January 2005 Industry News

ZOLL Data Systems (formerly Pinpoint Technologies), has announced a partnership with ISERA to add innovative resource management features to its RescueNet Dispatch product for a fully optimized CAD solution. “We are extremely pleased that ZOLL Data Systems has selected ISERA’s Crew Scheduler and Deployment Planner applications as their scheduling platform to be integrated into their RescueNet Dispatch solution. We believe that combining their industry-leading applications with our Quick Response product line provides EMS organizations with a significant opportunity to improve business processes throughout their organization, while significantly reducing costs and improving service,” said Joe Grimes, president of ISERA. Scheduling is a crucial process within an EMS organization and there is a tremendous opportunity to improve scheduling and optimize staffing levels to meet demand and service level goals. ISERA’s suite of tools is built on the concepts of operations research and industrial engineering…Bound Tree Medical, LLC, a nationwide one-stop shop for emergency medical service providers, now assists customers in procuring grant money. The company has announced a value-added service to streamline and expedite the grant research and writing process for customers. The new service, which includes finding funding opportunities, matching them with qualifying customers, providing a free alert service and offering grant-writing assistance, is now available. “Our new Grants Division is in a unique position to deliver customized research and grant consultations in order to alleviate the time-consuming burden of procuring federal and private funds,” said Linden Joseph, president of Bound Tree Medical, LLC. Millions of dollars in federal and private funding remain untapped every year due to the lack of time and resources on the part of those who wish to apply. For more information about the customized matching process—free to customers—please see www.boundtreegrants.com…The recent announcement that Access Cardiosystems is no longer in business has left owners of Access defibrillators stranded without service or a way to purchase supplies. In response to these unfortunate events, LifeSavers, Inc. would like to offer assistance to owners of Access defibrillators. For a limited time, LifeSavers is offering an Access AED Trade-In Program. Lifesavers, Inc., will offer an $850 trade-in allowance for an Access AED toward the purchase of a Defibtech Lifeline AED. This offer will result in receiving a Defibtech Lifeline AED for a cost of $645. Manufactured in a state-of-the-art ISO-9002 certified facility, the Defibtech Lifeline AED has won numerous awards for quality and design, including the Industrial Design Excellence Award, Technology Innovation Award and a Gold Quality Improvement Award. LifeSavers, Inc., is the largest distributor of the Lifeline AED and currently holds eight state contracts. This offer cannot be combined with any other special pricing or contract. For more information, call 973/228-6503 or e-mail sales@lifesaversinc.com…CAAS (the Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services) has granted its first accreditation to a Canadian company. Covering the entire province of Nova Scotia, the recipient, Emergency Medical Care (EMC), Inc., of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, is a subsidiary of Atlantic Blue Cross Care, a leading provider of health benefits in Atlantic Canada. EMC, Inc., under a long-term contract with the provincial Emergency Health Services, manages a high performance ambulance service for Nova Scotians. The agency manages 62 paramedic base locations, plus field posts throughout the province; operates and maintains a fleet of 157 vehicles and employs over 900 personnel. Speaking at the agency’s November accreditation celebration in Halifax, NS, CAAS Executive Director Meredith Hellestrae noted, “EMC, Inc., is to be congratulated. It is amazing that an agency covering such a wide geographic area can provide the exact same management, service and care to each.” CAAS also accredited East Baton Rouge Parish Department of EMS, of Baton Rouge, LA. An outstanding ambulance provider, East Baton Rouge Parish EMS recently received the National Association of EMTs’ 2004 EMT-Paramedic Emergency Medical Service of the Year award at EMS EXPO in Atlanta, GA, the only one to have won this honor twice, the first time in 1995. Three-year reaccreditations were bestowed upon Medshore Ambulance Service of Anderson, SC; Rural/Metro, MedStar of Ft. Worth, TX; Medical Transport of Virginia Beach, VA; and Oak Park Fire Department of Oak Park, IL. These bring the total number of CAAS-accredited agencies in North America to 94, with over 130 applications in process.