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News From The Front Line November 15, 2010

The MEDIC Dispatch

A Night to Remember!

A special thank you to the more than 40 Medic

honorees that were in attendance to the 2010 Medic

Service Awards on Monday, November 8th and

Thursday, November 11th. It was truly an emotional

and celebratory event for both the honorees and

their guests.

The events honored Medic employees for their hard

work and dedicated years of service to the Agency in

5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 year increments.

Medic also paid tribute to four special honorees that

have or will soon retire in 2010. These four special

honorees, Ken Railey, Scott Climer, Effie

Ledbetter and Richard Dean, were all paid

special tribute with individual video segments

highlighting their significant contributions to Medic

from people that know them best including co-

workers and family members.

Photos from the 2010 Medic Service Awards will

soon be available online. A link from Nikkie Perry will

be sent out later this week with all the photos taken

during the November 8th and November 11th events. For now, please turn to page two for a

photo highlight of the Thursday, November 11th celebration! The Medic Dispatch will also run a

full-page photo spread of the Monday, November 8th celebration in next week’s edition.

Many thanks to everyone who participated in our two Medic Service Award events including all

honorees, guests, supervisors and co-workers. A special thanks goes to Doug Bell and his

talented team for a wonderful video production as well as spearheading the incredible

transformation from Medic Auditorium into a spectacular theatre!

For honorees who were unable to attend, your supervisors will be given your award materials

soon. Please contact Nikkie Perry at nikkiep@medic911.com or via ext. 6178 or Kristin Young

at kristiny@medic911.com or via ext. 6165 in the PR Department if you have any questions

about the 2010 Medic Service Awards. Thank you.

This Week:

Do You Have a

Clean Medic

Driving Record?

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Recent Changes to

Siren Software 3

Open Enrollment

ends THIS WEEK! 4

Road Safety Score

Calculations 5

November

InService 6

Win a FREE iPad! 7

Training Schedule 8

Mecklenburg

EMS

Agency

Dates to

Remember:

Dates to

Remember:

November 15th

InService

0800—1200 &

1800—2200

November 17th

InService

1800—2200

November 20th

PALS Training @

CPCC—Levine Campus

0900—1300

2

2010 Medic Service Award Photos—November 11th

The Risk and Safety Department is currently seeking a part-

time Drivers Training Specialist. This position will be in

addition to or conjunction with your current position and

responsibilities.

All interested candidates must contact the Risk & Safety

Specialist, Amy Johnson, by e-mail no later than 5:00 pm on

Friday, November 19th .

Interested candidates must meet the following requirements:

Must have excellent Road Safety Scores

(consistently 8 or above)

Must demonstrate excellent driving techniques

Must have zero preventable accidents in the last 12 months

Must be available to train on December 6th—9th from 7:30 am—4:00 pm

For more information about the Part-Time Drivers Training Specialist position, please contact Risk and Safety Specialist,

Amy Johnson, at amyj@medic911.com.

Do You Have a Clean Medic Driving Record?

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It has come to our attention that there is confusion regarding the programming of the MRX monitors, particularly with the

settings used during a cardiac arrest. The MRX monitor is programmed so that LEAD II is the primary source and PADS are

the secondary source. If the patient care leads (5 lead ecg) are applied to the patient prior to placing the defib pads on the

patient and turning the therapy knob to DEFIB, the monitor will display LEAD II and will not automatically default to

PADS.

This will occur if the patient care leads are applied after the PADS are placed. As soon as the patient care leads are applied

to the patient, LEAD II will be displayed on the monitor. The monitor automatically reverts to the primary input source of

LEAD II. This is the way the MRX monitor is programmed by the manufacturer. The MRX is unable to be programmed to

automatically default to PADS when placed in DEFIB mode.

If you encounter dotted or broken lines on the display while using the MRX monitor, please check all leads to ensure they

are securely attached to the patient. Next, look at the monitor display above the rhythm line to verify what lead setting

is being displayed. If this is different from what you need, please press the lead select button until the desired lead is

displayed. Please contact Steve Vandeventer at 980.406.1220 or stevenv@medic911.com if you have any questions. Thank

you.

FREE

A new round of changes are currently being implemented to the Siren Software that should have little impact on your use of the

software, however, Medical Services would still like to highlight the most noticeable changes.

