LAS VEGAS, Nev. -- Scene safety, mental as well as physical fitness and ambulance designs are just some of the issues being addressed by a committee of the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT).

An outline for an EMS Safety Officer course was presented Monday by the NAEMT health and safety committee.

Members have been working on the program for several months, said Patrick Connell, of Austin, Tex.

With members living all over the country, they have been holding monthly conference calls to discuss the course development as well as other issues.

Connell said while there are many safety officer classes geared toward firefighters, there isn't much out there for EMS personnel.

"This has been a concern of the committee for some time," he said, adding that NAEMT officials will now review the outline, and decide how to proceed.

Another hot button issue discussed is the need for a data base to collect information about EMS injuries and deaths. While fire service and law enforcement statistics are easily obtainable, that's not the case for pre-hospital providers, said Bruce Evans, committee chairman.

The need for a national clearinghouse for statistics also was a top priority selected by the newly formed National EMS Advisory Council.

Evans said vital information is slipping through the cracks. "Fire data is well documented. But, that's not the case for EMS. No one is really keeping records. The numbers need to be collected."

Daniel R. Gerard, EMS Education Coordinator for the Alameda Fire Department, said it's ludicrous that you can find the number of police dogs killed annually, but not EMS providers.

Data collected by some major fire departments also is of concern to the group. Although a person may be injured while on an EMS run, the incident may be reported as a firefighter injury.

Evans said there appears to be an increase in assaults on EMS personnel, prompting his committee to issue an alert to providers to take a look around at every scene to make sure it's safe.

"Once again, there's no solid documentation out there. But, our members are reporting things when they hear about them."

The mental health of EMS providers also is of concern. Just how many suicides or attempted suicides there are also is unknown.

However, Evans said the mental well being of personnel is often overlooked.

Before proceeding, the group will determine what services exist in the various states.