GARFIELD — Lacking a quorum at their regular monthly meeting, the board of directors for VAS Ambulance Service Corporation declared themselves a committee and discussed business.

Chairman Dorothy Williams, corporation president Jim Geddie and board members Sharon Barnett and Tony Miltich met Tuesday, Aug. 11.

Saying they had met with Richard Guinn as a consultant, Miltich told fellow board members there were several items the group was working on to bring up to code, including adapting doors for fire safety. He said a check list had been prepared for items needing to be corrected.

"For instance, there were HIPPA violations all over the place," Miltich said. "We've cleaned up tons of those."

Miltich also presented board members with a letter of agreement establishing the chain of command and asking each person present to sign it in agreement.

"Any requests from the board should go through the chain of command," he said.

Miltich also requested authorization to purchase uniform shirts for the emergency medical technicians.

Geddie told the board: "It is high time we plan for the future. I do not see any benefit in staying the way we are. If you have goals you have something to aim for."

Geddie proposed setting aside funds regularly to later purchase another ambulance. He said there is state money for fire departments, but not for ambulance departments, and he plans to write state legislators to remedy that situation.

Geddie also said next year the department will be certified basic life support A. "Now we operate at 1A even though we're licensed at 1B," he said.

Cris Henry, board member, joined the group at 7:11 p.m.

The group agreed to postpone their planned pancake breakfast scheduled for Labor Day weekend and schedule another fundraiser later in the season.

News, Pages 1 on 08/26/2009