News
Exploring the EMS Data Revolution
Today's technology-driven world is a balance of giving out too much information and concerns about privacy laws. Yet shared information is a valuable necessity for training, monitoring, and improving emergency protocols. Learn more about how the EMS data revolution...
Transitioning to Healthcare from Other Careers
Many graduates choose a career before they fully understand what they want from their professional life. However, some find out later in life that they aren't happy with their chosen career. By the time they realize it they may feel it's too late to start over....
Seven Ways to Laugh for Stress Relief
Good work-life balance is something most people strive for. But when you work in one of the most stressful jobs in the healthcare field, finding that balance presents a challenge. You work hard, often long, irregular hours. Then you go home to family obligations,...
What People Misunderstand About Emergency Vehicles on the Road
When you're the one driving an emergency vehicle with the sirens on, you probably think, "Why can't everyone just get out of my way?" After all, you're on your way to a critical situation. Getting there can be a matter of life or death. Yet many people fail to...
5 Times EMS Crews Were in the Right Place at the Right Time
As an EMS professional, just because you aren’t on the clock doesn’t mean you’re off the job. Your training has taught you to deal with emergency situations wherever you may go. For most, however, that’s not much an issue. After all, if you didn’t want to help people...
Ambulance Theft is No Laughing Matter
We all hear stories about civilians stealing ambulances. If not, just Google "people stealing ambulances." The media has fun with these incidents when they occur. You may even chuckle at some of the stories. But no matter how absurd and outright stupid these thieves’...
How to Handle Medical Questions from Friends and Family
“Do you think this rash is poison ivy, or something worse?” “My co-worker has been feeling really tired lately, what could be wrong with her?” It's not unusual for EMTs and paramedics to receive lots of unsolicited questions, once people know what you do for a living....
The Critical Importance of Car Seats
You don't need to bother with a car seat for a quick drive to the store, right? Fidgeting with straps annoys your tired kid and takes more time. But a few possible tantrums are worth it. EMS workers see first-hand what happens when someone underestimates the critical...
Common Challenges For 911 Dispatch Centers
First responders rely upon an efficient 911 system in order to properly respond to calls for help. Unfortunately, the system doesn’t always work smoothly. As with any system that relies on a combination of technology and human activity, issues arise all the time....
Insights on Working with Hospice Patients in EMS
As an EMS professional, the parts of your job that entail racing to a scene and saving lives are sometimes glamorized. Yet, when you provide ambulatory care, you encounter all kinds of people in different medical situations. Not everyone thinks about working with...
How EMS and Firefighters Work Together
TV shows like “Chicago Fire” aren't merely employing a plot device depicting EMS and firefighters working together. Both rescue groups provide vital support to each other during crisis situations. Together, they form the core components of quick response actions when...
Stronger Together: EMS Week 2018
This year’s EMS Week will emphasize a courageous group of professionals who are “Stronger Together.” That’s the theme for 2018 and it takes place May 20-26. If you work in EMS this is the ideal time to provide educational opportunities for the public. For others...
Don’t Be (Un)Alarmed! Installing Household Alarms
If you work in emergency services you've probably seen first hand the necessity of functioning household alarms. Perhaps you've seen lives saved because of them or tragedies that may have been prevented by them. Make sure you take the time to consider your own...
How Mass Shootings are Changing EMS Practices
In the six years since a gunman opened fire on a theater full of moviegoers in 2012, emergency response personnel have begun to examine how they respond to mass shooting incidents. With each mass shooting, first responders learn more. Now, EMS practices are changing...
What You Should Know About TBI
It’s a hard fact of biology. Severely damaged brain tissue doesn’t regenerate. So when it comes to traumatic brain injury (TBI), time is of the essence! It used to be thought that there was little to be done with TBI before the patient got to the hospital. Recent...
10 Key Traits of a Great EMT
There is nothing easy about being an emergency medical technician or paramedic. First, you have to become one, no easy feat between the hours of training and passing a state or national test. Once that happens, EMTs find themselves in a position of making literal...
Healthy Meals When Work Keeps You Moving Nonstop
Eating healthy meals can be a struggle for emergency response professionals. Sitting down to a meal and having a call interrupt before you can finish is a reality for emergency responders, it’s not just a Hollywood stereotype. You don’t have to let the...
When is Flu Season Over?
Flu season has been intense this year. Even if you haven't had it, you've probably responded to calls about it. Some EMS systems felt the strain of too many flu-related calls. Meanwhile, hospitals reminded the public not to call 911 for flu symptoms. So you might be...
How Google Wants to Help Locate 911 Callers
If you’ve ever been in or near an emergency and used your cell phone to call 911, you may have noticed that your location automatically turns on to help lead the responders to where you are. If you are the responder, you may have felt the pain of not getting very...
Video Games as Medical Education (Really!)
A Revolution in Education The EMS field is constantly changing. Naturally, the way first responders learn should change as well. Students will always need instructors and live simulations. However, as technology continues to evolve instructors are finding video games...
First Responders Train to Work with Patients on the Autism Spectrum
Anyone who has autism spectrum disorder (ASD), or cares for them, knows that the condition can bring frustration and fear in unfamiliar situations. So imagine the noise and confusion of a medical emergency. Think about how that might affect an individual with ASD....
Apps for First Responders
When you’re responding to a call every second counts. Fortunately, in the digital age, our mobile devices give us a great deal of instant information. A range of mobile apps for first responders allow EMS crews to work more efficiently and confidently. The information...
Fastest Growing Jobs in Healthcare
The world moves fast. Careers opportunities evolve or sometimes disappear. However, healthcare is an industry that won’t likely go away or become completely automated. The medical field relies on face-to-face interaction and support. Some things you can can't replace...
Recognizing Frostbite and Hypothermia
Winter is in full bloom here in Ohio and the cold weather isn’t going away anytime soon. As an EMS provider, you undoubtedly know how dangerous hypothermia and frostbite can be. However, it never hurts to remind yourself of the symptoms this time of year. You may also...
Working with Patients and Their Service Animals
More medical professionals, health organizations, and businesses recognize the benefits of service and support animals. These companions provide mental and physical health and safety. You will undoubtedly encounter service animals in your work. It’s a good idea to...
Keep Your Cold Weather Workout Routine Safe
If you love exercising in the great outdoors don’t let the cold weather stop you! You don’t have to work out in a boring old gym just because the weather has reached freezing temperatures. In fact according to The Mayo Clinic, “exercise is safe for almost everyone,...
EMS Cliches on TV: Ryan Murphy’s 911
Yet another emergency services TV series comes our way with Ryan Murphy’s 9-1-1, which debuted on Fox on January 3, 2018. “Ultimately, 9-1-1 may be a too-predictable and unremitting show, but when it takes off, it's quite the ride,” USA Today writes. TV Line dives...
5 Tips for Working Successfully with Older Patients
When you work in healthcare, you learn to interact with all different kinds of people. One of the most common, but also challenging groups you encounter is older patients. Working with the elderly isn’t so different as treating the rest of the population. Sure, you...
Finding Your EMS Mentor
Growing up, many of us had mentors who shaped our youth. These individuals are integral to our lives as we mature. What many people don’t realize is how important mentors adult professionals, too. We never stop needing guidance in our lives and careers. A mentor can...
Resolve to Learn New Skills in 2018
If you are an emergency medical technician or paramedic, you are a highly trained first responder. Your knowledge and skills are highly valuable to the communities where you work. You courageously walk into unpredictable situations and even sometimes step into heroic...
Code Green Offers Mental Health Support Resources
As an EMS worker, you see a lot. Some of it gets pretty horrific. Even though you focus on doing your job and become more accustomed to the work the longer you do it, you still feel the effects. They can get to you sometimes. Many first responders exhibit the results...
How is the EMS Field Changing in Response to Natural Disasters?
Floods, droughts, hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires, and disease outbreaks appear to be increasing in number and intensity. First responders are more important than ever. Emergency medical service personnel, in particular, need to give it their all. When a natural...
Four Power Breakfasts That Will Keep You Going Strong
Emergency responders are often depicted leaping into action when they get a call. You race to your vehicle, ready to do your best for the community you serve. You will likely be in action for a while. One way to get started right is to make sure to get a good...
How to De-Stress from a Stressful Job
You don’t have to work in the healthcare field to know that a career as an EMT is one of the world’s most stressful jobs. In fact, the Hospital Careers list crowns it the Most Stressful Job in Healthcare. No one is immune to stress. And everyone is at risk of health...
Who Were the First EMTs and What Can We Learn From Them Today?
The origins of paramedics can be traced back to through organized war in some of the earliest civilizations. From Ancient Roman armies to the non-partisan Knights Hospitallers, war caused medical services to innovate under pressure. As a paramedic or EMT, you continue...
New Tablet Promises to Work as Hard as You Do
In your work as an EMS you well know that every minute counts. So when new tech promises superior emergency communications, you may want to look into it. A new military-grade tablet, the DT325 debuted at last month’s International Association of Chiefs of Police 2017...