Recent Changes to Siren software

Gilead Fire Department was removed from “Other Services at Scene”.

Huntersville Fire Department now has three stations. Please document their presence on scene just like CFD, there is one

button that will be used for any of their stations.

The documentation of ETCO2 has been removed from the intubation screen. It is located in vital signs and should always be

documented there. This will decrease the amount of redundancy in the software.

“Presbyterian Pediatric ED” has been removed from the list of destinations. It should be documented as Presbyterian

Hospital.

“Response to Drug Administration” has been removed from the reassessment screen. Any responses to drug administration

should be documented under the “Cont’d” tab for that entry in the plan section.

An “Other” option has been added under advanced directives. This will enable you to document the presence of a MOST

form.

A “Clear” button has been added under duration of cc and duration of secondary cc for the minutes, hours and days entries

so that an entry can be removed. This has enabled the ability for a zero quantity to be documented.

If a correction to your report is needed to satisfy state reporting requirements, Shenna Miller will send the report back to

you. Please make any corrections as soon as possible and re-finalize your report so that it can be uploaded to the state.

Finally, any response that does not result in contact with any patients; please document the outcome of that call in the patient

last name section. For example, if you were cancelled prior to arrival on the scene, please document “Cancelled” in the last

name field on the report. This should be done for all cancellations, false calls, stand-by’s, demos and PR events, etc.

If you have any questions about the Siren software, please call or email Melissa Garifo at melissag@medic911.com or Brian

Shimberg at brians@medic911.com. Please continue to seek help from IT for any technical and hardware related issues.

Thank you.

Recent Changes to Siren Software

Issues with Philips MRX Monitor

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This week is your final chance to make changes to your 2011 benefits!

Medic employees should have received their Open Enrollment packets in the mail.

You will not need to fill out a form this year if you are keeping your

coverage the same for medical, dental and vision. You will have to fill out

a form to renew your Flexible Spending Account for 2011.

What’s Staying the Same?

Premiums for active employees will not change if you take your Health Risk

Assessment. CIGNA will continue to administer our Medical and Dental Plans.

What’s New?

Domestic Partner Benefits will be available for the same-gendered, domestic partners of regular employees under the

County’s medical, dental, life, vision and voluntary benefit plans.

Specific documentation and verification of the domestic partnership is required.

Rates are computed as employee/spouse or employee/family.

All benefit premiums for domestic partners are post-tax.

This includes all County Benefits (Sick, FMLA, bereavement, etc.). Exception: Flexible Spending Account Fund does

not apply – This is a federal program.

Aflac is offering a one-time Group Critical Illness Policy to all Medic Employees. The policy is in addition to other

policies that you may have and will offer extra benefits and shorter waiting periods.

What’s Changing?

Healthcare Reform Changes:

No medical lifetime maximum

No pre-existing condition limitations for enrollees under 19 years old

Coverage for adult children up to age 26 for medical, dental, vision, life. Married, in or out of school, living anywhere.

Adult children with a different last name will need to verify relation (usually with a Birth Certificate)

100% coverage for preventive care

Flex Spending Accounts (FSA) can no longer be used for over-the-counter (OTC) medicines, unless prescribed by a

doctor

Medical Plan Changes:

Employees will see an increase in deductibles

Employee co-pays will also increase

Gastro bypass surgery will no longer be covered

Step Therapy for some prescription drugs

For more information about Open Enrollment 2011, please be sure to contact Leigh Taibe at leight@medic911.com or

via ext. 6086 or Linda Hendley at lindah@medic911.com or via ext. 6083. Thank you.

Open Enrollment Ends This Week!

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Medic is very focused on the safety of all its employees and the community in

which we serve, especially when it comes to vehicle operation. As part of our

focus, the Risk & Safety Department makes sure that every Medic vehicle is

equipped with a Road Safety device. This device monitors and tracks employee

driving habits and releases a list of individual driving scores every month. Medic

drivers are graded on a scale of 1 to 10; with 1 being the worst driving score and

10 being the best.

