Disaster Podcast

We touch base again with Dr. Joe Holley for our fourth short update on the COVID-19 outbreak. Watch for more of these updates a few times a week on top of our normal episode rotation as Joe has more information to share with us.

Here are the key points Joe covered on this brief call:

General COVID-19 Presentation and Diagnosis:

* Presentation of patients with lethargy and malaise may be related to mild hypoxemia. Use pulse oximetry to pick up on this.

* Early symptoms also include GI complaints including diarrhea and nausea.

* Mild fever early on, higher later in progression of disease

* Anosmia (loss of smell) and ageusia (loss of taste) also a common complaint.

For First Responders and Hospital Personnel:

* Cardiac symptoms present in a number of cases include myocarditis and pericarditis and arrhythmias.

* Hypercoagulability may lead to increased incidence of MI or stroke.

* Signs and symptoms may be similar to altitude sickness (again related to hypoxemia). These include mild confusion, mild fever, general vague symptoms.

Progression to Intubation and Ventilation

* Patients in advanced stages of disease desaturate VERY quickly (30-60 seconds).

* Monitor pulse oximetry and be prepared for intubation with little notice.

* May account for larger number than usual of prehospital cardiac arrests related to COVID-19.

More Updates Soon

Stay tuned for more updates periodically in the coming weeks as Joe reaches out amidst his duties and busy schedule to share his viewpoint on the response with us as he is able.

Join the Discussion

Join the discussion after the show with co-hosts Sam Bradley and Jamie Davis, the Podmedic in our Disaster Podcast Facebook Group now!

Paragon Brings “The Experience”

Paragon Medical Education Group specializes in bringing what they call “The Experience” to jurisdictions around the country. They bring together police, fire, EMS, and hospital teams to train together and learn what to expect from each diverse group in the response team so that each knows what to expect from the other and how to back the other groups up. Visit Paragon’s site at ParagonMedicalGroup.com for more information on how this can be brought into your system.

We touch base with Dr. Joe Holley for a look at the COVID-19 patient presentation signs and symptoms. We will cover more of these updates as Joe has more information to share with us.

Here are the key points Joe covered on this brief call:

General COVID-19 Presentation and Diagnosis:

* Increased frequency of positives in the 14 – 18 year old group. They can be significant vectors.

* Also noticeable positives in religious leaders. This makes sense as they need to be social but they can also be high risk vectors.

For First Responders and Hospital Personnel:

Symptoms for the virus are still vague but they’re finding some commonalities in initial symptoms:

* Intense Lethargy

* Diarrhea

* Mild hypoxia – It’s a good idea to check pulse ox on any suspect patients

* Chest X-rays may not be as effective diagnostically as CT Scans

There are increased STEMI activations in the field related to COVID-19

* A COVID patient may experience chest pain or CHF symptoms.

* There may also be EKG changes but no occlusion will be found.

* There may be cardiomyopathy or abnormalities in heart wall movement.

PPE Availability:

* PPE is being found online or locally in places besides the usual medical equipment suppliers. For additional supplies, try tattoo parlors, paint stores, or industrial suppliers.

* There are masks from China coming in called KN95’s. They are safe, NIOSH approved and the same as an N95.

Stay tuned for more updates periodically in the coming weeks as Joe reaches out amidst his duties and busy schedule to share his viewpoint on the response with us as he is able.

Join the Discussion

Join the discussion after the show with co-hosts Sam Bradley and Jamie Davis, the Podmedic in our Disaster Podcast Facebook Group now!

Paragon Brings “The Experience”

Paragon Medical Education Group specializes in bringing what they call “The Experience” to jurisdictions around the country. They bring together police, fire, EMS, and hospital teams to train together and learn what to expect from each diverse group in the response team so that each knows what to expect from the other and how to back the other groups up. Visit Paragon’s site at ParagonMedicalGroup.com for more information on how this can be brought into your system.

We touch base with Dr. Joe Holley for a look at the COVID-19 response on the ground in ERs and EMS circles. We will cover these updates as Joe has more information to share with us.

In this segment, Joe describes a grim forecast as many ER docs talk about a calm before the storm. He says the wave is coming and it will be unlike anything we’ve seen before.

Watch for more updates periodically in the coming weeks as Joe reaches out amidst his duties and busy schedule to share his viewpoint on the response with us as he is able.

Also on the show are meteorologist and emergency management expert Becky DePodwin, along with co-hosts Sam Bradley, and Jamie Davis.

Join the Discussion

Join the discussion after the show with co-hosts Sam Bradley and Jamie Davis, the Podmedic in our Disaster Podcast Facebook Group now!

