Through their experiences in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, the military as well as public safety and other medical personnel learned the value of immediate care for injured civilians, while working with first-arriving law enforcement officers, at active shooter and other mass casualty incidents.

With the publication of the four Hartford Consensus documents on Improving Survival from Active Shooter Events, the importance of including law enforcement officers as part of the continuum of care was highlighted. 

With civil disturbances becoming an all too frequent occurrence, the mechanisms and types of injuries have changed from just penetrating trauma to a host of other injuries – such as blast burn and inhalation injuries, tension pneumothorax, crush and pelvic injuries as well as exposure to chemical agents. 

Join A.J. Heightman and his guests for a discussion of new approaches and courses for the delivery of tactical medicine in the field by law enforcement personnel and by first responders at civil disturbances.

Scot Phelps and Maria Werner talk about the National EMS Scope of Practice Model -- and what they like and don't like about it.

Guest: Wes Ogilvie

Where have all the volunteers gone? The top reason for shifting EMS volunteerism is surprising. After all, there is no better feeling than giving back to your community and knowing you made a difference – but at what cost? Across the country throughout the years, the number of volunteers in EMS, fire and rescue has sharply decreased, especially over the last decade.  Where have all of the volunteers gone? Wes Ogilvie joins the EMS Handoff crew to discuss volunteerism in EMS.

Wes is a renowned EMS advocate and legal expert in EMS and is currently serving as a paramedic/FTO with multiple EMS agencies. Wes is an attorney for Texas state government, has been in EMS since 2004 and has been a paramedic since 2007. Wes is currently a paramedic/FTO with West EMS and a paramedic with Huffman EMS.  Throughout his career, he has been published in several EMS periodicals and co-authored the Medical-Legal chapter of Paramedic Care: Principles and Practice.

How did an aspiring actor end up going into the fire service? Hear the story of Rod Hutchinson and his viewpoints on the dominant fire culture, his personal struggles with vulnerability and advice to those exploring the career.

“Therapy has been a godsend," said Hutchinson.

Professionalism is an expectation of any profession and EMS is no exception. Dealing with stress, knowing our specialized skill sets, navigating industry relationships and interacting with the public are parts of the whole that compose the EMS professional. Today’s podcast poses the question of professionalism in our industry and how we can effect change in a real way.

Joining us today is Julianne Stevenson, founder of Sterling Credentials.  She’s been a paramedic, a supervisor, an educator and an educational program director.  Through a strange turn of events, she has a bachelor's degree in biomedical science and a master’s degree in molecular physiology and biophysics.  Decades ago, she got into EMS by accident. Decades later, passion keeps her there. Today, she talks with us about professionalism and its implications to the EMS profession as a whole.

Show Highlights

• Why does professionalism matter?

This podcast presents an in-depth discussion with the editors of a new in-depth book recently introduced for EMS providers, educators, students and EMS junkies.

Prehospital Medicine: Principles, Pearls and Pitfalls was self-published by the International Prehospital Medicine Institute (IPHMI) with one purpose in mind: to get the most up-to-date EMS principles, pearls and pitfalls into the hands (and minds) of dedicated EMS providers.

IPHMI dedicated the book in the memory of famed trauma surgeon, EMS leader and friend to all on EMS, Dr. Norman McSwain and priced the book at only $14.95 for the e-book version and $29.95 for the 737-page printed version to make it affordable to emergency providers and physicians who could benefit from its content.

The book is written in a question and answer format, features 86 easy-to-read educational chapters on a multitude of subjects. It is 737 pages of amazing content that, in the e-book version, will be updated as topics, science or techniques change. There were 33 contributing authors in addition to the five primary authors whose mission it was to give providers the latest important information in 86 subject areas.

Join A.J. Heightman for a conversational discussion of the book, its contents and its purpose with the five EMS educators who developed its content: Wilfred (Will) Chapleau, RN, EMT-P; Greg Chapman, BS, RRT, REMT-P; Michael J. Hunter, EMT-P, TP-C; Peter T. Pons, MD, FACEP; and Lance Stuke, MD, FACS.

The EMS Handoff guys talk to Kevin Spratlin, MS, NRP, about the Memphis Fire Department’s unique way of handling an overwhelming number of calls. 

Spratlin leads Memphis Fire Department’s Healthcare Navigator Program, an innovative mobile integrated healthcare/community paramedicine model which seeks to reduce the impact of non-emergent medical calls on the department’s emergency response capabilities. He also chaired the Tennessee MIH/CP Task Force. Spratlin has served in the emergency services field for over 28 years.

Show Highlights

• Top three issues that patients face

Connect with the Guest

[email protected]

Resources/Articles Mentioned in Podcast

Memphis Fire Department Healthcare Navigator Program

The EMS Handoff crew is joined by Tim Nowak, AAS, BS, NRP, CCEMTP, SPO, MPO, CADS. Tim is the founder and CEO of Emergency Medical Solutions, LLC, an EMS training and consulting company that he developed in 2010. Through this venture, he is the editor-in-chief of EMS Director magazine, a webinar/app-based continuing education content developer, columnist and blog writer, product developer, instructor and speaker, podcast guest and host, and a social media influencer on LinkedIn.

Tim is also the assistant chief of special operations with a county-wide EMS agency based in Florida, where he oversees the planning and logistics sections, special operations functions and community paramedicine programs for the agency.

This podcast, the EMS Handoff crew is going to review Nowak's article, Training Day: 3 options for safely transporting your pediatric patient.

1. Pediatric transports can be challenging!

Safe versus Not Safe

2. Best practices for pediatric transport in the ambulance

• The “Working Group Best-Practice Recommendations for the Safe Transport of Children in Emergency Ground Ambulances” https://www.nhtsa.gov/staticfiles/nti/pdf/811677.pdf

3. What is acceptable?

• Start with their own car seat

• 2012 NHTSA document https://www.nhtsa.gov/staticfiles/nti/pdf/811677.pdf

Where do you place them in the vehicle?

4. Car Restraint Systems

• Inflatable car seats

Cot-secured, adjustable straps

5. Four-point shoulder/ chest restrains

Pad the voids

6. What is not acceptable

No one in the ambulance – parents, caregivers, medics or other passengers should be unrestrained during transport.

7. 4 Safety considerations for Pediatric Transport

• Do tightly secure all monitoring devices and other equipment

Do not allow emergency vehicles to be operated by persons who have not completed an approved driving course.

“The next time you are completing your PCR, take a look at all of the transport options.  Via stretcher leads the pack, but mom holding onto baby…. Well, it is not there for a reason…”

While EMS is rightly focused on COVID-19 right now, Katherine West explains why keeping up-to-date on HIV infection is extremely important.

Why did you choose to be a first responder? Is there a link between the impact of childhood trauma, or does a generational family history of career choices influence a person's career choice? Hear a different perspective from a military family life consultant from the Department of Defense on her experience with her psychological perspective on how to maintain mental wellness, the effects of PTSD on the family and how to do a mental health check on yourself.