Promotions: Larry Michael & Matt Jarrett
At the regularly scheduled Board of Directors meeting on Feb 10, Lawrence Michael was promoted to Line Deputy Chief. At the same meeting Matthew Jarrett was promoted to Assistant Chief, Medical Billing Manager. Please join me in congratulating these two individuals on their well-deserved promotions.
Mandatory Training
See the "Training & Education" section to the left for details. Due 12/31/14.
Sepsis Protocol
All providers must review and watch the video. Advisory & Protocol Video read more
Chris O'Brien Promoted to Full-Time Paramedic
Be sure to congratulate Chris O'Brien on his recent promotion to full-time paramedic with us.
Wheelchairs
Effective immediately, ALL sheets from the wheelchair log must be dropped off in mailbox # 11. The reason for this is when we send out certified letters for outstanding wheelchairs, we do not necessarily know when they return. By saving all sheets in a designated location, we will be able to better manage this process. This includes the copy of the driver license. Please continue the good work in obtaining the necessary documentation to assist in managing this process. Thank you!
Priority 1 Calls
I’ve seen a bit of “drift” occurring that I would like to see adjusted. On arrival at a priority one call the paramedic needs to exit the vehicle, take the primary response bag and go to the patient. The driver should get the monitor and ALS bag and if the FD is already there bring the gurney, as the apparatus driver is supposed to be awaiting the arrival of the ambulance. If the ambulance arrives first, the driver simply brings the monitor and ALS bag to the patient. This process can... read more
ARE YOU DOING ENOUGH TO KEEP YOUR PATIENT WARM?
Imagine how cold your run of the mill elderly patient is in the comfort of their own home. Now, envision how chilly they feel wearing only their normal clothes (no coat, generally) when we take them outside on a stair chair or a gurney. Please remember to focus on patient warmth. If you only have two light blankets on your gurney this winter, there’s so much more you could be doing. Here are some tips to consider for patient warmth: Load up on blankets. Bring at least 3 into the home with you... read more
Dual Sequential Defibrillation
Information as presented at the meeting is below. Per Dr. Cushman, DSD should be performed at the maximum joules setting, 200J for our monitors. Also, to avoid confusion when the new protocols are released, we should only be performing this intervention with online med control orders. This is different than was presented in the document below since it was created prior to the protocol decision. All patients receiving this treatment should be transported.
Calling back in Service when a Brighton Amb is staging
Just a reminder, when a rig is staging for us, we should not be releasing the staged resource, unless we have an asset closer than the staged asset. We engaged the mutual staging agreement to not only assure coverage for our respective towns, but to assure reduced response times. When Brighton is staging they are “typically” closer than any of our rigs leaving the hospital, there are some exceptions of course. I ask that you consider your location, relative to the staged resource and assure the... read more
EMS Memorial Service
The annual EMS Memorial Service honoring our fallen EMS providers is scheduled for May 19 at 1pm in Albany, NY. There is a sign-up sheet in dispatch. I encourage you to attend this event to support our fellow EMS providers and their families. Please sign up by May 1, 2015 so that we can be sure we have ample transportation.