EMS Today

License To Innovate: Part 1

Welcome to Real Life Rescues, a podcast that goes behind the scenes and takes an in-depth look into the operational and personal accounts of EMS first responders from Israel’s largest fully volunteer EMS provider, United Hatzalah. The podcast is hosted by EMT-P Dov Maisel and EMT-B Raphael Poch

The world of EMS in Israel has drastically changed in the past 20 years, from the innovation of the ambucycle, to pocket BVM’s, and the creation of an nationwide Uber-like network of first responders who provide emergency medical services free of charge to anyone, anywhere, United Hatzalah has been at the forefront of technological innovations that have been pushing the field of EMS forward throughout the 21st century. 

And the innovations continue. Due to the magnitude of instances where these devices and technologies have saved lives, this episode will be done in at least two parts. 

Topics for this episode include: Socially disruptive innovation and how we used it to lower response times, putting the community at the forefront of lifesaving and small scale innovations at the scene of an emergency.

In part 2 we will discuss our newer innovations from the past year including our new communications and phone technology, the Carbyne system, and co-sharing collapsible cars.

EMS, COVID-19, Staffing and Leadership with Mike McEvoy

This week, Eric, Bradley and David welcome Chief Mike McEvoy to the EMS Handoff Studios for a discussion about the EMS profession, COVID-19, staffing, leadership and a few other topics.

Chief Mike McEvoy is the EMS Coordinator for Saratoga County, New York, and a nurse clinician in the cardiothoracic surgical ICU at Albany Medical Center where he also chairs the hospital resuscitation committee and teaches critical care medicine. Mike is a paramedic supervisor for Clifton Park & Halfmoon Ambulance, a firefighter/paramedic and chief medical officer for West Crescent Fire Department. He is an EMS section board member for the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) and in his free time, an avid hiker and winter mountain climber. Mike has been a Nationally Registered paramedic since 1983.

Clinician Versus Technician – Part 1

As EMS transitions to a more proactive primary care role in the field, how are we in education creating the context needed for students to succeed? 

Greg Johnson joins us for this discussion. He is the EMT/AEMT Coordinator at Columbia State Community College where he leads a highly successful EMT and Advanced EMT program. He is well-versed in didactic, practical, and clinical development of the EMS student and provides a wealth of experience for this discussion. 

* Clinicians versus skill junkies

* Accreditation Critical Question

* Field Start

* Clinicians over Technicians

* Clinical Early Start

* Simulation Training

* Avocado Pit Poisoning

* Crawl- Walk- Run

* Into the Pass Rate Weeds

* Building the Autonomous Role in 15- Weeks

* Are Textbooks Needed?

* Paramilitary Style Approach

* Closing Words

Resources

ET3 Model

Don’t forget to go to our newly redesigned website at www.emshandoff.com.  Subscribe rate and review the EMS Today Podcast by JEMS and the EMS Handoff YouTube Channel.

…and don’t forget to go to www.thepursueco.com and find the great EMS Handoff Merchandise. 

Karen O‘Barr

What does an acute stress response look like from a critical incident? Should management have the responsibility of recognizing and intervening in their crew's mental health? Hear Karen O’Barr’s story of her mental growth after a severe traumatic incident as a paramedic.

The Rise of the MCI

Welcome to Real Life Rescues, a podcast that goes behind the scenes and takes an in-depth look into the operational and personal accounts of EMS first responders from Israel’s largest fully volunteer EMS provider United Hatzalah. The podcast is hosted by EMT-P (Paramedic) Dov Maisel and EMT-B (EMT) Raphael Poch.

Dov Maisel, in addition to being an innovator, volunteer and world-renowned expert in disaster management, has dedicated his life to saving the lives of others and is one of the founders of United Hatzalah of Israel. Formerly an army medic in the Israeli Defense Forces, Dov served as a combat paramedic in four different wars. He has worked as an EMT, dispatcher, ambulance driver and paramedic. In addition to his duties as one of the leading EMS first responders for United Hatzalah, Dov now serves as the organization’s vice president of operations. He invented what is now used as United Hatzalah’s uber-like GPS -based dispatch system which locates and sends the closest EMT to the medical emergency. Dov lead United Hatzalah’s international relief missions in Haiti, Nepal, Houston and Florida, following the devastating hurricanes of Harvey and Irma, and most recently to Surfside, Florida, following the Champlain Towers collapse.  

