The International Federation of Surgical Colleges is a world organization that brings together not individual surgeons, but a nation's senior surgical college or association, limited to one per country. Our President, whose primary profession is surgery, has long been associated with the IFSC and was until recently its Vice-President, has recently been called upon to become the Secretary-General of the Federation. WADEM extends best wishes to Professor Gunn and the IFSC.

A member of our Board of Directors, Michele Masellis of Palermo. Italy, has devoted the major part of his surgical career to the investigation of burn pathology and the treatment of extensive burns, with particular reference to prevention before and rehabilitation after such catastrophes. Additionally and in particular, his ultra-modern department has been at the disposal of the WHO, the UN, and other aid organizations to receive and treat deserving patients on an entirely humanitarian basis. In recognition of these services Prof. Masellis was recently awarded, at a ceremony in Valencia, Spain. the Gold Medal of the Red Cross for Humanitarian Action. WADEM is proud to count Professor Masellis among its respected directors and advisors, and extends respectful congratulations to him and his organization.

The following conferences will occur immediately before and after the 10 World Congress on Disaster and Emergency Medicine in Mainz, Germany, September 24 - 27:

The 4th Pan-Arab Congress of Burns and Plastic Surgery will be held in Aleppo, Syria, September 14- 17, just before our Mainz Congress/ WADEM is collaborating in the disaster aspects of the program. Those interested should contact: PABPS Congress Secretariat, PO Box 6657, Aleppo, Syria. Fax: + 963.21.644 900.

The Universal Health Disaster and Emergency Medicine Conference will be held immediately following Mainz, September 28 to October 3, in Moscow. WADEM is collaborating with this endeavor which has a rich program of EMS and disaster medicine. Contact Point: Dr. Frank Baker, 330 Blackburn, La Grange, 11linois 60525, USA. Fax: + 1.773.752.7620

The Mediterranean Club for Burns and Fire Disasters provides 10 scholarships annually for deserving young scientists and surgical personnel. One of these is reserved for our association as the MBC, WADEM scholarship, which this year has been awarded to a young surgeon from the University Clinical Center of Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina. Dr. Elvedin Fazlagic will study and follow advanced techniques in Barcelona, Spain. After the tragic events in his country, such scientific exposure must prove of great value to war-torn Bosnia. WADEM thanks the MBC for this generous contribution.

ARGENTINA
Gustavo Leidi, MD

CHINA
Wei Song, MD

CYPRUS
Georgia Koulermon, MD

ENGLAND
Dr. Darren Walter

GERMANY
Dr. Uwe Ebmeyer

GREECE
Demetrios G. Pyrros, MD
Kostas Kefalopoulos, MD

INDONESIA
Peter Johannes Manoppo, MD

JAPAN
Norifumi Ninomiya, MD

MALAYSIA
Dr. Abu Hassan Asaari Abdullah

OMAN
Dr. Sultan Al Basaidi

SPAIN
Jaun C, Medina, MD

SWEDEN
Per A. Ortenwall

SWITZERLAND
Brian Gushulak, MD
Herald Siem, MD

U.S.A.
John L.Barbato, MSW
Dr. Richard J. Brennan
Howard R. Champion, FRCS
Lew Dick, MD
Carl S. Dick, MD
Randy Kearns
Grace Loving
Jeffry P. McKinzie, MD
Dr. Damian J. McMahon
Richard Salvato, MPH

ZAIRE
Benjamin Kabwe-Mwilambwe, MD

AFFILIATED SOCIETIES
Czech Society for Emergency and Disaster Medicine
American College of Emergency and Physicians

Come join us and other WADEMers in Mainz for our 20th anniversary celebration. Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Dick of the Clinic for Anesthesiology of the Johannes Gutenburg University in Mainz has worked extremely hard to make it a special event and has prepared an outstanding series of lectures, workshops, social events among other activities which promise to be among the best yet organized by our Association. Over the past 20 years the fields of emergency and disaster medicine have expanded their horizons and are facing new challenges for the future. Come hear and see , and be informed about what is happening in the world of disasters. Learn about the progress that has been made over the past 20 years and the forces that will shape the fields of emergency and disaster medicine in the 2lst century. We hope to see you there.

