President’s Report
November 2009

The mission of the International Rescue and Emergency Care Association is to provide educational programs to share and evaluate recognized standards, skills and abilities for emergency providers worldwide.

For many of you, this is the first time you have read our association's mission statement. For others, you may notice a change. During our winter board meeting in February, the IRECA Board of Directors discussed the our longstanding mission statement. We felt that it was time for a change...time to look at what our mission is and what we truly want to accomplish and provide our members and the greater emergency responder community. IRECA is the oldest international organization of its kind; representing men and women in the United States and Canada. IRECA was founded in 1948 at its first annual convention in Atlantic City, NJ. For the past 61 years IRECA has been providing training and competitions in EMS and Technical Rescue. IRECA’s history and previous mission statement was developed in a different time and different economic era. The Board of Directors wrote this mission and approved it at our June Board of Directors meeting with a true purpose and goals for our board to aspire to. With difficult economic times, we know that it is hard for departments and agencies to finance conferences and events for training. We hope that by focusing on education and evaluation of skills and actual hands on learning, we can make our events worth attending by both the participant and management.

This year’s annual conference in Virginia Beach was a wonderful experience for all. We had the chance to network with old and new friends, challenging competitions and a wonderful view no matter what you were doing. Next year looks to be just as promising, in Louisville, KY. IRECA has some long time friends in Kentucky who are gearing up for a strong educational component and offering some exciting resources for our competitions.

The summer meetings at our annual conference also saw some other changes. As an election year, there were some changes in the IRECA Board of Directors. I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself as the current President of IRECA. My name is Kim Bemenderfer and I have been a member of IRECA since 1989. I began attending with the OEC program, first as a competitor and eventually began coordinating the BLS competition. This led to more involvement with the overall conference planning and a position on the Board of Directors as a regional VP. With the encouragement and experience, I eventually moved on to the executive board. I work for Allina, non-profit hospital system, as the Heart Safe Communities coordinator working on new technologies and ways to increase survival from sudden cardiac arrest. I live in Rockford, MN, which is just west of the Minneapolis suburbs. I have three sons; one in college, one in the Army National Guard and one still in middle school. I have in the past worked on an ambulance service, taught a variety of EMS programs and currently am a volunteer on the Rockford Fire Department, which serves my community.

In closing, I would like to thank the past executive board members who have contributed much of their heart and soul to the organization. Outgoing board members include our past President, Randy Tanner and President Elect, Sol Zeidman. Both have been exemplary members and supporters of our organization and hopefully will continue to do so and contribute in many ways. I would also like to welcome some new executive board members; Reggie Nalley, President elect and Joe Zealy, 1st Vice President. Other changes to help us in our drive toward the future are some changes in Regional Vice Presidents, EMT at large, Rescuer at large, and a committee to look at Constitution and Bylaws revisions. We are on an exciting horizon and I encourage all members to get involved, ask questions and let us know what you need or want in our association. It is you, our loyal members that will continue to help our association grow, face new challenges and celebrate success.

Sincerely,

Kim Bemenderfer, President
International Rescue and Emergency Care Association