Congratulations New Captains

Corey Burns and Dean Douglas will be promoted to the rank of Captain. They will begin their orientation training in the next few days. Thank you to everyone who applied; this is not an easy process for either the applicants or the staff.

Secure MEMS Medic

Just wanted to remind you of another tool we have to communicate with. Secure MEMS Medic is a website that has everything from the new patient destination policy, to a video on bagging in an updraft to shop info on the black box. If you are a MEMS employee log on to medic.metroems.org and register for you own password and name. I will keep you posted as things are added.

GT

May 1 2008 New Patient Destination Policy

This is the new policy, Please also log on to the MEMS Medic web site for more information including the miranda language that we want you to use when explaining this policy to patients.

medic.metroems.org



MEMS Patient Destination Policy

1 May 2008

Patient destination will be based upon hospital capability and capacity considerations in accordance with the following guidelines:

1. MEMS will continue to recognize that some area hospitals lack the capability to handle certain patients and are not normally an appropriate destination.

2. When area hospitals are over capacity they will continue to report that condition to MEMS, but will no longer be placed on diversion status. Instead, MEMS will continue to log the information and proceed using the following definitions:

Alpha status (green) – The hospital is in normal operations in the given category

Bravo status (yellow) – The hospital is currently over capacity. The hospital will report this condition to MEMS from the category list provided below. In turn, when the hospital is no longer in an over capacity status, they will report this condition to MEMS and will be returned to Alpha (green) status. After two hours in Bravo status, the hospital will automatically revert back to Alpha status.

Charlie status (red) – The hospital lacks the capability to provide a specific type of care and would not normally be an appropriate destination for a patient whose condition would require care in that category. The Charlie determination will be made by the AEPF and the respective hospital administrators for each specific category of care MEMS is tracking for each hospital in the MEMS service.

If the hospital lacks capability in a given area, they would normally always be in Charlie status for that specific category of care. One potential exception is neuro coverage. In this case, depending upon available staffing coverage, a hospital’s status could be reported as Charlie for only that time the capability is lacking and would return to an Alpha or Bravo status when that capability is restored. Example: A facility can report itself in Charlie status for neuro surgery when they do not have a neuro surgeon on call.

Overcrowding is considered a capacity, not a capability issue.

3. Consistent with state EMS rules and regulations, MEMS will transport the patient to the hospital of their choice within our service area. If the patient requests to be transported to a hospital that does not have the capability to treat the patient, MEMS will advise the patient and have them designate another.

4. If the patient requests to be transported to a hospital reporting “Bravo” (over capacity) status in the category of care needed, MEMS will advise the patient that their treatment may be delayed and suggest alternate appropriate hospitals reporting “Alpha” status in that category of care. MEMS will take the patient to the hospital of their choice including their original request.

5. In the event the patient does not, or cannot, designate the hospital of choice, MEMS will transport the patient to an appropriate hospital reporting “Alpha” status in the category of care required. If no hospitals are in “Alpha: status, MEMS will transport to the closest appropriate hospital.

6. If the patient is code blue, or, if in the opinion of the treating paramedic, the patient is in a critical condition, the paramedic may elect to go to the closest hospital regardless of the current capability or capacity status of that facility.

7. In the event MEMS declares a mass casualty incident, or MCI, (8 triage red and/or yellow or 10 patients in any triage category), MEMS will determine the distribution of all patients based upon current hospital capability and capacity considerations as well as total patient count, other concurrent demands for ambulance services, availability of MEMS and mutual aid ambulances, travel distance and other immediate operational considerations.

8. Exception: MEMS will continue to recognize psych diversions. MEMS will transport the patient to the facility of their choice if that facility is not on psych diversion, unless we are in psych “round-robin” status. Psych “round-robin takes effect when 3 of the 4 major hospitals (Baptist Little Rock, Baptist Springhill, St. Vincent Infirmary and UAMS) report themselves on psych diversion. When 3 of these 4 hospitals are on psych diversion, MEMS will distribute psych patients on a “round-robin” basis to all Pulaski County emergency departments.

9. MEMS will use the following categories of care in recording Alpha, Bravo and Charlie status:

Entire Facility Emergency Room
Critical Care – Trauma* Critical Care – Medical
Stemi/Cath lab Neuro Surgery*
Other Neuro* Emergency Surgery*
Labor and Delivery Ortho
Stroke/CVA* Psych
Peds Cat Scan*

* If the hospital loses all of their CAT scan machines, the hospital would be considered to not have capability in theses areas

Tammy Hagler promoted to Lieutenant

A restructuring is taking place in the scheduling office, in recognition of this Tammy Hagler has been promoted to the rank of Lieutenant. Congratulations LT. Haggler.

