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News From The Front Line December 6, 2010
The MEDIC Dispatch
Safety Hazard Reminder for Medics & First Responders!
While any suicide can have devastating effects on the
community, an alarming new suicide method from Japan called
“detergent suicide” now poses a very serious and direct
threat to Medic and first responders.
The detergent suicide method first appeared in Japan in 2007.
By September 2008, detergent suicide was ruled as the cause
of death for more than 800 people in that country.
Due to the accessibility of the internet, detergent suicide has
recently emerged in the United States. The detergent suicide
method uses H2S (Hydrogen Sulfide), a highly toxic chemical
substance, as one of its main ingredients. H2S can be found in
such common household items as toilet bowl cleaners, bath
salts and insecticides. Inhalation of H2S acts as an asphyxiant and is lethal enough to kill a person
in just one breath. Skin that comes in contact with H2S may result in severe burns.
Medic and first responders arriving on the scene of a suicide are at a greater risk of becoming
victims due to the toxic concentrated levels of H2S. The gas is extremely flammable and is most
concentrated in small spaces such as cars, bathrooms, outbuildings, etc.
In late February, Emergency Responders in Cary responded to a call about an unconscious
victim in a vehicle. Fire personnel noticed a sign on the dashboard of the vehicle that read
“Call Police and Hazmat.” When Hazmat arrived on the scene and opened the vehicle door,
test monitors measured H2S levels of 340 ppm—the immediate danger to life and health
level (IDLH) for this substance is at 100 ppm. The victim inside the vehicle committed
suicide by mixing the H2S substance with an organic phosphate inside a 5-gallon bucket.
“My concern is that someone won’t be so kind next time and post notes on the car as a
warning, or that the warning won’t be seen until it’s too late,” says Skip Kirkwood, Deputy
Director for Wake County’s Department of Emergency Medical Services.
In May 2009, Idaho officials spotted a Toyota Scion parked alongside a local highway.
“Hazardous Materials” signs, warnings of H2S and “one breath can kill” were all taped to the
outside of the car. Officials were also able to see the body of a young male slumped over in the
driver’s seat.
Awareness and education are key to saving lives. Medic personnel who arrive first on scene are
encouraged to exercise care and take the necessary precautions to avoid possible exposure
to a hazard situation of this nature.
This Week:
Performance Pay
Update 2
Don’t Forget to
Spend 3
Makeup InService
Dates 4
December
Birthdays 5
Job Posting
Announcement 6
Is Your Credit
Taking Hit? 7
Training Schedule 8
Mecklenburg
EMS
Agency
Dates to
Remember:
Dates to
Remember:
December 10th
Recertification Testing
December 11th
Recertification Testing
2
At a 71% excellent rating for patient
satisfaction, we are off to a GREAT start
for the current Performance Pay Tracking
period (which runs from November 1st—
February 28th). The key is maintaining this
early success to ensure an employee payout.
Even though our performance is high right
now, please remember that patient
satisfaction is the area that has historically
shown the most fluctuation over the course
of a tracking period. Please keep this in mind
when dealing with patients and work hard
to communicate with them and their family
members in the most compassionate,
customer-friendly way possible (AIDET).
It makes a HUGE difference!
Performance Pay Update
The months of December—February often bring some of most inclement weather conditions to our area. As we prepare
for winter, please be mindful of Medic’s Severe Weather Policy below:
Policy
The nature of Medic’s role and service to the community
mandates continuous operational ability. Employees who work in
functions essential to the 24-hour operations of Medic, or in
functions determined essential by their department director,
must maintain their regular work hours during inclement
weather.
For other employees, Medic will observe Mecklenburg County’s
operating hours during severe weather.
Procedure
During periods of inclement weather, all non-essential
employees shall access the official information by calling
Mecklenburg County’s Employee News Now phone line at 704.336.3636 or by monitoring broadcast media.
It is the employee’s responsibility to call and confirm anytime there is a question regarding changes to the Agency’s
operating hours during severe or inclement weather.
In times of emergencies or declared disasters, the Agency may require non-operations personnel to report to work, in
support of the emergency services we provide, even when other local government offices are closed.
Medic’s Severe Weather Policy
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FREE
Be sure to spend your remaining money in
your flexible spending account by December
31st, 2010. Your date-of-service for medical
procedures should be completed by the 31st to
qualify as well as any point-of-sale purchase
such as prescriptions, over-the counter items/
meds, medical equipment, etc. It is ok to pay a
bill after December 31st, 2010 with your FSA
card, but the services must be before
December 31st. All outstanding bills for
2010 must be turned in to your FSA by
March 15th, 2011.
A monthly statement was e-mailed to
employees from The Employers Association in
the past few days with your remaining balance.
Effective January 1, 2011 - Changes to Over-the-Counter Eligibility for Flexible Spending Accounts
The health care reform laws passed earlier this year will have an impact on what items participants can purchase with their
FSA dollars beginning on January 1st, 2011.
