Ambuglances ::: Region I's Official Newsletter

Cherokee County Converts to Municipal EMS

Cherokee County Commissioners have decided to cancel the contract with Atlanta South Ambulance and begin operation of the EMS service from the Fire Department. The change occurred on Monday, January 27 at 8:30 a.m. The Fire Department has leased a fleet of ambulances until the newly purchased ambulances arrive. The Director of the service is Dr. Jill Mabley, the first physician service director in the region and possibly the state. Atlanta South representatives stated that the service intends to retain a presence in the county and has applied for an ambulance zone in Cherokee county.

Region I to Give Five National Registry Exams in 2003

Region 1 will host five National Registry EMT-Intermediate(85) and Paramedic(99) exams in 2003 on the following dates: March 21-22, June 20-21, September 19-20, November 21-22 and December 12-13.

National Registry Now Has On-Line Test Results

The National Registry has announced that its website now has a section where test results are available. This will speed the process of EMT certification. It is still necessary to apply to DHR for reciprocity and a Georgia number before you can be employed. The website is located at http://www.nremt.org

Nominating Committee Recommends New Slate of Officers

The Region 1 EMS Council Nominating Committee recommended the following slate of officers for the 2003 session: Don Starnes - Chairman, Rick Cobb - Vice Chairman, Executive Committee - Herbert Dodd, Dr. Jill Mabley, Lonnie Oliver, Tim Reeve, Craig Norton and Stanley Payne. The elections will be held at the next regular meeting due to a lack of a quorum at the January meeting because of in climate weather.

EMS Instructor Pre-test to be Held in Calhoun

The 2003 EMS Instructor screening dates and locations have been announced. The first will be located at Coosa Valley Technical College on the Calhoun Campus on March 26, 2003. Applications may be obtained at the Region 1 offices upon request. The deadline for application is March 10, 2003. The instructor course will be held in Clarkesville on October 19-24, 2003.

Annual EMS Day at the Capitol Announced

The annual opportunity for the EMS community to be recognized and to tell their legislators what bills they support will again be held at the Georgia Freight Depot next to the Capitol on February 27 from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Please plan to attend and wear your uniforms. Additional details may be obtained by calling 912-354-1012. You must RSVP by February 17 to participate in the recognition ceremony. Please attend the reception even if you don't participate in the recognition ceremony.

Detroit News Articles Outline Ambulance Crash Problem in U.S.

The Detroit News has released a series of articles about the safety of ambulances. The article states that the ambulance industry is responsible for 6500 crashes a year in the United States with 10 persons injured a day and 2 killed a month. Most crashes are settled out of court because of the difficulty in defending the actions of the driver. The article also states that 41% of the drivers involved in fatal accidents have driving citations before the accident and that the ambulance hits the other vehicle 74% of the time. Factors involved in the injuries and deaths were driver fatigue, inadequate occupant restraint systems in the ambulance and unsecured equipment. The transport of children in ambulances was also examined and determined to be inadequate in most cases. Possible solutions suggested are screening of calls, redesign of ambulances for safety and increased screening of drivers. Copies of this article are available at the Region 1 EMS office upon request and have been distributed to all services.

Air Ambulance Legislation Introduced in Georgia

A bill to regulate the air ambulance industry in Georgia has been introduced in the legislature, in fact, two bills have been introduced. Senate Bill 4 and Senate Bill 7 have been introduced in this session. Most air ambulance providers prefer Senate Bill 7, which provides flexibility by reserving details of the regulations to rules. You can monitor legislation at http://www.legis.state.ga.us/legis/2003_04/leg/legislation.htm Contact your local legislator if you have any opinions on these bills.

Several Office of EMS Employees Move to 2 Peachtree Street

David Bean, Dr. Pat O'Neal, and Dennis Jones have moved to 2 Peachtree Street as a result of their activities in terrorism preparedness. E.J. Dailey, Charles Benson, Paul Ownby and others remain at the Skyland Drive offices.

Last Haz-Mat for EMT Instructors Course

The final Haz-Mat course for EMT Instructors will be held at Georgia Public Safety Training Center in Forsyth on February 8, 2003. Contact Jim Cutcher for more details at 706-295-6176.

It's Time to Recognize Excellence Again

The Region 1 awards committee has determined to move the awards banquet and process to earlier in the year in order to be able to nominate recipients for the state awards. Last years awards will be retained: EMT of the Year, EMS Educator of the Year, EMS Service of the Year, Medic of the Year, Dr. Virginia Hamilton award, Dr. A. Richard Gray Trauma award and EMS Director of the Year.The nominations will be mailed in the first week of February and must be received by the Region 1 EMS Office by March 7 at 4:30 p.m. The banquet is tentatively scheduled to be held at Walker County Civic Center in Rock Springs, Georgia on March 20 at 7:00 p.m. Invitations will be mailed as soon as final arrangements are made. A meal will be available for less than $10 per person. This is your chance to recognize your service and your peers for the hard work they have done during 2002. Please support your profession.

Bartow EMS Goes Electronic for PCRs

Bartow County EMS has converted to electronic PCR entry. They join Polk EMS and Redmond EMS using the portable computers for reporting.

Job Bank

The following EMS Services have openings for Paramedics and EMTs: Hutcheson Medical Center EMS, Whitfield County EMS, Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services.

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!