(Washington, DC) The Task Force on Emergency Medical Services today presented its recommendations to Mayor Adrian M. Fenty and the District of Columbia at the group’s final meeting.The Task Force was created as part of the District’s settlement with the family of David Rosenbaum, a journalist who was tragically slain after being assaulted on January 6, 2006, in the District of Columbia. As part of the agenda for the final meeting, the task force also worked on its final report, which will be issued at a later date.
 
“The EMS Task Force has worked diligently to research best practices and identify the barriers that keep Fire and EMS from being the best in the nation,” said Mayor Fenty. “I applaud the thorough work of this task force in taking on a tremendous challenge and giving us the recommendations to reform and improve our emergency response agency.”
 
Fire Chief Dennis L. Rubin was appointed Chairman of the Mayor’s EMS Task Force in April 2007 after taking control of the DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services (FEMS) Department. Chief Rubin said, “This important milestone would not have been reached without the courage and vision of Mayor Fenty and the Rosenbaum Family. In the past five and a half months there’s been a lot of going back and forth, but this Task Frce has come up with a comprehensive set of recommendations that will lead to major improvements.”

The Task Force made two major recommendations to address the structure, culture and capabilities of FEMS. To elevate and strengthen the EMS mission within the agency, the task force recommended a major reform of the organizational structure of FEMS to improve services for those who call on FEMS for assistance. More than 75 percent of 911 calls to DCFEMS are for medical assistance. Recommended changes to the structure include a well-resourced Medical Director and Assistant Chief for EMS as well as enhanced field supervision of EMS providers.
 
The Task Force also has recommended to the Mayor that FEMS become a fully integrated, all-hazards agency. All-hazards agency personnel will be required to have minimum qualifications in basic levels of emergency medical services, fire prevention, fire suppression, hazardous materials and technical rescue.  Implementation of this recommendation will result in uniform standards for all agency personnel as well as equal pay and benefits, eliminating a historical cultural divide between fire and EMS personnel. While a minimum of basic all-hazards training has been recommended by the Task Force, it has also recommended that a specialized paramedic track be created for those who want to focus on emergency medical service.

City Administrator Dan Tangherlini, also a Task Force member, said, “Frankly at this point the real hard work begins, and that’s the work of implementation.” Referring to the Task Force, FEMS Assistant Chief Michael Williams, MD, said, “We have done an incredible thing here today and our Department is ready to get started.” Speaking directly to the Rosenbaum family, Chief Williams said, “We won’t let you down.”

Task Force Members:

Dennis L. Rubin – Task Force Chair and Fire Chief DC Fire and EMS
Adrian M. Fenty – Mayor, District of Columbia 
Dan Tangherlini – City Administrator, District of Columbia 
Linda Singer – Attorney General, District of Columbia 
Vincent Gray – Chairman, Council of the District of Columbia
Mary Cheh – Ward 3 Councilmember, District of Columbia 
Phil Mendelson – At-Large Councilmember and Chair of the Public Safety and Judiciary Committee, District of Columbia 
Tobias Halliday – Rosenbaum family member
Patrick Regan – Rosenbaum family attorney
Michael Williams –  Assistant Fire Chief, Medical Director, DC Fire and EMS
Richard Serino – Chief, Boston Emergency Medical Services
Rebecca F. Denlinger – Chief, Fire and Emergency Services Department, Cobb County, Georgia  
Joseph A. Barbera – Co-Director, George Washington University Institute for Crisis, Disaster, and Risk Management