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News and Events

Alternate Posting Location: COVID is getting worse for public safety

COVID-19 hasn’t gone away. In fact, COVID-19 has only gotten worse across the United States and around the world. We just need to look to the effect of COVID-19 on our brothers and sisters in public safety. Read A plea for renewed commitment to COVID-19 prevention on EMS1.com

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Safety Tips

Response to historic landmarks, churches, schools and other mass gatherings

Your jurisdiction likely does not have a building as old or as historic as the Notre Dame cathedral, but it is sure to have buildings of local importance that need preplans. Read my Rapid Response to the Notre Dame cathedral on FireRescue1.com Rapid Response: Historic landmark fires are a tactical and emotional challenge for firefighters

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EMS Tips

EMS Tips – Distracted Driving Carrot or Stick – Zero Commercial Aviation Fatalities

1. Carrot, stick or both to reduce distracted driving Christina Dempsey, a Virginia firefighter-paramedic, is pushing for tougher distracted driving laws in her state. “I really want to see this law go through. It may help prevent other families from going through what my family has and continues to go through.” On Aug. 27, 2013, […]

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Uncategorized

Climate change is impacting emergency responders

On Tuesday morning when the death toll from the Sonoma and Napa counties was just 11 people (it’s now 35 dead) and only 1,400 structures had been destroyed I wrote a FireRescue1.com and EMS1.com article. “In the last two months, historic levels of rainfall, flooding and wildfire in the continental U.S. and its territories have […]

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Uncategorized

Fire Dept. Coffee – a Firefighter and Veteran Owned Business

I met Luke Schneider, firefighter, paramedic and veteran, at the Wisconsin EMS Association conference last month. Luke is also a co-owner of Fire Dept. Coffee. He was kind enough to give me a one pound bag of beans, roasted by his company in Rockford, Illinois. This morning I am enjoying my first cup of Fire Dept. […]

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EMS Tips

It’s time to rethink roadway safety

In 2016 two medical helicopters (Florida and New Mexico) have been struck by drunk drivers. Also struck by drunk drivers: Tow trucks and operators Police cruisers and law enforcement officers Ambulances and paramedics Fire trucks and firefighters It’s time to rethink roadway safety and apply hazardous materials concepts of time, distance and shielding. Read my […]

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Uncategorized

EMT/FF killed in broad daylight and Sept. 11 posts

Violent actions against emergency responders are common, but what does it mean when the violence is random and public. In an EMS1 article I try to make sense of the tragic murder of a Mich. FF/EMT. Today we asked EMS1 readers for pictures of 9/11 memorials. There is a coffee table book or calendar to […]

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EMS Tips

Posts Outside the Service Area: Some of my favorites from August 2014

Blog posts, articles, news reports, and audio podcasts…some of my favorite reads from August 2014. Blog news from MedicSBK…new website layout. Check it out. Steve Whitehead lays out the reasons you should quit your crappy EMS job. This article, I found a gun on my patient. Now what?, struck me as a common sense and […]

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EMS Tips

Posts Outside the Service: Top EMS Blog Posts for February 2014

There are lots of great EMS Bloggers. I use the Feedly RSS Reader app in the Chrome Browser and my Android phone. How do you keep track of your favorite EMS Blogs? At the EMS Patient Perspective Bob Sullivan reminds us to park our complacency and constantly be mindful that any call can be or […]

Categories
Operations

Never Swerve to Avoid a Deer Collision

Fire department tanker on its way to a structure fire overturned and injured four firefighters after swerving to avoid a deer collision. Never swerve. The deer would not have fared well on the front bumper of a fire truck. The damage to the vehicle would have been minimal and there would not have been injuries […]