emsmedic39

I come to EMS with some political experience. I have used that experience to help put line medics first in the remaking of EMS in Oklahoma. I have seven bills that are being introduced this session at the Capital. I have started a website to help inform line medics for political action. Please take a look and see what we are doing. If you have any suggestions please let me know. You can also sign up for our emails and follow what is happening in Oklahoma. The site is Medic Institute

Student helps enact defribrillator law http://www.occc.edu/pioneer/Archives/Sept_1_2008/news6.html Photo by Matt Bishop State Rep. Wallace Collins, OCCC EMT student Rodney Johnson and Gov. Brad Henry meet after the signing of the Zachary Eckles and Luke Davis Automated Defibrillator in Schools Act on Aug. 20 at the State Capitol. The act mandates that automated external defibrillators be made available at schools if funding is available. This will make defibrillators available at athletic practices and competitions at schools. The act was prompted by the death of Zachary Eckles who died from cardiac arrest during soccer practice in 2006..By Matt Bishop, Staff Writer Seven minutes may not seem like a lot of time, but when it comes to saving a life, it can be the difference between life or death for someone suffering cardiac arrest. One tool that can be used to save lives is the defibrillator, an electronic device used to establish a normal heartbeat. OCCC EMT student Rodney Johnson successfully lobbied the state legislature to have more de-fibrillators in public places, especially schools. The Zachary Eckles and Luke Davis Automated External Defibrillators in Schools Act passed this year. This act mandates that automated external defibrillators be made available at schools if funding is available. This will make defib-rillators available at athletic practices and competitions at schools. During cardiac arrest, every minute that passes dramatically decreases one’s chance of living, said Kathleen Treanor, whose son Zachary Eckles died from cardiac arrest during a soccer practice in 2006. The dangers of sporting events brought the issue to light, Johnson said. “This will save lives … The student EMTs at OCCC feel like this is one of the most important things we can do to be able to save lives,” he said. Johnson said saving lives is a mission that all EMT students at OCCC have. “The student organization has been fully involved in lobbying for getting the bill passed because it’s something we believe in.” Johnson said it was a two-year process that had its hardships. State Representative Wallace Collins (D-Norman) started carrying the bill in February 2007. Politics got in the way of passing the bill, Collins said. “Rodney made comments on this issue and I had seen on the news from time to time there would be an athlete somewhere who would die on the field,” Collins said. He said he didn’t think anyone would be against it because it protects everyone involved with school activities. “Little did I know it would take two years for the bill to pass,” Collins said. He said leaders such as Lance Cargill and Chris Binge would not allow the bill to be heard through the House of Representatives. Majority floor leader Greg Piatt even had the bill scheduled to be heard but changed his mind on the last day, “due to a personal problem with me,” Collins said. In February 2008, Luke Davis, a 12-year-old from the small town of Dickson, Okla., collapsed during a basketball game. There were no defib-rillators at the game so he was flown to a hospital in Dallas, but it was too late. “I hate that it took so long and something like our accident to get more people involved and motivated to do things,” said Luke’s mother Kristie Davis. “[Johnson and Collins] have worked very hard on getting this done and spent a lot of time getting people involved and aware.” Both mothers hope having defibrillators in schools will increase knowledge and awareness of cardiac arrests. “When you mention cardiac arrest, you think of an older person,” Treanor said. “You don’t think of a younger person but it happens every day.” Johnson said the next step for the OCCC Student Emergency Medical Technician Association is to raise money to ensure there are defibrillators in all secondary schools in the Oklahoma City area. “We would like to see friends of our current students protected also,” Johnson said. The student organization sees it has a responsibility, not only to the profession, but also to the public at large, Johnson said. Defibrillators have been on campus with the Student Emergency medical Technician Association, and the Safety and Security office for several years. Trained personnel are not necessary for use, Johnson said. However, OCCC Safety and Security are trained in using them. “Our goal is to do anything and everything we can to save lives,” Johnson said. Staff Writer Matt Bishop can be reached at SeniorWriter@occc.edu.

