April 28, 2008
The recipient of the 2008 Jeff Clawson Leadership Award saw first-hand the impact emergency protocols can have in saving lives.
“We had not yet finished the EMD training course when a dispatcher received a call from a mother. Her daughter was choking. The dispatcher grabbed Dr. Clawson’s cards and brought the mother through the process. The next sound we heard was the child. She was breathing,” said Robert R. Bass, M.D., FACEP, executive director of the Maryland Institute of EMS Systems.
The incident—and Dr. Bass still has the 9-1-1 tape from the call placed more than a decade ago—convinced him that resource allocation was only one important asset found in using Protocols and their associated Pre-Arrival Instructions (PAIs).
“They save lives,” he said. “We wanted the system at our communications center to save resources and because of this call we found out that they can also save lives.”
Dr. Bass received the award at the closing luncheon of the Navigator Conference of the National Academies of Emergency Dispatch (NAED) held during the last week in April in Baltimore, Md. Dr. Clawson presented the award that is given annually to an individual who has made a significant contribution to the emergency dispatch profession and represents the highest standards and pursuit of excellence in research, education, management or operations.
Dr. Bass contributed the award’s $500 honorarium to Maryland Fire-Rescue Services Memorial Foundation, Inc. The foundation’s memorial sculpture in Annapolis represents the emergency services community and shows gratitude for those who serve in that capacity.
Dr. Clawson, inventor of the Priority Dispatch SystemÒ (PDS) and NAED co-founder, praised Dr. Bass for his visionary approach to emergency medicine and the emergency protocols.
“He has always had a vision of system structure,” said Dr. Clawson during his introductory remarks. “He gets the big picture. He leads people along the right path to get things done.”
Dr. Bass received his undergraduate and medical degree with honors from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1972 and 1975, respectively. Prior to completing his undergraduate education, he was employed as a police officer in Chapel Hill, NC and served as a volunteer member of the local rescue squad. Dr. Bass completed an internship and residency in the United States Navy and is currently board certified in both emergency medicine and family medicine. He has served as a medical director of emergency medical services (EMS) systems in Charleston, South Carolina, Houston, Texas, Norfolk, Virginia, and Washington, DC.