TREASURE CAY EMERGENCY SERVICES ORGANIZATION ANNUAL REPORT TO THE TREASURE CAY PROPERTY OWNERS’ ASSOCIATION

MARCH 13, 2017

Capital Needs

 

From October 2010 through February 21, 2017, $170,000 has been raised for TCESO capital equipment purchases from donations to the Treasure Cay Community Foundation (TCCF), a 501c3 tax exempt entity for US taxpayers.  TCESO is a qualified recipient for capital purchases.

 

Most recently, we raised $58,850 for capital equipment. A new ambulance has been purchased for $55,480, not including US transportation and other expenses that were paid by anonymous donors. Also in 2016, $25,000 was spent for rebuilding the engine on the pumper truck. Our equipment is now at the highest level of readiness that we have ever achieved.

 

However, our capital fund is depleted and we need donations to replenish it. Our goal was to raise $65,000 for the ambulance and our capital fund. Personal requests for capital donations went out to 83 home owners and the response from 69 of those donors has raised $58,850. This  is the largest number of capital donors since the original fundraising of 2007.

 

I am confident that we can reach our $65,000 goal. Please join your 69 generous neighbors with your donation check made out to TCCF and earmarked for TCESO capital.

 

Operations

 

We have never raised enough funds through donations to cover annual operating expenses for TCESO. We have depended on large gifts and loans from generous individual owners, as well as loans, to meet expenses.  In 2015, our deficit was $12,251 and in 2016, we had a $1,501  shortfall.

 

I want to say a special thank you to those associations that pay quarterly from their member dues. This is a great help for all three entities that depend on the cash flow that is smoothed by this method and the increased participation that results.

 

We will soon be sending invoices to all owners, which will show a 3-year history and a current request for 2017.

 

Checks for the capital fund should be made out to TCCF for US taxpayers.  Checks  for operations should be made out to TCESO.

 

All checks can be mailed to:   Tom Wheeler

PO Box 305

Mentor, OH 44060

 

Or drop off at the TCPOA office at the rear of the Corbett Medical Center building. Please see the “600 CLUB” memo attached.

Tom Wheeler

JOIN THE 600 CLUB

 

The purpose of the “600 Club” is to provide regular and predictable financial support of $600 per property owner per year for Treasure Cay Emergency Services, Treasure Cay Security and the Treasure Cay Property Owners’ Association, with the goal of raising $250 each for Emergency Services and Security and $100 for TCPOA membership. These organizations, critical to a civilized existence in TC, get all their financial support from donations.

 

Treasure Cay Emergency Services provides fire fighting and ambulance services. Colin Albury, Fire Chief, is the only full time employee. Colin is a certified fire fighter and EMT. He is supported by a trained team of volunteers who assist with fires and medical emergencies. Treasure Cay Emergency Services has an annual budget of $125,000, not counting substantial capital needs, all of which must be raised on a voluntary basis. The Bahamian government provides no financial support.

 

Treasure Cay Security is responsible for manning the gate at the entrance to Treasure Cay from 6:00 PM to 6:00 AM, with all traffic in and out of Treasure Cay monitored by personnel and an array of security cameras. In addition, the security team operates a patrol vehicle from 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM, which provides randomly timed patrols of all residential areas inside the gate. The security team is lead by Mr. Dwayne Rolle, a retired sergeant with the Royal Bahamian Police. Dwayne also leads the security team of Treasure Cay, Ltd. and ensures that there is active coordination between the two security teams. Treasure Cay Security has an annual budget in the range of $125,000, all of which must be raised on a voluntary basis. Royal Bahamian Police protection for TC is inadequate to our needs.

 

Treasure Cay Property Owners’ Association (TCPOA) provides the administrative support for nearly all of the non-profit efforts of the Treasure Cay Community. A full time secretary/bookkeeper, Melonie Pedican, is housed at the rear of the Corbett Medical Clinic building. The facility includes a conference room where most of the voluntary organizations meet. Bookkeeping and other administrative support are provided for Treasure Cay Emergency Services, Treasure Cay Security, the Treasure Cay Community Foundation and the Corbett Clinic Board of Directors. The annual budget for TCPOA is in the range of $110,000 and is supported by voluntary membership of individual property owners and by an administrative fee paid by the organizations that utilize the services and facilities of TCPOA.

 

The needs are real. In one 36 hour period, Colin and our volunteers have responded to 3 life threatening emergencies. Two single car crashes within hours of one another required  extractions from the vehicles. One would not have been possible without THE JAWS OF LIFE. The third emergency was a very young person experiencing heart problems that required resuscitation twice on the way to the MHH hospital.

 

Please   send   your    check    made    out    to    TCPOA    for    $600    to    Tom    Wheeler,    PO Box 305, Mentor, OH 44060, or drop them at the TCPOA office at the rear of the Corbett Medical Center.

