Yesterday I had a great time working with several of our local agencies to stage a mock wreck for some high school students. We changed our focus from intoxicated driving to distracted driving this year, and I hope the message will hit home for the yesterday’s audience. Everyone involved did a fantastic job, and I look forward to doing more of these next school year.
What types of outreach education does your agency provide to address risky driving behaviors?
I recently had the pleasure of working with the great people of CentreLearn and Western Taney County Fire Protection District on a special project. We staged a two-car collision with entrapment and photographed the progression of activities occurring on an extrication, with a safety emphasis. As an amateur EMS photographer, it was an exciting opportunity to work with both local responders and a national leader in EMS & Fire Education. Click on over to the CentreLearn course announcement and check it out!
“You genuinely scared children for your amusement.”
Tim Noonan, aka Rogue Medic
Blog Comment on May 5, 2013.
“…he seems to be entertaining his crews and only scaring the children.”
Tim Noonan, aka Rogue Medic
Blog Post on May 7, 2013.
Apparently me and my “recipe” post are the flavor of the week for Rogue Medic. He’s posted at length over at his blog in criticism of me and compared my thought process to the cruel humor of a fictional, post-apocalyptic warlord.
In my youth, unprofessional insinuations like this would have bothered me. Now I just don’t see the point to engaging in it. For my readers, it’s my sincere hope that each of you can also find enough joy and fulfillment in your careers to keep doing what you love in the face of criticism. I thought I’d share with readers some photos, both old and new, of me scaring children educating and entertaining children in my time as a paramedic, firefighter, and community volunteer. Enjoy!
Recipe for PR Event Laughter
Serves: 6 – 8 children and accompanying adults
Ingredients: Cardiac monitor/defibrillator, defibrillation load tester, small group of children, sense of humor, melodramatic EMS provider
Directions:
1. Gather together a group of children and display your cardiac monitor while asking, “Has anyone seen a medical show where they used one of these to shock a person in cardiac arrest?”
2. Wait for responses and colorful explanations while turning on the monitor, unwinding limb leads, and plugging defibrillation cable into defibrillation load tester.
3. Ask group of children, “Who would like to get shocked?!” Savor the looks of slack-jaw disbelief on the faces of the children and adults.
4. As the bravest children begin to volunteer, hand out three ECG limb leads, one for each of the first three volunteers. Instruct them to put their thumbs on the end of the electrode. Keep one for yourself.
5. Explain to the children that each shock is delivered through a single limb lead, while the other three leads act as ground wires and will not receive a shock. Further explain this is a randomly generated circuit that changes every time the monitor charges. Claim you have no idea which single person is about to get shocked, but you’re willing to take the chance of being shocked if they are.
6. With great fear and trepidation, charge the monitor for defibrillation. Increase the distress of your expression as the monitor reaches full charge.
7. Prior to pushing shock button give a, “Guess this is goodbye” expression to your partner. One or more child volunteers may throw the limb lead down in fear. Allow them to retreat and assign another brave child to the open limb lead(s).
8. Push the shock button to defibrillate your defibrillation load tester.
9. Immediately scream in agony, drop your limb lead, and run/jump/cry as you feel is appropriate to convey that you were “shocked.”
10. After catching your breath, thank them for being brave and invite them to bring their friends back for additional demonstrations on the half-hour for the duration of the event. With their full attention at your disposal, it is also the ideal time to discuss relevant public safety messages for your organization.
11. Repeat procedure for the rest of the day, or as long as you can keep a straight face.
Hybrid education is a blending process that combines classroom-based education with technologically distributed teaching methods.1
This is a picture from one of several trainings we conducted with crews to deploy a new airway device on our ambulances. With a laptop or mobile device and curriculum designed for brief sessions, the whole world becomes your classroom.
1. Eastham, James. ” Are You Ready to Go Hybrid?.” EMS World. Cygnus Public Safey Group, Web. 6 Jul 2012. <http://www.emsworld.com/article/10322693/are-you-ready-to-go-hybrid>.
Earlier this year, personnel from a local fire department resuscitated this young man. My EMS agency transported him, and he made a full recovery. Fox News covered the story along with several other news outlets (link). Later, he and his family sent these cards out to us, the fire department, and the hospital. It’s the most simple and touching thank you note I’ve ever seen.
This is why I love Dropbox! Not only do I have access to my files from any computer, but I have my disaster contingency plan covered. My entire Education Department offices and classrooms could be wiped from existence and won’t lose any files. I have a paid subscription that allows for this volume, but you can still rock out with a free account. If you haven’t already signed up for an account, check out their intro video at Dropbox.com today.
No, I’m not sponsored by Dropbox. Maybe I should be, though! How about a free 1 TB account, guys?
hot wash – n. a performance review, particularly after a training exercise or combat operation.1
Last weekend we finished up another recruit academy at my volunteer fire department. This photo was taken during the hot wash we held immediately after the full-scale final scenario. To my left in the photo, you’ll see my good friend, Bruce Bjorge. Like me, he’s recently ventured into the Fire & EMS Blogosphere. Check out his writing over at Firedog Talk.
Reference
1. The Double-Tongued Dictionary. Web. 23 May 2012. <http://www.doubletongued.org/index.php/dictionary/hot_wash/>.
Many years ago, I transported a patient who sustained a shotgun blast to her wrist. At the trauma center, she underwent surgery and was told to come back in a day to assess for reperfusion. This picture was taken a month later when she was visiting a friend in the hospital. She proudly ran up to show me “how well it was doing” and “how I don’t think I’ll need to go for that follow-up. It doesn’t even hurt now.”
Beyond asking her to hold still for a photo, I was speechless.
Just a fun photo I took while on a standby a few years ago in Kansas. Check out the Pottawatomie County EMS Facebook page here.