EMS News Briefs from Mike McEvoy

By EMS Coordinator Mike McEvoy, Ph.D., NRP, RN, CCRN
NYSAFC EMS Committee

New EMS Regulations Proposed
While I have yet to see it posted here, the Bureau announced that the Department will propose an amendment to 800.12 (10 NYCRR) to fix a reciprocity issue. Recent regulation changes renaming certification levels overlooked matching those titles when awarding reciprocity. Additionally, the Department plans to propose amendments to 80.136 and add section 800.5 (10 NYCRR) that would revise criteria for ALS service controlled substance agents (80.136) and require that EMS agencies operating at the CC or paramedic level must hold a current DOH license to possess and administer controlled substances (800.5). You can bet your bippy that there will be plenty of commentary once proposals post for their 60-day comment period. Stay tuned...

Future of CCT in Doubt
For the paranoid who will loudly proclaim, "I told you so," DOH has expressed concerns about their ability to sustain the EMT-critical care curriculum and exams. The Bureau asked the State Council Training and Education Committee, Systems Committee, and SEMAC to evaluate the future of the CCT program. Currently, there are only 1,878 CCTs in New York. Several considerations are worthy: are there pathways to facilitate upgrading CCTs to medics and would the revised AEMT sufficiently meet the needs of communities currently served by CCT providers? Food for thought and likely fodder for some contentious battles. Ultimately, the CCT curriculum and exams, which exist nowhere but in New York state, seem headed for extinction after which, it won’t be possible to certify new CCTs. Further discussions at the December NYS EMS Council meetings.

Blood and Tissue Regulations
Alas, this will be the last time I report on the blood and tissue regulations. Supposedly, they passed through their comment period and supposedly they are under final review and supposedly the commissioner is waiting to sign them and supposedly once that happens, an educational program will roll out so medics can monitor blood product transfusions. You get the idea. Supposedly, the dog ate my homework.

Review of Standards
The Safety Committee was tasked by Director Lee Burns to review 800.22 (vehicle construction) in light of the newly released NFPA 1917 and soon to be final CAAS standard. The feds recently issued Change Notice #8 to KKK, the current federal GSA purchasing specification for ambulances that incidentally sunsets in its entirety this fall. The Change Notice #8, effective July 1, 2015, requires a number of safety improvements, the most costly of which is 3.11.6 "Litter Fasteners and Anchorages" that now need to meet the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Standard J3027. Translated: the typical antlers we rely on to secure a litter won’t cut it – SAE J3027 tests for significant crash impact and rollover, requiring the mount hold the stretcher with a patient in place in each of these situations. These same requirements exist in NFPA 1917 and will likely appear in the final CAAS standard, so the 11th hour addition of these changes to KKK are probably just an endorsement from the feds of the SAE standard (which they incidentally funded the crash testing for). This could add up to $4,000 in additional costs to an ambulance purchase. The Safety Committee will review all the standards and make recommendations on changes to NYS Regs 800.22.

Upcoming EMS Conferences in New York
Some upcoming New York EMS conferences of note: Initial Assessment Conference (IAC) in Lake Placid (September 17-20), Pulse Check in Suffern (September 24-27), and Vital Signs returns this year to Syracuse (October 22-25). All provide great opportunities for education, networking, and CE credits.

SEMCSO Meetings Update
The SEMSCO September 1-2, 2015, meetings have been rescheduled due to multiple conflicts. They will now be held December 8-9, 2015, followed by January 12-13, 2016, meetings at the Hilton Garden Inn in Troy. Watch the Bureau meeting page, which tends to be a tad behind on meeting date changes.

About the Author:
Mike McEvoy, Ph.D., NRP, RN, CCRN is the EMS coordinator for Saratoga County, a paramedic supervisor for Clifton Park-Halfmoon Ambulance Corps, a firefighter and the chief medical officer for West Crescent Fire Department. He works in the Cardiac Surgical ICUs at Albany Medical Center and teaches critical care medicine at Albany Medical College. McEvoy was the 2005 chair of the New York State EMS Council and is a past EMS director for NYSAFC. He is a regular contributor to NYSAFC's SIZE UP magazine and the fireEMS editor for Fire Engineering. Follow Mike’s adventures here.