EMS boss from LI accused of firing BB gun at workers

BY JOSEPH MALLIA | joseph.mallia@newsday.com

8:46 AM EST, February 25, 2009

An Island Park man employed as a lieutenant with the New York City Fire Department's emergency medical services unit was arrested Tuesday after he fired a BB gun at subordinates at his Brooklyn EMS station, city officials said.

Leonard Tiberi, 38, was released on a desk appearance ticket and is scheduled to appear in Brooklyn Criminal Court on April 1 on charges of prohibited use of a weapon, reckless endangerment and criminal mischief, police said.

The arrest by the city Department of Investigation came after a complaint from the FDNY saying Tiberi aimed and shot BB pellets at subordinates on Feb. 9 inside EMS Station 58, at 420 E. 83rd St.

Investigators also found that Tiberi shot at walls and boxes at the station, making holes in the walls.

There were no reported injuries, the DOI said.

"Deliberately firing a weapon in the workplace is not only a dangerous and foolish act but, as this arrest shows, it is also criminal," DOI Commissioner Rose Gill Hearn said in a statement.

"Any city employee who engages in this type of illegal conduct and compromises safety can expect to be arrested and prosecuted."

Tiberi has worked for the EMS division of the FDNY since March 1996, earning an annual salary of $55,930, authorities said.

The office of Brooklyn District Attorney Charles J. Hynes is prosecuting the case.

The criminal charges against Tiberi are class A misdemeanors that carry a maximum 1-year jail sentence. Tiberi also faces a city administrative code charge of selling or possessing air pistols and air rifles, a violation punishable by a $50 fine and up to 30 days in jail

Body Dragged Nearly 20 Miles On NYC Highways

Colleen Long - Associated Press

NEW YORK -- A van traveled for nearly an hour over busy New York City roads before its driver discovered the horrific cargo it had dragged almost 20 miles: the partially scraped-away body of a man who was plowed over by an SUV just before he got caught under the van.

Police said the gruesome episode was accidental and that they have no plans to charge the drivers at this time.

But that did not diminish the shock of seeing a dead man hooked under a van that had just traversed some of the busiest roads in the city. Police said the driver, Manuel Lituma Sanchez, had no idea he hit the victim until the end of his trip, when a bystander told him something was dragging under his van.

Investigators were working to identify the body, which was found largely intact but horribly battered. The man's heels were shorn off. His clothes and several layers of skin on his legs and buttocks were worn off. The back of his head was worn through to the scalp.

A business card, Western Union receipt and a broken iPhone were found in the man's pockets, NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said.

The man was first hit around 6:15 a.m. while apparently crossing against a stop light in the Corona section of Queens by the driver of a black Ford Expedition, Gustavo Acosta, who immediately called 911. When police arrived, the victim was gone and no damage was found to the SUV.

Lituma Sanchez, who was about two vehicles behind, said he had noticed cars swerving but didn't see the initial accident and assumed the drivers were simply avoiding a pothole.

He drove over the victim, who was facing up, and the man's chest was hooked by a steel plate under the van known as the skid plate, used to protect the transmission and undercarriage.

"I didn't feel anything, and I didn't hear anything," Lituma Sanchez told reporters outside his Queens home. "I didn't know what happened."

It's not clear whether the victim was alive at that point.

"The van comes and rides right over the body and as it goes by there's no body there," Browne said. "The body was basically fish-hooked by the plate."

Lituma Sanchez stopped shortly after the accident to check his car but noticed nothing and went on his way. The vehicle has a low ridge around the wheels for stepping inside, making it difficult to see under the van.

Lituma Sanchez drove on the Grand Central Parkway, the Van Wyck Expressway and the Belt Parkway, winding from Queens to Brooklyn and ending up in Brighton Beach, where he works as a delivery man, Browne said. On the residential streets at a slower speed, he suspected something was wrong with his engine, and he stopped, opened the hood and checked the oil. But he did not look under the car.

He got back in and drove a few more blocks before a pedestrian flagged him to say something was dragging under his 1998 Chevrolet van. Lituma Sanchez got out of his car again, looked underneath, discovered the body and called 911 from his cell phone.

"You can't imagine the shock I felt" on seeing the corpse, he told reporters. "I'm just so nervous and very sad."

Police jacked up the vehicle and pulled the body from under the van. The corpse, found face up with the shirt and pants shredded, was covered with a white sheet as officers investigated and talked to the shellshocked, exhausted driver in a police car. The victim's bruised and bloody legs could be seen protruding from the sheet in front of the van.

An autopsy was planned for Thursday. Both drivers have clean records, police said.

Police retraced the van's route and recovered a blue jacket believed to have belonged to the victim, who was described as Hispanic, in his 20s or 30s and between 5 feet 2 and 5 feet 4 inches tall.

Police had initially believed it was a 17-mile journey, but did a closer examination of the route realized it was 19.8 miles instead.

Paramedic Accused Of Assaulting Patient

DENVER (AP)

Colorado Mug Shots A Denver paramedic has been charged with assaulting a patient in an ambulance, fracturing the man's skull and breaking his nose and an eye socket.

Thirty-year-old Alan Miller was arrested Thursday on suspicion of second-degree assault.

Miller was being held under $50,000 bail. A telephone message left at his home on Friday wasn't immediately returned, and it wasn't known if he had an attorney.

Police said Miller was in the ambulance that was taking 39-year-old Tim Smith to the hospital after Smith suffered a seizure and hit his head on Jan. 3.

Smith's wife, Suzanne Smith, told police her husband didn't have the skull, nose and eye socket injuries when he was loaded into the ambulance.

Another paramedic on the call, Shaunna King, told police they had to stop the ambulance because Smith slipped out of his restraints. She said four police officers helped put Smith back into the restraints.

Miller worked for Denver Health Medical Center at the time. Hospital spokesman Josh Harrington said Friday that Miller no longer works there. He declined to elaborate.

Police said Denver Health's paramedic division conducted its own investigation but declined to release the results without a court order. Police said they obtained hospital's report and some e-mails after a judge approved a search warrant.

Rotterdam backs EMS service

By RYAN HUTCHINS, Staff writer

Town Board rejects Mohawk Ambulance's offer for coverage

ROTTERDAM — The Town Board approved a measure Thursday night to provide funds to the ailing Rotterdam EMS, rejecting a plan that wouldn't have cost taxpayers anything.

The board entered into a contract with the emergency service organization to pay for the services provided to the town.

Rotterdam will inject $10,000 a month into the coffers of the not-for-profit, which had requested $14,000 a month from the town.

The board also briefly discussed the possibility of creating a special tax district as a permanent solution, according to Mohawk Ambulance spokesman Tom Nardacci, who attended the meeting. The board will discuss that issue at a later time, though.

Mohawk Ambulance made a proposal to the board Thursday night, suggesting it provide coverage to the town at no cost to taxpayers, billing insurance companies and patients instead.

"Now the town is going to move ahead with paying $10,000 a month for something Mohawk would have provided at no cost," Nardacci said.

But town Supervisor Steven A. Tommasone said taxpayers wanted to preserve Rotterdam EMS. Someone commissioned automated calls Thursday to urge residents to call the town and ask for the Mohawk deal. It backfired, Tommasone said.

"Overwhelmingly, the people who called wanted us to keep things the way they are," he said.

Hospitals often overlook problem of rooftop helipads

Facilities frequently have to install costly filtration systems to keep exhaust out of air system.

From the Los Angeles Times

By Rong-Gong Lin II

For years, hospital officials across the nation have had to battle helicopter fumes getting sucked into ventilation systems from rooftop helipads.

The problem is so well-known that the Federal Aviation Administration warns against placing helipads near a building's air vents.

But officials from the Utah-based National EMS Pilots Assn., which includes cautions about the design flaw in a PowerPoint presentation, said the warning is too often overlooked.

"Some hospitals are unaware of the existence of the [FAA's recommendations] and hence are unaware of many of the best practices regarding design, safety and operations," the association said in a position statement submitted to a National Transportation Safety Board hearing earlier this week.

When fumes pour into hospitals, lab tests at several facilities have found that carbon monoxide levels do not approach toxic levels. Nonetheless, the odor can be an unpleasant experience, causing employees and patients to complain.

In those cases, facilities managers are asked to take whatever measures they can to solve the problem.

After fumes caused complaints at MetroHealth Center in Cleveland, in the 1990s, technicians installed tiny microphones on the helipad so that when the noise level indicated a helicopter was nearby, air intake vents would automatically shut off, spokeswoman Eileen Korey said. A $100,000 charcoal filtration system was added in 2006, and costs $10,000 a year to maintain.

The system dramatically reduced the odors, but the exhaust continues to waft in from time to time, depending on winds and frequency of flights, Korey said.

At Akron General Medical Center, located about 40 miles south of Cleveland, managers had to take a different approach after carbon filters failed to work.

"They just don't work very long. You have to keep replacing them," said Joe Plavecski, senior director of facilities management.

Instead, Plavecski had the air intakes moved higher than the helipad; placed fume sensors near the air handling units to automatically close them when they sense exhaust from an approaching helicopter; and installed a system that automatically switches the air system to temporarily circulate air, instead of pulling fresh air from outside, when helipad lights turn on as a helicopter approaches.

At Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, which opened last year, architects designed an air intake system to keep exhaust from entering the hospital.

"Even so, we initially did experience problems with helicopter fumes," spokeswoman Roxanne Yamaguchi Moster said. The hospital had to retrofit four air handlers with carbon filters, designed to absorb the odors, at a cost of $60,000. The filters are expected to last for about a year, and will cost about $3,500 per filter to be replaced.

"We have had no reports of fumes since the carbon filters were installed," Moster said. "We are fairly confident that we have implemented an effective solution."

MAST to make sure motorists won’t miss its ambulances

By SARA SHEPHERD - The Kansas City Star

Worthy of the best-dressed list they’re not.

The back ends of all MAST ambulances soon will be plastered with highly reflective royal blue and canary yellow chevrons. Think mod ski sweater meets oversized road sign.

Obnoxious? Maybe. But officials say sticking out — even if it is like a sore thumb — is the point.

The Metropolitan Ambulance Services Trust’s first striped ambulance is expected to hit the streets Monday, and motorists should see more each week until the entire fleet is replaced in a few months.

Capt. Mike D’Agostino, a MAST operation supervisor, first pitched the new markings to managers this way:

“I’ll be the first to admit that this is ugly, but keep in mind that that is what we want to achieve — we want to gain … attention.”

MAST is among the first ambulance providers in the area to follow a trend that began in Europe, where crayon-colored geometric patterns now cover the majority of emergency vehicles.

The shimmering chevrons are designed to make ambulances more visible. Specifically, they aim to help prevent crashes, which studies indicate account for more than half the on-the-job deaths of ambulance workers.

The stripes help emergency vehicles stand out, said Rusty James, incident management coordinator for Kansas City SCOUT, the bistate traffic management system.

“You would think with all the lights they have on those things that visibility wouldn’t be an issue, but it continues to be,” he said.

No MAST workers have been injured seriously in collisions in recent years, said Jason White, MAST governmental relations director. But several firefighters were hurt in 2007 when a driver plowed into their vehicles on Interstate 435 near Truman Road.

The ambulance employees on the scene dived out of the way just in time.

There have been many more “near misses,” D’Agostino said, compelling emergency responders to watch their backs on the road even while tending to patients.

“It’s scary, bottom line,” he said. “That’s the bullet that I can’t stop, that car coming down the road.”

The technical term for the concept behind the stripes is conspicuity.

First, D’Agostino said, a conspicuous object must trigger the senses to stand out from its surroundings from a distance. Next, drivers must process cognitively what to do about the object they see.

Studies have shown that chevrons such as those used by MAST — they meet in the middle, forming a peak rather than a ‘V’ — subliminally trigger drivers to steer away from them, D’Agostino said.

Emergency vehicles in the United Kingdom take the idea even further. Many sport chevrons on the back, plus oversized checkerboard patterns covering both sides.

D’Agostino said that all-over markings probably wouldn’t hurt, but that MAST is trying to balance cost with effectiveness. Because other vehicles are most likely to approach parked emergency vehicles from behind, officials targeted the ambulances’ back ends.

MAST began replacing its 56-ambulance fleet in 2006. The $6.5 million endeavor is being funded by a quarter-cent public safety sales tax approved in 2002. The stripes cost about $700 per ambulance.

Almost half of the new units are already on the streets, with the rest to trickle in by the end of April, said Jason White, governmental relations director.

New arrivals should come with chevrons intact, White said. The other ambulances will return to the Columbia dealership they came from to have the stripe decals affixed.

Several Kansas City area entities have added chevrons to the backs of fire trucks, but only a few have similar markings on their ambulances.

Belton ambulances have red and yellow chevrons covering the lower half of the vehicles’ back ends. Liberty ambulances have had red and white chevrons on the back for about a year, said Fire Chief Gary Birch.

Paul Lininger, emergency medical services chief for the Central Jackson County Fire Protection District, said the district is considering chevrons on the next ambulance it orders.

For decades, the federal government mandated that all ambulances be white with a solid orange, single stripe. But that is no longer a requirement, and the agency that licenses Missouri ambulance providers has no restrictions on color schemes, said Greg Natsch, chief with the Bureau of Emergency Medical Services of the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.

As long as the vehicles are clearly recognizable as ambulances, providers can paint them however they want, Natsch said.

Natsch said he had seen more of the colorful European-inspired markings recently.

“Fire trucks have been hit by cars, ambulances have been hit by cars, firefighters and EMTs have been hit by cars,” he said. “Anything that can improve the visibility is always a positive.”

City ambulance in mishap with semi

By Kandra Wells, Staff Writer

A wreck involving an ambulance, a semi-truck and a third vehicle sent three people the hospital Thursday night, in addition to a patient who had been on board the ambulance when it was hit.

McAlester Fire Chief Harold Stewart said this morning two city firefighters who had been in the ambulance, Jeremy Farris and Rodney Leamy, were both treated and released after the accident. He would not comment on the medical conditions of the other two people involved.

According to Stewart, the ambulance was en route to McAlester Regional Health Center when it was hit by a truck at Strong and Carl Albert Parkway. The ambulance then hit another car, whose occupant was also hospitalized, he said.

McAlester police dispatched three ambulances and five police to the scene after the 8:57 p.m. collision.

Stewart said the cause of the accident is pending a McAlester police report. He said his department had been told by the police department that it would take several days to complete the report.

“We talked to them this morning, and we don’t expect to see anything until Monday morning,” Stewart said. “Sometimes, it takes a while. They have to re-create the accident and all that.”

Ambulance, Car Crash Leaves 1 Dead

HARTFORD, Conn. -- Police said one person was killed Friday in a crash involving an ambulance on New Britain Avenue in Hartford.

The crash occurred at about 7:55 a.m. at the intersection of Fairfield Avenue, police said.

Police said the ambulance was on its way to a call when it collided with a blue Mazda Protégé.

The other crash had occurred nearby at the intersection of Claremont and New Britain avenues, according to Aetna Ambulance Co. representative David Skoczulek. He said the call for that crash came in at about 7:32 a.m.

He said a second unit was sent to the first crash after the ambulance was struck. No major injuries were reported from the first crash.

The intersection was shut down following the crash while police conducted their investigation.

