Ambuglances ::: Region I's Official Newsletter

How Will You Observe September 11?

September 11 has become a sort of memorial day for public safety personnel in America. Several churshes have already scheduled services to remember the second anniversary of the terrorist attack on America. How will you remember September 11, 2001? Last year several services assembled all public safety agencies in a public place and held a minute of silence at 8:46 a.m. to remember the moment that the first plane crashed into the world trade center and those passengers, crew and residents of the world trade center who lost their lives. Sirens were then sounded to remember the public safety personnel who were killed in the collapse of the world trade center towers. A prayer of a local minister and a speech from a local public official were the last part of the ceremony. Many services also flew American flags on public safety vehicles on September 11. There has been no official order to lower flags to half staff. Please let us know what you did for September 11 for the next issue of Ambuglances. You may also send digital pictures to cdloftin@gdph.state.ga.us.

EMTALA Refines Ambulance Rules

A recent communication from CMS stated that policies regarding EMTALA has changed. One of the changes mentioned was a clarification that hospital-owned ambulances may comply with city-wide and local community protocols for responding to medical emergencies and thus be used more efficiently for the benefit of their communities. I will have more on this change in the next issue.

PEPP Class Attracts Large Attendance

The first Pre-Hospital Education for Prehospital Professionals in Region 1 attracted more than 30 people in the roll-out course. Pictured above is Scott Radaker of Erlanger who instructed at the course.

EMS Educator Course to be Held in Athens

The annual EMS Educators course will again be held at the UGA Continuing Education Center in Athens. The dates are September 28-30 and the cost is $150 if paid before September 19. All EMS Instructors including First Responder, EMT and Paramedic have to attend continuing education programs in order to recertify. Put this program on your calendar.

Dr. Jill Mabley becomes Region 1 EMS Medical Director

Dr. Jill Mabley of Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services, has agreed to take the position of Region 1 EMS Medical Director. We thank Dr. Paul Nassour of Hutcheson Medical Center for his years of service in the position and welcome Dr. Mabley.

Homeland Security Summit to be Held

Augusta and Atlanta will be the sites of the second annual Homeland Security Summit which will include a full-scale WMD exercise, a multi-agency SARS response and a giant Homeland Security technology exhibit area. See more on-line at www.securitysummit.org.

Puckett EMS and MCG Offer Critical Care Course

Puckett EMS of Powder Springs and the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta have announced a critical care paramedic course to be offered at the Puckett Training Center. The course begins on October 28 and ends on October 28 and ends on November 21, 2003 The cost is $700. For more information, contact Kate Smith at 770-222-5045.

TIME Conference Announces 20th Anniversary Conference

November 12-13 will be the dates of the 20th annual TIME Conference for EMS. It will be held this year at Darton College in Albany. The cost will be $85 and an EMS Competition will preceed the conference. For more information, contact the Region 1 EMS Office at 706-295-6154.

First Responder Instructor Course Announced

A First Responder Instructor course has been announced at North Central Technical College in Waco for December 8-12, 2003. More information on this course will be presented in the next issue.

Two EMS Instructor Courses to be Offered This Year

Due to the high demand and large number of candidates passing the screening exam, the Office of EMS will be offering two EMS Instructor courses this year. Both courses will be held in Clarkesville, Georgia. The first program will be held from October 19-25 and the second will be on November 9-14. The next screening for candidates is scheduled for early next year.

Asthma Care Course to be Held

Several free asthma educator and care manager courses will be held in late 2003 in the Atlanta area. The courses will be held on September 20 at the Century Center Mariott, October 25 at Northwest Mariott and November 15 at eh Perimeter Center Mariott. Contact Breathe Georgia at 404-885-9789 for more information or visit the website at www.breathegeorgia.org.

Twentieth Annual Georgia Education School to be Held

The twentieth annual Georgia Extrication School will again be held in Athens on October 10-12 at the UGA Continuing Education Center. The conference will again provide instruction on school bus extrication. The cost will be $185. For more information, contact 706-583-2862 or visit the website at www.region10ems.org.

Hutcheson Medical Center EMS to Sponsor Next Council Meeting

Hutcheson Medical Center EMS has agreed to sponsor the next regular meeting of the Region 1 EMS Council on October 16, 2003 at 2:00 p.m. Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services has agreed to sponsor the January 15, 2004 meeting in Canton.

AED's Presented to Polk Fire Dept and Fannin County EMS

The Automatic External Defibrillators obtained from the Rural Health Grant were presented to Polk County Fire Department and Fannin County EMS. There may be several more years of funding for AEDs to rural counties. Many thanks to E.J. Dailey and Marty Billings for leadership in obtaining the grants.

Do you have a news story you would like published in Ambuglances? If so, let David Loftin know about it. He can be reached via telephone at (706) 295-6154 or via email at cdloftin@gdph.state.ga.us. Let's inform the region about your news!