Update: September 21, 2005
The following is an email message posted by NAEMT President Ken Bouvier 

Good Morning from New Orleans,
I would like to thank NAEMT & the entire EMS profession for the support you are providing to us along the Gulf Coast of Louisiana, Mississippi & Alabama that were impacted by Hurricane Katrina. Also thanks for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers during this tough time. 

My family and I are safe, but our home is damage by wind. I have been on duty since the NAEMT conference ended on 8/27.  My day starts at 5:00 am and I turn in around 11:00 pm. This morning I had to complete paperwork with my insurance company to start the process of repairing my own home.  While waiting here at State Farm Insurance I asked to use there computer to access my e-mail so I could send out this message.  I have had limited access to e-mails for several weeks. 

Katrina was a very powerful hurricane that caused severe damage all along the Gulf Coast from Alabama to Louisiana.  New Orleans and the immediate surrounding parishes sustained severe damage and loss of life from tidal surges and flood water when some of the levee systems failed.  Words can not express how many lives are impacted by this incident.  It is heart wrenching to see the devastation along the Gulf Coast of Mississippi, South Alabama & Louisiana. 

This incident has escalated beyond belief.  Emergency Responders from all over the world are here helping.  Here in Louisiana hundreds of ambulances were/are staged at the Bureau of EMS in Baton Rouge.  I would like to thank every ambulance service that came to help.  Some services receive assignments daily as needed around the state, while others wait to see if they will be used each day.  EMS crews all along the Gulf Coast have been very busy since Hurricane Katrina struck.  When the levee systems failed here in New Orleans the city became very unstable.  Residents feared that they would drown and were simply trying to survive. EMS worked endlessly to reach patients that were calling for help. There is one story after and other about EMS swimming to save lives, pushing children and the elderly in shopping carts to safety.  80% of New Orleans was flooded and in many areas the water was up to the roof of many houses. Calls that EMS could not answer because of high water were rerouted to boat crews, the Coast Guard and the Wildlife & Fisheries.  Several days later those calls were routed to USAR Teams, the 82nd Airborne and the Louisiana National Guard.

Some ambulance services that have come to help have complained that they have been sitting in the Baton Rouge staging area for a week with nothing to do.  This incident, like most large scale incidents was very busy during the first few days, but as days go by and more and more people evacuate out of the city and state there is less and less 911 calls for assistance.  Some ambulance services have self deployed to Alabama, Louisiana & Mississippi. Please Do Not Self Deploy!  We may need your help and assistance in a few weeks when residents start to return to the area.  Just knowing that your ambulance service is willing to respond means a lot to those of us here along the Gulf Coast!

For several days we have been watching Hurricane Rita in the Gulf of Mexico. It is predicted to pass south of those areas all ready struck by Hurricane Katrina but the wind and rain could have an effect on our already damaged levee systems here in Louisiana. Several ambulance services from Texas have started heading home to prepare for Hurricane Rita.

Thank You for the thousands of e-mails I have received from the EMS community concerned about my safety and the safety of my family and the EMS providers along the Gulf Coast.  Many of the EMT's & Paramedics in New Orleans and the surrounding parishes have been left homeless by the flood waters of Hurricane Katrina.  EMT's & Paramedics all along the Gulf Coast need your support. 

Please donate to the NAEMT Rescuer & Relief Fund  

Please DO NOT REPLY to this e-mail because it will overload my mail box.

Keep us in your thoughts and prayers,
Ken Bouvier, Paramedic
New Orleans EMS
President - NAEMT

Update: September 14, 2005
NAEMT President Ken Bouvier, who is serving as the Interim Deputy Director of New Orleans EMS, met with President George Bush this week during Bush’s visit to the flood-ravaged city. 
 

President Bush with NAEMT President  Ken Bouvier

Introducing himself to President Bush as the NAEMT president, Bouvier said that the two spoke at length about the role of emergency medical services in the hurricane response. Bouvier also said that he asked for the President’s ongoing support of EMS.
 
Bouvier said that he met with President Bush on September 12 while acting as Interim Deputy Director of New Orleans EMS, a role that he assumed for the week while Director Jullette Saussy, MD, and Deputy Director Mark Reis took some required and much needed R&R. Bouvier said that he expects to return to his regular duties as early as Monday, at which point he said that he hopes to have regular email and telephone service.
 
