Madison County Board of

Supervisors

August 12, 2021

Steve Grayson, President

Madison County Rescue Squad, Inc.

Steven Dodson, Chief

Madison County Rescue Squad, Inc.

RE: Notice of Termination of Memorandum of Understanding for Cause.

Dear Gentlemen:

It is with regret that Madison County is ending its relationship with the Madison County Rescue
Squad. As you know, Madison County Rescue Squad has been an integral part of Madison
County’s Emergency Services Program since its founding in 1963. Unfortunately, the
Memorandum of Understanding executed November 25, 2020, is in significant breach, putting
the lives of Madison County residents at risk. Madison County notes the deficiencies and
violations of the Memorandum of Understanding as follows:

1. AMBULANCE AVAILABILITY
Currently, the Rescue Squad doesn’t have any ambulances that are in service. Worse, one
of the ambulances is subject to a safety recall, in which a wheel could separate from the
ambulance causing a crash.

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2. STAFFING AND COMPETENCY
Madison County Rescue Squad has not provided the staffing report as required in the
Memorandum of Understanding by the 20th of the month. This is important to Madison
County Department of EMS, because it needs this information so that it can schedule its
staff.

Skill Drill:

A Skill Drill was held for basic life support on July 23, 2021. Notice was given and
training opportunities were offered to all of the members of the Madison County Rescue
Squad. Of the volunteers taking the test, only Nick Pumphrey, Noah Foster, Andy
Rotherham, and Coleman Walters successfully completed the test, of those participating.

As of August 10, 2021, only Kat Burke, Amanda Lamb, Scott Rife and Coleman Walters
are eligible to run calls. Of these members, only Coleman Walters is a released EMT. This
represents less than ten percent of the members of the Madison County Rescue Squad
operational staff.

Training Opportunities and Efficiencies:

Madison County EMS has worked to accommodate the volunteers’ schedules to provide
training opportunities so that they can keep their credentials current. Madison County
EMS has been involved with Madison County Rescue Squad training since December 3,
2020. In addition to hands on training opportunities, Madison County EMS has provided
an online training portal, TargetSolutions, to allow for virtual training. This portal has not
been frequently used by the Madison County Rescue Squad Membership for assigned
training completion. When Madison County EMS has scheduled training, it is usually met
with a course of complaints that the scheduling is inconvenient. Madison County EMS
has sent reminders with deadlines in anticipation of a successful completion of the skills
test set forth above. Despite these training opportunities, only four of the volunteers were
successful. Further, only two members, Coleman Walters and Scott Rife, have met the
training, infection control and skill drill requirements.

3. OPERATIONAL INTEGRITY
a. The events at the Independence Day Event, where an unqualified Madison County
Rescue Squad was essentially “in service” presents a threat to the County. While
the Rescue Squad had a presence, its members were not qualified to administer
Basic Life Support or to drive in the event an actual emergency had presented
itself. If they are not released to practice, they should not be on site in uniform.
Fortunately, the Madison County Rescue Squad was not called into service at the
event, but we would have been in serious violation of the regulations governing
our Department had they been called on to do so.

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 b. MOTOCROSS EVENT. In addition to the Independence Day Event, Madison County
Rescue Squad personnel failed to provide effective resource management or
situational awareness at a motocross event held at Graves Mountain Lodge, where a
participant in the event had injured his leg. While it appeared that there were no
injuries to the citizens as a result of that breach, it nevertheless created an atmosphere
of confusion and delay, which could have been life threatening under a different
emergency.

c. MADISON COUNTY FAIR. The Madison County Rescue Squad’s performance at

the Madison County Fair ranged from relatively minor displays of lack of
professionalism, to operational issues and behavioral issues, which discredited the
Madison County Rescue Squad. For the trivial, a member of the Madison County
Rescue Squad chose to dry duty pants on the hood of an ambulance in full display of
the public. This may seem trivial, but it certainly is not the image one wishes to
portray Madison County’s first responders in.

The incidents on Saturday were far more outrageous. On Saturday, Madison County
Rescue Squad allowed its vehicle to be boxed in by spectators. While that situation
was quickly remedied, it nevertheless suggests the failure to attend to the most basic
details of an emergency response team. Mobility is critical to first responders being
able to act on a scene and to transport, when necessary. Needing to move tents, and
spectators could have cost valuable time and responding to an actual emergency.

Worse, Madison’s EMS unit was called to assist the Madison County Rescue Squad
with a patient, and when they arrived, they saw that the crew was standing around the
patient eating ice cream cones. Only Amanda Lamb, EMT was providing any service
to the person, and it projected and image of indifference to the patients who would
soon be under EMS care. In addition, Madison County Rescue Squad left their
position to make complaints about other Madison County Rescue Squad members,
causing a delay in patient service.

d. Additional instances included a loud verbal disagreement between members of the

Madison County Rescue Squad, which included challenging another member to a fist
fight.

4. VACCINATION STATUS
Currently, Madison County EMS has proof of vaccinations for seven Madison County
Rescue Squad affiliated members, however, only two of those members have submitted
consent forms. As far as members who have declined to get the Covid 19 vaccine, only
three affiliated members have submitted declination forms. Eight members have failed to
respond in any way.

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 5. VOLUNTEERS ARE NOT FILLING THEIR ROSTER ASSIGNMENTS
Scheduled days when Madison County Rescue Squad is to have available members, is the
exception that they have filled their positions. Scott Rife, Mike Kestner, and Lydia Glick
have been the most consistent volunteers, but the duty rosters, which are attached, show the
number of unfilled positions. These unfilled positions are typically marked with the
designation as opposed to the name of the person serving in that compacity.

The violations of the Memorandum of Understanding relate to the actual operation of the
Madison County Rescue Squad and its current credentials. Currently, the Madison County
Rescue Squad has two people who are eligible to run on any calls. The members of the Madison
County Rescue Squad have not maintained their credentials, so that many are currently ineligible
to run any calls. At the recent “skill drill”, some of the most basic elements of life support,
including the proper administration of cardiopulmonary resuscitation were inaccurately
performed by Madison County Rescue Squad Members.

In conclusion, these deficiencies are to the point where the only remedy is the dissolution of the
Madison County Rescue Squad as an operating entity providing medical services in Madison
County, Virginia. This decision is made with regret, but the continued needs of the Madison
County citizens must take precedence over the historical presence that the Madison County
Rescue Squad has had. Madison County remains thankful and grateful for the years of service,
but the time has passed for the Madison County Rescue Squad to stop serving as an emergency
services provider in the County.

Sincerely,

Sean D. Gregg

SDG/tgr

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