20th Annual FDNY Foundation Dinner Celebrates FDNY’s 150th Anniversary
May 14, 2015
FDNY Foundation Marks National EMS Week 2015
May 21, 2015
FDNY and FDNY Foundation Host Third Annual Medical Special Operations Conference
The FDNY – in partnership with the FDNY Foundation – hosted the 3rd Medical Special Operations Conference (MSOC) May 15-17.
“We are so proud to offer this experience to agencies from across the country and around the world,” said Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro. “And we can see through the tremendous response from attendees that they truly value the knowledge and skills they’re able to learn from members of our Department.”
The annual conference serves as a venue for military, federal, state and local medical operators and planners to share their experiences. The conference also provides an opportunity to learn from other stakeholders and experts in the field on how to improve the response framework within the medical special operations community.
“This conference is so important as we look to share cutting-edge information,” said FDNY Chief of Department James Leonard. “The MSOC allows us to conduct workshops and offer hands-on training. Our members can share their experiences with experts in the field, giving us all greater knowledge and furthering our skills.”
The MSOC took place over two days and consists of workshops, lectures and panel discussions. It also provided an opportunity to learn hands-on skills, as well as offering a vendor showcase with the latest equipment and products.
“There is such interest in the practices of members of the FDNY,” said Dr. Douglas Isaacs, FDNY Deputy Medical Director, Office of Medical Affairs. “This is one of the ways we can share our best practices, our experiences and what we have learned in the field, to help members of other agencies and within our own agency, to improve patient care.”
The MSOC also provided an optional one-day pre-conference that includes a hands-on bio-skills cadaver lab, canine critical care workshop and a visit to the World Trade Center site.
Among the topics discussed at the conference: International US&R response, military medical operations, the FDNY response to Ebola, current and emerging technologies, hazmat medicine and the 2014 Oso Mudslide US&R medical response.
“It’s incredibly important, it’s vital to this type of work,” said Greg Waymon, Advanced Medical Team Management Seminar Instructor, Tennessee Task Force One. “It’s all about lessons learned and we come here as instructors not to tell everyone new information necessarily or to teach them everything, but to share experiences we have had over the years.”
“This was a fantastic opportunity,” said FDNY Field Supervisor, Charles Flores. “Even with my 41 years of experience, I learned quite a lot. I came here to learn things that I’ve never done before from experts who do it every single day.”
The conference also offered hands-on skill stations in: search canine handling and care, confined spaces/maritime operations, patient packaging and Medevac operations.
“The people who live in, work in and travel to New York City have the great privilege of being served by the greatest Fire Department in the world,” said FDNY Foundation Board Chairman Stephen Ruzow. “We at the Foundation are proud to help the FDNY host the MSOC, which lets agencies and organizations learn from the Department, and serves as a gathering place for the most knowledgeable experts in the field.”
“A large part of our mission is to help the FDNY and its members promote outreach, as well as to dedicate resources to continued training,” said FDNY Foundation Executive Director Jean O’Shea. “Thanks to the generosity of our supporters, we are able to partner with the FDNY to offer the MSOC and other such events. These events give members of our Department the opportunity to share their knowledge and discuss practices with the best in the field.”
“In every environment, there are occasionally specific ways you have to do things and sometimes you have multiple options,” said Waymon. “It’s important to share experiences that can be spread throughout this environment. Someone from Pennsylvania may have figured out a better way of doing something than I have and that’s great. That’s what we want to do: share experiences and learn from each other.”
The conference was offered in collaboration with the North Shore-LIJ Emergency Department. The North Shore-LIJ Health System is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide Continuing Medical Education for physicians, nurse practitioners, registered nurses and physicians assistants. The Council designated this activity for a maximum of 16.50 AMA PRA Category I Credits.
The NYC Regional Emergency Medical Advisory Committee designated a maximum of 16.50 CME credits for paramedics.
"It’s important to share experiences that can be spread throughout this environment. Someone from Pennsylvania may have figured out a better way of doing something than I have and that’s great. That’s what we want to do: share experiences and learn from each other."
