State by State: April 2020

PENNSYLVANIA: Medic Launches Petition to Increase Road Safety

Michael Bedner, BS, NRP, CCEMT-P, has launched an initiative to raise awareness among legislators and the public of the dangers faced by first responders on our nation’s highways. Motivated by the death of friend and colleague Matthew Smelser, who was killed when his ambulance was struck by a tractor trailer January 5, Bedner has started a petition on Change.org calling for state and national lawmakers to address this issue through better advance warning of emergencies ahead, laws that decrease posted speed limits based on road conditions or in the presence of an emergency, safer road designs with adequate room for safely pulling over, and stiffer penalties for those who speed through work zones and emergency scenes.

ARIZONA: Longtime EMS Educator Gene Gandy Dies

Longtime paramedic, EMS educator, and attorney William E. “Gene” Gandy, JD, LP, died February 5 at his home in Arizona. Still active in EMS education in his 80s, Gandy served on the EMS World editorial advisory board for more than a decade. Gandy began practicing law in Honey Grove, Tex., in 1975. He founded the Honey Grove Volunteer Ambulance Service, taught in an EMT program at Texas’ Paris Junior College, served on a state EMS committee, and founded the paramedic program at Tyler Junior College before retiring in 2004. 

OHIO: NREMT Launches National EMS-ID

The National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians announced the launch of the National EMS-ID number system, which issues a unique 12-digit identification number at no cost to all EMS professionals and students seeking to enter the profession. Unlike National Registry numbers, which are still being used and are linked to specific certifications earned, EMS-ID numbers are issued once and do not change or expire. EMS-IDs are not yet publicly available; NREMT expects they will be incorporated into its website and several state licensure systems by June 2020.

CALIFORNIA: Falck Renews Contract for Orange County

Falck USA announced the company has been selected to continue providing emergency ambulance services to more than 2 million people in Orange County, Calif. Falck’s subsidiary Care Ambulance will be the exclusive provider of 9-1-1 emergency ambulance service through 2025, according to the company. In addition to serving more than 6 million people in California, Denmark-based Falck also provides ambulance service in seven other U.S. states as well as countries throughout Europe and South America.