Attack of the Firemonkeys

[Dustdevil]

Here is a glimpse into the plot by the IAFC to dominate EMS. And it is working. Too well. The IAFC/IAFF have made themselves the de-facto spokesmen and representatives of EMS as a whole, and the powers that be accept them as such. So who is representing the interests of real EMS providers and systems? Nobody that I can see.

Read this document very carefully. Take a look at how the IAFC is taking the bull by the horns and wrestling control of our industry. And who can blame them? We certainly have not been doing it for ourselves. Our industry is ripe for the picking, and theirs is dying. They'd be crazy not to take advantage of that. But if you have half a brain, you will see from this document the dangers that their interests present to the profession.

Read and be afraid. Very afraid. Then discuss.

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 Ryan 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 David Becker,

Ret., and Paul 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 Gary Morris, 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. Bryan

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 Barnes 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 Barnes 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

quality improvement 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 John McManus, Director for US

Army Center of Pre-Deployment Medicine; Bryan 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 James O. Page EMS Achievement Award was presented to Mark

Lockhart, fire chief of the Maryland 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 Gary Ludwig for

Section Chair and Chief Robert 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

[spenac]

Well they sure have done a lot of fighting to the benefit of all EMS. Maybe I shall join the dark side.

[Dustdevil]

Yep. They're not stealing it. We're letting them walk away with it.

[Kiwiology]

So the Fireys now run CoAEMSP? Talk about the fox investigating the chicken coup.

[Dustdevil]

So the Fireys now run CoAEMSP? Talk about the fox investigating the chicken coup.

Yep. Now you can forget about seeing a degree requirement in this century.

[joesph]

We alien firemonkeys of Uranus are dedicated to total domination of all public works first. W, will take over the fire departments,then we will take over the sewer and water followed by EMS and the LEO. Our plan is simple anal probing and remote controls under thier helmets. Why you might ask do we need anal probing if the controls are in the helmet? We are aliens that's what we do.

[Richard B the EMT]

We alien firemonkeys of Uranus are dedicated to total domination of all public works first.

_{^{All your base are ours!}}

Edited April 15, 2010 by Richard B the EMT