Staying Focused on the Road Ahead
At the Eagles Conference being held this week in Dallas, a friend of mine who was at the recent JEMS EMS Today Conference asked me about my keynote talk about pride and professionalism in what we do in public safety. We chatted for a long time, and I told him that I wanted the audience to feel the great pride I had in our profession—but also I wanted the audience to recognize our many shortcomings as a result of being somewhat nearsighted as young EMS pioneers. We were so worried about perfecting our new clinical skills and focused primarily on the clinical tasks and obstacles that were immediately ahead of us, that we f...
Source: JEMS Administration and Leadership - March 2, 2019 Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: A.J. Heightman, MPA, EMT P Tags: Columns Exclusive Articles Administration and Leadership Source Type: news

EMS Medical Directors Chart the Future of EMS at Annual Gathering of Eagles
The Metropolitan Medical Directors Coalition (AKA “Eagles”) 21st Annual Retreat (AKA “Eagle Creek”) was held Wednesday and Thursday, February 27 and 28, at the Dallas Sheraton Hotel under the leadership of Paul Pepe, MD. The closed, invitation-only retreat is attended by 70 medical directors from the most-populated metropolitan EMS systems as well as 18 EMS fellows—33% of the nation’s current EMS fellows. This group oversees EMS for a combined population of over 114 million people in the United States and abroad, with representatives from Canada; Germany; New Zealand; Italy; Amsterdam, The Netherland; Bangkok, ...
Source: JEMS Administration and Leadership - February 28, 2019 Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: A.J. Heightman, MPA, EMT P Tags: Top Story News Exclusive Articles Patient Care Administration and Leadership Operations Source Type: news

Swedish EMS Rises to the Challenge of Multiculturalism
“A young man might throw stones at a fire truck or an ambulance,” says Janina Sabra, 31, as she strides into her office at a youth center in rough-and-tumble east Gothenburg, Sweden. “But he won’t throw them at his friend—he won’t throw them at ‘Uncle Daniel.’” Sabra should know. The managing director of Person Behind the Uniform (PBU)—an innovative community outreach program designed to bring young people and first responders together—she has undeniable street cred. Forward thinking: Janina Sabra, managing director of the Man Behind the Uniform. Photo Mark S. Weiner After all, she grew up in one of ...
Source: JEMS Administration and Leadership - February 25, 2019 Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Mark S. Weiner, PhD, JD, EMT-B Tags: International Top Story Exclusive Articles Administration and Leadership Source Type: news

EMS10: Innovators in EMS Award Winners Announced at EMS Today 2019
The winners of this year’s EMS10: Innovators in EMS awards were announced by JEMS Editor-in-Chief A.J. Heightman on Wednesday morning, Feb. 20, at an exclusive breakfast, hosted as part of EMS Today 2019 in National Harbor, Maryland, and sponsored by Stryker. A panel of professional EMS colleagues and peers selected the distinguished winners, who each displayed initiative, creative thinking, action-orientation and a desire to positively impact EMS, patients and their communities in the previous year. The winners of the 2018 EMS10: Innovators in EMS awards are: Morgan K. Anderson, MPH Epidemiologist, Imag...
Source: JEMS Administration and Leadership - February 20, 2019 Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Ryan Kelley, NREMT Tags: EMS Today Conference Top Story Exclusive Articles Administration and Leadership Source Type: news

The Priority and Future of Research in EMS
Allina Health EMS Researcher Lori Boland, MPH At Allina Health EMS, a small research team works inside the St. Paul, Minnesota-based EMS agency, which has more than 600 care providers and serves more than 100 communities in the region. We sat down with Lori Boland, MPH, principal research scientist at Allina Health EMS, to discuss the importance of research in EMS.Lori is a clinical epidemiologist who collaborates with emergency medicine physicians and prehospital clinicians in support of investigator-initiated research in the area of emergency services at Allina Health EMS. She earned her MPH in epidemiology with an empha...
Source: JEMS Administration and Leadership - February 16, 2019 Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Ryan Kelley, NREMT Tags: EMS Insider Exclusive Articles Operations Administration and Leadership Source Type: news

