This Week in EMS: A Recap for June 16 - 22, 2007

Thousands of rescuers are mourning the deaths this week of nine Charleston firefighters killed in the line of duty Monday night in a furniture warehouse blaze.

In a tragic coincidence, this loss -- the highest loss of life incident for rescue workers since 9/11 - occurred during the annual Fire and EMS Safety Stand Down, in which participating rescuers nationwide review their safety standards and operating procedures, in an effort to make their dangerous jobs as safe as they can possibly be.

Local EMS personnel were certainly affected as well, as they served those injured on the scene and waited anxiously with their colleagues to hear the fate of those firefighters missing inside the blazing furniture warehouse. Many additional EMS workers are showing solidarity this week in mourning their fellow rescuers.

EMSResponder.com senior reporter Susan Nicol Kyle is reporting from Charleston this Friday during the memorial activities. To read her coverage, and to find links to additional related content on EMSResponder.com and our partner website Firehouse.com, visit Fallen Charleston, S.C. Firefighters Mourned. The full coverage includes fire scene updates, photo slideshows and television news reports.

In another tragedy this week, a New Jersey paramedic died in the line of duty after going into cardiac arrest while pulling away from the scene of a motor vehicle accident. Rescuers attempted to resuscitate him, but he was pronounced dead at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick.

This was actually the second time the 51-year-old paramedic had gone into cardiac arrest within eight months.

"Joseph Murawski responded to thousands of emergency calls in more than 20 years as a paramedic, and it seemed the one yesterday would be much like the others, maybe less grim than some... Soon after the rig pulled away from the accident scene, it was Murawski who was in trouble. His chest hurt, and he asked the driver to pull over." To read more from this article visit New Jersey Paramedic Dies During Call.

In a major emergency response this week, Tennessee rescuers were faced with an MCI when a pro drag racer careened into the crowd at a car show.

Two victims died at the scene, another four died after transport to hospitals, and at least 20 others sustained injuries.

The charity event had never had an accident in its 18 years at this location, but logic suggests it was only a matter of time before the practice of performing burnouts on public streets would lead to trouble. Witnesses are now questioning the decision to allow the driver to speed down a highway with no guard rails, lined with hundreds of spectators.

Amateur video of the crash showed the car's engine revving loudly before the vehicle sped down the highway, and after a few hundred feet, skidded off the road and into the crowd. To read this article and link to the video visit Tennessee Car Show Accident Kills 6.

Among the top industry news this week was an announcement in Tucson, Arizona that the city is to launch a video link between their 17 paramedic units and University Medical Center, allowing real-time videoconferencing over the city's public safety and public works wireless Internet system.

Dr. Rifat Latifi, interim medical director of UMC's Level 1 trauma center, said the video link will be the first of its kind in the country and the world.

While the technology has incredible potential for improved communication and patient care, as it allows trauma doctors to get involved in these initial moments, it also raises some concerns; paramedics who don't want to be micromanaged; a potential video record for malpractice lawyers; and questions about privacy.

While these concerns are valid, hopefully they can be addressed so as not to hinder this new opportunity. To read more about how this project is being funded and carried out, read the full article, Tucson to Launch Ambulance to Hospital Video Conferencing.