[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 242 (Monday, December 18, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 75805-75806]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-21522]


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National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

[NHTSA Docket No. NHTSA-2006-26143]


National Emergency Medical Services Advisory Council to the 
Secretary of Transportation

AGENCY: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of establishment of an advisory committee.

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SUMMARY: The Secretary of Transportation announces the establishment of 
a National Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Advisory Council (NEMSAC) 
to provide advice and recommendations regarding EMS matters to the U.S. 
Department of Transportation (DOT), National Highway Traffic Safety 
Administration (NHTSA). NHTSA's Office of Emergency Medical Services 
will serve as sponsor of the Advisory Council for the Secretary. The 
purpose of this notice is to inform interested parties of the 
establishment of NEMSAC and invite the submission to NHTSA of 
nominations/applications for membership, as well as comments on the 
strategies or issues that should be considered by NEMSAC.

DATES: Comments and applications or nominations for membership on 
NEMSAC must be received February 16, 2007.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Drew Dawson, Director, NHTSA 
Office of Emergency Medical Services, (202) 366-9966 or via e-mail at 
[email protected]; or Ms. Allison Rusnak, Office of the Chief 
Counsel, (202) 366-1834 or via e-mail at [email protected], 400 
7th Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590. Office hours are from 7:45 a.m. 
to 4:15 p.m. EST, Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Electronic Access

    You may submit or retrieve comments online through the Document 
Management System (DMS) at: http://dms.dot.gov/submit. The DMS is 
available 24 hours each day, 365 days each year. Electronic submission 
and retrieval help and guidelines are available under the help section 
of the Web site.
    An electronic copy of this document may be downloaded from the 
Federal Register's home page at http://www.archives.gov and the 
Government Printing Office's database at http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara.
    Anyone is able to search the electronic form of all comments 
received into any of our dockets by the name of the individual 
submitting the comment (or signing the comment, if submitted on behalf 
of an association, business, labor union, etc.). You may review DOT's 
complete Privacy Act Statement in a Federal Register published on April 
11, 2000 (70 FR 19477), or you may visit http://dms.dot.gov.
    Please note that even after the comment closing date, we will 
continue to file relevant information in the docket as it becomes 
available. Further, some people may submit late comments and we 
recommend that you periodically check the docket for new material. We 
will consider late comments [75 days from publication].

Background

    The National Emergency Medical Services Advisory Council will serve 
as a forum to provide to NHTSA advice and recommendations on a broad 
range of issues related to EMS. The DOT has determined that the 
establishment of NEMSAC falls under the terms of the Federal Advisory 
Committee Act (FACA), 5 U.S.C. App. II.

A. Notice of Establishment of an Advisory Council

    In accordance with the requirements of FACA, an agency of the 
Federal Government cannot establish or utilize a group of people in the 
interest of obtaining consensus advice or recommendations unless that 
group is chartered as a Federal advisory committee. The purpose of this 
notice is to announce the establishment of an advisory committee to 
provide NHTSA advice and recommendations regarding a broad range of EMS 
issues. The Secretary has determined that the establishment of NEMSAC 
is necessary and in the public interest.

B. Name of Committee

    National Emergency Medical Services Advisory Council.

C. Purpose and Objective

    The NEMSAC will be a nationally recognized council of EMS 
representatives and consumers to provide advice and recommendations 
regarding EMS to NHTSA. The issues that NEMSAC will consider include: 
National EMS needs assessment and strategic planning; development of 
standards, guidelines, benchmarks, and data collection relating to EMS; 
development of methods for improving community-based EMS; strengthening 
EMS systems through enhanced workforce development, education, 
training, exercises, equipment, medical oversight; improved 
coordination and support of EMS activities among Federal programs; and 
other issues or topics as determined by NHTSA.
    The NEMSAC does not exercise program management or regulatory 
development responsibilities, and makes no decisions directly affecting 
the programs on which it provides advice. The NEMSAC provides a forum 
for the development, consideration, and communication of information 
from a knowledgeable and independent perspective of a strategy for 
advancing EMS systems nationwide.

