Clinton, Miss. — The National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT) board of directors has approved a position statement on air medical transport safety.

NAEMT is very concerned about and wanted to address the unacceptable and increasing rate of accidents, injuries and deaths occurring in the air medical transportation industry. Since 2000, many scientific papers and reports — published by agencies and organizations such as the U.S. Government Accountability Office, National Transportation Safety Board, Annals of Emergency Medicine, Congressional Research Service and the Air Medical Physicians Association — have identified numerous air medical safety issues and have recommended solutions. However, none of these solutions have been implemented to date by either the federal government or the industry.
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Originally printed in The Nashville Leader on Dec. 10, 2008

Dear Editor:

I’m the daughter of Roger Fike, the official who collapsed on your football field, Friday, Nov. 21.

How do you thank two EMTs or even an entire town? What are the words that are not only appropriate but fully convey what you are feeling?

Here’s my best shot.

My vocabulary has no words that truly express my gratitude for those EMTs, sorry I do not know your names, who saved my father’s life. According to the doctors at Little Rock Baptist Hospital, no one really lives after sudden cardiac death.
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Originally printed in Pine Pluff Commercial. Tuesday, January 6, 2009
By Erin France

Jefferson Regional Medical Center, like many other hospitals in Arkansas, already treats victims of trauma.

Dr. Charles Mabry, a Jefferson Regional Medical Center general surgeon and member of the state’s Trauma Advisory Council, speaks about the logistics of a statewide trauma system. Special to The Commercial/Kevin McKnight.
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Ben Blankenship

The 2009 Legislature is now meeting, and issues that may soon be before them will impact our profession.

One of the issues, of course, is the Statewide Trauma System.  This issue was heavily supported in the last session but died without passage primarily due to the lack of an acceptable funding mechanism.  This session various funding mechanisms are being presented and this will probably be our best opportunity to get this critical system funded and at least started in our state.  We are working closely with the Arkansas Ambulance Association to get legislation passed for the system.  Continued

It has been 10 years since his sudden death and the end of a successful but too short career.  He served his country, loved his state and never lost the passion to see patients restored to health.

Dr. Hammons was an Air Force doctor who saw the success of pre-hospital treatment for heart attack patients and wondered why they could do it in California and not do it in his home state of Arkansas. He had read the works of Dr. Frank Partridge and visited other advanced training sites. He knew if Arkansas was to ever have Advanced EMT’s (Paramedics), they needed to train here. He had faith that the revolution in emergency medical care was one that was needed here and his dedication to developing a training site. Continued

When I hear the word decade it seems like a long time.  When I think that is has been 10 years since Ed P. Hammons died it seems like yesterday and like an eternity.  I think he would be a little embarrassed that we are honoring him again, so long after his passing.  He was a man who did the right thing for the right reasons, not to get recognition or glory.

He was a man from a small Arkansas town who wanted to make a difference.  Having seen what combat medics were doing in Viet Nam, when he came back to Forrest City, AR after serving in the military he decided U.S. citizens at home should get that same cutting edge care before they reached the hospital.  Dr. E. P. Hammons, who just referred to himself as “Hammons”, was one of a kind. Continued