All Blog Posts (229)

With limited training EMS / EMT crisis intervention / Prevention when dealing with hostile or difficult patients is crucial.

According to the US Department of Labor. EMT are more likely to be assaulted while in duty then a police officer. 2 cops for every 10,000 8 met for every 10,000.

The debriefing and interviewing process of both the assaulted EMT Medic and the Patient, we learned it was the EMT actions and verbal response to the patient crisis behavior that…

Hi EMS Community,

I wrote a book, Ghetto Medic, about my dad's experiences as an "ambulance man" in Baltimore from the 1960s to the 1990s. Bill was among the first of several thousand Americans who decided to become a paramedic when the "irresistible opportunity" arose.  His tales from the battlefield were my bedtime stories (when he wasn't cruising around in a broken down ambo with bloodstained curtains).  Ghetto Medic chronicles the history of the service in Baltimore and…

Learn from my mistake, brothers and sisters.  I bought a Vulture L4 dash light bar for my vehicle from LED Outfitters in Greatneck, NY.  When it arrived, three of the white LEDs were not working.  The company doesn't return calls or e-mails.  They never pick up the phone.  I began to research them (of COURSE I should have done this before doing business with them) and found they have 218 complaints with the Better Business Bureau and hundreds of complaints on various web…

Beginning on December 16th, 2011, fire departments and other first responders began receiving assistance from FEMA’s Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG). Thus far, over 1,392 grants have been awarded. The largest grant was given to El Cerrito Fire Department in California – which is comprised of three stations, three…

Applications are invited for full-time faculty positions in Prince Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz College for Emergency Medical Services, King Saud University, Riyadh with following details. Positions: Researcher / Lecturer / Assistant professor / Associate Professor / Professor Areas/fields: Emergency Medical Sciences(EMS) Academic year: 2012-2013 (starting August 2012)



Background requirements: An ideal candidate should have an earned Bachelors / Masters /…

Merry Christmas  to my family of the EMS  have a  Blessed Christmas . and remember to keep Christ in Christmas  your friend  Jim Colebank

Guest host Jamie Davis, the Podmedic, got the chance to take one of Bob Page’s infamous Multilead Medics 12-Lead classes this week through CHEP. While there, he pulled Bob aside during one of the breaks to talk about professionalism and approaches to continuing education for the health care professional especially EMS providers.

Bob is a passionate, humorous, and accomplished medical educator but he is also equally passionate about the responsibilities of the medical professional to…

Earlier this November, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) released updated documentation aimed at helping prevent the exposure of infectious diseases to emergency responders.

The main change to their newly released set of resources has been the expansion of the list of potentially life-threatening infectious diseases. The previous list of infectious diseases that emergency responders might encounter…

The National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) recently released a document that is open to public comment with regard to ambulance construction standards. The document itself, entitled NFPA 1917, will essentially replace the Triple K specification which has long guided the direction of ambulance construction.  Whether or not the document will fulfill its…



There are several options to be used when dealing with difficult people in the workplace. According to author and CHEP guest educator Sandra Crowe’s book, “Since Strangling Isn’t An Option . . .” you control a lot more of any difficult interpersonal encounter than you think.

Guest host Jamie Davis, the Podmedic, interviews Sandra about her day-long course for CHEP where she lays out several strategies for dealing with difficult co-workers, customers, and acquaintances. Sandra…

Do you think the time it takes to capture a 12-lead ECG is worth it? Would you argue that a lack of transmission capability or a limit in protocols means you can’t do much with an ECG? This episode will challenge that thinking and encourage you to learn more about the power of an ECG and how much you really can do at first patient contact.



One thing is clear, accurate and consistent ECG interpretation requires broader exposure to 12-leads and the training to recognize issues.…

First day of paramedic class, about a month ago now, my instructor walked into the room and began his speech:  "If I ever hear of any of you walking into a scene and saying, 'I'm the paramedic, I'm here to fix it, I'm in charge,' I'll hunt you down and kill you."

This instructor is exactly the kind of paramedic I want to be.  He's confident in his skills, open to listening to argument, has done every job imaginable, is a lead flight paramedic for Flight-for-Life, and knows…

This week I had two patients with Stage IV liver cancer.  The first was given two weeks to live, three weeks ago.  He's been fighting the disease, living at home, suffering the pain of the disease and the pain of the treatments.  His family was of some help, but by the appearance of his house, not much.  The house doesn't qualify as a "hoarder" house--but given another year or so, I'm sure it would.

We were paged for the unresponsive male.  When we arrived, he had gotten to…

Sheka is a TV Show in Philippines was introducing the world leader in Emergency Cardiovascular Care (ECC) and CPR training American Heart Association offers the highest-quality courses and training materials available. and the efforts to enhance the ECC within the country also the importance of the EMS integration.

for more info.…

Nigeria, Emergency Response Nig. Ltd -AHA Roll out the new guidelines for BLS, ACLS and PALS.

the conference play an important part in disseminating breaking science-related news to the media and healthcare professionals.  the Conference allow journalists/healthcare professionals the opportunity to receive and discuss all the…

So need some advice from all the medics out there....

I want to know what do you expect from your EMT. What is the number one thing that you expect from your EMT to do. Its just a general question to see what different medics expect for their EMT to know how to do or what you think they should do.

any advice is accept so please let me know! really want to hear back from you!

I really want to know what you expect your EMT to do…

In February,our company Global Training Center in Dubai organized a National “Wear Red” Day in Dubai, Kazakhstan, Nigeria, Ghana, Moscow and Jakarta By taking part in the initiative, our colleagues in these locations helped raise awareness and funds for heart disease, and support the American Heart Association’s ongoing research and education activities. Read on to find out about each location:

 …

Ok, so..Ive been in EMS for about 8 years, been an Intermediate for the last 5.  I just got my Paramedic in August, but still function as an Intermediate because of the county I live in (Columbus County, NC has no "County system", rescue squads handle their own areas and only 1 squad in the whole county is Paramedic with only 4 paid people.  The rest are strictly volunteer).  Anywho, I just got my 1st medic position at Sampson County EMS, and Im kinda nervous.  Im leaving my "comfort zone"…

Ok so I have been an EMT-B in PA for 4 years and I am thinking about taking the national test because I am trying to move out of state sometime soon. I love being an EMT so I dont want to have to re-take my entire class again. I'm nervous about taking the test, I have been studying my ass off, but I am not a good test taker. Any advice from people who have taken the test would be greatly appreciated. I am not doubting I am able to complete the test and skills but I am the worst test taker in…