Pennsylvania EMS Providers

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Comment by Ken Roberts on September 19, 2009 at 9:37pm

Anybody have any new topics? This has turned into a ghost town.

John,
I hope you are doing well and never have to go through that ordeal again. Hopefully things are straightened out there now.

Comment by John Fekety on May 21, 2009 at 9:20pm

A bill just passed the Senate committee on Homeland Security that not only gives more coverage for injury and death benefits but also corrects the errors created when the Ryan White Act was reauthorized. The language requires that first responders by notified if they had the possibility of being exposed to a bloodborne pathogen. The bill is going to the full Senate for a vote. Make sure you write to our senators and tell them to vote yes for this bill! If you need addresses, let me know and I will post them.

Comment by John W. Magyar on May 19, 2009 at 4:50pm

Happy EMS Week to all our providers. Remember our fallen heroes and be safe out there!!! John

Comment by George J. Aupperlee on May 19, 2009 at 3:07pm

EMS Dispaly at Pennsylvania National Fire Museum, Harrisburg, PA. Greetings from Pennsylvania! I wanted to share some news about a new EMS exhibit at the Pennsylvania National Fire Museum here in Harrisburg, PA. I thought you might share this information with all Pennsylvania EMS personnel so they too could come and see the exhibit.
The museum is at: The Pennsylvania National Fire Museum
1820 N 4th St
Harrisburg, PA 17102
(717) 232-8915
http://www.pnfm.org/news.htm
The EMS items will be on display from May 15, 2009- April 2010

Comment by Heather on May 18, 2009 at 1:45pm

Happy EMS Week! Thank you for what you do!

Comment by John W. Magyar on April 9, 2009 at 1:17pm

Hey, is everyone asleep out there? Whats on your mind? Whats new? Is Facebook
replacing Jem-connect?
I have a few things to share that you may not know.
1. Amb. Assn . of Pa. now has "Individual" memberships available. Go to www.aa-pa.org/ and check it out.
2. May is the deadline for "Red Flag Rule" to go into effect. If you are not prepared, go to http://www.pwwemslaw.com/content.aspx?id=384
3. Summer is just around the corner. Get your AC's checked so you're ready for some hot weather.
4. Does everyone have their new crew safety vests on board for highway incidents?
5. Are all your "summer" supplies & equipment up to date and functional? ie) eppi-pens, cold packs etc.
Have a safe spring and summer. John

Comment by John W. Magyar on March 29, 2009 at 4:33pm

John, I want everyone to be safe and go home at the end of their shift also. I just think the state and fed. govts. pass too many rules and regs. sometimes that goes way beyond the financial capabilities of most services. Most everyone has safety and infection control officers and if not, shame on them. But, when the feds and state pay 6% and 56% respectively less than cost to operate for EMS for Medicare and Medicaid pts., I have a big problem with that. Unfunded mandates just add to our problems. When our legislators passed the stimulus bill without even reading it and then voting on it several days later, I have to wonder about that, especially when there were almost 9,000 Pork projects included in the bill as "riders" to the legislation. I really don't trust our govts. to run or make rules, regs etc. for EMS after seeing their screwups with Fanny, Freddie, AIG, Madeoff etc. Where was the oversight, accountability and transperancy then and where is it now? Last year, the gov. of Pa. passed a law giving responsibility for EMS to local boroughs and twnpshps. Thats a huge responsibility to place on elected officials who for the most part know little to nothing about EMS. We provided a workshop in Dec. to advise our county elected officials of the laws and their new responsibilities. One comment was, "We have a hard enough time filling potholes in the roads much less deal with something we know nothing about". "What are we supposed to do now?" I guess that just about says it all. We in EMS are left with more compounded problems now as we have to guide the elected officials in their quest to fulfill their legal responsibilities. Its getting frustrating with no end in sight except more and more EMS people are leaving and our manpower problem is getting worse.

Comment by John Fekety on March 18, 2009 at 11:02am

In his post about the OSHA ALERT, John Magyar said, "The day is coming where all services/depts. will need a specialist to deal with all the legal compliance issues being forced upon our industry by state and federal governments. " This is something that has already been addressed by most industries - they have a safety officer. The volunteer fire departments with which I have been associated with have had safety officers. Why is it such a stretch of the imagination that EMS agencies should need a person to fulfill this role? I guess we could look at how well we take care of ourselves - nobody is overweight, we all eat wel balanced meals, exercise regularly - so I am sure that each of us are more than capable of ensuring our individual safety. I am glad that the days of the employer being satisfied with an "attempt" to comply with laws concerning my safety are gone. We only have to look around at other occupations to see the deaths and injuries that occur when employee safety dependent upon an employer's attempt to meet basic safety standards. Look at the line of duty deaths of our comrades in the fire service and you will see how many of those deaths can be attributed to failure to comply with safety measures. So, I will be greatful when there is a person in every agency who assigned to keep up with the various laws and regulations to make sure that at the end of the day I go home in the same condition that I was when I reported for duty.

Comment by John W. Magyar on March 13, 2009 at 4:20am

OSHA ALERT !!! I just attened the Lycoming Cty. EMS Council mtg. this evening. It was reported that OSHA has been in our area recently inspecting EMS Services. A list of the most common violations found was provided to council members. Some of the violations discovered were minor and others were considered to be serious violations with significant fines. Although Pa. is not an OSHA state, we are still required to comply with federal OSHA laws. Gone are the days of just doing your best and being satisfied with your "attempt" to comply with the laws. One major issue is infection control. Make sure your dept./service has an infection control manual on site. If you do not have one, get one immediately. Another issue is record keeping and immunizations for your staff. Contact your local EMS Council for assistance. Another matter of concern is annual infection control training for your staff. Make sure you document all training. Has all of your staff been properly trained on the use of fire extingusihers? Is it documented? Do you have the required number of fire extinguishers on your trucks in proper locations with quick release brackets? Be proactive and don't get caught with your pants down. EMS is getting more complicated and regulated every day. The day is coming where all services/depts. will need a specialist to deal with all the legal compliance issues being forced upon our industry by state and federal governments. My question is, who is going to pay for it and how many services will go out of business because they just don't have the time, resources and manpower to keep up with all the buracracy? While govts. aspire to make laws and regulations for the good of the public, who suffers in the end when we don't have enough services and trained manpower to properly serve our communities?

Comment by Ken Roberts on March 4, 2009 at 12:36pm

That is a great point......... training is everything. Give an EMT-B the training that they require to utilize advanced airway equipment, monitoring devices, trouble shooting capabilities and the adequate A&P background and this will become a great idea. Maybe we can call them PARAMEDICS!

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