2016 Year in Review: Top 10 News Stories

EMS World does our best to bring readers the most newsworthy and up-to-date stories on issues and hot topics in EMS. Here are the top 10 news stories of 2016:

1. Calif. Fire Chief Commits Suicide on Duty—The 51-year-old shot himself in his city-issued car while on duty. A suicide note was found in the car.
2. Mass. Mother Overdoses While With Child at Family Dollar—The toddler is seen in a video pulling at her mother’s hand and crying while she is unconscious. Paramedics arrived shortly after and administered Narcan.
3. Mobile Stroke Treatment Vehicle Unveiled in Tenn.—The vehicle is meant to help save time combating brain damage in stroke victims. The stroke rate is about 37% above the national average in Memphis.
4. Ohio Police Officer Kills Self in Front of Deputies—The officer drove to the local cemetery and was threatening suicide when officers arrived. The other officers attempted to talk the 20-year-veteran down, but were unsuccessful.
5. N.Y. Ambulance Crash Kills EMT and Passenger—The ambulance was transporting a passenger when it crashed into the wall of an overpass. The driver was killed instantly.
6. Study Spurs Change of Dress Code for Pa. Hospital’s Nurses—The study surveyed patients based on perceptions of professionalism based on clothing, jewelry, tattoos and piercings.
7. Calif. Fire Captain Dies After Jumping From Overpass—A 41-year-old fire captain, an 11-year veteran with the Orange County Fire Department, scaled a fence on an overpass and jumped into oncoming traffic. His pickup truck with fire gear inside was found at the top of the overpass.
8. Automated CPR Device Delivers Record-Setting Compressions to Mass. Man—After a man suffered cardiac arrest, a LUCAS 2 Chest Compression System delivered compressions for two hours and 42 minutes consecutively, which is believed to be a New England record.
9. Study: Helmet-Based Ventilation Superior to Face Mask for Patients With Respiratory Distress—The study, published in JAMA, followed 83 patients suffering from acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), which causes fluid to accumulate in the lungs’ microscopic air sacs and can lead to partial collapse of the lungs, dangerously low blood-oxygen levels and death.
10. Florida Battalion Chief Takes Own Life After PTSD Facebook Post—The chief’s post read: "PTSD for Firefighters is real. If your love one is experiencing signs get them help quickly. 27 years of deaths and babies dying in your hands is a memory that you will never get rid off. It haunted me daily until now. My love to my crews. Be safe, take care. I love you all."