Air Medical Safety Update

Dr. Bryan Bledsoe

Air medical safety expert Bryan Bledsoe, DO, FACEP, EMT-P provides news and views on current efforts to improve helicopter EMS safety following the tragic spike last year in crashes and fatalities.

In this in-depth interview, Dr. Bledsoe touches on:

1. The outcome of the NTSB hearings that occurred in February 2009.

2. Potential new rulemaking from the FAA.

3. Steps the air medical industry and individual operators can take now to improve safety.

4. The Helicopter Medical Services Patient Safety, Protection and Coordination Act (H.R. 978/S. 848), introduced in February by Rep. Jason Altmire (D-PA). The bill would recognize and clarify the authority of the states to regulate intrastate helicopter medical services.

5. The Air Medical Safety Act (H.R. 1201/S. 1201), introduced in February by Rep. John Salazar (D-CO). It would make law of several of the NTSB’s 2006 recommendations.

6. Air medical self-dispatch and call-jumping issues.

7. Controlling when and how air resources are summoned.

8. What we can learn from Canada and the wider international EMS community.

9. The Patient First Alliance’s air-resource typing scheme (outlined in a position paper at www.airmed.com/ Patient-First) which proposes categorizing air medical service providers based on their clinical capabilities and safety profiles.

10. Tracking the use of air medical resources and expectations for future trends.

For related content visit this EMS Magazine online exclusive by Associate Editor John Erich: Flight Plans.

Health and Wellness

Gary Ludwig

As part of the “2009 Fire/EMS Safety, Health and Survival Week,” Chief Gary Ludwig discusses his top safety concerns and advice for EMS responders. In this interview he discusses the importance of preventative health care and screenings, maintaining an appropriately healthy lifestyle and setting an example for others.

Gary Ludwig is a nationally recognized fire and EMS expert whose works include regular columns for Firehouse Magazine and Firehouse.com, and whose previous publications include EMS Magazine. He currently serves as a deputy fire chief for the Memphis, Tennessee Fire Department. He retired as Chief Paramedic from the St. Louis Fire Department in 2001 after 25 years of employment with the city. Chief Ludwig also currently serves as Chairman for the EMS Section of the International Association of Fire Chiefs, sponsor of Safety Week. Learn more about him at www.garyludwig.com.

Helicopter Operations

Gary Ludwig

As part of the “2009 Fire/EMS Safety, Health and Survival Week,” Chief Gary Ludwig discusses his top safety concerns and advice for EMS responders. During this episode he talks about the currently high risks associated with the air medical industry and shares some advice for safe operations.

Gary Ludwig is a nationally recognized fire and EMS expert whose works include regular columns for Firehouse Magazine and Firehouse.com, and whose previous publications include EMS Magazine. He currently serves as a deputy fire chief for the Memphis, Tennessee Fire Department. He retired as Chief Paramedic from the St. Louis Fire Department in 2001 after 25 years of employment with the city. Chief Ludwig also currently serves as Chairman for the EMS Section of the International Association of Fire Chiefs, sponsor of Safety Week. Learn more about him at www.garyludwig.com.

Courtesy and Customer Service

Gary Ludwig

As part of the “2009 Fire/EMS Safety, Health and Survival Week,” Chief Gary Ludwig discusses his top safety concerns and advice for EMS responders. Here he discusses the role of simple courtesy in preventing or diffusing any potential hostility or lack of cooperation from patients and the public.

Gary Ludwig is a nationally recognized fire and EMS expert whose works include regular columns for Firehouse Magazine and Firehouse.com, and whose previous publications include EMS Magazine. He currently serves as a deputy fire chief for the Memphis, Tennessee Fire Department. He retired as Chief Paramedic from the St. Louis Fire Department in 2001 after 25 years of employment with the city. Chief Ludwig also currently serves as Chairman for the EMS Section of the International Association of Fire Chiefs, sponsor of Safety Week. Learn more about him at www.garyludwig.com.

Illness and Injury Prevention

Gary Ludwig

As part of the “2009 Fire/EMS Safety, Health and Survival Week,” Chief Gary Ludwig discusses his top safety concerns and advice for EMS responders. In this podcast he discusses illness and injury prevention topics including lifting and moving, protective equipment and infection control.

Gary Ludwig is a nationally recognized fire and EMS expert whose works include regular columns for Firehouse Magazine and Firehouse.com, and whose previous publications include EMS Magazine. He currently serves as a deputy fire chief for the Memphis, Tennessee Fire Department. He retired as Chief Paramedic from the St. Louis Fire Department in 2001 after 25 years of employment with the city. Chief Ludwig also currently serves as Chairman for the EMS Section of the International Association of Fire Chiefs, sponsor of Safety Week. Learn more about him at www.garyludwig.com.

