Tuesday, June 3, 2008
** Pennsylvania med-evac chopper crashes
** New Brunswick EMS consultant says 22 minute response time reasonable
** Protocol standardization of Canadian EMS honour guards sought
UNITED STATES NEWS
** A Pennsylvania flight medic and nurse escaped serious injury Friday, after the University MedEvac chopper they were riding in crashed after takeoff in Pottsville. The Republican Herald (Stephen J. Pytak/Frank Andruscavage/June 1) said the duo was flown to Allentown’s LeHigh Valley Hospital for treatment for non life threatening injuries;the pilot was not injured. According to the newspaper, witnesses reported hearing a bang just before the chopper plunged to the ground. Federal Aviation Administration officials arrived at the site yesterday. National Transportation Safety Board workers will also take part in the investigation.
CANADA NEWS
** Critics seeking to shave minutes from Ambulance New Brunswick’s rural response times fail to consider the exhorbitant cost involved in the undertaking. That is the contention of The Telegraph Journal (Megan O’Toole/June 2) which quoted Argyle, Texas EMS consultant Steve Athey as saying the current 22 minute average response is acceptable. Athey, who was speaking to ongoing complaints on the issue, said more focus should be placed on training residents in CPR. In addition, he said a transition period should be allowed to iron out system bugs.
** Medics belonging to local service or provincial EMS honour guards might be interested in a new website started to create dialogue amongst tribute formations. The Alliance of Canadian EMS Honour Guards, which includes practitioners from across the country, is seeking to standardize guidelines for occassions when honour guards might be needed. Located at http://emshonourguard.com, the group was begun at the behest of Edmonton. Parkland Ambulance Authority in Stony Plain, Alberta is hosting both the website and forum. Founding members include Parkland Paramedic Honour Guard, Edmonton Paramedic Guard of Honour, City of Calgary EMS Honour Guard, British Columbia Ambulance Service Paramedic Honour Guard, Manitoba Paramedic Honour Guard, Paramedic Association of New Brunswick Honour Guard, Simcoe County Paramedic Honour Guard, Professional Paramedic Association of Ottawa Honour Guard, and the Paramedic Association of Canada Benevolent Society.Currently, there are about 14 EMS honour guards in Canada, with each group sporting between 8-30 members. Those interested in joining the alliance can make contact with the group by following this link http://www.emshonourguard.com/contact.html.
