KEMTA - Kansas Emergency Medical Technicians Association
The Kansas Emergency Medical Technicians Association,
with the cooperation of the Kansas Board of EMS and the Kansas Emergency
Medical Services Association, announces the introduction of the Kansas
EMS Memorial.
The recent line-of-duty deaths pointed out the long
overdue need for a fitting tribute to those that have made the ultimate
sacrifice while involved in the care of
others.
The Kansas Board of EMS will create a Memorial Wall
to temporarily honor those that have given their lives so that others
might live. The Kansas
Legislature will be approached during the 2005 legislative session to
enable the erection of a permanent memorial on the Capitol grounds.
The Kansas EMS Foundation is being formed to
administer, support and fund this project.
In the interim, the Kansas EMT Association, a 501©(3)
corporation, will accept tax-deductible donations.
These donations will be placed in a special fund and all monies
will be turned over to the Foundation upon it’s establishment.
The Kansas EMS Memorial Review Board, made up of
representatives of KEMTA, KEMSA and BEMS, will establish the criteria
for what will be considered a line-of-duty death.
This Review Board will also review those nominations for
inclusion in the Kansas EMS Memorial.
The Kansas EMS Memorial honorees will be recognized each year during the KEMTA Awards Ceremony.
Kansas EMS Memorial Honorees
At KEMTA
2004, three people were honored by the recently introduced Kansas EMS
Memorial.
Brandon Bow, Jonathan Dye and Jennifer Hauptman, who
died of injuries suffered when
EagleMed 4 crashed on February 17 after returning
from a patient transport, were remembered by friends and family
during the KEMTA Awards Ceremony.
Plaques were presented to members of the families of Mr. Bow, Mr. Dye and Ms. Hauptman. A plaque was also presented to EagleMed in memory of the loss of three of their EMS family.
A Look Back
Dear KEMTA
Members:
Congratulations on celebrating 30 continuous years, as an organization
providing service and representation to the ambulance industry… now
modern day EMS. I have been called a pioneer in Kansas EMS, since my
history in the profession dates back to January of 1966. I think that’s
just a nice way of saying, “I’m as old as dirt”! I wish that I could be
with you to help celebrate this very important occasion, but I had a
prior commitment out of State. This letter is a result of a request by
JoAnn Knak that I share some noteworthy events in KEMTA’s early history.
The roots of
the Kansas Emergency Medical Technician Association (KEMTA) can be
traced to the former Kansas Ambulance and Rescue Association (KARA).
KARA was organized in 1973 by a handful of Kansas’s ambulance service
directors with the goal of improving ambulance service, and patient
care, to the citizens of Kansas.
In the early
1970’s nobody had ever heard of an EMT, much less a Paramedic.
“Ambulance attendants” (as they were called in those days) in Kansas and
across the Nation had little to no training. The only training available
to Kansas’s ambulance attendants was the American Red Cross’ standard
and advanced first aid courses. The standard course was 10 hours in
length and the advance course was 12 hours. The Board of EMS, EMS
regulations, and standards for ambulance vehicles and equipment were
non-existent.
The Kansas
National Guard Armory in Hutchinson Kansas became the site of the first,
of what would be many, annual KARA, and later KEMTA seminars. They would
begin on a Friday morning and conclude with a banquet on Saturday
evening. One of the challenges of the seminar committee was finding
presenters for the educational tracts. Since EMS and Paramedic training
was non-existent in the early 1970’s, there were very few qualified
presenters within the EMS profession. Thus, physicians were asked to
teach on most medical topics. Trying to get doctors was sometimes
difficult, and last minute cancellations due to their busy schedule
occurred frequently. We were very fortunate to have had a great EMS
advocate in Dr. Norman E. McSwain. Dr. McSwain had accepted the newly
created position of Director of the Kansas University Medical Center’s
Emergency Medical Training Program. He was very faithful to attend our
seminars, and would “save the day” many times when a physician would not
show. No matter what the scheduled topic, Dr. McSwain could always do a
good job.
I remember a
seminar when our featured banquet speaker cancelled due to a medical
emergency with a family member. One of Dr. McSwain’s hobbies was
underwater diving and underwater photography. He had just returned from
a week in the Bahamas islands where he had taken about 40 slide pictures
of tropical fish. He stated that he had the pictures in the back seat of
his car. Well you guessed it! Dr. McSwain, and his tropical fish slides
made for one of the most unusual EMS banquet programs we ever had.
Afterwards, many of those in attendance told me that the program was
actually enjoyable after listening to medical and rescue presentations
all day!
The Federal
Highway Safety Act of 1966 was an early attempt to improve patient
survival rates on our Nation’s Highways. One of the major components of
the act was aimed at improving ambulance services. States were to comply
with the provisions of the Act or face the loss of their Federal highway
funding. Kansas was among some of the first States in the Nation to
start the process of meeting the requirements. The current Board of EMS
initially started as the Office of EMS, which was under the authority of
the Governor’s office in approximately 1973.
KEMTA played a
major role in the improvements in ambulance services in the State of
Kansas. When the Office of EMS needed committee members to develop, and
recommend standards for ambulance design and on-aboard equipment KEMTA
members stepped forward, and were selected. It may be hard to believe
today, but in the early days, it was not uncommon for many ambulance
units to only be equipped with a first aid kit, a portable 0/2 tank, and
a main stretcher. Many pieces of equipment recommended by these
committee members are still carried by EMS units today. Equipment such
as, trauma kits, OB kits, onboard and portable oxygen, folding
stretchers, splints, onboard and portable suction, bag mask
resuscitators, blood pressure cuffs, stethoscopes, oral airways, etc all
stemmed from the efforts of KEMTA members.
