Maine EMS Info Maine EMS is part of the Department of Public Safety. The Office is located at 550 Civic Center Dr. in Augusta. The mailing address is 152 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333-0152. The phone number is 207 626-3860.

Maine EMS News

MEMSRR Upgrade:

On Wednesday, September 1st, 2010 between 9:00 PM and 11:00 PM ImageTrend will be performing operating system upgrades to the MEMSRR that will disrupt all web-based application products to include the MEMSRR State Bridge and the Maine EMS Licensure Programs. During this time, there will be times when users will be unable to access the MEMSRR site.

For more details and important information on security updates that are included as part of this upgrade, please click here.

August 16, 2010 Drexell White Maine EMS - EMD Program Manager announces
the Maine EMS EMD Committee has the following openings:

At Large Representative:  The At-Large representative may be involved with dispatching in any number of ways (e.g. user, dispatcher, administrator, EMS).  

Line EMD - Non PSAP:   The Line EMD - Non PSAP must be a Maine licensed emergency medical dispatcher, who provides emergency medical dispatch services on behalf of a non-PSAP EMD center.

Physician Representative:   The Physician Representative must be a licensed Maine physician.

The Maine EMS Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD) Committee is an eleven member committee that advises the Maine Board of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) about the development and administration of Maine's EMD system.  The system is comprised of thirty- six licensed EMD Centers and approximately five hundred twenty-five licensed emergency medical dispatchers.

The committee meets on the third Thursday of the month from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., generally between four to six times per year.

Anyone seeking appointment to the EMD Committee should send a letter addressed to Maine EMS Board Chairman Tim Beals (to Drexell's email address or via US Postal Service address:  Maine EMS, 152 State House Station, August, ME 04333-0152).  The letter should include why the person is interested in serving on the committee as well as the person's
background information, including involvement with emergency medical dispatch and dispatching, in general.

Please feel free to pass this information on to your colleagues

EMD Program Manager

Maine EMS announces the hiring of a new Education Coordinator

On Thursday April 15, 2010 Jay Bradshaw, director of Maine EMS announced that Kerry Sousa Pomelow, EMT-P, has accepted the position of Maine EMS Training & Education Coordinator and will begin working at Maine EMS on April 26.

Kerry lives in central Maine and has been actively involved in EMS for nearly 20 years as a field provider, QA/QI Coordinator, and as an EMS instructor for programs at all license levels.

Flu Vaccine Administration by EMS Providers Nov. 2, 2009

Recently Maine EMS has received a number of calls concerning EMS providers and the administration of Flu Vaccine. EMS Providers who have been trained in the Maine EMS Medivax Program and whose names are on the MEMA website are authorized to give both seasonal and H1N1 Flu Vaccinations in accordance with the MEMS MediVax Program. For a more in depth review of the questions and the answer, click here.

Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) form
At the October 2009 MDPB meeting, there was discussion about the Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) form that some hospitals and nursing homes are using.  There is also a similar form called MOLST (Medical) that is in other states and may find its way here, too.

The question that has come to us from some EMS providers is what to do if they are presented with one of these forms?  Because the version of the forms is subject to change, our recommendation is that you refer to the Maine EMS Protocols, Gray 1, II.C.2, which states that if presented with a non-EMS DNR Order, if it is a written original DNR order executed by a patient's personal physician, it should be honored if it is understandable and dated within 1 year.  Providers should follow the written orders provided they are within the providers scope of practice.  If the order is not clear, follow the MEMS Comfort Care/DNR guidelines.

To see a sample of a POLST form click here.

Maine EMS Board Meeting - Wednesday, May 5, 2010 at 9am at Maine EMS, The Department of Public Safety located at the Central Maine Commerce Center, 550 Civic Center Drive, Augusta, ME.

Maine EMS Medical Direction and Practice Board - Wednesday, May 19, 2010 at 9am at Maine EMS, The Department of Public Safety located at the Central Maine Commerce Center, 550 Civic Center Drive, Augusta, ME.

Maine EMS Rules Changes effective October 1, 2009

A copy of the Rules and the published Basis Statement for the Rules can be found by clicking the links below.

• Maine EMS Rules
• Basis Statement
  

Changes to the equipment section - Chapter 17 - become effective January 1, 2010