Minor wounds, rashes, gout pain — these are some of the many medical conditions that should be taken seriously, but they may not merit a 911 call or a trip to the emergency room. Hawaii health officials are considering how to reduce unnecessary ER visits through a community paramedicine program. The revised emergency transport system that could begin next year would allow medical professionals to transfer patients to predesignated destinations, such as urgent care clinics, or even provide complete treatment at the scene.
- PUB DATE: 7/30/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Honolulu Civil Beat

Every evening from late spring to early fall, two planes lift off from airports in the western United States and fly through the sunset, each headed for an active wildfire, and then another, and another. From 10,000 feet above ground, the pilots can spot the glow of a fire, and occasionally the smoke enters the cabin, burning the eyes and throat.
- PUB DATE: 7/30/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Phys.org

Saturday featured a late-night rescue effort by Van Meter firefighters, as they helped get 13 people off of a sandbar. It was the first time the team used this new air-boat for a real operation, but they say they could never go back to working without it. In Van Meter, water rescues don’t happen often, there are only a handful of them every summer.
- PUB DATE: 7/30/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WOI-TV ABC 5 Des Moines

More monitoring and manpower is needed for Harris County to better respond to chemical fires like the three that struck the region earlier this year, worrying residents and shutting the Houston Ship Channel, according to a study evaluating the county’s response to the fires. The most critical response gap identified involved staffing in the Harris County Fire Marshal’s Office, where another 16 hazardous materials technicians —at a cost of $1.
- PUB DATE: 7/30/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Houston Chronicle

Mesquite (TX) Fire Department pumper. Metro Star LFD cab and chassis; Cummins L9 450-hp engine; Hale Qmax 1,500-gpm pump; Pro Poly 500-gallon polypropylene water tank; 30-gallon Class A foam cell.