ARCHIVED NEWS FROM 2002-2007

        Thanks to everyone that came out and helped at the Relay for Life on Friday, May 18th.  Due to everyone's efforts, we were able to raise almost $1000 for this worthy cause.

        As this year's picture fund raiser begins to wind down, MCR would like to thank everyone that helped make it a success.  Community Support Services coordinated the project, and Keith Hughes handled things on our end.  Thanks to their hard work, we raised over $12000 in 2006, and have raised over $9000 this year.  Thanks again.

        On April 19, MCR teamed with the Bennettsville Police Department and Bennettsville Fire Department to sponsor the "Every 15 Minutes" program at Marlboro County High School.  The program is designed to show high school students the possible consequences of driving drunk.  Hundreds of students watched the program, as a simulated car crash with fatalities was worked by Police, Fire, and EMS.  One "driver" was arrested, five "patients" were transported by Marlboro County Rescue, and 1 "patient" was airlifted out by Carolina LifeCare.  Four "DOAs" were picked up by hearses from local funeral homes.  The event wrapped up with a memorial service on Friday morning.  For pictures of the 2007 event, click here.  The program was also presented in 2003.  For pictures of the 2003 event go to our PIER TEAM page, or click here.

Click on the Logo to visit the official web site of the "Every 15 Minutes" Program

        Over 45 people, including volunteers from Blenheim FD, Brightsville FD, Wallace FD, several 911 dispatchers, and MCR personnel attended an LZ class and fly-in by Carolina LifeCare and LifeReach on Saturday, March 10.  The informative class featured an unprecedented two aircraft fly-in and display.

Click HERE for more pictures of the LZ Class

        MCR was notified on Monday, February 12, 2007, that we had been awarded a $40,300 Assistance to FireFighters grant.  The grant, which is available through the Department of Homeland Defense, is given each year to  fire departments across the country.  Non-affiliated EMS services are also eligible, but it is rare that a non-fire department actually wins an award.  The award will be used to by "extrication" gear for personnel to use in and around wrecked vehicles, as well as with other rescue operations.  With MCR's match, the grant total will exceed $45,000.

        MCR Personnel have yet another tool to help them provide the best patient care possible.  Vidacare's EZ-IO system is the latest in cutting edge technology available to help Paramedics in obtaining vascular access in patients that are hard to get a traditional IV on.  These devices allow a 15 gauge access directly into the intraosseous space in either the humeral head, proximal tibia, or medial malleolus.   MCR personnel have been trained on the devices, and they are on the trucks and in use.  For more information, and to watch the training videos, click on the Vidacare logo below.

        Congratulations to Cooper Lee on being presented with the 2006 "Dana Crosland Award".  The award has been given each year since 1998 to the MCR member that is the best all-around.  The criteria includes responding to calls, attending meetings, and extra activities that separate this person from other members.  The award is in memory of Mr. Dana Crosland, who in 1960, served as the first Captain for the Marlboro County Rescue Squad.  Cooper serves MCR on the Board of Directors where he is the Treasurer, and he attends nearly every monthly meeting.  He has also helped out behind the scenes in several of the projects that we have undertaken recently.  Thanks to Cooper for everything that he does for MCR.

        Congratulations to MCR Paramedic Frank Wethington on being selected as the 2006 recipient of the "Ryan Bozard Award".  This award is given to the person that consistently delivers excellent patient care.  This award is given after consulting with co-workers and ER staff.  Frank has been a Paramedic for over 15 years, and has been employed with MCR for over 5 years.  Everyone at MCR appreciates the job Frank does for us.

        The Berry-Belcher life-saving award was given out for the first time since 2003.  The award is issued each year at our awards banquet to any individual that performs a life saving act.  This year we had three people that contributed to the same event, and they were:  Donald Foreman, Jenny Foreman, and Kyle Thomas.  For the complete story of this year's Berry-Belcher award CLICK HERE.

        When you have the time, check out this great article, The Ten Commandments of Airway Management, from JEMS Online.

        MCR Medics participated in a  12-Lead EKG Refresher class on Tuesday, October 24.  Below are pictures from the class.  Click on the thumbnail to enlarge the picture.

