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This Week in EMS: A Recap for December 15 - 21, 2007
Snow, sleet and freezing rain posed challenges to many responders from the Great Lakes to New England last weekend. The weather resulted in poor visibility and slick highways, causing numerous accidents and a reported four deaths in Indiana, two in Michigan and one each in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Nova Scotia.
And on Wednesday in Pennsylvania, two ambulance crew members were injured when a large chunk of ice flew off a passing truck and smashed through their windshield. The impact left one responder with moderate head injuries and the other with cuts to her hands.
Find out more by visiting:
Snow also resulted in big news on the West Coast this week, when dozens of rescuers became involved in a search for a family lost in the woods for three days after setting out to cut down a Christmas tree.
Just as some people began to give up hope, all four were found Wednesday in good condition. A helicopter crew was leaving the area to get ahead of bad weather when they spotted the father, and then his help sign made of branches.
"The small window of opportunity we had to find them, it was nothing short of a miracle," paramedic David White, told CNN. Family members reported that the two younger children had some frostbite on their toes and a touch of hypothermia, but expected a full recovery.
Read more at: Paramedic: Finding Family 'Nothing Short of a Miracle'
EMS officials were pleased with the passage this week of the FY '08 Homeland Security Appropriations bill which includes funding for EMS-related issues, and is expected to be signed by the President next week.
Lisa Meyer, a lobbyist for EMS groups through Cornerstone Government Affairs, wrote Wednesday, "The first bit of good news is that the National Emergency Medical Services Information System (NEMSIS) received $750,000. As you will recall the House did not have any money in the Transportation Appropriations bill for it. The Senate had $1 million for the program in its version of the bill. We ended up above the halfway mark which is a huge success."
Meyer said Traumatic Brain injury received $10 million. Funding information for other programs will be available soon.
Additional language important to EMS was included in the bill. Click on the headline to read more: Congress Passes FY 2008 Omnibus Appropriations Bill.
Other major news this week included two cases of patients going untreated by their EMS responders.
In San Antonio, Texas, four paramedics who responded to a head-on collision left a critically injured victim in a car, covered with a yellow tarp. They say they thought she was dead, but police claim the paramedics chose not to treat her because they expected her to die within minutes.
For more on this controversial case visit:
- Boss Stands by San Antonio Medics Over Untreated Patient
- Texas Victim Mistakenly Left for Dead Succumbs to Her Injuries
- Woman Mistakenly Declared Dead by San Antonio EMS
In the second high profile patient care mistake this week, a 72-year-old California woman was left inside a crumpled car and towed to a police impound lot after a crash. She was discovered the next day after relatives reported her missing.
Investigations were underway this week to determine whether rescuers properly evaluated the scene and properly assessed the mental status of the woman's son, who was driving the car and said there were no other occupants.
For more information visit:
Also this week, a Pennsylvania paramedic died after suffering chest pains on duty. He was rushed into the emergency department just feet away from his office and underwent surgery for an aneurysm, but died early Monday morning.
Kline DeWire also made his mark as a veteran EMS and fire instructor, and affected people far beyond his own community.
"There are not enough words to describe him or the impact he had on people nationwide," said Donna Snyder, regional EMS training coordinator.
Read more at Pennsylvania Paramedic Stricken on Duty.
EMSResponder.com Featured Column:
Sometimes the long hours required for continual EMS training can seem excessive, especially for small town volunteers. However, one New Hampshire EMT was grateful for every piece of knowledge in her arsenal -- especially her extensive wilderness emergency medical training - when she had the unfortunate opportunity to practice her skills on her sister during a long hike on the Appalachian Trail.
"I was chatting to my sister Debby about nothing in particular when directly in front of me I saw her tumble and somersault headlong over a steep decline of ledge and boulders. During that fleeting instant all time came to a standstill and when it returned, I was the person in charge," writes author Sandi Pierson. "The value of every countless hour spent in EMS training and practice homogenized before my eyes as I watched someone I love perilously fall in this isolated, unforgiving territory."
Click above to read Sandi's full story.
Industry News
EMS Bike Ride Re-Organizes for 2008
Plans for the pedaling journey to honor fallen EMS heroes and bring attention to EMS issues have been underway for a few months now.
The ride is now under a new incorporated organization headed by Jennifer Frenette, a director with the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians.
There will be two legs again this year, one leaving New York City and the other leaving Kentucky, to meet in Roanoke, VA for the National EMS Memorial Service. The group also is supporting a one-day ride set for May 10 from New Orleans to Baton Rouge.
"The ride is to pay tribute and honor EMS people who have died in the line of duty," Frenette says. And, they want to bring vital issues to the forefront. Ones, they say, have been overlooked.
EMSResponder.com Reminder:
It's time to fill in our 2008 EMS industry events calendar at www.emsresponder.com/calendar. If you're looking to promote an event or simply have one to recommend, please submit a listing. You can input your details directly online, and your submission will promptly be reviewed and posted by our staff. For any questions about the calendar, email Heather.Caspi@cygnusb2b.com.
EMSResponder.com Featured Job
Single-Role Paramedic and Bilingual EMT Positions, District of Columbia Fire/EMS Department
If you're interested in an EMS position at the nation's capital, DC Fire/EMS is accepting applications for single-role paramedics and bilingual EMTs.
The listed salaries for these positions are:
Bilingual EMT: $ 38,386 - $48,124
Paramedic: $ 42,332 - $53,087
Follow the link above for further information, or click here for the formal job posting.
Or, for more information call the DC Fire/EMS Department EMS Bureau at (202) 673-3360 or the DC Fire/EMS Human Resources Office at (202) 673-3305.
Visit www.EMSResponder.com/jobs and our linked partner sites for additional EMS and public safety job listings. Also, watch for our expanded employment center coming soon.
To submit an EMS related job listing e-mail Heather.Caspi@cygnusb2b.com.
EMSResponder.com Hot Topics
Among this week's hot topics:
"Looking at starting a bike team for a rescue squad in NC. At this time, I am lost.... ANY HELP WOULD BE APPRECIATED. "
Do you have any advice to share? Visit www.emsresponder.com/forums to join the conversation or to browse additional topics.
Other top headlines this week on EMSResponder.com:
- Philadelphia EMS Reaction Time is Slow, Report Says
- Suit Filed in Fatal Leap from Colorado Ambulance
- San Francisco Paramedic: Street People Harming EMS
- California Emergency Medical Chief Resigns
- Some States Lack Planning for Flu Season
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.