Skoczulek said no one on the ambulance crew suffered any injuries during the collision with the Mazda. He said supervisors from the ambulance company were at the scene to conduct their own investigation.

Airport ambulance makes DIA a safe bet.

by Jameson Meade, Denver Airports Examiner

Travel safer with DIA's ambulance service

According to thedenverchannel.com, DIA will finally get its very own ambulance stationed permanently at the airport. The report, which aired on Denver News Channel 7 and is published on the channel's website, states that this vital safety tool has been a long time coming.

Denver Health, which is the city of Denver's contract ambulance provider, will begin the service at DIA on February 11. This should cut the excessive ambulance response time from an astounding 33 minutes to just a fraction of that time.

Unfortunately, these changes come after a DIA passenger lost his life waiting on an ambulance after he suffered a pulmonary embolism last July. In this case, the report notes, the man waited 33 minutes for the ambulance to arrive.

Personally, I am pleased to see that an ambulance will be a permanent fixture of the Denver International Airport. This will make DIA a more safe environment for passengers and employees alike. While we cannot change the location of DIA and its proximity to hospitals in the area, having an ambulance ready at all times will drastically cut down the time it takes a patient to reach health care facilities. Many people may not be aware that DIA does have a health clinic located in the main terminal. This clinic, along with the added ambulance service should help ensure the safety of everyone at the airport.

As a DIA employee, I am always astounded to see the number of medical occurrences that take place at the airport. Most of these issues are minor and can be handled by the team of paramedics already located at the airport, however some can become more severe. Passengers arrive at the airport nervous about their flights, stressed over schedules, on medication, and sleep deprived. These factors, along with the high Colorado elevation, can combine to make a toxic mix for some passengers.

2 ambulances damaged carrying the same patient from Waynesboro

By ROSCOE BARNES III Staff writer

The president of the Mont Alto Ambulance Squad remains bewildered over two accidents that occurred early Wednesday morning, one of which involved an ambulance driver who collapsed at the wheel and died.

The accidents occurred while transporting a patient from Waynesboro to Harrisburg.

The second accident involved an ambulance from Silver Spring Township in Cumberland County, which had been called to assist Mont Alto with a patient transport. The Silver Spring ambulance crashed shortly after 2 a.m. on Interstate 81 near Hampden Township after the driver lost consciousness and died, according to Michele Parsons, spokesperson for the Cumberland County Department of Safety.

The driver was Barry Nagle, 66, Mechanicsburg, Parsons said. No autopsy report has been released.

"He suffered a medical emergency that rendered him unconscious and he died," she said. "The other personnel tried to resuscitate him but he never revived."

Two nurses on board were not hurt. An emergency medical technician was injured and is being treated at Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, she said. No one else was reported injured.

"I don't know what to think about it. Something happened to our ambulance and then to their ambulance," said Charles Baker, president of the Mont Alto Ambulance Squad and the Mont Alto Fire Company.

"We were going up Interstate 81, transporting the patient from Waynesboro Hospital to one in Harrisburg and something flew up and hit the windshield. We stopped and called for an ambulance (to aid the patient in the Mont Alto ambulance)."

The item that flew through the windshield was a piece of wood, 4 inches by 4 inches. It

penetrated the glass. No one was injured.

"We called for an ambulance and Silver Spring came and loaded the patient up and rushed to a hospital in Harrisburg," Baker said. "The last time I checked on the patient, everything was doing fine."

The Mont Alto vehicle is at a garage. Pennsylvania State Police said it was a non-reportable accident, Baker said.

Union Rep Criticizes (NYC) Ambulance Service Cuts

Days after announcing cuts to the Fire Department that include the elimination of 30 ambulance tours this summer, the head of the EMS Union is speaking out and warning that it could cost lives. NY1's Amanda Farinacci filed the following report.

Round the clock day and night, about 250 ambulances operated by the fire department are on duty all over the city, ready to respond to all kinds of medical emergencies.

In an internal memo obtained by NY1 last week, the department plans to eliminate 30 of those ambulance tours, effective July 1, to save money. Now, the president of the union that staffs those ambulances warns that's a bad idea.

"When you reduce the number of ambulances available, you drive up the response time, and somebody will die. Somebody's gonna die," said EMS Union President Patrick Bahnken.

Bahnken says this is the worst possible time to cut back since EMS call volume goes up significantly during economic downturns -- a result of people losing their jobs and their health insurance which leads to people not being able to afford medications. He also says anger and frustration lead to spikes in violence that result in more ambulance calls.

The FDNY's own statistics show EMS responded to an all-time high of 1.2 million 911 calls in 2008. That's 100,000 more than in 2003, with the number of calls increasing every year since then.

At any given time, about 20 percent of EMS tours are staffed by personnel working overtime, which the department is hoping to eliminate. The department and the union agree the tours that are cut will likely be picked up by private ambulance companies, although union leaders say that's not a real solution.

"It's a knee-jerk response that ignores a lot of other problems that are created by it. Hospital-based ambulances bring patients back to the hospitals they work for," said Bahnken.

Bahnken says private ambulances hurt the bottom line for the city's public hospitals, which lose out on patients and Medicaid and Medicare revenues. He says reducing ambulance tours could have a detrimental impact on public safety.

"I shudder to think that we go back to the 1986, 1987 period when people with major medical emergencies were waiting for 10 minutes or better for an ambulance," said Bahnken.

The FDNY insists the budget cuts have not been finalized and says it plans to meet with the EMS union February 17 to discuss the budget.

Paramedic arrested after patient claims assault

DENVER - A paramedic for Denver Health Medical Center has been arrested because a patient says the paramedic broke his nose, eye socket and fractured his skull.

Denver Police arrested Alan Miller Thursday afternoon on investigation of first degree assault.

Detectives say Miller is suspected of assaulting a patient in his care on Jan. 3.

The patient's wife says her husband suffered a seizure and was taken to Denver Health by ambulance.

She says when she arrived at the hospital, she found bruises that she says her husband did not have when he left in the ambulance.

The paramedic no longer works for Denver Health.

Ambulance driver dies, causing Silver Spring crash

A fatal heart attack may have led to the crash of a Silver Spring Ambulance and Rescue ambulance early this morning.

Township Emergency Management Coordinator Jim Hall said Barry John Nagle, 66, of Mechanicsburg, apparently suffered a heart attack that caused him to lose control of the ambulance. Attempts to resuscitate him failed, Hall said.

One EMT was injured in the crash and was taken to Penn State Hershey Medical Center for treatment.

Michele Parsons, a spokeswoman for the Cumberland County Department of Public Safety, identified the injured EMT as George Weimer, 88, of Silver Spring Township. He has some rib injuries and trouble breathing, she said, but as of this afternoon was not in critical condition, being placed in the intensive care unit of Hershey Medical Center.

State police at Harrisburg said Nagle was driving the 1995 Ford E-350 ambulance north on Interstate 81 at mile post 59 in Hampden Township at 2:28 a.m when it left the road and traveled about 950 feet before hitting a ditch and stopping. Nagle was wearing a seat belt, police said. Police said there were three other people in the ambulance with Nagle, including a patient, none of whom were injured in the crash. Parsons said she doesn’t have their names but understands that two of them were nurses from the hospital the patient, apparently a female, had come from.

The patient was originally on an ambulance from Franklin County, Parsons said, but the crew of that ambulance called dispatch to report that they had a non-injury, one-vehicle accident and needed someone to pick up the patient. Silver Spring responded and made it several miles down the road before Nagle veered off the road.

Someone from the Franklin County ambulance helped Weimer try to revive Nagle, Parsons said. The county dispatched three other ambulances to the scene, she said, and the patient was sent on her way to the hospital she had been headed for.

“As you can imagine, there’s a lot of mixed emotions (among Silver Spring emergency crews),” Parsons said. She said those who worked with Nagle described him as “a good man” who was always eager to come in for his volunteer shift.