        The weekend of September 15-17 was one of the worst in recent memory with 4 fatalities in three different incidents over a twelve hour period.  At about 2315 On Friday night, September 15,  Medic 1 and Medic 3 responded to a pedestrian hit by a vehicle in Bennettsville.  The 30 year old patient was stabilized and transported to Marlboro Park Hospital before being airlifted to McLeod Regional Medical Center in Florence.  He died on Sunday morning.  The same night at about 0115, Medic 1 and Medic 2, along with Rescue 115 responded to Adamsville Road for an MVA with 2 fatalities.  The male victim was 22 and the female was 21 years of age.  On Saturday morning, September 16 at around 1115, Medic 1, Medic 2, and Basic 5 responded to three bicyclists down on Hwy 15-401 west towards Society Hill.  Upon arrival, Medic 1 found a 15 year old patient with mortal injuries, and two other patients with non-life threatening injuries.  The cyclists were part of the Multiple Sclerosis' MS 150 Bike Ride to the beach.  The patients were transported to Marlboro Park where the 15 year old female died.

        After much work by the South Carolina EMS Association, South Carolina's Governor Mark Sanford signed into law a bill that allows for the SC Department of Motor Vehicles to sell "EMS" Themed license tags. To see a rough draft of what the tag will eventually look like, click on the thumbnail below.

        South Carolina's EMS Division of DHEC has re-written regulation 61-7.  For those that don't know, this is the EMS "Bible" for S.C., and has not been changed in many years.  If you have not seen the updated regulation CLICK HERE (this will take you to SC DHEC's site).

        As everyone has surely heard by now, the 2005 International Consensus on CPR and ECC (Emergency Cardiovascular Care) Guidelines have been changed dramatically.  Anyone in any branch of Health Care will undergo training in 2006 to understand the what and why of the new treatment plans.  To learn more about the changes, and to view other resources, click on the link below.

     For the fourth year in a row, AAA of the Carolinas has labeled Marlboro County's roads as the most dangerous in South Carolina.  Marlboro County, once again, ranked 1st in AAA's three main categories; Fatal Collisions, Injury Collisions, and Property Damage Collisions.  For the complete story, CLICK HERE.

      MCR has entered into a contract with Community Support Services to help with a fund-raiser for us.  C.S.S. personnel began contacting residents on March 15, asking about portraits packages that are available for purchase.  The pictures will be taken at MCR's base station on a date that will be convenient for the purchaser.  We are planning to use the money to put towards an "Auto-Pulse" device.  If you are not familiar with the Auto-Pulse, click on the link below and read about this terrific piece of equipment.

       Gunfire erupted in downtown Bennettsville on Wednesday afternoon (March 29), when a man wielding an automatic rifle went on a shooting rampage near the Marlboro County Courthouse.  When the gunfire ended, the gunman lay critically injured having been brought down by Police Officers.  Also injured in the gun battle was MCR EMT, and City of Bennettsville Police Narcotics Detective John Valdaliso.  John, after being shot through the hand, was transported by Medic 2 to Marlboro Park Hospital and was later transferred to McLeod Regional Medical Center in Florence.  The gunman, who was transported to Marlboro Park ER by Medic 3, died a short time later from his injuries.  Please join all MCR personnel in keeping John in your thoughts and prayers.  We all hope for a speedy recovery.  Miraculously, no one else was injured.  Update:  John underwent successful surgery on Thursday, March 30, to place a pin in his left hand to replace a shattered bone.  He was back in Scotland Memorial Hospital on Friday after a reaction to pain medication that he was put on after surgery, and by Sunday, April 2, he was back at home doing fine.

       The Repeater system that was ordered with the 2005 Homeland Security Funds is on-line.  The guys from Communications Technology in Chesterfield got the system up and running and it sounds great.  The repeater antenna is at about the 290 foot mark on the cablevision tower on Hwy 15-401.  For those interested, the receive frequency is 155.535.

    Almost everyone in EMS has heard of the progress being made in the field of blood substitutes.   The link below will carry you to an article in JEMS Online that updates the progress of the two main blood-substitute products in the final stages of research.  These products are being used in select ERs and on select ambulances across the country, and could be the standard of care in our area before long.  Take time to check out this interesting article.

JEMS (Journal of Emergency Medical Service)

    Friday, January 13, 2005, was a good day for Marlboro County Rescue in that we received two donations from two different groups in our community.  The first donation was made at a luncheon at "The Skye" in downtown Bennettsville, where The Kinney Foundation presented MCR Finance Director Cooper Lee with a check for $2500.  Later that afternoon, Weyerhaeuser Industries' Human Resources Director  Don Newton stopped by our main station and presented Operations Director Greg Boan with a check for $5000.  Both donations will go towards a new multiple-bay building that we hope to have up and in service by the end of 2006.  We are grateful to both The Kinney Foundation and Weyerhaeuser Industries for their continued support of our service.