Below is an in depth look on how your Road Safety scores are calculated each

month:

Step 1: All of your Total Counts Are Added Together

Example – 2 (Total Overforce Counts) + 3 (Total Overspeed Counts) = 5 (Total Counts)

Step 2: Your Adjusted High Overforce Counts Are Calculated

Example – 1 (High Overforce Count) x 25 (High Force Multiple) = 25 (Adjusted High

Overforce Counts)

Step 3: Your Adjusted High Overspeed Counts Are Calculated

Example – 1 (High Overspeed Count) x 25 (High Speed Multiple) = 25 (Adjusted High Overspeed Counts)

Step 4: Your Adjusted Seatbelt Violations Are Calculated

Example – 2 (Seatbelt Violation Counts) x 1 (Seatbelt Multiple) = 2 (Adjusted Seatbelt Violation Counts)

Step 5: Your Adjusted Unsafe Reverse Counts Are Calculated

Example – 4 (Unsafe Reverse Counts) x 1 (Reverse Multiple) = 2 (Adjusted Unsafe Reverse Counts)

Step 6: Add Up All Of The Counts

Example – 25 (Adjusted High Overforce Counts) + 25 (Adjusted High Overspeed Counts) + 2 (Adjusted Seatbelt Violation Counts)

+ 4 (Adjusted Unsafe Reverse Counts) + 5 (Total Counts) = 61 (Total Adjusted Counts)

Step 7: Compute The ABC Miles

1,339.58 (Distance in Miles) / 61 (Total Adjusted Counts) = 21.960 ABC Miles

Your ABC Miles are then correlated to a level number using the chart below:

ABC Miles Chart

Since the driver’s ABC Miles are 21.960, their level is a 6 because the ABC miles are

greater than 16 but less than 32.

For questions on how your Road Safety scores are calculated, please be sure to

contact Medic’s Risk and Safety Specialist, Amy Johnson at 704.943.6095,

980.395.3054 or at amyj@medic911.com. Thank you.

Safeforce Driving System Level Requirements

ABC Miles Level 250 -----------------à 10 125 -----------------à 9 64 -----------------à 8 32 -----------------à 7 16 -----------------à 6 8 -----------------à 5 4 -----------------à 4 2 -----------------à 3 1 -----------------à 2 <1 -----------------à 1

How is Your Road Safety Score Calculated?

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At this time, the Special Operations team is seeking letters

of interest for the Civil Emergency Unit (CEU). Personnel

interested in becoming part of the CEU team must have the

following minimum requirements:

Must be a full-time employee with Mecklenburg EMS

Agency.

Must be a functioning Paramedic with MEDIC for a

minimum of two years.

Must be at least a Relief Crew Chief.

If interested in becoming part of the CEU team, please send a letter of interest to Michael Stanford at michaels@medic911.com no later than this Friday, November 19th.

Thank you.

CEU Team

Below are the InService dates for

the month of November. Please

be sure to register for one of the

following dates and times below.

All employees must be in uniform

and all sessions will be held in the

Medic Auditorium.

November 9th

1800—2200

November 11th

1200—1600

November 12th 0800—1200

November 15th 0800—1200

1800—2200

November 17th 1800—2200

If you have any questions or to register for the above

November InService dates, please be sure to contact Robin

Pariso in Medical Services at robinp@medic911.com.

Thank you.

FREE

Want to review

your Health Risk Assessment

(HRA) results

from last month’s

Health & Benefits Fair?

A signup sheet

has been posted

in the Bay Area next to the InService signup sheet to make an appointment

with a CHS health counselor to review your HRA

results. The appointment is optional. If you do not wish to

review your results with a CHS health counselor, your HRA results will be placed in your Medic mailbox.

If you have not completed your HRA because of vacation

or illness during last month’s Health & Benefits Fair, you

must see Nurse Kate no later than 3:00 pm, tomorrow, November 16th.

Thank you!

Sign Up to Review Your HRA Results! November InService

Congratulations

to Paramedic

Crew Chief,

Brent Cail on the

recent birth of his

son, Thomas

John Cail!

Little Thomas

was born on

Tuesday,

November 9th at

Presbyterian Hospital—Matthews weighing in at 8 lbs, 2 oz.

He joins older brother, Samuel and sister, Lydia as the

latest addition to the Cail family.

Both Mom and baby are doing well.

Please be sure to extend Brent a warm congratulations on

the recent birth of little Thomas!

