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This Week in EMS: A Recap for September 29 - October 5, 2007
Three fictional "dirty bombs" will go off this month in Portland, Oregon; Phoenix, Arizona; and Guam, during the fourth installment of the nation's largest terrorism preparation exercise.
The fourth Top Officials exercise - dubbed TOPOFF 4 - will take place during the week of Oct. 15. The program costs about $25 million a year and involves top officials at every level of government. Congress has required the exercise since 2000.
However, even as the latest drill begins, details from the previous exercise held in 2005 have yet to be publicly released. This information is supposed to help officials prepare for the next drill, and the next real attack. According to a brief summary of the 2005 exercise - marked For Official Use Only, but obtained by the Associated Press - problems arose when officials realized the federal government's law for providing assistance does not cover biological incidents.
A 2006 White House report on Hurricane Katrina criticized the DHS for not having a system to address and fix the problems discovered in the TOPOFF exercises.
To read the full article and to link to the Department of Homeland Security's TOPOFF 4 page, visit Nation's Biggest Terrorism Exercise Readied.
In a major new North American study of nearly 15,000 emergency patients, researchers will examine the benefits of defibrillating cardiac arrest victims within 30 seconds of their collapse, versus first performing three minutes of CPR before the shock.
The study will involve the co-operation and extra training of about 36,000 emergency medical service workers.
"Most of us who do this kind of research are very excited, because (we'll be able to) answer questions we could never answer before," says Dr. Paul Dorian, a cardiologist at St. Mike's Hospital in Ontario, Canada, and one of the hospital's key investigators for the study.
The study is expected to wrap up next year and is being funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the U.S. National Institutes of Health, along with other foundations in both countries.
Read more about the study in the article, Should Rescuers Give CPR Before Defib?
The practice of rapid sequence intubation by paramedics, which has been questioned periodically by some communities and emergency medical service authorities, is now at issue in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
The procedure came into the spotlight when the state began investigating its use on a patient treated this summer by American Medical Response paramedics in El Paso County.
In a related article, it was reported that state medical officials will not take disciplinary action against the paramedic accused of misusing the procedure. The paramedic reportedly went against doctors' orders in electing to intubate a patient. The attempt was unsuccessful until an anesthesiologist entered the room and took over the procedure.
"This patient suffered significant damage from prolonged hypoxia," wrote Marilyn Gifford, head of emergency medicine at Memorial Health System. "I think this is the most clear cut case of paramedics out of control I have heard of."
To read more visit the following articles:
- Colorado Springs Debates Paramedic Use of RSI
- Colorado Medic Won't Be Disciplined for Unauthorized RSI
Clark County, Nevada fire department officials have replaced their entire stock of narcotics after a department firefighter/paramedic was arrested for allegedly burglarizing fire stations and ambulances to steal drugs.
Officials were concerned that firefighter/paramedic Samuel Bond might have tampered with vials of medicine and refilled them with some other substance. Although he is accused of targeting AMR and Medic West ambulances as well, neither company plans to change out their drugs, as he had little to no access to them.
Police said that at the scene of one of his break-ins, Bond left a note: "I took your medicine. I have a bad problem. Please forgive me."
To read more visit the articles:
EMSResponder.com Featured Podcasts
Listen to parts 4-5 of our podcast mini-series leading up to EMS Expo, in which we interview Expo presenters who you will also know as contributors to EMS Magazine.
We spoke this week with:
- Ray Barishansky, MPH, EMT-B, the Executive Director of the Hudson Valley Regional EMS Council in Newburgh, NY. He previews his upcoming talks on EMS management and publishing by sharing some of his personal experience. His presentations will be "It Will Be Different When I'm in Charge: Myths vs. Realities of EMS Supervision and Management," and "Getting Out of the Small Pond: A "How-To" Primer for Publishing and Lecturing."
- Jim Judge, CEM, EMT-P, BPA. Jim is the Executive Director of Lake-Sumter EMS in Mount Dora, Florida. He discusses his upcoming EMS Expo talk on a series of Florida tornadoes and the importance of all-hazards disaster preparation, titled, "Central Florida Tornado: Lessons Learned." You can also read Jim's related article from the August 2007 issue of EMS Magazine, TWISTERS TERRORIZE Sunshine State; February tornadoes that ripped across central Florida tested Lake-Sumter EMS and its neighbors.
Industry Wire
NAEMT Names First Executive DirectorPamela Cohen has been named as the new executive director for the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT).
Cohen's appointment comes after an extensive executive search that began last summer, according to NAEMT President Jerry Johnston. She was selected from a field of 60 applicants.
"We are pleased to welcome Pam to NAEMT," said Johnston. "She brings the depth and breadth of executive level association management experience that will help guide NAEMT with its many strategic initiatives.
See the full press release for additional information.
For more business news and new products visit the EMSResponder.com Industry Wire. To submit a press release e-mail Heather.Caspi@cygnusb2b.com.
EMSResponder.com Featured Job
"Laurens County EMS is the sole 911 provider for Laurens County. We responded to over 12,000 calls in 2006.
LCEMS operates four ALS ambulances and four ALS QRV's including the shift supervisor. We operate on a 24/48 work schedule."
The salary is listed at $ 34,582 and the position is open until filled.
Click on the job title for requirements, benefits and application information.
Visit www.EMSResponder.com/jobs and our linked partner sites for additional EMS and related 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
A forum member writes, "I'm about 9 weeks out from graduating paramedic school... Problem is lately I've been having doubts as to if I'm actually ready to be a medic on my own, to the point where I'm considering dropping out."
Click on the discussion to read the full question and the support being offered by other members.
Find additional topics in the EMS Responder.com Forums.
EMSResponder.com Poll
Have you ever failed to properly request or follow orders from medical control?
Visit the poll on the lower right side of EMSResponder.com to participate. To see the results of previous polls visit www.EMSResponder.com/polls.
What questions do you have for your fellow EMS responders? To submit a poll idea e-mail Heather.Caspi@cygnusb2b.com.
Reminders:
EMS Expo 2007 is next week!
EMS EXPO will take place October 9-13, 2007 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL. Visit www.EMSExpo2007.com for more information and online registration.
Other top headlines this week on EMSResponder.com:
- Drunk EMT Rants on Radio, Calls 911
- Navel Stud Nearly Kills Teen in Crash
- Thieves Steal from Pennsylvania Ambulance
- Oregon Union Drops Ambulance Workers
- Canadian Mock Disaster Becomes Real Emergency
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.