Paragon Brings “The Experience”

Paragon Medical Education Group specializes in bringing what they call “The Experience” to jurisdictions around the country. They bring together police, fire, EMS, and hospital teams to train together and learn what to expect from each diverse group in the response team so that each knows what to expect from the other and how to back the other groups up. Visit Paragon’s site at ParagonMedicalGroup.com for more information on how this can be brought into your system.

We talk about managing EMS Coronavirus response on this episode of the Disaster Podcast. Joining us, we have Disaster Podcast Facebook Group member Chris Prutzman on the show this week to talk with us about how EMS managers and supervisors are working hard to prepare our front line responders for SARS COVID-19 patients.

Chris fills us in on his preparations in Oklahoma to get his crews on the street ready for a potential surge in suspected COVID-19 patients. We address training fatigue and helping to get the messaging to sink in so providers take the appropriate precautions to protect themselves and other patients.

Also on the show are Dr. Joe Holley and our disaster weather expert Kyle Nelson, meteorologist and emergency management expert Becky DePodwin, along with co-hosts Sam Bradley, and Jamie Davis.

Join the Discussion

Join the discussion after the show with co-hosts Sam Bradley and Jamie Davis, the Podmedic in our Disaster Podcast Facebook Group now!

Paragon Brings “The Experience”

Paragon Medical Education Group specializes in bringing what they call “The Experience” to jurisdictions around the country. They bring together police, fire, EMS, and hospital teams to train together and learn what to expect from each diverse group in the response team so that each knows what to expect from the other and how to back the other groups up. Visit Paragon’s site at ParagonMedicalGroup.com for more information on how this can be brought into your system.

On this Episode, we talk about Broken Heart Syndrome, where stress and sudden loss can cause a potentially lethal cardiac disorder. We have Disaster Podcast Facebook Group member Steve Holmes on the show this week, along with our stress injury expert Dan McGuire from CISM Perspectives. Broken Heart Syndrome is a heart condition, temporary in nature, that’s caused by stressful experiences and the emotional response to those situations. Other names for the same syndrome are stress cardiomyopathy, takotsubo cardiomyopathy, and apical ballooning syndrome.

Also on the show are Dr. Joe Holley and our disaster weather expert Kyle Nelson along with co-hosts Sam Bradley, and Jamie Davis.

Join the Discussion

Join the discussion after the show with co-hosts Sam Bradley and Jamie Davis, the Podmedic in our Disaster Podcast Facebook Group now!

Paragon Brings “The Experience”

Paragon Medical Education Group specializes in bringing what they call “The Experience” to jurisdictions around the country. They bring together police, fire, EMS, and hospital teams to train together and learn what to expect from each diverse group in the response team so that each knows what to expect from the other and how to back the other groups up. Visit Paragon’s site at ParagonMedicalGroup.com for more information on how this can be brought into your system.

Dr. Joe Holley and his wife Kimberly Holley were activated by the state to respond to Cookeville, Tennessee to assist local responders following the tornado strikes there last week. In this episode, Kimberly discusses her deployment, how the dogs performed, and some lessons learned in one of her first big deployments.

Also, we kick off the episode with a COVID-19 Coronavirus update for responders. Dr. Joe kicks in his advice and what he’s heard in his discussions with other physician contacts across the country. We also talk with our disaster weather expert and 911 dispatcher, Kyle Nelson. He relays how the dispatch side is handling screening for respiratory and flu calls to protect responders before initial patient contact with a potential COVID-19 patient.

Also on the show this week are co-hosts Sam Bradley, and Jamie Davis.

Join the Discussion

Join the discussion after the show with co-hosts Sam Bradley and Jamie Davis, the Podmedic in our Disaster Podcast Facebook Group now!

Paragon Brings “The Experience”

Paragon Medical Education Group specializes in bringing what they call “The Experience” to jurisdictions around the country. They bring together police, fire, EMS, and hospital teams to train together and learn what to expect from each diverse group in the response team so that each knows what to expect from the other and how to back the other groups up. Visit Paragon’s site at ParagonMedicalGroup.com for more information on how this can be brought into your system.

Boots on the ground. That’s one of the things that distinguishes this podcast from others. Yesterday areas around Nashville, Tennessee woke up to devastation from a string of tornadoes that struck the region. At the same time, Dr. Joe Holley and his wife Kimberly Holley were activated by the state to respond to Cookeville, Tennessee to assist local responders.

Kimberly was called up first with both her USAR dogs to start digging through the wreckage that used to be homes there. Joe was contacted a few hours later to respond as a field medical director and help guide EMS crews in providing care.

We talked with Joe on this episode as he called in to the podcast with a report on what he encountered on the ground there and a little about Kimberly’s experiences. We will have both of them on for an in-depth after-action report on the deployment.

Our disaster weather experts Becky DePodwin and Kyle Nelson both came on to talk about how the National Weather Service meteorologists survey the damage to determine the wind speeds and categorize the tornadoes. We also talked about the need for things like NOAA Weather Radios in the home and to turn on the settings in our cell phones to allow wireless emergency alerts to show up. These things save lives.

Also on the show this week are co-hosts Sam Bradley, and Jamie Davis.

Book Links Mentioned in the Podcast:

The Mercy of the Sky: The Story of a Tornado

5:41: Stories from the Joplin Tornado

What Stands in a Storm: A True Story of Love and Resilience in the Worst Superstorm in History

The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes – and Why

Join the Discussion

Join the discussion after the show with co-hosts Sam Bradley and Jamie Davis, the Podmedic in our Disaster Podcast Facebook Group now!

Paragon Brings “The Experience”

Paragon Medical Education Group specializes in bringing what they call “The Experience” to jurisdictions around the country. They bring together police, fire, EMS, and hospital teams to train together and learn what to expect from each diverse group in the response team so that each knows what to expect from the other and how to back the other groups up. Visit Paragon’s site at ParagonMedicalGroup.com for more information on how this can be brought into your system.

In this episode, we discuss recent updates on the Coronavirus outbreak both in the U.S. and around the world. The virus has been officially named “SARS-CoV-2” and the disease it causes has been named “coronavirus disease 2019” (abbreviated “COVID-19”). With more than 80,000 reported cases worldwide and 3,000 deaths, the outbreak is showing signs of community spread in more countries every day, including in the U.S.

Our Disaster Podcast team talks about the effects on local response capabilities, hospitals, and health departments. We also discuss what measures are being taken to educate, train, and protect first responders and other healthcare workers who will be on the front lines to take on outbreaks in their communities.

Finally, it is important for healthcare professionals at all levels to share responsible and authoritative resources of information with each other and the community at large. Two online sites you can share with confidence are the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC.gov) and the World Health Organization (WHO.int) sites.

On the show this week are co-hosts Sam Bradley, and Jamie Davis, along with Dr. Joe Holley.

Join the Discussion

Join the discussion after the show with co-hosts Sam Bradley and Jamie Davis, the Podmedic in our Disaster Podcast Facebook Group now!

Paragon Brings “The Experience”

Paragon Medical Education Group specializes in bringing what they call “The Experience” to jurisdictions around the country. They bring together police, fire, EMS, and hospital teams to train together and learn what to expect from each diverse group in the response team so that each knows what to expect from the other and how to back the other groups up. Visit Paragon’s site at ParagonMedicalGroup.com for more information on how this can be brought into your system.

Wilderness safety expert Kevin Reiter from the Wilderness Safety Institute comes on the show to talk about animal attacks in austere environments. We focus on a recent story about a mountain lion attack on a 6-year-old girl in the San Francisco area.

Kevin and others talk about wild animal hazards in their regions including bears, feral hogs, coyotes, and even stray dogs. The team discusses best practices for avoiding animal attacks and situational awareness.

Also on the show this week are co-hosts Sam Bradley, and Jamie Davis, along with Dr. Joe Holley.

Join the Discussion

Join the discussion after the show with co-hosts Sam Bradley and Jamie Davis, the Podmedic in our Disaster Podcast Facebook Group now!

Paragon Brings “The Experience”

Paragon Medical Education Group specializes in bringing what they call “The Experience” to jurisdictions around the country. They bring together police, fire, EMS, and hospital teams to train together and learn what to expect from each diverse group in the response team so that each knows what to expect from the other and how to back the other groups up. Visit Paragon’s site at ParagonMedicalGroup.com for more information on how this can be brought into your system.

In this episode of the Disaster Podcast, we bring on Dr. Joe Holley and his Wife Kimberly Holley to talk about dealing with the stress of a deployment for the family of a disaster responder. We also talk about helping family members deal with the aftermath of disaster responses and how families of responders can work together to stay informed and provide support.

Kimberly mentioned the USAR Foundation she is active in supporting. Check out the link for more information on this important organization.

Also on the show this week are co-hosts Sam Bradley, and Jamie Davis, along with dispatcher and disaster weather expert, Kyle Nelson.

Join the Discussion

Join the discussion after the show with co-hosts Sam Bradley and Jamie Davis, the Podmedic in our Disaster Podcast Facebook Group now!

Paragon Brings “The Experience”

Paragon Medical Education Group specializes in bringing what they call “The Experience” to jurisdictions around the country. They bring together police, fire, EMS, and hospital teams to train together and learn what to expect from each diverse group in the response team so that each knows what to expect from the other and how to back the other groups up. Visit Paragon’s site at ParagonMedicalGroup.com for more information on how this can be brought into your system.