EMS Leaders Say Thank You
The leaders of the major National EMS Associations have published this video to thank EMS field, communications center and support personnel for their amazing work this year. Leaders in the video message include (in order of appearance): Gary Ludwig, Immediate Past President, International Association of Fire ChiefsMatt Zavadsky, President, National Association of EMTsChip Decker, President, Academy of International Mobile Healthcare IntegrationAarron Reinert, President, American Ambulance AssociationBill Seifarth, Executive Director, National Registry of EMTsDr. David Tan, President, National Association of EM...
Source: JEMS: Journal of Emergency Medical Services News - December 30, 2020 Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: JEMS Staff Tags: Spotlight EMS EMT Paramedic Source Type: news

First Reported U.S. Case of COVID-19 Variant Found in CO
By PATTY NIEBERG Associated Press/Report for America DENVER (AP) — The first reported U.S. case of the COVID-19 variant that’s been seen in the United Kingdom has been discovered in Colorado, Gov. Jared Polis announced Tuesday, adding urgency to efforts to vaccinate Americans. The variant was found in a man in his 20s who is in isolation southeast of Denver in Elbert County and has no travel history, state health officials said. Elbert County is a mainly rural area of rolling plains at the far edge of the Denver metro area that includes a portion of Interstate 70, the state’s main east-west highway. C...
Source: JEMS: Journal of Emergency Medical Services News - December 30, 2020 Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: JEMS Staff Tags: AP News Coronavirus Colorado Source Type: news

Fewer Mass Shootings Occurred in 2020
By LISA MARIE PANE Associated Press If there’s one silver lining in a year marred by a deadly pandemic, civil unrest, and economic and political turmoil, it’s this: The number of mass shootings that happened in public was the lowest in more than a decade. Experts who research mass killings say there are two key reasons for the sharp drop-off. For one, most people avoided going out in public during coronavirus lockdowns, which meant fewer opportunities for slayings in workplaces or schools. For another, Americans were so focused on other tragedies that would-be gunmen were less likely to consider carrying ...
Source: JEMS: Journal of Emergency Medical Services News - December 30, 2020 Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: JEMS Staff Tags: AP News Mass Casualty Incidents MCI Source Type: news

PWW Inclusion Initiative Announced
Page, Wolfberg & Wirth, the nation’s leading EMS industry law firm, is proud to announce the PWW Inclusion Initiative. In 2021, PWW will donate pro bono legal services to assist startup EMS entrepreneurs in Black, minority and historically disadvantaged communities. PWW has always taken seriously its social responsibility as members of the bar and leaders in the EMS community.  We are taking that commitment to the next level by helping to foster the cause of advancement, awareness, diversity and inclusion in the EMS profession among those who have been historically underrepresented. PWW will select up ...
Source: JEMS: Journal of Emergency Medical Services News - December 30, 2020 Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: JEMS Staff Tags: Best Practices News Spotlight EMS EMT Paramedic Source Type: news

Project Mayday: Whitney Gaudaur
Hear the story of the private industry EMS through the lens of a female paramedic in a busy 911 system from Whitney Gaudaur. The U.S. News & World Report article referenced in the podcast can be found here. Previous: Hear from Amy and Herb Campbell about their perspectives on relationships, culture and their personal struggles with mental wellness throughout their careers. The post Project Mayday: Whitney Gaudaur appeared first on JEMS. (Source: JEMS: Journal of Emergency Medical Services News)
Source: JEMS: Journal of Emergency Medical Services News - December 30, 2020 Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: JEMS Staff Tags: Podcasts Project Mayday Source Type: news

UK Hospitals Struggle; Tougher Rules Eyed to Fight Variant
By JILL LAWLESS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — British officials are considering tougher coronavirus restrictions as the number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients surpasses the first peak of the outbreak in the spring. Authorities are blaming a new, more transmissible variant of the virus, first identified in southeast England, for the soaring infection rates. An area home to almost half of the people in England is under tight restrictions on movement and everyday life in an attempt to curb the spread of the virus. Nonessential shops are shut along with gyms and swimming pools, indoor socializing is barred and resta...
Source: JEMS: Journal of Emergency Medical Services News - December 29, 2020 Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: JEMS Staff Tags: AP News Coronavirus COVID-19 United Kingdom Source Type: news

City of Houston Gets First Doses of Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine
Dylan McGuinness Houston Chronicle (MCT) Dec. 28—A shipment of 6,000 doses of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine arrived in Houston on Monday, marking the city government’s first batch of the potentially life-saving shots. The arriving vaccines include 3,000 doses each for the Health Department and the Fire Department. Health workers and emergency medical technicians are first in line to get those vaccines, and they began getting the shots immediately Monday. Mayor Sylvester Turner and his top medical administrators toured the vaccination site. The mayor wat...
Source: JEMS: Journal of Emergency Medical Services News - December 29, 2020 Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: JEMS Staff Tags: Coronavirus News News Feed COVID-19 Houston Texas Source Type: news

Detroit Paramedic Jon A. Bozich, 45, Dies of Cancer
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit paramedic Jon A. Bozich, 45, dies of cancer ___ (c)2020 the Detroit Free Press Visit the Detroit Free Press at www.freep.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. The post Detroit Paramedic Jon A. Bozich, 45, Dies of Cancer appeared first on JEMS. (Source: JEMS: Journal of Emergency Medical Services News)
Source: JEMS: Journal of Emergency Medical Services News - December 29, 2020 Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: JEMS Staff Tags: News News Feed Cancer Michigan Paramedic Source Type: news