Little Rock in JEMS

Little Rock Plan Looks to End Patient Diversions from Crowded Hospitals


LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- Little Rock area hospitals no longer would be able to automatically divert ambulances from crowded emergency rooms under an ordinance before the city's Board of Directors tonight.

In a move approved by hospital administrators, Metropolitan Emergency Medical Services wants to eliminate diversions from hospitals in the four-county area it serves to ensure patients aren't turned away from their hospital of choice. The city board will vote on whether to repeal the code requiring the ambulance service to honor diversions.

Link to Story

Good thinking

So there they were, mom locks keys in car...with child....trunk is left open.....beautiful convertible BMW, mom willing to cut top to get kid out, but wait! Our own Clayton Goddard....climbs through the trunk and rescues child.
Great thinking Clayton!!
Thanks to your partner for the action shots ;-)

FYI Captain interviews started

After the flooding, tornadoes, drills and the like, we finally started interviews for the open Captain positions today.

Ambulance worker loses arm in accident

I always hate to report news like this, but want to keep you aware of what is happening in our field. This serves as a reminder to us that we must be careful out here. We have had some close calls, lets make sure that is all they ever are.

Greg


WEST NYACK - An emergency service worker lost her right arm today after the ambulance in which she was a passenger crashed into a truck parked along Route 59 near the flyover to the Palisades Center mall.

Bonnie Ames, 20, was taken by helicopter to the Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla where she underwent surgery.

Link to rest of story

AWARD WINNERS

In all the events of the week, I failed to tell you that Joe Sexton and Dana Burnett were selected as EMT's of the year by the city of Sherwood's Chamber of Commerce. They were recognized for their work the day that Ron Spychalski coded in communications. They not only witnessed the near death of a co-worker, but summoned help, managed their own emergency and at the same time, continued to handle the public's emergencies. Congratulations to Joe and Dana!

422

As you may have heard 422 was involved in an accident at Asher and University in route to a call, not patient loaded. The crew suffered minor injuries, and were both treated at BMC. Medic A Williams was extracted from the passenger seat. The MVA involved a city CAT bus with three passengers plus the diver on board. The passenger were transported all non-critical. Unsure of cause, or fault. Thank God that everyone is as well as they are. We will dig more into the investigation Monday. It is bad, but we are alive, and for the most part well.
I say it all the time to you, Please be careful out there!!

Storms once again

Thursday evening was a big one. We went into condition Yellow status around 9:04
And moved to Red status at around 9:30. Thank you to all who called.
I want to tell those who either held over or came in how much I appreciate you. If you complained I never heard it.
We had a new night Major Janie who acted like a pro and that this was not her first Rodeo, (come to think of it I guess its not) It was newly promoted Caption Pipkins at the helm in dispatch, on his second night with a room full of those in training, or fairly new communications staff. Watching them all work told me that we have a great future. It seemed that our whole service area was getting hit. I was on the phone with MedTran several times in the night to make sure they were OK, they checked on us for the same reason. All the time this was going on, MEMS station sustained a direct lightening hit. Causing us to lose 911 at the dispatch console, SIPS, the AWIN base, electric gates and doors. At the same time that the alarms were going off, wind driven rain came in through a vent in the west wall causing a major leak in the computer room, threatening our intranet. All the while our communications staff worked through the obstacles, keeping their head in the game. They have this one under their belt great job. I want to thank Ron who came in and helped us monitor all that was going on lending his expertise.

For those on the streets, I was not with you in person, but listened as you crossed trees, waded water, dodged storms, fought wind and many other obstacles, never complained. Some doing 17 calls yesterday, but you got the job done, just like you do everyday. Folks I come in most everyday, and do my best to pound out the behind the scenes work that my job requires. I come with the intention to tell you every chance that I can, that I do notice you, and I appreciate your work, spirit and skill. It is probably always too slow, but never, ever forget or doubt that I appreciate you and am in your corner. I am proud of you all!
Greg

Link

8 for 8 !!