Reforms At NY Hospital Where Woman Died On Floor

VIDEO

NEW YORK (AP) ― The improvements were outlined Thursday by Health and Hospitals Corporation President Alan D. Aviles. He was marking the opening of a new psychiatric facility at Brooklyn's Kings County Hospital Center.

Aviles says the reforms include staff increases and a new leadership team. A second phase will include patient mentors, and a consumer and family advisory group.

Esmin Green, 49, had been sitting in a waiting room at the city-owned Kings County Hospital Center for nearly 24 hours when she collapsed from her chair and slowly died on June 19, 2008.

She lay on the floor at the Brooklyn hospital for an hour before a nurse finally checked her pulse.

After an autopsy and weeks of tests, the medical examiner's office concluded Friday that Green was killed by pulmonary thromboemboli, blood clots that form in the legs and travel through the bloodstream to the lungs.

The medical examiner said the clots were due to "deep venous thrombosis of lower extremities due to physical inactivity," complicating an underlying psychological illness: chronic paranoid schizophrenia.

Green died while awaiting care in the hospital's psychiatric emergency room. EMS workers had brought her to the center on the morning of June 18. The hospital said she was suffering from agitation and psychosis and was involuntarily admitted after refusing medical review.

The emergency room is chronically overcrowded, and Green waited overnight for further care.

A recording of her death prompted national outrage when it became public last week.

After she collapsed, neither fellow patients nor the hospital's staff moved to help her, even as she thrashed her legs on the floor and tried to get up.

Two security guards and a member of the hospital's medical staff can be seen on the video, stopping to look at Green briefly before walking away.

She stopped moving about 30 minutes after falling and was dead when a nurse finally examined her another 30 minutes after that.

An attorney for Green's family, Sanford Rubenstein, said the finding suggested that the hours she sat in the hospital factored in her death.

"The length of time that she spent in the emergency room ... very well may have contributed to her death," he said. "Physical inactivity was obviously a significant contributing factor."

He said that had Green been carefully attended to when she arrived at the emergency room, doctors might have noticed swelling in her legs and taken action.

People known to be at risk from deep vein thrombosis are often given anticoagulation drugs or compression stockings, which can keep clots from forming, and advised not to sit for hours at a time.

The condition, however, is not always easy to detect. The National Heart Lung and Blood Institute said about half of the people with deep vein thrombosis have no symptoms at all.

Airlines often advise passengers on very long flights to stroll the aisle, periodically, to prevent blood clots.

The city Health and Hospitals Corp., which owns Kings County Hospital, had no immediate comment Friday.

HHC officials have previously expressed outrage at the way Green was treated. Six employees lost their jobs over the incident, even before it became public.

The agency also immediately reported the death to the state and voluntarily turned over the security records to lawyers already suing the city over alleged patient neglect at the hospital.

Virus blamed for ambulance delays

Video

A winter virus has been blamed for a sharp fall in the performance of the ambulance service in Wales in December.

Only 47.6% of of category A emergencies received a response within the eight-minute target, down nearly 10% on the previous month, new figures show.

It was short of the 65% target set by the assembly government in April.

The Welsh Ambulance Service NHS Trust said a "flu-like virus" had caused a higher number of emergency calls than last year.

It also put increased pressure on A&E units, which caused the handover of patients from ambulance staff to be delayed, and this further affected performance, the trust said.

In Torfaen, 17.9% of emergency responses arrived within the eight-minute target and only three Local Health Boards (LHBs) - Wrexham, Denbighshire and Conwy - reached the 65% target.

Health Minister Edwina Hart wants 65% of ambulances across Wales to reach patients within the target time by March.

She called the released ambulance response times "dreadful" but said that December had been a difficult month.

The board of the Welsh Ambulance Service NHS Trust is to meet in Cwmbran later, and will receive a report showing that performance for January is showing an upward trend.

The trust said it received 300 000 emergency calls in December, up 10% on the previous year.

Ambulances had to deal with an extra 82 incidents each day compared with normal.

'Major challenges'

A trust spokesperson said: "Activity was already up by approximately 16.4% on last year before the holiday period. When the seasonal activity increase was added to this, it gave us a number of major challenges, not least in its effect on accident and emergency departments .

"Due to increased pressures at A&E departments across Wales, the handover of patients from Ambulance staff was delayed, which further impacted on performance.

"We are continuing to work closely with NHS colleagues to see if there are any actions that we have not already taken which might resolve issues around the delays we have been experiencing in a number of areas while waiting to be able to hand patients to the care of hospital staff.

The Welsh Assembly Government said: "We have worked with the Welsh Ambulance Service and hospitals to plan for this period. Three regional winter pressure groups were established with the responsibility for co-coordinating services during this period."

'Stalled investment'

Conservative health spokesman Jonathan Morgan said there was "a whole system failure" in the NHS in Wales.

"We cannot solve this problem by merely shouting orders at the ambulance service," he said.

"And the assembly government cannot expect standards to improve when they are asking the ambulance service to making millions of pounds worth of efficiency savings."

Liberal Democrat Peter Black said: "Much-needed investment in the ambulance service has stalled with the assembly government.

"A bid put into assembly government in January 2008 for £5m to be spent on ambulance fleets has not yet been approved, over a year later. Another bid of £35m submitted in May 2008 is also awaiting approval."

In December, Ms Hart said the ambulance service must "raise its game and work with its staff and partner organisations to improve services for patients" after statistics showed that the service's performance in reaching category A calls had worsened since June.

Memorial service honors Edmonds paramedic Art DeLisle

EDMONDS -- A community memorial service is planned Sunday to honor the life of Edmonds firefighter and paramedic Art DeLisle, who died in a climbing accident in Argentina last month.

DeLisle touched many people's lives throughout his years as a paramedic. The avid outdoorsman was fatally injured by a falling rock while climbing 22,834-foot Mount Aconcagua, the highest peak in the Americas.

The service is scheduled for 4 p.m. at the Edmonds Performing Arts Center, at 410 Fourth Ave. N., following a three-block procession from Edmonds Fire Station 17, at 275 Sixth Ave. N., Edmonds police Sgt. Don Anderson said.

The service is open to the public, and more than 500 people are expected to attend.

No graveside procession will follow the service, Anderson said.

Traffic in downtown Edmonds north of Main Street is expected to be heavy from late morning to about 8 p.m., Anderson said. Parking will be affected as well.

Sixth Avenue N. will be closed from Bell to Glen streets to accommodate police and fire vehicles.

Paramedic of the year fulfills multiple roles

By Latreecia Wade

Paramedic Fred Biermann said making a career change sort of late in life was one of the best decisions he could have made.

"God had other plans for me," said Biermann, who recently was named the St. Charles County Ambulance District's Paramedic of the Year.

Biermann, 51, of south St. Louis County, said his career with the ambulance district started when he was a 45-year-old St. Louis city firefighter and decided to go back to school.

"At first I went to paramedic school so that I could continue to work in the city of St. Louis," Biermann said. "My wife joked with me, saying, 'We all know you won't be going to school if it's just to be a paramedic.'"

Biermann, however, said he fell in love with being a paramedic and has been for five years.

"We don't just respond to emergencies to assist the patient, but we help their families, too," Biermann said. "Some of your calls (as a paramedic) are seeing people on their worst days of their lives."

In addition to his duties on the ambulance, Biermann plays a pivotal role in the district's training and public education programs, according to a news release from the ambulance district. He is an adjunct instructor for the district's EMT, paramedic, Advanced Cardiac Life Support and CPR programs.

"He is a highly sought-after preceptor for students wishing to obtain their clinical hours and practical experience," said district spokesman Martin Limpert.

