This Week in EMS: Medevac Safety Upgrades...International EMS Systems...CPR Best Practices
The helicopter air ambulance industry is opposing several key safety upgrades sought by federal accident investigators even as a recent surge in crashes has killed 19 people since September.
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Report: Medevac Industry 'Resisting Upgrades'
The helicopter air ambulance industry is opposing several key safety upgrades sought by federal accident investigators even as a recent surge in crashes has killed 19 people since September.
Former Illinois Paramedic Sentenced to 50 Years for Child Sexual Exploitation
A former Coal City, Ill., paramedic who also coached youth soccer was sentenced in federal court Tuesday to 50 years in prison for sexually exploiting six boys and manufacturing child pornography.
Ariz. Responders Assist Aussie Colleagues in 9/11 Memorial Run
On Thurs., Aug. 12, 2010 at precisely 8:46 a.m. the "Tour of Duty Run" began at the Santa Monica Pier in Los Angeles, aiming to arrive in New York City on Sept. 11--4,600 miles and 31 days later.
The Corner Office: Practical Management for EMS Leaders
EMS Leadership Part 3: Intellectual Stimulation Transformational Leadership in EMS
Jerry Newman, EMS director for Bronco County, had just reviewed the county's response times for the last three months. There was definitely a problem that needed to be resolved, especially during the night shift. It was taking almost two minutes to respond to the initial dispatch and an additional five minutes for the ambulance team to get on the road. In a rural area, seven minutes was far too much time when most calls took on average 15 to 30 minutes to reach the patient from the station. Learn how intellectual stimulation leadership helped generate ideas that eventually resolved response times in this county.
EMS Training Center
The DIEMS (Database for International EMS Systems) Project is an attempt to create the most comprehensive international EMS database available on the Web. So far it contains information on systems in more than two dozen countries. Here its founder and president, Jason Friesen, BA, NREMT-P, a medic from Connecticut, explains the basics of the project and how interested readers can help it grow.
Industry Best Practices
Educating Your Community About Why Minutes Matter
The grassroots organization MINUTES MATTER is focused on educating residents in western North Carolina how to perform hands-only CPR, as well as how to recognize a stroke (utilizing ACT Fast) and the importance of call 9-1-1 promptly.
EMS Life
NAEMT uses it in its logo. You wear it as an EMS practitioner, and it designates your ambulance as an emergency vehicle. But what is the star of life, and how did it come to be such a strong and recognizable symbol for emergency medical services?
Reading Room
Author Interviews and Writing Advice
Don't miss our interview with Russ Reina, author of Moments in the Death of a Flesh Mechanic...a healer's rebirth. Russ Reina experienced the early days--and it toughened him. His EMS life began as an ambulance attendant in the Big Apple borough of Queens in the early 1970s. He later grew to EMT and, through an early pilot program, MICU paramedic in Daytona Beach, FL. In 1978 he rode west to Santa Barbara, there cofounding the California Paramedics Association. He burned out on the politics, if not the work, and left the field in the mid 1980s. Against that medical/spiritual backdrop comes his self-published book, Moments in the Death of a Flesh Mechanic...a healer's rebirth.
Featured EMS Magazine Article: August 2010
EMS agencies need a variety of written policies to deal with the various operational and administrative issues that will certainly arise in their day-to-day operations. These policies will run the gamut from mutual aid issues to time/attendance, and should encompass events such as needlestick injuries, vehicle accidents and injuries in the line of duty.
