Inside EMS

Sitting for the National Registry exam might rank up there with colonoscopies in terms of excitement, but EMS educator Dan Limmer recently took the test. Why? To stay sharp, to keep his licenses and to see firsthand how the test has evolved. And guess what? He walked out impressed.

In this episode of Inside EMS, Dan sits down with host Chris Cebollero to break down his experience, share study strategies and offer test-taking wisdom for new and seasoned medics alike. He highlights how the test isn’t just a memory game — it’s about judgment, application and truly understanding why you make the decisions you do in the field.

From tackling the anxiety factor to navigating new question formats (hello, multi-response and scenario-based questions), Dan gives practical advice for anyone gearing up for the exam. Whether you’re an EMT candidate or a veteran paramedic thinking about challenging yourself with a retest, this episode is packed with useful takeaways.

Memorable quotes

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In EMS, where the stress is high and space is tight, conflict is bound to happen. Whether it’s a personality clash with your partner, frustration over unclear responsibilities or a disagreement with leadership, knowing how to navigate workplace tension is a crucial skill.  

In this episode of the Inside EMS podcast, hosts Chris Cebollero and Kelly Grayson break down conflict resolution strategies. Whether you’re dealing with an overbearing supervisor, a partner who won’t pull their weight or just the everyday stress of the job, this episode will arm you with the tools to handle conflict effectively. 

Memorable quotes:

“My way of dealing with these conflicts is, I try to remind myself that they're not so different from me. They want the same things in life. They just differ in how they want to get there.” — Kelly Grayson 

“We hear all the time that perception is reality, but what does that really mean? It means, if somebody thinks that you've slighted them, you've slighted them.” — Chris Cebollero 

 “Regardless of how good you are at practicing the art and science of leadership, conflict always happens, right?” — Chris Cebollero 

Additional resources:  

Toxic partners: The damage they do in EMS 

EMT partners: ‘The people that really make it happen’ on calls 

The 3-part EMS assessment: Your patient, your partner and yourself 

How to tell if your EMS partner is a jerk 

When crew dynamics disrupt patient care

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New Year’s celebrations in New Orleans are always a spectacle, but this year, tragedy struck at 3:15 a.m. A truck barreled into the crowds, triggering what first responders feared was a vehicle-ramming attack. Within moments, New Orleans EMS was in full mass casualty mode — triaging, treating and coordinating with law enforcement amid the unfolding chaos. But things quickly escalated. As Chief Bill Salmeron recounts, responders soon discovered not only multiple critical patients, but also a shootout, a downed suspect and the chilling realization that explosive devices had been planted nearby. 

In this gripping episode, Chief Salmeron shares the inside story of how his team handled one of the most intense incidents in recent New Orleans history. He walks through the initial response, communication challenges and how well-drilled interagency coordination played a pivotal role. But beyond the logistics, he also speaks to the emotional toll — how EMS crews handled the psychological weight of triaging patients, working alongside grieving families and processing the magnitude of the event in the days after. 

Top quotes

“You don’t see that many fatalities in one place with possible explosives, an active shooter — or at least you shouldn’t in a civilian EMS world — but we do.” — Chief Bill Salmeron

"Anybody can command a scene. You don't have to be a paramedic. You don't have to be a chief or a doctor or whatever it is." — Chief Bill Salmeron

Enjoying the show? Contact the Inside EMS team at [email protected] to share ideas, suggestions and feedback, or let us know if you’d like to join us as a guest.

In this episode of Inside EMS, hosts Chris Cebollero and Kelly Grayson are joined by Nick Maltby, chief of service for New Hartford Volunteer Ambulance Service, and a clinical psychologist specializing in anxiety and PTSD. Nick brings a unique perspective, blending frontline EMS experience with mental health expertise to tackle one of the biggest issues in EMS today — mental health support that actually works.

“Depression is a voice that whispers to you that you can't do all the things that bring you joy.” — Kelly Grayson

“The first step to a problem getting worse is thinking, ‘I can't tell anybody, because if I did, they would ostracize me, they would fire me, they wouldn't be my friend,’ but it’s all in your head.” — Nick Maltby

Enjoying the show? Contact the Inside EMS team at [email protected] to share ideas, suggestions and feedback, or let us know if you’d like to join us as a guest.

In this week’s episode of the Inside EMS Podcast, hosts Chris Cebollero and Kelly Grayson discuss some of the biggest news stories in EMS from the month.

First up: A fire chief in Colorado is under investigation for running nearly 300 medical calls on an expired paramedic certification from 2019. What happens when leadership sets a bad example for their crews?

The pair also discuss several mental health initiatives, including the University of Washington’s new first responder training program and the mental health teams supporting evacuees of California’s wildfires.

Plus, Chris reacts to an idea floated by the new White House administration to reduce FEMA’s role, and Kelly gives his take on why the agency – despite its flaws – is a necessity.

Have an EMS-related news story you want Chris and Kelly to analyze? Send an email to [email protected].

 “If you don't want to pay for it, then, then don't gripe about poor response times ... or inadequate care, because you wouldn't pay for it.” — Kelly Grayson

“ You know, during COVID, we were heroes.  And we squandered that goodwill and let ourselves be pushed onto the back burner until something horrific happens to California. And then firefighting leaps into the breach again. Then, those citizens are incredibly grateful, but when this is all over, they'll fade back into obscurity again.” — Kelly Grayson

This episode of the Inside EMS Podcast is sponsored by Philips. Time to take pre-hospital emergency care to the next level. Time for Tempus.

Enjoying the show? Contact the Inside EMS team at [email protected] to share ideas, suggestions and feedback, or let us know if you’d like to join us as a guest. 

In this episode of Inside EMS, Chris and Kelly are joined by Tim Redding, founder and CEO of Emergency Education Consultants, to explore a topic that’s reshaping how we think about medicine: male-centric healthcare. Tim shares insights from Dr. Alyson J. McGregor’s groundbreaking book, “Sex Matters”, which explores how medical research and education have historically centered on white male patients, leaving women underserved and misdiagnosed.

From cardiac care to drug research, Tim explains how biases have permeated everything from symptom recognition to treatment protocols. Did you know that women experiencing heart attacks rarely exhibit the “classic” symptoms, like chest pain? Or that 8 out of 10 drugs pulled from the market between 1997 and 2001 were due to severe side effects in women?

If you’re someone passionate about improving patient outcomes, this episode will make you rethink what you know – and don’t know – about women’s health in EMS.

Memorable quotes

“Medicine historically has been white males doing the doctoring, writing the textbooks and doing the studies. So, what that has led to, by no one’s fault, is to this very male-centric view of medicine.”

“The most accurate tool for confirming and diagnosing MI in women is an MRI and that really blew my mind.  I can’t think of any time that I’ve heard a doc say, ‘Let’s get an MRI for that cardiac female patient.’”

Enjoying the show? Contact the Inside EMS team at [email protected] to share ideas, suggestions and feedback, or let us know if you’d like to join us as a guest.

Ever wonder what really happens inside the body during shock? This week, Chris Cebollero and Kelly Grayson dive into the renin angiotensin aldosterone system (RAAS).  From vasoconstriction to fluid retention, they break down this complex topic with real-life examples, a sprinkle of humor and practical tips for how EMS providers can apply this knowledge in the field.

Kelly shares the importance of understanding the “why” behind shock presentations, from recognizing when fluids won’t work to knowing when vasopressors are the answer. With anecdotes like treating a sepsis patient on ACE inhibitors and using pulse ox waveforms for clues, this episode blends science with field-tested wisdom. Whether you’re an EMT, paramedic, or just an anatomy nerd, you’ll walk away with a clearer picture of how the RAAS keeps us alive – and how we, as EMS professionals, can work smarter alongside it.

Memorable quotes

“It's called, ‘The Renan Angiotensin Aldosterone System – not just a planetary belt in Star Wars’”. — Kelly Grayson

“So, the kidneys now say, ‘We're not getting enough blood. Here's this renin that we're gonna send out because we've gotta fix this problem.’ What the body doesn't know is that Chris Cebollero and Kelly Grayson and you are out there trying to fix it. So it’s trying to fix itself.” — Chris Cebollero

Related resources:

Understanding push dose pressors

Understanding prehospital vasopressors: Dopamine, epinephrine or norepinephrine?

A basic overview of shock for EMS

Compensated vs. decompensated shock: what you need to know

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Whether replacing radio reports, alerting specialty teams, or managing mass casualty incidents, Pulsara simplifies communication. Pulsara scales to meet your dynamic communication needs. From routine patient alerts to managing large-scale emergencies, every responder and clinician connects seamlessly. Familiar yet powerful, Pulsara streamlines your response, from routine transfers to regional disasters. One tool. Every day. Regardless of event. Discover more at Pulsara.com.

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Catch a new episode of the Inside EMS podcast every Friday. Enjoying the show? Contact the Inside EMS team at [email protected] to share ideas, suggestions and feedback, or let us know if you’d like to join us as a guest.

In this episode of Inside EMS, hosts Chris Cebollero and Kelly Grayson explore leadership insights drawn from a recent post by The Humbled Medic blog, which highlights lessons from the hit Apple TV show “Ted Lasso.” Known for its humor and heart, the show serves as a surprising but fitting blueprint for leadership, especially for EMS educators and professionals. 

The hosts discuss the importance of embracing the philosophy “be curious, not judgmental,” a guiding principle that urges EMS providers to set aside assumptions about patients and colleagues. Other takeaways include the value of challenging oneself to grow, the significance of second chances, and the power of building a trusted support system.  

From embracing discomfort, to cultivating belief in others and finding small ways to show kindness, the episode encourages EMS professionals to lead with both heart and purpose. 

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Enjoying the show? Email [email protected] to share ideas, suggestions and feedback, or let us know if you’d like to join us as a guest. 

This year, EMS brought more than its fair share of jaw-dropping moments, and as we wrap up 2024, we’re revisiting five of the craziest stories that made headlines. From a massive chemical plant fire in Texas prompting a shelter-in-place order, to a sand hole tragedy on a Florida beach, these events highlight the unpredictability of EMS work.

Ever had a crash victim ejected so far from their vehicle, they landed on a roof? That’s exactly what happened in Michigan. Or a tractor-trailer cab dangling precariously off a bridge? Louisville firefighters made a daring rescue of a semi-driver in just such a predicament. And let’s not forget the aquarium at a Texas hospital that literally cushioned the blow of a car crashing into the ER. Turns out, those tropical fish weren’t just for decoration after all.

These stories remind us that no call is ever routine, and the unpredictable nature of EMS keeps us on our toes. It’s also a good reminder to revisit training and be ready for the “what-ifs,” from trench rescues to chemical response protocols.

Quotables

Top 5 craziest EMS calls of 2024

Enjoying the show? Email the Inside EMS team at [email protected] to share ideas, suggestions and feedback, or let us know if you’d like to join us as a guest.

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EMS pay and retention – or the lack thereof – is at the heart of this week’s episode of Inside EMS. Hosts Chris Cebollero and Kelly Grayson tackle a news item out of Dougherty County, Georgia, where a recent exodus of EMS professionals spurred long-overdue pay raises and bonuses.

The discussion then shifts to Pickens County, Alabama, where a lack of funding led to a total EMS shutdown. Chris and Kelly explore how underfunded systems collapse under the weight of low reimbursement rates, poor public understanding of EMS costs, and systemic inaction until tragedy strikes.

Through real-world examples, the hosts unpack why it’s essential to “vote with your feet” as an EMS professional and how agencies can keep talent by either paying well or fostering loyalty – though they can’t afford to fail at both. If you’ve ever wondered why EMS seems stuck in a financial rut, this episode offers insights that hit close to home.

ABOUT THE SPONSOR

Whether replacing radio reports, alerting specialty teams, or managing mass casualty incidents, Pulsara simplifies communication. Pulsara scales to meet your dynamic communication needs. From routine patient alerts to managing large-scale emergencies, every responder and clinician connects seamlessly. Familiar yet powerful, Pulsara streamlines your response, from routine transfers to regional disasters. One tool. Every day. Regardless of event. Discover more at Pulsara.com.

RATE & REVIEW

Enjoying the show? Contact the Inside EMS team at [email protected] to share ideas, suggestions and feedback, or let us know if you’d like to join us as a guest.