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Craig Goodrich, Fire Chief Anchorage Fire Department
Michael Levy, MD, FACEP (above left) being presented the 2004 State of Alaska Medical Director of the Year. Award presenter is Alaska Lt. Governor Loren Leman |
To access the official website of the Anchorage Fire Department, click on the banner above Anchorage Fire Department EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES
(Click Banner Above to Access the Website of the IMMEDIATE Trial) (Click Here for IMMEDIATE Trial Facts) Winter 2008 AFD EMS Operations
The MOM 3.1 will soon be electronically released. It includes several EMS updates that have been published since the MOM 3.0 publishing on August 1, 2008. More field guides will be printed in the new year, but with the reality of maintaining a neutral budget there will be only one printing in 2009. As a side note, Firefighter/Paramedic Robert Bowler is working on a draft municipal Area Wide EMS MOM, which has been supported by the Mayor’s EMS Board. This will provide a comprehensive document which services will use within the Municipality of Anchorage, and representative of common and unique treatments and protocols.
In other news with AFD documents, all Procedures and Instructions (P&Is) and Standard Operating Guidelines (SOGs) are currently being update or carried over to January 2009. The AFD will be reviewing all documents on an annual basis and updating as necessary. There will be no major changes to EMS-related P&Is and SOGs, but some minor updates will occur to represent organizational changes, new labor contract language, or to reflect current practices.
The AFD/Girdwood FD/Chugiak VFD Patient Care Reporting (PCR) replacement project continues with a training and implementation goal for the first quarter of 2009. The hardware has been purchased and a new contract for the software has been drafted and is in motion. EMS Battalion Chief Mike Crotty along with Tamy Case and the entire AFD Data Systems group is moving this long standing project into the final phases. I must commend everyone for their continuing patience with this project.
EMS training will be relocated to different venues until at least April to accommodate remodeling at the AFD Training Center. Information will be forthcoming on locations, but the monthly EMS Shift Meetings will continue to be conducted at their current location off site. Topics in upcoming shift meetings to anticipate include refresher training with controlled substances documentation and billing procedures, as well as continuing updates on the IMMEDIATE Trial and the LUCAS study. With the new requirement for six hours of pediatric CME per license renewal period, the AFD will be incorporating pediatric content into training topics. 2009 is the AFD CPR renewal year, so expect a quarterly training topic to include this.
The seven replacement ambulances will be arriving in two waves (January and March 2009). The Chugiak and Girdwood departments will each be receiving a new ambulance to replace old and worn apparatus. The five ambulances going to AFD are scheduled to replace Medic 1, Medic 4, Medic 5, Medic 6, and Medic 9. The AFD reserve ambulance fleet will be increased from three to four, and receiving those retired front line apparatus that are still in manageable condition.
In EMS equipment news, we are still anticipating a grant request to purchase bariatric transport gurneys, ramps, and removable winches for ambulances. Should the funding be approved, the department will identify two designated Mobile Intensive Care Units. The initial plan is to utilize the regular Stryker Power Pro and if a bariatric gurney is needed the crew will be dispatched and swap out the gurneys in-station, or return to the station and swap them out. The AFD is also anticipating grant funding for a complete replacement of the MMRS medication cache.
Unexpectedly on December 1st one of our local private ambulance services, Guardian Flight, ceased ground ambulance operations in Anchorage. Initial concerns included a surge in BLS patient transfers by AFD medic units, but the remaining private ambulance service, TransCare, has picked up the call volume and AFD has not seen the increase.
The Community Service Patrol (CSP) has moved away from using the BRAC indicator for transferring inebriates to the hospital EDs for medical clearance (currently at 0.350). Instead a mix of assessment and vital sign parameters is being used. Since this change went into effect CSP has seen a significant decrease in the number of time their vans(s) have been transferring public inebriates to and from the hospitals for medical clearances. This had made the vans more available for primary responses and public safety service requests. So far it appears to be successful, but AFD will continue to monitor the situation for any spikes in AFD EMS responses resulting from this particular change.
The scope of new EMS projects will be scaled back in 2009, primarily to keep expenditures at a minimum in these tough economic times but also to let our EMS system catch up with all the changes in the past several years. One continuing and one new research study (IMMEDIATE Trial and LUCAS Study) will be keeping personnel busy, as well as the PCR replacement program. The Zoll cardiac monitor/defibrillator field trials are continuing with an anticipated completion date after the New Year. A new field trial with a Philips cardiac monitor/defibrillator is anticipated in early 2009.
