Ambuglances ::: Region I's Official Newsletter

Final Decision Released for EMT-Basics on Ambulances

David Bean, Director of the Georgia Office of EMS, has issued his decision about the utilization of EMT-Basics on Georgia ambulances. His decision is that only one of the crewmembers on Georgia ambulances may be an EMT-Basic. The other crewmember must be a Georgia EMT-Intermediate, Cardiac Technician or Paramedic. This policy is effective immediately on all Georgia ambulances. EMT-Basics may also be used as the single crewmember on Georgia licensed First Responder units.

EMS Day at the Capitol

Georgia EMS personnel and Georgia legislators met once again at the Georgia Freight Depot to discuss the 2003 legislation related to the Georgia EMS community. The 2003 EMS Day at the Capitol will go into the records as one of the most successful. The roster of legislators attending was impressive including the new Speaker of the House and the Lieutenant Governor. Region 1 was well represented by EMS personnel from Murray County EMS, Gordon Ambulance, Floyd Medical Center EMS and Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services. Gail Helmy was also present to lobby for Senate Bill 7, the Air Ambulance legislation. Pictured above are (L to R) Marcus Desmond, Representative, Lt. Governor Mark Taylor and Duck. Other pictures of the event can be found on our picture page section.

Council Refuses Atlanta South Proposal

The Transportation Committee and the Executive Committee of the Region 1 EMS Council has refused a proposal from Atlanta South Ambulance to open zoning in Cherokee County. Atlanta South Ambulance had previously operated under the Cherokee County government ambulance license as Cherokee County EMS. The County Commission had decided to cancel the contract with Atlanta South and operate the service out of the Cherokee County Fire Department. Atlanta South officials decided to ask for zoning to be open in order to regain 911 calls and continued to operate a scaled down operation. Atlanta South (now Atlanta North) will continue to operate two units in Cherokee County despite the decision.

EMSAC Receives New Rules and Regulations Draft

David Bean, Director of the Office of EMS, has distributed a draft of the new Ambulance Rules and Regulations, to EMSAC members for comment. The EMSAC members have been instructed not to reveal the draft to others. The next step after EMSAC review will be distribution to the entire EMS community for comment. This should happen in the next few months.

Chattooga County Receives a Broselow Bag

Kelley Buddenhagen, Director of the EMS-C program for the Office of EMS, has presented Chattooga County EMS with a Broselow Bag as a part of a grant for rural counties and hospitals. Eighty-eight of the bags will be presented in Georgia. The Braselow bag is a segmented bag designed to assist hospital and pre-hospital in the decision of what sizes of equipment and supplies should be used for pediatric patients. A Braselow Tape is used to decide which colored segment of the bag to use on the pediatric patient by the patients size. Congratulations, Chattooga County EMS.

Nominations for 2003 Region and State Awards Distributed

The 2003 Region 1 EMS and the Georgia EMS Awards Nomination forms have been distributed to all EMS Services and EMS Council members. The Region 1 EMS Awards Banquet will be held on March 20, 2003 at the Walker County Civic Center in Rock Springs, Georgia. The banquet will be held at 7:00 p.m. and will cost $10 per person for a meal. Pre-registration is mandatory and is free if you do not plan to eat. The 2003 Georgia EMS Awards Banquet will be held in conjunction with the EMS Management Conference at Unicoi State Park on May at 11:00 a.m. Please plan to attend both events.

Its Time for CHANGES

The annual Georgia EMS Conference in Augusta known as CHANGES will again be held at the Radisson Riverwalk Hotel and Conference Center. Registration forms are available at the Region 1 EMS Office. The conference will again feature a golf tournament and ACLS competition. Visit the Region 6 website for more details. We will see you there.

Canton Fire Department becomes First Responder

Canton Fire Department has become the latest addition to the Region 1 Licensed First Responder list. Their two licensed vehicles will be a welcome addition to the Cherokee County medical coverage joining Cherokee County Fire Department and Atlanta North Ambulance. Welcome Canton Fire Department.

Endotracheal Placement Study to begin soon.

Region 1 is in the process of approving a draft to be circulated for comment by the EMS community to verify placement of endotracheal tubes. This form will be used in addition to the Georgia PCR. It will be completed by EMS and hospital personnel to verify what methods were used to verify correct placement. This study was prompted by a study from Florida which showed a large amount of unrecognized esophageal placement of endotracheal tubes upon delivery to the hospital. In addition to providing research data, the form will protect EMS personnel by documentation of correct tube placement upon arrival to the hospital.

CMS Posts Most Frequently Asked Questions

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has posted on the Medicare Ambulance Services Webpage additional responses to frequently asked questions (FAQs) submitted on the Medicare ambulance fee schedule. To view the FAQs, visit http://www.cms.gov/suppliers/ambulance/default.asp

EMPD posts When to call 911 brochure

The National Academies of Emergency Medical Dispatch (NAED) has announced a new public education brochure entitled "Medical Emergencies, When to Call and What to Expect When You Dial 911 and What you should do before help arrives". For additional public education links and for your free copy of this new brochure visit http://www.emergencydispatch.org/pubeducation.shtml

Ambulance Crash Statistics

The Fatal Accident Reporting System (FARS) has released information on ambulance crashes in the United States. The information indicates that during 1991-2000, 300 fatal crashes occurred involving ambulances, resulting in the deaths of 82 ambulance occupants and 275 occupants of other vehicles and pedestrians. The statistics indicates that 27 of the occupants killed were on-duty EMS workers. These comprised 3% of all ambulance occupants and 33% of the occupant fatalities. The majority of the 27 EMS worker fatalities occurred in the front of the vehicle 11(41%) in the drivers seat and 5 (19%) in the front passenger seat. Those coded as "other enclosed" accounted for 7 (26%) of the EMS worker fatalities, those persons probably working in the patient compartment. Four EMS workers were listed in the "other/unknown" seating positions. Lets be careful out there.

Saint Simons Island EMS Seminar

No it's not in Jekyll Island this year. The 17th Annual Georgia EMS Conference sponsored by the Georgia EMS Directors Association will be held on St. Simons Island, Georgia. The conference will be held from August 19 - 22 at the Sea Palms Golf and Tennis Resort. The cost will be $95 and the conference will include a $500 door prize, golf tournament and dances. For more information contact Southeast Georgia EMS at 1-912-264-3907. Check out the Sea Palms Golf and Tennis Resort at http://www.SeaPalms.com

Accreditation of EMS Courses News

A select committee of EMS Educators have been working hard on an Accreditation Handbook and Evaluation Instrument for EMS Courses in Georgia. This process will foster quality in the initial education programs which produce the manpower for Georgia EMS and will involve both DTAE and private programs. David Foster and Jim Cutcher represented Region 1 on this committee. The draft will be presented is being evaluated by the EMS Coordinators at present before public comment.

New Website for Georgia Office of EMS

The Georgia Office of EMS has expanded the information available on the web and has posted a calendar of events on a new site at http://www.ph.dhr.state.ga.us/calendar.shtml EMS events are represented by a blue cross on the training calendar.

EMS Council to Vote on Officers at Next Meeting

The Northwest Georgia Region 1 EMS Council will be voting on officers to include chairman, vice-chairman and executive committee at the next regularly scheduled meeting on Thursday, April 17, 2003 at 2:00 p.m. at the Region 1 Offices in Rome. This election was postponed from the last meeting in January because of the lack of a quorum caused by the threat of ice and snow.

Will You Take the Smallpox Vaccine?

The smallpox vaccination program is in the second phase including regional trauma centers and public health personnel. The next phase to be implemented before the end of the year will include EMS personnel. You should begin to make the decision about whether you will receive the voluntary vaccination now. Personnel previously receiving the vaccination will not be fully protected according to health authorities and must receive a booster. Contact David Loftin for more information about the vaccine.

EMS Instructor Screening to be Held in Calhoun

The first of two EMS Instructor screening events will be held in Calhoun at Coosa Valley Technical College on March 26-27, 2003. The price is $100 and applications are available at Region 1 EMS offices. Persons successfully completing the screening will be cleared for attendance at the next EMS Instructor course. Contact Jim Cutcher at 706-295-6176 for more information.

Changes in Region I Website

The Region 1 website has been moved to a private server and the webmaster, Eric Nix, has made some changes which will insure that the website is updated on a regular basis. We appreciate the extraordinary effort, Eric has made on the website despite attending medical school.

Videotape Training Program News

More than 10 EMS Services are currently participating in the Pulse Tape Training Videotape Program sponsored by Region 1 EMS. We are asking the participants to return the tapes promptly in order to continue the program. We will be suspending all participants who have not returned more and one tape until the tapes are returned.

E-Mail News Chain

Want to receive the latest news from the EMS Community each day? Join the Region 1 EMS News Chain. E-Mail David Loftin to subscribe at cdloftin@gdph.state.ga.us Sensitive information will not be sent on this chain just general information related to the EMS Community.

EMS License Information

Contact David Loftin for a new compact disk containing all EMS License information at cdloftin @gdph.state.ga.us The forms are in three formats including Word and PDF

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!