Rookie class 10 pulled off an amazing feat all of them passed their written and practical test and are now ALL National registered EMTs. They will start their ride time with FTOs right away. This is a big feat to say the least. Congratulations not only goes the the students, but the staff as well. MEMS Academy has one of the highest pass rates in the country!! We are proud of you all!

I/430 Bridge incident

Wednesday was a long day. As you know 3 men fell from the I/430 bridge when their scaffolding broke free from the bridge. It is one of those calls that we can never write a plan for, because of all the variables. Thank you to Chris Marshall, Clayton Goddard and Chris Waters who did outstanding jobs providing medical as well as logistic support for the effort.


Link to story

Update

Several things have happened since my last Blog. It is important to me that this does not become of no relevance, by being so long between post, my apologies

Lonoke- We did hand over the keys to the station of Lonoke to Southern. We will continue to respond to some of Lonoke County, specifically Butlerville and Tri-Community fire districts. 128 has been moved to the Sherwood station.

New BLS Type 2- Our newest unit just arrived, and is not striped as of this writing. It will be numbered 73. This will replace the old 73 (that used to be 126, and before that SS1) we are waiting to see if it has major motor damage or can repaired to be used as a special event truck only. If we can use it at all, I plane on having the striping redone to make it look “fresher” and renumbering it to ?? we will decided then about the number

609 is back from Excellance, it has been gone since August of 2007. We sent 407 for remounting.

Wheel chair van- We replaced the wrecked 62 with a 2008 Ford numbered now 62. The wrecked unit along with “old blue” (old shop truck) are currently scheduled to be sold for salvage.

Captain Posting- It may have appeared that we have forgotten that we are in the middle of this process, but nothing could be further from the truth. We plan to schedule interviews starting new week.

Greg

Hi Again

Been a while since I have posted, wanted to update you on a few things;
1. We will be leaving Lonoke April 1 2008 at 07:00 at that time Southern will be moving into our old station (we sold it to the city of Lonoke)
2. I will be beginning the interview process for the Captain applicants this week. I will give you more as this unfolds.
3. 511 just got back from Excellance where it was repaired, 609 is almost done, and should arrive next week. We will be sending 407 to be remounted.

Family blames ambulance company for death

I am sure you have heard the story by now, below is the link to the newspaper article.

NLR TIMES

Chili Cook Off

The first MEMS chili cook off was held at station one Saturday night. The competition was fierce, with 10 separate entries.

Our Judges

We brought in Trained Chef Bill Warren. Bill’s credentials included, owner of Twin City Brokerage, member of the Coleman Cooking Team, past judge at many events including the state fair, as well as an official judge of the Miss. Arkansas Pageant to name only a few..

LT John Sparks- John is with Asp and serves as the pilot to the Governor. Traveling with the governor has allowed John to be apart of many such functions around our great state. John is also a cook himself.

Debbie Thompson- Not only is she my wife, but quite the cook in her own right. She works PRN for Twin City Brokerage as an account rep. and has worked many food shows.

And then of course me, my only credentials are I know how to eat. ..

Prize Money

Craig Jones stated out the prize money with $ 50.00 of his own money donated from his building company Payton Place Homes. He was successful in getting not only his $50.00 matched, but had others join him, the list was:

Ø Marlin Doucet $100.00

Ø Dr. Fahdi $100.00

Ø Dr. Wendall Pahls $100.00

Ø Dr. Chuck Mason $100.00,

Ø Craig Jones upped his to an even $100.00

Ø Jon Swanson $100.00.

The winners were

1. Terri Lee $300.00
2. Michelle Bentley $200.00
3. Bob and Peggy Jones $100.00

Great job to all !!

We are posting for Captain positions

I wanted to announce that the process has begun. The number is not a solid number, so I cant tell you how many will be chosen. Each applicant will got through testing, interview, etc.. These people are joining the management team, so I am looking for not only excellent performance skills, but also an equally great attitude and a willingness to learn.

A change of status form must be turned to my office no later than March 10 at 08:00.

Greg

New Training/Saftey Officer

Congratulations to Carrie Stewart on being selected as the new training/safety officer. She begins right away as the third employee assigned full time to training. She will be doing a combination of teaching, clerical and safety. As you are aware we have almost outgrown this property, however we have found one more place to add an office in the training building. The construction should begin within the week.

