I did some thinking this week in the wake of the loss of two of Boston’s Bravest, Michael Kennedy and Edward Walsh and it is a point that I think the world commonly over looks when it comes to police, fire, and EMS.  We have to deal with death far too often most of the time in the form of the general public and the patients that many of us encounter in the streets.  Death is never an easy thing to digest in any setting but we push on, despite it sometimes being a child, or maybe a scenario that is all too familiar to us that triggers some sort of memory from our own personal past.  We are there to deal with it though, and we are there to help the survivors through the early stages of their loss.  The truck stays in service, and we are ready for the next call.  We are not afforded the luxuries that many other people get. If the person who died owned a business for example, that business might close its doors the day of their funeral to allow their employees to pay their respects.  The employers of their loved ones most likely will give them the day off so that they can properly mourn their loss in their own way.  When it comes to public safety though, there is no day off.  There are no locks on the doors or a sign that we can put up in the window that says “be back in 15!” that expects people to be patient and await the return of someone, anyone who might be working that day. Firefighter Kennedy and Lieutenant Walsh were lost on Wednesday March 26th.  On Thursday morning March 27th, there was a group of brave responders who despite their loss put their own grief on the back burner every time the tones dropped because somebody needs them.  The magnitude of that seemed to hit me today as I read through the outpouring of support for Boston Fire over the last couple of days. When the Springfield Police Department tragically lost Kevin Ambrose on June 4, 2012, I was working.  I was on the...

It’s currently Thursday night, at 8pm and as I write this blog, I am counting down the hours until Sirens premiers on the USA Network.  From looking around social media I have found that there are some out there who not only are not excited about this show, but are damning its existence.  To them, and to everyone else in the field I am here to say, lighten up! I used do the opening lecture for an EMT class in Massachusetts that I called “So, You Want to be an EMT” that talked about a lot of the factors that one must think about before even considering getting into this field.  One of the subjects that I touched upon was what I personally consider the best PR machine that this field has ever had: the 1970’s show Emergency!  The show, which premiered in 1972, loosely chronicled the creation of the Los Angeles Fire Department’s paramedic program and shared the brand new concept of paramedicine with the world through the eyes of Johnny Gage and Roy Desoto.  Since the show went off the air in 1979, a few networks have tried to recreate it and have failed.  Miserably. Do I even have to bring up the horror show that was Trauma! that introduced Captain Versed (portrayed by social media’s own Ms Paramedic Natalie Quebodeaux Cavender)?  Or, if you really want a laugh, go on YouTube and search for episodes of a show from 1999 called Rescue 77 that once featured a paramedic doing a handstand on a patient to defibrillate them in a pool of water.  It was truly cringe worthy. While I thought that Rescue Me was a great character study, and the first season had a lot of telling tales about the stress that many in the field are subjected to day in and day out it was more about the people than the department.  Third Watch, again, was a show that I could never get in to, and I have yet to even bother watching an episode of Chicago Fire.  Saved, which lasted just one season, might have been my favorite but the show was not without its share of glaring flaws. ...

As I was getting ready for my first day of work last week, I started loaded up my pockets with the usual stuff that I carry.  In my right leg pocket, I keep my shears strapped into their little holders.  I always crisscross the straps to their snaps.  In my left hip pocket I carry my gloves.  At my new job I was surprised to find that many people carry sterile exam gloves so I started doing the same.  (If we are ever partners, I am an 8 and a half.) I loaded up my belt the same way that I do every day.  Between the second and third belt loop on the left, the clip for my radio goes.  In the same spot on the right side I have a holder for non-sterile gloves.  I usually load it up with four pairs at the start of my shift all rolled a certain way so I can grab a pair quickly if I need them. I then got ready to pocket the last little trinket that I carry: my Smith & Wesson knife that sits clipped into my right front pocket and realized that I could not find it.  I slipped into a momentary panic. Although I have used it just twice in the four years that I have owned it the knife is always sitting there, just in case. Fortunately, I found it in my hamper.  Apparently, it fell out of my pair of pants from the previous shift but it got me to thinking about all of the little idiosyncrasies that I go through in my day.  I have a certain way of doing things in my job that makes me comfortable.  It is kind of my own personal way of holding on to my sanity I guess.  My GPS goes on the windshield a certain way.  I keep my traffic vest in a certain spot in the truck.  My bulletproof vest sits behind the headrest of the back seat on whichever side I am driving.  These things get done every shift.  The same way.  I end up almost unconsciously reaching for things just knowing that they are there.  it is comforting....

