About the Law by Judge Jim Gallagher Emergency Medical Services Last month one of my articles was about Civil Emergencies and the law found in TCA 38-9-101 and its following sections. In honor of our dedicated Emergency Medical Services personnel, let’s expand on that topic since May 18-24 is National EMS Week. EMS Mission The mission of the EMS organizations is to reduce death and disability by providing leadership and coordination to the EMS community in assessing, planning, developing, and promoting comprehensive, evidence-based emergency medical services and 9-1-1 systems. An efficient EMS system is integral to reducing injury and mortality on and off our Nation’s highways, and is key to ensuring prompt emergency response to any type of illness or injury. The Nation’s best preparation for any incident, large or small, is a comprehensive EMS system, ready every day for every emergency. Star of Life It is appropriate that EMS be distinctively identified for the benefit of not only EMS providers but also their patients and the general public. Recognizing the need for a symbol that would represent this critical public service and be easily recognized by all, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) created the Star of Life. Adapted from the personal Medical Identification Symbol of the American Medical Association, each bar on the Star of Life represents one of six EMS functions. The functions include: (1) Detection (2) Reporting (3) Response (4) On-Scene Care (5) Care in Transit (6) Transfer to Definitive Care. Education Standards Researching this article, I spent several hours reading National Standard Curricula including classes for First Responder; Emergency Medical Technician; Emergency Medical Technician – Intermediate; Emergency Medical Technician – Paramedic; Emergency Medical Dispatcher; and the Emergency Communications Board 9-1-1 Dispatcher/Call Taker training. There is no possible way I could do justice to summarizing the education and skill requirements other than to say, the National Emergency Medical Services Education Standards manual published by EMS/NHTSA contained 16 headings and 79 subheadings of topics such as: infectious disease, artificial airway ventilation, history taking, psychiatric, cardiovascular, orthopedic trauma, pediatrics, geriatrics, vehicle extrication, terrorism and disaster. Please note this was just the standards, not the material for the training and certification classes which would be thousands of pages. Community Emergency Response Team For citizen volunteers, FEMA has a community program called CERT which educates people about disaster preparedness for hazards that may impact their area and trains them in basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization, and disaster medical operations. Using the training learned in the classroom and during exercises, CERT members can assist others in their neighborhood or workplace following an event when professional responders are not immediately available to help. CERT members also are encouraged to support emergency response agencies by taking a more active role in emergency preparedness projects in their community. I missed the CERT class last year, but I am enrolled next week and very excited about taking the course to supplement my “ham” radio participation in civil emergencies. The Fayette county CERT basic training class will include training on disaster survival skills that includes topics on; fire suppression, disaster first aid, search & rescue, disaster psychology, team organization, terrorism, and disaster preparedness; the last day of training all skills are practiced during the final drill disaster simulation. I can hardly wait! Pat on the Back Always remember how valuable our EMS and 9-1-1 personnel are, just as law enforcement and fire departments in keeping us safe and secure. I have met several of our Fayette EMS and 9-1-1 personnel and found them to be very dedicated. Next time you see that EMS emblem on someone’s jacket or vehicle go up and give them a pat on the back and thanks; and tell them Jim says hi. Judge/Attorney Jim Gallagher is available to discuss your personal legal issues, civil or criminal, traffic ticket or other type of matter. Please do not hesitate to contact me for a free consultation and use my 40 years of LEGAL EXPERIENCE to help you. Contact Judge/Attorney Jim Gallagher at (901) 526-0100, or email at: JimGallagherTn@gmail and please visit my website: JimGallagherTn [This article only provides information about the law designed to help readers. The information is not, nor is it intended to be, legal advice, which is the application of law to an individuals specific circumstance.]
Posted on: Tue, 03 Jun 2014 19:28:15 +0000
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