Present: Menzel, McCarrier, Teale, Madigan, Zurbuchen, Weir, Merrill, Schilder, TeStroete, Meeker, Hunjadi, Victorson

Notified Absent: Kurtz,

Called to order by President Meeker at 12:00 noon

Motion by TeStroete second by Merrill to accept the September 1998 meeting minutes as written. All in favor. None opposed

OFFICER REPORTS

President's Report - None
Vice President's Report - None
Secretary - None
Executive Manager - Don Hunjadi reported on the current financial status of the association including investments. The sampler packs are now ready for shipping to the service and corporate members. Samples of the items to be included were displayed. Two items being recommended for merchandise sales were shown. Board members agreed to add both a denim shirt and a new sweatshirt to the current merchandise line. Hunjadi recommends the association obtain a domain name for the association web site. Cost of site hosting will increase by $20/month. Motion by Schilder, second by McCarrier to make "Wisconsinems.com" the primary URL for our web site and to explore "wemsa.com" as a registered but not in use URL. All in favor none opposed.

Secretary status: Cilvia will resume full duties on December 1, 1998. She is currently finishing her degree in college and will be seeking full-time employment outside of the association. President Meeker and Tim Weir interviewed Debi Blazei and found her very qualified however they we somewhat concerned about her lack of enthusiasm for the position. Discussion took place. Hunjadi has know and has worked with Blazei for several years and has talked with her about her ambition for the job and feels comfortable.
Motion by Teale second by McCarrier to offer the secretary position to Debi Blazei at the rate of $8/hour with her position evaluation to take place in June of 1998. All in favor none opposed.

DEPARTMENT/DIVISION REPORTS

CONFERENCE DIVISION
Working Together Conference Update: Meeker presented the latest conference information. The Grand Milwaukee Hotel is essentially full. Other hotels listed in our brochure are national corporate telephone numbers and the national booking systems are not able to give the conference rate. Rich is working on resolving this problem. Hotel renovations continue to take place. There will be little to no work being done on the hotel during our conference.

CQI: An ad ran in the last EMS Professionals. Dr. Polski is contracted at the Paper Valley. No one is registered at this point.

LEGISLATIVE/LOBBYIST
Hunjadi updated the board on the status of the First Responder Legislation initiate and the PAD legislation initiative. He also updated board members on results of Trans 309 including the fact that all but one of our points were addressed and favorably modified. Don notified board members that HSS 110, 111, 112, 113 rules will be opened for changes/updates. Board members are instructed to provide comment on suggested changes to Don so he can comment and participate in the process with DHFS.

OLD BUSINESS

Two board members were informed of the vote taken at the September Board meeting relating to lack of participation with the board. Letter to the members included information that a vote would be taken at this meeting regarding their continued membership on the board.

Motion by Schilder, second by TeStroete, to move to closed session to discuses personnel items. Motion carried. Moved to closed session.

Motion by Madigan, second by McCarrier to return to open session. Returned to open session

Motion by Schilder, second Teale to accept verbal resignation from Sue Menzel to resign from the board of directors due to personal reasons and family commitments. All in favor. None opposed.

Letters of resignation have been received from Pat Becker and Brenda Hellman-Bulle. Motion by McCarrier second by Madigan to accept written resignations from Pat Becker and Brenda Hellman-Bulle. All in favor. None opposed.

Grant Process Position Statement: Draft of a position statement opposing the implementation of a grant process for FAP funds was distributed to the board members. Motion by TeStroete, second by Victorson to approve the draft as presented. During discussion, Meeker expressed he would like to see a template used for future position statements for consistency. All in favor. None opposed.

1999 Premium item report: Hunjadi has ordered 3,000 pins the approximate size of a nickel for the 1999 premium item. They should be available in December in time for 1999 renewals.

NEW BUSINESS

Charging EMTs: Motion by Madigan, second by Schilder that WEMSA strongly oppose charging any Pre-hospital care providers for obtaining or maintaining state licensure or certification. All in favor. None opposed.

