News

This Week in EMS: A Recap for April 12 - 18, 2008

HEATHER CASPI, Editor

04/17/2008

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A Florida, New York EMT lost her right arm when the Regional EMS ambulance she was riding in crashed into a parked truck this Monday in West Nyack.

Bonnie Ames, 21, had to be extricated from the ambulance and airlifted to Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla, where she remained in intensive care following surgery, according to the latest reports.

Also injured was EMT Scott Millar, 19, who was driving the ambulance. He is to undergo rehabilitation following a head injury and fractures to his lower back and neck.

Click here for the story and follow the Related Links for additional updates and crash photos: NY EMT Loses Arm in Ambulance Crash

Following the recent death of a Kentucky EMS patient in an ambulance crash, a witness has come forward to dispute the story of the EMT who was driving.

EMT Tammy Brewer reported that a pedestrian darted into the roadway before she crashed into a utility pole.

"That is not true, not true at all," claims witness Tammy Pablo. "There were no animals, no people, no other cars even out on the road." She says she was driving behind the ambulance and saw it swerving for a half-mile to a mile before the crash.

Metro EMS administrators are conducting an investigation, as is the Shively Police Department. Police are also investigating whether the patient was properly restrained.

Read the full article: Witness Disputes EMT's Account of Fatal KY Ambulance Wreck

A series of in-depth reports this week by the San Francisco Chronicle uncovered issues with the city's 911 response system. The reports found that at least 439 people have died in San Francisco since 2004 while waiting for a late ambulance or after delayed medical help arrived.

Mayor Gavin Newsom responded with an immediate initiative for improvements, but some experts warn that San Francisco emergency officials will need outside help.

"The mayor's plan is a start but feels more like shots in the dark," said Mike Williams, president of the Abaris Group, a consulting firm that helped develop California's 911 response standards.

Click here for the latest update and links to the earlier reports: San Francisco EMS Initiatives Bring Praise, Criticism

Industry News:

SJC Industries Corp. Unveils a Breakthrough Design Intended to Increase Ambulance Safety

At the Fire Department Instructors Conference, SJC Industries Corp., manufacturer of McCoy Miller, Marque and Premiere brand of ambulances, demonstrated their leadership in design and engineering by unveiling a new concept Side-Load ambulance.

SJC's Side-Load design repositions the patient and attendants, delivering benefits that include eliminating side-facing seating positions, reducing cabinets and obstructions in head strike zones, and designing seating positions to give attendants access to the patient and controls while remaining seat-belted. The ambulance's two extra-wide sliding side doors also allow egress to the patient from either the street side or curbside and offer less obstruction at emergency scenes.

Featured Column:

Respiratory Distress: Tips to help you organize and complete your treatment of the SOB patient

"There are, in my opinion, two types of shortness of breath," writes EMSResponder.com contributor Jim Baird. "I classify them as Primary SOB and Secondary SOB. You probably will not find these terms in the text book but if you follow my logic I believe you'll find these definitions helpful in formulating your treatment plans."

Featured Job:

Chief of EMS -- 45th Parallel EMS, Northern NH and VT

Must demonstrate the ability to develop a new organization. Strong financial management and staff administration are a must. Knowledge of payor compensation and billing a requirement. Clinical skills and training capabilities are a plus. Preparing and administering operating and capital budgets are critical.

Visit www.EMSResponder.com/jobs for additional listings including:

Featured Forum Thread:

Call review - any advice?

A forum member writes, "Here's the scenario: Called for patient transfer from our rural ED to a cardiac center 80 miles away. Air ambulance is grounded due to weather. Transport will be emergent..."

After providing the details of the call the poster writes, "I feel like we didn't do enough, but on the other hand, I feel like there was little else I could do."

Any advice to share? Click above to jump in to this discussion, or browse the forums at www.emsresponder.com/forums.

Poll Question:

What do you prefer to hear the public call EMTs and Paramedics as a group?

Visit the poll on the EMSResponder.com homepage to participate, and view previous polls at www.EMSResponder.com/polls.

Send us your poll ideas! Email Heather.Caspi@cygnusb2b.com.

Reminders:

We need your help: Take the 2008 EMSResponder.com Reader Survey

EMSResponder.com strives to protect and serve the EMS Community through real-time information. We are very interested in hearing what information we present -- from articles and forums to podcasts, Web casts and videos -- is most helpful and what you want to see more of as we move forward.

Your feedback is what determines the design of our online content and special features. We want to continue to bring you what you need. So in an ongoing effort to do just that, we are asking you to participate in the 2008 EMSResponder.com Readers Survey.

Please take a few minutes to tell us what you really think, and then we'll sit down over the next few months and put together an online plan that allows us to continue meeting your Internet needs.

Thank you again for your support and time. We truly value what you have to say.

Nominations are being accepted for EMS Magazine's 23rd Annual Braun Industries/Monster Medic EMT/Paramedic of the Year Award. Nominations must be received by July 7, 2008.

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.