A few years
later the office of EMS changed to the Bureau of EMS, and, again, KEMTA
members were asked to help in the improvement of patient care for the
citizens of Kansas. This time the need was for a patient report and data
collection form. KEMTA members again, stepped up to the plate, and as a
result the “Green Sheet” was developed. The slang name “Green Sheet”
came from the top sheet of the NCR form, which was the patient report,
being the color green. The form provided patient medical information in
a standardized written form to the Emergency Department staff. A carbon
copy was also available for the technician following the call, which
provided statistical information to the Bureau of EMS office.
Several
members of KEMTA also filled roles and shared their expertise, and
experience, in the establishment of the Kansas EMT certification
process, which was developed for Kansas by the University of Kansas
Medical Center under the direction of Dr. McSwain.
In 1976 the
Kansas Ambulance and Rescue Association (KARA) became the first
organization to publish a statewide newsletter for Kansas EMS personnel.
The publication was entitled KARA NEWS, which later changed to KEMTA
NEWS. The newsletter was published on a bi-monthly basis.
In
approximately 1977 a new national organization was starting to emerge by
the name of the National Association of EMT’s. (NAEMT) NAEMT was
contacting State EMS organizations in an attempt to develop a chapter of
NAEMT in each State of the Nation. The Kansas Ambulance and Rescue
Association executive board met with officials of NAEMT and decided to
become the first official chapter representing Kansas at the National
level. As a result of this move KARA officially changed their name to
the Kansas Emergency Medical Technician’s Association, or KEMTA for
short.
Around the
same time, and in an effort to strengthen the Association, KEMTA hired
their first staff member. Ned Arthur was hired to develop KEMTA chapters
around the State. Ned had an extensive background in marketing. Thus, he
took to the job like a duck takes to water! I had just finished a term
as President and was asked by the Board, under the leadership of
President Bob Prewitt, to serve in an Executive Director’s role. Serving
also, as the Director of the Newton Ambulance Department, it was all I
could do just to keep up with Ned. Ned established approximately 10
chapters around the State. He was also successful in bringing James O.
Page to our annual seminar, which was held in the 4-H building on the
Garden City Fair Grounds. A strong friendship was developed that year
between James Page and several KEMTA members that still exists today.
Just as an example of Ned’s abilities he nearly had General Motors
Corporation talked into giving KEMTA a brand new car. I still feel that
he would have been successful if I hadn’t stepped in and told Ned that
the organization would not be able to afford insurance, tags, taxes, and
other expenses associated with the upkeep of an automobile. After
increasing KEMTA’s membership to almost 900 members from less than 200,
in less than two years, Ned resigned to take on other challenges. I am
sorry to report that Ned passed away in late 2002, as a result of
cancer.
I continued to
fill the role of Executive Director until the fall of 1978, and I would
be amiss if I did not give credit to my wife Linda who served the
membership and assisted me greatly with the administrative functions of
the organization during my tenure as Executive Director. The KEMTA
office was in our home for several years, and Linda was faithful to
process membership renewals, as well as assisting in the many business
tasks of a statewide organization.
Thank you, for
allowing me to take a trip down memory lane. Obviously, time does not
permit the listing of every aspect of KEMTA involvement or
accomplishment over the past 30 years. Hopefully, I have provided some
history of the early years that has been interesting for some of you,
who are new to the EMS profession, and made some of the old-timers
smile, as they remembered “the good ole days”.
As members of
KEMTA, you can be proud of your association’s accomplishments over the
past 30 years. You can also be assured that EMS, as you know it today,
is built on a foundation provided by dedicated EMS providers, and KEMTA
members, such as yourself. Although I have now retired from the
profession, I know that through the efforts of those of you who “still
carry the pager” Kansas EMS, through organizations like KEMTA, will
continue to meet the challenges of the future.
Sincerely,
Newton Kansas
Satan Created HMO
And God populated the earth with broccoli and cauliflower and spinach and green and yellow vegetables of all kinds, so Man and Woman would live long and healthy lives.
An Satan created McDonald's. And McDonald's brought forth the 99-cent double-cheeseburger. And Satan said to Man, "You want fries with that?" and Man said, "Super size them." and Man gained pounds.
And God created the healthful yogurt, that woman might keep her figure that man found so fair.
And Satan froze the yogurt, and he brought forth chocolate, nuts and brightly colored sprinkle candy to put on the yogurt. And woman gained pounds.
And God said, "Try my crispy fresh salad." And Satan brought forth creamy dressings, bacon bits, and shredded cheese.
And thee was ice cream for dessert. An woman gained pounds. And God said, "I have sent your heart healthy vegetables and olive oil with which to cook them."
And Satan brought forth chicken-fried steak from Cracker Barrel so big it needed its own platter. And Man gained pounds, and his bad cholesterol went through the roof.
And God brought forth running shoes, and Man resolved to lose those extra pounds.
And Satan brought forth cable TV with remote control so Man would not have to toil to change channels between ESPN and ESPN2. And Man gained pounds.
And God said, "You're running up the score, Devil."
And God brought forth the potato, a vegetable naturally low in fat and brimming with nutrition. And Satan peeled off the healthful skin and sliced the starchy center into chips and deep-fat fried them. And he created sour cream dip also. And Man clutched his remote control and ate the potato chips swaddled in cholesterol. And Satan saw and said, "It is good."
And Man went into cardiac arrest.
And God sighed and created quadruple bypass surgery.....
And Satan created HMOs...
