It is with deep regret that we advise you that at 0659 hrs yesterday morning, a San Diego (CA) Medical Services BLS unit happened upon a single vehicle traffic accident on Rt 163. After assessing the patients and initiating a response, the crew began to lay out a flare pattern to warn oncoming traffic. During this process, one of the EMT's, Paramedic Estaban Behena, 24, was struck by a vehicle traveling at freeway speed. San Diego Fire Rescue 4, returning from a vehicle rescue, came upon the incident and immediately began to render aid. PM Behena was transported to Mercy Hospital where he was subsequently pronounced. A blood technician was sent by the CHP to UCSD to take a sample from the driver, who may face drunken driving charges.
PM Behana was a paramedic employed by San Diego Medical Services, a private company that is hired by the City of San Diego to respond with San Diego Fire and provide ambulance services. Behena worked for San Diego Medical Services since August 2008.
Several apparent suicide deaths related to mixing common household chemicals have been reported by local media in the past year. This alarming news follows on the heels of 517 suicide deaths reported in Japan throughout 2008 attributed to inhaling hydrogen sulfide gas created by mixing household detergents. In 2009, one incident in San Jose, CA resulted in a hazardous materials lockdown of the hospital, diversion of incoming ambulances, and decontamination of nearly 100 persons that included rescuers. Ad hoc internet sites are felt to be responsible for disseminating harmful information related to mixing chemical products for this purpose. While there is no cause for widespread panic, symptoms can mimic carbon monoxide poisoning and EMS responders are encouraged to approach any closed, suspicious vehicle with extreme caution. An excellent and valuable training session for EMS responders is available at https://www.responsetechnologies.com/SCFD/H2S_suicide/player.html. NASEMSO sincerely thanks the Sarasota County Fire Dept for access to this link. The following information is also available:
ATSDR (CDC): Medical Management Guidelines for Hydrogen Sulfide
eMedicine: Toxicity, Hydrogen Sulfide
WISER: Hydrogen Sulfide
NIOSH: Hydrogen Sulfide
ERG: Guide 117 Hydrogen Sulfide
Dia Gainor, Idaho State EMS Director, and Chair of NASEMSO's Highway Incident & Transportation Systems (HITS) Committee, recently received the James O. Page Award from the Journal of Emergency Medical Services (JEMS) for "exhibiting the drive and tenacious effort necessary to develop improved EMS systems, resolve important EMS issues, and bring about positive EMS system changes throughout her career." Congratulations, Dia! For more information...
NASEMSO mourns the loss of Missouri colleague, Paula Adkison, who passed away on March 6, 2010 at Capital Region Medical Center. Paula was a Health Facilities Nursing Consultant and the Trauma Manager within the Bureau of Emergency Medical Services and also served as Missouri’s EMSC Program Coordinator. A memorial contribution has been made by NASEMSO in Paula’s memory. Our thoughts and prayers remain with Paula’s family and our colleagues in the OEMS during this difficult time.
The NASEMSO Executive Committee recently approved a request to change the name of the EMSC Council to the “Pediatric Emergency Care Council.” The change is intended to more accurately reflect the scope of state programs which include EMS for Children as well as expanded functions in Injury Prevention, Pediatric Data, Pediatric Education/Training, Disaster Preparedness, Family-Centered Care, and Trauma. Several working groups were recently established to address these focus areas.
NASEMSO Washington Update 2010
The EMS Performance Measures Project, begun in 2002 and concluded in 2007, gives the Nation’s EMS community an additional tool to gauge and report various aspects of an EMS system including the environment in which EMS responds, the performance of emergency medical service (EMS) agencies, and the overall performance of local systems. The EMS Performance Measures Project was coordinated by the National Association of State EMS Officials (NASEMSO) in partnership with the National Association of EMS Physicians (NAEMSP), and supported by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). The EMS Performance Measures Project seeks to create a set of 20 to 30 EMS system performance indicators and attributes that can begin to be used to better explain our discipline to the outside world, including those who use and/or fund EMS services. This is simply the beginning of an effort to establish national standards for such measures so that those using them will be able to compare their system's performance with other systems. It is expected that more indicators will be added to this set in the future. To download, go to http://www.nasemso.org/Projects/PerformanceMeasures/.
In a recent letter to the Appropriations Committees of the House and Senate, NASEMSO joined several members of the CDC Coalition in supporting at least $8.8 billion for CDC’s FY 2011 core programs. The advocacy letter is available on our web site at www.nasemso.org.
The Emergency Care Coordination Center (ECCC) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) was created in response to Homeland Security Presidential Directive 21 in order to: (1) lead an enterprise to promote and fund research in emergency medicine and trauma health care, (2) promote regional partnerships and more effective emergency medical systems in order to enhance appropriate triage, distribution, and care of routine community patients, and (3) promote local, regional, and State emergency medical systems' preparedness for response to public health events. The ECCC is guiding Federal efforts to implement the Institute of Medicine's (The Future of Emergency Care in the United States Health System) 2006 recommendation to develop regionalized, accountable systems of emergency care. The ECCC's next logical step is to fund projects to acquire more detailed information, data and best practices about regionalization of emergency care in four (4) component areas. To view the component areas and to read the presolicitation notice, click here.
The Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Administration for Native Americans (ANA) announces the availability of $42 million in competitive grant funding for fiscal year 2010 for community-based projects that promote economic and social self-sufficiency and cultural preservation for American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and other Native American Pacific Islanders from American Samoa, Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. The fiscal year 2010 funding includes $27 million for continuing multi-year projects. ANA grant funding supports social, economic, and governance development; preservation of Native American languages; and environmental regulatory activities. Applicants are encouraged to contact ANA’s technical assistance regional providers below who offer project development training and pre-application training free of charge.
• Eastern Region: http://www.anaeastern.org
NASEMSO Washington Update 2010
• Western Region: http://www.anawestern.org
• Alaska Region: http://www.anaalaska.org
• Pacific Region: http://www.anapacificbasin.org
The Funding Opportunity Announcements can be downloaded and submitted at http://www.grants.gov.
The Federal Communications Commission's Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau launched a new web page: Broadband and Public Safety and Homeland Security to better ensure that the public safety community, the general public, government agencies and communications providers have access to the latest news and information on the FCC's efforts to implement the National Broadband Plan for public safety. The implementation of the plan will include initiatives to bring interoperable communications to America's first responders through the creation of a nationwide wireless broadband network and new cyber security reporting and monitoring programs; as well as Next Generation 9-1-1 services; emergency alerts and warnings through a variety of outlets (including via television and radio broadcasts (Emergency Alert System), wireless hand-held devices, such as cell phones and the Internet) and much more. The web page includes access to the latest press releases, public notices, field hearings, and presentations. To access these pages, please visit: http://www.fcc.gov/pshs/broadband.html.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius recently announced awards to help states facilitate health information exchange and advance health information technology (health IT). Funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the awards are part of the $2 billion effort to achieve widespread meaningful use of health IT and provide use of an electronic health record by every citizen by the year 2014. Every state and eligible territory has now been awarded funds under this program. The health information exchange HIE awards announced today provide approximately $162 million to 16 states and qualified state designated entities (SDEs) to facilitate non-proprietary health information exchange that adheres to national standards. Health information exchange is critical to enabling care coordination and improving the quality and efficiency of health care. For more information…
In a new letter report to Congress, the Government Accounting Office (GAO) reports on (1) actions taken by the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Emergency Communications (OEC) to establish the Emergency
NASEMSO Washington Update 2010
Communications Preparedness Center (ECPC) and (2) challenges OEC and ECPC officials reported that could affect interagency coordination through ECPC. OEC and ECPC officials interviewed reported that ECPC faces interagency coordination challenges in obtaining agreement among ECPC members on group decisions, gaining the acceptance of its stakeholders when promoting a strategy to achieve interoperable communications, providing and demonstrating value to its members, maturing as an interagency body, and working to define its relationships with other organizations with similar goals and objectives. Emergency Communications: Establishment of the Emergency Communications Preparedness Center and Related Interagency Coordination Challenges. GAO-10-463R, is available at
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-10-463R.
