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NAEMSP Releases Ambulance Safety Data

New research published today in the journal of the National Association of EMS Physicians, Prehospital Emergency Care, finds that 74% of EMS worker deaths are transportation-related, and suggests that these numbers could be reduced if citizens yield to ambulances, and EMS personnel embrace strategies that allow them to remain seated and restrained in the back of the ambulance, among other findings.

Proposed Bill Would Extend Paramedic Death Benefits

Vermont's two U.S. senators are sponsoring legislation that would extend death benefits to relatives of paramedics who work for nonprofit ambulance services and are killed in the line of duty.

Heart Attack Claims North Dakota EMT

The National EMS Memorial Service has announced the line of duty death of EMT Daryl Lahren of Kindred Ambulance in Kindred, North Dakota.

Lahren, 47, reportedly suffered a fatal heart attack after returning to base from a medical call June 25, 2009.

Tulsa Turns to Smaller Medical Response Trucks

The Tulsa Fire Department is giving the green light to a program that uses smaller, more nimble vehicles to improve its response to medical emergencies, officials said.

Medics at two of Tulsa's busiest fire stations will use new Advanced Life Support Squad vehicles starting Wednesday. The rigs are built on pickup frames, Capt. Michael Baker said.

Online Exclusive: Point of View

When Dive Teams Clash

In this guest editorial, Mark Phillips discusses how public safety agencies need to work together ahead of time to ensure a successful response to calls: "The other day I read an article about two dive teams whose members argued over who was going to perform a body recovery. The initial responders were a fire department team, and the follow-up team was from the local sheriff's office. A person had drowned, and a witness called 9-1-1. The fire department team responded with divers, boats and a sonar system. They searched the area for almost an hour without success. Then the sonar operator got a hit and the team was moving to the location to dive when members of the sheriff's office stepped in and told them to stop. An hour had passed and rescue was not possible, they said, so the incident was now a crime scene, and their divers needed to take over. This was not a jurisdictional battle like we've seen when fire department and police dive teams both respond to a 9-1-1 call and argue about who gets to dive. This event involved two identified dive teams with recognized responsibilities: The fire department team was responsible for rescue, and the sheriff's team was responsible for crime scenes. On the surface that sounds reasonable. But in action, it's trouble waiting to happen."