When the movie Level Zero came out last year, I was extremely excited. I think everyone who operates in this medium and in our field can agree that there is a complete and total lacking of positive press, and realistic examples of what we do as a profession. It did not take me long at all to email the Level Zero Link to everyone that I knew, whether they were in the field or not. I loved the viewpoints of those featured in the movie, and thought that they had a lot to say about what we did. Little did I know, but a little more than a year later, I would have a chance to experience the streets featured in Level Zero first hand.
I got a call at the beginning of December from a colleague of mine who needed my assistance. There were some computer systems out in Alameda County that needed some tweaking, and some additional education that went with it. I was offered an all expenses paid trip out to ALCO, where I would get to spend 40 hours or there about riding along on the streets of Oakland and its surrounding communities. How could I say no?
I had a great experience that week. It was really eye opening. Every truck I got on had a crew that welcomed me, was willing to answer questions about their system, and had plenty of questions about my system and where I came from. I’ll be honest, this trip was more than just a “Help the company” opportunity for me. I walked away with many ideas about system design, system status management, and crew attitude and motivation that I could take back with me to where I worked and improve the quality of my service. I feel like I sound like a broken record sometimes. The words “when I was in California” come out of my mouth more times than I can count.
The topic of Level Zero the Movie came up with one of the crews I was with, and they were quick to explain to me the concept of Chronicles of EMS. Could it be? A chance to view more systems from the provider’s viewpoint, rather than from a camera crew’s? It was like looking into a whole new world. I got to see different view points, I’ve gotten different ideas, and every word that I read about EMS 2.0 makes me buy into the concept that much more.
To Justin Schorr, Thaddeus Setla, Chris Montera, Mark Glencorse, and the rest of the Chronicles of EMS Team, thank you for everything you do. Although my Blog is just a small piece of what goes on in the “movement” I’m proud to be part of it, and will do my best to follow the example you and everyone else have set for me.
I promised myself that I would try really hard to update this Blog weekly, as I want to contribute, and don’t want to run the risk of running out of topics, but some things just have to be said.
Check out these two great projects here:
http://www.levelzeromovie.com
http://chroniclesofems.com
Until next time, stay safe out there!
Not only did your article just inspire me more, but you made this last year all worth every minute. I will first say that I did not do this alone by any means and it has been an honor to work with like minded individuals who see the future of EMS the way I do. To hear that you took away from our projects what you did is simply amazing and if I can inspire only one person to help make a change or bring up discussion about change, I have done what I have set out to do!
Welcome to ALCO and I look forward to the day I meet you in person!
Thank you kindly, sir! I greatly appreciate it. Sadly, I'm back in sunny (not so much) New England now, but I would love to someday get back out to California and create more adventures of my own!
Sometimes I wonder what life would be like if I had known about ALCO sooner.. I probably would have spent a lot more than just a week there..