Emergency Medical Services System Current Events

Important Legislative Updates for EMT & Paramedic Professionals

HB 941: Department of Health

Section 9 - EMT/Paramedic Certification

During the 2016 Legislative Session, House Bill (HB) 941 passed and will become law on April 14, 2016 as Chapter 2016-230, Laws of Florida. On July 1, 2016, emergency medical technician (EMT) and paramedic certificates that are not renewed at the end of the two-year active period will automatically revert to an inactive status for no longer than four years (two licensure cycles). The certificate may be reactivated and renewed during this time if the certificate holder meets all other qualifications for renewal, including continuing education requirements, and pays a $25 late fee. Additionally, the certificate holder must pass the certification examination in order to reactivate the license after two years of remaining in inactive status.

Effective July 1, 2016, there will be major changes with regard to applicants who received their training outside of the state of Florida or in the military.  Beginning, July 1, Emergency Medical Technicians and Paramedics that hold a current NREMT certification will no longer be required to apply to the Department of Health to take the Florida examination.  The applicant will only need to present evidence of current NREMT certification to apply for certification in Florida.

Effective July 1, 2016, an applicant that has been working in the military as an EMT or Paramedic and who holds a current NREMT certification is eligible to apply for a certification under the VALOR program.  In order to qualify, the applicant must be honorably discharged within 6 months of the application or have been honorably discharged within 6 months of the application.  The application and additional information is available on this website by clicking on the “VALOR” icon.

SB 592became law March 31, 2016 and affects EMT and Paramedic professionals. Please read this information carefully as it may pertain to your profession. The new law amends s. 119.071, Florida Statutes, and expands the public records exemption for agency personnel information to include the home addresses, telephone numbers, social security numbers, dates of birth, and photographs of former and current nonsworn investigative personnel of the Department of Financial Services and former and current emergency medical technicians or paramedics. The bill also exempts the names, home addresses, telephone numbers, social security numbers, photographs, dates of birth, and places of employment, locations of schools and child care facilities of the spouses and children of such personnel.

Licensees are required to maintain a current mailing address and a practice location with the Department. Since there is no clear distinction whether or not the mailing address may also be a home address, licensees must overtly request that their home address be exempted from public display. The burden to request this exemption is therefore solely at the discretion of the licensee or applicant.

The Florida Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Coalition will host a webcast on EMS Front Line Defense: Preventing Pediatric Pedestrian Fatalities on May 18, 2016 from 9:00-11:00 a.m.

Florida Air Medical Safety Summit is April 13

The Florida Air Medical Safety Summit will take place on April 13, 2016 at the Straughn IFAS Extension Professional Development Center in Gainesville. This year’s keynote speaker is Jonathan Godfrey, national speaker and member of the Survivors Network, AAMS. Early registration deadline is April 4.

The Florida Neonatal Pediatric Network Association is hosting a Certified Neonatal Pediatric Transport (C-NPT) review on April 14, 2016 at the Straughn IFAS Extension Professional Development Center in Gainesville. C-NPT is a national certification for all members of a transport team. The course allows for collaboration among neonatal pediatric teams and will further educate paramedics on neonatal and pediatric patients.

Now Accepting 2016 State EMS Award Nominations

The Bureau of Emergency Medical Oversight is now accepting nominations for the 2016 State EMS Awards. Categories include:

• Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)
• Paramedic
• 911 Public Safety Telecommunicator
• EMS Disaster Preparedness & Response
• EMS Provider    
• EMS Education (individual or organization)
• EMS for Children (individual or organization)
• Injury Prevention
• Larry S. Jordan - EMS Hall of Fame
• Raymond H. Alexander - EMS Medical Direction
• Marilyn Crook EMS Pioneer Award
• EMS Nursing
• Photo and/or Video (individual or organization)
• Friend to EMS (individual or organization)
• EMS Memorial

To view the complete nomination application, visit: https://www.floridahealth.gov/provider-and-partner-resources/advisory-councils-stakeholder-groups/ems-advisory-council/index.html.

All applications must be emailed or postmarked by March 31, 2016.

The American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline EMS Recognition application window is now open! The application for data submission for Mission: Lifeline EMS Recognition will be live through March 31, 2016.  Agencies may access the application by visiting the 2016 Mission: Lifeline EMS Application.

Helpful tools and a printable pdf version of the application are available by visiting: http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/HealthcareResearch/MissionLifelineHomePage/Mission-Lifeline-EMS-Recognition_UCM_308047_Article.jsp.

The Bureau of Emergency Medical Oversight has been made aware of a grant opportunity for EMS services providers.  Please refer to the website below for additional information.  This grant application deadline is March 31, 2016. 