Some poetry help for Valentines

I know that you have all been busy, and maybe, just maybe you did not have the time to find that just right piece of prose for that one you love…well look no further. I searched and found some of the best poems and sayings I could for this special day. I am thinking about getting into the card business

I don't understand why Cupid was chosen to represent Valentine's Day. When I think about romance, the last thing on my mind is a short, chubby toddler coming at me with a weapon. ~Author Unknown

You have to walk carefully in the beginning of love; the running across fields into your lover's arms can only come later when you're sure they won't laugh if you trip. ~Jonathan Carroll, "Outside the Dog Museum"

We are all a little weird and life's a little weird, and when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love. ~Author Unknown

True love comes quietly, without banners or flashing lights. If you hear bells, get your ears checked. ~Erich Segal

Maybe the best is:

A baby is born with a need to be loved - and never outgrows it. ~Frank A. Clark

OK maybe I should not go in to the greeting card business.......

Great Job!

I received a compliment from a Trooper who observed unit 502 navigate an intersection the crew was Latisha Johnson and Jennifer Hess I am always glad to pass on good news. Job Well Done!!

Greg,
I wanted to compliment one of your drivers. Saturday afternoon (02-09-08) around 2:00 p.m., my family and I were in Little Rock and observed a MEMS unit traveling south on Broadway in an emergency mode. We were traveling east on Markham. Your driver approached the intersection with caution and basically stopped to make sure the intersection was clear before proceeding. Since you and I generally hear form people complaining about the operation of an emergency vehicle I thought you would like to hear about some responsible driving.

Lindsey

Lindsey Williams

Lieutenant, Arkansas State Police

Storm Pictures

Vital Link Unit parked in their station crew uninjured


Hospital In Mountian View

Medical Clinic across from the Hospital

Tuesday evening was one of the deadliest in Arkansas in a long time. My brother went to check on his cabin and brought back these pictures from Mountain View. I do not wish harm on anyone, but am very grateful that our coverage area was not hit. Thank you to all who came in when we went to red status. I appreciate the understanding that was shown. We all know that not everyone will "go" to the MCI, but everyone is needed to strengthen our resources in a way that we can go at all. When American Airlines 1420 crashed, many who were on duty that evening were left at their outlying station, or doing a code 3, or even sitting at I/30 and Broadway, yet when we passed out recognition, everyone on duty that night were recognized, and all wear the 1420 ribbon on their uniform. It takes us all, in whatever area we are assigned to get the job done. 911 calls don’t stop because a tornado came or a plane crashed etc... I am glad that I work with a group that understands that process. We did have some learning’s the other night, by that I mean, we found some things that we can sharpen or do better with the next time. And believe me there will be a next time, there always is, that is why we are here.

Retirement Plan Meetings – Next Week

Mark Thornton of Retirement Plan Advisors will be here next week to discuss the upcoming changes in MEMS Retirement Plan, and to explain the Managed Account Option that will now be available. Everyone should attend one of the following meetings.

February 11, 2008 Monday 18:00 – 20:00

February 12, 2008 Tuesday 15:00 – 17:00

19:00 – 21:00

February 13, 2008 Wednesday 7:00 – 9:00

13:00 – 15:00

17:00 – 19:00

February 14, 2008 Thursday 8:00 – 10:00

13:30 – 15:30

19:00 – 21:00

All meetings will be in the large classroom of the Training Building.

Our newest in-house paramedic class

Great looking group!

Acinetobacter update from Mack

I have at least one call a day on Acinetobacter. This stuff is really no threat to us “healthy” healthcare workers. Spreading it to the immunosupressed, it critical and we have to do our part to prevent this. Taking it home to our families is not a good idea either!

Acinetobacter (ass in ée toe back ter) is a group of bacteria commonly found in soil and water. It can also be found on the skin of healthy people, especially healthcare personnel. While there are many types or “species” of Acinetobacter and all can cause human disease, Acinetobacter baumannii accounts for about 80% of reported infections.

Outbreaks of Acinetobacter infections typically occur in intensive care units and healthcare settings housing very ill patients. Acinetobacter infections rarely occur outside of healthcare settings.

What are the symptoms of Acinetobacter infection?

Acinetobacter causes a variety of diseases, ranging from pneumonia to serious blood or wound infections and the symptoms vary depending on the disease. Typical symptoms of pneumonia could include fever, chills, or cough. Acinetobacter may also “colonize” or live in a patient without causing infection or symptoms, especially in tracheostomy sites or open wounds.

How do people get Acinetobacter infection?

