EMS professionals are known for having opinions, but one topic that is sure to bring out their thoughts is the idea of bringing cameras into their world. Whether expressed as a fear of HIPAA violations or a worry of punitive measures against their own actions, the idea of being recorded can cause many to bristle. […]

Editors Note: To celebrate EMS Week last week, my good friend Eric Garton wrote a poem in the style of Paul Harvey and recorded his narration. It has touched many people so I asked him to share the words here along with a link to the YouTube version. Feel free to share them further, but […]

The EMS Today conference is always filled with interesting content both in the classrooms as well as the show floor. My live Twitter feed during the conference referenced highlights of the educational sessions I attended ranging from the Operational category to Advanced practice and even some Basic courses. The complete experience shared by everyone is permanently archived […]

One of the fastest ways to piss off almost anyone in the emergency medical services community is to call them an “ambulance driver.” It has become a triggered response as reliable as setting off the tones for a call. We bristle at the fact that driving an ambulance is such a small part of what […]

We have seen the last photo to be transmitted directly from the cherry red Tesla Roadster belonging to the electric car manufacturing CEO, Elon Musk, that is being driven through space by a dummy named Starman while listening to David Bowie tunes. That is clearly the sort of historic snapshot that will not fade any time soon. […]

Have you ever broken a stethoscope on the job? I have. Rode a wheel of the loaded stretcher right over the connection from the tubing to the bell. It was a clean break. Very neatly decapitated my old friend from EMT school. It was one of those clear and obvious signs of death such as […]

This past Sunday night about 2245 hours, a Detroit police officer was shot in the head while responding to a domestic violence call. The Detroit Free Press, in an article identifying the shooter, reported that the incident happened at an apartment complex in the vicinity of the 10000 block of Joy Road near Wyoming Avenue on […]

The use of  lights and sirens is supposed to clear traffic by warning drivers or pedestrians that a public safety vehicle is approaching in emergency mode. The expectation is that the use of warning devices increases the safety of both the patient and provider by reducing travel time in responding to a scene or while […]

I recently had two articles published by EMS1 as a couple of “mythbusting primers” on the topic of dynamic deployment. The articles were Dynamic deployment: 5 persistent myths busted and Dynamic deployment: 5 more persistent myths busted. My intention was not to convince anyone of a position that opposes their current EMS world view pertaining to deployment models, but I had hoped […]

Anyone who follows my posts here, or on Twitter, will recognize that I consistently argue for the value of prompt responses by emergency vehicles to nearly all incidents. However, this post will be different thanks to an inventive challenge through EMS Basics asking bloggers to consider an opposing view to their favorite topic. You can read […]