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As an emergency physician, EMS medical director, and now director of the NHTSA Office of EMS, I have worked closely with EMS providers whose dedication to their patients and their colleagues often goes unrecognized. As we celebrate another EMS Week, I want to thank each of you, your families and all the people who make […]
Mass casualty incidents usually don’t adhere to jurisdictional boundaries and response often involves multiple agencies, regions and states. The Model Uniform Core Criteria for Mass Casualty Incident Triage (MUCC) were created to help ensure that every responder is using triage protocols that follow similar evidence-based standards. Now, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has […]
For the past 12 years, Advanced Automatic Collision Notification (AACN) technology has been a part of modern EMS field triage and response. During a collision, vehicles with AACN capability transmit crash data to Telematics Service Providers, who verbally relay the information to local Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs). Dispatchers at the PSAP can alert first […]
Every day, EMS providers gather important patient and response data from traffic crashes throughout the country. EMS researchers, as well as local and state EMS systems, often use this data, but its usefulness can go well beyond the EMS community. Thanks to a new tool made possible by the National EMS Information System (NEMSIS), anyone can now […]
Most EMS providers are familiar with the lack of closure that comes from caring for a patient on the way to the emergency department, but not finding out the patient’s outcome after care is turned over to the hospital staff. This lack of follow-up can be frustrating and may also be a missed opportunity for […]
When driving a 15-passenger van, drivers should always take the following precautions: Rollover: Nearly 60% of fatalities in crashes involving 15-passenger vans were a result of the vehicles rolling over Maintenance: Fatal rollovers of 15-passenger vans are most likely to involve tire failure, since excessively worn or improperly inflated tires can lead to loss of […]
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is concerned that certain vehicles with defective airbags are not being repaired fast enough. According to a release, high-risk MY 2006 Ford Rangers and Mazda B-Series trucks with defective Takata airbags are under a “do not drive” warning. The air bags must be replaced immediately.
90-day public comment period is open for Request for Information to improve pre-hospital trauma care. Each year, nearly 200,000 people in the U.S. die from traumatic injuries. The National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) estimate as many as 20% of these deaths could have been prevented. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), on […]
All 50 States have “Move Over” laws to protect law enforcement officers and other first responders stopped on our Nation’s roads. Yet only 71% of the public are aware of these laws, and traffic-related incidents continue to be the number one cause of death among on-duty law enforcement officers. Together with our law enforcement partners […]
EMS providers are critical to public health and safety. They are also at high risk for injuries at work, especially sprains, strains, falls, and exposures to body fluids. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) just released an infographic that aims to prevent these kinds of injuries and exposures to protect EMS providers, […]
