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When you’re in the middle of a medical emergency, all you can think about is your loved one who needs help right now. It might be days later, after things settle down and the house is quiet again, that you think of all the questions you wanted to ask. Now that we know why the fire department shows up first, EMS Fire Chief Tom takes us inside the house and answers those other questions for us.

In this episode you’ll hear:

• Step-by-step: what the crew does the moment they walk in
• What to do when your loved one is on hospice and a medical emergency happens
• How home health services can help you stay in your home longer
• Just how much firefighters have to know today
• The real culture inside the fire department 
• Tom’s personal story of why he became a firefighter
• How to follow up afterward and thank the crew

If you’ve ever had to let the fire department into your house for a medical emergency, this episode is for you. I wish I could have listened to it fifteen years ago.

00:58 What actually happens when the fire department walks in
04:33 Calling 911 when your loved one is on hospice
09:25 How responders handle a stressed-out caregiver
14:55 Do firefighters burn out from the same houses over and over?
17:59 If your loved one falls, call 911—don’t try to lift them yourself
27:25 Who the fire department refers caregivers to for help and resources
30:20 Common misconceptions about EMS responses to medical calls
40:28 How EMS has evolved in handling calls on chronic illness, disability, & aging
46:57 Just how much knowledge firefighters have to carry today
49:21 How to thank the crew or give feedback after a call
53:29 Tom’s story: why he became a firefighter and why he stayed
01:00:57 Thank you, Chief Tom, the Nampa Fire Dept, and thank you to every firefighter out there