Its slightly ironic that as I write this post, I am lying on my couch, heating pad on my back, and a cat on my lap holding me firmly to it.  Yes, I, like many in EMS, have a bad back, and an old nagging injury has reared its ugly head.  Thankfully, my flareups are few and far between (knock on wood) but they still happen, and when they do, they suck. The strives that we have made in back safety in EMS during my career have been huge.  We have added a number of devices to help us along: stair chairs with tracks on them, stretchers with hydrolics that are raised and lowered at the touch of a button. even stretchers that load themselves.  In Australia, ergonomics is extremely important to EMS.  They are using lifting techniques, slide sheets, and moves that I hope one day make their way over here to the western world as it would do nothing but benefit us.  Still though, the possibility for a back injury exists, and I feel that the biggest risk comes from a topic that is currently extremely controversial: backboarding. So how does backboarding a patient result in potentially landing on one yourself?  Think about lifting a backboard that is flat on the ground.  Think about how difficult it is to use a proper lifting technique to get that board up.  I am 6’5″ (although I claim I am 5’9″) and let me tell you, its a long way down for me to get that backboard.  I don’t enjoy it, and my lifting technique admittedly probably is not the best, but I do the best I can with the body and its mechanics that I was given.  The lesson for this one is simple: do the best that you can, and make sure you have enough help if needed.  Keep the stretcher as low as possible (all the way down if it is not a manual one) and try and minimize the lift as best you can. Most of all though, don’t let yourself get complacent.  When we are not lifting as much as we used to we get comfortable with that, and when...

A lot has happened over the last month.  The blog turned two years old, and I spent an amazing week at EMS Today with some great friends.  Although my fun was cut short a bit by a nagging back injury, I still made the most of my time, met many great people, and spent some fun times with some old friends.  The third issue of EMS Interventions has hit the virtual newsstands, and I could not be more proud of the product that we have put together.  All of this has had me asking myself: where do I go from here? The decision I have made is to restructure the setup I have here at EMS in the New Decade.  Although the appearance of the blog itself (which I really enjoy) will remain largely the same, the way the content is provided is going to change a little bit. I have decided to cover three main subjects: content for the field provider, content for leadership, and a day where I can post freeform about what is on my mind. Monday will be my day for the field provider.  All content on Monday will contain tips, tricks, ideas, and things for an EMS professional in the streets.  I already have some great content lined up for the coming month, and I am excited to see what you, the reader, thinks of it. Wednesday will be the day for leadership.  Topics such as tips for new supervisors, often overlooked subjects by those who may not be on the street anymore, and bigger picture topics that will effect EMS for years to come will be the target. Friday will be a day “for me.”  While most of the content will be EMS related (stories, some personal thoughts on the field itself, and maybe even a guest post or two) there will also be some posts about my thoughts in general on life, politics, and things that might be off the beaten path of what has been posted here in the past.  I am really excited about adding these posts to the site.  With the changing political climate in this country that could have profound effects on the...

This one is for you.  That’s right: this quarter’s addition of Intervetions was written just for you, the EMT, the paramedic, the field provider.  Inside, you will find stories about training, the importance of communication, and my contribution all about stress management. Even though this is a quarterly magazine, there is a lot of work that goes into it.  The goal of the Interventions team is to give you, the reader, as much quality content as we can.  Personally, I think we have once again accomplished that. Thanks to the entire Interventions team for all of their hard work.  And especially, a big thanks goes out to Justin Schorr for his creativity with the magazine’s layout. Without further delay, I’d like to present to you this quarter’s Interventions Magazine.   Up next: The Interventions team will educate those who make the legal decisions that govern what we do: the...

Two years ago today, I sat in my office staring at a blank Blogspot post screen.  I had tried the blogging thing before but I had never tried writing about EMS.  Now though, after reading blogs like The Happy Medic and Life Under the Lights, I decided that it was time for me to take a stab at it. Now, two years and almost 150 posts later, here we are.  It has been quite the journey so far, and I am sure that there is going to be more to come.  There have certainly been some ups and downs, but as John Hall says about EMS careers, they should be a sine wave, and not a bell curve.  This blog post is not about patient care, management, or anything EMS related.  Its simply to say thanks to you, the reader, for actually taking the time to read the occasionally aimless musings of an EMS professional.  The first 150 posts have been a blast. . . Lets see where the next 150 takes...

I recently spoke with a close friend who related to me a story of a very difficult call that she had to deal with.  Without getting too into detail, she was presented with a young child who was in a very difficult and seemingly hopeless situation.  My friend’s “motherly instinct” kicked in when the child latched onto not her family, not her mother, but my friend.  From listening to the story and everything my friend did, which was not much more than consoling the child and establishing a rapport with her, I could not help but be amazed with the job done by my EMT friend.  This was not an acute medical emergency it was actually nothing more than just a simple transport to an emergency room.  Still though, my friend broke down and couldn’t help but question herself and her ability to do her job as an EMT. In actuality though, she did exactly what she had to do: she stayed calm and did everything someone in her position could for the child: she was supportive and she was an advocate for her, and while after the fact she had trouble dealing with the situation, while it was ongoing, she was as professional as anyone could be. A few days before, I assisted a crew who had a patient unexpectedly get combative on them.  While the scuffle in the back of the truck could have gotten bad, the crew handled themselves as efficiently as any crew I had seen in such a situation.  Within 5 minutes of the patient getting combative, he was properly restrained to the stretcher without a scratch on him and wearing a non-rebreather to prevent him from spitting at anyone.  Again, here was a situation where emotions got high and things could have quickly escalated out of control with one wrong move or one wrong word.  The crew, however, kept as cool a head as possible and handled the situation perfectly. This brings us to the point of this post: no matter what happens, and no matter what the call nature is, one sign of a strong EMT is their ability to put their emotions aside, or as much...