The Annual Conference of the National Academy of Emergency Medical Dispatch August 29 - September 1, 2000 Aladdin Hotel - Las Vegas (Nev.)

Preview - First Day - Second Day

Bet on it--this year's NAEMD conference in Las Vegas is going to be big (500+ attendees), news-worthy (new fire cards, police cards next year, revised CPR procedures?) and the best place to network with other involved in emergency medical dispatching. And we'll be attending this year's conference to write stories and take photos of everything that happens. Of course, we're anxious to see what the Aladdin Hotel looks like, just days after its opening--Navigator will be the hotel's first convention! Our coverage begins Wednesday the 29th....check back for our continuing coverage!

By the way, if you can stay over until Saturday, consider attending the annual Guns vs. Hoses softball game, 2 p.m. at Cashman Field prior to Las Vegas Stars baseball game. Proceeds to the Injured Police Officers Fund and the Clark County Burn Fund. Tickets are $6 and include both games and fireworks display following the Stars' game.

Lots of People & Networking "There are exciting developments ahead as technological and economic forces make new ways of doing business both practical and necessary," said Rob Martin, executive director of NAEMD in the conference brochure. Indeed, a recent research study suggested that the long-standing CPR procedures should be modified to make them more "acceptable" by the public who might need to use it on a victim. The American Heart Association apparently agreed, and has modified their methods. Now it's NAEMD's turn to incorporate any changes into its EMD program. We'll be there to see what they suggest. At the same time, there are developments on another front--fire dispatch cards, similar to the existing medical cards. We've seen a beta version of the cards, and they seem very comprehensive. We'll be taking a more studied look at them and give you a full report. Pre-conference events begin on Sunday with certification courses in EMD and special interest courses such as access management and using the AQUA quality assurance software.

There will be some 60 educational sessions, grouped into several tracks: general information public safety telecommunications operations and training leadership, management research and technology EMD software It's interesting to note that this year's conference is conspicuously broader than previous ones--there are many seminars that have no direct EMD or medical connection, such as training, N-1-1, consolidation, staffing and the Internet. It appears that NAEMD is trying to make the conference a "not just EMD" type of gathering. Navigator doesn't leave out product providers--there will be a Wednesday Sponsor's Forum and hospitality suites where product demonstrations will be available.

We Pick The Hot Topics You just can't attend all of the 60 seminars at the conference. So we're going to help you by selecting a few that seem too hot to pass up: You'll naturally want to attend the morning General Sessions each day, exploring surviving and thriving in EMS, research into how effective EMD really is, and emerging trends and challenges in EMD. Wed. at 1:30 p.m.: Don't miss this session that will attempt to convince you that dispatchers should be focusing on customer service, despite the fact that they're "the only game in town." Wed. 4 p.m.: It's one of Navigator's most popular sessions--legal issues in telecommunications. Attorney Doug Wolfberg will talk about recent cases that have had an impact on dispatching. Thurs. 10:30 a.m.: EMD isn't the end of prioritization protocols. Now they include law enforcement and fire incidents. This session by Bill Kinch will discuss the pros and cons of extending the EMD concept to these other two agencies.

Thurs. 1:30 p.m.: The concept of "response time" seems pretty easy. But it becomes more complex as you try to improve it by squeezing each of the component tasks. Cindy Keehen will explain a San Jose (Calif.) study that used diagraming and statistical analysis to come up with answers. Fri. 10:30 a.m.: It's titled, "Squeezing Blood From a Turnip," which describes how to perform better with fewer staff. Jeff Clet and Geoff Cady will discuss the national staffing crisis, how to compare your staffing to other agencies, and justify increases to your city or county council. Fri. 4 p.m.: The closing session focuses on the international use of EMD, and where it all goes from here.

Hot Links To Get You Started OK, you're on your way to Las Vegas...here's are some links to point you in the right direction: National Academy of Emergency Medical Dispatch-- conference page Medical Priority Consultants Emergency World EMD Web ring Las Vegas Fire Department - fire & EMS comm center Las Vegas Metro Police Department - Comm Bureau Emergency services in Las Vegas Aladdin Hotel

Nevada Emergency Medical Services Merginet article on new fire protocol card