The Practitioner Steering Group (PSG) sponsored by the DHS Office for Interoperability and Compatibility (OIC), of which the NASEMSO is a member, is currently seeking comments on the “Tracking of Emergency Patients” (TEP) standard; the latest in the Emergency Data Exchange Language (EDXL) family of standards used in emergency communications. Assuming you have previously reviewed the PID, the steering committee requests your review focus on the specification with data dictionary, and the outstanding issues list which are now posted on the TEP website: http://www.evotecinc.com/TEP/
• TEP Requirements and Draft Messaging Specification: EDXL-TEP-Rqmts&draftMessagingSpecV2.0_02-26-2010.doc
• Outstanding issues: TEP-Stakeholder-IssuesRev10_02-24-2010.pdf
• TEP Data Dictionary: Though included in the document, this excel file provides mappings to other efforts such as NEMSIS and NIEM which may be helpful in your review. TEPdictionaryv18.xls
Questions and comments should be provided via email to edxlswg@evotecinc.com .
The Justice Department, FBI and U.S. Postal Inspection Service recently announced that the investigation into the 2001 anthrax attacks, which killed five individuals and sickened 17 others, has formally concluded. Representatives of the FBI and Justice Department provided a 92-page investigative summary along with attachments to victims of the attacks, relatives of the victims and appropriate committees of Congress. This document sets forth a summary of the evidence developed in the "Amerithrax" investigation, the largest investigation into a bio-weapons attack in U.S. history. As disclosed previously, the Amerithrax investigation found that the late Dr. Bruce Ivins acted alone in planning and executing these attacks. The investigative summary and the attachments are now accessible to the public and have been posted to the Justice Department Web site at www.usdoj.gov/amerithrax under the Freedom of Information Act. In addition, roughly 2,700 pages of FBI
documents related to the Amerithrax case are now accessible to the public and have been posted to the FBI website at
http://foia.fbi.gov/foiaindex/amerithrax.htm under the Freedom of Information Act.
Recent events including last month’s attack on Internal Revenue Service offices in Texas, and the January 2010 shooting in the lobby of the Nevada federal courthouse demonstrate the continued vulnerability of federal facilities and the safety of the federal employees who occupy them. These events also highlight the continued challenges involved in protecting federal real property and reiterate the importance of protecting the over 1 million government employees, as well as members of the public, who work in and visit the nearly 9,000 federal facilities. The GAO indicates a final report will be forthcoming to Congress later this year. Homeland Security: Ongoing Challenges Impact the Federal Protective Service's Ability to Protect Federal Facilities. GAO-10-506T, http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-10-506T Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d10506thigh.pdf
The University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health Center for Public Health Preparedness has developed a “Legal Toolkit for Pennsylvania Local Health Departments.” The toolkit contains model public health orders and related documents that local health departments and municipal solicitors may use as templates when drafting documents seeking judicial support for local health regulation enforcement. The toolkit is available at http://www.prepare.pitt.edu/law/ltk/Default.aspx.
The Oregon Department of Justice and the Oregon Department of Human Services Public Health Division have developed the Oregon Isolation and Quarantine Bench Book. The book is intended to serve as a guide through the isolation and quarantine processes that can be utilized during a public health emergency, or in more routine public health cases, and provides important information about public health law, communicable disease, and infection control. To view the book, please visit: http://www2a.cdc.gov/phlp/docs/Public%20Health%20Bench%20Book%20Final_Oregon.pdf.
OSHA updated the Screening and Surveillance: A Guide to OSHA Standards* pocket guide that provides occupational health professionals with an overview of OSHA requirements on medical screening and surveillance. It describes what physical examinations and tests, such as chest x-rays, lung function tests and blood tests, are required to measure worker exposure to chemicals such as hexavalent chromium and benzene, and other workplace hazards such as noise and bloodborne pathogens. This quick-reference tool also points to the appropriate standards for more specifics. Copies can be ordered online from OSHA's publications Web page. Of particular interest to EMS:
• 1910.1030(f) Bloodborne Pathogens requirements are listed on page 12.
• 1910.120(f) (Hazwoper) requirements appear on page 23.
• 1910.134(e) (Respiratory Protection) requirements are listed on page 30.
The State Highway Safety Alliance and NASEMSO have joined forces to call for an aggressive plan to prevent hundreds of thousands of highway fatalities over the next twenty years through the upcoming surface transportation authorization bill. In a letter sent to key House and Senate committees, the coalition - which is made up of organizations from the areas of highway construction and safety, public health, and law enforcement - called for greater funding of state highway safety programs, long-term strategic planning, and research. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, an estimated 33,963 people were killed on U.S. highways in 2009; the lowest number of deaths since 1954. The coalition has set a goal of pushing the number of annual traffic deaths to below 20,000 by the year 2030. Steve Blessing, president of the National Association of State Emergency Medical Services Officials said, "We urge Congress to reauthorize federal highway safety programs that motivate states to significantly reduce highway deaths and injuries through innovative and effective highway safety strategies." The Alliance represents state agencies with roles in improving highway safety through infrastructure, driver behavior, licensing, incident response, and enforcement approaches. See the group's letter to Congress and its authorization principles at www.nasemso.org under the Advocacy tab.
Clarus (which is Latin for "clear") is an initiative to develop and demonstrate an integrated surface transportation weather observing, forecasting and data management system, and to establish a partnership to create a Nationwide Surface Transportation Weather Observing and Forecasting System. The objective of Clarus is to provide information to all transportation managers and users to alleviate the effects of adverse weather (e.g., fatalities, injuries and delays). Launched in 2004, Clarus provides near real-time atmospheric and pavement observations from more than 2,000 environmental sensor stations and 45,000 road sensors deployed by state departments of transportation. The result is a comprehensive picture of the weather along the nation’s roads that is available to any user, at anytime, anywhere in the U.S. The FHWA Road Weather Management Program, in partnership with TRB and ITS America, sponsored a workshop on Advancing Road Weather Management using Clarus Data during the TRB Annual Meeting in Washington, DC in January 2010. The presentations can be found here. Read an article on Clarus in the new edition of Thinking Highways here.
In related news, stressing the need to provide timely, high-quality road weather information to the American public, Research and Innovative Technology Administrator (RITA) Peter Appel recently announced that the U.S. Department of Transportation will sponsor up to seven innovative ideas for using the Clarus weather information system to improve roadway safety during severe weather. The Department intends to provide up to $80,000 per award in an open competition. Proposals will be accepted until April 14, 2010. Additional information on how to submit a proposal can be found at www.fbo.gov, Solicitation number DTFH61-10-R-00015.
