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This Week in EMS: World Responds to School Collapse
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An international group of rescuers continued searching early this week for victims of a school collapse in Haiti. In the Friday, Nov. 7 incident, at least 94 children and adults were reported dead and 150 injured.
As onlookers became frustrated with the pace of the rescue effort Sunday, a mob rushed the site and was driven back by Haitian police and U.N. peacekeepers.
For the full story visit: Dozens Injured in Haiti School Collapse.
In U.S. news, California may have set a record this week with an earthquake drill billed as the largest in U.S. history, with a reported 5 million participants.
The hypothetical disaster was a magnitude-7.8 temblor rupturing the southern San Andreas Fault, a feared event known as the "Big One," which could cause an estimated 1,800 deaths and $200 billion in damage.
For details visit: Ready, Set, Shake: California Puts on Quake Drill.
Virginia rescue personnel were mourning the death this week of EMT Cecilia Turnbough, who died Sunday while training to become a firefighter.
Turnbough, 42, had served the Dale City Volunteer Fire Department as an EMT for eight years. She went into cardiac arrest while training in a maze in full firefighting gear, and was found by her instructors.
To read more visit: Virginia EMT Dies During Firefighter Training.
In a bid to improve safety and save money, Oklahoma's largest EMS provider will become the first in the nation to equip its entire fleet with new sirens that can be felt as well as heard.
The booming Howler Low Frequency Tone Siren is designed to penetrate objects within 200 feet.
Visit Oklahoma to Debut Ambulance Siren You Can Feel.
Industry News:
Call for Presenters: EMS EXPO 2009
Speaking proposals are now being accepted for EMS EXPO 2009, to take place Oct. 26-30 in Atlanta, Georgia. Interested candidates are asked to submit outlines of your proposed topics along with a resume, references and a short biography that reflects your speaking experience.
Please email your proposals to Nancy.Perry@cygnusb2b.com and Marie.Nordberg@cygnusb2b.com no later than December 15, 2008. For more information about EMS EXPO visit www.publicsafetyevents.com.
EMSResponder.com Exclusives:
Connecticut EMS Legends Remembered
Two sisters, beloved and historic figures in Connecticut EMS, passed away this October within days of one another.
Jean and Ethel Grady were not only sisters and business partners in EMS, but best friends, and they were married to a pair of brothers, Herman and Howard Grady. The four created one of the first minority-owned ambulance services in the country in 1945, and when the sisters later took over, the company became a historic female/minority-owned ambulance service.
Addressing Responder Families' Needs Before Disaster
In times of disaster like Hurricane Katrina, rescue personnel often have to make a decision between family and career. If they respond, they are often worried and distracted; if they do not, the system suffers.
With a grant from the Department of Homeland Security, a group from Louisiana is now working with agencies to address these problems ahead of time with plans, policies and partnerships for responder families.
Featured Job:
Sr. EMT-Paramedic -- Saudi Arabia
Saudi Aramco's operations span the globe and the energy industry. Click above for details and visit www.EMSResponder.com/jobs for additional listings including:
- EMT, Paramedic - Columbia County, FL
- EMS Analyst - San Joaquin County, CA
- Clinical Coordinator -- UMBC, Baltimore, MD
Featured Forum Thread:
Why does the public accept an undermanned EMS system?
"EMS is understaffed, underfunded, and is allowed to have the citizens wait for an available unit," writes forum user DrParasite. "Why is this permitted to occur?"
Click above to read the discussion, and browse other topics at www.emsresponder.com/forums.
Poll Question:
If a disaster occurred, would your obligations to family/friends impede your ability to respond?
Click to participate, and view previous polls at www.EMSResponder.com/polls.
Reminders:
To submit case studies for possible review in EMS Magazine, e-mail Nancy.Perry@cygnusb2b.com.
Other top headlines this week on EMSResponder.com:
- National Guideline for Mass Casualty Triage Proposed
- New Jersey Panel Proposes Statewide Standards for EMS
- Off-Duty Maryland Flight Medic Killed
- Fired Maryland Medevac Pilot to Appeal Decision
- 911 Investigation Continues After Atlanta Student's Death
- Florida Paramedic Hurt At Speedway
- Cleveland Paramedic Says Theft Was Worst Mistake in Her Life
- 3 Injured in Boston Ambulance, SUV Crash
About Heather Caspi, EMSResponder.com Editor-in-Chief
Heather Caspi has been a public safety journalist since 2000, beginning as a reporter for sister site Firehouse.com. She later became the assistant news editor for Firehouse.com and Officer.com, and led the launch of EMSResponder.com in 2005. She graduated from the University of Maryland with degrees in Journalism and English Language and Literature, and earned her EMT-B at Merritt College in Oakland, California. She can be reached at Heather.Caspi@cygnusb2b.com.