Each year, paramedics nominate a fellow employee for the district's highest honor. Nominations are forwarded to a panel comprised of former paramedic of the year recipients for final selection.

Nominees must meet a certain set of criteria.

"Fred possesses a wonderful, caring bedside manner. He treats every patient as if they were a family member," Limpert said. "His holistic approach to patient care ensures that the family's needs are being met as well as those of his patient."

"I'm just grateful they (the ambulance district) took a chance on hiring me. When you're changing careers it's kind of an uphill battle that your waging," Biermann said. "I'm thankful that God put me here."

Biermann said he still remembers helping a 16-year-old boy three years ago who was having some psychological issues and just needed someone to talk to.

"He was just a really good kid," Biermann said. "I told his mom that and she started crying."

The boy asked Biermann to pray for him, a request that Biermann said he still honors.

"For some reason I always remember him," Biermann said. "Sometimes it's the uncommon calls that get to you."

Biermann also assists with the district's child car seat installation program and serves on an eight member advisory committee for L'arche USA, an organization that began in France with a mission focused on the care of children and adults with disabilities.

"I just think it is a great honor to be selected by your fellow workers," Biermann said. "To think that they thought so much of me is truly an honor."

Paramedic jailed for sex assault on teen

By: JON WELCH

A paramedic was jailed today for sexually assaulting a teenage woman as she lay in a state of near-paralysis in the back of an ambulance.

Iain Finney, 33, removed the 19-year-old's breasts from her bra and pulled down her underwear before taking pictures of her on his mobile phone, Norwich Crown Court heard.

Although the woman, whose identity is protected under law, had been virtually unable to move she was aware of what was happening and complained to a nurse when she reached hospital.

Finney, who worked for the East of England Ambulance Trust, had been responding to an emergency call to Mercy nightclub in Prince of Wales, Norwich, on April 5 last year.

The teenager, who had been out with friends, had consumed a “fairly large amount” of alcohol. She was then sick and collapsed in the venue's toilets, having sent a text message to a friend saying she suspected her drink had been spiked, the court heard.

Finney, of Blackthorn Drive, Scarning, near Dereham, had earlier told a colleague that he hoped the patient they had been called to see would be “some good-looking girl”, it was claimed.

Finney was alone in the back of ambulance with the teenager, from King's Lynn, when the assault took place.

In police statements she told how Finney had removed her breasts from her bra and touched both nipples. She then heard five or six clicks, which she recognised as the noise of a mobile phone camera.

She then felt her knickers and tights being lowered, and heard further noises of a camera clicking.

A DNA examination found traces of Finney's saliva on her breasts. Finney had explained this by saying he had been performing a recognised medical test on the patient by touching her nipples with his pen, which he had chewed.

Finney, who was suspended in November from practising as a paramedic, admitted sexual assault and attempting to pervert the course of justice.

The court heard he had disposed of his mobile phone and had instead handed in his wife Donna's phone to ambulance bosses. She was subsequently cautioned for attempting to pervert the course of justice.

In mitigation, Matthew Gowen said Finney had worked as a paramedic for 10 years, had an unblemished record and was spoken of highly by colleagues.

He said that in the months leading up to the offence, Finney had been unhappy at work, having been given greater responsibility.

“He was under great professional stress because of the working environment and because of the things that paramedics see and have to cope with on a daily basis.

“The combination of that and his general unhappiness led him to do something entirely out of character. Whatever the rationale behind it he accepts that on that night there was the gravest breach of trust.”

Mr Gowen added that the assault had not been pre-meditated and had involved not genital contact.

Recorder Guy Ayers gave Finney credit for his guilty pleas but told Finney the woman's incapacitated state and his breach of trust were “highly significant” aggravating factors.

“I accept you are thoroughly ashamed of what you did and the effect it had on your family and your victim. It has had a significant impact on that young woman who now needs counselling to deal with what has happened.”

Sentencing Finney to a total of nine months in jail, and placing him on the sex offenders' register for 10 years, the judge added: “It had to be immediate because members of the public who put themselves into the care of paramedics and medical practitioners must be able to trust them.”

Jury finds EMT unit negligent

By Kathleen Brady Shea - Inquirer Staff Writer

Jury finds EMT unit negligent but it awarded no damages for failure to break into the home of a dying woman.

Gasping for air on the 911 recording, the 45-year-old Chester County woman said she was having difficulty breathing.

Early on Feb. 22, 2004, Judy Pomerleau of Lower Oxford Township told a 911 operator that she had a history of heart and asthma problems but would try to unlock her door. "Oh, Lord," she is heard repeating.

Pomerleau never made it to the door, and yesterday a Chester County Court civil jury concluded that Southern Chester County Emergency Medical Services was negligent for failing to break into the home. However, the panel decided that the negligence did not play a substantial role in causing Pomerleau's death and awarded no damages to her estate.

Pomerleau's relatives, represented by attorney Joseph P. Green Jr., sued the agency in June 2005, alleging that the haste of emergency responders in leaving Pomerleau's residence when no one answered the door or telephone contributed to her death.

Defense attorney Brooks Roderick Foland argued that Francis "Jody" Schiavelli III, the lead paramedic, responded appropriately because the 911 call-taker did not tell the dispatcher that Pomerleau was going to try to unlock the door.

"There's no duty to find a person under the law. There's a duty to act reasonably," Foland said in his closing argument.

Foland said medical evidence suggested that Pomerleau, who died of respiratory arrest, would not have survived even with treatment.

Green countered that Pomerleau had "a right to fight for her life" that was denied by the premature departure of emergency workers, who testified that they could not see inside the house.

About an hour after emergency workers left the residence, Pomerleau's nephew, Kevin Tabor, came home and found his aunt lifeless on the floor, the phone clutched in her hand. After a second 911 call, she was taken to Southern Chester County Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead at 2:20 a.m.

Responding to the verdict, Robert Hotchkiss Jr., chief executive officer of Southern Chester County Medical Services, disagreed with the jury's contention that the agency was negligent.

"We believe our paramedic was following the protocols," he said. "We see tragedy every day; this was a tragic case."

Injured man dies after rejection by 14 hospitals

By MARI YAMAGUCHI, Associated Press Writer

TOKYO – After getting struck by a motorcycle, an elderly Japanese man with head injuries waited in an ambulance as paramedics phoned 14 hospitals, each refusing to treat him.

He died 90 minutes later at the facility that finally relented — one of thousands of victims repeatedly turned away in recent years by understaffed and overcrowded hospitals in Japan.

Paramedics reached the accident scene within minutes after the man on a bicycle collided with a motorcycle in the western city of Itami. But 14 hospitals refused to admit the 69-year-old citing a lack of specialists, equipment and staff, according to Mitsuhisa Ikemoto, a fire department official.

The Jan. 20 incident was the latest in a string of recent cases in Japan in which patients were denied treatment, underscoring health care woes in a rapidly aging society that faces an acute shortage of doctors and a growing number of elderly patients.

One of the hospitals agreed to provide care when the paramedics called a second time more than an hour after the accident. But the man, who suffered head and back injuries, died soon afterward of shock from loss of blood.

The injured man might have survived if a hospital accepted him more quickly, Ikemoto said. "I wish hospitals are more willing to take patients, but they have their own reasons, too," he said.

The motorcyclist, also hurt in the accident, was denied admission by two hospitals before a third accepted him, Ikemoto said. He was recovering from his injuries.

The death prompted the city to issue a directive ordering paramedics to better coordinate with an emergency call center so patients can find a hospital within 15 minutes. But hospitals cannot be punished for turning away patients if they are full.

Similar problems have occurred frequently in recent years. More than 14,000 emergency patients were rejected at least three times by Japanese hospitals before getting treatment in 2007, the latest government survey showed.

In the worst case, a woman in her 70s with a breathing problem was rejected 49 times in Tokyo.

