Date: 10/11/22 Attendance: 24
Speaker: Chris Miller, Logan Health
Author: Mel Libby
Program: ALERT Air Ambulance Department

                                    Meeting Announcements

1. Created a Marketing & Outreach Committee

   1. We are looking to have all information in one place online, located on the Google
      drive. If you have pictures from past events, logos, ideas for the future, anything you want to share with our club, please email polsonrotary@gmail.com

2. Fundraising Update

   1. We collectively allocated $25,000 on the four different beneficiaries, had $5,000 in expenses, which left Polson Rotary with a surplus of around $10,000. 

   2. It is decided that the $3,000 that is required for the Exchange Student Program will come from Youth Fundraising.

3. Exchange Student Program

   1. If you know of a student that may be interested in being a part of the exchange program, please let Brooke know. They have to be around the high school age, preferred sophomore to senior age, and an application is required. 

   2. Remember it is an “Exchange” program, so if we do send a student, we also have to accept an international student, so please let us know if you have a host family in mind.

4. Welcome two new committees

   1. Youth Committee – youth fundraising, exchange program, etc. 

   2. Marketing Committee – marketing to the community, technology, and outreach.

5. It is time to nominate Board Members! Voting takes place in November and there are usually 9-13 people on the board. 

   1. Nominated: Mel Libby, Laura Dever, Dave Fansher

   2. We are looking for candidates for the next President Elect Nominee (2024) after Gayle

6. Guatemala Water Project Update

   1. Other Rotarians are taking students, or their children to Guatemala to experience the country

   2. There is a group attending in December, and there is also a “Fun Run” on the volcano in (February?)

7. We are doing a Social event for the Foreign Exchange Students in the community on 11/1/22. It will be a pie social, please show up for these kids!

Program

8. Chris Miller – ALERT, Logan Health (guest of Ken Cook)

   1. ALERT stands for Advanced LifeSupport and Emergency Rescue Team. It is a program that uses helicopters and a fixed wing aircraft from search and rescue, to neonatal, pediatric, etc. These aircrafts are essentially “Hospitals in the air.” ALERT Covers all over northwestern Montana from Eureka to Ronan. 

   2. It was founded in 1975, has been in business 47 years and it was the first rural aircraft support system in the nation. They use a Bell 407GX Helicopter that has autopilot, larger screens, enhanced ground mapping, as well as night vision goggles. The night vision they use makes it seem like daylight (not the green kind).  They also use a transceiver locator to locate those in avalanches.

   3. The Fixed wing aircraft maps terrain, tells you if you need to change your elevation, and has a large cargo door for patient extraction.  ALERT installed webcams at three different airports, mostly for weather reporting purposes. 

   4. ALERT typically gets an average of 23 emergency calls a month on the fixed wing, the helicopter gets around 1/3 more calls. The helicopter gets around 50 calls a month in the summer when it’s busier. The helicopter can launch within 5-6 minutes, and travel from Kalispell to Polson in around 20 minutes. 

   5. ALERT is nonprofit organization (see attached flyer). The biggest fundraiser is the ALERT Banquet in April.  If you have any questions or would like to schedule a tour, please contact Chris Miller, DO at christophermiller@logan.org