Sign up here to receive the EMS Weekly Recap in your e-mail.

A major EMS operation has been underway in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast region this week as a result of Hurricane Gustav. Providers from across the country have assisted with the evacuation, repopulation and increased medical calls.

EMS operations as well as other city services stopped Monday morning when 45 mph sustainable winds occurred, said Jeb Tate, New Orleans EMS spokesman, and they resumed service about 4 p.m. after Gustav moved out.

View the latest EMSResponder.com report and its related links, EMS Ready as New Orleans Residents Return.

The EMS industry lost another flight crew this week when an Air Evac Lifeteam helicopter went down near Greensburg, Indiana. All three crew members were killed in the Sunday afternoon crash: pilot Roger Warren, flight nurse Sandra Pearson and flight paramedic Wade Weston.

The crew, based in Rushville, was leaving a fundraiser at the Burney Fire Department and did not have a patient onboard, officials said. It was reported that the main rotor came off before the crash.

Read the details at Indiana Medical Helicopter Explodes in Crash; 3 Killed.

Industry News:

The EMS Diversity in America Study Tour is calling for registrations ASAP in order for participants to secure early bird rates for accommodations during the week-long event. The members signed up so far are a diverse group from the U.S. and abroad. The tour will travel the Southwest U.S. to study local EMS systems from Oct. 7-14, ending at EMS EXPO in Las Vegas. Participants will receive a complimentary 3-day Conference Program pass and 30 CEUs.

To learn more visit www.worldemstour.ncemsi.org, and "meet" tour guide Neil Kirby by listening to his podcast on EMSResponder.com.

New Survey: The Top 20 Developments in EMS

EMS Magazine asked its editorial advisory board to list the top developments in the history of EMS. Here are their suggestions; now we ask you to vote for your top choice in each category. The results will be published in conjunction with EMS EXPO 2008 this October 13-17 in Las Vegas, NV. We thank you for your contribution! Click above to participate.

DHS Adopts Standards for Responders to Hazmat/WMD Incidents

These two NFPA standards set minimum requirements for personnel responding to incidents involving hazardous materials and weapons of mass destruction.