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How a FF/Paramedic recovered from a violent on-duty attack

New EMS1 article…Leaning against a trolley stop railing, unable to take a breath and sensing the blood running down his back, firefighter/paramedic Ben Vernon felt anger begin to boil up inside. He had just been stabbed — a victim in a knife fight he didn’t even know he was in — and that anger would grow […]

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Products

Body armor for paramedics and EMTs

Questions for EMS leaders before purchasing body armor EMS agencies across the United States are adding or considering body armor as required personal protective equipment for their EMTs and paramedics. Recent news of ballistic vests, secured through budget allocation, grants or donation, has come from Cleveland, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Michigan, Ohio, and Colorado. Some […]

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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

Lightning: No Safe Place Outdoors

It is event standby season. If you hear thunder or see lightning go inside a building (a structure with walls, doors, and windows). Don’t stand under a pavilion roof, in an open garage door of an apparatus bay, or lean against a tree. This National Weather Service video has been making the rounds on social […]

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Social Media Tips

LinkedIn: Trying Some New Things

I have become increasingly interested in how I might use LinkedIn to: Increase referrals of online training products and opportunities Increase visits to and shares of Everyday EMS Tips content Some of the things I have been trying: 1. Replying to every connection request. I have been writing: “Thanks for connecting. Is there anything I […]

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EMS Tips

Alternate Posting Location: Light Up the Night to Improve Home Safety

New column posted at EMS1.com Distribute LED lights to cut down on calls for falls For $10 or less per unit, your department could begin handing out lights for at-risk patents to dramatically reduce the number of fall-assist responses Updated April 16, 2014. Paramedic and author Kelly Grayson shares a few great tips on how lighting […]

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EMS Education Tips

Announcement: Co-Presenting at Minnesota EMS Educators Conference

In late April I will be co-presenting “Distraction is Deadly: driving, patient care, and education” At the 3rd Annual Minnesota Ambulance Association Teaching and Learning Conference. As you can see from this session announcement I will be realizing a career long dream of co-presenting with a gray squirrel. This squirrel, one of many that lurks […]

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Operations

Distracted Driving: Three Things Tuesday

My kids went back to school this morning. What a thrill it is too see them off on a new year of adventure, learning, and friendships. This morning the Portage County Sheriff was at the crosswalk on a busy county highway two blocks from school. A “your speed is…” sign was flashing. A deputy was […]

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EMS Tips Uncategorized

Posts Outside the Service Area: February 2013 Mid Winter Edition

Does winter still have an icy grip on your service area? These are articles, podcasts, and more that caught my eye this month. What caught your attention? EMS Research Priorities Steve Whitehead asks, “What are the most pressing questions for EMS research?” I just recently renewed my lapsed subscription to the Journal of Prehospital Emergency […]

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Operations

Ambulance Inspection: Is one inspector enough?

It’s not too often that EMS makes it into the local news. In-depth, investigative reporting is more rare. Inspecting Ambulances in Wisconsin is a 1 Man Job Literally, 1 man inspects all of the ambulances in Wisconsin. Only as frequently as one man can. Honestly, I can’t imagine having his job. I could barely maintain […]