D.C. delinquent in EMS oversight, task force reveals

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The D.C. government has not provided necessary resources and adequate oversight of emergency medical services (EMS) for at least the past four years, according to a task force seeking to improve the delivery of pre-hospital care.

Among the deficiencies found were:

• A committee of mayoral appointees tasked with advising city officials on EMS issues has not been seated since 2001.

• The city's Department of Health does not inspect the life-saving equipment on fire engines, which are the first to respond to critical medical calls in most cases.

• There is no mechanism for certifying doctors who advise field medics via telephone during emergencies.

• Certification exams for emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and paramedics are not routinely updated.

"I think we're bearing witness as to why some of the problems we have seen are taking place," said Paul M. Maniscalco, a past president of the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians.

Mr. Maniscalco leads the task force created by D.C. Council member Phil Mendelson, at-large Democrat to study EMS delivery in the District.

Mr. Mendelson, chairman of the Judiciary Committee, which oversees the fire department, created the task force after an inspector general's report issued in July found multiple errors in the handling of the emergency call for journalist David E. Rosenbaum.

Mr. Rosenbaum was attacked and beaten Jan. 6 in Northwest and died two days later from his injuries.