The JEMS Report

Guest: Kirk Mittleman

We have all seen it, but just too late! We may have a loved one who has the problem, but don’t want to say anything. Ignoring it won't help but saying something means we have a problem. Did you enable the addict by ignoring the issue? Admitting to it means we have failed in our quest to be perfect. Why is drug and alcohol addiction so prevalent in our profession? Can we make a difference through education and leadership by changing our own outlook and attitudes?

In public safety, we lose excellent professionals to addiction every day. They may go on to right their own ship, but most do not. Public safety administrators, educators and workers need to step up and help our own. Recognizing the problem is our first step in helping our students, staff and co-workers through recovery. The second step is educating students and employees of the danger that is around the corner. As leaders in EMS and public safety, we have an obligation to take care of our own and not cast them aside. Don’t ignore the problem, become part of the solution by learning and helping our colleagues avoid and beat addiction.

“Capt. Kirk” is a 40-year veteran of EMS and public safety. He retired in 2001 from Provo City Police after 22 years and a Purple Heart.  Upon retiring from law enforcement, Capt. Kirk went to work full time in the fire/EMS service where he again retired after serving as a paramedic captain and EMS coordinator for Eagle Mountain Fire Department.

Capt. Kirk is currently working for Reach Air Medical, serving Contra Costa County Fire Protection District as the clinical quality improvement and clinical education coordinator.  Capt. Kirk teaches all levels of EMT’s and wilderness medicine as the co-founder and program director of Mt. Nebo Training.

Guest: Jason Haag

The evils of auto-narration, 1 a.m. toe aches, carrot versus stick QA, and which is better, SOAP or CHART. If any of that appeals to you, you’re in the right place. Jason Haag joins the EMS Handoff crew to discuss the ins-and-outs of documentation from the eagle eye’s perspective to the nitty-gritty.

Jason Haag is a well-traveled EMS educator who currently works as the Quality Assurance analyst and clinical educator for MultiMed Billing in Baldwinsville, NY. With more than 18 years of EMS experience, Jason is a critical care paramedic with experience as an EMS supervisor and CIC certification teaching agencies across New York.  He also speaks at conferences, hosting classes, and reviewing texts for Jones and Bartlett Learning.  Jason continues his EMS advocacy with multiple EMS agencies and committees. His involvement with Geneva (NY) Fire Department, Boy Scouts, Masons, Rotary, and Ducks Unlimited occupies his days after his daily family time with his wife and son.

Hear Brian Kim’s story of reprioritizing life and his struggle to recreate balance after leaving the military.

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