FW: [IAFC EMS:212] IAFC EMS Section 2009 Accomplishments

[Guest guest]

________________________________

Don't know if I sent this out to the group already or not - but last

year was another successful and busy year for the EMS Section. Tons

got accomplished and many meetings were attended where we represented

you.

Take a second to go through the list and you will see what I mean.

Ludwig

Deputy Fire Chief

Memphis Fire Department

65 S. Front Street

Memphis, TN 38103

Office:

Fax:

Remember - Everyone Goes Home At the End of Their Shift.

________________________________

2009 Accomplishments

Top achievements in 2009 and a list of events, meetings & initiatives

involving

EMS Section representation on behalf of the IAFC and fire service based

EMS

* The EMS Section played a strong role on Capitol Hill to reinstate the

EMS personnel

notification provisions of the 1991 White Act; Defending Public

Safety

Helicopter use by opposing regulation that would limit the use of FAA

Part 91

helicopters; Public Safety Officer Benefit program advancements;

Medicare/Medicaid

Ambulance Fee Schedule funding; and FIRE and SAFER Grant funding for

prehospital

9-1-1 emergency medical patient care; among others.

* The EMS Section and its Medicare/Medicaid Committee wrote a letter to

the Centers

for Medicare Services (CMS) requesting it extend the deadline of CMS

change

request #6372 so software vendors can modify the existing electronic

billing systems

for municipal emergency services to reflect the new CMS date of service

for

ambulance services.

* IAFC - through the EMS Section - joined with the IAFF in a letter to

House and

Senate Appropriations Committee leaders calling for increased pandemic

influenza

funding for the EMS community in the Fiscal Year 2009 Supplemental. The

letter

highlighted specific funding for necessary medical equipment and

personnel training

needs, priority status for medical countermeasures and the need to

ensure local

public-health agencies coordinate with local fire and EMS services.

* The EMS Section's Emerging Disease Committee worked in the opening

months of

2009 to monitor the spread of H1N1 flu and develop the IAFC educational

website,

www.iafc.org/flu. The site serves as a source for fire and emergency

service chief

officers to understand H1N1 flu and access various guidance documents

and

resources being generated for public health and safety officials. The

IAFC's EMS

Section has maintained its Emerging Disease Committee following work in

2005-

2006 on Avian Influenza.

* The EMS Section's Emerging Disease Committee compiled a best-practice

document

in response to inquiries on administering influenza vaccines for

fire/EMS personnel.

The document answers questions about the vaccines, provides background

information on requirements and explains their importance.

* The IAFC - with the effort and funding by the EMS Section - became a

sponsoring

agency for the Committee on Accreditation of Educational Programs for

the

Emergency Medical Services Professions (CoAEMSP). Chiefs Becker,

Ret., and

Berlin now serve as directors on the CoAEMSP Board and Chief Becker

serves as

the Commissioner from the IAFC to the Commission on Accreditation of

Allied Health

Education Programs (CAAHEP). The IAFC is the first fire representative

to CoAEMSP,

which is the major accrediting body for EMS educational programs.

* The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1901 Technical

Committee on

Ambulances formally met to develop ambulance construction safety

standards. Chief

, Ret., was named and funded by the EMS and SHS Sections to

this

effort. The Group is now formally titled the NFPA 1917 Committee and

will work in

2010 to develop the important standards.

* The EMS Section worked with the Massimo Corporation and Dr.

Bledsoe on

development and distribution of, Rehabilitation and Medical Monitoring;

A guide for

Best Practices, an Introduction to NFPA 1584 (2008 Standards), and

related on-line

educational tools.

* The EMS Section worked with the Volunteer & Combination Officers

Section (VCOS)

on development and distribution of the Orange Ribbon Report, which

serves as a

toolkit for volunteer departments transitioning into EMS response. The

report

considers the role and benefits to patient care in pre-hospital 911 EMS

deployment

response; costs involved in adding EMS to departments; communications;

funding

avenues and cost-recovery systems; legal requirements; human resources

considerations; and quality-management systems.

* The EMS Section participated in the November BARDA Chemical,

Biological,

Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) Medical Countermeasures End-User

Roundtable

Meeting, which focused on emergency response capabilities post-event.

* The annual Heart Safe Community Awards - sponsored by the EMS Section

and

Physio-Control - were presented at Fire-Rescue Med 2009 in Las Vegas for

the Heart

Safe Community PAD Program Large and Small Community Awards and the

STEMI

Awareness Community Program Award.

* The EMS Section continued its work with US Fire Administration and

National Fire

Academy staff to integrate EMS into the mission and deliverables coming

from those

two organizations. The EMS Section represents the IAFC on the National

Fire

Academy EMS Education Agenda Advisory group.