 

Thank you! Tom Wheeler

Treasure Cay Emergency Services Organization

 

NEWS FROM TCESO

 

Another year almost gone:  Andy Rooney said, “Life is like a roll of toilet paper, the closer you get to the end, the faster it goes!”

 

It’s been a busy year for TCESO.  Here’s a summary of the financial highlights, which are really “low-lights”.

1.      Pumper Truck:

We had a catastrophic engine failure on the pumper truck.  We ended up with a complete overhaul on the engine costing $27,602.40.

This expense was paid out of our capital reserves which we accumulated over several years, and are mostly large donations from a “few” people.  After the engine expense, our capital account current balance is $10,017.00.

 

2.      Ambulance:    

I sent the following message to a select group of past supporters:

 

October 7, 2016

This message was delayed by Matthew.  Now that we’ve all survived with minor scratches, it’s back to business.

Today our search for a new ambulance for TCESO ended with the purchase of a 2007 Road/Rescue Chevrolet ambulance.  This vehicle is in excellent condition with just under 30,000 miles.  It is a medium duty truck on a 4 wheel chassis with a diesel engine.  The purchase price of $35,000 was wired to an escrow account today and we will take delivery within 14 days.  See the attached picture.

This ambulance replaces our 1996 Ford F-350 which has over 76,000 miles and is in need of major repair on the suspension, and has a very tired A/C system.  It has been in service with TCESO for more than 9 years and is no longer reliable as a first response unit.  We plan to keep it as a backup for the time being.

We expect to have the new unit in service in 6 to 8 weeks.  No equipment was included in the purchase and we will need a gurney which we plan to purchase used for $6,300. I'm asking for your support with a $1,000 donation and hoping to find 39 of our neighbors to join this effort.  Remember donations made through TCCF are deductible for US taxpayers because funds are being used for a capital purchase, and TCESO is a qualified entity.  I hope you are willing to help?

Please send your check payable to TCCF or TCESO, along with the TCCF Donor Form, to me at P.O. Box 305 Mentor, OH 44060.

Thank you for helping to keep Treasure Cay a special place.

 

UPDATE:  We missed the $6,300 gurney, but we have purchased a $7,500 rebuilt gurney.  Our cost is now $42,500 with tires, transportation expenses, and VAT yet to be added.  I estimate the total will be + or - $50,000.

 

The response to my capital donation request has yielded $15,000 thus far.  My goal is $65,000 so that we can pay for the ambulance and bring our capital reserve account back to at least $25,000.

 

**Please consider this an appeal for your help with a capital donation which is deductible for U.S. taxpayers.**

(See the attached donor form.)

           

 

OPERATING EXPENSES

The financial report below will be issued monthly:

 

TREASURE CAY EMERGENCY SERVICES ORGANIZATION

FINANCIAL   REPORT

SEPTEMBER   30, 2016

 

 

 

 

 

Contributions received		2016 YTD    SEPT   75,831.78
Total expenses		83,738.00
Surplus (deficit)		(7,906.22)
Cash on hand		24,199.28

This is a snapshot of the first nine months.  You can see that we’ve received $75,831 YTD against expenses of $83,738 with a year-to-date deficit of $7,906.

Cash on hand fluctuates because several of the condominium associations pay either monthly, quarterly or yearly.  The associations carry us on a cash flow basis and we cover short falls with borrowing mainly from one individual.  See the attachment for a list of those that have donated YTD.  We will publish this list monthly going forward.  If you have paid and are not on the list, please advise.  Names are posted when checks are deposited which can take up to two weeks.  If you haven’t paid, please send your check today. *See request at the end of this report.

Thank you to those that have paid and a special thanks to the associations who pay as a group.

 

MEDICAL SUPPLIES

We have just purchased $6,800 of medical supplies which we purchase in bulk every 2-3 years to take advantage of bulk discounts.  We treat this as an expense in the year purchased.

 

SUMMARY

We’ve never received enough in donations to cover annual expenses.

To fund the operations of TCPOA, TCPOA Security, and TCESO, we request $600 annually from each homeowner.  That’s $1.64 per day to cover operating expenses for these essential services.  TCPOA handles administrative services for both Security and TCPOA.

TCPOA Membership dues annually = $100

TCPOA Security dues annually = $250

TCESO dues annually = $250

 

PLEASE send your $600 check made payable to TCPOA to:  Tom Wheeler, P.O. Box 305, Mentor, OH 44060.

Donations for operating expenses are not deductible for U.S. income tax purposes.