1.16 fatalities per 100 million Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) down from 1.25 fatalities per 100 million VMT in 2008. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration attributes the decline in 2009 to a combination of factors that include, high visibility campaigns like Click It or Ticket to increase seat belt use, and Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest which helps with the enforcement of state laws to prevent drunk driving and distracted driving. In addition, the decline is also the result of safer roads, safer vehicles and motorists driving less. NHTSA annually collects crash statistics from the 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico to produce annual reports on traffic fatality trends. The agency intends to update 2009 estimates regularly as more data becomes available. The final counts for 2009 will be made available in the summer of 2010. To view the
preliminary fatality statistics…
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood recently applauded Wyoming for becoming the 20th state to enact a statewide ban prohibiting drivers from texting while behind-the-wheel. The new ban will allow law enforcement officials to ticket anyone caught texting while driving in Wyoming. According to research by the National Highway Traffic Administration (NHTSA), nearly 6,000 people died in 2008 in crashes involving a distracted or inattentive driver, and more than half a million were injured. In 2009, more than 200 distracted driving bills were considered by state legislatures and legislative activity is expected to remain strong in 2010. The department recently launched a federal website, distraction.gov, as a forum and information clearinghouse.
The National Transportation and Safety Board (NTSB) Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman encouraged the sleep research and healthcare community to continue their efforts to educate transportation policy makers of the dangers of fatigue in all modes of transportation. Speaking before the annual conference of the National Sleep Foundation in Washington, D.C., Chairman Hersman remarked that fatigue has been a concern for the Board since the creation of the agency in 1967 and it has been an issue on the Board's Most Wanted List of Transportation Safety Improvements since the list was established in 1990. Hersman remarked that while there are still no definitive tools to conclusively identify the degree to which a person is fatigued, the major challenge is to ensure that all those in transportation report to work rested and fit for duty - for their own safety and for the safety of those they are transporting. The complete text of Chairman Hersman's speech may be obtained on the Board's website at: http://www.ntsb.gov/speeches/hersman/daph100305.html.
HRSA/MCHB EMSC Program announces release of FY10 Targeted Issues new competition. Targeted Issue Demonstration Grants are intended to meet HRSA/MCHB priorities of improving the health infrastructure and systems of care as well as assuring quality of care. Applications should address specific needs in the field of pediatric emergency care that transcend state boundaries. Typically the projects result in a new product or resource or the demonstration of the effectiveness of a model system component or service of value to the nation. Objectives must meet a demonstrable need, and methodologies and strategies for achieving the objectives must be realistic, appropriate, and scientifically sound. Each application must contain an evaluation plan that contains measurable outcomes and clearly defined time frames for conducting the evaluation. The program anticipates
making 5 awards at $300,000 a year for 3 years with a project start date of 9/1/10. Applications are due in grants.gov on April 23, 2010. Applicants should carefully review the project focus areas on pages 1 - 2 of the application guidance.
Link to the announcement…
The American Academy of Pediatrics has published The 2009 State Legislation Report, which outlines activity on 10 issues related to children's health and well-being. To access the report, visit http://aap.org/advocacy/statelegrpt.pdf.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a final rule containing a broad set of federal requirements designed to significantly curb access to and the appeal of cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products to children and adolescents in the United States. Published March 19, 2010, the new rule becomes effective June 22, 2010, and has the force and effect of law. Titled Regulations Restricting the Sale and Distribution of Cigarettes and Smokeless Tobacco to Protect Children and Adolescents, the new rule restricts the sale, distribution, and promotion of these products to make them less accessible and less attractive to kids. Among other things, the rule prohibits the sale of cigarettes or smokeless tobacco to people younger than 18, prohibits the sale of cigarette packages with less than 20 cigarettes, prohibits distribution of free samples of cigarettes, restricts distribution of free samples of smokeless tobacco, and prohibits tobacco brand name sponsorship of any athletic, musical or other social or cultural events. The entire rule can be found at www.fda.gov/protectingkidsfromtobacco.
The North Carolina EMSC program has released North Carolina Emergency Care Guidelines for Schools, a comprehensive resource for school staff and school nurses on what to do when a student has a medical emergency. Developed in partnership with the North Carolina Division of Public Health, this resource provides guidance on more than 50 medical conditions, and includes a section on school safety planning and emergency preparedness. Copies of the resource are being distributed to 2,800 schools in the state.
A new study has found the addition of long-acting beta-agonist therapy to be the most effective of three step-up, or supplemental, treatments for children whose asthma is not well controlled on low doses of inhaled corticosteroids alone. The study was designed to provide needed evidence for selecting step-up care for such children and was supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), part of the National Institutes of Health. Researchers also identified patient characteristics, such as race, that can help predict which step-up therapy is more likely to be the most effective for a child with persistent asthma. The study found that almost all of its participants had a different response to the three different treatments. Although adding the long acting beta-agonist step-up was one and one-half times more likely to be the best treatment for most of the study group, many children responded best to other two treatments instead. The results were presented March 2 at the American Academy of Asthma, Allergy and Immunology 2010 Annual Meeting in New Orleans and are published online in the New England Journal of Medicine. For more information…
The US Consumers Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has issued a warning when using sling carriers for infants younger than 4 months of age. In researching incident reports from the past 20 years, CPSC identified and is investigating at least 14 deaths associated with sling-style infant carriers, including three in 2009. Twelve of the
deaths involved babies younger than four months of age. The CPSC says the slings pose a suffocation hazard to young infants who cannot yet control their head and neck movements, especially those who are frail or have breathing problems. If parents choose to use a carrier sling, they should make sure their child's face is visible at all times, according to the CPSC. The group's
press release includes diagrams showing the right and wrong ways to use the slings. CPSC is interested in receiving incident or injury reports that are directly related to infant slings. You can do this by visiting www.cpsc.gov/cgibin/incident.aspx or call CPSC’s Hotline at (800) 638-2772.
CDC's Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS) is a leading source of injury statistics in the United States. WISQARS provides data on injury deaths, violent deaths, and nonfatal injuries, and now a new WISQARS fatal injury mapping module allows users to produce customized, color-coded maps of injury death rates, by intent (e.g., unintentional, homicide, or suicide) and mechanism of injury (e.g., motor vehicle-traffic, fall, fire/burn, poisoning, or cut/pierce). These maps show the distribution of injury death rates nationally, regionally, and for individual states and counties. In addition, annualized estimates of total lifetime medical and work loss costs resulting from injury-related deaths are provided for counties within individual states. The new module can help public health professionals compare injury rates across geographic areas and monitor fatal injuries and their associated burden in the United States. The new fatal injury mapping module is available at http://www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars.
In recent correspondence from the Government Accounting Office to Congress, the GAO reveals limited research is available to evaluate the efficacy of group purchasing organizations (GPO) in negotiating lower prices from manufacturers, distributors, and other suppliers of various medical products. Challenged with the question to review research on the impact of GPOs on pricing for hospitals and other health care providers, the GAO identified one article that concluded that alliances between hospitals and GPOs can contain rising health care costs by reducing product prices, reducing transaction costs through commonly negotiated contracts, and increasing hospital revenues via rebates and dividends. Read Group Purchasing Organizations: Research on Their Pricing Impact on Health Care Providers. GAO-10-323R, at http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-10-323R.
The Health IT Policy Committee’s adoption and certification work group recently proposed creating a national database into which clinicians could report patient data errors and unsafe conditions they encountered in their use of electronic health records. Clinicians could use the system to report instances – noticeably inaccurate patient data or an EHR technical glitch, for instance – that they believed might compromise patient safety. The group also suggested establishing an organization that could oversee a nationwide EHR safety system and provide other methods for reporting, analyzing and disseminating incident reports. The working document and an mp3 audio of the discussion is available on the work group’s web site. (See March 12.)