* The EMS Section continued its work with IAFC National Programs on a US

Fire

Administration grant for a Fire Service and EMS Medical Directors

handbook. The

EMS Section met with Bill Troup of USFA in June, 2009, on the project

and is now

part of the development team.

* The EMS Section worked with the International Association of Fire

Fighters (IAFF) on

jointly released position papers on the role and importance of fire

service based EMS.

The two also worked in conjunction to create a new video on fire service

based EMS

to properly articulate and highlight its beneficial role in America's

communities.

* The EMS Section continues its involvement in the NHTSA EMS Workforce

Data

Definitions Project. The Section named Chief Roxy to represent

the IAFC on

the project's expert panel, which initially met in April 2009 and has

subsequently

worked in June and July on the definitions. Of note, Chief was

the first

person named under the new IAFC Liaison Appointment Agreement.

* The EMS Section wrote the IAFC's comments to the Federal Communication

Commission's November 12 request seeking information on the Health Care

Delivery

Elements of National Broadband Plan (NBP Public Notice #17). The IAFC

comments

highlight the roles and needs of the emergency medical responder

* The EMS Section produced 7 podcasts for section member and public

distribution.

Topics included how Hollywood portrays EMS, including the newly released

television

show Trauma; the June 2009 Metrorail crash in Washington, D.C.; EMS

qualityimprovement

programs; the NFPA 1584 Rehabilitation Standards; the National EMS

Education Agenda for the Future status; and the Committee on

Accreditation of

Educational Programs for EMS Professions (CoAEMSP) on and how

accreditation of

paramedic education programs will shape licensing in the future for all

paramedics.

* The EMS Section sent a letter to chairman of NBC Television, asking

for either

cancellation or modification of its show, " Trauma " due to the

inappropriate portrayal

of paramedics on the show.

* The EMS Section was involved with 3 seminar and pre-conference courses

at Fire

Rescue International, 2009, in Dallas, TX. These included: Chief- Do You

Know

About This? Current and Emerging EMS Topics for the Fire Chief; Untapped

Revenue

Sources for Fire-based EMS; Mentoring in Memphis: A Case Study for

Developing

Firefighter/Paramedic Recruits.

* The February 2009 edition of EMS Insider profiled the section and

highlighted its

purpose and focus on issues important to the entire EMS community. The

article also

noted the work of the IAFC Economic Challenge Task Force. The group,

chaired by

EMS Section Treasurer Chief Rob Brown, released Weathering the Economic

Storm:

Fiscal Challenges in Fire and Emergency Medical Services as guidance for

departments facing economic change in 2009.

* Successful Fire Rescue Med 2009 Conference with over 600 in attendance

and strong

educational programs and panel discussions covering various issues faced

by EMS

systems. The show floor saw over 55 vendors exhibiting the newest

technology and

services in pre-hospital emergency response and patient care. FRM

attendees also

enjoyed informative keynote addresses by McManus, Director for US

Army

Center of Pre-Deployment Medicine; Bledsoe, Professor, Emergency

Medicine

at the University of Nevada School of Medicine; and forensic scientist

Dr. Henry Lee,

Chief Emeritus, Connecticut State Police.

* The 2009 O. Page EMS Achievement Award was presented to Mark

Lockhart,

fire chief of the land Heights Fire Protection District, Missouri in

recognition of a

25 plus year impact at the local, state and national organization level

on issues

important to the future of fire service based EMS.

* The EMS Section's Meritorious Service Award was created in 2009 to

acknowledge

work of merit in the 2008/2009 year. The 3 award winners were: outgoing

IAFC

President Chief Larry Grorud for his work on EMS within the IAFC; former

U.S. Fire

Administrator Chief Greg Cade for his efforts in making EMS as one of

the missions

of USFA and NFA; and EMS Coordinator Mike McEvoy for his unwavering and

influential help in many EMS Section activities, including keeping the

membership

updated on H1N1.

* EMS Section Treasurer, Chief Rob Brown, was named to the Journal of

Emergency

Medical Services (JEMS) Editorial Board; and to the EMS Today Program

Planning

Committee. The IAFC EMS Section also hosted a roundtable discussion at

EMS

Today 2009 on emerging issues in fire service based EMS.

* Elections for the EMS Section Executive Board positions of chair and

treasurer were

up for election in 2009 and On 6 March 2009 when nominations closed, two

candidates had announced their intentions to run: Chief Ludwig for

Section

Chair and Chief Brown for Section Treasurer. Both were installed

for 2009-

2010 at Fire Rescue-Med.

