News

This Week in EMS: A Recap for August 18 - 24, 2007

HEATHER CASPI, Editor

08/23/2007

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This week's death toll from two storm systems - one that has spanned the Upper Midwest and another from remnants of Tropical Storm Erin in Texas, Oklahoma and Missouri - rose to at least 26 Friday.

The storms also left many injured and forced numerous rescues and evacuations. In Findlay, Ohio, one of the worst-hit areas, rescuers in boats and canoes navigated waist-deep water to rescue people and pets.

Among those killed were a man found tangled in a tree near Lewiston, Minn. on Tuesday, and three people standing at a flooded intersection in Madison, Wis. Wednesday, who were apparently electrocuted when lightning hit a utility pole and caused a power line to fall in the water. On Thursday, the body of a high school cross-country runner was recovered from rain-swollen lake, one day after he was swept away while trying to cross a flooded trail along with his track teammates.

On Thursday a powerful storm hit the Chicago area, causing a roof to collapsed at the dock area of a suburban industrial building. Forty people were injured, but none seriously.

As of Friday, thousands of homes across these regions had been damaged or left without power.

To read more visit:

In this week's top EMS news, Atlanta has emerged as a national example for improving cardiac-arrest survival rates, according to a USA TODAY report.

Efforts to improve Atlanta's emergency system began in 2003, and involved participation in a program created in Atlanta by Emory University and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The program is known as Cardiac Arrest Registry to Enhance Survival, or CARES.

Since September 2005, the survival rate for such patients in Atlanta has jumped from less than 3 percent to 15 percent - well above the 6 to 10 percent survival rate for most cities, according to a 2003 analysis by USA TODAY.

According to the report, Atlanta's success has made it, and the program it's following, a template for cities trying to improve cardiac-arrest survival rates. Several cities -- including Houston, Anchorage, Austin, Cincinnati, Kansas City, Mo., Raleigh, N.C., and Tucson -- are following in Atlanta's footsteps by signing up for the Emory/CDC program.

Other efforts in Atlanta included the mayor ordering all 8,000 city employees, including herself, to be trained in CPR.

To read more about the Emory/CDC program and the changes in Atlanta, visit Atlanta Becomes a Template for Improving Cardiac-Arrest Survival Rates.

In the latest reported EMS line of duty death, an EMT from Missouri collapsed and died on duty last Friday.

At about 5 p.m., George Beeler, 67, told a co-worker at Slater Ambulance District that he was having chest pain. En route to the hospital, the ambulance crew called for an ALS unit to meet them. Beeler went into cardiac arrest before he arrived.

In addition to working at Slater Ambulance, Beeler also worked at Howard County Ambulance Service and was a volunteer at Glasgow Volunteer Fire Department.

He is survived by his wife and seven children, including a son who is a paramedic and worked together with his father.

To read the article by EMSResponder.com's Susan Nicol Kyle, visit Missouri EMT Collapses, Dies on Duty.

In this week's top industry news, the National Association of EMTs (NAEMT) members voted overwhelmingly in favor of new bylaws that will change the way the Association is governed and organized.

NAEMT members will now vote directly for NAEMT officers and directors, as opposed to in the past, when NAEMT leaders were elected by a Board of Governors representing affiliated state EMS associations. The Board of Governors was eliminated with the approval of the new bylaws.

Another historical aspect of this vote was that it was the first NAEMT vote conducted electronically, and close to 20 percent of eligible NAEMT members participated, representing the largest number of members ever to cast their votes in an election. Due to the success of this vote it is likely that future NAEMT elections also will be conducted electronically.

To read more about these changes at NAEMT, along with comments from NAEMT President Jerry Johnston, visit NAEMT Members Approve Sweeping Bylaws Changes.

News You Can Use

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.

Elbeco Incorporated to Launch National Contest

Elbeco Incorporated, America's premier manufacturer of uniforms for the police, fire, EMS, postal, security and tactical industries, is celebrating its centennial year in 2007. To commemorate this milestone, the Company will honor 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 service 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 be chosen and officially notified by January 31, 2008. 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 the full press release for additional contest details.

Reminders:

Call for EMS Historical Artifacts

The National EMS Museum Foundation is planning an exhibit of artifacts at EMS Expo this October.

Individuals planning to attend Expo, who have a unique piece of EMS history they'd like considered for show, are encouraged to contact one of the individuals listed below for more information and to have your piece placed on the list for consideration.

To get involved, please contact any of the members below no later than August 31, 2007.

Tom Bartlett - Director, Region 10--LA, AR, MS
bartlett@nemsmf.org

Franc Ferola -Director, Region 11--AL, GA, FL
Matrix51@aol.com

Jules Scadden - NEMSMF-Secretary
jkaymdc@aim.com
712-660-0881

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.

EMSResponder.com Featured Job

Paramedic - Sequoia Safety Council, Reedley, CA

SSC operates from three stations serving 650 square miles that include three incorporated cities, many unincorporated communities, farm land, foothills, National Parks and high Sierra Nevada's. Annual call volume exceeds 4200.

If you are looking for an employer within EMS that offers a "career" for paramedics, then you are encouraged to apply with the Sequoia Safety Council.

An excellent benefit package and relocation package is available to any successful full-time candidate. All interested and qualified candidates can apply by requesting an application by phone, mail or email at the contact information listed.

Sequoia Safety Council
c/o Scott Brockett
500 E. 11th Street
Reedley, CA 93654

559-638-9995
sbrockett@sequoiasafetycouncil.com

Visit www.EMSResponder.com/jobs for more details and additional job listings. It is possible that some positions will be filled before their listings are removed. To submit a job listing e-mail Heather.Caspi@cygnusb2b.com.

EMSResponder.com Hot Topics

Work as ER tech?

In this week's featured discussion, an EMT student asks for input on working in an emergency department.

"I will be starting EMT-B class this fall, and then on to 'medic school in January. I want to work as an EMT during medic school, but due to the large private EMS provider's age requirements, I can't (they require all EMTs to be 21+, I'm only 18)... I looked into working at a local hospital as an ER technician. Has anyone done this?"

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

EMSResponder.com Featured Column

Book Corner: August 2007

Longtime EMS Magazine book reviewer Norm Rooker now appears online in a continuation of his Book Corner column. In his latest installment, Norm reviews a British import, followed by one of the best U.S. military medicine memoirs he has read to date.

EMSResponder.com Poll

This week's poll asks for your opinion on disaster simulation video games for first responders.

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.

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.