The Institute of Medicine’s Forum on Medical and Public Health Preparedness will host a series of regional workshops this spring to examine the H1N1 vaccination campaigns. These public workshops will provide an opportunity for participants to discuss efforts to distribute and administer H1N1 vaccine, communicate with the public and providers about the vaccine, and collect and use data. Participants will also identify and discuss strategies to improve future emergency vaccination programs and other medical countermeasure dispensing campaigns. Click on the following links to view information:
• Austin, TX –April 27
• Seattle, WA – May 11
• Overdose trends
• Drugs most commonly involved
• Geographic regions and populations most severely affected
• Recommendations for health care providers, private insurance providers, and state and federal agencies to consider to prevent unintentional drug overdoses, and
• Recommendations for state laws relevant to prescription drug monitoring and reimbursement.
CDC invites you to use this brief to learn more about this issue and to incorporate promising strategies into your state's poisoning prevention work.
The use of medical technology in the United States increased dramatically between 1996 and 2006, according to “Health, United States, 2009,” the federal government’s 33rd annual report to the President and Congress on the health of all Americans. The report was prepared by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics from data gathered by state and federal health agencies and through ongoing national surveys. The full report is available at http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hus.htm.
FDA is alerting healthcare professionals about safety precautions to be used with Huber needles, and about a recall of one company's products. Huber needles are used to access ports implanted in chronically ill patients to withdraw blood and infuse medication and other solutions. Huber needles should be designed to penetrate a port without cutting or dislodging any silicone slivers or cores from the port. Coring could damage a port and cause leakage. In addition, if a silicone core enters a patient's vasculature, it could lead to serious adverse events. FDA inspections of one Huber needle manufacturer, Nipro Medical Corporation, found that this company's needles produced cores in 60 - 72 percent of tests. Because of this, Huber needle products manufactured by Nipro Medical Corporation for Exel International Corporation have been recalled. More information is available here…
The Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG) workshop schedule is now available. The list is searchable by the locations of workshop as well as times and dates. These free workshops will be held around the country to provide information about the submission of competitive applications under the 2010 Assistance to Firefighters Grants program. The workshop lasts about two hours. Interested representatives from fire departments as well as representatives from non-affiliated EMS organizations are invited to attend the workshops. Information will be presented on program changes, program priorities, eligibility requirements, and the application process. General
assistance in writing a competitive narrative for a department's grant application will also be covered. Registration is not necessary.
For more information...
The Department of Homeland Security has updated its web site to introduce several new references intended to help users prevent attacks to computers and networks:
• Securing your computer (US-CERT)
• Recovering from an attack (US-CERT)
• General internet security (US-CERT)
• Distributable materials (US-CERT)
• Monthly and quarterly reports (US-CERT)
ASTHO Immediate Past President Judith Monroe, MD (IN) has been named Deputy Director of CDC and Director, Office of State, Tribal, Local and Territorial Support. Dr. Monroe will serve as a Deputy Director of CDC and Director, Office of State, Tribal, Local and Territorial Support (OSTLTS) beginning March 22, 2010 and comes to CDC after a successful tenure as the Indiana State Health Commissioner. For more information, visit www.astho.org.
Due to recent cases of uncontrollable acceleration in certain vehicle makes and models, and the ability of car occupants to call 911, 999, 000, 112, etc., for help, the National Academies of Emergency Dispatch (NAED) has rapidly but carefully developed a protocol to assist the Emergency Dispatcher if confronted with the caller so involved – whether the caller is the driver or a passenger. Obviously for the communication center to be involved and help the caller in these instances, such an event requires the coming together of several factors: having a phone to call with, the ability to call, have the time to call, a linear roadway space ahead, presence of traffic congestion, and vehicle speed. Any emergency communication center, whether an MPDS user or not, can use the printed protocol card under a special limited use license contained within them. However, they cannot be incorporated into any 3rd party products or CADs, modified in any way, or re-distributed for any other uses. For more information…
In related news, NAED has provided several updates to Protocol 36 related to Influenza Pandemic since its release in 2009. These materials have also been made available under a special limited use license. The protocol and related update materials can be found at http://www.emergencydispatch.org/flu.php.
The 2010 International Year of the Nurse (IYNurse) is the centennial year of the death of the founder of modern nursing — Florence Nightingale (1820-1910). To celebrate this historic milestone, the 2010 IYNurse was established to actively involve the world’s nurses — estimated to be more than 15 million — in a celebration of commitment to bring health to their communities, locally and worldwide. Based on three years of planning, 2006-2009, a worldwide network of nursing “focal points” was developed and related strategies have been identified, including a 2010 IYNurse Web site. Allied international, regional and local events and projects - both large and small — are planned and encouraged to span 2010. All of these combined efforts will provide a sustained platform for millions of nurses to call for renewed commitment — globally, nationally, regionally and locally — to establish and implement a worldwide mandate toward achieving a healthy world. For more information…
The James O. Page Charitable Foundation and the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) have announced the launch of a special collection dedicated to the archives of Jim Page, including original articles, correspondence, speeches, audio tapes and even a video of the last lecture he gave. Page is credited as the father of modern EMS and was founding publisher of JEMS, the Journal of Emergency Medical Services. An attorney and fire chief, he was known for his insightful writing, speeches and love of EMS history. He died from sudden cardiac arrest in 2004. The Collection is physically housed at the Louise M. Darling Biomedical Library at UCLA and can be accessed by the public by making an appointment. The Collection’s website can be accessed at http://www.jamesopage.org. The website makes dozens of articles and various multi-media materials available as well as information about the library’s location, hours and contact points. The Collection was endowed by the James O. Page Charitable Foundation through a grant from the Physio-Control Corporation, and through the contributions of individuals and organizations. The James O. Page Collection is produced in collaboration with the James O. Page Charitable Foundation. For more information…
Steroids (glucocorticoids) are often recommended for use in the management of people experiencing anaphylaxis. However, the evidence base in support of the use of steroids is unclear. Authors therefore conducted a systematic review of the literature, searching key databases for high quality published and unpublished material on the use of steroids for the emergency treatment of anaphylaxis while contacting experts in this health area and the relevant pharmaceutical companies. Authors were unable to find any randomized controlled trials on this subject and conclude that there is no evidence from high quality studies for the use of steroids in the emergency management of anaphylaxis. The abstract can neither support nor refute the use of these drugs for this purpose. For more info…
Coronary angiography has a low diagnostic yield in patients with suspected coronary artery disease undergoing elective catheterization, according to a study in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Using a large U.S. registry, researchers examined postcatheterization diagnoses in some 400,000 patients undergoing elective procedures: only 38% had significant obstructive disease, and 39% had no coronary disease. Patients who had a positive result on noninvasive testing before catheterization (such as an electrocardiogram or stress testing) were moderately more likely to have obstructive disease than those who did not undergo such testing (41% vs. 35%). The authors conclude that current criteria for use of catheterization "need to be improved substantially." NEJM article (Free abstract; full text requires subscription) NEJM editorial (Subscription required)
*TN EMSC: 2nd Annual EMS Star of Life Awards Dinner & Ceremony. May 11, 2010, 6 to 9 pm. Sheraton Nashville Downtown Hotel, Nashville, Tennessee Sponsor the Star of Life! – Nominations are due April 9, 2010. For sponsorship packets & more info go to: www.tnemsc.org
*Symposium by the Sea 2010. Sponsored by EMLRC and FCEP. .July 29 - August 1, 2010 Boca Raton, FL The Boca Raton Resort & Club. Go to http://www.emlrc.org/sbs2010.htm for more information.