There was also the high-profile death of a pregnant woman in western Nara city in 2006 that prompted the government to establish a panel to look into the hospitals' practice of refusing care.

In that case, the woman was refused admission by 19 hospitals that said they were full. She died eight days later from a brain hemorrhage after falling unconscious during birth.

Health Minister Yoichi Masuzoe told a parliamentary committee last year that the rising number of elderly patients hospitalized for months was taking up space that could be used to treat emergency cases.

Masuzoe urged the development of a community-wide support system to ease the burden on hospitals. The government also announced plans to increase the number of doctors and improve coordination among ambulances, emergency call centers and hospitals.

Denver Health Acts To Improve Ambulance Response Times

DENVER -- Denver Health will station an ambulance at Denver International Airport after a series of 7News reports that highlighted gaps in the city’s emergency response.

“We are committed to try and make as many improvements as we possibly can,” Denver Health CEO Patty Gabow said after a Denver City Council committee meeting on ambulance response.

Along with the DIA ambulance, Denver Health officials said they will streamline the 911 call system and that will cut about 2 minutes from the average ambulance response.

CALL7 Investigator Tony Kovaleski exposed problems like lengthly ambulance response times and understaffing of Denver Health ambulances in a series of reports last year.

“People can be waiting for 12-15 minutes for an ambulance,” a paramedic told Kovaleski.

"Sometimes it can even be longer than that."

The investigation also highlighted the case of a Parker woman who lost her husband after it took an ambulance 33 minutes to get to the airport in July when her husband suffered a pulmonary embolism.

DIA is the only one of five top airports in the United States without an ambulance because Denver Health officials said last year that the paramedics at the airport can offer the same response.

On Wednesday, the hospital, which runs ambulances for the city under a contract, reversed course and is now planning to have the ambulance stationed by Feb. 11.

The widow, Vicki Elgin, said she is happy that Denver Health is finally taking action that might prevent another death.

“I think any action they can take to prevent another wife from becoming a widow... a son or daughter losing a father... any action they can take to improve ambulatory care at the airport should be applauded,” Elgin said.

Bob Petre, head of the paramedic union, was pleased that Denver Health was finally responding to the concerns of his fellow paramedics and increasing the safety of Denver residents.

“Its going to increase our confidence in the ability to get patients to definitive care--- and to take care of them,” he said.

“To save lives?” Kovaleski asked.

“Absolutely,” Petre answered.

Biker owes his life to hero paramedic

CHRIS Palmer was in death's clutches after a horrendous motorcycle accident - but he breathed new life thanks to a rare operation performed by a paramedic.

The 44-year-old, of Bulwer Road, Ipswich, today owes his miraculous recovery from crippling injuries to the quick-thinking of Paul Gedney.

Lying in the road with broken bones and lacerated internal organs, Mr Palmer was minutes from death after his collapsed lung began forcing air into his chest cavity.

The condition can kill within minutes, so the East of England Ambulance Service medic thrust two tubes through Mr Palmer's chest to allow the air to escape.

Mr Palmer's scars are a reminder of his serious injuries

Mr Gedney had never performed the procedure - called a needle chest decompression - in the line of duty and it is rarely done by paramedics.

But Mr Palmer's condition stabilised and after several operations at Ipswich Hospital, he is now able to play with his two children - Ben, two, and one-year-old Ellie - and reflect on how lucky he has been.

Mr Palmer said: “I really am grateful to Paul. I am really grateful for everything that has been done for me.

“The needle chest decompression is not something I will forget. Through my experience of the NHS, I have had nothing but a great service.”


Mr Paklmer and Mr Gedney with Leigh Stansby and little Ben.
To show his gratitude, Mr Palmer has nominated Mr Gedney for a Stars of Suffolk Award in the Ambulance Person of the Year category.

On the day of the accident on November 14 last year, Mr Palmer, a manager of social care home in Sudbury, was travelling along the B1071 Hadleigh bypass when he noticed a car in front of him.

He braked, turning his bike onto its side, but he could do nothing to stop his fragile body being sandwiched between the two vehicles.

Left with horrific internal injuries including a lacerated liver, punctured lung, a broken shoulder, smashed ribs and a fractured spine, Mr Palmer stopped breathing twice as medics fought to keep him alive.

At the crucial point of lifting Mr Palmer into the ambulance, Mr Gedney noticed that his lung had collapsed and was forcing air into his chest cavity - a condition that can kill within minutes.

Quick-thinking Mr Gedney thrust a tube - known as a cannula - in between his ribs to release the air. But the first procedure was only partially successful, so he had to insert another one to eventually restore his oxygen levels.

With his life hanging in the balance, Mr Palmer was rushed into surgery at Ipswich Hospital to stop the internal bleeding.

Surgeon David Rae, another Stars of Suffolk nominee for other life-saving operations he has performed, cut a foot-long hole in Mr Palmer's abdomen to re-pack his haemorrhaging liver.

So severe were his injuries, the operation had to be carried out a further two times over the following five days.

Mr Palmer says he remembers very little of the accident or the two weeks he spent at the Heath Road hospital before starting the long road to recovery.

He said: “I found it quite difficult because I was detached from it all. I woke up in hospital and my body was in pain but I didn't experience any of the trauma. It was like a fantasy world.”

The crash also left him with speech problems and difficulties processing information and he has lost two stone as he battles to overcome digestive problems.

And Mr Palmer said he won't be riding a motorbike again. “It is not that I am scared, but I just don't want to go through it again,” he added.

An ambulance chief today explained the rare procedure carried out by Paul Gedney.

Archie Morson, general manager clinical operations for the East of East Ambulance Service in Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire, said: “The condition - called tension pneumothorax - arises when a one-way valve is created allowing air to enter but not to exit the lungs. It occurs mainly as a result of chest trauma and can lead to the death of the patient within minutes.

“Treatment involves a process called needle thoracocentesis to decompress the chest. This involves inserting a large needle into the chest which allows the trapped air to escape.

“Tension pneumothorax is a relatively rare event and although all paramedics are trained to perform needle thoracocentesis to treat the condition, many will never perform the procedure during their career.

“It is to the credit of the clinicians involved in this incident that they were able to act appropriately and promptly.”

The life-saving paramedic's view:-

PARAMEDIC Paul Gedney was calm and controlled but faced the fear that his intervention might not work.

Mr Gedney thrust two tubes into Chris Palmer's chest to stop air crushing his internal organs in the aftermath of the crippling accident.

And today he was delighted the procedure had saved his life.

The 41-year-old, who drives a fast response vehicle, had practised the method - called a needle chest decompression - but had never undertaken it in the field during his eight-year career.

Mr Gedney, who was on the scene within three minutes, said: “I wasn't apprehensive but there was a certain amount of trepidation as I was wondering whether Chris was going to survive.

“It was a team effort, but I am just so relieved. With the injuries he had, if the condition had been left untreated he would have died.”

CHRIS Palmer's partner, Leigh Stainsby, had a strange sense that something was wrong when he was late home from work on the day of the accident.

The 33-year-old said: “I was expecting him home at about 5.30pm, but by 6.30pm I got this niggling feeling. Then I received a call from a nurse at Accident and Emergency.

“For the first 24 hours, Chris was very poorly and I didn't know which way it was going to go.

“I saw him just after midnight and he was on a ventilator.

“It was so surreal and it was terrible. I was in shock. I didn't want to stay as I couldn't stand there and stare at him.”

Miss Stainsby, a mental health support worker, said it has been difficult looking after their children, who have also been distressed by what happened to their father.

Paramedic 'humbled' by unusual thank you

Twelve months after she was involved in a 60mph motorway pile-up, a car crash victim has found a unique way of thanking the Watford paramedic who treated her – by joining the ambulance service.