Above: Don Newton of Weyerhaeuser Industries presents the check to Greg Boan of MCR

        Marlboro County Rescue had 7 personnel tour the Palmetto Brick Company facility in Wallace on Friday, December 23rd.  Personnel were their to familiarize themselves with the plant's operations, potential injuries, entry procedures, and the locations of employees.  In the end, Palmetto Brick Company made a contribution to our organization.  Click on the thumbnail for a larger picture.

The new year started off with a bang for Marlboro County Rescue.  At around 9am on New Year's Day Medic 1, Medic 2, and Rescue 1 were dispatched to an MVA on Hwy 15-401 about 3 miles east of Bennettsville.  Upon arrival, Medic 1 found that a van had struck a tractor-trailer nearly head-on, with the driver of the van having been ejected.  The driver was stabilized, R.S.I. was performed, and the patient was taken straight to the Marlboro County Airport to meet Carolina Lifecare's Helicopter.  The patient was then transported directly to Palmetto-Richland Hospital in Columbia, a Level 1 Trauma Center.  Few pictures were taken, but to view what we have, click HERE.

      Carolinas Hospital Systems' Med Center Air Helicopter Team was in town on Saturday, February 2nd.  This was an opportunity to meet Med Center Air's Flight Team, and review Landing Zone setup guidelines.  Thanks to Med Center Air's Flight Nurses Henry Ward and Chip Raby Jr., and Pilot Mike Davis for the presentation.  Over 30 people attended the class, which was held at MCR's Main Station.  Click on the logo below for pictures of the visit.

    Palmetto-Richland Hospital in Columbia sent it's Care-Force team to Bennettsville on September 25th. for L.Z. training.  Click on the link for  PICTURES FROM CARE-FORCE VISIT.  For more information on Care-Force, click on the picture below to visit their website.

Tornado!

On Tuesday, September 7, several tornados tore through Marlboro County.  We have yet to receive official confirmation of how many tornados actually touched the ground, but some estimates are as high as 6.  In the period from 8am September 7, through 1pm September 8, we were under a tornado warning at least 10 times.  The rash of tornadoes were a spin-off of Tropical Storm Francis that passed just to the west of us.  Luckily there were only minor injuries to report.

Click on the picture above to view other pictures taken around the county.

    The following story appeared on the homepage of the US Marine Corp's 22nd MEU (Marine Expeditiary Unit).  Closest to the camera is MCRS Longtime Member and Paramedic Eric Stanton who is a Corpsman in the Navy Reserves, and who is assigned to the 22nd MEU in Afghanistan.  Great job Eric!

PhotoID: 200462803252
Submitted by: 22nd MEU
Operation/Exercise/Event:
Operation Enduring Freedom


Caption:
Navy corpsmen and doctors from the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) work frantically to save the life of seven-year-old Miraja, an Afghani girl who had swallowed an opium poppy bulb, at Forward Operating Base Ripley, Afghanistan. Miraja was found at a medical civil affairs project undertaken by the MEU and subsequently taken to FOB Ripley and other medical facilities in Afghanistan where her life was saved.
Photo by: Lt. Cmdr. Alan Bautista

    CONGRATULATIONS to MCRS Member / Employee Dana Robinson on successfully completing the National Registry's Basic EMT class.

   We were in Columbia on Wednesday, March 17th, to pick up five more of the Zoll AEDs available through the Office of Rural Health's Grant efforts.  This makes two years in a row that Marlboro County has been awarded five of the Zoll AEDs.  These ten AEDs, coupled with the four that were obtained when we bought our twelve lead monitors last fall, brings the total to Fourteen Zoll AEDs now available throughout the county.

    Our annual Awards Banquet and Christmas Party was held Saturday night, December 13.  MCRS Paramedic / Supervisor Greg Boan won the Dana Crosland Award which is given each year to the most outstanding member.  The award, which was begun in 1997, was named after the MCRS' first Captain, and is voted on by members of the squad.  Congratulations Greg on this award!

    In October, the MCRS purchased four of the ZOLL M Series monitors for our frontline trucks.   The upgrade to the ZOLL M Series now allows the MCRS' Paramedics to begin performing 12-Lead EKGs on patients in the field.  We can then send this information to the Emergency Room of the hospital that we are en route to via cell phone.   This will hopefully speed diagnosis and treatment of patients experiencing a heart attack.  This $78,000 purchase was made in part with help from a $10,000 donation from the Weyerhaeuser corporation, a $500 donation from an elderly couple close to the MCRS, and a $15,000 gift from an individual donor than wishes to remain anonymous.

