Questions surround recent board appointments

By JOHN HULTGREN
Kentucky EMS Connection

LOUISVILLE — Drop in on just about any EMS-related meeting in Kentucky and you'll hear people questioning the four latest Kentucky Board of Emergency Medical Services appointments.

These appointments filled four vacant positions that were created when four board terms ended on Sept. 19, and none of the incumbent board members were reappointed. At the last KBEMS board meeting on Oct. 9, it appeared that all four incumbents were told that they were being reappointed and that they would continue chairing their committees. One, Michael Gribbin, was even elected vice chair of the board for the next year.

The four new board members appointed by Beshear are:

• Dr. Keith Bird, Chancellor of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System from Lexington, replacing Rudy Garrett.

• Dr. Eric Bentley, Trauma Surgeon from Campbellsville, replacing Dr. Karen Orman.

• Walter Lage, Fire Chief from Anchorage, replacing Mike Gribbin.

• Joseph R. Miller, Health Care Administrator from Madisonville, replacing Jarrett Millsaps.

While researching the new appointments, the Kentucky EMS Connection filed an open records request with the Kentucky Community and Technical College System, which oversees KBEMS, on Nov. 6, requesting "copies of any nomination forms, application forms, or any written recommendations submitted for the four Kentucky Board of Emergency Medical Services positions that expired on Sept. 19, 2008."

That request was answered on Nov. 13 with copies of applications for each of the four that were appointed, implying that there were no other applications received or considered.

But outgoing board member Carl "Rudy" Garrett says he sent an application, resume, and cover letter to the Board of Commissions on July 9 asking to be reappointed to his board position. And he said he called in a few days and was told "they had everything they needed." Garrett also said he believed the other three board members replaced also reapplied.

Garrett also said he worked with Lt. Governor Daniel Mongiardo's office while seeking reappointment. Garrett is the training director for Somerset Fire/EMS, a flight paramedic for Air Methods Kentucky, and the 1999 recipient of the Kentucky EMS Educator of the Year award.

But according to KCTCS' response, it appears that Garrett's application was never included or considered.

And that may be troubling to the EMS educators that Garrett represented on the board. While the new appointment to the board position representing EMS educators, KCTCS Chancellor Dr. Keith Bird, clearly has educator credentials, there is no indication on his application that he is an "emergency medical services educator certified by the board" as required by KRS 311A.015.

Garrett's Education Subcommittee had been working on the Advanced EMT regulations and new education regulations. "We started the process and were down to a final draft," said Eva Prewitt, an EMS educator and member of Garrett's Education Subcommittee. "We were ready to present it to the Executive Committee. Right now we are going to have to re-educate and start all over again. Rudy had a good working relationship with all entities in the EMS education system."

And Dr. Bird's appointment may be troubling to other board members as well because as Chancellor of KCTCS, his agency oversees KBEMS and the executive director of KBEMS, Charles O'Neal, may effectively report to Dr. Bird, which some are viewing as an ethical conflict.

Board applications can also shed some insight into who was lobbying for a board appointment. For example, each applicant is required to list two references on their application. On the four application copies provided by KCTCS, none of the references were anyone active in EMS at the state level.

The two references included on Dr. Bird's application were Michael Kurtsinger, a division director for the Kentucky Fire Commission, and Ronnie Day, the executive director of the Kentucky Fire Commission.

But insiders say that, perhaps even more enlightening, is if someone is shepherding an application through the appointment process, their name is usually written on the lower right-hand corner of the application form.

The name "Howdy" is written in the bottom right corner of Dr. Keith Bird's KBEMS appointment application. Insiders say the name of the person shepherding an application through the process is typically written in this location.

On two of the four application form copies provided by KCTCS, for Dr. Bird and Walter Lage, the name "Howdy" is written in the lower right hand corner. The third copy has the penned-in name partially cut-off, making it unreadable. On the fourth copy, the document is cut off above the bottom right corner.

The identity of "Howdy" isn't made clear, but Kurtsinger goes by the nickname "Howdy."