When I was in California, I had three similar conversations with three different crews. It went something like this: Paramedic/EMT — “So, you said you’re from Massachusetts, right?” Me — “Yes I am!” Paramedic/EMT — “How the heck do you work in the snow? What do you do?” My response at first was “What do you mean?” But I realized very quickly that in the Bay Area, dealing with a significant snow fall usually isn’t a logistical issue. I’m sitting in my truck right now writing this as I stare at a five and a half foot high snow bank, which is bound to get higher as in the next 48-72 hours, we might see as much as an additional twenty inches of snow fall dumped on us by Mother Nature. I’ve been in Massachusetts for almost fourteen years, and I can honestly say, I don’t remember a winter being that bad. Keep in mind though, that I don’t completely remember some parts of my college years! For those of you who live in warmer climates, I guess I should give you the rundown of what we do, and what we deal with when things get like this. . . right after I share an inappropriate hand gesture with you, and your “Its warm enough in January to wear short sleeves” weather. 1. Plowing, or lack there of. Over the last couple of years, my service has completely transitioned out of Box Ambulances. Our entire fleet of 35 trucks is now made up of vans, and let me tell you, I’m not that heart broken about that, especially at this time of year. Many side streets in our service area end up being very poorly plowed, and with cars parked on the streets, its very difficult to get a Box Truck down the streets. Even a not-so-experienced driver can park a Type II ambulance just about anywhere. 2. Hypothermia. The heat almost always stays on the back, so that all it takes is a flip of the “Master” switch to get that truck nice and toasty. Crews always make sure their IV warmer is stocked, and sometimes will even add a 1000 cc bag...

Ever since I was in college, I’ve always been fascinated by the way different systems ran.I always jumped at any chance I got to get on anyone else’s ambulance just to see how they did things.When I was around twenty years old, I belonged to two Volunteer EMS Departments, and would help out when a third was short.I also spent time doing ride time with out County Medic Units as I got ready to further my career inEMS. When I was a Paramedic Student, I spent the first week of my field internship on a 40-hour ride along with FDNY.I spent three days out ofMetropolitanHospital, and two days out ofJacobyHospitalinBrooklyn.While I got some good skills, I was more interested in how they worked.I took a lot from that experience, much like I did from my time inAlameda County,Californiawhich I’ve talked about ad nausium. Since I got into this whole Social Media craze back in February, I’ve met many people from many different systems big and small.One day this summer, I got to thinking, “How can I get a better picture of what everyone is doing?”The answer was right on my phone: Twitter.The result was the creation of a Hashtag, #MyEMSDay. Over the last six months, what started out as a few different contributors has grown to daily and hourly Tweets, vaguely detailing the events of everyone’s day.Each day, I see Tweets not only from theUSbut from all over the world.I get to see Paramedics and EMTs professionally and respectfully sharing their thoughts about the events of theirEMSsystem on that given day.Some people may vent, and some people may share that big call that they feel really good about, but all in all, it’s a way for everyone to see what everyone else is involved in. Do you follow #MyEMSDay?If not, you should add it to your Twitter, right next to #CoEMS, my other favorite Hashtag.Take a look, read a little bit, and share your own thoughts.We want to hear...

For the last couple of days, I’ve been reading a lot about the changes that have happened in Detroit, regarding their responses to EMS Calls.If you want to see a great summary of how it is working, check out RJ Stine’s take on it over at Hybridmedic. I’m not going to get into my views on tiered responses, and Priority Dispatch.Do I think its the right thing forDetroit?Honestly?I don’t.I think they have bigger problems to solve systemically that has nothing to do with putting more of their leadership on the chopping block, but for me to sit here and bad mouth what they are doing from 500 miles away just isn’t fair, so I am going to reserve my right to share my opinion until things progress a little more. I realize that I might have been very critical in the months that closed out 2010, and it was because all that I was hearing from Detroit Fire’s hierarchy was excuses and half hearted solutions to problems.Brainstorming, and tossing ideas around the table is one of my favorite things to do, but when you have the ear of the people who can make those changes happen, and you don’t take advantage of it, it just turns to lip service.That’s all that I was hearing from the previous leadership of Detroit Fire: lip service. I have decided to turn this post into positive words for the new leadership ofDetroit Fire.Why am I applauding them?Because without really saying it, they’ve admitted that there is a problem, and they’ve taken a step towards fixing it.Romewasn’t built in a day, andDetroit’sEMSproblems won’t be fixed overnight, but showing the willingness to change how things are done is a giant step in the right direction. Now, my advice to them as they progress is to continue to embrace change as an organization.Everything you try might not work the way you intend it to.Don’t get discouraged.Carry on with what works, and learn from the mistakes that are bound to happen.In time, you will find the formula that works perfectly forDetroit, and being fluid and willing to evolve over the next year or two will make that happen a lot quicker than...