CLICK ON THE PICTURE ABOVE TO VISIT ZOLL MEDICAL'S WEBSITE

    The MCRS, in conjunction with the Marlboro County Fire Association, is trying to establish a joint Fire/Rescue Specialty Operations Team.  This team would be comprised of personnel from every Fire and Rescue agency in the county.  This combined effort would provide for a Hazardous Materials Response Team, a Rope Rescue Team, a Confined Space Team, a Trench Rescue Team and a joint Water Rescue Team.    More information will be published here as it becomes available.

    MCRS Paramedics Greg Boan and Shawn Crowley completed a three day Tactical Medic course in North Charleston, S.C.  The class was sponsored by the North Charleston Police Department and Charleston County Sheriff's Department, and was taught by HSS International.  HSS International is considered one of the foremost Tactical Training Organizations in the world.  Greg and Shawn are now members of the City of Bennettsville's SORT (Special Operations Response Team / SWAT Team) as Medics.  Click on the link below to visit HSS' Tactical Medic Site.

In may of 1999, JEMS magazine ran an article about Tactical Medics.  P.S.  The May 1999 issue was also the issue that featured a full page picture of  MCRS personnel in action. See both the May 99 JEMS Cover and the full page picture below.

As the Paramedic shortage in South Carolina continues to worsen,  many other states are experiencing the same problems.  Click on the link below to read an interesting article about the state of the Paramedic profession in Mississippi.  The article was posted in Gulfport, Mississippi's Sun Herald Newspaper.  Sound Familiar?

Click on the link below to visit the USA TODAY website.  USA TODAY ran a three-piece article on the state of affairs in EMS in the United States.  This is a terrific article - take the time to check it out.

Click on the link above to visit USA Today's site

Click on the link below to read an interesting article on the USA TODAY website about a nationwide movement to change the method by which bystander CPR is performed.

Simpler method for CPR coming

Click on the link below to see what "SARS - Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome" recommendations the CDC has for Healthcare Workers and the public in general.

    The first case of West Nile Virus was seen in Marlboro County the week of August 23, 2003, when a dead Blue Jay was found infected with the disease.   Click on the link below to check updates from the CDC, and find out what the Centers for Disease Control have to say about this expanding problem.

    Also a growing concern for citizens in the eastern United States is "EEE", formally known as Eastern Equine Encephalitis.  This mosquito carried disease is considered one of the, if not the most dangerous of the Vector-borne diseases.  Click on the link below to check out the CDC's page on all Vector-borne diseases.

THANKS to the MCRS' Relay for Life Team.  Through a yard sale, bake sale, and selling of RFL materials, the team was able to raise over $2000 for this worthy cause.  Great Job Guys!!!  Also special thanks to L.W. Brigman for his help.

Click on the thumbnail below to view the MCRS' Relay for Life Team.

    RSI (Rapid Sequence Induction) has officially become part of the MCRS' advanced protocols.  Thanks to Pee Dee Regional EMS and Paramedic Tony Scott for getting our guys trained in RSI.

    May 25        -      A sign language class for medical responders will begin at MCRS base station on May 29.  Any MCRS personnel wishing to attend this class should call Rescue 1 and place their name on the list.  The class and books are free to all MCRS personnel.

         May 15    -      The MCRS will celebrate EMS week this year at Herb's Steakhouse in Bennettsville.  In what is becoming somewhat of an EMS week tradition, MCRS members and employees will gather at Herb's on Saturday night, May 24, 2003, at 6pm.  All personnel and their spouses or dates please make plans to attend. 

      April 25    -    All MCRS personnel recently completed Federally mandated HIPAA Training.  The HIPAA Privacy Act of 1996 mandates how we use and store patient information such as run reports, face sheets, and the like.  HIPAA stands for Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, and requires all EMS services, hospitals, doctors offices, etc. to specify who has access to a patient's protected health information.  A HIPAA make-up class will be scheduled in the next week for the few members/employees that were unable to attend the first three classes.

