ITS CHRISTMASTIME IN THE OFFICE

We broke out all the old holiday decorations in the bunk room two weeks ago and brought some Christmas cheer into the office. We hung up everyone's stockings (some of them most likely were here many moons ago)

SAVE THE DATE

For whatever reason this doesn't show up well on the blog, but if you click on the picture you can actually read everything!

UPDATES

Sorry for being slow in my updates, but things have been crazy here at FUEMS over the past month or so!

On November 5 we held our annual advisory board with the officer staff, the school administration, and our outside advisers from St. Barnabas, Montefiore North Division, and our past directors and chiefs. The meeting was very productive and highlighted all the accomplishments of FUEMS over the past year. Some of the main points of the meeting were talking about our budding partnership with the American Red Cross in the Bronx, the ambulances, protocol updates, and our entry into the 21st century by way of this blog and Blackboard (a program that allows us to easily information within the organization).

We also just recently purchased two new Stryker model stair chairs to replace to old models that most of you most likely remember using when you were here. These new chairs utilize the tread system therefore saving our backs and making access to buildings with no elevators (or small elevators) easier.

Keep an eye out for an e-mail blast with information about this years upcoming dinner (April 17) , which we hope you all will attend.

Hope everyone is having a great holiday season!

THANKSGIVING DINNER

Each year the entire organization gets together to celebrate EMS Thanksgiving.

As is tradition, the officer staff made all the side dishes for the dinner and we were very lucky to have our adviser Kathleen cook us the Turkey again this year!

Landi and Liz appear very happy to be eating

Dave got the honors of carving the Turkey

Haunted House

Each year, the officers and general members gather trash bags, lots of tape, and all our MCI equipments and body parts to transform the office into a haunted house for the Big Brothers/Big Sisters Halloween party.

This year was no different, as the office literally looked like a different place with tables turned over to make tunnels, severed heads hanging from the ceiling, random body parts strewn across the floor, the crazy clown docotor disecting someone on the stretcher, the scary ape-man, etc. all played a role in scaring the living daylights out of the children. Some cried immediately upon entering the office, others cried shortly there after.

Needless to say I think some of us had a little too much fun with this project.

The 30 Year Reunion--Redux

Some more pictures, compliments of the man with a fanny-pack and band-aids (Bruce Nedelka, CBA'79)Not going to lie-- we all clean up pretty nicely

Getting Into the Halloween Spirit

Our artist in residence making sure the office is decorated appropriately
The finished product- proudly on display in the office

INTREPID PART 1

On October 2, 2008 FUEMS was priveleged to attend the ceremonies for the return of the Intrepid Air and Space Museum to pier 86 in Manhattan.

Rig 1 departed campus at 6:30 am for its 4 borough excursion, first stopping in Staten Island, the start of the Intrepid's journey. They then made their way back to Pier 86, making a quick stop in Times Sqaure for a kodak moment.

Thanks to Bill White, Dave Winters, and Rich Lisi for the opportunity to attend the ceremony and FUEMS will return to Pier 86 on November 11 for the official re-opening ceremony.

Learn more about the intrepid at http://www.intrepidmuseum.org.

Members Members Everywhere!

Not that we are complaining though!

The club fair proved to be sucessful again this year, as 110 students expressed interest in joining FUEMS. The numbers that are coming to crew nights is hovering somewhere in the vicinity of 50, but that number appears to be risiging towards 60 as the weeks go on.

As usual, we continue to hold 4 crew nights, once a week, over the span of a month, on Tuesdays and Thursdays in the office at 8pm. So far we have covered the ever thrilling OSHA video and tonight we went over basic first aid. Next week we will be covering CPR and the following week will be "the attendant class" where we will go over important policies, procedures, how to take vital signs, and how to prepare for the first shift, and ambulance operations.

With just about all of our 20 new EMTs retunring this year, shifts are filling up quickly and everyone is on thier way to becoming cleared as crew chiefs. We never thought we'd actually see the day that people were fighting to sign up for shifts.

A BLAST FROM THE PAST

We have so many pictures in the office from our alumni (you guys really liked to take picture of yourselves, didn't you) so here is the first addition of our "BLAST FROM THE PAST"

A Year in Review (Better late than never)

2007-2008 proved to be quite a year for us here at FUEMS! We reconnected with our alumni at our 30th anniverssay dinner, took delivery of a brand new 2008 Trauma Hawk ambulance to reaplace the former Rig 1 (the 1993 McCoy Miller), worked to improve our relationships with the administration of the school, and began looking into new ways to secure a steady source of income for the organization to ensure that we remain financially sound into the future.

We saw one of the most successful membership drives in the history of the organization, with over 100 students expressing interest in joining, graduating 68 new members from our four week training program, and providing 23 students Emergency Medication Technician training.

We responded to over 600 calls for help this past year from both on campus and off campus housing. We aided university students, faculty, and staff and when called upon, residents of the surrounding community on a strictly volunteer basis.

We were able to learn about our history, who played an influential role in the organzation from Bruce Nedelka to Charles Ashdown, Bill White, Dave Winters, John Grasso and the many others who worked tirelesly to move the organization forward and make us who we are today. We take great pride in maintaining the ideals with which the organization was founded and continuing the Jesuit tradition to be Men and Women for Others.

Above: The 2007-2008 Office Staff (minus Jess and Luckie)