News

This Week in EMS: A Recap for September 1 - 7, 2007

HEATHER CASPI, Editor

09/06/2007

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The National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT) moved forward this week on implementing major organizational changes recently voted into place by its membership.

Final interviews were being held for a new executive director position. Officials had narrowed the field to three finalists from more than 60 applications from across the country, said NAEMT president Jerry Johnston.

Johnston said NAEMT members have seen the need for an executive director for some time. "We have an all volunteer board, and we're stretched thin," he said.

The newly chosen executive director will be sharing his or her vision for the organization with members at the NAEMT Annual Meeting set for Oct. 9-13 in Orlando, Florida.

The addition of an executive director is just one of the changes ahead for NAEMT. Read the full article by EMSResponder.com senior writer Susan Nicol Kyle, NAEMT Embarks on Reorganization.

Picture boards are becoming more and more common with emergency caregivers as a means to communicate with non-English speaking patients.

The large, double-sided panels let patients point to icons illustrating their problem - such as pain, a burn, breathing trouble or a fall - as well as the affected body part. They also can point to their native language in a list so an appropriate interpreter can be located.

Use of the panels is spreading under a new U.S. Department of Health and Human Services program aimed at helping hospitals to meet their patients' communication needs, according to a national Associated Press report. At least nine state hospital associations have signed on: New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Missouri, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Utah and Washington.

"They ought to be in every ambulance, in every hospital, in every clinic," said Dr. Fred M. Jacobs, head of New Jersey's health department. "Communication barriers lead to adverse impacts on (care) quality, misunderstandings and even medical errors."

For additional details visit Picture Boards Speak in Health Crisis.

In an attempt to maintain better control at future disaster scenes, the federal government is launching an ambitious ID program for rescue workers. The goal is to better coordinate qualified rescue personnel, while keeping regular people from swarming the scene.

A prototype of the new first responder identification card is already being issued to fire and police personnel in the Washington, D.C., area.

FEMA proposed the idea after the World Trade Center and Hurricane Katrina emergencies, when countless Americans rushed to help but became an additional burden.

"Wow, how in the world do we say this without love and respect in our hearts?" said deputy assistant U.S. Fire Administrator Charlie Dickinson.

"Everybody wants to come to the fight, so to speak, and no one wants to step back and say 'No, I can't do this.' The final coup de grace was the World Trade Center. Hundreds came that were never asked," Dickinson said. "Good intentions, good hearts, and it was extremely difficult for the fire department and the other departments to deal with them."

This will certainly be both an emotional and a logistical issue unique to each disaster. While the crush of volunteers may have been a burden to some previously, others say they provided key assistance, such as getting equipment and water into devastated areas when the government was unable.

Read the full article, Feds to Restrict Volunteers at Disasters.

This week also saw some updates to the report that D.C. officials are investigating prostitution claims against city EMTs.

A second allegation was brought to light that department employees may have been asked to exchange sex for lucrative overtime assignments.

D.C. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty and the city's top police and fire officials have acknowledged their investigation into accusations of sexual misconduct, and say it could lead to criminal charges. They did not say, however, whether any misconduct included prostitution.

"Obviously, sexual misconduct can mean a lot of things," said Metropolitan Police Department Chief Cathy L. Lanier. "It can mean administrative violations of policy, it can mean sexual harassment, and it can mean criminal violations. So now it is up to us to sort through those allegations and determine just how severe those sexual misconduct activities were."

To follow this story visit these articles on EMSResponder.com:

EMS Magazine Online Exclusive:

Brain Attack!
What to Look For and How to Deal With Stroke
By C.P. Potter, NREMT-P, CCEMT-P

How many times have you seen references to the dangers of cardiovascular disease or the signs and symptoms of heart attack? Now ask yourself what you've heard about stroke - the No. 3 killer of middle-aged and older patients worldwide.

EMSResponder.com Featured Column

Emergency Vehicle Safety in the 21st Century

What is the one piece of EMS equipment used the most and trained on the least? The ambulance. The latest addition to EMSResponder.com is a monthly driving safety column by Tom Mannisto of T.E.A.M. Driving Concepts, Inc. The column focuses on driving safety to help emergency medical personnel attain the specific knowledge, skills and attitudes for safe ambulance operation.

Tom has been in EMS since 1980 with his first "license" being an ambulance attendant card. He is now a Critical Care Paramedic (CCEMT-P) and a State of Michigan licensed Instructor Coordinator (I/C), as well as the founder and president of T.E.A.M. Driving Concepts Inc.

EMSResponder.com Featured Job

EMS Training Coordinator, Chesterfield County Fire Department, VA

Major job function includes coordinating all Advanced Life Support education within Chesterfield Fire and Emergency Medical Services. Serves on various committees; coordinates with emergency operations division and area hospitals for ALS field internships and in-hospital clinical rotations; develops new ALS training programs as directed; coordinates with county volunteer rescue squads in developing and maintaining ALS provider certifications.

The closing date for applications is Thursday, September 20, 2007. Click here for the full job listing.

Visit www.EMSResponder.com/jobs and our linked partner sites to find additional 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

Some Basic Questions

A forum member writes, "I just got my first job as an EMT-B. I was just wondering what tools/pocket items you guys would recommend? ...Also, I know there are unwritten rules on how you're supposed to act your first time at a firehouse... are there any of these for working with a veteran basic or paramedic when you are new? Thanks."

Click on the discussion to read more, or look for another topic in the EMS Responder.com Forums.

EMSResponder.com Poll

This week's poll asks, "Have you ever been involved in an ambulance crash?"

Visit the poll on the lower right side of EMSResponder.com to participate.

What questions do you have for your fellow EMS responders? To submit a poll idea e-mail Heather.Caspi@cygnusb2b.com.

Reminders:

Call for Candidates: Board of Trustees - National EMS Museum Foundation, Inc.

The Board of Trustees of the National EMS Museum Foundation is seeking to fill five Board of Trustee seats. All candidate proposals must be submitted by close of business September 21, 2007. The election will be held during the EMS Expo/NAEMT annual meeting, October 11, 2007 in Orlando, FL.

Visit the full press release for application information.

5th Annual EMS Systems Survey

EMS Magazine is proud to offer the 5th annual comprehensive survey of EMS systems in the United States. Make sure your agency is represented in this important resource. Survey results will be published in the December 2007 Gold Book/Buyer's Guide and are designed to provide an overview of the EMS industry as it exists today across the spectrum of EMS delivery systems.

To learn more and respond, visit the 5th Annual EMS Systems Survey page on EMSResponder.com.

Elbeco Incorporated to Launch National Contest

Elbeco Incorporated is celebrating its centennial year by honoring the men and women who wear their uniforms.

Starting September 1st, Elbeco Incorporated will launch the "Every Elbeco Uniform Tells a Story" contest. Current and past EMS professionals are encouraged to submit interesting stories that happened while they were wearing an Elbeco uniform.

The contest begins September 1, 2007 and runs through December 31, 2007. The Grand Prize winner will receive $5,000 cash and a $1,500 Elbeco credit for his or her current or past department. Other prizes will also be awarded for second and third place, and for monthly finalists. Visit their press release for full details.

Other top headlines this week on EMSResponder.com:

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.