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This Week in EMS: A Record-Setting Inauguration Response
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D.C. Officials Reflect on Record-Setting Inauguration Response
A record 2,100 calls for assistance were received by D.C. Fire and EMS on Tuesday as 1.8 million people descended on the city in the extreme cold to witness the inauguration of Barack Obama.
EMSResponder.com was on the scene. Click above and follow the related links to read our exclusive coverage of the preparation, challenges and surprises encountered, learning opportunities, and a review with D.C. Medical Director Dr. James Augustine.
EMT Killed in Montana Hospital Shooting
EMT Melissa Greenhagen, 37, was killed Saturday outside Frances Mahon Deaconess Hospital when a man opened fire in the parking lot. A nurse and her husband were wounded while attempting to help her.
Police engaged the shooter in a gun battle before he escaped on foot, and tracked him to a house where he continued the gunfight and was killed. The man was identified Thursday as a recluse with no known connections to his victims.
Fire Forces Evacuation of New York Hospital
A fire at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Manhattan sent smoke pouring through its emergency department Wednesday, forcing the evacuation of 600 patients from the east wings to the west wings of the hospital. The patients had been on the third through 11th floors of the 12-story hospital.
The fire was confined to the mechanical room where it started, and no patients were injured.
Industry News
Childrens Hospital Los Angeles Launches Online Pediatric Disaster Training
Childrens Hospital Los Angeles has developed an online training curriculum designed to help health care workers effectively deal with the needs of children in the event of a disaster. The curriculum, which is available free of charge, was developed by pediatric experts in the hospital's Pediatric Disaster Resource and Training Center (PDRTC), and focuses on three core areas related to disaster preparedness and response: planning, patient care and disaster management.
Featured Podcast:
"My partner comes in and says, 'Oh, what happened?' And I said, 'Ah, it looks like we had a baby, huh?'" Click to hear the whole story, as Robert Linnell, Paramedic Captain/Supervisor with L.A. City Fire, describes "the mixed feelings and joy of delivering a baby in the field."
Exclusive on EMSResponder.com:
"When you are working a medical incident, does your team take care of all the patients or just those with visible wounds, obvious symptoms, and the loudest complaints?" asks guest contributor Bob Kolva. He asks rescuers to seek out collateral victims, those peripherally involved in an incident and struggling with the pain of survivor's guilt. "It is like Hazmat Awareness training... you just need to recognize the problem, keep the press from stepping in it, and find someone better equipped to alleviate the issue."
"Instead of the usual banter about resolutions and personal change that we are all inundated with about this time of year, please bear with me as I delve into a topic near and dear to my heart, personal responsibility," writes EMS health and wellness expert Bryan Fass. "If any of my clients read this they will undoubtedly laugh, for each year I have a theme saying, and my theme in 2009 is simple: 'It's your problem!'"
Featured Job:
"Southwest Ambulance is one of the largest ambulance providers in the Western United States. Paramedics make from $42,000-$58,000."
Click above for details and visit www.EMSResponder.com/jobs for additional listings.
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Featured Forum Thread:
"...My observation is when I go to seminars, conferences, etc, most of the attendees are wearing company shirts that say 'find 'em hot and leave 'em wet' with a picture of a half naked girl....you get the idea," says PhillyRube. "...With all the conversations and threads about professionalism in EMS, maybe we need to re-evaluate our dress..."
Click to read, or browse other topics at www.emsresponder.com/forums.
Poll Question:
In addition to your role as an EMS professional, do you serve in some capacity of law enforcement?
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:
- Tennessee Firefighters Refuse to Assist EMS Crew
- Wisconsin Med Flight Pilot Lacked Recertification
- Frozen Milwaukee Woman Brought Back to Life
- Woman Trapped by Metro Train as Crowds Head to Inauguration
- Ohio Cities Consider Triage for 911 Calls
- Denver Paramedic Leaders See No Easy Fix at Airport
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.