The FY 2017 Traffic Records Coordinating Committee (TRCC) grant announcement and application for 405c funding is now available on the Florida TRCC website.  All interested parties who are seeking funding should read the grant announcement carefully, complete all required materials, and submit them prior to 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, March 31 to FL_2017TR_grant_proposal@camsys.com.  Late or incomplete proposals will not be accepted.  Please share this information as appropriate.  For more information, please call: (317) 260-7811.

National EMS Advisory Council’s Priorities for 2016

John Sinclair, chair of the National EMS Advisory Council, shares the council’s top priorities for the country’s EMS providers and various ways the EMS community can ensure their voice is heard in Washington, DC. Read his message by visiting: http://www.ems.gov/newsletter/janfeb2016/your-voice-is-heard.html.

EMS Compass is to help EMS systems measure and improve the quality of care at the local, regional, state and national levels. The future of EMS Compass was discussed at a recent Steering Committee meeting.  Visit: http://www.ems.gov/newsletter/janfeb2016/future-of-ems-compass.html for more details.

The Bureau of Emergency Medical Oversight will conduct monthly web series every third Monday. These webinars will allow all interested parties to have a better understanding of the processes of the EMS Section. To view the list of upcoming webinars, visit: https://attendee.gototraining.com/0y1w7/catalog/348838027235505664.

If you have any questions regarding training, please call: 850-245-4440, ext. 2752.

2015 Safety and Health Conference is December 7-9, 2015

The 2015 Safety and Health Conference was developed as a partnership of the Florida Fire Chief’s Association, the Florida State Fire College, Florida Professional Firefighters and The Florida Fire and Emergency Services Foundation to provide a forum to share the latest in safety procedures, research, fitness, equipment and lessons learned. Learn more at:http://www.ffca.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageID=4390.

Sunstar Paramedics Hosts Basic Life Support (BLS) for Healthcare Providers Classroom Course—December 19

The Basic Life Support (BLS) for Healthcare Providers Classroom Course is designed to provide a wide variety of healthcare professionals the ability to recognize several life-threatening emergencies, provide CPR, use an AED and relieve choking in an adult, child or infant in a safe, timely and effective manner. This course will take place on December 19, 2015 from 8 a.m.-12:00 p.m.

Learn more by visiting: http://www.sunstarems.com/events/healthcare-provider-29/#sthash.lP3u2dxX.dpuf.

Sunstar Paramedics Hosting Heartsaver® CPR AED Course—December 19

The Heartsaver® CPR AED course teaches adult, child and infant CPR, AED use and relief of choking in an adult, child or infant. This course is for the person with little or no medical training that needs a course completion card in CPR and AED use to meet job, regulatory or other requirements.  This course will take place on December 19, 2015 from 12:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m.

See more at: http://www.sunstarems.com/events/heartsaver-cpr-aed-course-29/#sthash.4h6hIGt0.dpuf.

The LancetReleases Article on the Medical Response to Paris Attacks

For an interesting article disseminated by The Lancet, one of the world's premier medical journals, on the medical response to the Paris attacks, visit the link below: http://www.thelancet.com/pb/assets/raw/Lancet/pdfs/S0140673615010636.pdf.

Public Records Exemption Bill and COPCN Change Bill Added to Senate Committee Agendas

 The Public Records Exemption Bill and the COPCN change bill have been just added to committee agendas in the Senate. The Public Records bill is in the Rule Committee and the COPCN is in the Health Policy Committee. See below for meeting details:

SB 320 (2016) -- Public Records/Medical Technicians or Paramedics Personal Identifying Information

Added to Senate Meeting Agenda:

11/23/15 S On Committee agenda— Rules, 12/03/15, 1:00 p.m. (EST), 110 Senate Office Building, 404 S Monroe St # 200, Tallahassee, FL 32399

SB 742 (2016) –Certificates of Public Convenience and Necessity for Life Support or Air Ambulance Services

Added to Senate Meeting Agenda:

11/23/15 S On Committee agenda—Health Policy, 12/01/15, 1:00 p.m. (EST), 412 Knott Building, 109 St Augustine St, Tallahassee, FL 32301 

Davie Attends Bystander “Stop the Bleed” Forum at the White House

 The Town of Davie was invited to attend the Bystander “Stop the Bleed” forum at the White House. Vice Mayor Susan Starkey joined Assistant Fire Chief Julie Downey and Medical Director Dr. Peter Antevy, at the forum on Tuesday, October 6, 2015.

 The White House launched the “Stop the Bleed” campaign to provide bystanders of emergency situations the tools and knowledge to stop life threatening bleeding. The Town of Davie was recognized as one of the leading municipalities in the country that has already added severe bleeding kits to community AEDs and included training on how to control bleeding in all CPR classes.

 The forum included representatives from numerous private sector groups and nonprofit organizations to who are working to build awareness, implement and accelerate this initiative. 