On June 6-8, 1997, the headquarters of WADEM was the site of a supply management (SUMA) training workshop. This was the first time this 3 day intensive course was offered to an audience in North America. SUMA is a computerized management system that facilitates the reception, documentation, inventory, and tracking of relief supplies and pharmaceuticals intended for populations in disaster stricken regions. The system can be used by both donor and recipient organizations, runs on a lap-top computer and can be used in the field. PAHO has developed this system and is now training interested groups in its use throughout Latin America, the Caribbean and in North America. The workshop was well-attended. Our thanks to Amy Miller, WADEM executive secretary, for taking time from her busy schedule to organize and coordinate this successful workshop.

The Mediterranean Club for Burns and Fire Disasters is a particularly active Affiliated Society specializing in thermal injury research, reconstructive surgery, burn prevention, rehabilitation, and promotion of fire disaster management. In fact it has been a pioneer in establishing a synergy between burns as personal, clinical problems and fires as a societal, disaster management problem. Additionally MBC has emphasized the humanitarian aspects of meeting the painful problems of major fire casualties. In recognition of its scientific and organizational contributions in this difficult field, the World Health Organization has bestowed on this body the distinction of WHO Collaborating Center in the science of burns and fire disasters. The MBC is thus far the first and only in its field in the world to have received this prestigious recognition and WADEM wished to congratulate this unique team for its remarkable achievement. Professor Michele Massellis is the leading scientist behind this imaginative and highly productive endeavor.

A tornado hit the Goparpur district in Bangladesh on May 13, 1996. According to the local paper, The Financial Express, more than 550 people were killed and 34,000 injured. Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) sent its volunteer-based medical team Japan Medical Team for Disaster Relief (JMTDR) , which consisted of sixteen specialists, including four physicians and seven nurses.

JMTDR set up a field clinic in the affected area and another one in the front yard of Tangail General Hospital, one of the leading hospitals of the area. Also they offered surgical service for the inpatients of TGH. A total of 955 patients were treated by the team during 10 days operation from May 19th to May 28th, and some medical supplies were donated to the hospital.

In parallel JICA and the Japanese government donated US $200,000, along with blankets, water tanks, plastic sheets, tents, and other materials for the disaster victims.

A variety of so-called Utstein-style templates have recently been introduced. These templates are modeled on the initial Utstein template for "Reporting data from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, " a template for pediatric resuscitation, a template on laboratory CPR research, and the template for "Uniform reporting of data research (WADEM)." A fifth template on the subject of "Uniform Reporting of Data Following Inhospital Cardiac Arrest" is nearing completion.

A joint working group of the International Trauma Anaesthesia Critical Care Society and European Society of Emergency Medicine has recently held a meeting , chaired by W.F. Dick, with the purpose of developing a template for " Uniform Reporting of Data from Trauma. " Applications for financial support have been submitted to various organizations . Just recently the Laerdal Foundation for Acute Medicine has kindly agreed to co-sponsor the project. A working paper has been prepared and the working group will hold a two and a half day meeting at a European center to prepare a "Template for Uniform Reporting of Trauma, including a Standard of Care." The templates will be widely distributed.

Many distinguished specialists in EMS and Disaster Medicine are members of WADEM and have contributed significantly to the basic and growing literature of these two interrelated disciplines. Besides numerous articles and other publications, and the solidly established Journal of Prehospital and Disaster Medicine, several books have been written by our colleagues, a recent sampling of which is given below. We would appreciate being informed by our members of any books they have published or are planning to write, This listing of publications will appear in every edition of the Association's newsletter, so please forward your information to the Administrative office for publication.

