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This Week in EMS: A Recap for Dec. 9 - 15, 2006
This week's fatal medical helicopter crash in California topped the industry news. The crash occurred Sunday northeast of Los Angeles after completing a patient transport, in the Cajon Pass area of San Bernardino County.
The helicopter was from Mercy Air, the nation's largest air medevac company. The company grounded most of its Southern California fleet Monday to allow personnel to grieve for the three crew members killed. They were pilot Paul G. LaTour, 46, of Apple Valley, nurse Katrina J. Kish, 42, of Moreno Valley, and paramedic Jerald W. Miller, 40, of Apple Valley.
The crash highlights rising industry concern over the safety of air medical transport. This year, the National Transportation Safety Board called for stricter safety standards after documenting an alarming rise in accidents.
The study noted that from 2002 to 2005, crashes occurred most often when the aircraft was returning to its base, as in this current case. The report called on the FAA to change its flight restrictions during inclement weather, which are less stringent when medical flights have no patient aboard. Mercy Air reported that they already use the stricter standards suggested by the NTSB. The cause of Sunday's crash remains under investigation.
For more on this story, read, Victims in Calif. Medical Helicopter Crash Mourned, and Investigation Underway in California Medevac Crash.
Another major story on EMSResponder.com this week was that of the top trauma surgeon at Maryland's R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore, who personally takes every call he can for first responders injured in the line of duty. This week, he was faced with saving the same trooper he had saved and befriended in 1998.
To read more about this heartwarming rescue, and the bond between these different kinds of rescuers, visit, Maryland Trauma Surgeon Works to Save Trooper's Life Again.
Another top issue in the news this week was that of a missing morphine investigation at the Sacramento Fire Department. It was discovered more than a year ago that the contents of 43 sealed vials of the narcotic, kept on board fire engines, had been stolen and replaced with water. Officials announced this week that the investigation has reached a dead end.
This leaves department staff in a difficult position. How will they operate, not knowing if there is a thief with a possible drug addiction among their ranks? Trust is an integral component of any public safety organization, as the members depend on each other every time they respond to a call. Local union officials have called for the perpetrator to come forward for help.
The incident has also led to some changes at the department; officials are complying with the county's order to implement stricter controls over the narcotics, which are in the process of being approved by Sacramento County's Emergency Medical Services director.
For more information on this investigation, visit Morphine Theft Hits Dead End in Sacramento.
This week also saw an ongoing rash of bus accidents:
- Fog Blamed for North Carolina School Bus Crash
- One Dead After Florida Bus Accident
- School Bus Crash in Minnesota Injures 20
And recently:
Other popular news this week:
