Notices and Events

State EMS Advisory Board Meeting
State Emergency Medical Control Committee Meeting (SEMCC)
Meeting Notices
Training Opportunities
General Notices
Do Not Attempt Resuscitation (DNAR)

State EMS Advisory Board Meeting

There is no State EMS Advisory Board scheduled at this time.

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State Emergency Medical Control Committee Meeting (SEMCC)

The June SEMCC meeting has been cancelled. The next SEMCC meeting is now scheduled for September 10, 2013 at 1:00 p.m. The meeting will be held at the Montgomery County Health Department, 3060 Mobile Highway, Montgomery, Alabama 36108 (map).

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Meeting Notices

The Alabama Administrative Monthly is published by the Legislative Reference Service pursuant to subsection (f) of Section 41-22-7 of the Code of Alabama 1975. The Monthly contains notices by state agencies of the intent to adopt, amend, or repeal rules.

The Open Meetings Act guarantees that Alabama's citizens have open access to agencies, boards, commissions, and other governmental bodies which conduct the people's business. Meeting notices can be found online.

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Training Opportunities

National Registry Preparation/Review Course

Jon Puryear, EMS CE, will be in attendance at the Fire College (map) on June 28-29 instructing a 16-hr National Registry prep course for Paramedics. Jon began teaching his 16 hour National Registry Prep/Review Class in 2002 and has performed hundreds of these classes around the country. His other classes have also been taught across the country to Fire Departments, EMS Providers, colleges, State EMS conferences, EMS Today conferences, and contracted by several companies.

The cost to attend is $80 and is open to all paramedic students and established Paramedics.

To register, call 1-800-241-2467. Spaces are limited.

Homemade Explosives: Awareness, Recognition, and Response

Chattahoochee Valley Community College is hosting a training dealing with homemade explosives. The free training will be held July 25, 2013 from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. in Phenix City (map). Please complete the registration form and return it by fax (334-214-4864) or email before July 18, 2013.

Flight Paramedic and Flight Nurse Review Course

A Flight Paramedic and Flight Nurse review course will be held June 29-30, 2013 8:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. at Northeast Alabama Community College (map). Registration is currently available online.

Understanding the Challenges Facing our First Responders: Treating Those Who are Suffering from Trauma and Stress Brought about by Acts of Terrorism

ADPH Center for Emergency Preparedness is offering this training opportunity. It will be held June 27, 2013 at The Renaissance Hotel and Convention Center, 201 Tallapoosa Street, Montgomery, Alabama 36104 (map). The schedule and faculty information is available on the brochure. Registration is now available online.

Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Training

Chattahoochee Valley Community College is holding an OSHA Training Seminar. It will be held June 25, 2013 from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. in Phenix City (map). The is a free training and continuing education credits will be available. Please complete the registration form and return it by fax (334-214-4864) or email before June 21, 2013.

Protecting Our Children: Recognizing Child Abuse

The Alabama EMSC Program presented Protecting Our Children: Recognizing Child Abuse (1.4MB) on January 15, 2013. The satellite conference and webcast are available online until January 15, 2015.  Registration and technical information are currently available online.

Drug Shortage Information

American Society of Health-System Pharmacists and its partners works to keep the public informed of the most current drug shortages. Shortages can adversely affect drug therapy, compromise or delay medical procedures, and result in medication errors.

Pediatric Trauma and Disaster Course

This online course addresses specific topics in pediatric trauma care, hospital disaster preparedness, and response for incidents involving children. The course provides an overview of early hospital responder care for pediatric trauma and disasters with an emphasis on hazards and response capabilities. The curriculum covers emergency department preparedness for receiving multiple pediatric patients, and conducting an acute assessment, diagnosis and stabilization of the severely injured child. Examples and lessons learned from responding to pediatric injuries resulting from the 2011 Alabama tornado outbreak are discussed.

The course incorporates recommendations and guidelines published by several organizations including the American College of Surgeons (ATLS), the American Heart Association (PALS), the American College of Emergency Physicians (APLS), the American Academy of Pediatrics (PALS, APLS), and the American Medical Association (ADLS). The curriculum is developed by pediatric emergency physicians at the Children’s Hospital of Alabama with assistance from content experts from the Alabama Poison Center and the Alabama Department of Public Health. CEUs: Nurses 3.3; Social Workers 3.25

Health Information Technology Workforce Training Program

By 2014, everyone will be required to have electronic health records. The work required to reach this goal is expected to create a high demand for several types of health information technology (IT) professionals to support this project. Itawamba Community College's intensive non-degree education program is designed to provide a pool of qualified workers with both medical and IT knowledge to ensure the electronic health record project will provide the quality and efficiency benefits needed, while maintaining privacy and security of medical information. Enrollment has begun. Please review the Health IT Work Information Sheet or the Health IT Workforce Training Program document for more information.  If you have questions, please contact Mallory Pennington (662) 620-5145 or Lori Little (662) 620-5122 or visit the Itawamba Community College.

New Program Allowing Paramedics to Earn RN Degree

Calhoun Community College is excited to announce a new program which will allow paramedics to earn a registered nursing degree. The Paramedic-to-RN Mobility program began spring semester 2011. The new program has been approved by both the Alabama Department of Postsecondary Education and the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission, Inc.

Qualified paramedics must first complete the mobility courses and validate certain skills prior to starting in the second year of the nursing program. The program will allow increased access to education, educational advancement for the experienced paramedic, expansion of Calhoun services and an increase in enrollment capacity for nursing.

Minimum admissions standards for the program include:

• Unconditional admission to the college
• Receipt of completed application for the nursing program(s), unofficial college transcripts, and the Test of Essential Academic Skills (TEAS) Entrance Exam scores within three years
• Meeting the essential functions required for nursing
• Possess an unencumbered license to practice as a Paramedic in the State of Alabama
• Documentation of one year of full-time work experiences as a paramedic within two years of program admission
• Possess an Associate in Applied Science degree in Emergency Medicine or have all general education requirements completed for the nursing program
• All course work applicable to the AAS degree in nursing must be completed with a “C” or higher.
• Minimum of 2.5 cumulative GPA based on the following:
  

  most recent 24 credit hours of undergraduate work, if applicable most recent 24 credit hours of graduate-level work, if applicable if less than 24 credit hours at graduate level, the most recent 24 undergraduate credit hours will be used and graduate credit hours will be ignored

For more information on the Calhoun’s Paramedic-to-Nursing program, call (256) 306-2861 or (256) 306-2804.

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General Notices

Influenza A (H7N9) updates

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released updated information related to human infections with influenza A (H7N9) in China.

• CDC issued a Health Update via the Health Alert Network that summarizes the H7N9 situation and new testing and reporting recommendations for H7N9 in the United States.
• The following guidance documents for health professionals are also available on the CDC website:
  • Interim Guidance on Case Definitions to be Used for Avian Influenza A (H7N9) Case Investigations in the United States. The guidance is available online.
  • Interim Guidance for Specimen Collection, Processing, and Testing for Patients Who May Be Infected with Avian Influenza A (H7N9) Virus. The guidance is available online.
  • Interim Risk Assessment and Biosafety Level Recommendations for Working with Influenza A (H7N9) Viruses. The guidance is available online.

Guide to Infection Prevention in EMS

The purpose of this guide is to provide EMS system responders and their organizations with a practical resource to infection recognition and prevention in the EMS environment. This guide contains current information, recommendations, regulations, resources, program examples, and forms to utilize in the EMS system responder setting. Please distribute freely.

Alabama Law for Volunteer First-Responder Vehicle Operators

Many communities rely on volunteer fire departments for their fire protection and EMS response. A brochure is provided to educate volunteer fire and EMS personnel as to their responsibilities and legal considerations while responding to calls for service in an effort to keep them - and the community they serve - safe.

Post Crash Fire Risk for Chevrolet Volt

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) issued the following statement November 25 announcing the agency will be opening a formal safety defect investigation to assess the risk of fire in Chevy Volts that have been involved in a serious crash.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is deeply committed to improving safety on our nation's roadways. As part of our core mission to reduce traffic injuries and fatalities, NHTSA is continually working to ensure automakers are in compliance with federal motor vehicle safety standards, culling information to identify safety defects, and ensuring manufacturers conduct any necessary safety recalls. The agency has also developed a robust New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) to test the majority of the vehicle models introduced to consumers each year. Click here for more information.

EMS Community News and Updates

There are things happening in local communities that you may not be aware of. Please check out our EMS Community News and Updates page for more information.

