PAAW President Dana Sechler and Director Mark Fredrickson recognized PFFW Executive Member Jerry Biggart with a Partnership Award.  PAAW decided to recognize Jerry for his contributions to the coalition over the past several years.  PAAW, PFFW, WSFCA, and WEMSA have come together on a number of legislative initiatives in recent years, and Jerry has been there since the beginning.  “I have a lot of respect for the work Jerry does, and the type of person he is.  He really opened the door between fire-based and private or municipal EMS services” says Fredrickson. 

Jerry was recognized during the Paramedic Systems of Wisconsin conference held in Green Bay, Wi September 18^th – 20^th.  “It is always nice to be recognized for your work, and having the opportunity to work with the coalition to make an impact none of us could do alone is humbling” shared Biggart. 

PAAW is dedicated to healthy and sustainable ambulance and EMS delivery in the state of Wisconsin, a tall order for one association.  “We know that our collective voice is stronger than any single organization on their own, so we set our differences aside and focus on opportunities to work together” explains President Sechler.  PAAW is proud to be a part of the coalition and the legislative impact they have made so far but knows there are many more hills to climb.  Keep watching PAAW’s website, social media, and email for updates on what is coming next. 

The notice below was received by PAAW leadership on September 10 regarding the Emergency Triage, Treat, and Transport (ET3) Model program.

All – I have been informed that legislative changes are being introduced that will allow for services to participate in the ET3 pilot program proposed by CMMI and CMS. Wisconsin agencies interested in applying for the ET3 pilot are encouraged to do so as soon as possible due to the deadline for applications being September 19, 2019 (nine days from now). We are very much aware of the short time frame for applying and encourage you to share this news with your agency, any partner organizations, stakeholders, and membership of your representational groups. We understand the CMMI and CMS may be releasing a “round two” and “round three” opportunity in the future but have no other details on that at this time. We will be pushing out updates on the legislative initiative as we receive them.

Specific information can be found on the ET3 Model main page, the ET3 Frequently Asked Questions page and the ET3 Model Eligibility Fact Sheet. There are additional resources listed on those pages. 

Mark Lockhart, NRP
EMS Section Chief, Office of Preparedness and Emergency Health Care
Wisconsin Department of Health Services
Main: 608-266-1568 | Direct: 608-261-6870

Congratulations to the following winners of the Savvik/PAAW 5.11 Tactical Giveaway!

Colfax Rescue
Donald Knutson, Director

St. Croix Emergency Services
Joanne Kenney, Office Manager

Gundersen Tri-State Ambulance
Eric Ellis, Operations Supervisor

Learn more about how Savvik can help YOUR ambulance service save big at www.savvik.org.

It's time! Nominate yourself or another person for the board of the Professional Ambulance Association of Wisconsin.

Please note that in order to nominate a candidate your organization must work for an ambulance service member in good standing. 

The election of board members will take place at the PAAW Annual Meeting at 9:30 am on September 13 at Divine Savior Hospital (2817 New Pinery Rd, Portage, Wisconsin 53901) in Portage. Nominations can also be submitted from the floor during the meeting.

Thank you for your ongoing support and participation.

Nominate Now►

Tim Couillard, Critical Care Paramedic Supervisor with PAAW Member Bell Ambulance, was recently recognized at the American Ambulance Association’s 2019 Stars of Life Ceremony in Washington, D.C.

Tim, a loving husband, and father to three beautiful girls has a passion for sharing his knowledge and learning everything he can.  He was chosen as the 2017 Employee of the Year at Bell, which led to his participation in the Stars event this year.  When asked what Tim did to earn an employee of the year nomination, he replied, “Well…I just went to work and did my best,” which I think we can all appreciate.  In talking with Tim, it is easy to recognize how much pride he takes in his work, whether it is training others or pushing himself to learn more.  He earned his certification as an Emergency Medical Dispatcher in 2017, in part, so he could better understand the system he is a part of.
You can read Tim’s full Star of Life bio here. 

Tim had the following to say about his experience at the Stars event:

“It was amazing.  I am so honored to have been a part of an event like this, to hear everyone else’s stories and be recognized alongside so many…I’m grateful.”  

I asked Tim what he will carry forward from participating in this event.  Although the opportunity to spend some time traveling and sightseeing with his wife was near the top of his list of favorites, he also offered the following:

“It was cool to see what upper management is out there doing for us daily.  We don’t normally get to see that.  We were able to meet with lawmakers and talk about the Public Safety Officer’s Death Benefit.  Honestly, I didn’t even realize it existed…but then to learn it exists and find out police officers and firefighters are covered, but we’re not because we work for a private service…that’s not right!  We’re all out there working together, on the same scenes, for the same reasons and we all deserve to know our families will be taken care of should something happen.” 

Tim’s advice for others in EMS? 

“Remember why you got into it, and learn as much as you can about the company you work for and the industry you’re in.” 

Congratulations, Tim!  We’re proud to have you as part of our EMS team and look forward to the great things you’ll do for EMS in the future. 

A note from Wisconsin EMS Section Chief Mark Lockhart

The Funding Assistance Program application period will open on Monday, July 1 at 12 noon and close at the end of business on Wednesday, July 17. The application and required expense report will be available in e-licensing – service directors will need to log in to complete both forms beginning on July 1. These two forms will be submitted through e-licensing during the application period. In addition, the Municipal Signature and Population Verification Page must be completed (including signatures) and uploaded as a document into the documents tab of e-licensing. Between now and July 1, we encourage you to review the FAP Grant Guidance document (especially the Getting Started section), the Frequently Asked Questions document and the FAP Purchasing Guide.

We strongly encourage you to review these documents now and get a head start on the process. Thank you!

Meet Larry Knuth, PAAW Director! Larry is vice president of operations at Paratech Ambulance Service. He is proud to help move mobilehealthcare in Wisconsin forward!

On April 10, more than 100 mobile healthcare professionals convened in Madison to educate legislators about key mobile healthcare topics. Don't miss photos on PAAW's Facebook page!

Meet Tom Tornstrom, PAAW's Treasurer since 2014. Tom leads Tri-State Ambulance, and also serves on the American Ambulance Association board.

Chris Anderson of Bell Ambulance has proudly served Wisconsin with world-class mobile healthcare for more than two decades.