1999 Board Election/Nomination Results: Four candidates returned their papers for nomination to the board of directors on or before the deadline. Two additional individuals returned their papers after the deadline. Because there are less candidates than open positions, an election will not be held. Board members reelected by default are McCarrier, Teale, Merrill. Newly elected is Marc Playman, Wisconsin Dells, WI.

Proposal to reduce board membership to twelve members. Through election results and recent resignations, the number of board members currently sits at 11. The executive board proposes to appoint one person and then keep the board membership at 12 members to see how a 12 member board operates with the potential of reducing the number of board member from 15 to 12. Motion by Madigan to appoint one person to fulfill one BOD term through 2000 to see how a 12 person board operates. Second by Zurbuchen. All in Favor. None opposed. Discussion continued on how to best fill the open position. The two individuals that were late in submitting their applications are interested in being considered. Motion by Schilder, second by Weir that we accept requests for one open board position through December 15, 1998 for consideration and vote at the January Board meeting. All in favor, none opposed.

Review of Accounting: It has been three years since we have done an internal review of the association accounting records. The executive board proposes that a review of the financial records be done. Date to be determined after the 1999 conference but prior to the April board meeting. Motion by Zurbuchen second by Victorson to comprise the committee of TeStroete, Madigan, Merrill with oversight by Meeker. All in favor. None opposed.

Letter to support Morgan as Bureau Chief: A letter to support Jon Morgan as the new EMS Bureau chief was distributed to the group. Concern by Teale for WEMSA to support ANY candidate for a position without the association knowing conclusively who any other candidates may be. General consensus is that having someone with experience move into that position is paramount to Wisconsin's EMS success. Motion by Madigan, Second by TeStroete that WEMSA forward the draft letter to DHFS. All in favor. None opposed.

1999 Meeting Schedule: Board members are pleased with the location of Stevens Point for access to all members, but have a concern that the 1998 schedule that had no board meetings take place during the summer which then resulted in several board meeting taking place two months apart. Discussion ensued on returning to a quarterly schedule for meetings. Preference of months and days (Saturday or Sunday) was discussed. Motion by Teale, second by TeStroete to return to January, April, July, October meeting schedule on Sundays. January 10 (Stevens Point), April 11, July 11, October 10 (Location TBA), 1999. All in favor. None opposed.

Strategic Planning: Meeker brought up the idea of revisiting a strategic planning session. It has been several years since the board as a whole has completed a planning session. He also highlighted several areas that the association perhaps should move toward including expanded public relations & research. Proposal to make a final decision at the January meeting as to a date (potential for the month of May) for an all day session. Board members are to check their schedules for action at the January meeting.

Policy on Board Member Standards: The question was put to board members if WEMSA should draft a policy for requirements of board members beyond the basic requirements listed in bylaw. Discussion on what potential points would be i.e.: attendance, participation, criminal history, active membership. Madigan will complete a draft policy for introduction at the January BOD meeting.

Background Checks: Teale brought forth information where EMT students and current EMTs are losing their right to continue in EMS due to very old infractions and infractions that in his opinion are not substantially related to their work in EMS i.e.: arson, fleeing a police officer, and others. Discussion on how to proceed. Concusses for Hunjadi to talk with Forbes about how to proceed and to find out when public hearings will be held on the rules for background checks so the association can comment on them.

Motion by Teale second by McCarrier to adjourn. All in favor. None opposed.

Meeting adjourned at 4:10 PM

Action Items:
Policy on board member standards - Madigan
Web site URL change - Hunjadi
Review association financial records - Madigan, TeStroete, Merrill, Meeker
Strategic planning date - All board members
DHFS rule changes - All board members

Action Item status from September, 1998:
Memo on First Responders - Hunjadi COMPLETED
Meeting with Fire Chiefs Association - Executive Board SCHEDULED
One Paramedic Pilot - Meeker WORKING
Trans 309 position and testimony - Hunjadi COMPLETED
Lap-Top computer purchase - Hunjadi COMPLETED