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This Week in EMS: Patient Kills EMT
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New York EMT Shot and Killed by Patient
In a terrible act of violence, an EMT for the Cape Vincent, NY Volunteer Fire Department was shot and killed by his patient on Jan. 30.
Mark Davis, 25, and two other EMTs were treating the man at his home when he became agitated, grabbed a rifle from a bedroom, and fired as the responders fled. The incident drew attention nationwide and up to 2,000 are expected at Davis' weekend memorial service.
Pennsylvania Responder Dies Transporting Patient
In a second line of duty death this week, a Silver Spring, Pennsylvania Ambulance and Rescue employee suffered a heart attack that killed him and caused him to crash an ambulance during patient transport.
Barry John Nagle, 66, died, an EMT onboard was injured and three other passengers were reported uninjured. The ambulance was coming from the scene of a previous ambulance crash by the Mont Alto Ambulance Squad.
Several additional high-profile ambulance crashes also occurred during the week. See the "Other Top Headlines" below.
NTSB Hearing to Address Chopper Safety
A public hearing on helicopter EMS operations began Tuesday at the National Transportation Safety Board in D.C. and continued through this Friday. The four-day hearing has attracted a multitude of aviation experts, EMS officials and other stakeholders. The sessions have been telecast on the NTSB's Web site.
EMS helicopter safety has been a growing concern of the NTSB with the increase in fatalities, and in October 2008 was added to its Most Wanted List of Transportation Safety Improvements. Follow these developments online and look for in-depth coverage in the June issue of EMS Magazine.
CDC Publishes Field Triage Guidelines for EMS Providers
New guidelines are aimed at ensuring that trauma patients with more severe injuries are taken to trauma centers designed to handle such injuries. The recommendations are designed to standardize decision-making and to offer guidance on new technologies such as vehicle crash notification systems.
Industry News
February is American Heart Month
Every year since 1963 the American Heart Association designates February as American Heart Month, because heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States for both men and women.
In 2009, about every 25 seconds an American will have a coronary event, and about one every minute will die from one. For more information please browse our collection of heart health resources for EMS providers.
Education Feature:
Former U.S. Navy Vessel Converted into Floating Campus
The National University System, a network of affiliated institutions committed to meeting the emerging demands of education in the 21st century, announced it has converted a former U.S. Navy vessel into a unique floating campus for the National Polytechnic College of Science.
The vessel, rechristened "Discovery," offers a one-of-a-kind learning environment for students pursuing careers including advanced dive medicine.
Exclusive on EMSResponder.com:
EMS management expert Paul Murphy provides a continuation to last week's column on working remotely and the factors involved - ranging from the learning curve to the development of perceptions by colleagues as a result of the remote worker being out of the office. "There is a litany of additional items that may need to be considered," Paul writes. "This column adds to the previous list and adds details to some of the previous topics."
Featured Podcast:
"[They] never followed up on why I passed out. I think they either assumed that I fell or tripped or whatever, but it never occurred to them to really look past that." UCLA EMS instructor Nanci Medina learned firsthand the importance of looking past distracting injuries when she became a patient herself. Click to listen to her story.
Featured Job:
Paramedics and EMTs -- Boise, Idaho
"Ada County Paramedics is a dynamic third service 911 EMS provider building on a solid foundation to continuously improve the services we provide." Closing date for applications is March 2.
Click above for details and visit www.EMSResponder.com/jobs for additional listings.
Sign up here to receive the new EMS Jobs e-newsletter.
Featured Forum Thread:
FFmedic13 asks, "Does your service send your 12 Leads? What system do you use and how reliable is it?"
Check out the more than 22 responses, or browse other topics at www.emsresponder.com/forums.
Poll Question:
During American Heart Month we're asking, Do you live a heart-healthy lifestyle?
Click to participate, and view previous polls at www.EMSResponder.com/polls.
Reminders:
Coming Up: EMS at Firehouse World
"EMS at Firehouse World" is bringing the high-level education you've come to expect from EMS EXPO Events to Firehouse World., Feb. 15-19 in San Diego, Ca.
Other top headlines this week on EMSResponder.com:
- Florida Ambulance Overturns on I-95; Driver Pinned
- Patient Killed in South Carolina Ambulance Wreck
- Pa. Ambulance Overturns on Interstate 80; Three Injured
- SWAT Teams Deployed in Dangerous 911 Fraud
- Car Slams into Stopped Cleveland Ambulance
- Ambulance Catches Fire in Ohio Fire/EMS Station
- Pickup Strikes Richmond, Va. Ambulance Office
- Ohio Ambulance Involved in Weather-Related 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.
