Travis Parker

Travis Parker is the Emergency Medical Services Division Chief at Tuscaloosa Fire and Rescue Service. Parker is also one to Tuscaloosa magazine's 6 Intriguing People for the winter 2013 issue.staff photo | Robert Sutton

On Friday, Travis Parker dressed in the crisp white shirt bearing the Tuscaloosa Fire and Rescue Service emblem for the last time.

It's a uniform that he's proudly worn as he worked his way up the department ranks during the past 27 years.

"When you walk up in that uniform, it's almost like a wave of calm that goes over everyone," Parker said. "I don't mean to be prideful by saying that, it's just a fact of life."

During his career, which started as a paramedic and is ending as chief of the department's Emergency Medical Services, Parker has helped thousands of people during some of the most difficult moments of their lives. His approach of treating each emergency as if it were happening to a family member is just one indication that he's lived up to the expectations of that uniform.

"When someone calls 911, it's an emergency to them no matter what it is. It could be a cat up a tree," he said. "Being able to help people during these times is what makes this job so rewarding."

Unfortunately, most 911 calls that the department responds to are much more serious than a treed cat. "Expect the best but prepare for the worst" is the motto that he has learned to live by.

Parker, 58, traces his passion for helping others to an event that happened when he was young. His mother was working an overnight shift waiting tables when he was awakened by his father in distress.

His father was having a seizure at 2 a.m., likely a side effect from a head injury he'd sustained while mowing the lawn at their home in the Loop Road area that day.

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Tuscaloosa Fire and Rescue's EMS Chief Travis Parker retiring after 27 years

Pittsburgh, PA (PRWEB) December 13, 2013

Tired of having to stop mowing the lawn several times on hot summer days to walk into the house for a cool drink? Fortunately, an inventor from Bloomer, Wis., has found the solution. With his invention there is no need to interrupt such a task or make frequent stops while traveling to get additional cool beverages.

TOUCAN COOLER was developed to keep three drinks cool and accessible simultaneously. It is designed for use in cars, trucks, lawn mowers, tractors, sports vehicles, boats, lawn chairs or anything else equipped with a cup holder.

Besides being convenient, this lightweight accessory is also easy to install and use.

The inventor thought of the idea while mowing his lawn. "One can of pop was never enough for the job," he said. "Since most mowers and tractors have only a single cup holder, I wanted to find a way to carry more beverages and keep them cool."

The original design was submitted to the Edina office of InventHelp. It is currently available for licensing or sale to manufacturers or marketers. For more information, write Dept. 12-MMB-2127, InventHelp, 217 Ninth Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15222, or call (412) 288-1300 ext. 1368. Learn more about InventHelp's Invention Submission Services at http://www.InventHelp.com.

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Portable Cooler for Travel, Work, Recreation Invented by InventHelp Client (MMB-2127)

Since its founding with five clients and a donated van in 1974, ECHO, now known as ECHOworks, has 163 participants supported by a staff of 60, providing workers to 15 sites around the county. It is always looking for new business partners willing to welcome capableand enthusiasticdisabled workers to their staff.

Over the years, the organization has built up a core base of support from area businesses that provide work opportunities for teams of anywhere from six to 13 individuals.

Karen Russell, ECHOworks marketing manager, has been associated with the organization from almost the beginning. She is aided by Kelly Yost, business development officer and daily operations manager, and the two work with CEO Bill Haney, assembling a strong and diverse labor force that can cope with a variety of tasks. Whether its mowing lawns, doing bulk mail, document conversion to digital, scanning and shredding documents, assembling and disassembling circuit board packages, or cleaning, the ECHO workers provide a reliable service for which the individual business contracts.

Those businesses that use ECHOworks services, including Inova Loudoun Hospital, Loudoun County Public Schools, Loudoun County government, the Federal Aviation Administration, REHAU, EIT Inc. and Telos Corporation are convinced supporters of the program.

It is such an effective program that it is much in demand for families who are looking for safe, secure programs in which their disabled family member can find employment and be esteemed for that workand there arent enough sites to meet that need, Russell said. Yost agreed, noting in a recent interview, Ive had four calls this week from families looking to us for our services. We need businesses to match that need.

Shannon Sollinger, who volunteers with ECHOworks, helping put out its newsletter, says she doesnt think businesses appreciate the value of what theyre getting by contracting services through the organization.

Most employers dont get that its a smart business tacticno human resources problems, no Social Security, no benefits, no overtime, no training responsibilities; just one check for the service, she notes.

Russell agreed. We only charge the business the actual work done. We pay for equipment, transportationincluding the vans and buses that take workers to their job sitessalaries, insurance, workers compensation its just like a business, she said. Each team has a trained supervisor, and the groups are insured, trained, transported and fed by ECHOworks.

We do what the business needs, Russell said, noting that Inova Loudoun Hospital, which uses teams at two sites, is one of ECHOworks biggest customers. We run the mail for them. We provide food for our workers, and maybe buy from the cafeteria once a week, Russell said. We also take care of all the human resources side.

For Sollinger, the decision to hire an ECHOworks team is more than a smart business decision. Its a step to put our neighbors who are developmentally challenged into a productive, rewarding work environment where they earn a pay check, make friends and contribute to the community, she said.

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ECHO Looks To Expand Business Partnerships

Second of two parts.

Lake County school officials wants to spend more money directly on teaching students and less on everything else.

But, how to do it?

Superintendent Susan Moxley presented a rundown of possibilities to School Board members recently and got no help from the automatons who gave little prepared speeches of thanks but raised no real questions and offered precisely zero critical thinking, with the exception of one question. More on that later.

The meeting was part of an extraordinary process designed to change the way the district spends money. The idea is to spend more on teaching students, with the goal of raising academic performance. Now, that's a concept Lake officials talk about ceaselessly but never put money behind.

This year, the district got $840,000 from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to study where the money goes and to change the direction of the stream. Officials learned, for example, that Lake puts 53 percent of its cash toward students while the average of eight other comparison schools is 58 percent. It spends 7 percent more on the cost of "central office" operations, and 4 percent more on operations and maintenance.

Now that officials know where they money is going, job No. 1 is to find $5.5 million to divert to students next year.

"How we use that money is equally critical. It has to be on proven programs," Moxley told board members.

Unfortunately, the district will start next year $3.8 million in the hole and with 500 new students, she said. That's a total of $9.3 million the district must find if it really is committed to spending its money on students.

Here are some of Moxley's suggestions for how to do it:

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School Board members can't opt out on goal of spending more on teaching students

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