No units available.  Not enough paramedics.  Citizens dissatisfied with response times.  The public and private sectors at odds.  Paramedics and EMTs bearing witness to horrors and atrocities on a daily basis.  This could easily be a story line from FOX News in Detroit but it’s not.  These are just a few major plot lines in the documentary Tell Me and I Will Forget. On a snowy afternoon, I decided to look through NETFLIX for something that I had not seen yet and I stumbled upon this video.  I have watched Parmedico, Firestorm, Burn, and any other public safety documentary that I can get my hands on.  While each of them has been extremely moving and left some impression on me, none has been as powerful as this movie. The level of violence in the country of South Africa leaves me speechless.  While emergency responders encounter a lot state side, the level and brutality experienced by South African medics is unbelievable.  In the first five minutes of the movie, you meet Kallie, one of about 400 paramedics working for the government service as he responds by himself without ambulance backup to a shooting.  You watch him work, eventually sedating and intubating a disoriented patient with a hemothorax as he waits on the side of the road for what feels like an eternity for a responding ambulance.  The system is overwhelmed on a daily basis.  The work force is depleted.  Thankfully, however, the public and private sectors seem to work well together. It was interesting to see an overview of what NETCARE 911 a for profit EMS system in South Africa has to offer.  While much of what was expressed was done by their own employees the view of many in the private sector was that they had more equipment, more ability, and better resources to draw from.  It was an interesting contrast to what many find in for profit EMS in the United States which focuses on being the more lean, cheaper option for EMS.  Far too often American private ambulance services are more concerned about their own bottom line than they are patient care. . . at least at the management level. Comments made by...

Christmas is right around the corner, and it is time to hit the stores, or in my case hit the websites, and get that shopping done.  But what do you buy for the EMT or paramedic who seems to have everything?  Well you’re in luck because here are what I feel are five of the best gifts that every provider should have this year. 1.   Ripshears – These might be one of the best purchases that I have made in my EMS career. They’re affordable, they attach right to your favorite pair of shears, and they do the job.  But don’t take my word for it, check out The Happy Medic’s review! 2.  A subscription to EMS World or JEMS – This is the gift that every EMT and paramedic out there should have.  There is a wealth of information available today on the internet, but nothing beats print media when it comes to trade publications.  I have subscriptions to both, it is one of the perks to going to their national conferences, and if you or your loved one does not, it’s a great gift for the holidays this year! 3.  5.11 A.T.A.C. 8” Side Zip Boots – In my 13 years as a paramedic I have gone through just about every brand and style of boots imaginable: Magnum, Rocky, Blauer.  On my first day last December at my new job, I was issued a pair of brand new 5.11 A.T.A.C. 8” Side Zip Boots.  A year later, I am still in that pair.  First of all, I was always used to going through boots every six to eight months or so.  Most of that I attribute to the harsh New England winters, regardless of what I did, or how much I worked, I never had a pair of boots last me a whole year until now.  These things are great.  They’re comfortable, functional, and really hold up. 4.  A new flashlight – Currently, I own two flashlights: the first I reviewed earlier this year made by Coast Portland.  This one lives in my truck’s door during my work week.  Its bright, light, and functional.  The other one that I own is a...

It took some preparation but the time is almost here. Tomorrow morning I am presenting at the Massachusetts EMS Conference. On a personal level this is quite the first step for me. My goal, ultimately, is to be able to present at EMS Today or EMS World sometime in the next year or two. While I have always been quick to present on topics that have to do with the well being of a paramedic, and better treatment from a provider stand point rather than a clinician’s stand point, my class tomorrow is clinical in nature. The topic is one that I am passionate about: capnography, and specifically, how it should guide and effect your assessment and treatment. Furthermore, this visit marks my first “full” return to Massachusetts. I spent twelve years up there that I valued greatly because of the friendships and work relationships that I made. Truth is, if it was not for the time that I spent up there, I would not be the paramedic that I feel that I am today. In just six short weeks, I will mark my first year in my new system, and it has been quite the ride. My views on a lot of things have changed: skill dilution, and working in a union shop just to name a few. Municipal EMS is fantastic, and I have to say, I am now a firm believer that third service EMS is the best model. It might not be the most fiscally responsible but in my opinion, it does not get much better than that, especially for someone like me who has the utmost respect for fire fighters with zero desire to run into a burning building. But I digress. . . It’s time to suppress the butterflies and make a few last minute changes to my presentation, then tomorrow at 11am, it’s go...