eCapitol News OK-Rural ambulance service bill feared dead Author : Bryan Smith Date : 05/22/2008 (OK) A dejected EMT by the name of Rodney Johnson expressed his disappointment with House leadership on Thursday as a House joint resolution seeking to improve rural ambulance remained, as yet, unheard on the floor. According to Johnson, a chief proponent of the measure, HJR 1014, by Rep. Doug Cox, R-Grove, and Sen. Charles Wyrick, D-Fairland, will likely not receive a hearing in the House. The bill proposes a constitutional amendment removing the current tax maximum for emergency medical service districts. It also removes the requirement that emergency medical districts follow school district boundary lines. Though the bill is technically still alive, Johnson said he received word from House membership that there was no chance for the measure to be heard. "I understand that they have to make political decisions," said Johnson. "But when I go to work, I have to make life and death decisions - people are going to die." The goal of the bill was to give local communities, farm communities, the ability to vote on how they wished to fund their ambulance services, Johnson said. There is a crisis in rural communities, he said. Many do not have any dedicated ambulance service at all. In such cases, neighboring districts are required by law to cover the area, adding to response times and stretching resources even further. Ambulance service closings have become common in much of rural Oklahoma, and Johnson said he believes it is a serious crisis that needs immediate attention. "Local communities need to be able to make important decisions about emergency services. There are lives at stake," he said. "The speaker is putting lives at stake on the alter of political idealism." The measure was also mentioned by Rep. Ryan Kiesel, D-Seminole, on the floor of the House during discussion of SB 47, by Sen. Brian Crain, R-Tulsa, and Rep. Sue Tibbs, R-Tulsa. Kiesel said they should be discussing something more important than implantation of microchips, such as the rural ambulance service bill. SB 47 prohibits the forced implantation of a microchip or the application of a permanent mark upon an individual by any person, state, county, local government entity or corporate entity. The bill permits the Department of Health to impose a maximum fine of $10,000 against violators. Each day of continued violation would constitute a separate offense. As for HJR 1014, Johnson said he would try again next year.

Some EMS services in Oklahoma would like to go to I-99. The reason given is that they can't find EMT-P's. WELL PAY MORE MONEY. Only in EMS do we work more for less. Think about it. Do you think that you will make more money than a I-85? In Oklahoma I can tell you the anwser is NO!! We all should stand aginst this type of undercutting of what little pay we get now. If you want advanced medical care than pay for a EMT-P. If you can't find one than offer more money. We need to get the free market into this biz. (that is as far as pay goes) 8)

I hate to say it but yet again pay is a big problem. You get what you pay for. We all know people that are in EMS that should not do RSI and still would. EMS need to be a education not a training. The vo-tech system need to get out of EMS. And Higher Edu. need to stop acting like some training systems. They need to produce educated medics.

You are right it's the Pay. EMT unite! WE NEED UNIONS!!!!! NOW.

This bill did pass in the Oklahoma House and Senate. It is now law. Rep. Wallace Collins has to push hard to get it passed. Wallace is becoming a good friend to EMT's and EMS in Oklahoma. Students form the EMT program at Oklahoma City Community College asked Rep. Collins to introduce this bill. Great Job Wallace and the Students of OCCC. Contact: State Rep. Wallace Collins Capitol: (405) 557-7386 OKLAHOMA CITY- (January 29, 2008) – A $1,500 life-saving device could be located in every Oklahoma school if a measure by state Rep. Wallace Collins can navigate the legislative process this year. Collins is again pushing for passage of House Bill 1847, a measure he introduced last year, which would require an Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) to be placed in every public school across the state. The measure was assigned to the House Education Committee but never received a hearing. "How many times do we read or see a news report of a person, usually a young athlete, who suffers from cardiac arrest after a sports contest or practice?" asked Collins-(D) Norman. "Even one time is far too many when we have inexpensive life-saving devices that can be purchased and made available at a moment’s notice." Collins said a small number of school systems around the state already have AEDs on site, but most do not. The Norman lawmaker believes that every school should have one for the protection of all school patrons, whether they are athletes, employees, students or visitors. Just this past week, an article in the Oklahoman told the story of an Oklahoma City man whose coworkers used a defibrillator to save his life after he suffered a heart attack at his desk. Collins cited the article as an example of not only how vital the devices are but also how simple they are to use - even for an untrained person. "Defibrillators today are automatic enough for even an untrained person to use them," said Collins. "As I understand it, they are able to lead you through the instructions of use, so that anyone could administer the life saving procedure." The bill would require that each school have employees trained and available to use the AEDs, however. Defibrillators can range in price from only a few hundred dollars to several thousand dollars, but with volume buying, there could be a considerable savings, said Collins. The measure would first seek help from the private sector to pay for the AED's, but would include state funds if necessary. Collins said he has been told by medical professionals that it is critical for a victim to receive treatment in the first three to five minutes following a cardiac arrest, meaning that a defibrillator needs to be close by. Also, a defibrillator greatly increases a victim’s chance of survival when compared to having CPR applied, he said. Collins noted that the measure received the support of both the American Red Cross and of the mother of a local student who died after an athletic event, yet the bill did not even receive a hearing in committee. "Life and death doesn’t donate money to campaigns or vote our representatives into office," said Collins. "We have AEDs on every floor of the State Capitol Building, yet we refuse to give the same protections to our school employees and students. "It is shameful that a measure that has the real potential to save lives cannot even make it to the House floor to receive an up-or-down vote by the members who have been placed here to protect our citizens. This is a non-partisan issue that deserves to be heard."