Pennsylvania State EMS Conference. September 16-18 (with preconference sessions on September 14-15), 2010 at the Lancaster County Convention Center in Lancaster, PA. More information can be found at www.pehsc.org.
* TN 9th Annual Update in Acute & Emergency Care Pediatrics Conference. October 1-2, 2010. Wilderness At the Smokies Resort, Sevierville, Tennessee For more info go to: www.tnemsc.org
PULSE CHECK 2010, the 55th Annual Educational Conference & Trade Show of the NYS Volunteer Ambulance & Rescue Association, will be held Thursday evening September 30, 2010 to Sunday morning October 3, 2010 at the Holiday Inn Albany on Wolf Road. Information is posted on the Association’s web site at www.nysvara.org.
New Jersey Statewide Conference on EMS, Atlantic City November 11th - 13th 2010. For more information visit:
www.njemsconference.com
New Jersey METI Games. November 11th - 12th, 2010. For more information visit www.njemsconference.com.
*HRSA/MCHB’s Emergency Medical Services for Children Program will be hosting a webcast entitled:
State of All Hazards Preparedness for Children: Partnerships & Models for Merging Emergency Department & Disaster Preparedness Efforts Nationwide on Wednesday, March 24, 2010; 1:00-2:30pm Eastern
Please go to the following link to register and to download agenda and handouts related to this webcast.
http://www.mchcom.com/liveWebcastDetail.asp?leid=414
EMS Education Implementation Webinar. March 24, 2010 3 pm. “How to Use the Gap Analysis Template to Identify a State SOP and Other Materials” More info including registration link at www.nasemso.org as speakers and topics are confirmed.
Red Lodge ambulance district to go to vote
LORNA THACKERAY Of The Gazette Staff
http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/montana/article_c3b30aca-34a8-11df-8dba-001cc4c03286.html
RED LODGE — In mid-July, about 3,400 voters in Red Lodge and a surrounding area that covers about a third of Carbon County will be able decide what level of ambulance service they want to pay for.
If voters approve creation of a Red Lodge-Roberts ambulance district, each household and developed commercial property in the new district would be assessed $69 a year to sustain the current level of advance life support (ALS) ambulance service.
New district drive
If they do not, at least two of four Red Lodge paramedics could lose their jobs and the level of both advanced life support and basic life support will be reduced, said Red Lodge Fire Chief Tom Kuntz. Kuntz is leading the drive for the new district.
The city has historically paid for the ambulance service, providing medical transportation not only for city residents, but for people sick or injured in a large area of the county. For the past several years, county government has kicked in $10,000 to support the program.
MMA Field Guide available on FSTS’s Website
The Montana Mutual Aid Field Guide is available for download on the FSTS web page (www.montana.edu/wwwfire) or directly at http://www.montana.edu/wwwfire/files/MMA_FOG_10SP.pdf
GEORGIA EMT DIES IN THE LINE OF DUTY-HEART ATTACK IN THE UNIT
Thanks Billy G from The Secret List @ www.FireFighterCloseCalls.com
It is with deep regret that we advise you that an Upson County (Georgia) EMT has died in the Line of Duty. EMT. EMT Tim Cochran had a heart attack on March 3, 2010 while he was in his EMS unit, and he was found slumped over the wheel in full cardiac arrest. Unfortunately he died on March 16, 2010, at approx. 1500 hours at the age of 57.
Funeral Arrangements - Visitation Wednesday March 17, 2010, 1700 to 1900 Coggins Funeral Home - 321 Hannahs Mill Rd. - Thomaston, GA 30288-2808 - Ph 760-647-9881/ Funeral Thursday March 18, 2010 East Thomaston Baptist Church 11 AM / 206 Park Lane - Thomaston GA. 30288-3727
As always, our most sincere condolences.
FF-EMT DEATH: Life Sentence + 26 years
Thanks Billy G from The Secret List @ www.FireFighterCloseCalls.com
The paraplegic who "drove with a stick" and then struck and killed Delaware City (DE) Firefighter/EMT Michelle Smith in the Line of Duty as she treated an injured motorcyclist on Dec. 20, 2008, was sentenced to life in prison plus 26 years, Thursday.
The life sentence for Joseph M. Taye Jr., who was operating his car's pedals with a stick because he does not have use of his legs, was a minimum mandatory because Superior Court Judge Jerome O. Herlihy ruled that the victim, Michelle Smith, was a Firefighter acting in the line of duty when she was killed.
The additional time of 26 years came from assault charges related to Taye striking and further injuring the motorcyclist, Edward Reiss, and Taye fleeing after the accident.
At the hearing Thursday, Taye, sitting in a wheelchair and dressed in an orange prison jumpsuit, broke his silence and admitted to his reckless behavior and offered an apology to Smith's family and the entire emergency responder community. "I'm deeply in debt to you. There is no gauge (to measure it)," he said. "Michelle did not deserve this and for that I'm deeply sorry."
Taye, 29, said he was surrounded by cars that night, saw the fire truck and was looking at it as he passed. Then, he said, the car in front of him swerved and he slammed into the parked police car at the scene and blacked out. According to prosecutors, Taye's car then struck Reiss and Smith, sending her body flying.
Taye also said it was not an excuse -- and he knew his comments would not affect his mandatory sentence -- but he explained that he was angry about losing the use of his legs and had been in denial about his disability. "I hated being paralyzed. I got so wound up in trying to look normal that I ignored the consequences," he said.
Before Taye spoke, Michelle Smith's mother Joanne Newton -- who was wearing a button with her daughter's picture on it -- told Herlihy that Taye's crimes deserved the death penalty. "If he hadn't done what he did, if only he cared, we wouldn't be standing here," she said, between tears. Her 29-year-old daughter's death "plays over and over in our heads every day," she said, recalling Smith's daughter standing by her mother's hospital bed saying, "Mommy you can't die. I need you and you need me."
Deputy Attorney General Sean Lugg told the judge that Taye "earned" his life sentence through his selfish, reckless actions in a quest for immediate gratification. He said Taye chose to ignore his own children -- who were visiting him that weekend -- to go out to a go-go bar with a friend. He chose to drive himself there -- using a stick rather than getting the proper equipment for his car or proper training. He chose not to ride with that friend. And then he chose to drive himself home, where he chose to drive at a high rate of speed, chose what lane to drive in and chose to pass the fire truck.
The judge also noted that no one has ever identified the person who picked Taye up after the accident and helped him flee the scene. Herlihy concluded with several observations "that need to be said," though they were not a factor in his sentence. Since overseeing this trial, Herlihy said he has noticed how few people actually give proper deference to emergency crews on the road. "Too many drivers in this state are too cavalier about paying attention to emergency vehicles," he said. "I just see too much of it."
And despite presiding over thousands of trials, Herlihy said nothing has stuck with him like the vivid, eyewitness testimony about what happened to Smith's body after it was struck.
"I don't look at pictures of firefighters standing at the scene of an accident the same way anymore," he said, adding he thinks that one motorist like Taye "could wipe out three or four of them."