Intelligence Guide for First Responders

The Interagency Threat Assessment and Coordination Group (ITACG) has released the Intelligence Guide for First Responders 2nd Edition. It is designed to assist first responders in accessing and understanding Federal intelligence reporting and to encourage the sharing of information. The ITACG consists of state, local, and tribal first responders from around the United STates and federal intelligence analysts from the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and National Counterterrorism Center working to enhance the sharing of federal information on counterterrorism, homeland security, and weapons of mass destruction with state, local, and tribal consumers of intelligence.

Nerve Agent Antidote Kits

The Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) began providing nerve agent antidote kits to emergency medical services personnel several years ago. As funding allows, ADPH will continue to provide the devices to emergency medical service agencies that meet the required criteria. Agencies requesting nerve agent antidote kits must develop a program and train their staff on the program and antidote kits including indications, dosage, storage, etc. Training documentation and a request form must be submitted to ADPH.

The nerve agent antidote kits currently provided are the Duodote™ auto injectors which contain atropine 2.1 mg/0.7 mL and pralidoxime chloride 600 mg/2 mL.

• Duodote™ kits provided by ADPH are for responder self-use not patient use.
• Duodote™ kits distributed to Advanced Life Support (ALS) providers are assigned to the unit, not the individual.
• Duodote™ kits assigned to Basic Life Support (BLS) units are assigned to the individual (contact Alice Floyd for more information).
• In case there is a need to re-dose, three kits will be provided per position.
• Duodote™ kits are distributed to ALS providers via their affiliate hospital pharmacy.
• Duodote™ kits should be maintained at room temperature (77 degrees Fahrenheit).
  Brief departures between 59-86 degrees Fahrenheit are permissible.
• Expired kits should be disposed of according to your organization’s established policies and procedures. They are not to be returned to ADPH.
• Agencies are responsible to ensure their employees are trained on the proper indications, use, procedures/protocols, etc.
• When an agency makes the initial request for the nerve agent antidote kits, a skills check off sheet/training document with the trainer and medical director’s signature must be provided to ADPH.

Brunswick Woodmere Lanes Would Like to Say "Thank You"

Brunswick Woodmere Lanes (map) is very excited to thank our EMS providers in Montgomery and the River Region. EMTs and all first responders save lives every day and Brunswick Woodmere Lanes would like to say a big thank you by offering you 10% off bowling (excluding food, beverages, Pro Shop, and the Arcade). The discount began December 15, 2010, and runs through 2011. There will be future events and discounts available to EMTs, first responders, police, sheriff, and military personnel, so check back often to see what the latest offers are.

Parking for Meetings at ADPH

Parking for meetings at the City of Montgomery parking deck will no longer be paid for by the Health Department. Those opting to utilize the parking deck will be responsible for the parking deck ticket. This is effective immediately. We apologize the inconvenience.

Intravenous Fluid and Other Advanced Life Support Procedures

Please remember that intravenous (IV) fluids and Advanced Life Support (ALS) procedures are to be performed only when done by protocol, an on-line medical direction physician gives a verbal order, or under the physician's direct supervision. The August 2, 2010 Memo from Director Dennis Blair offers more information as well as a position statement from the Alabama High School Athletic Association.

Alabama Drug Information

Christopher Colvin, Director of EMS at Bevill State Community College developed Alabama Medications, which details drugs used by Alabama's EMS personnel. Please print and have a copy in your service and ambulance.

Emergency Preparedness Workbook for State and Local Planners

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has posted the Coordinating Call Centers for Responding to Pandemic Influenza and Other Public Health Emergencies (4.5 MB), a workbook for state and local planners.

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Do Not Attempt Resuscitation (DNAR)

The current EMS Rules, Chapter 42-2-1, Section 19, allows emergency medical services personnel to honor do not attempt resuscitation orders in the pre-hospital setting if the order is in a form prescribed by the State Board of Health and the order is documented by a Standard EMS Provider Notice as defined by the State Board of Health.

The State Board of Health has now defined the order form as the Standard EMS Provider Notice and thereby eliminated the requirement to utilize the bracelet effective June 23, 2004.

We will continue to use our current supply of forms by simply marking the blank for the bracelet number as not applicable. Future forms will be printed without the space for a bracelet number. You may download the DNAR Form. For further information call (334) 206-5383.

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Last Updated: June 18, 2013