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This Week in EMS: A Recap for Jan. 26 - Feb. 1, 2008
A new Michigan LODD is the second tragic, traffic-related EMS responder death in the past two weeks.
At about 6:10 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 26, Jackson Community EMT Cheryl Kiefer was struck by a vehicle and fatally injured while assisting at the scene of a previous accident.
Kiefer, 23, was critically injured and trapped in the wreckage until extricated by the Chelsea Area Fire Authority. JCA and Huron Valley Ambulance paramedics transported her to the Trauma Center at the University of Michigan Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
For more about this line-of-duty-death incident visit Michigan EMT Dies After Being Struck at Crash Scene, and for more about Kiefer visit Michigan EMT Touched Lives. To read about last week's incident visit Kentucky Paramedic, Patient Killed at Crash Scene.
In a close call for several Delaware responders early Monday, Jan. 28, an ambulance was involved in a collision with an SUV in eastern Sussex County.
For an unknown reason, an SUV crashed into the right rear side of the ambulance while it was occupied by two EMTs from the Millsboro Fire Company and one paramedic from Sussex County Emergency Medical Services.
The three responders all required immediate medical attention. One was treated for minor injuries, but the other two were flown to Christiana Hospital near Stanton, Del., with serious injuries. The paramedic was admitted to the intensive care unit with possible head injuries.
An occupant of the SUV was killed in the crash. For further information visit Three Delaware EMTs Injured in Ambulance Crash.
Officials at Wake County Emergency Medical Services were in a difficult position this week when it was revealed they lost a laptop containing the names, addresses and Social Security numbers of as many as 850 EMS patients.
A Panasonic Toughbook used by county paramedics to store patient information on ambulance runs went missing from the WakeMed emergency department Jan. 17 and is thought to have been stolen, according to a WakeMed Campus Police report. The computer was left unattended in a battery charger at a work station used by paramedics to file reports. The data was not encrypted.
EMS officials received some criticism for waiting eight days to file a formal report on the loss of the laptop. They continued to search for the computer this week and were preparing letters to the patients whose information had been compromised.
For further details visit North Carolina EMS Laptop Goes Missing.
New Orleans responders were busy this week preparing for Mardi Gras, a major undertaking in light of the city's ongoing recovery since Hurricane Katrina.
With hospitals still closed and ambulance wait times increasing, EMS officials requested help from state officials. "With the influx of people expected, we knew there was no way we could handle things adequately," said Jeb Tate, a paramedic and spokesperson for NO EMS. "The state agreed, and generously donated funding."
Tate said more than 95 percent of their EMS staff will be working during carnival season. Read more in the exclusive EMSResponder.com report, New Orleans EMS Ready for Mardi Gras.
Industry News
Verathon Inc. Introduces Free Grant Writing Kit for First Responders
Verathon Inc., the maker of GlideScope® Video Laryngoscopes, is pleased to make available to EMS health care providers a First Responders' Grant Writing Kit. The kit, which is free to EMS personnel, contains helpful information to seek out available grant monies, and tips to successfully apply for government grants and, private funding, in order to purchase EMS-related equipment and supplies. Click above for details.
EMSResponder.com Featured Column:
What magic or finesse do some leaders posses that make people want to work with them? There's no single reason but there are numerous factors that come into play. This column by author Paul Murphy provides a high-level overview of some of the traits and/or characteristics that may be factors.
EMS Magazine Online Exclusive:
EMS EXPO 2007 Top Picks Semi-Finalists
Each year, EMS Magazine editorial advisory board member Mike Smith makes his way around the EMS EXPO exhibit hall, seeking out the most innovative products to be launched or redeveloped over the previous year. His picks were profiled in the January 2007 issue. What follows are submissions from the semi-finalists. For more information on the conference, visit www.emsexpo2007.com.
EMSResponder.com Reminder:
It's time to nominate candidates for EMS Magazine's 23rd Annual Braun Industries/Monster Medic EMT/Paramedic of the Year Award.
Just tell us, in 500 words or less, why he or she deserves to be considered for this honor. The winner will receive a $600 check and free travel, lodging and registration for EMS EXPO 2008, October 13-17, in Las Vegas, Nevada, where the award will be presented.
Click above for the contest rules and online nomination form.
EMSResponder.com Featured Job
Education Coordinator -- National EMS Academy, Gretna, La.
This position is responsible for planning, delivering and evaluating education for EMT/Paramedic and refresher/continuing education classes.
Interested applicants should submit a resume, letter of recommendation, and letter of application by February 11, 2008. Click above for more information.
Visit www.EMSResponder.com/jobs to find additional listings or to submit listings.
EMSResponder.com Hot Topics
HELP: Techniques for patient transport
Click above for a discussion on how to convince a reluctant patient to transport, or look for other topics at www.emsresponder.com/forums.
EMSResponder.com Poll
Have you ever had a close call with traffic while working a scene?
Visit the poll on the lower right side of EMSResponder.com to participate. View previous polls at www.EMSResponder.com/polls.
To submit a poll idea e-mail Heather.Caspi@cygnusb2b.com.
Other top headlines this week on EMSResponder.com:
- West Virginia EMS Captain Recalls Pact With Fallen Colleague
- North Carolina Paramedic Saved by Juniors
- Florida Paramedics Try Out New Airway Tube
- Sexual Misconduct Trial Begins for Former Michigan Paramedic
- Paramedics: Heath Ledger Was Still Warm When Found
- Controversial Stand-Alone ER Opens in Florida
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.