The courtroom was packed with some 40 firefighters Thursday from eight companies. Outside the courtroom, Delaware City Chief Jamie Rosseel said, "I think we all agree justice was served." (Details for this Secret List from DelawareOnLine.com)
Are you sure the ignition is off? (09-914)
This week's ROTW is 09-914. An excerpt of the event narrative appears below. Hybrid vehicles are gaining in popularity among automakers and buyers. Nowadays, all of the major manufacturers now offer a version of a hybrid vehicle. Hybrid technology is being incorporated into all styles from coupes to SUVs. J.D. Power and Associates predicts that hybrid technology vehicles will account for 7 percent of the car market by 2015, which would be a threefold increase. This prediction gives emergency responders a heads up on the likelihood of encountering hybrid vehicles in the future, and incidents like the account in 09-914 give us a heads up on a special handling tip when the new technology is encountered.
"My department responded to a four vehicle auto collision with two injuries. All occupants, except for one operator, which EMS was treating, were out of the vehicles and there was no entrapment...We positioned the apparatus and traffic cones to create a safe working area. We also insured that the parking brakes were set and ignition keys (were) removed from all vehicles...
Three of the vehicles had their engine compartments wedged under or into the preceding vehicle, making access to the vehicle batteries very difficult. As the vehicles were now unoccupied and the tow trucks began to arrive, we then assisted with traffic control to safely get the vehicles removed from the scene and began recovering fluids and debris.
One of the involved vehicles was a [deleted] hybrid. The tow operator did not seem to be familiar with the vehicle's systems and had difficulty getting the vehicle into neutral to load it onto his flatbed. After several attempts, the vehicle was loaded and secured on the flatbed. The tow operator then began using the wheel lift on the flatbed to tow the next involved vehicle. While they were hooking up the second vehicle, I noticed vapor coming from the hybrid's exhaust..."
Handling the hybrid vehicle first requires obtaining knowledge of how the technology works, what systems are in each vehicle, and what hazards those systems pose to emergency responders. Once you have read the entire account of the events in 09-914 and the related reports, consider the following:
<>
Related Reports - Topical Relation: Securing Vehicles
05-174
06-359
07-1136
08-652
09-325
Hybrid Vehicle Safety Links
For more information on hybrid vehicle safety, visit:
Have you experienced a near miss with a hybrid vehicle? Firefighternearmiss.com has a place for you to share your experience with the rest of the fire and emergency services.
Note: The questions posed by the reviewers are designed to generate discussion and thought in the name of promoting firefighter safety. They are not intended to pass judgment on the actions and performance of individuals in the reports.
Rynnel Gibbs
Program Coordinator
National Fire Fighter Near-Miss Reporting System
4025 Fair Ridge Drive
Fairfax, VA 22033
P: 703-537-4832
F: 703-273-0920
rgibbs@iafc.org
www.firefighternearmiss.com
The QRG is now available on the NRT homepage under Guidance, Technical Assistance & Planning à Hazards à Chemical Hazards (QRGs and other links). The QRG may be accessed via the following links:
Link to Chemical Hazards webpage:
http://www.nrt.org/production/NRT/NRTWeb.nsf/PagesByLevelCat/Level3ChemicalH
azards?
Direct link to QRG document:
http://nrt.org/production/NRT/NRTWeb.nsf/AllAttachmentsByTitle/SA-1060ETOH-8
5-FinalRev00_2010_022610.pdf/$File/ETOH-85-Final_Rev00_2010_halfpt%20increase_022610.pdf
Beaufort County EMS, fire district deny allegations in wrongful death lawsuit
By RENEE DUDLEY
http://www.islandpacket.com/2010/02/28/1155692/beaufort-county-ems-fire-district.html
Medic Stabbed-LODD Update
Thanks Billy G from The Secret List @www.FireFighterCloseCalls.com
As an update to last nights EMS LODD, it appears that the Bensalem EMS Paramedic was attacked and stabbed by that mentally disturbed patient. According to police: "Police and Bensalem rescue responded to a subject with mental illness call on Knights Road. The medics arrived shortly before police and the medics were approached by the subject and as a result of that, one of the medics was severely injured."
The Paramedic later died in the Line of Duty, at the hospital. The 37 year old Paramedic leaves behind his wife and 2 daughters.
Check out www.PhillyFireNews.com for the latest local area updates on this tragic incident.
HERE is a link to the Bensalem Rescue Squad/EMS who will also post additional details as they become available: www.bensalemrescue.org We will post additional updates on our home page as well.
NASEMSO has joined several national organizations in signing onto a letter from the State Highway Safety Alliance to U.S. Senator James Inhofe in support of the following recommendations for the highway safety portions of the next surface transportation reauthorization legislation:
o A national highway safety goal of halving fatalities by 2030 with state targets that support the national goal.
o Increased safety funding to enable states to reach that goal.
o Streamlined program administration and enhanced flexibility to focus federal resources where they are most needed.
o A strengthened strategic highway safety planning process to ensure that states reach their targets.
o Enhanced data collection and analysis so that problems can be identified and progress tracked.
o Increased investment in safety research and development so that states can implement evidence-based programs.
o Better preparation of the highway safety workforce in order to develop a cadre of safety professionals.
o Incentives which will encourage states to improve as opposed to more sanctions.
Read the letter to Senator Inhofe here.
NASEMSO welcomes the submission of statewide and national conferences or programs of interest to the EMS community for posting on our web site and in Washington Update! Descriptions should include the title, sponsor, location, date(s), contact information, and web site (if applicable.) Please send these items to NASEMSO Webmaster Karen Thompson-- Thompson@nasemso.org and/or WU Editor Kathy Robinson-- robinson@nasemso.org.
NASEMSO will host an expert panel at EMS Today in Baltimore next week. “EMS Education Agenda: What You Need to Know About Implementation” will help explain the steps needed to implement the EMS Education Agenda, progress that is being made across the country, and how to find resources that will help the EMS community be part of the implementation team. The intended purpose of the program is to answer questions about implementation and the Education Standards, EMS program accreditation, and national EMS certification.
The distinguished panel will include:
Drew Dawson, Director, NHTSA Office of EMS
Dan Manz, Vermont State EMS Director; Chairman NASEMSO Implementation Work Group and George Hatch, Executive Director, CoAEMSP
William Brown, Executive Director, NREMT
Deb Cason, Principal Investigator, National EMS Education Standards, NAEMSE
The session will be held on Saturday, March 6, 2010 following the closing keynote in Room 33 at the Baltimore Convention Center.
In related news—
• The powerpoints from the series of webinars offered by NASEMSO on implementation have been posted on the web site at http://www.nasemso.org/EMSEducationImplementationPlanning/Resources.asp.
• The production schedule for EMS textbooks and other materials has been revised and is available here.
The County Health Rankings—the first set of reports to rank the overall health of every county in all 50 states—were released by the University of Wisconsin’s Population Health Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF). The details of this fascinating data are available at http://www.countyhealthrankings.org. “These Rankings demonstrate that health happens where we live, learn, work and play. And much of what influences how healthy we are and how long we live happens outside the doctor’s office,” says Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, M.D., M.B.A., president and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. “People, no matter where they live, should have the best possible opportunity to be healthy.”
Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12), Policy for a Common Identification Standard for Federal Employees and Contractors, requires the development and agency implementation of a mandatory, government-wide standard for secure and reliable forms of identification for federal employees and contractors. All federal departments and agencies are to implement an HSPD-12 program to meet the standard established by the policy, which aims to enhance security, increase government efficiency, reduce identity fraud, and protect personal privacy. Although DHS has established an identification credentialing and issuance process, the department has not made the implementation of an effective HSPD-12 program a priority. The original completion date for the issuance and use of identity credentials by all federal employees and contractors was October 27, 2008. As of September 22, 2009, only 15,567, of the approximately 250,000 department employees and contractors, had been issued identity credentials. In a new report, Resource and Security Issues Hinder DHS' Implementation of Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12, the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) makes 15 recommendations to DHS’ Chief Security Officer, in conjunction with the Chief Information Officer for resolving the issue. Read the report here.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has unveiled sample legislation to be used as a starting point for states crafting new laws to prohibit texting while behind-the-wheel, the latest step in the campaign against distracted driving. The sample state law, prepared by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and a cross-section of safety and industry organizations, would authorize law enforcement officers to stop a vehicle and issue a citation to drivers who are texting while driving. The department recently launched a federal website, www.distraction.gov, as a forum and information clearinghouse. Distraction.gov is a source of comprehensive information on distracted driving. Currently, nineteen States and the District of Columbia have texting laws covering all drivers. In 2009, more than 200 distracted driving bills were considered by State legislatures and
legislative activity is expected to remain strong in 2010. Click
here to see the sample bill and the groups that participated in drafting it.
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today announced $100 million in federal grant funds to 10 states to improve health care quality and delivery systems for children enrolled in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). The grants, which will be awarded over a five year period, were funded by the Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009 (CHIPRA). The money will help states implement and evaluate provider performance measures and utilize health information technologies such as pediatric electronic health records and other quality improvement initiatives. For more information on these state grants, click here.
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has released its 2007 Nationwide Emergency Department Sample (NEDS) -- the largest, all-payer emergency care database in the United States. NEDS can help public health experts, policymakers, health care administrators, researchers and others find the data they need to answer questions about the cost of emergency care, medical treatment effectiveness, and the quality of, access to, and use of emergency department, and other issues. The database contains more than 26 million records of emergency department visits at roughly 1,000 U.S. community hospitals – approximately a 20-percent stratified sample -- and captures information both on visits that do not result in admission and those that do. NEDS is part of the AHRQ's Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP), a Federal-State-industry partnership for building a standardized, multi-state health data system. For more information about NEDS, go to http://www.hcup-us.ahrq.gov/nedsoverview.jsp
A recently released report from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality explains how to select and operate alternate care facilities -- locations that can easily and quickly be equipped to augment or replace health care services when hospitals and other traditional care sites are inoperable or overwhelmed.
The evidence-based report, Disaster Alternate Care Facilities: Selection and Operation, includes input from planning and preparedness experts in public, private and government sectors who have real-world experience in standing up and running alternate care facilities. It includes:
· A template to develop an operations manual.
· Staffing recommendations for various types of alternate care facilities.
· Equipment and supply options for planning and operation.
The report supports two Web-based interactive tools that provide user-customized plans to implement key components discussed in the report: site selection and the transfer of patients. The tools are: Disaster Alternate Care Facility Selection Tool (http://www.ahrq.gov/prep/acfselection/acftool/) and Alternate Care Facility Patient Selection Tool (http://www.ahrq.gov/prep/acfselection/pselectmatrix/).
The National Transportation Safety Board has issued its 2010 Federal Most Wanted List of Transportation Safety Improvements, adding rail, aviation and marine issues, and updating the status of other issues on the list. At the
same time, the Board removed the issue areas dealing with improved protection for school bus passengers and fatigue in the pipeline industry. Besides removing two issue areas on the list, the Board reviewed the remaining 13 issue areas on the list and added two new ones. An updated brochure describing each Most Wanted issue area
can be accessed at http://www.ntsb.gov/Recs/brochures/MostWanted_2010.pdf.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has announced that it is creating a new Office of Prevention through Health Care (OPTH) to enable CDC to more aggressively and effectively develop and disseminate policies that leverage the health care system to improve health through prevention. The office will coordinate health care activities across CDC programs and lead engagement with other Department of Health and Human Services” operating divisions and with external partners on health care issues.
The Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC’s) Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau (Bureau) has rescheduled its public forum to discuss the creation of an emergency response interoperability center for public safety broadband communications for Tuesday, March 2, 2010, from 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. The March 2nd meeting will be held in the Commission Meeting Room (TW-C305) located at 445 12th Street, SW, Washington, D.C. 20554. Please note that this forum had been originally scheduled for February 10, 2010, but was postponed due to severe winter weather. The forum will be open to the public; admittance however will be limited to the seating available.
Audio/Video coverage of the meeting will be broadcast live with open captioning over the Internet from the FCC's web page at www.fcc.gov/realaudio. The FCC’s web cast is free to the public and does not require pre-registration.
In a new position statement, the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT) states its strong opposition to participation in capital punishment by EMTs, paramedics or other emergency medical practitioners. Participation in executions is viewed as contrary to the fundamental goals and ethical obligations of emergency medical services. Historically, the role of EMS practitioners has been to promote, preserve and protect human life. NAEMT’s EMT Oath is based on the basic principles of saving life, respect for human life and the non-infliction of harm to all recipients of emergency medical services. To view the full position statement, please go to the NAEMT Positions page in the Advocacy section of www.naemt.org.
Trust for America’s Health (TFAH), a leading public health advocacy group, seeks a Director of Government Relations. Must have excellent leadership, collaboration, communications and organizational skills, and expert knowledge of federal legislative and regulatory processes. Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) is a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to saving lives by protecting the health of every community and working to make disease prevention a national priority. We believe that prevention must drive our nation’s health strategy; Americans deserve healthy and safe places to live, work and play; every community should be prepared to meet the threats of infectious disease, bioterrorism, and natural disasters; and Americans deserve to know what government is doing to keep them healthy and safe. For more information, visit www.healthyamericans.org.
Please send resume, cover letter and salary history to Richard Hamburg, Deputy Director, Trust for America’s Health, 1730 M Street, NW, Suite 900, Washington, DC 20036 or rhamburg@tfah.org. No calls please.
Cohort. Craig D. Newgard, Robert H. Schmicker, Jerris R. Hedges, John P. Trickett, Daniel P. Davis, Eileen M. Bulger, Tom P. Aufderheide, Joseph P. Minei, J. Steven Hata, K. Dean Gubler, Todd B. Brown, Jean-Denis Yelle, Berit Bardarson, Graham Nichol, Resuscitation Outcomes Consortium Investigators Annals of Emergency Medicine - March 2010 (Vol. 55, Issue 3, Pages 235-246.e4, DOI: 10.1016/j.annemergmed.2009.07.024). Authors challenge long-standing beliefs about the “Golden Hour.” Presented as an abstract at the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine Annual Meeting, May 2008, Washington, DC. Article available at http://www.annemergmed.com/article/S0196-0644(09)01284-0/fulltext.
