For the Record 6/13

FEMA and Premiere Networks Work Together to Increase Preparedness

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has announced a cooperative effort with Premiere Networks and private sector broadcasters that will provide an alternative method for radio stations to receive emergency information during a national emergency.

 “This cooperative effort between FEMA and Premiere Networks is one of the latest initiatives to engage the private sector’s cooperation in raising community preparedness across the nation,” said Damon Penn, Assistant Administrator of FEMA’s National Continuity Program. “We count on the broadcasting industry to alert and warn the public through the standard broadcast Emergency Alert System (EAS) including AM, FM, and satellite radio, as well as broadcast, cable and satellite TV, if a national emergency occurs,” said Penn.

FEMA’s Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) permits national emergency alert messages to be delivered simultaneously through multiple communications devices. While a presidential EAS message has never been activated, IPAWS provides the President with a way to address the American people within 10 minutes of a national emergency. For more information on FEMA programs, go to www.fema.gov/ipaws

Sun City West Fire District Honored

Fire Corps, in partnership with the International Fire Service Training Association (IFSTA) and Fire Protection Publications (FPP), would like to congratulate the Sun City West (SCW) Fire District Fire Corps program (AZ) for being selected as the 2013 Fire Corps Award of Excellence winner.

Sponsored by IFSTA/FPP, this award annually honors a Fire Corps program whose remarkable achievements in the fire and emergency services and community exemplify outstanding performance. The SCW Fire Corps was recognized at the National Volunteer Fire Council’s Awards Reception and Dinner on May 10 in Alexandria, VA. The Community Assistance Response Team (WA) and the Loveland-Symmes Fire Department (OH) both received honorable mentions.

Launched in 2004, Fire Corps is managed by the National Volunteer Fire Council and works with various organizations that make up the Fire Corps National Advisory Committee (NAC). Members of the Fire Corps NAC represent every major fire service organization in the nation. They provide valuable input, critical feedback and supplementary ideas as to the direction of the program. Fire Corps is also supported by the United States Fire Administration and is funded through the Federal Emergency Management Agency and Citizen Corps.

Line-of-Duty Deaths

9 firefighters recently died in the line of duty, in addition to the firefighters who were killed in the West, TX, explosion (see page 58). Three of the nine deaths were the result of accidents, four were health related and two were the result of direct fireground operations.

ASSISTANT FIRE CHIEF HAROLD HOLLINGSWORTH, 47, of the Fort Osage, MO, Fire Protection District died on April 7. He was responding to a structure fire during a severe thunderstorm in a fire department vehicle that left the roadway and struck a tree in rural Jackson County. Hollingsworth was transported to Center Point Medical Center, where he died. Hollingsworth was a 16-year veteran of the department. This was the department’s first line-of-duty death.

LIEUTENANT JAMES B. HUNTER, 56, of the Bedford, NH, Fire Department died on April 11. Hunter was found deceased at his home several hours after his shift ended. During his shift, he responded to numerous calls.

FIREFIGHTER LANCE STONE, 37, of the West Union, IL, Community Fire Protection District died on April 13. Stone was responding to a fire call in his personnel vehicle when the vehicle left the roadway and rolled over. He was ejected from the vehicle and was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident.

CHIEF RODNEY PAUL MILLER, 32, of the Loganville, PA, Volunteer Fire Department in Seven Valleys, PA, died on April 27. Miller was diverting traffic off of Interstate 83 at Exit 8 in York County due to an earlier accident when he was struck by a vehicle. Miller was transported to York Hospital, where he died. The 32-year-old driver of the vehicle that struck Miller was charged with homicide by vehicle, DUI and other violations.

FIREFIGHTER DALE SCOTT QUEEN, 37, of the Oak Ridge Volunteer Fire Department in Hartselle, AL, died on April 29. While participating in a search for a bomb, Queen became ill. He was taken to the staging area, where his condition worsened. Queen was transported by ambulance to Decatur Morgan Hospital, where he died.

FIREFIGHTER GENE KIRCHNER, 24, of the Reisterstown Volunteer Fire Company in Towson, MD, died on May 2. On April 24, Kirchner and fellow firefighters were searching for a trapped person at a fire in a three-story house converted to apartments. Reports indicate Kirchner issued a Mayday call and fellow firefighters found him on the second floor. He was transported to Northwest Hospital and then transferred to Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore in critical condition. One occupant died in the fire.

WILDLAND FIREFIGHTER DANIEL DAVIDSON, 26, of the Sacramento Ranger District in Lincoln National Forest in Cloudcroft, NM, died on May 5. Davidson was working on a project near Mayhill when he collapsed. Immediate care was initiated and a helicopter was requested. Davidson was pronounced dead at the scene.

ASSISTANT FIRE CHIEF STANLEY MARTIN JR., 71, of the Springfield, AL, Volunteer Fire Department died on May 6. Martin had been an apparatus operator at the scene of a structure fire during fire suppression. Shortly after the fire was extinguished, Martin experienced shortness of breath. An ambulance was requested, but Martin stopped breathing and collapsed. On-scene medical care was initiated and he was transported to Greene County Hospital, but was pronounced dead at the hospital.

FIREFIGHTER BRIAN WOEHLKE, 29, of the Wayne-Westland, MI, Fire Department died on May 8. While performing interior firefighting operations at a strip mall fire, Woehlke became trapped in debris after the roof collapsed. It took several hours to recover his body from the building.

—Jay K. Bradish

How to Navigate the Mobile Healthcare Landscape

As the Affordable Care Act (ACA) ripples across the landscape and remakes the way EMS delivers out-of-hospital care, there’s pressure to embrace concepts like “community paramedicine” and “mobile integration” of healthcare services without even, in some cases, a clear idea of what they mean and how they fit.

At EMS World Expo’s Mobile Integrated Healthcare Summit in Las Vegas, NV, on Sept. 11, EMS executives and medical directors who are already making the transition to a mobile healthcare delivery model will come together to help agencies navigate this radical new environment.
Several significant sessions will prepare you for what’s to come:

• Laying a Foundation – How mobile medicine fits in the new healthcare landscape.
• The Medicine in What We’re Doing – EMS medical directors examine the new requirements of their job.
• How Do I Do This? Program Development & Implementation – Change starts with determining your community’s needs.
• Getting Along with Others – Learn to work with hospitals, primary-care physicians, ACOs, SNFs, home health, case managers, non-profit groups and others.
• The EMS Office Says We Can’t, What Now? Addressing Regulatory Issues – Do you need new laws or rules in your state to support your new activities?

Continue the discussion by participating in the Summit’s Lunch & Learn: Collaboration is Key: Implementing the Concept of “Mobile Integrated Healthcare Practice,” sponsored in part by Medtronic Foundation. Separate registration required.

This one-day exclusive event will be presented within the EMS World Expo Operations Track and is included as part of the core program registration. You can attend individual classes of interest or the entire program. EMS World Expo (EMSWorldExpo.com) will be held in Las Vegas, Sept. 8-12.