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This Week in EMS: A Recap for November 24 - 30, 2007
In major world news this week, an Atlasjet plane crashed shortly before it was to land in central Turkey early Friday, killing all 56 people on board.
Helicopters spotted the plane about five hours after it went missing, and discovered pieces of the wreckage, bodies and personal belongings strewn across a vast area. Rescuers reported no survivors, and performed a recovery operation.
The cause of the crash was not immediately known.
For additional information visit Jet With 56 Aboard Crashes in Turkey.
Atlanta, Georgia's only public hospital and trauma center is at risk of closing at the end of the year as a result of financial shortfalls, foisting thousands of poor patients onto emergency rooms at other hospitals.
Besides Atlanta's poor, Grady Memorial Hospital's patients include tourists headed south to Disney World and victims of auto accidents, since Grady is the only hospital in a 100-mile radius of Atlanta that has a Level 1 trauma center, according to an Associated Press report.
Grady played a critical role after the bombing at the 1996 Olympics, as well as in March, when a bus carrying a college baseball team from Ohio plunged off an overpass.
To read more about the regional impact on emergency care, visit Atlanta Hospital in Grave Condition.
Those on the graveyard shift take note: working nights will soon be listed as a "probable" cause of cancer.
Next month, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, a branch of the World Health Organization, will officially list overnight shift work as a probable carcinogen, and the American Cancer Society says it will likely follow. Until now, the link has been considered "uncertain, controversial or unproven."
Researchers believe that night work disrupts the body's biological clock, and the production of melatonin, which is normally produced at night and can suppress tumor development.
Although the link has been determined credible, it is important to note that there may be other factors common among night workers that raise their risk for cancer, such as sleep deprivation.
For more information visit Graveyard Shift Work Linked to Cancer.
The Homeland Security Department is testing a program with the New York City fire department that may be controversial with some rescue personnel and some members of the public.
Fire and EMS personnel are being trained to take on a new role as lookouts for terrorism, by identifying and reporting anything they come across in their regular duties that may indicate terrorist activities.
While it may seem like a no-brainer, the idea raises concerns of infringing on people's privacy and eroding public trust.
If the program is successful in New York, the government intends to expand the program to other major metropolitan areas.
Read more at Rescuers Tapped to Help in War on Terror.
EMSResponder.com New Feature
EMSResponder.com Video Network
EMSResponder.com is rolling out a new video network to showcase industry news and events and EMS training. Product demonstrations and user submitted items will also be coming soon. Check out our current offerings and recommend content by emailing Heather.Caspi@cygnusb2b.com.
Industry News
NEMSMA Announces New Board of Directors
The National EMS Management Association (NEMSMA) has announced its new Board of Directors for 2008-2009. Raphael M. Barishansky will assume the post as President, effective January 1, 2008. Currently the Executive Director of the Hudson Valley Regional EMS Council in Newburgh, New York, Barishansky has served on the NEMSMA Board for four years and was elected President-Elect in 2006. He also serves on the EMS Magazine editorial advisory board.
In addition to Barishansky, the Board of Directors will be comprised of new and returning members.
NEMSMA is a membership association representing the interests of EMS managers from all types of EMS services. Its mission is to continually improve the performance of EMS services by discovering, developing and promoting best practices in EMS management
HSC: Deck the Halls Safely This Holiday Season
According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, each year hospital emergency rooms treat nearly 12,800 people for injuries related to holiday decorating, including falls and electrical shocks.
The Home Safety Council has prepared advice, linked above, that rescue personnel may wish to share in their communities.
EMSResponder.com Featured Job
Associate/Assistant/Full Professor of Paramedics, Central Washington University
The successful candidate will have established skills and knowledge in emergency medical services and pre-hospital systems, experience with teaching and education, and prior clinical or field experience in intensive care or emergency medicine. Evidence of effective teaching, professional and community service and scholarly activity are required for promotion and tenure. Student advising, committee work and program development are also responsibilities of the position.
For a full job description and to apply online visit https://jobs.cwu.edu/applicants/jsp/shared/frameset/Frameset.jsp?time=1196367475798.
If you have any questions regarding this position, please contact:
Stephen Jefferies, Ph.D., Chair Paramedic Search Committee Health, Human Performance, and Nutrition Central Washington University 400 E. University Way Ellensburg, WA 98926-7572 Phone 509-963-2241 Email jefferis@cwu.edu.
Visit www.EMSResponder.com/jobs and our linked partner sites for additional EMS and related job listings. Also, watch for our expanded employment center coming soon on EMSResponder.com.
To submit an EMS related job listing e-mail Heather.Caspi@cygnusb2b.com.
EMSResponder.com Hot Topics
Our EMS forums have been expanded and redesigned! Stop by and register for free at www.emsresponder.com/forums.
Among this week's hot topics:
"I don't know how it is in most areas but in my area for SOME reason they wait for ALS no matter what," even when the ER is "literally right across the street," a forum member writes. "So is it normal for BLS crews to sit and wait for ALS even being so damn close to an ER??"
The question has prompted three pages of feedback. Click above to read the full question and to contribute to this discussion. Or, browse additional topics at www.emsresponder.com/forums.
EMSResponder.com Poll
Would you trust your own EMS agency with your loved ones' lives?
Share your opinion! Visit the poll on the lower right side of EMSResponder.com to participate. For the results of previous polls visit www.EMSResponder.com/polls.
To submit a poll idea e-mail Heather.Caspi@cygnusb2b.com.
Other top headlines this week on EMSResponder.com:
- Maryland Defends its Medevac Program
- California Department Waives EMT Requirement
- Detroit EMT Kills Wife, Self
- Michigan Paramedic Saves Life of Suspect after Shooting Him
- Arkansas Bus Crash Puts Training into Perspective for Rescuers
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.