Crime Scenes and Assailants

Gary Ludwig

As part of the “2009 Fire/EMS Safety, Health and Survival Week,” Chief Gary Ludwig discusses his top safety concerns and advice for EMS responders. Here he talks about policies and procedures for responding to crime scenes, as well as responding to psychiatric calls and checking patients for weapons.

Gary Ludwig is a nationally recognized fire and EMS expert whose works include regular columns for Firehouse Magazine and Firehouse.com, and whose previous publications include EMS Magazine. He currently serves as a deputy fire chief for the Memphis, Tennessee Fire Department. He retired as Chief Paramedic from the St. Louis Fire Department in 2001 after 25 years of employment with the city. Chief Ludwig also currently serves as Chairman for the EMS Section of the International Association of Fire Chiefs, sponsor of Safety Week. Learn more about him at www.garyludwig.com.

Staging for Scene Protection

Gary Ludwig

As part of the “2009 Fire/EMS Safety, Health and Survival Week,” Chief Gary Ludwig discusses his top safety concerns and advice for EMS responders. During this podcast he discusses positioning vehicles to protect road incidents from other traffic, and shares the experience in Memphis, Tennessee since implementing such a policy.

Gary Ludwig is a nationally recognized fire and EMS expert whose works include regular columns for Firehouse Magazine and Firehouse.com, and whose previous publications include EMS Magazine. He currently serves as a deputy fire chief for the Memphis, Tennessee Fire Department. He retired as Chief Paramedic from the St. Louis Fire Department in 2001 after 25 years of employment with the city. Chief Ludwig also currently serves as Chairman for the EMS Section of the International Association of Fire Chiefs, sponsor of Safety Week. Learn more about him at www.garyludwig.com.

Driving

Gary Ludwig

As part of the “2009 Fire/EMS Safety, Health and Survival Week,” Chief Gary Ludwig discusses his top safety concerns and advice for EMS responders. In this episode he discusses driving issues including seatbelt use and speed.

Gary Ludwig is a nationally recognized fire and EMS expert whose works include regular columns for Firehouse Magazine and Firehouse.com, and whose previous publications include EMS Magazine. He currently serves as a deputy fire chief for the Memphis, Tennessee Fire Department. He retired as Chief Paramedic from the St. Louis Fire Department in 2001 after 25 years of employment with the city. Chief Ludwig also currently serves as Chairman for the EMS Section of the International Association of Fire Chiefs, sponsor of Safety Week. Learn more about him at www.garyludwig.com.

Continuing Education Podcast: Advances in ACLS and CPR

Keith Wesley, MD

For the first time in EMS education, we bring you a podcast lecture available for continuing education credit. This lesson by national EMS educator Keith Wesley, MD, adapted from his EMS Expo presentation, covers the following topics in ACLS and CPR:

1. Review of History of CPR
2. Changes to 2005 Guidelines
3. Physiology of CPR
4. Efficiency of automated versus manual CPR;
• Patient centric issues: improved outcomes
• Crew centric issues: safer transports, manpower issues
5. Where do we go from here?

Dr. Keith Wesley is a board certified emergency medicine physician living in Eau Claire Wisconsin. He is the former Wisconsin State EMS Medical Director and currently serves as the Minnesota State Medical Director; Chair of the National Council of State Medical Directors; and medical director for HealthEast Medical Transport in St. Paul, Minnesota. He is a prolific EMS author and lecturer as well as contributor to e-learning producer Emergency Preparedness Systems, LLC.

After listening, look for the quiz to be featured at www.rapidce.com to earn .5 CE hours.

In Extremis

Susie Kochevar

“The blood sugar on a four-month old was 400. And I thought it must be a mistake, so we rechecked the blood sugar and again it came back over 400.” Susie Kochevar, RN and Health Care Coordinator for the North Las Vegas Fire Department, describes how she learned about an interesting aspect of pediatric physiology that could impact the emergency care of young patients.

Open Airways is a project to capture an oral history for the benefit of the EMS Community. EMS responders share some of the most meaningful cases of their careers, sometimes with humor and always with compassion. We hope that they will help us improve your practice and inspire a new generation of caregivers.

This series is produced by FISDAP with the support of EMSResponder.com. Listen to the latest features here and look for the series archive at openairways.net.

To share your most meaningful case and the lesson it taught you, call FISDAP Open Airways at 1.651.314.7424