One year ago, Samantha Klasinski was driving along the M4 motorway when the motorist in front braked and she smashed into the back of the car.

She suffered a broken nose, a broken foot and severe bruising in the high speed crash.

However, Samantha was so inspired by the care Watford paramedic, Richard Maxon, gave to her in February 2007, she has decided to join the ambulance service.

Indeed, Samantha, now 21, recently came face-to-face with Richard, an emergency medical technician, of Hamilton Road, Watford, to say thank you in person.

Richard, 32, says he feels truly “humbled” by her gesture.

“It is a bit strange really.

“But it is very nice – I feel a little bit humbled and it is a little bit strange to have that impact on someone, but it is nice.

“It is not the sort of job a lot of people choose to do so it is nice to think some people think it can be rewarding.”

Richard, who has been with the service for eight years, is currently training to be a paramedic himself.

He recalled: “I remember being surprised that Samantha had escaped the crash with only the injuries she had – she was very lucky.

“It was a wintry evening, it was dark and wet and she managed to hit another car in the rear end while she was in the fast lane.

“It wasn't the easiest job because of where it was obviously, we popped her up to the hospital and because she was going reasonably fast there was quite a lot of damage to her car.”

He added: “I was just doing my job, but it’s great to discover that it had such an influence on her decision to become a paramedic.”

Samantha, who lives in Greenwich, had been studying for a nutrition and health degree at the time of the accident, but enrolled on a student paramedic three-year course when she finished her degree.

She is now training in Bromley and will soon be working out of Oval Ambulance Station.

She said: “The whole experience was not a good one and those few minutes I had in the ambulance really stuck in my mind – the crew really inspired me.

“I am absolutely loving the training so far and it was even worth having the car crash to make me realise what I really wanted to do.”

Richard added: “I have had thank yous before, and that is nice, but to have someone go into the service is very rewarding.”

Battle brewing over paramedic service

By Gabe Gutierrez

FLINT (WJRT) -- (02/03/09)--A heated debate is under way over the future of Flint's paramedic service.

The sheriff says it's time for Genesee County to take over.

The county gives the Flint Fire Department roughly $700,000 a year for paramedic service within the city.

That millage agreement has been in place for almost 20 years. But Sheriff Robert Pickell wants to end it.

"We don't know how much money is there and where the money is going," he said.

"I have a suspicion that some of that money is going to fund other things in the city and not the paramedic program."

Pickell said he would hire at least seven more paramedics with the property tax money. But the Flint Firefighters Union thinks there will likely be major job cuts within the city.

Several dozen firefighters showed up at the county commission meeting Tuesday morning. They argued a county takeover would increase response time and hurt patient care within the city.

"I can't debate the he can manage the funds better, but I don't feel he can provide a better service to the citizens," said Flint Firefighters Union President Ray Barton.

"Was the system broken somehow? Was there some reason the sheriff decided to take it over now?" said Flint firefighter Rico Phillips.

"I don't believe so. It's cutting off half our face if you take away the EMS service from us."

"It's hard for them to cover a large area of the county at the same time as covering a quadrant of the city because the call volume in the city is a lot higher," said Mike Rose.

Pickell said he's not critiquing the firefighters, just their administration.

"All I know is that when a call goes out in a district that I represent, there's a time lapse," said County Commissioner Omar Sims.

Sims wants the city to explain how it's spending the $700,000 in millage money it gets every year for EMS.

"In tough times, people have to be accountable," Sims said.

Tuesday, commissioners voted to postpone debate until a committee meeting on Feb. 18.

Even with $700,000 of their budget on the line, no one from the mayor's administration was at Tuesday's meeting. Budget Director Michael Townsend did speak to ABC12 via phone Tuesday afternoon.

"We spend more than ($700,000) to fund EMS in the city of Flint," he said. "And we'd be more than happy to provide that documentation."

Flint Super Chief Richard Dicks declined to comment.

NC patient dies in ambulance wreck on I-20 in SC

The Associated Press

A patient has died after the ambulance he was in wrecked on Interstate 20 in central South Carolina.

State troopers say the ambulance ran off the right side of I-20 near the U.S. 378 exit in Lexington County around 12:40 p.m. Tuesday, hitting a sign and a tree.

Troopers say the ambulance then went back across the highway, striking the concrete wall in the median.

Authorities say 51-year-old Richard Bryant of Stanley, N.C., died at the hospital, while the driver and a paramedic suffered minor injuries.

The coroner's office says Bryant died from chest injuries suffered in the crash. He was being taken from a burn center in Augusta, Ga., to a hospital in Winston-Salem, N.C.

The Highway Patrol's special investigation team is looking at the wreck.

http://www.thestate.com/statewire/story/673747.html

NTSB Examines Helicopter EMS Safety

By Mary Grady,

The NTSB on Tuesday opened a four-day hearing on the safety of helicopter emergency medical services. The goal is for the board to learn more about HEMS operations so it can better evaluate the factors that cause accidents. "In the last six years, we have seen 85 HEMS accidents, resulting in 77 fatalities," board member Robert Sumwalt, who is chairing the hearing, said in opening remarks on Tuesday. "The recent accident record is alarming and it is unacceptable." 2008 was the deadliest year in HEMS on record, with 13 EMS helicopter accidents and 29 fatalities. The board is hearing sworn testimony from expert witnesses including pilots, medical personnel, managers and the FAA. On Tuesday, they heard from Dr. Ira Blumen, of the University of Chicago Hospitals, who said the average fatality rate for HEMS crews over the last 10 years was higher even than for high-risk occupations such as fishing and logging. The death rate for passengers, however, is much lower. Over 29 years, he said, 4.5 million patients were flown by HEMS, and 34 died in accidents. The panel also heard from several others, including Sylvain Sequin of Canada, who said there has never been a fatal accident in HEMS operations in Canada, where 20 helicopters are engaged in such work. Sumwalt said the board's aim is to better understand the factors that cause accidents so they can be prevented in the future. Possible courses of action resulting from the hearing include an updated safety study on EMS operations, additional safety recommendations, or a white paper for use when advocating or testifying on EMS safety issues. Written testimony and webcast archives can be found at the NTSB Web site.

An NTSB special report completed in January 2006 called on the FAA to require that all HEMS flights with medical personnel on board be conducted in accordance with charter aircraft regulations, and all HEMS operators should be required by the FAA to develop and implement flight risk evaluation programs, use formalized dispatch and flight-following procedures including up-to-date weather information, and install Terrain Awareness and Warning Systems (TAWS) on aircraft. So far the FAA has not acted on those recommendations.

http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/NTSBExaminesHelicopterEMSSafety_199708-1.html

Copyright Aviation Publishing Group. All rights reserved

Man charged in ambulance incident

Melissa Dominelli, ctvedmonton.ca

Charges have been laid against a man who is alleged to have pointed a loaded

firearm at paramedics while in the back of an ambulance.

Shawn Patrick Fahy, 25, was charged with pointing a firearm, possession of a

dangerous weapon, carrying a concealed weapon, have a weapon in an

unauthorized place, having a prohibited/restricted loaded firearm, and

careless use/storage of a firearm.

A search warrant was conducted on the man's south side home and officers

seized over 30 firearms, most of which were registered, and more than 12,000

rounds of ammunition.

His many weapons are now in the custody of city police, who say whether or

not he gets his property back is up to the courts.

"Now the firearms hearing will take place and that'll happen sometime in the

future," said Karen Carlson with Edmonton Police. "That's a hearing that

involves our investigators as well as a judge, and they'll decide this

person's eligibility to possess any firearms in the future."

Last Friday, just before 10:30 a.m, the man was driving a delivery truck

along a side road at 161 Street and 111 Avenue when he hit a van.