Community Response to Cardiac Arrest in the Netherlands
In 1767, the Foundation of the Rescue of Drowned Persons was established in the Netherlands because of the high number of people who drowned in Amsterdam’s many canals. The foundation promoted rescue techniques, informing Amsterdam’s citizens that drowned persons could actually be saved by first-aid interventions. They also gave medals to rescuers. The foundation exists and is still active today, and it illustrates the proactive Dutch attitude toward community participation to save lives. Like drowning, the first few minutes of an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) are essential. This is especially true when the arr...
Source: JEMS Administration and Leadership - February 12, 2019 Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Hans van Schuppen, MD Tags: Cardiac & Resuscitation Exclusive Articles Heart of America Top Story International Communications Dispatch Source Type: news

Dispatch-Assisted CPR
Early recognition of cardiac arrest, early effective CPR and early defibrillation are the most effective treatments yielding favorable neurological outcome from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). If CPR is started prior to the arrival of EMS, the patient’s chances for survival dramatically increase. The data supporting this axiom is extensive but is exemplified by a recent large review. CPR provided by bystanders prior to EMS arrival was studied in a retrospective Swedish cohort of over 31,000 patients spanning a period from 1990–2011, and researchers found that 30-day survival improved from 4% to 10.9%.1 Bystander...
Source: JEMS Administration and Leadership - February 12, 2019 Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Michael Levy, MD, FACEP, FAEMS, FACP Tags: Cardiac & Resuscitation Exclusive Articles Patient Care Operations Heart of America Top Story Communications Dispatch Source Type: news

Electronic Community Alerting and Response to Cardiac Arrest
Public safety agencies are increasingly using mobile apps to engage CPR-trained citizens on nearby out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) events occurring in their community. For extremely time sensitive emergencies like cardiac arrest, notifying these “first-first responders” who are in the immediate vicinity of an event—simultaneously with the conventional Fire/EMS response—offers the potential to improve outcomes. By expanding situational awareness beyond the purview of a traditional witnessed arrest radius, there’s a better opportunity to instantly draw skilled individuals, including off-duty healthcare profes...
Source: JEMS Administration and Leadership - February 12, 2019 Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Richard Price, MPA Tags: Cardiac & Resuscitation Top Story Exclusive Articles Communications Dispatch Administration and Leadership Heart of America Source Type: news

Pro Bono: ‘Guns-at-Work’ Laws Raise Legal Issues for EMS Agencies
The Virginia state senate has passed a bill that would allow EMS personnel and firefighters to carry concealed weapons in the course of their duties, provided they’re approved to do so by their EMS or fire chief. The bill would also require an EMS agency or fire department to put in place a written policy regarding “best practices in carrying a concealed handgun.” JEMS: Bill to Arm Firefighters, Medics Passes in Virginia Senate The proposed legislation—Senate Bill 1012—passed the senate by a small margin and heads to the Virginia House of Delegates where it’s expected to be defeated, likely also by a slim ...
Source: JEMS Administration and Leadership - February 1, 2019 Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Doug Wolfberg, Esq. Tags: Top Story Exclusive Articles Administration and Leadership Operations Source Type: news

How Public Relation(ships) Can Enhance Your Brand and Build Affinity for Your EMS Agency
What if one of your EMS crews were involved in a serious vehicle accident? How many news cycles and media outlets would you expect to cover it? How do you establish your brand as the mobile health and prehospital leader and subject matter expert in your region? Does the community generally have a positive impression of your organization? What if your main competitor shared untrue information about your organization with local elected officials? Would you easily get the chance to set the record straight with them? These questions underscore the importance of a multipronged, foundational approach to a strong external public ...
Source: JEMS Administration and Leadership - January 16, 2019 Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Alexia Bratiotis Jobson, BA, APR Tags: Exclusive Articles Administration and Leadership Source Type: news

