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A New Voice on the Radio

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WHEN THE CREW WORKING THE NEWS ROOM AT OMAHA, NEBRASKA, Channel 3  heard a child’s voice coming over their emergency radio scanner, they took notice.

“Rescue squad number 21 on [sic] route to Immanuel code 2,” the young voice said, apparently coming from an ambulance.  Curious, a camera crew went to station 21 and discovered what happened.

A reporter from the station who seems to be a little more worked up over it than she needs to be, tries her best to make it into a scandal, but it has a harmless ending.  Watch the video report:


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Posted by firegeezer on March 17, 2010 • Filed under: EMS Topics, Videos, ambulances • Tagged:

EMS and 9-1-1 FICEMS Stakeholders Meeting

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It is Spring Break and we have been working non-stop negotiating revisions to the FY2011 budget. Even expensive private universities have revenue issues.

Not gonna lie, it has been brutal. I need a break

The weather-guesser promises two stunningly beautiful days in DC.

NATIONAL EMS & 9-1-1 STAKEHOLDERS MEETINGFICEMS

I am escaping the budget blues to spend the next two days at a federally sponsored “stakeholder’s” meeting in at the National Institutes of Health campus in Bethesda.

United States Emergency Medical Services started as a federally-funded program during the Great Society movement by President Lyndon B. Johnson in the mid-1960’s. Decades after the federal funding dried-up, the organizational and regulatory framework remained. Works great for some communities, is strangling others.

Almost every part and piece of what we construct as our local EMS system is scheduled for a major revision or is warping under the pressure of more demands with less resources.

The movement from vocational ems training, the only educational program housed in the Department of Transportation, to Scope of Practice in 2013 is a major changes impacting EMS in the next decade.

Eventually, recommendations from the 2006 Institute of Medicine report: Emergency Medical Services At the Crossroads will receive funding.

This stakeholder meeting is part of the federal process of oversight, funding and regulation of EMS.

The Federal Interagency Committee on Emergency Medical Services (FICEMS) is conducting a National EMS and 9-1-1 Stakeholders meeting on March 17-18, 2010 in Washington, DC. The meeting is sponsored by the Department of Homeland Security, Office of Health Affairs.

At this meeting, the FICEMS leadership will present a brief overview of current Federal EMS and 9-1-1 related activities, respond to questions and listen to the opinions and ideas of national organizations and interested individuals about national EMS priorities and future directions. We propose the meeting as one way to improve communications between EMS stakeholders and Federal agencies. The meeting summary will be provided to FICEMS and to the National EMS Advisory Council. (link here)

While not as exciting as twittering with Chronicles of EMS evangelists, it is part of how EMS 2.0 gets federal resources.

Some of the resources that might end up at my university. Cannot get away from the money issue :)

Mike “FossilMedic” Ward

Posted by fossilmedic on March 16, 2010 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, EMS Topics

Ohio Ambulance Collision Injures 4

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A MAUMEE (OHIO) EMS AMBULANCE WAS INVOLVED in a collision early Tuesday morning that sent four people to the hospital including the patient that was being taken there anyway.

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The accident occurred around 3:30 am when the ambulance and an automobile traveling on cross streets crashed in an intersection.  The driver of the car was seriously injured, but the ambulance personnel and their patient suffered only minor injuries.  The details of how and why the accident happened are still under investigation.

WTOL-TV Ch. 11 Toledo has this early video report:

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Posted by firegeezer on March 16, 2010 • Filed under: EMS Topics, Vehicle Operation & Ambulances, Videos, ambulances • Tagged:

Re-Stocking the Drug Box Brings Arrest

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WHEN THE RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY, FIRST AID AMBULANCE Corps, a volunteer organization, left an ambulance off for repairs Thursday, they didn’t expect it to be pressed into service again before it was returned.

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Rutherford First Aid Ambulance Corps photo

The ambulance needed some bodywork and the Squad took it to a trusted mechanic that they have been dealing with for a long time.  But this time their mechanic sub-contracted the work out to another firm that apparently doesn’t screen its employees well enough.  On Friday morning Clem Bagden, 50, drove the ambulance into Newark and stopped to ask a group of men where he could buy some cocaine.  That was his second mistake.

Clem Bagden, Unauthorized Ambulance Driver

Clem Bagden, Unauthorized Ambulance Driver

The men that he flagged down were undercover police officers and after they identified themselves, Bagden committed mistake #3 and started fighting them.  He was arrested and jailed, charged with resisting arrest and drug possession after the police found a quantity of heroin inside the ambulance.

