By Peter Struble -- We expect today's paramedic to not only know how to push the drugs, but why and when to give them, with very little supervision. This is an awesome responsibility with no room for error....More
Baltimore fire officials suspended emergency medical training and locked down an instructional facility after revelations that some student firefighters had cheated on a state licensing exam....More
In his most recent “Chief’s Corner,” Deputy Fire Administor Glenn Gaines shared some of the USFA’s efforts to help ensure vibrant and effective EMS systems throughout the nation....More
Nearly every U.S. firefighter receives at least some medical training. In fact, out of the 200 largest cities in the U.S., 97% have fire service–based pre-hospital 911 EMS with advanced life support....More
Rhodes State College, in Lima, Ohio, opened its in-classroom ambulance simulator, which is a major component of its EMS education program, about a year ago, and it already is having a significant impact....More
If tactical medics are going to be armed, a fire department should consider sending personnel through a law-enforcement academy for liability purposes....More
This summer the prepublication of the long-awaited Institute of Medicine's report on EMS became available from the National Academies Press in PDF format....More
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Whenever someone is hurt, our nation’s first responders are compelled to rush in to help. I love that about this industry. However, self-deployed first responders also put themselves and the operation at risk unknowingly....More
With a vote declaring this sacred loss of trust, there is no turning back. What’s done is done and, regardless of the justifications or excuses, the fabric of command and control has been torn forever....More
By Mike Metro -- The last time I wrote, I discussed the concept of sending the right person, at the right time, with the right equipment and the right training, in the right vehicle. Last month, we focused on the right person. For this article, I want to focus on the right equipment....More
VFIS's Ryan Pietzsch said that many agencies do not consider safety and security during the fire station design phase. Instead, they wait until after construction is completed and accidents or losses begin to occur....More
By Daniel B.C. Gardiner--Hundreds of pieces of fire apparatus will be blasting their way down different Main Streets this Memorial Day, giving nearby spectators as well as the firefighters in the line of march, a good dose of acoustic trauma....More