* The section continued its outreach to members via the EMS Section

Facebook Group;

Google Newsgroup; monthly e-blast; the 3 EMS Chief Advisor newsletters;

and in

securing the new EMS Section website address, www.iafcems.org

A Calendar of Representation and Advocacy in 2009 on behalf of the EMS

Section

Membership and its goals

January 22-24: National Association of EMS Physicians (NAEMSP) 2009

Annual Meeting,

ville, FL

January 29-30: National Emergency Medical Services Advisory Council

Committee Meeting,

Crystal City, Arlington, VA

February 3-6: National Transportation Safety Board Public Hearing on the

Safety of

Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS) Operations, Washington,

D.C.

February 9-13: Participation on the AFG /SAFER Grant Modification Task

Force at the

National Fire Academy, Emmitsburg, MD

February 19-22: IAFC EMS Section 2009 Strategic Planning Meeting,

Memphis, TN

March 16-17: Presentation to the National Fire Service Staff and Command

Course in Ocean

City, MD

March 26-28: EMS Today 2009, Baltimore, MD

March 27: Meeting with the National EMS Management Association Board of

Directors,

Baltimore, MD

April 2: The 21st Annual National Fire and Emergency Services Dinner,

Washington Hilton,

Washington, D.C.; Presentation with the Fire Service Based EMS

Advocates; and meetings

with several members of Congress

April 6-8: Participation in the curriculum revision meeting at the

National Fire Academy to

assist in mainstreaming EMS in to the core courses

April 15-16: The Microsoft Public Safety Symposium

April 16-17: EMS Section Member, Division Chief Roxy , Vancouver

Fire Department,

represented the IAFC and the Section at the NHTSA EMS Workforce Data

Definitions

Meeting in Washington, D.C.

April 18-21: 2009 CAAHEP Meeting, San , TX

May 1-6: Fire Rescue Med 2009, Las Vegas, NV

May 2: Meeting with the IAFC VCOS Board of Directors, Las Vegas, NV

May 3: Annual EMS Section Membership Meeting, Las Vegas, NV

May 8: IAFC Strategic Positioning Meeting, Washington, DC

May 9-21: National Registry of EMT's Governance Committee Meeting,

Chicago, IL

June 2-3: National EMS Advisory Committee (NEMSAC) meeting, andria,

VA

June 3: Federal Interagency on EMS (FICEMS) meeting, andria, VA

June 7-10: The IAFF 10th Biennial Dominick F. Barbera EMS Conference,

Miami, FL

June 10: National Registry of EMT's Board meeting, Chicago, IL

June 17: National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1901 Technical

Committee on

Ambulances, Quincy, MA

July 9: White House Pandemic Flu Preparedness Summit, Washington, DC

July 9: U.S. Department of Justice Mass Casualty Victims Working Group

Teleconference

July 19-24: AFG/SAFER Grant Criteria Meeting, Emmittsburg, MD

August 2-4: FETN/PULSE Meeting, Dallas, TX

August 11-12: U.S. Department of Homeland Security First Responder

Workforce Protection

and Service Delivery Alternative Work Group, Arlington, VA

August 12: Fire Service Based EMS Advocates Quarterly Meeting,

Washington, DC

August 18-23: National Association of EMS Educators (NAEMSE) Annual

Symposium,

Orlando, FL

August 21-22: Committee on Accreditation of Educational Programs for the

Emergency Medical

Services Professions (CoAEMSP) Board Meeting, Orlando, FL

Aug 27: EMS Section Business meeting at Fire Rescue International,

Dallas, TX

August 28: EMS Section Board meeting with National Fire Academy

Superintendent, Dr. Denis

Onieal, FRI, Dallas, TX

September 23-25: National Association of State EMS Officials (NASEMSO)

Annual Convention,

Little Rock, AR

October 5-8: American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) Scientific

Assembly 2009,

Boston, MA

October 14: Attendance at the House Committee on Energy & Commerce

mark-up of the

White HIV/AIDS Treatment Extension Act Of 2009, Washington, D.C.

October 21: Attendance at the Senate Homeland Security & Government

Affairs Committee

hearing on H1N1 Response, Washington, D.C.

October 29-30: Fire Rescue International Program Planning Council

meeting, Chicago, IL

October 26-30: EMS Expo, Atlanta, GA

November 2-3: BARDA CBRN Roundtable, Denver, CO

November 5-8: VCOS Symposium in the Sun Conference, Clearwater Beach, FL

December 1-3: American Ambulance Association Annual Conference, Las

Vegas, NV

December 3-5: Colorado State Fire Chiefs Association Annual Meeting,

Keystone, CO

Dec. 6-8th, 2009: CoAEMSP KAB Task Force Meeting, at National Registry

in Columbus, OH

December 15-16: National EMS Advisory Council Quarterly Meeting,

Arlington, VA

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