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Original Contribution

April 2004 EMS Wire Service

April 2004

Firefighters Assail Budget Proposal

Firefighters aren’t happy with President George W. Bush’s budget plans for 2005, and are urging him to restore funds that were cut or eliminated in his FY05 proposal.

In Bush’s budget, funding for FIRE Act grants is cut by $250 million, and initiatives for EMS, wellness/fitness, education, code enforcement and station renovation are eliminated. State and local homeland security programs are reduced by $200 million, and funding for the SAFER Act, which would support the hiring of 75,000 firefighters over the next seven years, is targeted for elimination.

“We ask the president to please explain to the American people why he is leaving them more vulnerable to incidents ranging from the threats of terrorism to standard emergencies,” International Association of Fire Fighters President Harold Schaitberger said of the budget. “The fact remains that firefighters around the U.S. often lack the training, equipment and staffing to adequately respond to calls to save lives and property.”

—International Association of Fire Fighters

Tool Lets Services Calculate Relief

Ambulance services can calculate how much financial relief the regional fee schedule provision of the 2003 Prescription Drug Act will bring them using a new tool available from the American Ambulance Association.

The tool includes a list of provisions in the bill that affect ambulance services, instructions for doing the calculations, and an Excel spreadsheet to determine actual amounts.

Membership in the AAA is required to use the tool. The regional fee schedule provisions take effect July 1.

For more, visit www.the-aaa.org.

—American Ambulance Association

Snakebite Suction Devices Doubted

Mechanical suction of snakebite wounds does not remove significant amounts of venom, a study in the February Annals of Emergency Medicine suggested, and may be of no medical benefit to victims.

Researchers in the study used a Sawyer Extractor Pump to remove mock venom that had been injected into the legs of eight volunteers. After 15 minutes of operation, the amount of venom removed by the machine was clinically insignificant.

“The marketing of these mechanical suction devices to the public is probably not appropriate,” concluded lead investigator Michael Alberts. “…Incision and suction were once considered the standard of care, but they are now believed to pose more risk than benefit for the victim.”

—American College of Emergency Physicians

APCO Reaches Out to 3-1-1 Workers

A growing number of communities nationwide are implementing 3-1-1 service as a non-emergency alternative to 9-1-1. Now APCO (the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials International) is reaching out to workers at those call centers, inviting them to join, and urging they be viewed as part of the public safety communications community.

“Although 3-1-1 centers are operated separately from the emergency portion of the public safety system, APCO acknowledges the vital role of this non-emergency component,” APCO President Vincent Stile said. “While we realize that 3-1-1 implementation is not appropriate for all communities, where it is selected, it provides an important and vital public safety service.”

—APCO International

Racial Slurs Plague Chicago FD

A black battalion chief in the Chicago Fire Department received a death threat and two black aldermen in the city say they’ve gotten threatening messages after a string of racial slurs was heard on the city’s fire department radios earlier this year.

At least six slurs have been reported since February. Firefighter John Scheuneman received a 90-day suspension for allegedly making one; internal affairs continued to investigate the others at press time.

Mayor Richard M. Daley called those making the slurs “cowards” and urged their fellow firefighters to identify them.

The department has a history of strained race relations. The federal government sued it in 1973, alleging discriminatory hiring and promotion practices, and seven firefighters were dismissed and 21 suspended after a 1997 video showed them drinking and using racial epithets at a firehouse party.

—Chicago Sun-Times

Kentucky Medic Shot, Killed

One firefighter/paramedic was killed and a colleague wounded after responding to a domestic violence call at a home in Lexington, KY. The fatality, Lt. Brenda Cowan, 40, was the first black female firefighter in the history of the Lexington Fire Department.

Fire/EMS crews and police responded following a reported shooting at the home on February 13. As firefighters approached the house, they came under fire. Cowan was struck multiple times; a second firefighter, Jim Sandford, was wounded. Suspect Patrick Hutchinson also allegedly shot at police officer Thomas Richards, shattering the window of his patrol car. Following a six-hour standoff, Hutchinson was arrested and sent to the Kentucky Correctional Psychiatric Center, where doctors will gauge his competence to stand trial. He said he shot his wife, Fontaine Hutchinson, because she was controlled by clones.

—Lexington Herald-Leader

Crew Accused of Sex Assault on Teen

A ride-along program for teen Explorers came under scrutiny following accusations that two Ft. Worth, TX, EMS providers sexually assaulted a 15-year-old girl in the back of their ambulance.

The incident allegedly occurred around 2 a.m. on December 29. According to police, the MedStar providers started asking the girl, a Girl Scout Explorer, suggestive questions, then moved into the back with her. EMT James C. Russell, 28, then allegedly asked if they could have sex. She said no, according to a police affidavit, but he persisted until she relented, and the two had sex on the stretcher. Russell’s partner, paramedic Richard N. Barash, 36, reportedly followed.

Russell was arrested on January 14 and charged with sexual assault on a child under 17. Barash surrendered to authorities two days later on the same charge. Both providers were fired.

MedStar now requires that Explorers ride only with coed crews.

—Ft. Worth Star-Telegram

Do you have a hot news lead? Please fax information to the News Editor at 818/786-9246 and indicate the original source of submitted material.

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