Expenses incurred for over-the-counter drugs and medicines will require a doctor’s prescription in order to be
reimbursed. That means such items as cough medicines, pain relievers, acid controllers and ointments must be submitted,
along with a doctor’s prescription and a claim form for manual reimbursement. Your FSA benefits card will no longer
allow purchases of these items. However, participants will still be able to use the card for non-medical or drug items such
as contact lens solution, gauze, band aids, etc.
Don’t Forget to Spend Your FSA!
Our Aflac Representatives Drew Fowlie and Terri will be
here from Monday, December 6th – Thursday,
December 9th for open enrollment of Aflac Policies only.
If you would like to make changes to your current plan or if
you have questions, please be sure to see them out in the
Bay Area. Drew can also be reached 704.806.6816 or
Aflac Policies
The holiday season is quickly approaching! Please
remember that Medic’s administrative offices will be
closed on Friday, December 24th and Monday,
December 27th.
In addition, administrative offices will also be closed on
Friday, December 31st for New Years Day.
Thank you.
Holiday Schedule Reminder
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Below are the makeup
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.
Tuesday, Dec 14th
1200-1600
Wednesday, Dec 15th
1200-1600
If you have any questions or to register for the above
November makeup InService dates, please be sure to
contact Robin Pariso in Medical Services at
Thank you.
Makeup InService Dates
The Dept of Homeland Security
Scholarship & Fellowship Program is
intended for students interested in
pursuing the basic science and
technology innovations. Eligible
students must be studying in a
homeland security-related science,
technology, engineering and mathematics field and meet the
following criteria:
* Undergraduate students
* U.S. citizenship required
* Funding available for fall 2011
* Full tuition and monthly stipends
* Includes 10-week summer internships at federal research
facilities or DHS Centers of Excellence
* Application Deadline: January 5th, 2011
For more information, please visit the U.S. Department of
Homeland Security (DHS) Scholarship Program website at
http://www.orau.gov/dhsed/.
Scholarship Program
It is with great pleasure to announce the following promotions in
Communications and Operations:
Bryan Hancock: Communications Supervisor
Dan Baltimore: Operations Supervisor
Tony Pattillo: Operations Supervisor
Kenny Phillips: Operations Supervisor
Chris Simmons: Operations Supervisor
Each individual has a history of strong performance and dedication to Medic.
They have all shown tremendous accountability and leadership qualities that will serve them and the Agency well as they
take on their new responsibilities. Please be sure to congratulate each of them on this outstanding career achievement.
They will make the transition to their new role within the next 30 days.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Barry Bagwell via e-mail at [email protected] or ext. 6170.
Promotion Announcement
5
We would like to extend special birthday wishes to the following employees celebrating a birthday in the month of
December:
December Birthdays
Chris Somerset December 1
Pamela Jackson December 4
Charles Rorie December 5
Reggie Ball December 6
Michael Jackman December 7
Donna Layton December 7
Carlos Massey December 9
Chris Alaimo December 10
Nayyar Toqeer December 11
Angela Hulshult December 11
Heidi Wozniak December 12
Nikki Duncan December 12
William Coble December 12
Shari Lambeth December 12
John Gibson December 13
Adamo Riascos December 14
Dawn Parker December 14
Richard Steinbroner December 15
Ian Starkey December 17
Chad Wilson December 17
Susan Pollich December 18
Steven Bridges December 18
Steve Vandeventer December 19
Tyler North December 20
Chris Kraetz December 21
John Marlowe December 21
Julia Barela December 24
Robert Boykin December 25
Vincent Thompson December 25
Troy White December 26
Mike Saxton December 26
Robert Dalton December 27
Todd Moore December 28
Trevor Taylor December 29
Chris Simmons December 30
Andrew Williams December 30
Beth Pethel December 31
Karl Ottesen December 31
Veronica Brittain December 31
Don Robinson December 31
Several employees purchased specialty items at the Medic Store Open House during the
Health & Benefits Fair in October. The PR Department would like to inform the following
individuals that their item(s) have arrived and are now available for pickup:
Mike Stratton Jeff Bailey Brandon Holland
Steven Bridges Ute Dorflinger
If you work nights or will be unavailable between the hours of 8:00 am – 5:00pm, please be sure to send Kristin Young
[email protected] or Nikkie Perry [email protected] an e-mail requesting your item(s) and we will be sure to
place it in the OA’s office for pickup. Thank you.
Your Medic Orders Are Here!
6
Education and Quality Specialist
***Re-advertised due to an additional vacancy***
Schedule: Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. (40-hour work week)
Note: Schedule may be adjusted from these base times due to in-service class
times, simulation center operations, etc.