Emergency First Care was written by veteran ER Nurse, EMS pioneer and WADEM member Frank J. Poliafico, RN. A former Director of EMS for New York City, Poliafico spent over 15 years developing and successfully testing his unique and commonsense approach to emergency care training and function. His Chester, PA based industrial health and safety company, Emergency and Safety Programs,Inc.(ESP) has conducted Emergency First Care and other customized emergency care training for numerous companies (on land, at sea, and in the sky) and government organizations nationally and internationally.

In the foreword which he wrote for this Emergency First Care textbook, Dr. Peter Safar notes that traditional first aid and CPR training materials and programs have not achieved satisfactory results. Acknowledged worldwide as the Father of Resuscitation, he has long called for the creation of a simple and unified Life Supporting First Aid (LSFA) training program "for hearts and brains too good to die."

Emergency First Care will help readers and non-clinician participants in the emergency care training programs develop the vital behaviors needed at the time of a medical emergency : Recognize a potential medical emergency , Decide to Act, Make the right call, and Support life until professional medical help arrives.

The primary focus of this commonsense approach to first aid and CPR is on building the confidence needed to perform the actions which can minimize the early complications of a medical emergency , and if possible, prevent sudden death when serious illness or injury are perceived.

Emphasis is clearly placed on the initial ABCS (Airway, Breathing, Circulation, and Spine) Iife support procedures for seriously ill or injured co-workers, family members, or others, as well as on the simple steps of CPR when there is no breathing or heartbeat.

Also presented are the important CARE (Communicate, Avoid harm, Re-examine, and Encourage) procedures to summon help and follow until medical assistance is available. In addition to developing a simple and rapid action plan and essential life support skills, Emergency First Care helps participants to recognize and deal with the intense emotions that are so often generated at the time of a human emergency. Obtainable from: ESP, Inc.OO Main Street, Chester, PA 19015.

Professor Antoine Dayoub, WADEM member from Syria, has published the first-ever book in Arabic on Plastic Surgery and Reconstruction in Burns . We congratulate him on this initiative and recommend the book in those countries where such scientific literature is sorely lacking . Obtainable from: The Faculty of Medicine, University of Aleppo, PO Box 6657, Aleppo, Syria.

Orotracheal Intubation Method in Anesthesia
The Department of Anesthesiology of Professor Paul Petit at the University of Lyon, France, has habituated us to first class video tools for education in anesthesia and emergency management, both in French and English. The latest production, under the direction of WADEM Board Member Dr.Jean-Marie Fonrouge and Nathalie Niel, concerns orotracheal intubation techniques. Clearly describing methods , difficulties and pitfalls and their correct procedures , this is the best educational and technical guide we have viewed in a long time, and highly recommend it to all those - seniors, assistants , or trainees - involved in this field of activity. Obtainable from: Video-Enseignement-Medical, c/o J.M. Fonrouge, Hopital Herriot, Place d'Arsonval, 69437, Lyon, France.

The TFQCDM met again in Madison, Wisconsin during July 7-9, 1 997 and members were graciously hosted by Dr. Marvin Birnbaum (Editor-in-Chief, PDM) and his lovely wife Elaine. The Task Force (TF) met to synthesize the conclusions and recommendations made by the various working groups which were assembled at the Nordic School of Public Health in Gothenburg, Sweden this past March. During three days of intensive work by all members oft he TF followed by several more grueling days of work by the Chairman, Dr. Knut Ole Sundnes of Norway assisted by Dr. Birnbaum, a draft summary document was prepared which will be distributed and discussed at a special plenary session with WADEM members and others attending the 10th World Congress in Mainz, Germany this September.

In Gothenburg in March public health and emergency and disaster medicine experts from all over the world came together to discuss how to better improve the quality, timeliness, and efficiency of health and medical disaster response efforts. They greatly contributed to the establishment of an expanded 'Utstein Style' template for the uniform evaluation of such efforts. All participants carne away with a sense that an important step forward in this process had been made. The TF is currently working on a technical report which will simplify the process of evaluation and an executive summary which will be circulated to health authorities, governmental and non-governmental relief organizations, donor agencies, disaster relief policy makers, and others to inform them about the template and how it can be an important tool for improving the quality of disaster relief.