News & Announcements

The Saratoga County Fair kicks off Tuesday, July 18th and will run through Sunday, July 23rd. EMS staffing is needed from 9 am through midnight each day. Annually, EMS providers donate countless hours to cover special events during evenings weekends and to staff the EMS clinic and response teams on site continuously each day. All levels of providers from CFR through Paramedics are needed this year and ambulances are needed on site each evening from 6 pm through midnight. Loans of equipment including portable O2 cylinders with regulators, non-wooden LBBs, and portable suction units are also needed. Interested individuals and agencies are encouraged to contact either Jeff Reisner (phone 885-4587, email JBR97@aol.com) or Stan DeLong (phone 885-5381, ext 2201, email G906T@aol.com). An informational meeting will be held in early June for those interested in participating. Consider having a great time while helping make the County Fair a safe event for your family and neighbors!

If you were the recent recipient of an email, fax, or snail mail letter headlined, “YOUR BILLING INCOME IS AT RISK,” you might want to read a memo from Attorney Paul Gillan of the Albany firm Iseman, Cunningham, Riester & Hyde (www.icrh.com). Paul is an EMT well known to Saratoga County providers and serves as legal counsel to many EMS and fire organizations. His poignant explanation regarding the supposed threats to ambulance billing revenue are enlightening. Click here for a PDF copy of Paul Gillan’s memo.

NIOSH and the FDA recently issued a joint notice describing potential for fire at oxygen regulator and cylinder valve interfaces resulting from incorrect use of seal gaskets. Depending on how you fill your bottles (in house or through a commercial provider), this may well apply to your agency. Click here for the complete notice.

DOH Bureau Director Ed Wronski issued a memo to all agencies and providers outlining how the Bureau plans to incorporate CPR Guidelines 2005 into NYS Written Exams and protocols. While local training and implementation is proceeding, it appears that it will take some time for DOH to incorporate the new changes into the exams. You are encouraged to click here for a copy of Director Wronski’s memo to share with your agency membership.

Blue Wing, the consultant hired by Saratoga County to explore alternatives to the stalled radio system upgrade, gave a report to the Public Safety Committee at their June 2006 meeting. Click here to view a Blue Wing PowerPoint presentation that explores the status of the current system and proposed plan for the future.