Raphael Poch, in addition to being one of the organization’s 6,000 volunteer EMTs, is a member of the organization’s ambucycle unit, Psychotrauma and Crisis Response Unit, and serves as the Gush Etzion regional coordinator of the organization’s Ten Kavod project, wherein EMTs visit elderly people in their communities once a week to provide wellness checks and social visits to alleviate loneliness.

In today’s episode, Dov and Raphael will discuss the organization’s recent operational agenda to implement mass-casualty incident training to all of the volunteers throughout the country in response to the three large-scale MCI’s that took place in Israel this year including the largest civilian tragedy in the history of the country which occurred in Meron on April 30th, 2021. They will take an in-depth look into what parts of an MCI lead to the most confusion and difficulty, how the organization trains to become better at dealing with those critical issues. Later in the episode, they give an in-depth first-hand account of what took place during the Meron MCI and how it was different from pretty much every other MCI out there.

Puff, Puff, Pass

On this week’s episode of the EMS Handoff, Eric, Bradley and David take on a conversation about the changing status and laws around the country on the use of marijuana, hemp and CBD products. As the access to some of the derivatives become more readily available, what are the implications of the EMS practitioner in regards to personal use, and what expectations you have when it comes to being drug tested?

Furthermore, we get into possible cases you may see when it comes to the patients we see in the field. 

* Legal System at Play

* State and Federal Oversight

* THC and CBD Metabolites

* Drug Testing

* Inner cannabinoid system

* Stress and Marijuana

* Hyperemesis Case Study

* Cannabis induced pneumomediastinum

* Final Notes

Resources

Cannabinoid Hyperemsis Syndrome

Is CBD Addictive?

Pneumomediastinum in marijuana users: a retrospective review of 14 cases

Don’t forget to go to our newly redesigned website at www.emshandoff.com.  Subscribe rate and review the EMS Today Podcast by JEMS and the EMS Handoff YouTube Channel.

Don’t forget to go to www.thepursueco.com and find the great EMS Handoff merchandise. 

Community Paramedicine and the Need for Infection Control Procedures

Katherine West looks at how community paramedics need to play a role in infection control procedures.

Clinician Suicide

In the intro podcast to the Ready Room, Derrick Jacobus discusses the word no one wants to hear – suicide. Clinician suicide is an issue that is kept quiet. Resiliency. Therapy. EAP. Counseling. These are words that are not spoken in EMS, so what can we do about it? Join in to hear the introduction to suicide in EMS and provider wellbeing.

After the Fall with Bradley, Eric and David

In this week’s episode of the EMS Handoff, Bradley, Eric and David come back together behind the EMS Handoff microphones after a much-needed week of rest to discuss those common “lift assist” calls. Ambulance services and fire departments have regular calls to help citizens  when they fall and are uninjured. Risk mitigation is not only something that should be done when looking at a community, it should be done when helping our patients. Are there aspects that we can advise on that would help those individuals in the future? 

- Risk Mitigation

- Does five minutes now help later?

Potential Recommendations:

- If you have a walker or a cane that you are supposed to use, then use it.            

- Don't get out of bed or up from a chair suddenly. Sit upright, pause, then push up from the bed or chair, while also standing up with the muscles in your legs. 

- Move cords for lights, TVs and other appliances out of walking paths.

- Know where your pets are before you move.

- Use railings when going up or down steps.

- Wear shoes instead of slippers or socks for better traction.

- Don't use slippery area or throw rugs in the kitchen, hallways or bathrooms.

- Install handholds in the tub and near the toilet.

- Don't walk and attempt to use or read your smartphone or tablet at the same time. Especially, if you are walking up or downstairs.

References

National Council on Aging: https://www.ncoa.org/professionals/health/center-for-healthy-aging/national-falls-prevention-resource-center/falls-prevention-awareness-week

Journal Of the American Medical Association: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2783628

Chief Mark Romer

What does nearly 40 years of a fire career look like? Hear the story of Chief Mark Romer and his self-reflection of how mental wellness has changed in the fire service – and in his own life.