 Below is the Severe Bleeding Kit designed to be placed with the AEDs and the Police Officer Severe Bleeding kit to be placed in the ballistic vests.

 For more information, please contact the Davie Fire Rescue Department at: (954) 797-1213.

Emergency Medical Services Advisory Council and Constituent Meetings are January 20-22, 2016

The next EMS Advisory Council and constituent meetings will be held on January 20-22, 2016 conjunction with Fire East in Daytona Beach, Florida.

New Interim EMS Section Administrator

Steve McCoy has been appointed as the interim section administrator effective 10/8/15. His predecessor, John Bixler, will be retiring from the Department of Health effective 11/5/15.  John has been an excellent public servant working in the EMS section for the past 10 years and has built a strong and resilient state EMS program.  We are proud of his achievements and appreciate all he has done for the state of Florida.  We wish John well and hope he enjoys retirement!

 Notice of Development of Rulemaking

On September 23, 2015, the department held a rule workshop to review the rule language pertaining to United States General Services Administration (GSA) –KKK-1822, Federal Specifications for Ambulances as mandated by Section 401.35(1)(d), F.S.. Additionally, in anticipation of what is believed to be the majority of states needing to revise rules that currently incorporate the KKK specifications in whole or part, leadership of the National Association of State Emergency Medical Services Officials (NASEMSO) formed an Agency & Vehicle Licensure (AVL) Committee. The immediate charge to the committee was to develop model regulatory language for state adoption related to the design of ambulances for state promulgation as needed. The committee has produced several informational documents that can be found at https://www.nasemso.org/Projects/AgencyAndVehicleLicensure/index.asp (opens in new window). If you are interested in what is happening with this rule language in Florida, you can subscribe to e-mail notifications by creating an account at https://www.flrules.org/Help/newHelp.asp#Create (opens in new window) and receive regular updates on rulemaking, public meetings and other activities.

EMS Compass Initiative

The EMS Compass Initiative was developed to help EMS systems measure and improve the quality of care at the local, regional, state and national levels.  Funded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Office of EMS and led by the National Association of State EMS Officials (NASEMSO), the EMS Compass initiative has engaged a wide range of EMS stakeholders to develop performance measures that are relevant to EMS agencies, regulators, and patients. The measures will be based on the latest version of the National EMS Information System (NEMSIS) and will allow local and state EMS systems to use their own data meaningfully. You can sign up to receive the latest information and updates by email at: http://www.emscompass.org/ (opens in new window)

Institute of Medicine Cardiac Arrest Study

The Institute of Medicine conducted a study on the current status of, and future opportunities to improve, cardiac arrest treatment and outcomes in the United States. This report examines the complete system of response to cardiac arrest in the United States and identifies opportunities within existing and new treatments, strategies, and research that promise to improve survival and recovery of patients.  The report can be viewed here: http://iom.nationalacademies.org/Reports/2015/Strategies-to-Improve-Cardiac-Arrest-Survival.aspx (opens in new window)

New eBook to Assist Fire-Based EMS Agencies

A new eBook is available: "Enhancing Fire-Based Emergency Medical Services: Transitioning to the Next Level" from the International Association of Fire Chiefs. This book answers questions and serves as a guide for a fire department transitioning into, or enhancing, a fire-based EMS system.
The eBook is available at: http://www.amazon.com/Enhancing-Fire-Based-Emergency-Medical-Services-ebook/dp/B00JXPK0R6/ (opens in new window)

New Rule in Effect for Firefighter Employers

The Division of State Fire Marshal has adopted a new rule 69A-62.024 Standards for Construction, Repair, and Maintenance of Firefighter Employee Places of Employment and the Inspection, Testing and Maintenance of Fire Apparatus.  This new rule addresses many health and safety issues including at least quarterly health and safety inspections of facilities, designates all firefighter employee places of employment as tobacco free, requires measures to prevent, control or reduce exposure and contamination of living and sleeping areas to exhaust emission, and requires a firefighter employer that provides emergency medical services shall have a written infection control policy that provides for disinfecting and cleaning of facilities, apparatus, and equipment. For more information:

http://www.ffca.org/files/New%20Rule%2069A-62_024%20on%20Safety%20in%20Firefighter%20Places%20of%20Employment.pdf (opens in new window)

Upcoming Health and Safety Conference

The Florida Fire Chiefs Association Health and Safety Conference will be held December 7-9, 2015 at the Florida Hotel and Conference Center in Orlando. This conference was developed as a partnership of FFCA, the Florida State Fire College, Florida Professional Firefighters and The Florida Fire and Emergency Services Foundation to provide a forum to share the latest in safety procedures, research, fitness, equipment, and lessons learned. For more information: http://www.ffca.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageID=4390 (opens in new window)

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