        April 20    -    Congratulations go out to MCRS Members Greg Boan and Shawn Crowley.  Greg and Shawn attended an Advanced HAZ MAT Life Support class on April 14, 15, and 16 in Greenville, N.C.  Greg and Shawn were both certified as Instructors, making them two of only four instructors in South Carolina, and only a handful in the Southeast.  Great Job Guys.

www.ahls.org

CLICK ON THE LINK TO VISIT THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA'S ADVANCED HAZ MAT LIFE SUPPORT SITE

        April 20    -      The MCRS Board of Directors met Thursday night, April 17.  Among the business discussed was the need for a new ambulance.  Equipment Officer Greg Boan placed the order on Friday morning for a new Wheeled Coach ambulance on a Ford E450 Super Duty chassis.  The new ambulance should be delivered sometime the week of May 5-9.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW PICTURES OF THE MCRS' AMBULANCE TO BE DELIVERED SHORTLY

        April 20    -    The MCRS will join forces with the Bennettsville Police Department and Bennettsville Fire Department in an "Every 15 Minutes" program to be held at Marlboro County High School.  The program, which will presented on April 22 and 23, introduces high school kids to the dangers and consequences on driving while impaired.  The program will include MCRS personnel using the "Jaws of Life" for extrication, and then transportation of the "patients".

        April  20    -    Updating the progress on the reflective house number signs, MCRS member Shawn Crowley reports that over 300 have been placed throughout the county.  The Marlboro Herald Advocate will run another story on the signs this week.

        April 8    -    The yard sale netted over $250 for Relay for Life.  So far, our team has raised over $1000 for this worthy cause.  Great job guys.

    March 11    -    The MCRS is planning a yard sale to benefit Relay for Life.  The yard sale will take place on Saturday, April 5, 2003.  Anyone with items to donate are asked to bring the items to Rescue 1.  Items not sold will be returned to their owner or donated to another worthwhile charity.

    March 11   -    The MCRS has undertaken a project to help residents make their homes easier to find in an emergency.  MCRS member/employee Shawn Crowley is heading a committee that is selling reflective house markers for $10 ea.  The signs are 6" wide, and 18" tall, and are made of a reflective material with reflective numbers.  For $10, residents get the signs and free installation by MCRS personnel.  The signs are being sold "at cost", so no money is being made by the MCRS on this project.  So far, over 200 signs have been sold.   

    March 11    -    We are finalizing plans for a sign-language class to be held for any personnel wishing to attend.  The class will be a beginning sign class that is tailored for Emergency Medical Personnel and service providers who work in public safety.  The class consists of learning hand shapes, alphabets, numbers, and basic communication sentences utilized in the medical setting.  The class will consist of 9, 2-hour sessions.  Tuition and books will be paid for by the MCRS for any personnel attending.   

    March 11    -    The MCRS welcomes it's three newest members into the organization.  Junior members Sandi Price, Misty Hood, and Whitney Wilkes were all recently voted to Junior membership.  We welcome their addition to our organization.

    January 30    -    The Marlboro Association of Rescue Squads (MARS) held it's annual Super Bowl supper on Sunday, January 26, 2003.  A MARS meeting preceded the supper, with Dr. Kevin Jasinski being elected to replace Ricky Todd as MARS President.

    January 9    -    The MCRS would like to express the deepest condolences to the family of Scott Maness.  Scott was killed Thursday, January 9, 2003, in an automobile accident in Florence, S.C.  Scott was a past Captain, and Honorary Member of the MCRS.  As a member for over 17 years, he began his career in public safety with the MCRS as a Junior Member in 1975.  He was an integral part of the MCRS' growth in the 1980's and early 1990's, serving in several different capacities, including that of Captain in 1991.  He was presently living in Coward, S.C., and was working in Florence where he was a 911 dispatch supervisor.  He was killed when another vehicle swerved into his lane and struck his car head-on.

     December 1    -    Congratulations are in order for MCRS Paramedics Greg Boan and Hank Driggers.  Both recently successfully completed the University of Maryland - Baltimore County's Critical Care Paramedic Course.  The class, which began September 3 and ended November 23, was taught in Charleston, and was sponsored by the Lowcountry Regional EMS office.  Way to go guys!

CLICK ON THE LOGO TO VISIT THE UMBC'S CCEMTP WEBSITE

    November 7    -    AAA of the Carolinas recently issued a press release declaring Marlboro County the most dangerous county in South Carolina for traffic collisions.  AAA rates each county on three different criteria.  These criteria are based on miles driven, and include property damage, injuries, and fatalities.  Marlboro County ranked first in each of the three categories.  Click HERE or on the link to read the entire press release.

AAA of the Carolinas