**Updated Information on the Advocates for EMS Policy Summit**
Location:
Thursday, March 4, 2010, 3:00-5:00 p.m. Baltimore Convention Center, Room 350, Baltimore, MD
Confirmed Participating Federal Officials:
Richard Hunt, M.D., Centers for Disease Control, HHS
Michael Handrigan, M.D., Emergency Care Coordination Center, HHS
Rick Patrick, Office of Health Affairs, DHS
Mike Stern, U.S. Fire Administration, DHS
Drew Dawson, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, DOT
Session:
Please join Advocates for EMS and honored Federal Officials for an interactive discussion about policies affecting EMS providers. You will have the opportunity to learn about critical issues facing the EMS community and share your input on the opportunities and challenges you face in providing emergency medical care every day. Previous EMS Summits have lead to both policy and law changes, so your voice does count! The session will be followed by a reception from 5:00-6:00 p.m. in the Camden Lobby right outside Room 350. More details about EMS Today are posted at www.emstoday.com
* Pennsylvania State EMS Conference. September 16-18 (with preconference sessions on September 14-15), 2010 at the Lancaster County Convention Center in Lancaster, PA. More information can be found at www.pehsc.org.
PULSE CHECK 2010, the 55th Annual Educational Conference & Trade Show of the NYS Volunteer Ambulance & Rescue Association, will be held Thursday evening September 30, 2010 to Sunday morning October 3, 2010 at the Holiday Inn Albany on Wolf Road. Information is posted on the Association’s web site at www.nysvara.org.
New Jersey Statewide Conference on EMS, Atlantic City November 11th - 13th 2010. For more information visit:
www.njemsconference.com
New Jersey METI Games. November 11th - 12th, 2010. For more information visit www.njemsconference.com.
The NIOSH Personal Protective Technology Program will host the 3rd Annual Stakeholders’ Meeting on March 2 and 3, 2010 at the Hyatt Regency Pittsburgh Airport.
EMS Today. JEMS Conference and Exposition. March 2-6, 2010. Baltimore Convention Center, Baltimore, MD. More information at www.EMSToday.com.
2010 AAMS Spring Conference. March 17-19, 2010 Washington Marriott at Metro Center, Washington, DC. For more information, go to www.aams.org.
*EMS Education Implementation Webinar. March 24, 2010 3 pm. “How to Use the Gap Analysis Template to Identify a State SOP and Other Materials” More info including registration link at www.nasemso.org as speakers and topics are confirmed.
EMSC Town Hall Conference Call. April 14, 2010 from 3:30 pm to 5:00 pm (eastern). The local number is (202) 476-6338 or call toll-free dial (877) 355-6338 and enter EMSC (3672) for the meeting ID#.
*EMS Education Implementation Webinar. April 21, 2010 @ 3 pm. “Depth and Breadth: What Does It Mean to EMS Education?” More info including registration link at www.nasemso.org as speakers and topics are confirmed.
IAFC’s Fire Rescue Med Conference. May 1-5, 2010. Orleans Hotel, Las Vegas, NV. For more information, go to http://www.iafc.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=6.
EMS ON THE HILL DAY, May 3-4, 2010, Washington, D.C. Updates and more information on the event will be posted on the NAEMT web site, www.naemt.org.
ITS America Annual Meeting and Exposition. May 3-5, 2010. Houston, TX. For more information go to http://www.itsa.org/annualmeeting.html.
*2010 Integrated Medical, Public Health, Preparedness and Response Training Summit. May 12-16, 2010. Opryland Hotel, Nashville, TN. For more information—go to http://guest.cvent.com/EVENTS/Info/Summary.aspx?i=3d37b6ef-7182-487c-a0d9-87287aaa50ef.
*EMS Education Implementation Webinar. May 19, 2010 @ 3 pm. “Who Should Teach: Identifying Instructor Qualifications for Using the New Education Standards” More info including registration link at www.nasemso.org as speakers and topics are confirmed.
*National EMS Week 2010. May 16 thru May 22 with May 19 set aside as Emergency Medical Services for Children (EMSC) Day. Order Your 2010 EMS Week Planner (Kit) Here.
ACEP 2010 Leadership and Advocacy Conference. May 16-19, 2010. Washington, DC. Go to www.acep.org for more information.
Joint NASEMSO Mid-Year/EMSC Grantee Meeting. May 25-27, 2010. Doubletree Hotel, Bethesda, MD. More info at www.nasemso.org.
Institute of Medicine Forum on Medical and Public Health Preparedness for Catastrophic Events. June 9-10, 2010. Washington, DC. See http://www.iom.edu/en/Activities/PublicHealth/MedPrep.aspx for more information.
*EMS Education Implementation Webinar. June 23, 2010 @ 3 pm. “Developing Standards Based Instruction” More info including registration link at www.nasemso.org as speakers and topics are confirmed.
EMSC Town Hall Conference Calls 3:30 pm to 5:00 pm (eastern) July 14, 2010. The local number is (202) 476-6338 or call toll-free dial (877) 355-6338 and enter EMSC (3672) for the meeting ID#.
*EMS Education Implementation Webinar. July 21, 2010 @ 3 pm. “How Does Program Accreditation Improve the Quality of EMS Education? ” More info including registration link at www.nasemso.org as speakers and topics are confirmed.
Pinnacle 2010. July 26-30, 2010. Sheraton San Diego Hotel and Marina. San Diego, CA For more information, go to www.pinnacle-ems.com.
6th International Roundtable on Community Paramedicine. August 9-13, 2010, Vail CO. For more information, go to http://www.ircp.info/.
*EMS Education Implementation Webinar. August 25, 2010 @ 3 pm. “Identifying Methods to Measure Cognitive, Psychomotor, and Affective Competency” More info including registration link at www.nasemso.org as speakers and topics are confirmed.
15th Annual NAEMSE Symposium. September 7-12, 2010. Renaissance Hotel & Convention Center in Schaumburg, IL. For more information, go to http://www.naemse.org/symposium.
*EMS Education Implementation Webinar. September 15, 2010 @ 3 pm. “Progression/Regression Strategies: Models of Success.” More info including registration link at www.nasemso.org as speakers and topics are confirmed.
ENA Annual Meeting. San Antonio Convention Center, San Antonio, TX. General Assembly September 22-34, Scientfic Assembly September 23-25, 2010. Go to www.ena.org for more information.
NAEMT Annual Meeting at EMS EXPO 2010 - Sept. 27 – Oct. 1, 2010. Dallas Convention Center, Dallas, TX. For more information, go to http://www.firehouseevents.com/.
ACEP Scientific Assembly 2010. September 28 - October 1, 2010. Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, NV. For more information, go to www.acep.org.
Institute of Medicine Forum on Medical and Public Health Preparedness for Catastrophic Events. October 6-7, 2010. Washington, DC. See http://www.iom.edu/en/Activities/PublicHealth/MedPrep.aspx for more information.
NASEMSO Annual Meeting. October 10-15, 2010, Norfolk Marriott Waterside/Waterside Convention Center Norfolk, Virginia. More info available at www.nasemso.org. Sponsorship and exhibitor information now available.
2010 Air Medical Transport Conference October 11-13, 2010. Ft. Lauderdale, FL. For more information, go to www.aams.org.
*EMS Education Implementation Webinar. October 20, 2010 @ 3 pm. “System Update: 2010 NASEMSO Survey Results.” More info including registration link at www.nasemso.org as speakers and topics are confirmed.
*EMS Education Implementation Webinar. November 22, 2010 @ 3 pm. “The Role of National Certification in Implementing the EMS Education Agenda.” More info including registration link at www.nasemso.org as speakers and topics are confirmed.
ECCU 2010. Emergency Cardiac Care Update, December 8-11, 2010. San Diego, CA. Sponsored by the Citizen CPR Foundation. For more information, go to http://eccu2010.com/.
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