D. Balanced Membership Plans

    Advisory council members shall represent a cross-section of the 
diverse agencies, organizations, and individuals involved in EMS 
activities and programs in the U.S. The NEMSAC shall be composed of not 
more than 26 members, each of whom shall be appointed by the Secretary 
of Transportation. Twenty-four of these members will represent the 
perspectives of particular components of the EMS community. The 
Council's broad-based membership will assure that it has sufficient EMS 
system expertise and geographic and demographic diversity to accurately 
reflect the EMS community as a whole. NHTSA seeks applications and 
nominations for

[[Page 75806]]

members within the EMS community from a wide array of national 
organizations and the public. Members will be selected for their 
individual expertise and to reflect a balanced representation of 
interests from across the EMS community, but no member will represent a 
specific organization.
    To the extent practical, the final council membership shall assure 
representation from the following:

[rtarr8] Volunteer EMS
[rtarr8] Fire-based (career) EMS
[rtarr8] Private (career non-fire) EMS
[rtarr8] Hospital-based EMS
[rtarr8] Tribal EMS
[rtarr8] Air Medical EMS
[rtarr8] Local EMS service director/administrators
[rtarr8] EMS Medical Directors
[rtarr8] Emergency Physicians
[rtarr8] Trauma Surgeons
[rtarr8] Pediatric Emergency Physicians
[rtarr8] State EMS Directors
[rtarr8] State Highway Safety Directors
[rtarr8] EMS Educators
[rtarr8] Public Safety Call-taker/Dispatcher (911)
[rtarr8] EMS Data Managers
[rtarr8] EMS Researchers
[rtarr8] Emergency Nurses
[rtarr8] Hospital Administration
[rtarr8] Public Health
[rtarr8] Emergency Management
[rtarr8] State Homeland Security Directors
[rtarr8] Consumers (not directly affiliated with an EMS or healthcare 
organization)
[rtarr8] State or local legislative bodies (e.g. city/county councils; 
state legislatures)

    This document gives notice to potential participants of the process 
and affords them the opportunity to apply for membership on NEMSAC. The 
application procedure is set forth below. In addition, NHTSA invites 
commentors to suggest or nominate potential members.
    The NHTSA is aware that there are many more potential organizations 
and participants than there are membership positions on NEMSAC. It is 
important to recognize that interested parties who are not selected for 
NEMSAC membership can make valuable contributions to the work of NEMSAC 
in several ways. For example, the person or organization may request to 
be placed on the NEMSAC mailing list, submit written comments to the 
advisory council, and attend NEMSAC meetings. Time will be set aside 
during each meeting for the purpose of permitting public comment, 
consistent with NEMSAC's need for sufficient time to complete its 
deliberations.

E. Applications for Membership

    Each application for membership or nomination to the advisory 
council must include the following:
    (1) A brief resume or letter (no more than one page) demonstrating 
the applicant or nominee's knowledge of EMS projects or programs and 
why he or she is interested in serving on the advisory council (please 
note, resumes or letters will be posted in the public docket and 
therefore should not contain personal information such as date of 
birth, etc).
    (2) The name of the applicant or nominee and which interest(s)/
component(s) of the EMS community (identified above in Section D) he or 
she would represent.
    (3) Evidence that the applicant or nominee represents those 
interest(s)/component(s) of the EMS community (identified above in 
Section D).
    (4) A written commitment that the applicant or nominee would 
participate in good faith. Since all comments and/or applications for 
membership or nominations for membership on the advisory council will 
be posted on the Public Docket, we encourage you to include only that 
information you are willing to provide for the public docket and submit 
your application electronically using the docket number provided on 
this notice through the DOT online Document Management System found at: 
http://dms.dot.gov/submit.
    Every effort will be made to select advisory council members who 
are objective. A balanced membership is needed and weight will be given 
to a variety of factors including, but not limited to, geographical 
distribution, gender, minority status, organization, and expertise.
    Members of the advisory council may receive travel and per diem, as 
allowed by Federal regulations and U.S. Department of Transportation 
policy.

F. Duration

    Two years from the establishment of the advisory council charter.

    Issued on: December 13, 2006.
Mary E. Peters,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E6-21522 Filed 12-15-06; 8:45 am]
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