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EDITORS: SHEILA HALL AND TERRY SWANSON
JANUARY 2005
HAPPY NEW YEAR
MARY FISCHER IS
THE REGION V 2004 DISTINGUISHED MEMBER/VOLUNTEER OF THE YEARCongratulations Mary!!
Congratulations also to our runner-ups (in alphabetical order):
Joyce deJong
Allan WarnickRegion V and DMORT itself are fortunate to have these people and the
rest of you as team members!Please join Region V, at the NDMS Annual Conference in Orlando this spring, where Mary will be accepting this Award.
LEARNING MORE ABOUT OUR TEAM MEMBERS
DONALD F. BLOOM
Mr. Don Bloom is the Vice-President of Penn Care Medical Products Inc. whose headquarters is in Niles, Ohio. Penn Care is a supplier of medical products and services to individuals with life-threatening emergencies. The company’s three major divisions – Equipment and Supplies; Emergency Vehicles; and Technology – have earned Penn Care the reputation as a “one-stop shop for the emergency patient’s pre-hospital needs.”
Besides his executive position at Penn Care, Don is a licensed Funeral Director at Lane Funeral Homes in Mineral Ridge, Ohio. He is also an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) Instructor at the Ohio Department of Public Safety local training center, and a Mass Casualty Incident (MCI) Instructor at the Ohio State Fire School. Don is a retired Field Paramedic. He had worked at Lane Lifetrans Emergency Medical Service in Youngstown, Ohio, for thirty years. Don was also the State Director of the Pre-Hospital Trauma Life Support (PHTLS) Programs.
Don received his Bachelor of Science degree in Applied Sciences from Youngstown State University – he majored in Pre-Hospital Care. He continued to earn a degree in Mortuary Science from Gupton-Jones College in Atlanta, Georgia. Don also received Paramedic Training at Brown Memorial Hospital in Conneaut, Ohio.
Don has certifications in many different fields: he is an Ohio Certified Paramedic, a Nationally Registered Emergency Medical Technician, a Pre-Hospital Trauma Life Support Instructor, an Ohio Certified EMT Instructor, an Ohio Licensed Funeral Director, and an Ohio Certified Disaster Coordinator. Don is a former Board Member of the Joint Committee on Emergency Medical Services in Trumbull County, and Co-Chief of the Ohio Funeral Directors Disaster Response Team. He is frequently invited by both regional and national EMS and Disaster Training groups to speak on various EMS topics.
Prior to DMORT, Don was involved in a number of Mass Fatality Incidents, such as the Tornado Disaster in Northeastern Ohio (1985); Natural Gas explosion in McDonald, Ohio (1986); Lucasville Prison Riots (1993); and Flight 427 US AIR Crash in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (1994). During the Lucasville Prison Riots in 1993, Don put together a crude database, comprised of pertinent ante-mortem information and victim identification profiles. He sensed a need for expediently accessing data, in the event that there were mass fatalities at the prison; fortunately, there were no deaths at this incident. In 1994, following the Crash of US Air Flight 427 in Pittsburgh, Don was asked to assist with personal data collection. It was here that his Victim Identification Profile (VIP) program was first utilized. To this day, VIP is considered an invaluable and effective program in mass fatality incidents. Don’s significant contribution to the forensic field has greatly benefited many victims’ families.
Don has been with DMORT, since its inception. He has participated in a number of deployments: Delta Comair Crash (Monroe, Michigan), 1997; Korean Air Crash (Guam), 1997; Hurricane Floyd Recovery Operation (Tarboro, North Carolina), 1999; Egypt Air Crash (Quonset Point, Rhode Island), 1999; Alaska Air Crash (Ventura, California), 2000; United Flight 93 Crash (Shanksville, Pennsylvania), 2001; and the World Trade Center Tragedy (New York City, New York), 2001. On these deployments, Don has been a valuable member of the Information Resource Team (IRT), as well as the Family Assistance Center (FAC).
Don resides in Canfield, Ohio with his wife – Pam; they have been married for twenty-three years. Don claims that some of his favorite pastimes include swimming, jet skiing, golfing, biking, and working out; however, he admits that he “loves to eat,” which cancels out all efforts from the aforementioned activities! Don has a number of passions: laughter, practical jokes, DMORT, electronic gadgets, APPLE computers, and his wife.
Don is clearly a “Very Important Person” to all of us on the Region V team.
REMINDERS FROM YOUR ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER
Sue Atwood
Licensure: A current copy of your licensure must be on file with Sue Atwood and FEMA in order to be deployed.
Immunizations: You have until July to complete all immunizations on the recently distributed checklist.
Online training: Watch for upcoming email on new ethics module.
2005 NDMS CONFERENCE
The 2005 NDMS Conference will be held in Orlando, FL May 1-4. Pre-conference courses will be held April 30 and May 1. The following is the host hotel information. Each member attending is responsible for making his/her own reservation.
Caribe Royale
8101 World Center Drive
Orlando, Florida 32821
Caribe Royale All-Suites Resort & Convention Center in Orlando, Florida is located minutes from Walt Disney World®, EPCOT®, Sea World® and Universal Orlando. Caribe Royale features 1,218 spacious one-bedroom suites with living rooms and private bedrooms. Caribe Royale All-Suites Resort & Convention Center is 45 acres of lush, tropical oasis ideal for business, pleasure or a little of both.
RESERVATIONS - CUT OFF DATE: April 6, 2005
A block of rooms with a special rate has been reserved for the "NDMS Conference". It is the individual's responsibility to secure lodging. Individuals calling to make reservations should identify themselves as attending the "NDMS Conference". Reservation requests received after 5:00 p.m. local time at the hotel on the cut-off date will be accepted on a space and rate availability basis. For reservations, please call 800-823-8300 or 407-238-8000. You may also register online at http://www.cariberoyale.com. Click on the “Book Now”, “Make A Reservation”, “Click here for official group meetings”.
$ 98.00 Queen Double/Standard King
The above quoted room rates are subject to applicable state and local taxes.
Any questions regarding the conference may be directed to the CHEP Conference team at
410-642-1857.
Members are not to use their government travel cards for securing hotel or airfare reservations, unless specifically instructed to by their team leadership.EDITOR’S NOTE:
The staff of the “Voice of V” needs your help in developing articles of interest and relevance to Region V. Please submit anything that you think would be appropriate to our editors at:
Sheila Hall: halls @infantwelfare.org
Terry Swanson: robertaswanson@msn.com