Also this week, the Senate approved a measure focused on saving rural emergency medical service (EMS) operations from extinction. Potential help for EMS operators and the communities they serve could come from HJR 1014, by Rep. Doug Cox, R-Grove, and Sen. Charles Wyrick, D-Fairland. The resolution, which passed 32 to 16, proposes a constitutional amendment that would remove the current tax maximum for emergency medical service districts and would remove the requirement that emergency medical districts follow school district boundary lines. In Oklahoma, there are currently more than 25 of 522 ambulance service districts without dedicated service providers. Issues related to Medicare reimbursement, districting and a 3 mill tax levy cap are partly to blame, said Rodney Johnson, an EMT who advocates on behalf of the industry. Johnson said some ambulance services are unable to sustain profits, forcing closures, which are then covered by the closest neighboring provider. The neighboring providers are required by law to cover districts without dedicated service. The problem then worsens when limited resources from neighboring districts have to be shared over an even larger area, resulting in even higher operation costs and longer response times - sometimes as long as 30 minutes. This creates somewhat of snowball effect, Johnson said. Wyrick said the problem is particularly acute in rural areas with large school districts, such as those in his district. "This is a tool by which we are trying to deal with crisis," Wyrick said. "In my district, there are areas with no emergency service, areas where it is underfunded." In effect, HJR 1014 would make it possible for counties and municipalities to further subsidize failing services, he said in an interview after Monday's session.

I am in a class with persons from fire, that are just taking the class to keep their job. They do not want to be there and are just passing. What kind of medic will they be?

Wednesday, April 9, 2008; Posted: 7.09 pm (CDT) Officials say only 21 counties in Oklahoma have paramedic level service and that more than 40 ambulance services have been lost over the past few years. ”The EMS system is on the verge of collapse,” says Lawton EMT Rodney Johnson. Johnson is hoping with a little help from the legislature and the public, it won’t happen. “This is not the answer to the EMS crisis,” says Johnson. “This is part of the answer. For some communities this is going to be able to save their ambulance service.” House Joint Resolution 1014 is just the first step. It would put a constitutional amendment before the people to decide whether to eliminate a maximum funding cap for EMS, but many in the legislature believe this is not the right step to take. “I think it's a dangerous path that we go down when you eliminate the cap,” says Rep. Richard Morrissette, D-Oklahoma City, who voted against the bill. “That means property taxes … there will be a significant tax increase for the local communities.” Morrissette believes the responsibility should fall on the legislature to fund the services and not the individual counties, but one lawmaker behind the amendment disagrees. “I still believe in the democratic process and allowing people to choose, so I think it's a good bill to allow the vote of the people to decide themselves rather than have it forced upon them,” says the author of HJR 1014 Rep. Doug Cox, R-Grove. Morrissette says it’s typical Republican tax policy by having the people increase their own taxes. “My friends on the other side of the aisle that are running the House of Representatives are always talking about less and less taxes, yet they speak with forked tongue,” says Morrissette. “They go one end with less taxes and yet come around the back door and increase fees and assessments and all that which are essentially tax increases. What they're not doing through the front door they're trying to do through the back door.” “I think every community wants it, it's just how they want to pay for it,” says Cox. Johnson cares less about how it gets done and more about getting the funds to do his job. The bill has already passed out of the House floor and Senate committee. Its next stop is the Senate floor. http://www.ksbitv.com/news/17444439.html