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This Week in EMS: A Recap for March 3 - 9, 2007
A unique agreement has been reached in one of the most prominent EMS lawsuits of recent history. The family of slain New York Times reporter David Rosenbaum has settled their $20 million lawsuit against the District of Columbia over the city's mishandled EMS response in January 2006, when Rosenbaum was mugged and beaten.
An investigation uncovered numerous problems in the chain of care, beginning with EMS workers assuming he was drunk and failing to assess his injuries.
In the settlement, the family has agreed to forgo any money and to give D.C. one year to improve EMS. If it does not improve, the family may refile their lawsuit.
For the details of this settlement read the full article, D.C., Family Settle $20 Million Suit Over Mishandled EMS Response.
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In a related development this week, the mayor of D.C. selected a new chief to reform the city's fire/EMS department. Dennis L. Rubin, formerly chief of the Atlanta, Georgia fire department, said he will consider the mayor's suggestion to separate the fire and EMS department, but also requested time to analyze other methods of reform.
Further details are available in the article, New D.C. Fire/EMS Chief Pledges Reform.
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Top industry news this week included a worldwide recall of thousands of automatic external defibrillators from Defibtech LLC. The company reported a problem in their Lifeline AED and ReviveR AED models that have software versions 2.002 and earlier. This software problem may cause the AEDs to fail to flag a previously detected low battery.
The company notified its distributors and customers of the recall by letter on Feb. 22 after three reports of problems. For further details and upgrade information, visit the article, Defibrillator Maker Announces Recall.
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Other industry news this week included the opening the EMS Today Conference and Exhibition in Baltimore, Maryland, where a recurring discussion theme has been the future of EMS. For additional details visit EMS Leaders Look to the Future at Industry Conference.
Final Call:
This is the final call for submissions to EMS Magazine's 2007 website review. We want to know what sites you rely on as an EMS leader or provider, and to share these resources with the EMS community. Please submit your suggestions to online editor Heather Caspi at Heather.Caspi@cygnusb2b.com.
Reminders:
We're looking for your input on EMS cell phone use, and we thank the many of you who have already responded to our quick poll. The results will be included in an upcoming article in EMS Magazine.
Click here to answer the poll: EMS Magazine Poll: Cell Phones.
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Also, nominations are being accepted for EMS Magazine's 22nd Annual EMT/Paramedic of the Year Award, sponsored by Braun Industries and ZOLL Medical Corporation. For full contest rules and instructions please visit https://www.emsresponder.com/paramedic.
Other top headlines on EMSResponder.com this week:
