Industry News

The Ohio Medical Transportation Board has decided that the Kendrick Traction Device (KTD) satisfies the requirements for usage and may be used on all their ambulances. This decision came after meeting to discuss the range of patients on whom it can be used with Emergency Products and Research (EP&R), the Kent, Ohio-based manufacturer of the KTD and developer of many other innovative emergency medical products. The Board found that the device meets the needs of both adult and pediatric traction. The KTD, invented and engineered by Rick Kendrick, the inventor of the Kendrick Extrication Device (KED), was determined to be cost-effective, space saving and easy to use by all emergency medical personnel. It is also used by the U.S. armed forces. For more information, call EP&R at 800/322-5725…The Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services (CAAS) Panel of Commissioners has granted accreditation to REMSA of Reno, NV, and Cherokee Nation EMS of Tahlequah, OK. Reaccrediting agencies included: WestCare EMS of Sylva, NC; Rockford Ambulance, Inc., of Rockford, MI; Rural/Metro Medical Services of Western NY in Buffalo; Huntsville Emergency Medical Services, Inc. (HEMSI) of Huntsville, AL; and CARE Ambulance Service, Inc. of Orange, CA. Cherokee Nation EMS is the first tribal nation agency to receive CAAS accreditation. For more information about the CAAS accreditation process, visit www.caas.org, or call 866/964-2227…After 27 years with orange and white stripes, the ambulances at Oklahoma’s Emergency Medical Services Authority (EMSA) are going red, white and blue. American Emergency Vehicles (AEV), out of North Carolina, started producing the color-guard units for EMSA, the sole provider of ALS service for 1.1 million citizens in 14 central and northeast Oklahoma cities, in January and rolling them out in April. More than a color-change, this major re-design includes high-tech and comfort features that emphasize safety, patient care and durability, such as backup obstacle warning devices; digital thermostats with high-performance ducted heat/AC systems; LED underbody illumination; safety nets at the head of the crew benches; roomier patient compartments and state-of-the-art Class I multiplex electrical systems. Twenty-seven new ambulances will be on the road by mid-summer, with EMSA’s remaining 62 units to be replaced by July 2008…Telex Communications, Inc., headquartered in Burnsville, MN, has announced its recent accreditation as a Tetra System Application Partner by Motorola EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa). Tetra is fast emerging as a standard for mission-critical radio communications in Europe and other areas outside the U.S. The accreditation reflects the satisfactory completion of a rigorous review of the company’s quality assurance, manufacturing and product development processes for its line of radio dispatch equipment and accessories, said Product Manager Doug Ehlers. Telex Communications has marketed its radio dispatch equipment in the U.S. for over 25 years under the Vega brand. The company manufactures both analog and IP-based dispatch solutions for fixed, mobile and portable installations under both the Telex and Vega brand names. For more information, visit www.telex.com.