National Registry Evolution Builds Momentum
NREMT Executive Director Bill Seifarth. Since its founding in 1970, the National Registry of EMTs (NREMT) has offered the nation assurance that the men and women providing emergency treatment in the out-of-hospital setting are capable of providing the care that patients and their loved ones deserve. Following the interim direction of Drew Dawson, the NREMT named Bill Seifarth as its new executive director in August 2018. An EMS industry veteran, Seifarth brings more than 20 years of experience to the position, including leadership at both the state and federal levels, along with a background of managing several comprehensi...
Source: JEMS Administration and Leadership - January 16, 2019 Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Ryan Kelley, NREMT Tags: Exclusive Articles Administration and Leadership Source Type: news

Stop the Burn and Churn of Turnover and Burnout Through Resiliency Science
Several years ago, while sitting in a critical incident debriefing, I noted how little was understood about the impact of high-intensive exposure to the complexity of humanity. The incident debrief concerned a murder of one individual for their unborn baby. Both mother and infant died from the action of another. As the healthcare responders, we were dealing with the high emotional load of what we saw and how it impacted us. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the definition of the word “resilience” is: “the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties, toughness … the ability of a substance or object to sp...
Source: JEMS Administration and Leadership - January 16, 2019 Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Martie L. Moore, RN, MAOM, CPHQ Tags: Exclusive Articles Administration and Leadership Source Type: news

Former Homeland Security Director Reunited with Rescuers at NAEMSP Keynote
Former Pennsylvania Governor and Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge coded in his JW Marriott hotel room in Austin, Texas, in 2017. He was successfully resuscitated by crews from Austin-Travis County EMS and Fire and is one of among many cardiac arrest survivors grateful for the contributions of America’s EMTs and paramedics. Ridge was the opening keynote speaker yesterday at the annual meeting of the National Association of EMS Physicians, being held this week at the same JW Marriott in Austin where Ridge experienced his “life incident.” During his address, Secretary Ridge reviewed his history with EMS. He began wi...
Source: JEMS Administration and Leadership - January 11, 2019 Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: A.J. Heightman, MPA, EMT-P Tags: Cardiac & Resuscitation News Exclusive Articles Administration and Leadership Source Type: news

EMS Today 2019: A Sneak Peak
Join AJ, Ryan and Bobby along with their special guests in a special Google Hangout where they discuss EMS Today 2019 and the incredible classes, events and workshops that will take place over three incredible days at the incredible Gaylord Resort in National Harbor, Maryland. Along with talking about the educatiopnal offerings, the group will talk about some of the challenges and opportunities that the medic community faces in the coming year. You can watch live at 1:00pm (Eastern); 12:00pm (Central); 10:00am (Pacific) on Tuesday, January 8th. If you can't join us live, the event will be archived here soon after it is bro...
Source: JEMS Administration and Leadership - January 3, 2019 Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: A.J. Heightman, MPA, EMT P Tags: Exclusive Articles Administration and Leadership EMS Today Source Type: news

Salute to Littleton Fire Rescue
January 1st was not just the start of a new year in Colorado. It was a big change day for the men and women of Littleton Fire Rescue (LFR), as their fire department is dissolved and their staff and facilities are absorbed and integrated into the massive South Metro Fire Rescue, the second-largest fire department in Colorado. The tragedy at Columbine High School on April 20, 1999, resulted in me traveling to the beautiful city of Littleton to personally meet and interview the men and women of LFR and their mutual aid neighbors. I walked through the bullet-riddled entranceways and hallways of Columbine with senior staff and ...
Source: JEMS Administration and Leadership - January 2, 2019 Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: A.J. Heightman, MPA, EMT P Tags: Exclusive Articles Columns Administration and Leadership Source Type: news