Summer safety tips

With the summer quickly approaching we'd like to remind you of a number of ways to remain safe. Safety is always the best prevention for injuries. The following safety tips are provided by the Center for Injury Prevention and Control.

Wear a helmet - One of the best ways to stay safe this summer is to wear a helmet and other safety gear when biking, skating and skateboarding, and when riding scooters, all-terrain vehicles, and horses. Studies on bicycle helmets have shown they can reduce the risk of head injury by as much as 85 percent.

Prevent water tragedies - Use layers of protection to prevent a swimming pool tragedy. This includes placing barriers completely around your pool to prevent access, using door and pool alarms, closely supervising your child and being prepared in case of an emergency.

Play safe - Make sure your home playground is safe. Falls cause 60 percent of playground injuries, so having a safe surface is critical. Concrete, asphalt or packed dirt surfaces are too hard. Use at least 9 inches of wood chips or mulch.

Injury prevention is the goal - If you are a soccer mom or dad, beware that movable soccer goals can fall over and kill children. Make sure the goal is anchored securely at all times and never allow anyone to climb on the net or goal framework or hang from the cross bar. Remove nets when the goals are not in use.

Bouncing can be dangerous - To prevent serious injuries while using a trampoline, allow only one person on at a time, and do not allow somersaults. Use a shock-absorbing pad that completely covers the springs and place the trampoline away from structures and other play areas. Kids under 6-years-old should not use full-size trampolines.

Don't let camping become dangerous - If summer plans include camping and you want heat inside your tent or camper, use one of the new portable heaters that are equipped with an oxygen depletion sensor (ODS). If oxygen levels start to fall inside your tent or camper, the ODS automatically shuts down the heater before it can produce deadly levels of carbon monoxide (CO). Do not attempt to use alternative sources of heat or power to warm a tent or camper. Traditional camping heaters, charcoal grills, camping lanterns, and gas generators also can cause CO poisoning.

Open windows can be inviting to the young - Install window guards to prevent children from falling out of open windows. Guards should be installed in children's bedrooms, parents' bedrooms, and other rooms where young children spend time. Or, install window stops that permit windows to open no more than 4 inches. Whenever possible, open windows from the top - not the bottom. Also, keep furniture away from windows to discourage children from climbing near windows.

Chill while you grill - Never bring charcoal grills indoors. Burning charcoal produces deadly carbon monoxide. When cooking outdoors with a gas grill, check the air tubes that lead into the burner for any blockage from insects, spiders, or food grease. Check grill hoses for cracking, brittleness, holes, and leaks. Make sure there are no sharp bends in the hose or tubing. If you ever detect a leak, immediately turn off the gas at the tank and don't attempt to light the grill until the leak is fixed. Newer grills and propane tanks have improved safety devices to prevent gas leaks.

Make lawn work safe - Summer also means yard work. When mowing, keep small children out of the yard, and turn the mower off if children enter the area. If the lawn slopes, mow across the slope with the walk-behind rotary mower, never up and down. With a riding mower, drive up and down the slope, not across it. Never carry children on a riding mower.

The Last Text

The above video is a 10-minute documentary titled "The Last Text," that features stories of real individuals whose lives have been adversely affected by texting behind the wheel.

AT&T created this documentary as part of its "It Can Wait" campaign because they want consumers to be safe while using their technology. It is a very powerful video that we wish everyone who uses a cell phone will watch. Please pass this video along to your friends. It may save a life.

Oldham County EMS receives homeland security and local HERA grants

Oldham County EMS has recently been awarded grants from both the Department for Homeland Security and Healthcare Emergency Response Association. The $17,900 Homeland Security grant will be used to purchase and implement mobile data terminals. These computers will let personnel receive up-to-the-minute patient and run-related information directly from the new Oldham County Dispatch computer-aided dispatch system.

The department will use the $13,900 Healthcare Emergency Response Association grant to purchase five high-tech stair chairs. This equipment allows medical staff to easily extricate patients from upstairs with a minimum of effort. While they make it easy for the staff to move patients, the chairs have shown to greatly reduce worker comp claims.