One new treatment the AFD will be initiating in 2009 is the use of Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP). This treatment was investigated for our field use in the late 1990’s but not adopted. CPAP has finally come full circle with proven EMS success elsewhere in the nation and general acceptance of field use by the medical community now. Engineer/Paramedic Kevin Baker is working on the AFD CPAP project and personnel should anticipate training at an EMS shift meeting in the first quarter of 2009. Initial rollout will be on the MICUs, and may or may not be extended to fire apparatus depending upon our experiences and equipment requirements.
Another change in AFD EMS operations to anticipate in 2009 is a complete redevelopment of our Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) program. The AFD Medical Director, Dr. Michael Levy, and a cadre of AFD personnel including myself and Senior Captain Jake Drozdowski, EMS Battalion Chief Mike Crotty, and Firefighter/Paramedics Steve Mendive and Robert Bowler, have been working on a new and revised CQI program. More information on this will be forthcoming.
In personnel news, four new probationary Firefighter/Paramedics have successfully completed their MOA paramedic certification internships in the past several months: Nathan Ellis, Bryan Fierro, Ian Buness, and Daniel Otis. Six more are currently underway and at various points in their internships.
The Girdwood Fire Department will be sending personnel to ride along with AFD ambulances and personnel in the next several months when availability allows for it. Please welcome them into our stations and provide them with a beneficial learning experience. Nine new South Fork Auxiliaries for St. #13 on Hiland Road (Eagle River) are nearing completion of their basic training requirements as well. Expect to see some of them riding along with crews in the new year.
If you have not heard already, the 3rd Medical Group hospital at Elmendorf Air Force Base was awarded the “Best in the Air Force” commendation by the Surgeon General of the Air Force. Congratulations to all personnel serving our country and state with the 3rd Medical Group.
Congratulations go out to Firefighter/Paramedic Scott Luna who received the Local 1264 (IAFF) EMS Provider of the Year award at the Firefighters Ball on December 5th, and Firefighter/EMTs Sean O’Donnell and Landon Forth for placing 2nd at the Alaska EMS Symposium’s EMT Skills Competition in November.
Also due acknowledgment is Chugiak VFD Fire Chief Bruce Bartley who was recognized by the Governor and State Legislature on December 17th for his service to citizens of the State of Alaska and our local communities as a Chugiak volunteer since 1983, as a long standing member of the Board of Directors for the Southern Region EMS Council, and as an employee of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.
EMS Research
The AFD has recently committed to a contract with Resurgent Biomedical Consulting and Jolife (the device manufacturer located in Sweden) to enter a unique opportunity to participate in a medical research study involving the LUCAS Chest Compression System. The AFD participated in a field test of several units earlier in 2008. This study includes using six LUCAS devices with endpoints of 70 applications locally or 300 total from all sites, whichever comes first. Three to five locations across the nation are being approached or currently enrolled, including Anchorage.
Firefighter/Paramedic Rhett Paulson is the project leader with EMS Battalion Chief Steve Poggi providing project oversight. Details on the start date, training, MOM protocol, deployment, and study requirements will be forthcoming.
Along with both the IMMEDIATE Trial and the CARES Program currently underway here in Anchorage, the LUCAS Study is the result of the AFD’s growing reputation in national EMS circles. The credit for this is in no small part due to the dedication of all AFD personnel and especially our medical director, Dr. Levy.
Medical research is not a simple endeavor. It is primarily responsible for and drives the improvements that advances medicine and patient care to the next level. From dispatch, to the training center, to support staff, to admin, to the line… we all are involved in some aspect of improving the quality of patient care the AFD provides to our community. When it seems like the additional training, protocols, and extra efforts are too much, please remember this: the trials and studies we are participating in today may save the life of a family member or friend, or even yourself, tomorrow.
Finally, keep up the great work out there and hope you and your families had a happy Holiday Season. Let’s have a safe and productive 2009.
Erich Scheunemann, MICP Assistant Chief
May 2009 - Anchorage, Alaska The documents contained within this website require Adobe Acrobat Reader to view. Wedding Rings. Click on this link below to download the free Reader 8.0 program.
Last Updated January 11, 2008 |
