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This Week in EMS: A Recap for March 1 - 7, 2008
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This week's top EMS headlines focused on the murder of Palm Beach County, Florida Fire-Rescue Lt. Rafael Vazquez, a paramedic killed Monday when a gunman opened fire in a Wendy's restaurant.
Vazquez, 42, was just finishing a lunch break with his wife and son after attending a course called "Strategy and Tactics" on managing large-scale incidents much like this one. However, Vazquez didn't get to respond to this incident. The gunman shot him in the back while he was exchanging a toy for his son, and then wounded four other customers before committing suicide.
The scene was a difficult one for responders. Some of them knew Vazquez well, and as events unfolded, Vazquez's wife wept outside with their 4-year-old son. Michele Vazquez met her husband when the two were partners working for American Medical Response in the 1990s.
A memorial service was being held this Friday. For more information visit the following coverage:
- Wife of Slain Paramedic Shares Her Grief
- Colleagues, Wife Recall Slain Paramedic
- 911 Calls Reveal Chaos at Florida Shooting
- Colleagues Worked on Slain Fla. Paramedic
- Florida Paramedic Slain at Restaurant
Now for the third week in a row, a school bus full of children has overturned, resulting in a high profile emergency response.
This week's incident occurred Monday in Cherokee County, Ga. when a bus carrying 27 students overturned on its morning route. None of the students were thrown from the bus and none were in critical condition, officials said. However, 10 students were taken to hospitals for treatment of neck and back injuries, and one student was flown to Atlanta Medical Center by helicopter because the student had lost consciousness after the accident.
Cherokee County sheriff's Sgt. Jay Baker said a preliminary analysis indicated the driver overcorrected when the vehicle's right-side tires went off the pavement.
For further details visit Bus Overturns in Ga.; Kids Injured.
Industry News:
The Office of Emergency Medical Services (OEMS) at NHTSA has announced the launch of EMS.gov. The innovative Web site, developed to meet the varied needs of the EMS community, contains the latest news from OEMS and functions as a portal to other resources such as EMSResponder.com.
Click above for further details.
FEMA Requests Applicants for the National Advisory Council
The Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is requesting individuals who are interested in serving on the National Advisory Council (NAC) to apply for appointment. The NAC assists FEMA in carrying out its missions by providing advice and recommendations in the development and revision of the national preparedness goal, the national preparedness system, the National Incident Management System, the National Response Framework, and other related plans and strategies.
Resumes must be received on or before 5:00 pm EST on Friday, March 14, 2008. Click above for details.
Featured Column:
Supporting Employees to Adopt Technology
"It must be remembered that not everyone in today's hi-tech world is tech-savvy," writes columnist Paul Murphy. "Employees who are great, if not stellar, healthcare providers, may experience challenges using technology. This is not unique to EMS - it applies to everyone from first responders to surgeons. Using technology successfully can take time and can be frustrating - for anyone. If an individual has not been exposed to the technology, having to learn while providing patient care can be a daunting experience."
Paul discusses reaching out to employees to promote "buy-in," reduce negativity and support employee success. Click above to read more.
Featured Job:
EMS Education Coordinator, Laurens County EMS (SC)
The individual selected for the position will oversee and administer all aspects of training and education for the Emergency Medical Services Department of Laurens County under general supervision of the EMS Director.
The salary is $40,000-$44,000 and benefits include 10 paid holidays, sick leave, annual leave, 30 Day shift swap privileges, health and dental insurance, a state retirement plan and more. Applications will be taken until March 21, 2008.
Click above for details and visit www.EMSResponder.com/jobs for additional listings.
Featured Forum Thread:
"I've always wanted to travel, but especially into areas that are in need of humanitarian assistance. Being an EMT-B, does anyone know of any opportunities where I could practice EMS...?
Click above to read more, or browse the forums at www.emsresponder.com/forums.
Poll Question:
How often are you thanked by a patient or his/her family?
Visit the poll on the lower right side of EMSResponder.com to participate. View previous polls at www.EMSResponder.com/polls.
To submit a poll idea e-mail Heather.Caspi@cygnusb2b.com.
Reminder:
It's time to nominate candidates for EMS Magazine's 23rd Annual Braun Industries/Monster Medic EMT/Paramedic of the Year Award. Follow the link for details.
Other top headlines this week on EMSResponder.com:
- Fainting Responder Sues to Get Job Back
- D.C. Paramedics Finally Get Access to Narcotics
- N.C. Responders Save Man's Arm after Industrial Accident
- Former Michigan Paramedic Sentenced in Patient Assault
- United Kingdom Firefighters Sent to Move Fat Man's TV
- Prison Riots Led to 'Finest Hours' for Pa. EMT
About Heather Caspi, EMSResponder.com Editor-in-Chief
Heather Caspi has been a public safety journalist since 2000, beginning as a reporter for sister site Firehouse.com. She later became the assistant news editor for Firehouse.com and Officer.com, and led the launch of EMSResponder.com in 2005. She graduated from the University of Maryland with degrees in Journalism and English Language and Literature, and earned her EMT-B at Merritt College in Oakland, California. She can be reached at Heather.Caspi@cygnusb2b.com.