It’s a Boy!

(from clockwise) Brent Cail joins his wife, Susan, eldest son, Samuel and daughter, Lydia to welcome Thomas John Cail as newest addition to their family.

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October 11th marked the first meeting of the Medical Journal and ECG club! Turnout for the first club was good, but with

so much research to be done more people are needed to help us find some real nuggets that drive patient care.

During our first meeting, we reviewed two articles from the Journal of the American Medical Association and discussed the

components of a good research manuscript. The articles under review were: (1) Chest Compression–Only CPR by

Lay Rescuers and Survival From Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest and (2) Prediction of Critical Illness During

Out-of-Hospital Emergency Care. Both articles led to lively group discussions and gave Dr. Studnek great material for

education.

This month we are taking the show on the road to the Flying Saucer Draught Emporium! The club invites all

interested parties to come join us.

What: ECG puzzlers from 1:00—2:00 pm

Journal articles from 2:00—3:30 pm

Where: The Flying Saucer Draught Emporium in the Back Room

(9506 North Tryon Street—University Area)

When: Thursday, November 18th at 1:00 pm

Why: To hang out with your peers and quench your thirst for knowledge

If interested in attending, please be sure to contact Mike Sherriff at mikes@medic911.com. We will need to get some vital

information to you beforehand!

Medical Journal and ECG Club

Would you like the chance to win a free iPad?

Medic, in conjunction with researchers at the

Ohio State University and the National Registry

of EMTs (NREMT), will participate in a research

project to study the effects of shift type and

shift length on sleep patterns. Sleepiness among

EMS professionals is a very important topic as

excessive sleepiness may impact an individual’s

health and work life balance.

We would like your participation in this

important project. All participants who

complete the project will be eligible to win a

free iPad provided by the NREMT. Eligible participants include anyone whose primary job duty involves the operation of

emergency response vehicles (ambulances). Participation will include completion of a survey and a two-week sleep diary.

Please contact Jonathan Studnek jonst@medic911.com or Steve Vandeventer stevenv@medic911.com or stop by before or

after your shift in order to participate. Thank you for supporting prehospital research at Medic.

Win a FREE iPad!

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November 2010 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 A

2 A 3 B 4 B

5 A

6 A

7 A 8 B

CPR Training

1800—2200

CPCC

9 B

InService

1800—2200

10 A 11 A

InService

1200—1600

12 B

InService

0800—1200

PALS Training @ CPCC—North

Campus 1300—1700

13 B

14 B 15 A

InService

0800—1200 & 1800—2200

16 A

17 B

InService

1800—2200

18 B

19 A

20 A

PALS Training @ CPCC—Levine

Campus

0900—1300

21 A

ACLS Training @ CPCC—Levine

Campus

0900—1300

22 B

23 B

24 A

25 A

26 B

27 B

28 B

29 A

30 A

Visit Us on the Web!

www.medic911.com

MEDIC Mecklenburg EMS Agency

4525 Statesville Road

Charlotte, NC 28269

Tel: 704-943-6000

Fax: 704-943-6001

In-Service

Training

Medic Events

Holidays

Recertification Testing

Medic Calendar 2010 Training Schedule

AHA Refresher Classes at CPCC

Please contact Mary Smith at mary.smith@cpcc.edu

Classes will be held at the Levine Campus in Rooms 1223

& 1202. Class times are from 0900—1300

PALS NOV - 20 = **Pre-registration is mandatory**

ACLS NOV - 21 = **Pre-registration is mandatory**

Please contact Mary Ferracci at mary.ferracci@cpcc.edu

Classes will be held at the North Campus in Rooms

CJ119. Class times are from 1300—1700

PALS NOV - 12 = **Pre-registration is mandatory**

ACLS DEC - 20 = **Pre-registration is mandatory**

NC Scope of Practice Recertification

Testing

**YOU MUST RECERTIFY DURING YOUR TEST

MONTH**

ALL CON ED must be up to date at time of

testing.

To schedule a test appt date and time, email Robin Pariso

at robinp@medic911.com

DEC 10, 11, 13, 17, 18, 20 (Expiration Dates JAN – MAR

2011)

PRE-REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED FOR ALL CLASSES. ALL AHA CLASSES HELD AT CPCC.