Thank you,

Tom Wheeler

TREASURE CAY COMMUNITY FOUNDATION FA#171

990 OLD DIXIE HIGHWAY LAKE PARK, FL 33403

 

 

DONOR ADVISED CONTRIBUTION

 

 

DONOR ADVISED CONTRIBUTION REQUEST

 

$ Amount of Contribution                                      

 

Date of Contribution                                      

 

We recommend TCCF consider contributing this donation to its Treasure Cay Emergency Services Organization Fund. We understand that this recommendation is advisory only and that TCCF has exclusive legal control over the assets being contributed. Further, we represent that the contribution identified above does not represent payment of other financial obligations, nor do we expect any direct or indirect benefit from this charitable donation.

 

 

(Signature)                                    (Date)      (Signature)                                            (Date)

January 21, 2015

 

To the Directors of TCESO,

 

On January 18, 2015 around 10:30 a.m., my 83 year old mother, Elizabeth, slipped and fell on the patio at our villa in Treasure Cay. Unfortunately, this resulted in a compound fracture of her right tibia. I immediately called Colin Albury and he was on site with his team in 10 minutes. Colin took immediate control of the situation and secured the break with a balloon cast. He and his team then transported my mother to the Integrated Medical Centre in Treasure Cay. Dr. George Charite cared for my mother until about 9:00 p.m. when Colin and his team transported my mother to the Treasure Cay Airport. There they met the air ambulance for the flight back to our home town, Toronto.

 

I would like to commend Colin and his team for the expedient and professional manner in which they worked throughout the entire ordeal. The level of caring, expertise and professionalism was extraordinary. Colin was in constant contact with my mother the entire time ensuring she was O.K. and communicating his actions so she could respond appropriately. Colin’s team was extremely well co-ordinated and worked seamlessly together. The equipment utilized including the split back board and the balloon cast were in first rate condition and exactly what was required for the emergency at hand. With my mother in excruciating pain from the injury it was very comforting to see the level of care that Colin and his team were providing.

 

I would also like to thank Dr. Charite for caring for my mother and the professional manner he exhibited when stabilizing her and constantly monitoring her well being. He stayed at the clinic right until the end when Colin and his team transported her to the airport.

 

One never wants to see an emergency of any type but the reality is they do happen. It is extremely comforting to know that a very high level of care is provided during emergencies in Treasure Cay.

 

Thank you,

 

 

Paul and Gail Richey

TREASURE CAY EMERGENCY SERVICES

 

 

 

Update:  November 30, 2014

 

Chief Albury’s YTD medical and fire runs total 123 runs; 82 medical calls and 41 fire suppression calls.

 

He notes that some of the calls he responds to are for minor injuries and do not require the use of an ambulance. In these cases Chief Albury responds in his Command One unit which is outfitted for the treatment of minor problems.

 

However, every year there are serious incidents which do require ambulance use.  In 2014 Chief Albury and his volunteers were faced with several; the Sand Bank fire, doing what is required following the crash of an airplane, incidents involving broken bones, dislocated hips and knees, serious lacerations, suspected strokes and heart attacks coupled with an increase in automobile accidents.  The ambulance has also been required for several evacuations this year.

 

In early 2015 Mickey Lowe will move back to Treasure Cay and once again become a member of the Volunteer team.  Mickey is a First Responder and a Fireman with many years of experience. 

 

TCESO Directors

 

 

Treasure Cay Emergency Services

It happened to me!

 

Woke up, showered, mopped floor, had breakfast, back to bedroom – foot slipped – in a split second on the floor unable to move – it was 9am early September 2012.

 

Landed on my right hip – the head of the femur smashed through the socket causing 3 fractures of the pelvis – no wonder movement was impossible. Screamed, yelled, shouted, cried – extreme pain.

 

Mahalia called Corbett Clinic – ambulance arrived in minutes - sirens never sounded so welcome – help was coming!

 

Two angels brought in a kind of surfboard hinged at one end and lifted the tired and crumpled body of this old man gently off the floor. To the clinic – Big Colin (aka Size Matters) and Patty organized transportation to TC airport. Darlene took x-rays and identified the pelvis fractures and treated me to several wonnddderffffulllll doses of morphine…………..!

 

Ambulance to airport, Cherokee Air to Ft. Lauderdale and thence by ambulance to Baptist hospital. Seven hours of surgery, three days in ICU, two weeks in hospital, one week in rehab.

 

Like you I’m sure, I always worried about what would happen if…..

 

Well it did happen to me – TCESO stepped up in a way I never imagined would be possible in a small community like ours. Having kept my TCESO dues up to date I was not even asked for a contribution for all the help I was given right through to TC airport.

 

The accident happened in a split second. TCESO were there in minutes and thanks to them and Corbett Clinic, I’m still alive to tell the tale - awesome. How do you thank people who saved your life?

 

It could be you next – and I’m sure your story will be more interesting than mine – but the unthinkable happened to me – if it happens to you, I know they’ll be there to help.

 

Please support TCESO.

 

Graham Johns