Fire District hires Kyson Fruh

By Loyal Baker

POMEROY––Firefighter/EMT intern Kyson Fruh will help bolster the community's fire and ambulance coverage in the coming year. Fruh was hired by Garfield County Fire District No. 1 at a special meeting December 14.

Fruh has been with the District as an intern to supplement shifts during the hiring process for the chief, and will be a full-time employee beginning January 1, 2021, according the Chief James Cleveland. Cleveland, Fruh and Firefighter/EMT Deedee Weymouth, who also serves as District Secretary, will permit seven-day-a-week coverage, Cleveland said.

Fruh had been an intern since the end of April and the position was extended to December 31.

In business from its December 8 meeting:

-Commissioners heard about the disposition of the former Asotin County ambulance. GCFD1 is working on obtaining the title so the vehicle can be surplused, Cleveland said.

-The District received $2,127 from the CARES Act in reimbursement for personal protective equipment expenditures.

-The Shepherd Foundation gave a $7,500 grant for the District to purchase a Lucas CPR Device, a portable machine which administers chest compressions, freeing EMTs to attend to other parts of care of a cardiac patient. A demo version was obtained for about $10,000, a $5,000 savings, and will soon be operational, Cleveland noted. The Shepherd grant was made through the Blue Mountain Community Foundation, with the possibility of a match through the All In Washington Program, he said.

-East Region EMS gave a $1,200 grant to help pay for EMT classes being taken by Rylan Snyder and Tiffany Wessels at Lewis-Clark State College in Lewiston.

-A program tied to Medicaid may help out with the costs of Pomeroy's new fire station, Cleveland said.

"It looks like we may receive $200,000 in funding," Cleveland said, "but it's still being evaluated."

The Ground Emergency Transport Program, a part of Medicaid, uses a formula that considers the transport of Medicaid patients, and includes a factor for the costs of readiness, he said. "The new building is a new offset for that," Cleveland said. "We usually get between $15,000 and $50,000."

-In Cleveland's report, he pointed out that auditors conducting the routine three-year audit want to meet with a commissioner and administrative staff; COVID-19 training has developed a plan for district personnel to manage during the pandemic; medical protocols are being updated; and the department is assigning officers to specific areas such as training, wildfire, personnel or other focuses.