ADVERTISEMENT
This Week in EMS: DC Unites Fire/EMS...Staffing Debates...EMT Executioners
Sign up here to receive the EMS Weekly Recap in your e-mail.
D.C. Fire and EMS is making some major changes to the way they handle emergencies in the nation's capital. All personnel in the department will receive training in all hazards.
Omaha FD's Medical Director Weighs in On Staffing Debate
As the public gets a chance to weigh in on a proposal to repeal the Omaha law guaranteeing four firefighters per truck, a councilwoman continues to press the idea of replacing captains on ambulances.
Spokane Advised to Quicken Response
A consultant studying Spokane's emergency medical services said last week that city leaders should consider paying more for ambulance service for quicker response.
Ohio EMTs Able to Participate in Executions
The Ohio EMS board has no authority over the emergency medical technicians who administer lethal drugs in state executions. That's the opinion board lawyer Heather R. Frient made public yesterday during the board's meeting.
Miami Officer Gets Surgery While in Cruiser
A predawn crash left a Miami police officer trapped in his car with a sign pole piercing his leg. The injury, along with the complication of getting Rodriguez out of his cruiser, led paramedics to do something unusual: Instead of immediately putting him on a helicopter to the hospital, they flew a surgeon to him
Point of View
Walking the Safety Walk in EMS
EMS is vitally concerned about safety. Industry leaders are racking their brains to make some sense of the spike in accidents and violence, and, more important, to figure out how to arrest those trends. But all the good advice and good intentions in the world do no good unless several someones roll up their sleeves. Just like the auto industry, changes that shape our profession come when the doers chip away at safety issues day after day. So, doers, what do you do each and every day for safety?
EMS Magazine Online Exclusive
What a Prehospital Care System Needs
Prehospital emergency care is a vital public service, but for systems to function adequately, they must have certain elements available and working in coordination. This article presents a proposal for a prehospital system assessment and analysis matrix that utilizes six essential/universal prehospital system elements derived from the components proposed in the EMS Systems Act and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's EMS Agenda for the Future.
Training & Resources
Chest Pain: To Treat or Not To Treat?
"At this point in my career, I have decided it is much easier to treat patients complaining of chest pain without an obvious cause as if they are having a heart attack rather than trying to find a reason to get out of it," says author Jody Marks in this provocative essay on handling the chest pain patient.
August CE Article: Critical Decisions
As a responder, your actions within the first few moments of arriving on the scene of a motor vehicle crash are crucial to the success of managing the situation. Within these moments, you must size up the situation, mitigate as many hazards as possible, establish incident command, rapidly triage patients and ultimately assess, treat and extricate patients from the scene. This CE activity is approved by EMS Magazine, an organization accredited by the CECBEMS for 1.5 CEUs.
This month's Resource Guide focuses on communications technologies.
The kettle bell can be a powerful adjunct for staying fit and strong throughout your career.
Featured Podcast
Is the economy having an adverse affect on emergency medical service crews? Thom Dick, EMS Magazine columnist and quality care coordinator at Platte Valley Ambulance in Brighton, CO, talks about the challenges EMS crews are facing due to budget cutbacks as part of The Brian Lehrer Show's Uncommon Economic Indicators series.
Industry News
Saint Paul F.D. Receives Grant for High Visibility Safety Jackets
The Saint Paul Fire Department has been awarded a grant of $16,240 from the Fireman's Fund Insurance Company, an Allianz company. The grant was awarded for the purchase of high visibility EMS jackets to be worn by the fire department's 137 paramedics.
Featured Job
Manager, EMS Operations, Memphis, TN
Methodist University Hospital is seeking a Manager, EMS Operations. Methodist University Hospital is the largest, most comprehensive hospital in the Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare (MLH) system located in Memphis, TN. It is a 693-bed facility located in the heart of the Memphis Medical Center.
Click above for details and visit www.EMSResponder.com/jobs for additional listings.
Sign up here to receive the new EMS Jobs e-newsletter.
Featured Forum Thread
DaSharkie says: Unless it is a trauma, STEMI, CVA, or another very critical issue I will rarely hear what EMS says. As I look back on 12 years of riding on a box, adn the 3 years of being inside the ED, I have to say that it is not that we are not listening - we are just doing a bunch of different things at the same time. Just because someone is not hanging onto every syllable you say does not mean that we are not paying attention.
Follow the link to read more, or browse other topics at www.emsresponder.com/forums.
Poll Question
This week we ask our readers: Did the recent rash of EMS helicopter crashes lead to changes in the way you utilize air resources?
Grant Information
Check out the latest resource from EMSResponder--our EMS Grants page--which offers a variety of resources for grant-writing and fundraising.
Upcoming Events
Visit our Events Calendar to see what educational opportunities are in your area, plus post your own listings. Here are a selection of EMS training events in September:
- September 4: 1st Annual Midwest Smoke Symposium, Lebanon, OH
- September 12: Water Rescue Technician Course, Harrisville, NH
- September 20-21: Wilderness Medicine for Professional Practitioners, Sylva, NC
- September 22-25: The ABCs of Emergency Medicine, San Francisco, CA
Reminders
7th Annual National EMS Systems Survey
EMS Magazine and EMSResponder.com are proud to offer the 7th annual comprehensive survey of EMS systems in the United States. Survey results will be published in the December 2009 issue of EMS Magazine, as well as featured online, and are designed to provide an overview of the EMS profession as it exists today across the spectrum of EMS delivery systems. Surveys must be completed by October 9, 2009.
EMS EXPO Announces Photo Contest for 2009
For the second year, EMS EXPO is looking for photos of EMS/rescue/fire professionals in the field, at training events or in the workplace. Photos must be received by September 18, 2009.
Other top headlines this week on EMSResponder.com
- Health Workers' Safety in Spotlight
- Pennsylvania Governor Rendell Signs New EMS Law
- PA Truck Hits Wires; Girl Injured When Pole Falls
- Cellphones Remain Problematic for 911 Despite Efforts
- Massachusetts 911 Operators Miss Mom-In-Labor's Call
- Budget Cuts May Shut Down Poison Control Hotline
We Want to Hear From You
If you have a news lead or story idea you would like to submit to EMSResponder.com, please e-mail Nancy.Perry@cygnusb2b.com.