In the meantime, Bouvier said that he has occasionally had the opportunity to check the NAEMT Web site and that he is deeply appreciative of the support of the EMS community. “I’ve always said that EMS works great together in disasters,” he said. “We put all our differences aside, and we’re one big family. That’s certainly been true here in Louisiana. Ambulances have come from across the nation to help.”
 
 “I’m also so proud of NAEMT and what our members have done,” Bouvier added. “We were the first ones to get a relief fund up on the Web, and the other efforts NAEMT is making will make a big difference.”
 
Bouvier, who is living temporarily on a cruise ship docked on the Mississippi River, said that a large number of his colleagues at New Orleans EMS have lost their homes, and that he is grateful that NAEMT is doing its part to raise money to help these and other medics who suffered losses as a result of the hurricane. Bouvier’s home lost part of its roof in the hurricane, but was spared extensive flood damage.
 
In related news, NAEMT Pediatric Chair Tommy Loyacono of Baton Rouge reports that his city has grown to about twice its normal size. “Our people are working double shifts, plus we have staff in several shelters and working with State Police and USAR in the New Orleans area,” he said. “Call volume is finally declining, and we hope to move back to regular shifts soon.”
 
NAEMT Governor from Oklahoma Ray Simpson reports that he spoke with Past President John Roquemore, who is from Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, and that John and his wife have been assigned at the local fire department handing out food, water and medications to area residents. They also are helping care for the out-of-state responders who are based out of the local fire department.  
 
Bouvier, Loyacono and Roquemore all expressed their gratitude to everyone who has called, written and asked about their welfare.

Update: September 6, 2005

NAEMT PHTLS Division Coordinates Volunteer Effort
Members of the New Orleans EMS have been at work for seven days without relief.  The NAEMT PHTLS Division is working with Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, to assemble a team of EMS workers who can step in and relieve some of the overworked EMTs and paramedics in the New Orleans area. Approximately 2,000 EMS workers are needed immediately.

Interested volunteers should send the following information to PHTLSHELP1@aol.com:
• Name
• Contact information (email, cell phone, address);
• Level and state(s) of certification;
• National Registry Number, if you have one;
• Availability for deployment (i.e., when you can start work - immediately to 3 days, 4 days to one week, more than one week, etc.);
• The length of time you can be deployed;
• If you meet the recommendations for deployment (see below); and
• If you can arrange for a stocked ambulance from your squad that could also be deployed.

In order to be deployed, it is strongly recommended that you possess and present a current state EMS license, as well as a valid driver’s license or state photo I.D. PHTLS and Vanderbilt have arranged for all necessary credentialing. Interested responders will need to get to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on their own to be deployed. Do not go to Baton Rouge or self-deploy until directed to do so by program coordinators.

For more information, go to http://www.naemt.org/PHTLS/pressGallery/hurricane/
or www.mtmrc.org.

HHS is requesting multidisciplinary healthcare professionals and relief personnel to visit the Web site or call the toll-free number to volunteer for appointment by HHS.  Individuals must be healthy enough to function under field conditions. This may include all or some of the following:
•    12-hour shifts
•    Austere conditions (possibly no showers, housing in tents)
•    No air conditioning
•    Long periods of standing
•    Sleep accommodations on bedroll
•    Military ready to eat meals

These workers will be non-paid temporary federal employees, and will therefore be eligible for coverage under the Federal Tort Claims Act for liability coverage and Workman's Compensation when functioning as HHS employees. Although there will not be any salary, travel and per diem will be paid.

Middle Tennessee Medical Reserve Corps
The Middle Tennessee Medical Reserve Corps (based at VUMC) has been
asked to provide medical assistance to physicians working on the Gulf
Coast in the wake of hurricane Katrina. Physicians in all specialties are needed for 2-week tours to relieve and reinforce existing personnel.  If interested, please provide your information at the Web site: http://www.mtmrc.org/member/index.php
As well, we will need copies of your drivers license and medical license, as well as a signed release and a brief CV. These can be faxed to 615-936-5828 or emailed to
stephen.guillot@vanderbilt.edu Your supervisor/chair must obviously consent, as VUMC will be taking additional patients from the disaster.

US Surgeon General’s Office
Individual health care professionals are now able to volunteer their services by registering at www.hospitalreliefefforts.org, which is being coordinated by the U.S. Surgeon General's office.