The Education and Quality Specialist is responsible for providing the following: clinical continuing education and training for
all certified medical providers (EMT and EMT-P); assessment of paramedic and EMT core knowledge and skill competency
through the use of validated scenarios, which interact with advanced technology human patient simulators against a realistic
setting/environment; identification of didactic and/or skill competency concerns, creation of corrective plans of action, and
provide remediation of medics as needed; assessment and development of new employees; monitoring of clinical quality
performance through retrospective review of patient care reports; and supporting the Agency’s quality improvement
functions and clinical research efforts.
The pre-requisite for selection to this position is the requirement that the employee must be a field training officer.
Interested applicants should submit a letter of interest and a resume of education and work experience to Charvetta Ford-
McGriff, Recruitment Specialist at [email protected] no later than 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, December
8th. *Applications received in August will be considered.*
Job Posting Announcement
Warehouse Assistant
(Internal Applicants only)
This position will receive and
handle stock at the warehouse
while keeping accurate records
of all activity surrounding the
flow of items received and distributed.
Job responsibilities include:
Assist in weekly and monthly inventories
Deliver and/or pick up equipment and supplies as needed
Assist Purchasing and Maintenance departments as needed
Distribute miscellaneous shipments from FedEx, and UPS
Receive and deliver miscellaneous non-stock items
Manage recycling of applicable products
Interested applicants should submit a letter of interest to
Charvetta Ford-McGriff, Recruitment Specialist at
[email protected] no later than 5:00 p.m.
Wednesday, December 8th. Thank you.
Job Posting Announcement
Need Help?
Have you put in an IT help
desk ticket?
HELP DESK TICKETS =
Faster, Priority‐Level Service
Immediately forwarded to the Blackberry’s
of all on duty IT Department staff.
Instantaneous Feedback
The help desk system also allows the IT Department to
track and report on problems they tend to on a weekly and
monthly basis. These reports allow trends and nagging
issues to be analyzed, ultimately leading to long-term,
Agency-wide solutions.
Thank you for your continued use of the IT help desk
ticket system.
IT Service Desk Ticket Reminder
7
For many, the month of December marks the beginning of the holiday shopping
season. With markdowns, discounts and store sales, many local and national
retailers are looking to cash in on the Christmas spirit. At the hardware store, the
bookstore, the mall and even the grocery it happens so nonchalantly. The cashier
smiles and asks, "Would you like to save 20 percent today, just by opening a
charge card?" Of course, who wouldn't want to save 20 percent?! Be aware that
every time you apply for a card—even for a department store card—your credit
score takes a hit. In turn, that 20 percent savings could translate into a drop in
your credit score.
There are lots of sneaky ways your credit score may be adversely affected. Did
you know closing out zero-balance cards may actually hurt and not help your
credit score? Since part of your credit score is determined by your ratio of
available credit to the amount of credit you actually use, the better option may be
to keep that unused card open.
For example, if you have $8,000 in
available credit across three cards. You
owe $2,500 total between two of those
cards, and nothing on the other. This
means you have $5,500 in credit you are
not from using. You're looking pretty good
to the credit score folks. But, if you close
your zero-balance card, you now have $5,000 available credit, with $2,500 owed
on the remaining two cards. So you now only have $2,500 you're not using. Not
looking as good anymore. The reason is, you will look better if you keep your credit utilization ratio at 30 percent or
below. In this example, you're doing that simply by keeping that extra, unused card active.
Another surprising tip? Try to hold on to your oldest cards the longest. A big part of your credit score is length of credit
history. So the older the card (with consistent, prompt payments), the better. Also, be sure to always pay by the due
date. Your ability to pay on time—every time—counts as much as 35 percent of your score. One late payment can cost
you up to a hundred points, which could affect your rates if the time comes to apply for a loan.
Lastly, try not to consolidate cards. Though it seems to make sense to have one payment every month, your score
actually fares better if you have small balances spread across several cards versus one big balance on one card. Easier yes,
but according to the credit gurus, definitely not better.
Please be sure to contact the Local Government Federal Credit Union or visit www.lgfcunewsworks.org/ for more
information on ways to improve your credit score.
Is Your Credit Taking a Hit?
8
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 Ferracci at [email protected]
Classes will be held at the North Campus in Rooms
CJ119. Class times are from 1300—1700
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
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.
December 2010 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
1 B 2 B
3 A
4 A
5 A 6 B
7 B
8 A 9 A
10 B
Recertification Testing
11 B
Recertification Testing
12 B 13 A
Recertification Testing
14 A
Nov Makeup InService
1200—1600
15 B
Nov Makeup InService
1200—1600
16 B
17 A
Recertification Testing
18 A
Recertification Testing
19 A
20 B
ACLS Training @ CPCC—North
Campus
1300—1700
Recertification Testing
21 B
22 A
23 A
24 B
Christmas Holiday
Medic Offices Closed
25 B
26 B
27 A
Christmas Holiday
Medic Offices Closed
28 A
29 B 30 B 31 A