Police spokesperson Karen Carlson told CTV News,"when the male driver of the

truck was being treated in the back of the ambulance, the paramedics saw a

firearm in his waist band but before they could really do anything, the man

allegedly grabbed that firearm and pointed it at the paramedics."

The man then fled on foot from the ambulance and within minutes, officers

spotted the male walking on 163 Street just north of 111 Avenue.

A high risk arrest occurred and the man was taken into custody. A loaded

handgun, holster, and ammunition were seized following the arrest.

Paramedics were unharmed in the incident.

Fahy is set to appear in court on February 10th.

http://calgary.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20090113/edm_paramedic_090113/20090113/?hub=CalgaryHome

'Drunk' paramedic stuck off

paramedic was drunk when driving an ambulance on an urgent call-out during which he was involved in an accident, a professional misconduct hearing ruled last Tuesday.

Robert Kane admitted to his supervisor he was drunk and offered him money to forget about it, the Health Professions Council (HPC) fitness-to-practise panel, sitting in Belfast, heard.

Kane, who has already been sacked by the health trust which employed him as a paramedic in Coleraine following an internal disciplinary hearing, failed to attend the hearing in relation to the incident which occurred on February 14, 2007.

The Conduct and Competence Committee of the HPC decided to go ahead in his absence after making contact with Kane who said his car had broken down and it did not suit him to travel by bus or train. He said he was happy for the proceedings to continue in his absence.

Imposing the strongest possible sanction – being struck off the register – the panel said: "The public could have no confidence that it could not happen again."

Commenting that there was no realistic possibility of rehabilitation, Dr Yule added: "The only sanction to ensure public protection and to maintain public confidence in the profession, is striking-off."

Kane admitted to his supervisor he was drunk and offered him money to forget about it, the Health Professions Council (HPC) fitness-to-practise panel, sitting in Belfast, was told.

Supervisor Eddie Kilgore, who blew the whistle on him, told bosses: "He was not slightly drunk, he was pissed."

Kane was found guilty of professional misconduct on a series of charges relating to a call-out on February 14, 2007 – Valentine's Day.

The three-member panel, chaired by Dr Alexander Yule, said: "The registrant was intoxicated while on duty and driving on a public road."

He was found guilty of being the driver of an ambulance dispatched to an urgent doctor's call when he was involved in a crash and failed to stop.

He was also found guilty of being confused and having slurred speech when he later reported the accident to controllers from his mobile phone.

Mr Kilgore, who had known Mr Kane for 15 years as his supervisor and friend, said he had only just gone on duty when they got the call-out. Kane took the keys and got behind the wheel while he got in the back of the ambulance.

After they had travelled a short distance he "heard Robin swearing and he swerved quite aggressively and I fell off my seat".

"He said something like – someone had driven in front of him, but everything was OK."

When they arrived at the call-out he ordered Kane out of the vehicle because he could not get it into reverse to park, he said.

"Robin was very loud and abrasive with the patient. He said: 'What about you big man' and things like that."

When Mr Kilgore confronted him, he admitted taking alcohol.

"He said something along the lines of: 'We have been friends a long time – is there any way you can forget about it?'. He offered me money."

Station Officer Malcolm Stewart carried out an investigation. He said Kane insisted he had not been drinking and attributed it to the use of alcohol wipes earlier in the day which he had put across his face to cover the smell of diseased remains.

"I concluded there was a question over whether he was fit to be on duty at that time," he said.

Mr Kane has the option of appealing to the High Court within 28 days.

WCU professor to lead study on paramedic shortage

WCU professor to lead study on paramedic shortage

Michael Hubble, director of the emergency medical care program at Western Carolina University, recently received a $91,510 grant to conduct an assessment and analysis of North Carolina’s emergency medical services workforce and provide recommendations to improve recruitment and retention, according the university.

The North Carolina Office of Emergency Medical Services, which is funding and assisting with the project, asked Hubble to lead the study.

“There is a growing consensus that there is a shortage of paramedics nationwide, but there is very little data available to quantify the extent of the shortage or how to address it,” said Hubble. “There isn’t a rule of thumb for the number of ambulances needed to serve a community.”

Considerations include calls for service per hour, the amount of time required to respond to each call, the location of hospitals and other factors.

Hubble will gather information about the workforce and develop a survey. The study will include meeting with EMS administrators and personnel at summits to be held in the eastern, central and western regions of North Carolina. Interviews will be conducted with students and educators. Hubble will present his findings to the EMS Advisory Council in May and a final report at the EMS Administrators Association meeting in July.

NTSB Looks at Chopper Fatalities

Records: Most air-ambulance crashes due to rule violations

Alan Levin USA TODA 2009 Feb 3

Rule violations and risky behavior on air-ambulance flights are killing patients, medical crews and pilots, a USA TODAY review of federal accident records shows.

Five of the nine fatal helicopter crashes between December 2007 and October involved flying at night into poor weather that pilots were not prepared for, according to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). The nine accidents killed 35 people, including six patients, the most deaths ever during a 12-month period in the industry.

In three cases, the NTSB found that pilots violated rules or took risky actions, such as accepting a flight after another pilot refused to fly because of bad weather.

Crashes caused by such errors have vexed air-ambulance companies and federal regulators for years. A 2005 USA TODAY report on the air-ambulance industry found numerous cases in which pilots flouted rules. The NTSB has repeatedly called for safety enhancements in the industry. "There appear to be similarities between these and accidents that we've seen in the past," said NTSB member Robert Sumwalt, who starting today will chair a four-day hearing into the recent surge in air-ambulance fatal crashes.

The crashes have prompted several calls for tighter regulation. A consortium of helicopter industry groups is recommending that helicopters on medical missions be required to carry night-vision equipment or be capable of flying in zero visibility while flying in the dark. "If you have an accident and you think it was preventable, that's not acceptable," said Matthew Zuccaro, president of Helicopter Association International, one of the groups calling for the new rules.

According to NTSB data on the crashes:

• On Dec. 3, 2007, an Evergreen Helicopters of Alaska flight went down in the ocean near Whittier, Alaska, after the pilot flew into stormy conditions at night in violation of federal rules. The rules required that pilots maintain sight of lights on the ground while flying at night. In addition, the pilot was using night-vision goggles but had not received the required training on them. The company was supposed to study the risks of each flight before it took off, but the risk reviews could not be found after the crash. The crash killed four people.

• An Air Evac EMS helicopter crashed on Dec. 30, 2007, while helping locate a lost hunter in woods near Cherokee, Ala. Moments before the crash, another employee tried to talk the pilot out of continuing the low-altitude search because of safety concerns. The company manuals forbid such low-altitude searches, but an official argued that the rules did not apply because the flight did not have a patient aboard. The helicopter lost control, killing the pilot and two medical workers.

• On June 8, an Air Methods helicopter crashed in a national forest near Huntsville, Texas. Another pilot had turned back because of fog after trying to pick up the same patient. The Air Methods pilot accepted the flight and crashed in the spot where the first pilot had found the fog.

• Other crashes involved puzzling mistakes by pilots. Two air-ambulance helicopters collided June 29 while flying to a hospital in Flagstaff, Ariz., during clear daytime conditions. Seven people died.

Large Turnout Expected to Honor EMT Killed In Line of Duty

Associated Press 2009 Feb 3

Cape Vincent, N.Y. -- Officials expect as many as 2,000 fire and emergency services personnel from across the country to join in a procession honoring a 25-year-old emergency medical technician killed in the line of duty.

Mark Davis was shot in the Canadian border town of Cape Vincent late Friday. Police say he and two others were treating 25-year-old Christopher Burke when Burke became agitated, got a rifle and fired. Burke was charged with murder.

Glenn Morrison is Jefferson County's director of fire and emergency management. He says a full honor guard of emergency service personnel from across the country will recognize Davis on Saturday.