Training and Education:
• The EMS Bureau has been in discussion with Kapiolani Community College in regards to challenges with the prerequisites required for paramedic school. After lengthy discussions, Kapio‘lani Community College has agreed to amend the Math 103 prerequisite. They will now accept a minimum of Math 86 (basic college math equivalent) or an Accuplacer math score of 250 or greater. With this change we hope to increase the number of paramedic candidates.
• The 50th fire recruit class begins EMT training on Monday, January 10, 2022. EMS Bureau personnel assisted with the seven-step registration process which also included screening of all vaccinations and titer requirements. EMT preparation classes will be conducted prior to the start of EMT class.
• Five (5) of our 2021 Spring semester paramedic students have successfully completed their state and national testing requirements which will allow them to attain their State of Hawaii Paramedic license. We have one (1) more paramedic student set to take the national registry skills testing in early March.
• Our current paramedic class will be going to Honolulu for clinical rotations at Kapiolani Hospital and Queens Medical Center. Their clinical experience will include pediatric assessment, advanced pediatric airway management and advanced cardiovascular care. They will begin their clinical and field internship evaluations in February.
• The EMS Bureau conducted a two-week long Emergency Medical Responder (EMR) training for our newly hired dispatchers and Ocean Safety personnel.
• One (1) EMR refresher class was conducted on 12/15 for State Forestry and HFD personnel. This refresher involved mental health first aid.
Operations:
• With the execution of budget modification number six (6), we were able to secure funds for a second ambulance purchase this fiscal year. This second ambulance is currently out for bid and closes on December 29, 2021. This new ambulance will be a replacement for Medic 5.
• We have recertified all our FERNO technicians and will begin annual gurney inspections in the first quarter of 2022.
• All required ambulance state license documents and audits have been submitted for our annual ambulance service contract renewal. When our updated licenses are received, we will distribute the documents to all the medic stations for posting.
• Our ESO implementation project is moving forward. We continue our weekly implementation meetings and will be assisting with system updates on all EMS state laptops in operations.
• The EMS Bureau participated in multiple meetings throughout the month of December. Meetings that we participated in included the steering committee for patient transfers, Chopper 2 fabrication, Kona Hospital briefing, MICT retention / MICT recruitment with representatives from The County Department of Human Resources, COVID trends and potential operational impacts, and EMS budget and projections.
• The EMS Bureau Captains have been assisting with MICT vacancies in Operations.
• The EMS Bureau continues to assist with State EMS license renewals and reimbursements for our personnel. Currently, there are 11 personnel who are being audited by the State. We have been working with these individuals to ensure that all proper documents and forms are completed and submitted.
Community Education and Injury Prevention:
• Our cardiac arrest community education programs continue to flourish. The high schools that we are working with this quarter are Konawaena, Kea‘au and Hilo.
• Our Community Paramedicine program has been busy addressing high utilizers of the 911 system. Many of the referrals have been from our Operations personnel leading to a decrease in usage of the 911 system. This has also led to a better living situation for these individuals.