Over the last couple of years, there has been a group of paramedics that I work with who have taken it upon themselves to grow mustaches in the name of cancer awareness during the month of October.  The event is known as Stachetober, and each year, more and more paramedics and EMTs throughout my county have joined to participate.  Many would ask why we are not doing this in November, as many other people do, but many view November as a month where you do not shave at all.  Sadly, our departmental regulations prevent that.  They do, however, allow you to have a sweet mustache, so we do our own thing in the month of October. This year, against my better judgement, I have decided that I am going to join my colleagues (who are all male by the way) and grow myself as sweet a stache as I possibly can. In keeping with the growth of Stachetober, we have also decided to take on a charity this year, and are soliciting for donations from friends, family, and the general public.  The charity that has been selected is All the Difference Inc Pediatrics Services For Developmental Difference which one of my colleagues rightly describes as “a phenomenal non profit company that works with children with developmental disabilities and special needs.”  It is a charity that is near and dear to one of our paramedics’ hearts. So how can you help?  How can you support us in growing our sweet sweet ‘staches?  Just head over to our GoFundMe account and contribute!  Any amount will help. . . even if it is just a dollar.  Any amount will help us make the itching, the funny looks, and the laughs worth it.  More importantly you will be giving to a GREAT charity. And, as always, thanks to everyone who takes the time to contribute.  The money this year is going to a great cause.  Let’s see how much we can raise!...

Aug 30, 2013

Every EMS system in the country, and most likely the world, has their share of “regular” patients.  It was brought to my attention via Facebook that Springfield lost one of its most well known patients who was a frequent user of the ambulance service there for close to 30 years.  No one, however, has been able to find an obituary, so I decided to write one for him. . . Donald Spittlehouse (1945 – 2013) was called by his own personal higher power sometime in the past two weeks.  While the exact date of his passing is unknown, his loss was felt far and wide throughout the EMS community in the greater Springfield, Massachusetts area. While much of Donald’s background is unknown, his reputation was legendary and the kind of thing that fables are made of.  Some said that he was a simple machine worker who spent most of his life in New England.  Others, however, said that he was an ill fated former MIT professor who fell into a deep state of depression after having his heart broken.  Donald was known by many names, and would occasionally be referred to by the code name “Mr President.”  Some would also say that he could single handedly be credited with keeping the pay phone market alive in Springfield. Donald was most well known for his affinity for trivia, especially when it came to geography.  He could recite without hesitation the capital of each of the United States, and many countries throughout the world.  He was a skilled at crossword puzzles and would often contribute to clues that would commonly stump many amateurs while waiting for the arrival of his “extended family members.”  While some might have been frustrated in their interactions with them, Donald was also the recipient of the kindness and generosity of the medical community in the form of breakfast sandwiches, coffees, and the occasional shower and shave. It is unknown if Donald left any family behind.  He was, however, predeceased by many who had a similar place within the EMS community, namely such legends such as Stephen Donahue and Zoya Shaw.  He is, however, survived by countless paramedics, EMTs, nurses and doctors...

. . . And I have a picture to prove that this is not an April Fool’s joke. Twelve years as a Massachusetts paramedic.  As tough as it was to let it go, I had to do it.  That National card is in my pocket now though, which is quite the feeling of accomplishment.  If I had one piece of advise to give anyone getting into this field, or anyone who is already in this field, get your National Registry certification if you don’t already have it.  It’s worth it. But I digress. . . Thanks for a great twelve years, Massachusetts!  Best of...

At EMS Today I had a great opportunity to cohost with my friend Dave Aber on his podcast: EMS Classroom Conundrums.  In this episode we brought on Bob Moore and Bob Hopkins who were two of my instructors during my days at Springfield College.  It was an honor to be involved with this show, and great to talk to Bob and Hoppy about where education has been, where it is, and where it is going.  Check out the video...