Central Louisiana State Hospital
Doctors/Hospital Staff need:
-food items - mainly snacks & drinks (non-alocoholic)
-pillows
-clothes
-dvd players
-TVs
To deliver items:
ATTN: Scott Wren (Rn)
Central Louisiana State Hospital
242 West Shamrock St.
 Pineville, Louisiana 71360
318-484-6200
-Come to main switchboard, through the front gate.

FEMA Alert
The Federal Emergency Management Agency said Saturday that many FEMA
uniforms, badges and letterheads have been stolen in the New Orleans area
are being used as fake identification by robbers. FEMA leaders said the crooks are referring to themselves as "FEMA Procurement Officers," even though no such officers exist.

The agency said that the robbers are using the phony status to steal
vehicles, fuel and valuables. In some cases, the robbers are armed. FEMA said its agents are never armed.

FEMA officials said that if an armed person claiming to be from the agency
approaches you, ask for photo identification, but also cooperate with their
demands to avoid being hurt.

Anyone with information about people who may be claiming to be FEMA
personnel, call the offices in Baton Rouge at (225) 296-3421 or (225)
296-3335.

Update: September 3, 2005
Please make a contribution to the NAEMT EMS and Rescuer Relief Fund. These funds will be used to help the many EMS providers in the hurricane areas who have lost family, homes and property.  You may now make a contribution online by going to http://relief.naemt.org/donate
 
More information is now available about volunteer opportunities. The federal government also has released additional information about hurricane response, including Medicare processing of ambulance claims. This information is posted below.

Volunteer Fire Departments Called Up
The United States Fire Administration has issued a second request to mobilize members of the fire service within federal guidelines. The second request goes out to personnel affiliated with volunteer fire departments only.

The current need is for 1,000 two-person teams to serve as FEMA’s community relations representatives in response to Hurricane Katrina. Each department may offer more than one two-person team. These people will be deployed as a team, and USFA prefers that they know one another prior to deployment.

This request requires volunteer firefighters who are members in good standing in a community-based volunteer fire department. The volunteer firefighter will be hired as a FEMA Disaster Assistance Employee with an initial appointment not to exceed 120 days. The rate of pay will be $23.41 per hour regular time and $29.59 overtime. Volunteers must be:
     *   Physically capable of performing manual tasks under severe conditions;
     *    Able to obtain a favorable suitability determination;
     *    Experienced in working with minimum supervision;
     *    Capable of living in austere, severe living conditions with minimal or no creature comforts for a period of at least 30 days;
     *    Are members in good standing in their department with an established record of recent emergency response and able to perform appropriately in a national response;
    *    Free of medical condition(s) that would prevent them from working in these conditions for this period of time; and,
   *    Able to work within the ICS, provide basic first aid, and follow orders.

The work is non-operational community relations focused activities that consist of direct outreach to persons in the affected areas. Volunteers will assist victims in understanding how they will go about the process of getting federal assistance, distributing information, providing minimal first-aid, and taking reports. The work will be outside, exposed to the elements and will require significant walking.

FEMA will notify the Chief of Department, and selected applicants will be notified by their Chief of Department that they have been selected. NO ONE SHOULD DEPLOY WITHOUT NOTIFICATION OF ACCEPTANCE FROM FEMA. Selected applicants will report to a central location in the Atlanta, Georgia area for training and further deployment. Travel to the Atlanta, Georgia area will be per government authorization in a manner specified upon acceptance. Acceptance information will also cover lodging and other related expense reimbursement information.

For application and more information, visit the USFA Web site at
http://www.usfa.fema.gov/about/media/katrina.shtm

Tactical Medics, Communications Experts Needed for Hurricane Duty
Consolidated Protection Management Group, Inc (www.cpmgworldwide.com) seeks applicants who would be willing to gear up and deploy to Louisiana to conduct humanitarian, rescue and security missions within the devastation zone caused by the hurricane. Deployment would take place within the next 48 hours to 2 week time frame.

Update: September 2, 2005, 2 PM PDT
NAEMT Governor from Louisiana Stephen Phillipe has telephoned in with news for the NAEMT community from hurricane-ravaged New Orleans. Phillipe has served as the EOC for the Superdome since Sunday, attending to patients with medical needs and helping to coordinate evacuations with the National Guard. Everyone is expected to be out of the Superdome by the end of the day today, he said.

