EMS News Archive

NEMSAC Held Third Meeting in Washington, DC

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) hosted the third meeting of the National Emergency Medical Services Advisory Council (NEMSAC) on October 2-3 in Washington, DC. The NEMSAC is a 26-member panel of EMS experts chosen by Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters to advise NHTSA’s Office of EMS on standards, guidelines, benchmarks, and data collection. National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) Kentucky Director Ken Knipper is one of the panel members representing the volunteer EMS discipline.

On the first day of the meeting, the NEMSAC standing committees met to discuss and craft reports for the body as a whole. Each committee, including Safety, Systems, Analysis/Oversight and Research, and Finance, presented their reports during the open afternoon session. Some recurring themes included the need for a “culture of safety” in EMS with an emphasis on the patient, the importance of collecting evidence to shape practice, and the need for continuing education. Fruitful discussion fueled by the committee reports led to the passage of three motions on the second day of the meeting.

Volunteer issues arose at several points during the meeting. In an exchange with Drew Dawson, Director of the Office of EMS, Knipper expressed concern over a letter that the Federal Interagency Committee on EMS sent to federal agencies encouraging them to require EMS agencies receiving federal funds to have medical direction. Many states do not require medical direction for the level of EMS provided by small services.

During the discussion, Knipper advocated on behalf of volunteers. “Rural and volunteer services are already under financial pressures to provide their services to the community,” he said. “Cost for a medical director may mean yet another fundraiser.”

For meeting minutes and action items, visit www.ems.gov. The next NEMSAC meeting is tentatively set for late January 2009 in Washington, DC.

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