Will COVID-19 Vaccines Work on the New Coronavirus Variant?
By The Associated Press Will COVID-19 vaccines work on the new coronavirus variant? Experts believe so, but they’re working to confirm that. A coronavirus variant in the United Kingdom has caused alarm because of the possibility that it might spread more easily. But even if that turns out to be true, experts say the COVID-19 vaccines being rolled out will likely still work on the variant. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious disease expert, said data coming from Britain indicates the vaccines still will block the virus. But the U.S. also will do tests to be sure. Viruses often undergo small chang...
Source: JEMS: Journal of Emergency Medical Services News - December 29, 2020 Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Associated Press Tags: Product Videos Coronavirus Source Type: news

Los Angeles Firefighters and Paramedics Get First COVID-19 Vaccine Doses
Faith E. Pinho Los Angeles Times (MCT) Firetrucks and paramedic paraphernalia were cleared out and vials and needles rolled in Monday as a downtown Los Angeles fire station transformed into a vaccination site for the city’s firefighters to receive their first doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. The Los Angeles Fire Department employees — the city’s first to receive the vaccine — joined first responders across Southern California in getting the COVID-19 vaccine. “These are the folks who are always there for us,” Mayor Eric Garcetti said. “...
Source: JEMS: Journal of Emergency Medical Services News - December 29, 2020 Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: JEMS Staff Tags: Coronavirus News News Feed Source Type: news

PA EMT Loves ‘Emotional’ Job She Almost Quit
Patrick Buchnowski The Tribune-Democrat, Johnstown, Pa. (MCT) Dec. 28—Laura Penatzer has spent 33 years as an emergency medical technician treating car crash victims, heart attack victims and more recently COVID-19 patients. Love for her job and the community keep her motivated. “I’m very lucky that I have a job and a job that I love,” said Penatzer, assistant manager and office manager for Forest Hills Area EMS in St. Michael. “No matter where I go, I’ve been in almost every house in our coverage area,” she said. “I do love my job. Not many peopled can say...
Source: JEMS: Journal of Emergency Medical Services News - December 28, 2020 Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: JEMS Staff Tags: News News Feed Patient Care COVID-19 EMS Pennsylvania Source Type: news

IL Bowling Alley Shooting Leaves Three Dead
ROCKFORD, Ill. (AP) — A U.S. Army special forces sergeant based in Florida has been charged in an apparently random shooting at an Illinois bowling alley that left three people dead and three wounded, authorities said Sunday. Winnebago County State’s Attorney J. Hanley said Duke Webb, 37, has been charged with three counts of murder and three counts of first-degree attempted murder in the shooting at Don Carter Lanes, in Rockford, on Saturday evening. While no bowling is currently allowed due to state-imposed coronavirus restrictions, a bar linked to the business was legally open. Webb was taken into custody shor...
Source: JEMS: Journal of Emergency Medical Services News - December 28, 2020 Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Associated Press Tags: AP News Mass Casualty Incidents Illinois Mass Shooting Source Type: news

Portage (OH) EMS Workers Among First in County to Get COVID-19 Vaccine
Bob Gaetjens Record-Courier, Kent, Ohio (MCT) Dec. 27—GARRETTSVILLE — The Portage County Health Department administered the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to Community EMS workers on Saturday morning in a brief clinic that took place in the EMS company’s garage. About 15 EMTs and paramedics, some from surrounding fire departments, attended the clinic and were in and out in less than 45 minutes. Portage County Health Department Public Information Officer Becky Lehman said Community EMS was the first of a weekend blitz of clinics at EMS facilities and fire departments. “We got ...
Source: JEMS: Journal of Emergency Medical Services News - December 28, 2020 Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: JEMS Staff Tags: Coronavirus News News Feed COVID-19 Ohio Source Type: news

Front Lines of Coronavirus: OH Medical Helicopter Nurse Knows How Quickly Life Can Change
Chris Stewart Journal-News, Hamilton, Ohio (MCT) Dec. 26—A constant witness to the fragility of life, Jessica Oakley offers advice in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. “Something this job has really taught me is how quickly life can change,” she said. “I wish everyone had that realization so that everyone makes the most of what time they have and to not hold grudges.” A flight nurse on board Premier Health’s CareFlight since 2013, Oakley said her job can be both heartbreaking and rewarding. “I see people that are having probably one of th...
Source: JEMS: Journal of Emergency Medical Services News - December 28, 2020 Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: JEMS Staff Tags: Coronavirus News News Feed COVID-19 Flight Medic Source Type: news

CT EMT and Student Thrives in Unfamiliar Circumstances
Sten Spinella The Day, New London, Conn. (MCT) Dec. 25—This is part of a series that highlights the work of those who stepped up to help others during the difficult days of 2020. To read other articles in the series, go to www.theday.com/brightlights2020. Sydney Bryan, a Connecticut College senior, is working two EMT jobs during a pandemic while taking classes. Who does this? Her dance professor at Conn, Heidi Henderson, may know the answer: “Sydney, evidently!” But, why? “She’s a person who’s interested in things. She doesn’t just float through...
Source: JEMS: Journal of Emergency Medical Services News - December 28, 2020 Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: JEMS Staff Tags: Coronavirus News News Feed Connecticut COVID-19 EMT Source Type: news