Because of a shortage of trained personnel, Phillipe reported that he and other EMS workers have been working 22 hours a day at the Superdome. Some of the time was spent working alongside National Registry of EMTs Executive Director Bill Brown and EMS veteran Ray Bias.

Despite media reports that EMS has been hindered by lawlessness in New Orleans, Phillipe said that EMS has been a powerful presence in the city. “It is really something to see a line of 20 or 30 ambulances from all over coming to help,” he said. “Our EMS community is really supporting us and has a strong presence. Many people here have seen EMS’ presence, and there are a lot of people doing good things.”

Phillipe also said that while New Orleans EMS crews are working very hard, the situation is very stressful for many medics who have lost homes and property. Phillipe said that his family is OK, but his own home has sustained minor damage. Phillipe added that New Orleans new Medical Director Julette Saucy, MD, has been working alongside the medics at every turn.

Now that Superdome evacuations are nearly complete, Phillipe said that he has joined a special strike team moving refugees with medical needs to hospitals out of the New Orleans area.

NAEMT reminds its members that you can help Phillipe and other medics who lost homes and property by making a donation to the NAEMT EMS and Rescuer Relief Fund. Effective Saturday morning, you will be able to make contributions using a credit card online.

NAEMT President-Elect Jerry Johnston spoke by phone with NHTSA EMS Division Chief Drew Dawson and CDC’s Division of Injury and Disability Outcomes and Programs Director Richard C. Hunt, MD, FACEP, on Thursday. They discussed ways in which NAEMT might work with the federal government in the aftermath of the hurricane. All pledged to keep the lines of communication open to assure that NAEMT members receive the most up-to-date information about the response efforts.

NAEMT facilitated an interview between Associated Press and PHTLS Medical Director Norman McSwain, MD, who was with hurricane victims at Tulane and Charity Hospitals in New Orleans through Thursday. McSwain was among the first medical professionals on the scene to draw media attention to the desperate situation at Charity Hospital in an attempt to obtain federal support in caring for and evacuating patients.

NAEMT continues to facilitate information sharing among concerned EMS professionals in the hurricane-affected areas and around the United States and the world through its Web site, email, press releases and telephone communications. Check back frequently for continued updates on www.naemt.org.

Update: September 1, 2005
NAEMT continues to respond to the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The Board of Directors met Wednesday evening via teleconference, led by president-elect Jerry Johnston. Johnston informed the Board of efforts that he and other Board members were taking to support and provide communication to association leaders and members within the disaster area. These efforts have included relaying messages, verifying safe evacuation, making media contacts and assessing needs for practical support. 

NAEMT has made the first donation on behalf of EMS victims of Hurricane Katrina to the NAEMT EMS and Rescuer Relief Fund. The donation amount of $5,000 was approved by the NAEMT Board of Directors in the meeting held Wednesday.

“All of us on the Board are extremely concerned about the EMS responders who have been impacted by Hurricane Katrina,” said Johnston. “We hope that our commitment to supporting the EMS and Rescuer Relief Fund will encourage other individuals to make a donation to allow us to offer financial support to our fellow EMS personnel who have suffered great personal losses and yet are serving others in the disaster area.”

NAEMT urges anyone who is able to make a financial donation to send a check to the NAEMT EMS and Rescuer Relief Fund c/o the NAEMT Headquarters, PO Box 1400, Clinton, MS 39060-1400. Individual and corporate donations are welcome. Credit card donations can be made by calling (800) 34-NAEMT.

Many EMS responders have called the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT) asking how they can help other emergency responders and victims of Hurricane Katrina. NAEMT recognizes the importance of providing emotional, financial and professional support to the EMS crews in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida, and has issued some responder guidelines.

NAEMT Vice President Patrick Moore is leading an effort to coordinate temporary housing opportunities for EMS providers and their families who have been displaced by the hurricane or are serving in the area. A committee has been formed and is working on details. Moore can be reached at Mooreems@aol.com.

Update: August 31, 2005
The NAEMT office in Clinton, Mississippi has re-opened and is fully operational.  Electricity and telephone service has been restored, and the building sustained only minor water damage. Power outages in the Jackson metropolitan area are widespread, and it may be several weeks before power can be restored. Many people do not have phone service, and cell phone service is sporadic.