CareerCast’s Best and Worst Jobs of 2011 have been released, and guess where Emergency Medical Technician ranks?That’s right, number 195!The career I have chosen is the 6th worst in the country. CareerCast evaluates the jobs based on Work Environment, Stress, Physical Demands, Hiring Outlook, and Income.If you’re interested in seeing their full methodology, its right here. I took a closer look at our score, and how we stood up against some higher ranked jobs.Our Work Environment score is comparable to that of a General Practice Physician, which is ranked #83.Job Stress is similar to that of a Lawyer, ranked #82.Our Physical Demands score is about the same as Heating and Refrigeration Mechanics, who are ranked #93, and our Hiring Outlook is better than the #20 ranked job of Economist. Where do we fall short?Its really no mystery: Income.As I perused the articles that accompanied CareerCast’s report, I stumbled on a great quote from Andrew Strieber in his piece about The Ten Worst Jobs of 2011: “. . . jobs like EMT have considerably better hiring prospects (than the others at the bottom of the list), but rank in the bottom 10 due to harsh working conditions, high stress, and inexcusably low pay given the extremely important nature of their work.“ Let those last couple of words resonate for just a few seconds: “inexcusably low pay given the extremely important nature of their work.”Mr. Strieber gets it.While his words are alarming, and spell out the struggle of our profession, its refreshing to me to see someone in the media voicing a concern with how our profession is treated, even if it is just an excerpt out of a Paragraph.So how do we fix it?How do we move forward in improving our profession, and moving up on the list? Its time to focus on establishing a united front as a profession.Once we come together, and take control of our own fate, we can improve so much of what we do, not only for ourselves but for our patients as well.For now though, we are left to be the pawns of the Public Safety and Medical communities. What’s the first step in getting out of this rut...

As I am writing this, its Tuesday afternoon, and my area is planning on spending much of Wednesday dealing with Blizzard-Like conditions.Predictions for my area are going anywhere from six inches of snow to a foot and a half.Only time will tell how much we end up getting. It’s Winter Time, and snow is a given where I live.We might not get as much as say, Tonawanda,New York, but we do alright here.So far this year, we have gotten pretty lucky, but all of that could change tomorrow.If a blizzard was to hit where you work, how ready are you for it?I’m not talking about your service, I’m talking about you personally. Do you have a Winter EMS Survival Kit?Maybe its time that you make one.I am fortunate enough that I live about a mile and a half from where I work, so the need for me to be “fully prepared” is not as great as it was, but when I lived farther away from work, I always had a kit in the trunk of my car that was ready to go if I ever needed it.Here’s what it had: 1.Spare clothes — I always carried a spare uniform with me, right down to the skivvies!You never know when you might need them, especially in the snowy, winter tundra ofNew England. 2.Two Pairs of Socks — As funny as it may sound, its always important to take care of your feet.One extra pair is good, but two will get you through for a while, if need be. 3.Shower Supplies — I always had an extra towel, along with soap, shampoo, and flip flops!While the towels in my service get washed, they’re also used to clean up the ambulances.Gross, right? 4.Toiletries — Always have a spare stick of deodorant, and a tooth brush and toothpaste handy.No one wants to sit in the truck with a stinky partner. 5.Extra Boots — Again, think about those feet!I usually go through two pairs of boots a year, one in the Spring and one in the Fall.Usually, my Spring/Summer boots are in good enough shape that they could still be worn if needed, so I keep them as a...