Squad leaders thought they were acting responsibly by sending the rig to a trusted mechanic, squad president Brian O’Keefe told NorthJersey.com. But it’s nearly impossible to know whether any shop will exercise good judgment when referring work to another business, he said.

“You try to use someone locally who you’ve had a rapport with, but I guess it only takes one bad apple for there to be a problem,” O’Keefe said. “It’s not like we sent it to Paterson or Hackensack to a vendor we knew nothing about.”

After determining that nobody from the Rutherford ambulance company was involved, the Newark police returned the ambulance to them Friday afternoon.

Read the full account HERE.
Rutherford First Aid Ambulance Corps WEBSITE.

Posted by firegeezer on March 13, 2010 • Filed under: EMS Topics, ambulances • Tagged:

Ambulance Dispatch Delay Being Investigated

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AN EXPERIENCED 9-1-1 DISPATCHER IN PUNTA GORDA, FLORIDA, is on administrative reassignment today after an incident where an ambulance was not dispatched until 14 minutes after the call came in.

The incident took place on Friday night when a caller reported that a 91-yr.-old woman was in cardiac arrest.  The dispatcher who is also a supervisor, took the call and immediately sent a police unit and a fire engine that was staffed with three EMT’s and one Paramedic.  But for some as-yet-unknown reason, the ambulance wasn’t dispatched until much later.

This video report from WZVN-TV has the full story, but the newscasters appear to be trying to blame the dispatch error for the woman’s death, despite the timely arrival of the paramedic engine crew:

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Posted by firegeezer on March 11, 2010 • Filed under: EMS Topics, Videos, ambulances, dispatch • Tagged: , ,

80 year old falls down elevator shaft

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SIR STERLING MOSS IS ONE OF THE SURVIVING ICONS OF FORMULA 1 RACING FROM THE 1950’s

A notice came from Sports Car Market:

BBC News: Sir Stirling won 16 F1 Grand Prix races in his illustrious career

BBC News: Sir Stirling won 16 F1 Grand Prix races in his illustrious career

SCM has learned that British Formula One racing legend Sir Stirling Moss suffered broken bones and other injuries when he fell down an elevator shaft at his home this past Saturday. Following surgery, the 80-year-old is recovering at the Royal London Hospital.

Moss had been scheduled to appear at the Amelia Island Concours this weekend as part of the seminar “The Three Greats: Petty, Moss, and Garlits.”

NO HIPAA IN ENGLAND

A detailed press release was posted at StirlingMoss.com:

Following an accident at his home in Mayfair on Saturday evening, as a result of a lift malfunction, Sir Stirling Moss suffered two broken ankles, four broken bones to his foot, skin abrasions and four chipped vertebrae. He is now comfortable and recovering in a London hospital after surgery to both ankles.

The family are very relieved that Stirling survived the fall, demonstrating that his body still has the same resilience to injury as it did in his racing days. He is comfortable, following a good night’s rest post surgery, and is well on the road to recovery.

It is expected that it will take up to 6 weeks for him to recover from his injuries.

The family would like to thank everyone, on behalf of Stirling, for their messages of support.

Updates will be posted here: http://twitter.com/StirlingMossCom

Complete press release here.

Moss at the Nürburgring in 1961 (wikipedia)

Moss at the Nürburgring in 1961 (wikipedia)

PERSONAL EMAIL FROM SIR STERLING MOSS

Recently, a long personal email from Moss was relayed by Sports Car Market.  I think this segment would be of interest to our readers:

THE AMBULANCE WAS CALLED AND ARRIVED AT RACING SPEED, WHEREUPON THEY PUT ME ONTO A SERIES OF ABOUT 10 STRETCHERS! HAVING FINALLY SETTLED ON WHAT MUST HAVE SEEMED A GOOD ONE, I WAS TAKEN, ALONG WITH MY FAMILY TO THE ROYAL LONDON HOSPITAL IN WHITECHAPEL, WHERE THEY USED ANOTHER BATCH OF SIMILAR STRETCHERS!

THEY DID A GOOD JOB OF HELPING ME, BUT WERE UNABLE TO DO THE REQUISITE SURGERY. SO, ON THE SUNDAY, I WAS MOVED TO THE PRINCESS GRACE, WHERE A FANTASTICALLY EFFICIENT, KIND AND AMUSING STAFF DID ALL THE JOBS.

I AM NOW IN A LOVELY ROOM, NUMBER 222, AND WITH THE HELP OF ELLIOT AND THE PORTER, AM FINALLY ON THE EMAIL. THAT DOES NOT MEAN THAT I WILL BE ABLE TO ACTUALLY SEND THIS TO YOU, BUT I WILL TRY!

Pretty wired for an 80 year old (wikipedia entry)

Mike “FossilMedic” Ward

Posted by fossilmedic on March 9, 2010 • Filed under: EMS Topics, News, Twitter, cars • Tagged: ,

Driver Dead After Colliding With Ambulance and Three Cars

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A LAWTON, MICHIGAN, MAN IS DEAD after he went on a car-banging spree Monday night, striking four other vehicles while speeding along a highway.

Shortly after 8 pm Monday, the crew of a Coloma EMS ambulance called 9-1-1 to report that they had just been struck by a car which then drove off at a high rate of speed.  While a deputy was en route to the accident scene, two more calls came in from other drivers reporting that they, too, had been struck by a car that continued on, speeding away from the accidents.

When deputies arrived at the scene of the third accident, they were waved down my somebody who directed them to a fourth accident where a car had been flipped over.  Not far away was the offending vehicle that had rolled over several times and ended up crashing into a garage.

The driver of the car, 58-yr.-old Everett Painter had to be extricated by the fire department, but he had already died at the scene.

Neither of the ambulance crew members were injured, but the man who was driving the 4th vehicle that had rolled over was hospitalized for back and neck pains.  The Sheriff’s Department is still investigating the accident and looking for the explanation why the driver was behaving the way he was.

The Kalamazoo Gazette has the FULL STORY.

Posted by firegeezer on March 9, 2010 • Filed under: EMS Topics, ambulances • Tagged: , , ,

Triumph of Convention over Controversy

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Seven weeks ago I posted “Controversial” EMT Training” describing my approach in teaching an on-campus EMT-Basic class to university undergraduates.  This blog item is posted while the dozen-and-a-half students are taking their mid-term exam.

TESTING TURMOIL

nremt_stagingTHIS WILL KEEP ME OUT OF MEDICAL SCHOOL!

The students have taken three 25 question multiple-choice quizzes.

Since the registry test is multiple choice, it is appropriate to use this assessment format.

Quiz 1 results were not bad, an 85% average with two students scoring below 70%.  Students were freaking out.

Tried to show that each quiz represents 7 out of 100 points that make up their final grade, they could still score an “A” for the course even if they got a 66% in Quiz 1.  66% represents a loss of 2.4/100 points in their final  grade.

Students will need to complete the lecture portion of EMT with an 80% or higher to sit for the NR EMT-Basic exam.

I CANNOT FIGURE THIS OUT!

Inspired by a Happy Medic post (HERE), I preview Quiz 2 by sharing the story of a 63 year old  who crashes his car while having a heart attack. Leaning over to check on him, his wife suffers a severe head and face injury when struck by the exploding air bag. Found two pictures of a sedan with front end damage and deployed airbags.  Email Justin’s post early, telling the students that they will read more about it on the quiz.

Integrated the story into 12 questions reinforcing scene size-up,  NREMT patient assessment procedures, identifying priority situations, vital signs and treating shock.  You would have thought I was asking them to speak Na’vi.

The whining predicts a disasterous outcome:  88% average with two students scoring below 80%.

REDUCING THE EMOTIONAL TURMOIL

The nature of the next group of chapters required a traditional fact-based multiple-choice quiz.  Numbers, definitions and translation of acronyms.  Determining Glasgow Coma Scores and burned Body Surface Areas.  It looks a lot like an EMT-Ambulance quiz I took in 1971.

Students much happier about quiz experience.  Results are a little better, 89% average with three students scoring below 80%.

In preparing for today’s midterm, the students made it clear that they preferred how Quiz 3 was assembled instead of the scenario-based Quiz 2.

Stay tuned for the results …..

Mike “FossilMedic” Ward

Posted by fossilmedic on March 9, 2010 • Filed under: EMS Topics, Training & Development • Tagged: , , ,

Early Lunch Becomes Costly

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A MANITOWOC, WISCONSIN, WOMAN DECIDED THAT THE SIGNS in the Lincoln Park Zoo that say “Stay Away From Fence” and “Do Not Feed Animals” didn’t apply to her.

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Saturday just before noon she decided to share her lunch with the cute, cuddly black bear, so she went around the barrier and stuck her hand holding a plastic bag containing people food through an access hole in the fence.  The cute, cuddly black bear promptly chomped down on the proffered treat, bag, food, and woman’s hand.

By the time her boyfriend was able to pry the bear’s jaw open, the 47-yr.-old woman, Tracy Weiler had lost her entire thumb, forefinger, and portions of her middle and ring fingers.  The Associated Press filed this video report:

Weiler and her boyfriend both admitted that they had been drinking alcohol that morning (Who would have guessed?! ….Ed.).  The 51-yr.-old man suffered lacerations from his efforts, but no lost appendages.

The Manitowac Herald Times has the FULL STORY.

Story assisted by Fireball

Posted by firegeezer on March 7, 2010 • Filed under: EMS Topics, Videos • Tagged: , , ,

Blonde, barefoot and knocking on my hotel door

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IT WAS 3:47 AM WHEN I AWOKE TO THE SOUNDS OF A RATTLING HANDLE AND THUMPING ON MY HOTEL DOOR.

Baltimore blogger/CoEMS meet-up

Baltimore blogger/CoEMS meet-up

I had been asleep for a couple hours, after the great meet-up with fire/ems bloggers and the crew of Chronicles of EMS. First time face-to-face meeting with a dozen fire/ems bloggers.

Staring through the peep-hole,    I wondered if this girl was a wandering Mark and Justin groupie. She could have been one of the giggling throng hanging out during the live broadcasts from the exhibit hall.

Apparently, this was not to be. She was an “under the weather” lodger who was at the wrong door.

Who had no clue where she was.

Maybe I should have conducted a focused assessment.

Mike “FossilMedic: Ward

Posted by fossilmedic on March 6, 2010 • Filed under: EMS Topics, Twitter • Tagged: ,

Morning Lineup – March 5

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Those of you who are geared toward the paramedic path of the emergency responder vocation are aware of the EMS Today Conference and Expo that is going on in Baltimore this week.  This 5-day training and conference session has brought several thousand EMS responders together for some great lectures and educational programs.

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FossilMedic is attending the full conference representing both Firegeezer and his university which is co-sponsoring the program.  There are two events that I want to direct you to this weekend.  First of all is the Exhibition hall where hundreds of EMS suppliers, dealers and equipment manufacturers are set up and are waiting to meet you.  The exhibit hours are 10 am to 4 pm today, and from 9:30 am to 1:30 pm tomorrow, Saturday.  I will be there on Saturday along with many of the other FireEMS Bloggers who are part of the Firefighter Nation / JEMS family.  If you are attending the exhibit hall, stop by the JEMS main booth and Mike and I will be checking in there, too.

The other event going on at the conference that we want to tell you about is tonight’s gathering at the UNO Chicago Grill a couple of blocks away at the Harborplace.  This is an open party that begins at 8 pm put on by JEMS, FireEMSBlogs.com, and George Washington University Emergency Health Services Program.  FossilMedic posted the details last week HERE, so click on that link to find out the when-and-where of tonight’s party.  And I hope to see some of you tomorrow morning.  I’m sure some people will be driving in for the Saturday Expo, so let’s get together.

And this morning, let’s get together and get this equipment checked out.  I need to get some more coffee going.   See you back in the day room.

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Posted by firegeezer on March 5, 2010 • Filed under: EMS Topics, morning lineup • Tagged: ,

EMT Loses Leg After Ambulance Crash

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A FORT PIERCE, FLORIDA, EMT WAS REQUIRED to have his left leg amputated below the knee Tuesday night following a violent crash.

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WPTV

Fort Pierce police spokeswoman Audria Moore issued a statement:  

An ambulance, driven by St. Lucie County Firefighter William Hines, was at the intersection of Virginia Avenue and 25th Street to make a left turn onto 25th Street, when a Nissan SUV, driven by Germaine Lindor, 63, of the 2600 block of NW Hatches Harbor Road, Port St. Lucie, entered the intersection and collided with the passenger side of the ambulance. 

The impact tipped the ambulance over on its driver side and caused it to spin around and skid on its side for about 50 feet. The SUV continued traveling north on 25th Street until it came to a stop.

The driver of the SUV, Lindor was killed immediately on impact.  The driver of the ambulance was treated at the hospital and released.  The EMT Chris Doyle, who was in the passenger seat took the brunt of the impact and had to be extricated from the wreckage.  His left leg was so badly mangled that the surgeons at the hospital had to amputate it below the knee.

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WPTV

One eyewitness to the crash told the Fort Pierce Tribune:  “This is a 45 (mph zone) and it was doing twice that, no problem at all. Ninety, easy,” Kelly said. “I saw her 50 feet away from the intersection. I couldn’t believe that she wasn’t slowing down. … Hit that hump, it seemed like her truck left the ground and jumped up in the air and hit the ambulance.”

A police investigator said that they have not yet determined the speed of the SUV, but that the debris field and impact results indicate that it was “substantial.”

WPBF-TV filed this video report from the accident scene:

WPEC-TV has more HERE.

Posted by firegeezer on March 4, 2010 • Filed under: EMS Topics, Vehicle Operation & Ambulances, Videos, ambulances • Tagged: , , , ,

E.M.S.C. In Shaky Financial Situation.

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EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES CORPORATION (EMSC), the parent corporation of AMR, the nation’s largest private ambulance firm, announced today that it is attempting to secure additional money through loans to pay off current debt and establish a new credit line.

The Press Release says in part:

EMSC today announced that it has initiated a process to obtain new senior secured credit facilities. The Company intends to issue new senior credit facilities consisting of a $425 million term loan and a $125 million revolving credit facility.

Proceeds from the new senior credit facilities and cash on hand would be used to repay the current balance of approximately $200 million term loan and call its 10% senior subordinated notes with an outstanding balance of $250 million soon after the closing of the Transaction. The new $125 million revolving credit facility will replace the existing $100 million revolving credit facility.

Emergency Medical Services Corporation (EMSC) is a leading provider of emergency medical services in the United States. EMSC operates two business segments: American Medical Response, Inc. (AMR), the Company’s healthcare transportation services segment, and EmCare Holdings Inc. (EmCare), the Company’s outsourced facility-based physician services segment. AMR is the leading provider of ambulance services in the United States. EmCare is a leading provider of outsourced physician services to healthcare facilities. In 2009, EMSC provided services in 13.0 million patient encounters in more than 2,200 communities nationwide. EMSC is headquartered in Greenwood Village, Colorado.

AMR employs about 18,500 people nationwide.

The Denver Post has a brief report that tries to keep the explanation simple HERE.

Posted by firegeezer on March 2, 2010 • Filed under: EMS Topics, News, ambulances, current events • Tagged: ,

Teen Dies After Leaping From Moving Ambulance

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A 16-YR.-OLD BOY IN GREENVILLE COUNTY, SOUTH CAROLINA, died Sunday afternoon after he jumped out of an ambulance while it was traveling on Interstate 85.  The incident began just before 1 pm during an ambulance transfer.

Ryan Emory was in restraints on the cot while he was being transported from Greenville Memorial Hospital’s emergency room to a psychiatric facility in Columbia when he broke free of his restraints, dashed past the EMT who was with him, and jumped out the door.  After tumbling along the roadway, he went immediately into cardiac arrest and the the medic crew were unable to revive him.

WYFF-TV has the STORY.

Posted by firegeezer on March 1, 2010 • Filed under: EMS Topics, ambulances • Tagged: ,

A Sunday Emergency !

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emergency header

Season Two, Episode 6

Saddled

Paramedic Gage’s efforts to become a rodeo star pay off in a surprising way.

Posted by firegeezer on February 28, 2010 • Filed under: EMS Topics, Sunday Emergency, Videos • Tagged:

This time next Friday …

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UnoChicagoLogoI will be in Baltimore and headed for the Uno Chicago Grill at the Inner Harbor.

This is a special EMS Today related gathering that is open to all Fire/EMS bloggers, friends of bloggers, EMS 2.0 advocates and Chronicles of EMS fans.

Starts at 8 pm at:

201 East Pratt Street
Harborplace’s Pratt Street Pavilion
Baltimore, MD 21202
410-625-5900

Just east of the Baltimore Convention Center.

Sponsored by The George Washington University – Emergency Health Services Program, JEMS and FireEMSBlogs.com.

Draft Beer, Non Alcoholic Beverages and Appetizers will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis. Additional food and a cash bar will also be available. We’ll have a special area sectioned off for our bloggers as part of a larger area of the restaurant that will be ours where everyone can connect

Proud To Be A Sponsor

Wearing my “day job” hat, I am proud to be one of the meet-up sponsors.  I am looking forward to meeting Justin and Mark (these guys),

Also excited to place some names and faces together.

gw_r1_c9EMS 2.0 Higher Education Information

I will bring information about GWU’s distance education bachelor’s degree in EMS Management and master’s degree in Emergency Service Management.

We can talk about the EMS professional development model developed by FESHE at the National Fire Academy.

NEED A HEAD COUNT

If you are planning to stop by the meet-up next Friday, please post a message below.  I need to provide a headcount by Tuesday.

Hope to see you there!

Mike “FossilMedic” Ward

Posted by fossilmedic on February 26, 2010 • Filed under: EMS Topics, Fire Blogs, Fire Rescue Topics, News, Technology & Communications, Twitter, beer, culture, fun • Tagged: , , ,

Thefts Plague Colorado Ambulance Stations

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THIEVES ARE HITTING AMBULANCE STATIONS in the Denver, Colorado, Metro area stealing narcotics and, in some cases, uniforms.  In the past few weeks they have broken into fire stations in four different jurisdictions, then broken into the locked narcotics cabinets and stolen IV bags containing Vercet, Valium, Morphine and Fetanyl.  Investigators believe that the stolen uniforms will be used to assist them to pose as firefighters and gain entry to areas normally not accessible to the public.

So far, they have hit two stations of the Westminster Fire Department as well as the Federal Heights Fire Department, North Metro Fire Rescue and the Clear Creek Ambulance Service.  In some cases, they have done the stealing while firefighters were in the building.

KDVR-TV filed this video report:
 

Posted by firegeezer on February 25, 2010 • Filed under: EMS Topics, Videos, ambulances, crime • Tagged: , , , ,

Another Stolen Ambulance

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AN AMBULANCE WAS STOLEN OUT OF THE STATION in Bemidji, Minnesota, Monday morning.  The Bemidji Ambulance Service unit was last seen at 3 am, but when an employee entered the bay at 6 am it was missing.  It was located at 7:30 am in another part of the city crashed into a utility pole.

The Bemidji Pioneer reports that:  Items were disturbed in another ambulance, but nothing appeared to be missing from that unit.  A search of the ambulance located (at the crash scene) revealed that a cell phone and GPS unit were missing. The locked narcotics container was accounted for, as was cash.

While utility crews were replacing the pole, a man with a head injury showed up and started asking a lot of questions about the wreck, so the police were called.  He was arrested on related charges and they found a GPS receiver and a cell phone on his person.  The BAS has identified the items as belonging to them.

Read the complete report in the Bemidji Pioneer HERE.

Posted by firegeezer on February 23, 2010 • Filed under: EMS Topics, ambulances, crime • Tagged: ,

Amb. Driver Sentenced for Manslaughter

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A FORMER EMPLOYEE OF LOUISVILLE METRO EMS in Kentucky was sentenced to prison earlier today to cap a story that we have been following for 22 months. 

Tammy Brewer (WAVE-TV)

Tammy Brewer (WAVE-TV)

In April 2008 Tammy Brewer, now 37, was driving a Metro ambulance carrying a patient to the hospital when it ran off the road and wrecked.  The patient received fatal injuries from the crash, dying in the hospital later from blunt force trauma.  At the time, Brewer told police that a pedestrian darted out in front of the ambulance (shortly after midnight) causing her to swerve and crash.  (Firegeezer report HERE.) 

Two weeks later a witness came forward who told police that she was driving behind the ambulance the night of the crash and the vehicle was swerving for a half-mile to a mile. “It swerved from our lane to the other lane back to our lane and it wasn’t just a little bit of a swerve to the line, they were swerving all the way over to the other lane,” she said.  (Firegeezer REPORT.)

The investigation continued until August 2009 when she was indicted by a grand jury on charges of murder, assault, driving under the influence, wanton criminal endangerment and criminal mischief.  (Firegeezer REPORT.)

This morning Brewer appeared before a judge and pleaded guilty to manslaughter, assault, wanton endangerment, criminal mischief and driving under the influence of intoxicants.  She was then sentenced to serve 10 years in prison.

WHASTV Ch. 11 has this video report from the courtroom this morning:

Posted by firegeezer on February 22, 2010 • Filed under: EMS Topics, Law & Justice, Vehicle Operation & Ambulances, Videos, ambulances • Tagged: , , ,

Drag Race Spectator Killed By Flying Tire

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A WOMAN SITTING BEHIND THE STANDS AT FIREBIRD INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY in Chandler, Arizona, died Sunday following a freak accident on the drag strip.  The race track was hosting the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Arizona Nationals, a major circuit event.

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The errant dragster a moment before the wheel came off.
(all photos from Roger Richards / CompetitionPlus.com)

During a race between two Top Fuel Dragster category cars, the left rear wheel came off one of the dragsters, sending the car into a flaming tumble down the track.  The wheel started bouncing, hitting the barrier and then bouncing over the grandstand and landing on the woman who was sitting at a picnic table next to a motor home behind the stands.

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She was immediately attended to by a Gila River Reservation ambulance and then transferred to a helicopter where she was flown to the hospital.  She died shortly after.

ABC15 has this video report with additional information:

The NHRA is investigating the cause of the equipment failure, but has not determined what happened yet.

Posted by firegeezer on February 22, 2010 • Filed under: EMS Topics, Fire Rescue Topics, Videos, cars, rescue • Tagged: , , ,

EMS Leaders Investigated for Missing Drugs

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SPARSELY-POPULATED HICKMAN COUNTY, TENNESSEE, was rocked this week when it was learned that their two top emergency agency officials are being investigated for drugs missing from county ambulances.

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Emergency Management Agency Director Terry Cloud has been placed on medical leave without pay and the director of EMS, Michael Lynn, is on administrative leave with pay, according to Hickman County Mayor Steve Gregory.  When the suspicions were first brought to the attention of the county district attorney, she requested the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) to look into the allegations.  When they have completed their investigation, they will give the D. A. their findings and she will determine what action to take.

NewsChannel5 Nashville provided this video report:

The TBIconfirms that the investigation is for taking prescription drugs from the ambulances for personal use.  Mayor Gregory made the decision to suspend the two employees while the investigation continues and he has assigned the assistant EMA director to temporarily run both agencies.

Posted by firegeezer on February 21, 2010 • Filed under: EMS Topics, Videos, ambulances, crime • Tagged: , , , ,

Time to Move the Button

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A NEW YORK CITY POLICE DISPATCHER WAS TAKING AN AMBULANCE CALL from Manhattan Thursday and mistakenly sent the ambulance to Brooklyn instead.  By the time the mistake was identified and corrected, an ambulance that was sent to the correct location arrived shortly after the 6-yr-old patient had died.

The call came from a distraught mother on Avenue C in Manhattan who was reporting that her young son was suddenly bleeding from his nose, but he was unable to provided the dispatcher with a related cross-street.  The dispatcher then pressed a button that is designed to provide that sort of information, but she hit the button for the Brooklyn street grid instead.  Brooklyn also has an Ave. C, so a unit was sent on the call.  They arrived 6 minutes after the call first came in to 9-1-1, but quickly determined that they were at the wrong address.  When dispatch called back the phone number, they then learned of the error and sent another unit to the correct location.

When the 2nd ambulance arrived, 18 minutes had passed since the call was first received and by then the boy had died.

The New York Daily News reports that the boy had been taken to a hospital on Monday and a clinic on Wednesday for flu-like symptoms and a fever.  City authorities admit that it was human error and not a computer malfunction that led to the delay.

WPIX-TV has this video report:
 

Posted by firegeezer on February 21, 2010 • Filed under: EMS Topics, Videos, ambulances, dispatch • Tagged: ,

Blazingly Fast Response

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A NORTHERN IRELAND AMBULANCE SERVICE unit was responding to the Antrim Hospital with a patient Sunday afternoon when the driver notice smoke starting to come into the cab.

He immediately pulled over and the crew got the patient out safely just seconds before the ambulance broke out in flames.  It was completely destroyed while a passerby loaded the patient and paramedic into his van and completed the trip.

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The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service said that an investigation into the fire has been launched. The Service insisted that the ambulance fleet is safe and said that “no vehicles will be withdrawn at this stage”.

The Belfast Telegraph has the STORY.

Posted by firegeezer on February 15, 2010 • Filed under: EMS Topics, Fires, Vehicle Operation & Ambulances, ambulances, fire • Tagged: , ,

Are Justin & Mark the 21st Century Gage & DeSoto?

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SPEND MOST OF THE WEEKEND WISHING I WAS IN SAN FRANCISCO. 

Friday night was the world premiere of Episode 1 of the Chronicles of EMS. It covered the visit of Mark Glencourse, a Paramedic team leader for the north east ambulance service based in Newcastle upon Tyne and author of the 999Medic blog, with Justin Schorr, a San Francisco firefighter/paramedic who is know to many as The Happy Medic.

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This adventure started almost a year ago, with Mark and Justin comparing their different ems systems through their blogs. Two other paramedics, with experience in filmaking, raised the discussion to a higher level. They documented Mark’s visit to San Francisco.

Thaddeus Setla completed a documentary about Alameda County EMS, LEVEL ZERO. For Chronicles of EMS Setla used four high definition cameras. For reasons unknown to me, Justin and Mark kept referring to Setla as the “Jedi Master.”

Chris Montera is Colorado based paramedic who functioned as the producer for the Chronicles project. Montera is CEO/Producer and Host for EMS Garage, EMS Leadership and is the Producer of EMS Educast podcasts.

HOTEL FRANK

The world premiere was in an eclectic Union Square hotel with wi-fi installed a week earler. Like many emergency service adventures, this event worked on a short lead time, with just-in-time (or a little late) deliveries. Watching the streaming video, the 60+ attendees seemed giddy before the showing and tipsy after the premiere.

justin4The episode was stunning, an example of REAL reality TV. Interesting people telling compelling stories rich in texture. It helps that Justin and Mark are photogenic and articulate.

I enjoyed the interaction between Justin and Mark. During the week they were filming, both posted blog updates, Thaddeus set up a facebook fan page, and a couple of dozen ems-oriented bloggers/tweeters commented on the adventure.

For some of us, the premiere finally allowed us to see the stories we read about months ago.

TWO THEMES

The first is the difference in transport options, UK does not HAVE to transport every patient encountered.

The second is that there is no charge for ambulance service in the UK. The concept that access to emergency care would be affected by the ability to pay really troubled Mark, providing a moving final scene in the movie. Glencourse

There also was a hilarious short where they acted out Mark’s perception of United States ems. Can see Zoll working on the credit card option for the 12-lead. The paramedic can swipe the credit card to process the ambulance payment before the leads are connected to the patient.

SOCIAL MEDIA

On Saturday afternoon, Setla and company set up two additional episodes.  Roundtable discussion about the Seat At The Table, sort of a “what’s next” discussion of the impact of the process in getting Episode 1 completed, changes in the paramedic profession (EMS 2.0) and a new generation of ems “true believers.:

The final episode was a round table on the impact of Social Media on EMS. Covered public education, training, HIPPA and quality improvement.

Justin and Mark will be at the EMS Today conference in Baltimore, March 4-6. Details will eventually be posted on the Chronicles web site.

Mike “FossilMedic” Ward

Posted by fossilmedic on February 13, 2010 • Filed under: EMS Topics, News • Tagged: , , , , , , , , , ,

Pennsylvania EMS Providers Sue Insurers

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THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, HAS JOINED A GROWING NUMBER of statewide EMS providers who are suing several health insurers for refusing to pay ambulance fees to the service providers.  The group is petitioning the court to open the case as a class-action suit which would join approx. 200 ambulance squads/firms together in the suit.

They are claiming that the insurance firms are refusing to pay the emergency service fees unless the EMS firms sign a contract with them agreeing to accept a much smaller fee for services than the legitimate cost of providing them.  The ambulance squads are accusing them of “a pattern of extortion” in the attempt to force them into agreeing to the reduced payments.  Instead, the insurers are paying the lower fees directly to the patients, who may or may not reimburse the ambulance firm.

The plaintiffs claim that state law gives them the right to be paid directly.  Besides Pittsburgh, the plaintifffs include the Ambulance Association of Pennsylvania (200+ members), Monessen Ambulance Service, Mon Valley Emergency Medical Services, Robinson EMS, Goodwill Hose Company Ambulance Association, Lancaster EMS Association, United Hook & Ladder Co., New Oxford Community Fire Co., Penn Township Volunteer Emegency Services Inc., Tremont Area Ambulance Association, Valley Ambulance Authority, Yoe Fire Company Ambulance Service and Northwest EMS. 

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has MORE.
Posted by firegeezer on February 13, 2010 • Filed under: EMS Topics, Law & Justice, ambulances • Tagged: