The JEMS Report

Technologist Jonathon Feit has often said that the greatest innovations serving Mobile Medicine (Fire & EMS) come from rural spaces. The most obviously reason, perhaps, is that agencies have fewer resources to begin with, and it takes longer for their neighbors to arrive on-scene, therefore they have no choice but to learn how to do more for themselves.

This has always been the hallmark of those who live and work where the wild spirit of self-reliance abides. But there is something else, too: big skies, clean air, and the ability to better afford life and spend less time in traffic tend to attract those who need to be able to afford aspects of life that would be impossible where the norm is sitting in traffic going back-and-forth from long hours in an office: for example, the time to care for a child or parent who is seriously ill or disabled and need more regular attention.

For this reason, while they have fewer available resources that most cities, countrysides tend to attract a higher concentration of people who themselves — or whose parents or children — are more likely to need emergency healthcare. That sets up a Catch-22 and an important risk of health inequity that rural Mobile Medical agencies navigate around the clock. Reuben Farnsworth, who spearheaded Community Paramedicine, ET3, and other specialty care programs at Colorado’s Delta County Ambulance District — an agency that has won statewide honors, including as the first ambulance service to interoperate with the Quality Health Network health information exchange and local hospitals — will explain how a data — and economics-centric management style has powered his service’s success, from clinical medicine, to education and policy development, to advancing legislative priorities with partners.

In this episode, Dov and Raphael take an in-depth look into the challenges presented to first responders by one of Israel's deadliest highways, the Jordan Valley Highway, otherwise known as Highway 90.  

Fire Captain Pete Evers shares his story of 30 years of experience catching up to him after retirement and how he started his mental health journey with therapy dogs. Pete is very involved in the non-profit organization 4Paws2Freedom. He currently has a therapy dog sponsored through this organization and encourages his fellow first responders to consider this resource and make mental health a priority.

Infection control expert Katherine West explains what needs to be done to eliminate syphilis in the United States.

Eric Chase talks with Adam Culbertson, fire/EMS coordinator of Edgecombe (NC) Community College. Joining them are instructors Sara Lewis and Gabby Robinson, lieutenants with Edgecombe County EMS, NC. They talk about education, leadership, accountability, patience, love and more.

In this episode, Dov and Raphael talk about how important it is for first responders to honor and get support from our families.

A Marine combat veteran and current law enforcement officer shares various stories of impulsivity and struggle about his journey to get to where he is now.

In today's episode, Dov and Raphael get into the issues surrounding the desire of all first responders to do everything that they can to help -- sometimes too much. The episode includes a harrowing personal story from Dov's past where his rig was involved in a serious accident that left the patient hanging, literally, and Dov had to treat his own crew members.

"As a firefighter, one can expect to be placed in high risk-situations such as an initial attack on a large scale incident.”

Hear clips of a “near miss” that Capt. Kelley Craig experienced. These events can cause fear and doubt about the job. Learn how Craig processed his emotions to have a long career.

"I was absolutely shocked because it was literally moonscaped. It was ash and black twigs sticking out of the ground. I might get really hurt or die, I don't know what is going to happen to me. There was a point when I finally took that deep breath and I cried for a second and thought, OK, we are OK now,” Craig said.

Tony O'Brien, a captain with Boston EMS and treasurer of the National EMS Memorial Foundation, talks about the progress being made to get an EMS memorial in Washington D.C.