Diversity in the EMS Field
Working as an Emergency Medical Service (EMS) professional brings many challenges. You must move quickly, work with limited information, and draw on an enormous amount of medical training, in an attempt to save lives. You are often asked to enter the homes and private...
Five Times a Celebrity Publicly Thanked a Paramedic
Often being a paramedic is often a thankless job. Lauren German, who played one on the TV show Chicago Fire, said, “They get overlooked. People forget about them and all they do all day long is save lives left and right.” It’s challenging work to aid patients fighting...
How an Emergency Room Works
The emergency room (ER) is one active and complicated part of an active and complicated emergency response system. As an emergency response worker, you are crucial to this system! You may be the single most important point of communication for the ER. By better...
Appearance Matters: Looking Professional on the Job
As an EMT or paramedic, you represent the healthcare community to the public. Your image as a healthcare professional reflects upon your employer and the industry as a whole. After all, you are in an industry that values health. An unkempt appearance can signal...
Staying Fit in EMS
Emergency Medical Service providers are an integral part of the healthcare industry. The job, like most jobs in the industry, often requires an act of selflessness. In order to provide premium services to others, it is highly important to keep a healthy lifestyle. In...
What to Know about Calling 911
As an EMS worker, you're usually on the receiving end of requests for emergency assistance. However, sooner or later, you will probably have to call 911 yourself. When it's personal, you may find yourself in a distressed state, possibly unable to think clearly. So...
How the Opioid Epidemic is Affecting EMS Personnel
Hardly a day goes by without news related to the opioid epidemic, whether on a national scale or in your local community. If you work or are planning to work in the field of emergency medical services, you face the results of opioid addiction closer than many people....
How EMS Could Use Drones Now and in the Future
Turn on ESPN and you can now see contestants racing drones through abandoned malls in heated competition. Yes, drone racing is a multi-million dollar, mainstream sport. Drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), have become almost commonplace. But it’s not all fun...
Emergency Medical Information You Should Store in Your Phone
If you’re a first responder, you know crucial each second can be in an emergency situation. Likewise, if you’ve ever been the victim of a crash or medical emergency, you know how hard it can be to think quickly. In some situations, you are not even able to...
Are Body Cameras the Next Big Thing for EMS Workers?
Would you be comfortable wearing a body camera while you work? Would you consider it a threat to your privacy or a welcome deterrent for assaults and false accusations? For many people in the EMS field, the answer is far from black-and-white. As some U.S....
What is the Difference Between an EMT and a Paramedic?
The general public tends to assume that EMTs (emergency medical technicians) and paramedics are the same. Paramedic and EMT job duties and skills complement one another, but differ in key ways. Whether you’re a student contemplating your future or someone considering...
How to Have a Long Career in EMS
EMS is supposed to be a career that eats people and spits them out in less than five years. That conventional wisdom doesn’t apply to everyone. There are paramedics and EMTs that have worked in the field for more than 30 years. Listen here to Mike Rubin on the Inside...
Emergency Vehicle Operator Education
A key component of the delivery of timely and high quality emergency care is the Ambulances and First Responder vehicles. Responding to these emergency incidents and the subsequent transport of injured patients to hospitals involves inherent risks. Based on the high...
14 Habits Paramedics Can’t Shake
There are habits EMTs and paramedics have that are hard to shake even when off the clock or after retirement. 1. “I leave enough space at a red light to be able to pull out and around if needed.” — Josh Sharpe 2. “Pulling the shopping cart behind me like I’m at the...
5 reasons NOT to become an EMT
For a job with typically long hours and relatively low pay, you rarely hear about EMS agencies having a shortage of willing applicants. In fact, some might argue that the seemingly endless supply of young, eager EMTs is part of what fuels the low wages and long hours...
Ohio Ambulance helps with A Night to Shine
On February 12, 2016 it was our honor to participate in Tim Tebow’s “Night To Shine.” This event, which is shared with 222 Ministries, across 8 counties allows individuals with Special Needs to participate a Prom Night meant to remember! Cuyahoga Valley Church...
Paramedic Chief Digital: Trends in EMS education and training
The spring Paramedic Chief Digital Edition focuses on the latest trends in EMS training, from social media platforms to online training techniques. In this issue, they explore how to find and evaluate free medical information on social media. We also share examples of...
Master Your Downtime for Long-Term EMS Career Success
Every major step and accomplishment in my EMS career began while sitting in the front seat of an ambulance or at a desk in the station. I learned to master my downtime from the medics I shared the ambulance cab with. Annette and Jennifer may have been the first true...