The department has also recently received a $12,000 grant from the state that will be used to purchase a new stretcher and a $3,000 grant from McNeil & Company that will be used for training.

Saving Heart muscle and saving lives

The panic begins once you feel the first pressure on your chest. Out of fear, your heart begins to race and you feel like you can’t catch your breath. All of a sudden, you begin to sweat profusely. You now realize you are having a heart attack and are quickly forced to begin taking inventory of your life and future.

In the past, EMS might have picked you up and taken you to the closest hospital with the hopes of stabilizing your condition before your heart was too badly damaged to survive. Now, because of specialized gadgetry donated to OCEMS by Norton Healthcare, EMS can begin important diagnostics and treatment while en route to a chest pain center where you will get definitive care—stopping the heart attack in its tracks.

When you encounter a blockage in your heart, what most people consider a classic heart attack, the heart muscle being damaged is indicated by changes in your cardiac rhythm, known as ST-elevation. The gold standard care for this condition is cardiac catheterization where physicians either place a stent or perform a procedure called angioplasty to open the blockage and allow oxygenated blood to flow back to the starved muscle tissue.

In the past, this situation was recognized in the ambulance where the medics would alert the ER staff upon the ambulance’s arrival. The ER staff would then notify the cardiac catheterization team who would set up for the procedure. The patient would then undergo the procedure within a few hours. The problem was, those few short hours meant that a lot of heart tissue was damaged and dying—heart tissue that would never grow back.

Enter STEMI transmission
Through the generosity of Norton Healthcare, Oldham County EMS can now send digital copies of EKG tracings with indications of ST-elevation directly to the ER and cardiac cathertization lab. The medics then confer with the ER or cardiac catheterization physician to determine the best plan of treatment. In cases where catheterization is indicated, this simple step can save hours.

The gold standard treatment for patients with blockages is considered 90 minute ‘door to balloon’—the time from which the patient arrives at the ER to the time they’re undergoing treatment. Recent times for Oldham County EMS crews have been less than 20 minutes.

While numbers may not mean a lot, consider—with early recognition, a heart attack caused by certain blockages can be reversed, ultimately causing minimal to no long-term loss of heart function. If you do feel pressure on your chest, call 9-1-1 immediately, and know your local EMS has the knowledge, training, and equipment to help you have a good outcome.

OCEMS becomes first Kentucky Ambulance Service to become a Drug Free Workplace

A new Kentucky League of Cities program is giving municipalities the lead in proactive substance abuse education and intervention for employees. Oldham County Emergency Medical Services became the first ambulance service in the state of Kentucky to receive this certification.

The facts speak for themselves.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Mental Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, more than 70 percent of all substance abusers are employed.

With the support of the Kentucky League of Cities (KLC) in 2007, the Kentucky General Assembly enacted HB-267, better known as the Kentucky Drug Free Workplace Program. As a result of rampant drug use and abuse throughout Kentucky, this legislation was designed to encourage employers to implement a program to identify drug and alcohol use in the workplace, educate workers on the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse and to assist in treatment if drug use is detected.

OCEMS is now certified through the Kentucky Department of Workers' Claims as 'drug free.' Although the program is voluntary for employers, the benefits certification improve the quality of work life for employees, reduces workplace accidents, tardiness and absenteeism, and improves the quality of life and the general safety of all citizens throughout the community.

To find out more about the Drug Free Workplace program, visit the Kentucky Labor Cabinet's web site.

Oldham County operates a notification system that will call your cell or home phone whenever an emergency occurs within the county.

If you aren't already receiving these messages, chances are you'll need to sign up. Fortunately, it's easy to do. Just click here and fill out the form to add you cell or home phone to the list.

Financial Audit

A copy of the 2010-2011 Financial Audit of Oldham County EMS is available here in PDF format. If you have questions regarding any aspect of the information, please contact Interim Director Jim Carman at (502) 222-7250