Category: Emergency Services

November 16, 2016

When smart phone batteries catch fire or laptop batteries explode on airplanes, it makes the news. So far batteries used to store energy at the residential and commercial level have avoided those headlines. But eventually there will be a problem. […]

November 10, 2016

Merriam-Webster dictionary online defines training as “a process by which someone is taught the skills that are needed for an art, profession, or job”. (Encyclopedia Britannica Company, 2014)  Training in emergency services is just that…and then some. At its basic […]

October 10, 2016

In the days leading up to Hurricane Matthew barreling towards the East Coast of the U.S., the American Public Power Association and several of its member utilities took a number of proactive steps to prepare for the hurricane. APPA activated […]

October 7, 2016

In a time of tension between law enforcement and the public, more than 1,100 law enforcement agencies across the country are using a crime mapping tool to try to push data about their work out to citizens in a way […]

October 5, 2016

Here at the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), we are committed to protecting both the public and the environment from hazardous materials transportation accidents. This week, we announced that PHMSA is awarding $20.4 million […]

September 30, 2016

A Cincinnati Fire Department spokeswoman said they learned about the posts on Fire Investigator Chris Cotter’s Facebook page late last week and opened an investigation Monday. In one post, Cotter criticizes the rap music that followed a ball game on […]

September 23, 2016

An Indiana ambulance company is suing a county and three fire departments over what it considers to be a breach of its provider agreement because the county is dispatching a fire department ambulance on emergency runs. Trans-Care Ambulance filed suit […]

September 16, 2016

The National Audit Office (NAO) has warned that the planned implementation of the Emergency Services Network (ESN) carries significant risks that need to be addressed in a report. The proposed ESN system will see a long-standing radio communications network replaced […]

September 12, 2016

Across the country, a public safety campaign is underway to teach both first responders, such as police officers, and average citizens how to stop trauma victims from bleeding to death. United under the banner of a White House-led public safety […]

August 31, 2016

Jennifer Taylor, PhD, associate professor in Drexel’s Dornsife School of Public Health and her team, used data from 123 firefighters interviews across the country to determine why they often refrain from using personal protective equipment (PPE) in dangerous situations. Their […]

August 10, 2016

A Kentucky fire department that has been leasing property since 1995 for $1 per year, is being sued for failing to make the required lease payments. Roger Howard claims the Isonville Volunteer Fire Department has not made lease payments since […]

August 5, 2016

Today’s burning question: Do fire departments/EMS organizations have to pay personnel for the time spent attending training for EMT and paramedic while off-duty? Answer: There are several important issues that have to be addressed to fully answer the question, including […]

August 3, 2016

The federal government’s penalties on hospitals will reach a new high as Medicare withholds more than half a billion dollars in payments over the next year, records released Tuesday show. The government will punish more than half of the nation’s […]

August 2, 2016

With the Zika virus looming just a couple of years after Ebola spread across West Africa, what’s long been obvious to experts should now be clear to the rest of us: We live in an era of emerging pathogens. Between […]

July 28, 2016

Horry County, SC – In a press release made today, Horry County Fire Rescue announced an improvement in their ISO rating dropping their previous Class 5 status down to a Class 3 status. Horry County Fire/Rescue has improved its ISO […]

July 26, 2016

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is calling on doctors to more aggressively screen pregnant women for the Zika virus and to take advantage of new testing technology to improve the diagnosis, follow-up and monitoring of those who have […]

July 25, 2016

A female recruit who was fired on graduation day from the Fort Wayne Fire Department’s training academy in 2014, has filed suit alleging gender discrimination. Victoria Bolden filed suit on July 21, 2016 claiming that her termination on June 10, […]

July 19, 2016

The answer may be yes.  One of the big inpediments to value-based pricing of pharmaceuticals was that any discount given to any single organization based on outcomes needed to be reflected in the Medicaid price.  Since outcomes are subject to random noise, there will inevitably […]

July 15, 2016

Three more Columbia-area public employees have been fired over remarks they’ve made on social media. Richland County leaders announced they terminated one of their senior paramedics over posts the person made on social media. Officials announced their decision to terminate […]

July 13, 2016

13% of our population is at least 65 years old. That is approximately 53 million Americans who would potentially be receiving some form of senior care services this decade. This rapid graying of America is only rivaled by the rapid […]