a close-knit team by breaking bread together and sharing a few laughs, cheering on the kids at kickball, and giving our families a peek into the “extended-family” of the EMS world.

On Monday the 15th, HFMVA’s medics received training on the New York State MOLST form, whose acronym name stands for “Medical Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment”. Since its introduction earlier in 2008, this form is being used with increasing frequency in lieu of a traditional non-hospital DNR (do not resuscitate) form. Additionally, it offers several new ways for patients to express their wishes regarding end-of-life care and life support.

If you or a family member have a MOLST form or Non-Hospital DNR, HFMVA encourages you to place it on your refrigerator or store it with your daily medications. This will make it easy for our crewmembers to find, ensuring that we are able to carry out each patient’s wishes. Also, please remember that only MOLST forms or Non-Hosptial DNRs can be honored by EMTs; state law does not allow medics to interpret living wills or healthcare proxy documents.

While it can be a difficult subject, we hope that you will consider important documents like these (including reviewing them with your physician and posting them prominently) as part of an emergency plan for your family and loved ones.

The first-ever Buchanan Brothers Memorial Run will be held in the village of Honeoye Falls on Sunday, September 28th 2008 at 9:00AM. Held to raise money for a scholarship fund in memory of John and Cameron Buchanan, the 5K run begins and ends at the HF-L high school and is sanctioned by USATF.

HFMVA is honored to provide a standby ambulance for the run. If you are interested in participating in the run or volunteering assistance on race-day, contact information for the race organizer is posted on the race information web site. If you would like information on having HFMVA stand by for your event, please contact HFMVA’s Deputy Chief of Operations (Ed Sheidlower, E-Mail: ”Ed <dot> Sheidlower <at> HFMVA <dot> org”).

On May 17th, 2008, the Honeoye Falls - Mendon Volunteer Ambulance held our annual open house in recognition of National EMS Week. HFMVA members provided facility tours, vehicle and equipment demonstrations, and information about serving with the agency. Additionally, Honeoye Falls and Mendon Fire Departments provided crews and apparatus for a vehicle extrication demonstration, Livonia Fire Department brought their Fire Safety / “Smokehouse” trailer, and General Motors showed a Fuel Cell Equinox, whose petroleum-free powertrain was designed and built at a nearby plant in Honeoye Falls.

HFMVA raised over $600 in raffle donations to the agency, thanks to prizes donated by several area businesses. Around fifty community members attended the open house, despite the slightly-gloomy weather.

HFMVA holds its annual open-house to raise community awareness of the agency’s mission and need for volunteers, provide health and safety education, and showcase the equipment and capabilities of HFMVA and its partner agencies. Planned dates for EMS Week 2009 have not yet been announced; dates and times for the 2009 HFMVA open-house are expected to be announced in the Fall of 2008.

Welcome to the new-for-2008 HFMVA web site! While our old web site worked well for many years, it began experiencing problems recently as we switched web hosting providers and began to add new content. This new site uses Wordpress to deliver news and information about HFMVA, making site maintenance and updates easier, and providing an RSS feed for smartphones and news readers.

Please check out the updated pages above - you’ll find plenty of information about our agency, what we do, how you can participate, or even make a donation. Thanks for visiting!