NAEMT Immediate Past President John Roquemore called from the New Orleans area to report that he and his family are safe. He has no electricity or cell phone service.

EMS and Rescuer Relief Fund
Many members of the EMS community are asking what they can do to help their fellow medics affected by the hurricane. As NAEMT members know, after 9-11, NAEMT established the EMS and Rescuer Relief Fund to collect money for the victims of the disaster. That fund remains operational.

NAEMT urges anyone who is able to make a financial donation to send a check to the NAEMT EMS and Rescuer Relief Fund c/o the NAEMT Headquarters, PO Box 1400, Clinton, MS 39060-1400. Individual and corporate donations are welcomed and  corporations are encouraged to match employee contributions. NAEMT has pledged to cover the operational costs of the fund, permitting all donations to the fund to be distributed in their entirety.

The money collected will be made available to EMS professionals who need help re-building their lives in the wake of the Hurricane Katrina. No decisions have been made yet as to precisely when and how the funds will be disseminated. After 9-11, NAEMT disseminated $107,553 to assist the families of EMS workers who died in the line of duty while responding to the terrorist attacks.

Annual Meeting Wrap-Up
In the wake of the hurricane, some people also have expressed concerns that the NAEMT leadership did not make a wise decision in locating the annual meeting in New Orleans during hurricane season, and that once the hurricane was predicted; NAEMT leaders did not adequately assist NAEMT members in evacuating the city. NAEMT President Elect Jerry Johnston responded to these comments by explaining that NAEMT does not make the decisions about when and where to locate the meeting, which is held in conjunction with EMS Expo. Those decisions, as well as lining up the conference speakers, are made by the EMS Expo staff.

Regarding evacuations, Johnston said that he personally knew of several incidences in which NAEMT leaders assisted members and one another with rides to the airport, sharing rental cars and hotel rooms and providing financial assistance to help with evacuations. “NAEMT was not able to formally coordinate an evacuation of its members because we did not have hotel registration information for all the attendees, and therefore had no way to contact them,” he said. “We did everything that we could under difficult circumstances.”

Rather than dwell on the past, Johnston urged NAEMT members to devote their efforts to the future, in which many EMS agencies and professionals in the affected areas will need help. Johnston has called a meeting of the NAEMT Board of Directors for Wednesday evening to further discuss plans to assist those in need.

Update: August 30, 2005
Several hundred NAEMT members were in New Orleans for the annual meeting and EMS Expo as warnings of Hurricane Katrina were announced last week. With the hurricane slated to hit that city on Sunday, the NAEMT Board of Directors voted to cancel plans for a Saturday night awards dinner. An early conclusion of the NAEMT annual meeting allowed most NAEMT members to evacuate the city safely before the hurricane hit.

NAEMT President Ken Bouvier, a paramedic supervisor with New Orleans EMS, stayed in the New Orleans area, as did NAEMT Past President John Roquemore, who is employed by Jefferson Parish, and PHTLS Medical Director Norman McSwain, MD, of Tulane University in New Orleans. These individuals remain on hurricane duty and will provide updates as they are able.

NAEMT President-Elect Jerry Johnston, of Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, spoke with Bouvier today, and reports that he is tired but safe. Also safe are all the NAEMT staff members who live in and around Clinton, according to NAEMT association manager Lisa Lindsay. The NAEMT headquarters has sustained minimal water damage, but no structural damage, Lindsay reported.

“We are very concerned about everyone in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida are doing our best to keep in contact with them,” Johnston said. “As soon as we know anything, we will share that information with NAEMT members. I am sure that everyone affected by the hurricane and subsequent flooding appreciates the prayers and good wishes of the NAEMT family.”

Johnston went on to discourage medics from self-dispatching to the scene. “Rebuilding efforts will be ongoing for months, and there will be plenty we can do once those in the affected areas can assess the damage and determine their needs,” he said.

NAEMT Board members will determine how best to support the affected EMS services, but Johnston added that it is premature to speculate on what those efforts might entail.

Anyone who has any questions, concerns or information related to NAEMT members involved in the hurricane response efforts may contact John Becknell at reader@san.rr.com or Lauren Simon Ostrow at emergencynews@aol.com. While the NAEMT office remains closed, phone calls may be directed to (858) 456-8600.