News

This Week in EMS: A Recap for June 16 - 22, 2007

HEATHER CASPI, Editor

06/21/2007

Thousands of rescuers are mourning the deaths this week of nine Charleston firefighters killed in the line of duty Monday night in a furniture warehouse blaze.

In a tragic coincidence, this loss -- the highest loss of life incident for rescue workers since 9/11 - occurred during the annual Fire and EMS Safety Stand Down, in which participating rescuers nationwide review their safety standards and operating procedures, in an effort to make their dangerous jobs as safe as they can possibly be.

Local EMS personnel were certainly affected as well, as they served those injured on the scene and waited anxiously with their colleagues to hear the fate of those firefighters missing inside the blazing furniture warehouse. Many additional EMS workers are showing solidarity this week in mourning their fellow rescuers.

EMSResponder.com senior reporter Susan Nicol Kyle is reporting from Charleston this Friday during the memorial activities. To read her coverage, and to find links to additional related content on EMSResponder.com and our partner website Firehouse.com, visit Fallen Charleston, S.C. Firefighters Mourned. The full coverage includes fire scene updates, photo slideshows and television news reports.

In another tragedy this week, a New Jersey paramedic died in the line of duty after going into cardiac arrest while pulling away from the scene of a motor vehicle accident. Rescuers attempted to resuscitate him, but he was pronounced dead at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick.

This was actually the second time the 51-year-old paramedic had gone into cardiac arrest within eight months.

"Joseph Murawski responded to thousands of emergency calls in more than 20 years as a paramedic, and it seemed the one yesterday would be much like the others, maybe less grim than some... Soon after the rig pulled away from the accident scene, it was Murawski who was in trouble. His chest hurt, and he asked the driver to pull over." To read more from this article visit New Jersey Paramedic Dies During Call.

In a major emergency response this week, Tennessee rescuers were faced with an MCI when a pro drag racer careened into the crowd at a car show.

Two victims died at the scene, another four died after transport to hospitals, and at least 20 others sustained injuries.

The charity event had never had an accident in its 18 years at this location, but logic suggests it was only a matter of time before the practice of performing burnouts on public streets would lead to trouble. Witnesses are now questioning the decision to allow the driver to speed down a highway with no guard rails, lined with hundreds of spectators.

Amateur video of the crash showed the car's engine revving loudly before the vehicle sped down the highway, and after a few hundred feet, skidded off the road and into the crowd. To read this article and link to the video visit Tennessee Car Show Accident Kills 6.

Among the top industry news this week was an announcement in Tucson, Arizona that the city is to launch a video link between their 17 paramedic units and University Medical Center, allowing real-time videoconferencing over the city's public safety and public works wireless Internet system.

Dr. Rifat Latifi, interim medical director of UMC's Level 1 trauma center, said the video link will be the first of its kind in the country and the world.

While the technology has incredible potential for improved communication and patient care, as it allows trauma doctors to get involved in these initial moments, it also raises some concerns; paramedics who don't want to be micromanaged; a potential video record for malpractice lawyers; and questions about privacy.

While these concerns are valid, hopefully they can be addressed so as not to hinder this new opportunity. To read more about how this project is being funded and carried out, read the full article, Tucson to Launch Ambulance to Hospital Video Conferencing.

Another article this week raises an increasing issue for health workers: the rise of MRSA infections among patients.

The issue should be watched nationwide, but this particular article focuses on the experience of many Mississippi health workers who are seeing a major increase in patients with boils.

"Besides an increase in number, the boils are nastier, bigger and more difficult to deal with, said health professionals."

This aggressive staph is plaguing not just the region but the nation, although some suggest it may be especially problematic locally because of the post-Katrina environment where people are more likely to scrape or cut themselves and let in bacteria. To read this article visit Boils, MRSA Infections Concern Mississippi Health Officials.

It is important that EMS personnel remain vigilant of this issue and pay extra attention to their BSI practices. In a startling, related contribution this week from EMSResponder.com columnist Francis J. Rella, this New York paramedic describes his personal nightmare in contracting MRSA, most likely as a result of his work. Read about his experience in his column, Infection Control.

Reader Feedback Request

Thinking Outside the MCI Box

Has your agency made special plans or taken unique steps to prepare for major multicasualty events in your jurisdiction? If so, we invite you to tell us about it. EMS Magazine will profile the best examples of extraordinary planning/preparedness measures in a feature story appearing in our September issue. Help us share your hard-earned insights and outside-the-box approaches with others who may benefit from them. E-mail john.erich@cygnusb2b.com with thoughts, ideas, suggestions and examples, or call 800/547-7377, x. 1106. Your fellow responders - and the citizens they serve - will thank you.

Reminders

June is Home Safety Month, sponsored by the Home Safety Council. This year's theme is "Hands on Home Safety," which asks the public to take some simple hands-on steps to create a safer home environment from hazards as falls, fires and burns, and poisonings. Read more on EMSResponder.com or visit the program website for materials.

Awards

Nominations are being accepted for EMS Magazine's 22nd Annual EMT/Paramedic of the Year Award, sponsored by Braun Industries and ZOLL Medical Corporation. Nominations must be received by July 2, 2007. For full contest rules and instructions please visit www.emsresponder.com/paramedic.

EMS Magazine is also accepting nominations for the 2007 EMS Magazine/National Association of EMTs Gold Service Award. For contest rules and to submit nominations, go to www.emsresponder.com/goldaward. Nominations must be received by August 1, 2007.

EMSResponder.com Poll

This week's poll asks about your habits when it comes to BSI procedures.

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

Other top headlines this week on EMSResponder.com: