EMS News

1. New Program in New York Aims to Ease EMT Shortage Resulting from Replacing State Certification with National

   

   The state of New York is changing certifications needed for prehospital care, which could put more strain on first responders.

2. 1 Dead, 11 Injured in Scaffolding Collapse at Madrid Hotel

   

   MADRID (AP) — Scaffolding at a luxury hotel undergoing renovation in central Madrid collapsed on Tuesday after wrought iron work on the sixth floor of the Ritz Hotel collapsed shortly after 4 p.m. (1400 GMT; 10 a.m. EDT), dragging the internal scaffolding down five stories along with the workers, according to the official from the emergency services.

3. Flood Victims Get Food and Water; Rain Spreads to Northeast

   

   The death toll from the storm rose to at least 32 in three states, with 25 fatalities in North Carolina. Parts of southern New Hampshire and much of Massachusetts were under a flash flood warning, and a tornado warning was issued near Salem, Massachusetts.

    

4. Paramedic Chiefs of Canada Release Position Statement on Violence to Paramedics

   

   The Paramedic Chiefs of Canada (PCC) position statement outlines the situation, provides an assessment and statistics, and recommendations to deal with the serious issue of violence to Paramedics.

5. Bristol Hospital Selects ESO Health Data Exchange To Improve Community Health and Safety

   

   Greater insight and sharing of information between EMS agencies and Emergency Departments creates continuity in patient care records and timeliness of treatment options

6. Massachusetts Governor Holds First of Its Kind School Active Shooter Symposium

   

   Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker and high-ranking members of his administration joined the National Fire Protection Association on Thursday, Sept. 6, at a symposium for police, fire, EMS and school officials from communities across the Commonwealth to discuss active shooter/hostile event responses (ASHER).

7. Toppled Trees, Swift Water, Have Killed Many During Florence

   

   CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Florence — which was once a hurricane and now is a tropical depression — is being blamed for at least 20 deaths in the Carolinas. Fourteen were in North Carolina. Three small children have been killed, two from falling trees.

8. Clarion Fire & Rescue Announces Staff Promotions and New Hires

   

   Clarion UX’s Fire & Rescue Group, formerly PennWell Corporation, announces key organizational changes; including three promotions and three all-star new hires.

9. Input Requested: Development of CPR LifeLinks Implementation Toolkit

   

   CPR LifeLinks, jointly led by the NHTSA Office of EMS and the National 911 Program, is a national initiative to help communities save more lives through the implementation of telecommunicator and high-performance CPR programs. 

10. Survey Finds 2M US Teens Are Vaping Marijuana

    

    A school-based survey shows nearly 1 in 11 U.S. students have used marijuana in electronic cigarettes, heightening concern about the new popularity of vaping among teens.

11. Rescues Continue as Florence Flooding Spreads as Storm Heads Northeast

    

    The spreading disaster claimed additional lives Sunday, with at least 17 people confirmed dead, and the nation's top emergency official said other states were in the path this week. Flooding worries were increasing in West Virginia and Virginia, where power outages also were on the rise. About 500,000 homes and businesses were in the dark.

12. Man Rushed to Hospital, Dies After Shark Attack off Cape Cod

    

    WELLFLEET, Mass. (AP) — A man was bitten by a shark Saturday in the water off a Cape Cod beach and died later at a hospital, becoming the state's first shark attack fatality in more than 80 years.

13. Mother, Infant, Among Several Killed by Hurricane Florence

    

    Paramedics transported a man to a local hospital after tree toppled on a group of people in Wilmington, N.C. Despite a coordinated rescue effort by firefighters, paramedics and doctors, they were not able to save the lives of a mother and infant who were trapped beneath the tree.

14. Florence Pours on the Rain in the Carolinas; Death Toll at 5

    

    Hurrican Florence arrived yesterday with strong winds that buckled buildings, deluged entire communities and knocked out power to more than 900,000 homes and businesses. Rescue crews used inflatable boats to reach those trapped in their submerged homes and Coast Guard helicopters lifted residents trapped on their rooftops.

15. PatientCare Acquires LifeCare EMS in Mississippi

    TYLER, Texas (Sept. 14, 2018) – PatientCare Logistics Solutions, a leading provider of ground-based 911 emergency ambulance and other critical healthcare logistics services, today acquired LifeCare EMS, which serves six counties in Mississippi.
    

16. Country's Largest EMS Supplier Preps for Hurricane Response at Central Ohio Headquarters

    

    Several employees have spent hours making sure its warehouses are stocked with products and supplies now that hurricane Florence has hit, so when first responders hit the ground running, they have what they need.

17. Rescues Needed and Flooding Worsening Due to Florence's Heavy Rains

    

    A weakening Hurricane Florence is almost at a standstill over southeastern North Carolina. Swift water rescue operations as a result of worsening flooding have been taking place across the state.

18. Florence Rolls Ashore in Carolinas, Tears Buildings Apart

    

    WILMINGTON, N.C. (AP) — Hurricane Florence lumbered ashore in North Carolina with howling 90 mph winds and terrifying storm surge early Friday, ripping apart buildings and knocking out power to a half-million homes and businesses as it settled in for what could be a long and extraordinarily destructive drenching.

19. Rescuers from Around the Nation Mass for Florence

    

    Fast response crews from California to Florida and New England converged on the Carolinas to be ready to move into the Hurricane Florence damage zone.

20. Wind and Rain from Florence's Leading Edge Lash Carolinas

    

    Despite being downgraded from a Category 4 to a Category 2 storm, forecasters warned that the widening storm — and its likelihood of lingering around the coast day after day — will bring seawater surging onto land and torrential downpours.

21. Community Paramedic Pilot in Lexington, Kentucky, Resulting in Fewer EMS Calls

    

    Ambulance runs in Lexington are down 2% since February of this year as a result of the Lexington Fire Department's community paramedicine pilot program. Before that, the number of people needing ambulance rides were rising at a record pace.

22. Boy Survives After Meat Skewer Pierces Skull

    

    HARRISONVILLE, Mo. (AP) — A 10-year-old Missouri boy is recovering after he was attacked by insects and tumbled from a tree, landing on a meat skewer that penetrated his skull from his face to the back of his head.

23. Albuquerque Fire Forms 'Home Engagement Alternative Response Team'

    

    A new community paramedic program in Albuquerque hopes to reduce non-emergency 9-1-1 calls by 50% over the next year through home visits.

24. Carolinas Brace for Hurricane Florence and Widespread Flooding

    

    The Latest on Hurricane Florence, whic has gotten a little bit weaker but it remains a very large and dangerous Category 3 storm.

25. AMR Activates National Command Center and Deploys Emergency Response Teams for Hurricane Florence

    

    American Medical Response and its sister companies have deployed hundreds of paramedics and EMTs, and sent ambulances, aircraft and rotor wing craft in response to the federal government’s request for EMS deployment for Hurricane Florence.

26. Prepared for Florence: Health Information for Hurricanes & Tropical Storms

    

    As Hurricane Florence targets the East Coast, the NLM Disaster Information Management Research Center has put together this health information for hurricanes and tropical storms, relevant for EMS and other emergency responders.

27. More than Dozen Treated After Gas Leak Near Houston School

    

    HOUSTON (AP) — Emergency personnel say more than a dozen students and staff have been transported to hospitals to be checked out after a gas leak near a Houston charter school.

28. Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial Shines Spotlight on Cancer in the Fire Service

    

    The deadly truth about cancer in the fire service will be front and center September 15 as fire fighters and paramedics from across the U.S. and Canada join grieving families at the IAFF Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial in Colorado Springs, Colorado, to honor those who have lost their lives in the line of duty.

29. New Influenza Surveillance Tool Supports Communities

    

    ImageTrend announces influenza tracking using Continuum® software in preparation for the upcoming flu season.

30. President, First Lady to Visit Site of Flight 93 Crash

    

    President Donald Trump is marking 17 years since the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil by visiting the Pennsylvania field that became a Sept. 11 memorial.

31. Somber Ceremonies Mark 9/11 Anniversary

    

    Americans are commemorating 9/11 with somber tributes, volunteer projects and a new monument to victims, after a year when two attacks demonstrated the enduring threat of terrorism in the nation's biggest city.

32. East Coast Preps for Hurricane Florence

    

    With mandatory evacuations already issued for parts of three East Coast states, millions of Americans are preparing for what could become one of the most catastrophic hurricanes to hit the Eastern Seaboard in decades.

33. EMT and Paramedics Sing the National Anthem at Denver Broncos Home Opener

    

    Watch as a trio from American Medical Response’s National Honor Guard sing the National Anthem at the Denver Broncos regular season home opener on Sunday, September 9 at Broncos Stadium.

34. EMS Providers in Vegas Trained on Tactical Emergency Casualty Care

    

    Dozens of first responders participated in a weekend-long Tactical Emergency Casualty Care training course taught by Community Ambulance.

35. Four Wounded in Memphis Nightclub Shooting

    

    One person is in critical condition after the shooting at the Purple Haze nightclub.

36. 21 Killed in Bus Crash in Indonesia

    

    Nine seriously injured after tour bus plunged down a ravine.

37. Helicopter Crash Kills Five in Nepal

    

    Rescuers search for missing person in mountain crash.

38. Family Escapes Being Runover by London Subway

    

    None of the three were seriously hurt as the train passed over them.

39. Seven Injured in Knife Attack in Paris

    

    Paris police said four of the victims were in serious condition, including one in life-threatening condition.

40. State of Nevada Selects ImageTrend for Connected Health Records

    

    ImageTrend, Inc. announced the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services has selected ImageTrend for multiple solutions for the state’s health information technology. The interconnected software will provide documentation and reporting for EMS, licensure of EMS care providers and healthcare data interoperability among hospitals, healthcare registries, EMS and HIEs.

41. Florence Becomes a Hurricane, Takes Aim at Southeast U.S.

    

    ATLANTA (AP) — Tropical Storm Florence turned into a hurricane Sunday morning and swirled toward the U.S. for what forecasters said could be a direct hit on the Southeast toward the end of the week.

42. AMR Honor Guard to Sing National Anthem Before Broncos Game

    

    The Denver Broncos will be hosting the First Annual "Honoring First Responders" game.

43. First Responders Helped by Remote Clinicians Using Augmented Reality and Drones

    

    WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue University researchers have developed a unique approach that allows experienced surgeons and physicians around the world to help less-experienced doctors in war zones, natural disasters and in rural areas perform complicated procedures.

44. Four Dead After Active Shooter in Downtown Cincinnati

    

    CINCINNATI (AP) — A gunman opened fire Thursday morning in a building in the heart of Cincinnati in an attack that left him and three other people dead, police said.

45. Rescuers Rush to Quake Site in Northern Japan

    

    Rescuers were rushing to unearth survivors and restore power Thursday after a powerful earthquake jolted Japan's northernmost main island of Hokkaido, buckling roads, knocking homes off their foundations and causing entire hillsides to collapse.

46. Opioid Maker to Pay for Overdose-Antidote Development

    

    A company whose prescription opioid marketing practices are being blamed for sparking the addiction and overdose crisis says it's helping to fund an effort to make a lower-cost overdose antidote.

47. Passengers on Dubai, JFK Flight Appear to Have Flu

    

    A large commercial jet from Dubai caused a scare on Wednesday after a pilot radioed that it would be landing at New York's Kennedy Airport carrying several passengers and crew members who fell ill with flu-like symptoms

48. Report: Fentanyl Deaths in Alaska Quadrupled in 2017

    

    ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A new report says overdose deaths in Alaska involving the synthetic opioid fentanyl more than quadrupled last year.

49. Nerve Agent Information for EMS, Hospitals Now Available

    

    NHTSA Office of EMS has compiled a refresher on standard protocols for recognizing, treating and protecting oneself from nerve agent exposures.

50. California Woman Dies After Jumping Out of Ambulance

    

    The co-owner of the ambulance company said the EMTs followed proper procedures in their use of safety belts to restrain the patient. The California Highway Patrol is investigating the incident.