Acinetobacter poses very little risk to healthy people. However, people who have weakened immune systems, chronic lung disease, or diabetes may be more susceptible to infections with Acinetobacter.Hospitalized patients, especially very ill patients on a ventilator, those with a prolonged hospital stay, or those who have open wounds, are also at greater risk for Acinetobacter infection. Acinetobactercan be spread to susceptible persons by person-to-person contact, contact with contaminated surfaces, or exposure in the environment.

How is Acinetobacter infection treated?

Acinetobacter is often resistant to many commonly prescribed antibiotics. Decisions on treatment of infections with Acinetobacter should be made on a case-by-case basis by a healthcare provider. Acinetobacter infection typically occurs in very ill patients and can either cause or contribute to death in these patients.

What should I do to prevent the spread of Acinetobacter infection to others?

Acinetobacter can live on the skin and may survive in the environment for several days. Careful attention to infection control procedures such as hand hygiene and environmental cleaning can reduce the risk of transmission.

· Treat ALL patient contacts with careful attention to infection control procedures

· If you know your patient has a Resistant Strain Infection, put on your GLOVES, GOGGLES, GOWN AND MASK.

· Do proper environmental cleaning. Complete must “soak” on the surface after applied to medical equipment for 10 minutes to be effective.

· Be conscious of: your radio, mic, handheld, tablet, door handles, steering wheel, ink pen, fingers, French fries, etc…

And above all…..just like mom always told us……

“WASH YOUR HANDS!”

Atta Boy From Capt. Barry Cook

I would like to go on record and officially give all of the night crews Atta Medics. I have always bragged on and enjoyed working with the crews in Faulkner County because from day one, they have worked as a team. I have now worked on nights for about two years and through last year especially the long busy summer, the night crews all work together as a team. I consider it an honor and privilege to with all of the night crews. Night crews should be congratulated and saluted for their team work and effort.

Sincerely,

Capt. Barry D. Cook

Fatal Ambulance wreck in Deleware

One person was killed and three Sussex County emergency medical workers were injured this morning in a crash between a sport-utility vehicle and a fire company ambulance near Angola, officials said.
The driver of a 1999 Jeep Cherokee was killed in the collision at Beaver Dam and Indian Mission roads. State police identified him as 44-year-old Michael A. Martin of Georgetown.

The Millsboro Fire Company ambulance was returning from Beebe Medical Center in Lewes when the crash occurred about 6:15 a.m. The 2002 Ford ambulance was westbound on Beaver Dam Road, stopped at the intersection of Indian Mission Road waiting to turn left, state police said.

Martin failed to negotiate a curve and left the east side of the road, striking the right rear side of the ambulance. He suffered massive head injuries and was declared dead at the scene, police said.

Folks once again BE CAREFUL OUT THERE !!! After looking at the box closer, I do wonder what brand it was? It does not look like an Excellance. Greg
Link to rest of story

MEMS 511 invloved in accident

Major Lee send me pictures this AM of the wreck of 511 last evening. The crew (Brett S. and Allen E.) were responding to an MVA at I/40 and I/440 when they were hit by a wrecker that slid on the ice.
The crew as well as the wrecker driver report no injuries.
511 suffered significant damage to the rear doors which means it will have to be shipped to Excellance.

I know we had ice, but with the LIfeNet MVA and now ours, it serves to warn us again, it is dangerous out there, Be careful!

Life Net Ambulance Wreck

A LifeNet ambulance, transporting a pregnant Ashdown woman to a Texarkana hospital Friday morning, crashed into a flatbed tractor-trailer rig and then caught on fire.

The pregnant woman and the ambulance crew survived without life-threatening injuries.

The ambulance was southbound of U.S. Highway 71 about two-miles north of the Texarkana city limits when the accident occurred about 6:40 a.m.

Link to story

New Major

As you may have heard Major Harold Shray has accepted a position with UAMS as an instructor. We support Harold as he enters this new chapter in his life, but are very sad at his leaving.

As Major Shray moves a new Major position has opened. Congratulations to Captain Janie Brown who will now be promoted to the rank of Major. Major Tabor will be moving from Metro to Faulkner county, Janie will assume her new duties in Major Tabor's old night metro position.

Ryan Tyler sent in this aritcle he found. He wrote:
Came across this footage of an ambulance service in Memphis, letting unlicensed personnel handle patient care and letting the patient ride shoot gun.

Link to story

Unit Status

As you may have seen in the parking lot, "502" is back from Excellance. We are pushing to get it on the street, post haste. It should go the Health Department on Thursday this week.

132 is at Excellance getting the left rear door on the box replaced after it was hit.

609 was due to be back several weeks ago, however a crack was found in the box wall that required the box to be dismounted to be repaired. It's fate is still up in the air.

IO Drills

As you know we field tested the "East IO Drill" on several trucks for a while. At the end of the study we placed the drills on the Faulkner County trucks only. This was for several reasons, such as Hospital desire/cooperation in Conway and cost, to name only two. This tool has proven to be truly a "life saver' in some cases. With this in mind, we have just made the purchase of IO Drills for all the units. We still face the issues of cost for the needles that are in the $100.00 each range. We are developing a protocol for needle replacement that will be similar to replacing narcotics. We are also setting training protocols and procedures for all those who did not receive the initial training. Stay tuned, more on this topic.

Janie Brown.

I don’t know how many of you knew that Janie Browns home was hit by the tornado Tuesday. We are very fortunate that Janie or her family were not home at the time of the event. She suffered damage to her other livelihood, her chicken houses as well as damage to barns, their shop, fences etc… The home with the tree on it is an aunts that is next to theirs. I asked her to allow me to share this with you. It is not often (thank God) that these kinds of event hit our families. Janie we are glad you are OK.

Pictures from the top- Shop, Aunt's house, shed

Not dead yet???

Thanks to Tony McSpadden for this story. He writes: It is a story about a paramedic in San Antonio who did not check for a pulse on person involved in a Signal 41. She was covered up with a tarp while still breathing.



Link to Story

Eat when you can

I just down loaded my camera and discovered that I had a lot of pictures, and many that needed comment for example.......
So there we were, Auxor Arms has just blown up, people every where, smoke, debris, (you get the picture) but after a bit when the smoke had settled a bit, I walked around an ambulance and caught the distinct smell of Chinese food, I opened the door to find the pictures you see.


















You got it, FOOD! Oh well, is was cold, no patients, the food was cold but the truck was warm and I don't remember being asked if I wanted any............

New Video Added

Ralph does it again. We have the MEMS Christmas party video for 2007 on the web now. We are working to build a library of training and other Christmas videos for the web. This is the second in the series, the first being how to bag an updraft.

Link to 2007 Christmas Video

A-Train

I don't know if you have seen the posting in the hall at station one for the "A-Train" courses or web site. I wanted to pass on the info to you if you haven't. It is a very interesting site that allows you to search for free or for cost classes. It allows you to track them on line, as well as take many of the classes on line. Covers a whole host of topics. Neat resource!

Link to A-Train

San Antonio - Fire Truck Hits, Kills Handicapped Woman

Fire Truck Hits, Kills Handicapped Woman 32-Year SAFD Veteran Didn't See Victim

POSTED: 5:38 pm CST January 1, 2008
UPDATED: 12:05 am CST January 2, 2008


SAN ANTONIO -- A 32-year veteran of the San Antonio Fire Department is being kept from driving after he struck and killed a wheelchair-bound woman Monday evening.

Diane Rosenbaum was riding her motorized wheelchair after leaving a nearby pharmacy when she crossed paths with the departing fire vehicle.

The firefighter, whom fire officials have not identified, was behind the wheel of a brush truck headed to a grass fire from station No. 44 on Horal Drive on the city's west side.

The driver reportedly stopped at a Wells Fargo Bank parking lot at the intersection of Marbach Road and Horal to ask for directions from his dispatcher. When he departed, Rosenbaum was struck and briefly dragged.

The firefighter originally thought he had debris lodged under his vehicle, but reportedly didn't see anything until he noticed sparks coming from underneath the truck near Highway 90 and Loop 410.

When he stopped to check the vehicle, he found an empty wheelchair under the vehicle. When he returned to the scene after hearing a dispatch call go out for the victim, investigators said, he found the victim lying in the street.

The driver of the fire truck is unlikely to face any charges, a police investigator said, but witnesses and the driver of the truck were taken to police headquarters for further questioning.

"There's absolutely no probable cause or reason to believe this firefighter was intoxicated in any way, again, just an accident," San Antonio Police Sgt. Gabe Trevino said.

SAFD District Chief Randy Jenkins said the incident is under investigation.

An update on Faulkner County

Also in Thursday night's meeting, the court heard a report from MEMS Executive Director Jon Swanson regarding an upcoming MEMS Alert membership drive for Faulkner County residents.......

Apartment Explosion

We dodged a bullet last night with the Apartment explosion. While there were only 5 transported, there were a total of 9 walk ups to the area hospitals for a total of 14 patients. We have not had a MCI in a while so it gave us the opportunity to practice some of our procedures. Thank you to those who came and took on assignments, as well as those crews that held over to cover the system until we determined that there were no other patients.

We have set the calender for 2008 that includes 3 days of triage card drill days at the first of the year, as well as the second half of the year. We already we will have at least two big drills scheduled, the CESEPP drill as well as a full scale airport drill. We are working on dates for more NIMS training as well. MCIs happen with out notice, so we must be prepared at all times.





Channel 7 Video

Signature Requirements

There have been changes in the Medicare reimbursement that requires that we get a signature in order to bill. You will hear a lot about this over the next few months. below is the flyer that is and will be posted every where you go. We even thought about renting the Alltell bill board to remind you as you were at Asher and U ;-). No foolin, we got to follow this policy

For all transports, you must have a patient signature. If Not:

1. Document Patient Unable To Sign (PUTS) and the reason they are unable to sign.

2. Look for family member or other authorized person to sign. If none available, document No One is available To Sign (NOTS) on the Witness

signature line.

3. Get signature of an employee of the destination facility (receiving facility signature area of ePCR).

Paper forms are available for acquiring signatures when a tablet is not available. For more information, see the on duty supervisor.

New Years Goals

It is the time of the year for reflection and new years resolutions. I read one writer who set the bar for himself very low. His resolutions were:

• Eat more and exercise less.
• Spend at least an extra half an hour a day with my feet.
• Gain 5 pounds

I trust that you have loftier goals than he.

I have one goal so far for the Blog for 2008 it is:

I will not be posting every employees Birthday; instead I will exchange this for posting anniversaries of employees who meet their 5, 10, 15 and 20 year marks.

And for those who are looking for tools I have attached a couple of sites to help you achieve your goals.

e-How to keep a new years resolution

top 10 ways to keep a resolution

Video training

We are trying a new form of training. We have placed a training video on how to bag in an updraft. The sound goes out part of the way through, but you can watch the video to see how to put the kit together. Tomorrow we will re-shoot the video and upload it again. We hope to add more training as wel go along. Thanks to Ralph and Louis for their work on this one.

Link to video

New BVM Instructions

You may be aware that we recently finished a bid for med supplies for 2008. We were able to match the same equipment that you have been using, and save a lot of money at the same time. The exception to this, the BVM. The positives: easier to pack, a strap to hold you hand in place, less expensive. The trade off it needs to be put together prior to use. The best way to do this, when you get yours from stock follow this simple procedure and you will be good to go. By the way, you bag an updraft in just like the old BVM.















Above- How it comes















All the items in the bag.















Attach the reservoir and the O2 tubing. Place the BVM back in the bag. (The plastic to the right is the shipping cover for the BVM, it can be discarded)

The Shop is looking for help!

We have three positions budgeted for the MEMS shop, and currently have only two of them filled. If you know anyone who is interested in an exciting career working on Ambulances, have them contact either Kevin, Dianna or myself.
The ad reads:

AUTO SERVICE TECHNICIAN

Requires one Year Automobile Repair Experience including maintenance, oil changes and tire repair.

High School diploma or equivalent…Possession of Arkansas Drivers License and good MVR…

Apply at MEMS AMBULANCE SERVICE

1101 West 8^th St. LR, AR or phone 301-1414 for more information.

EOE

From the top- Tim Rinehart and Josh Chambers share December 31 as their Birthday. Happy Birthday!

Rodney Ashley celebrates his Birthday on December 29th. Happy Birthday!

Shelly Freyhover celebrates her Birthday on December 28th. Happy Birthday!

From the top- Sheila Garling, Randel Green and Brandi Martin share December 27th as their Birthday. Happy Birthday!

From the top- Jason Bourg, Chad Durham and Veronica Davillier (Picture not available) Share December 26th as their Birthday. Happy Birthday!

Eric Duvall was his mom and dads Christmas gift ;-) on December 25. Happy Birthday!

Karen Veins-Cummings celebrates December 23 as her Birthday. Happy Birthday!

Doug Brown and Melissa Neal share December 19th as thier Birthday. Happy Birthday!