Author - Jenny Abercrombie

May 18, 2020Read more...

Paramedic Chiefs of Canada – COVID-19 Webinar – A National Conversation: Part 7 – COVID-19 Procedure Manual Review – May 14th | Recording and Handouts

In this installment, we had a follow-up discussion with Deputy Chief Shaughn Maxwell on the editable COVID-19 Procedure Manual used by South County Fire in Snohomish County, Washington. In our previous session on April 30th, Dr. Richard Campbell covered their approach to PPE Conservation, and gave a quick overview of their entire manual which received input from NASA and other experts on various subjects, including Human Factors, to enhance adoption and usability.

May 16, 2020Read more...

CDC Health Alert Network (HAN) Advisory on 5/14/20: Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) Associated with COVID-19

A new syndrome, now named MIS-C, has been identified in multiple countries in the past few weeks which seems to be associated with COVID-19 infection, even if COVID was asymptomatic or unrecognized. It manifests itself as a Kawasaki-like illness and/or as Toxic Shock-Like Syndrome. It needs to be recognized as early as possible, so that monitoring, treatment, and testing can be started early in its course for the best outcomes. That makes it essential for Pre-hospital & Hospital Providers to...

May 13, 2020Read more...
Todd Stout

More Than a Pile of Data with Todd Stout

Podcast with IAED - Annals of Emergency Dispatch & Response, hosted by Becca Barrus. Todd Stout, president and founder of FirstWatch, discusses the role of FirstWatch in COVID-19 surveillance, lessons learned from the Ebola virus outbreak, and the importance of emergency dispatchers increasing their resilience.

May 2, 2020Read more...

Paramedic Chiefs of Canada – COVID-19 Webinar – A National Conversation: Part 6 – Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Preservation Tactics – April 30th | Recording and Handouts

Continuing forward from our reoccurring COVID-19 Webinars, “A National Conversation” where we gather brief “snapshots” of current provincial and/or national states on a variety of pressing topics related to COVID-19. The focus in this webinar was on “Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Preservation Tactics.” Representatives from Snohomish County Fire and Rescue, Everett, Washington shared what efforts and results have occurred related to PPE usage and reclamation. We discussed what mitigation options are evolving toward maximizing current PPE supplies in a world of uncertain...

April 27, 2020Read more...

Paramedic Chiefs of Canada – COVID-19 Webinar – A National Conversation: Part 5 – Community Paramedicine During a Pandemic – April 24th | Recording and Handout

Continuing forward from our reoccurring COVID-19 Webinars, “A National Conversation” where we gather brief “snapshots” of current provincial and/or national states on a variety of pressing topics related to COVID-19. The focus in this webinar was on “Community Paramedics during a Pandemic.”

April 22, 2020Read more...

Situational Awareness for All Public Safety Responders

Police, Fire, EMS, and Corrections personnel (my apologies if I missed anyone) are all taught and practice situational awareness.  This practice is what allows so many First Responders to go home safe after shift.  In the usual application of situational awareness (Is the scene safe?  Am I?), most threats to that safety can be seen or heard. That changes when the threat (amongst all the others that remain) is literally microscopic.  And, the signs and symptoms of illness, a) look like...

April 22, 2020Read more...

COVID-19 Guidance Resources for Law Enforcement Personnel

There is a lot of available information for Health Care Workers and EMS, but not very much for Law Enforcement who have several roles as part of their work that puts them at increased risk for being infected by COVID-19.  This document raises the awareness of that risk and offers a clearinghouse of resources specifically for Law Enforcement, First Responders/Public Safety.

April 18, 2020Read more...
Todd and A.J. Heightman

EMS Today Show Interview with Todd Stout on COVID-19

JEMS Editor Emeritus AJ Heightman interviewed FirstWatch president Todd Stout on COVID-19. Todd shares some history of FirstWatch helping with health surveillance and emerging infectious diseases, ways that FirstWatch customers are using data during this pandemic, the importance of resilience, and our commitment to helping provide helpful and actionable information for all first responders via our health intelligence pages, webinars, and articles.

April 17, 2020Read more...

Paramedic Chiefs of Canada – COVID-19 Webinar A National Conversation: Part 4 – Supporting Staff During a Pandemic – April 16th | Recording and Handout

Continuing forward from our recent COVID-19 Webinars, “A National Conversation” where we gather brief “snapshots” of current provincial and/or national states on a variety of pressing topics related to COVID-19. The focus of this webinar was on “Supporting Staff during a Pandemic.”

April 9, 2020Read more...
The Prepared Warrior Podcast

The Prepared Warrior Podcast: Policing in a Pandemic | Mike Taigman

Before beginning a shift for the day, what is something those working in law enforcement can do to prepare themselves, knowing they are risking exposure to COVID-19? For those working in a leadership role, what is important for them to keep in mind? This pandemic has the potential to drag on for a long time, what are the possible effects of long-term heightened stress on first responders? Can you explain the concept of crisis rehearsal and how that could be beneficial for law...

April 6, 2020Read more...
First responder and the ResilientFirst app coming out of a phone, resilience

Pinnacle Webinar Series – The Importance of Staying Connected While Practicing Physical Distancing: A Key Resilience Competency

Collaboration and relationships are a key component of resilience. The physical distancing required to slow the spread of COVID-19 and flatten the curve has moved us towards creative ways to be connected, from Zoom hugs to virtual happy hours. During this interactive session, we will discuss the science behind the importance of relationships and ways to keep this aspect of our world alive without sharing the virus. Presented by FirstWatch Improvement Guide, Mike Taigman.

April 3, 2020Read more...

Introduction to the Staying Informed, Staying Healthy, & Staying in Charge Article Series

Any time there is a novel virus, regardless of what it is or where it came from, there is a learning curve for virologists, infectious disease doctors, epidemiologists, other health care workers, first responders and the public.  This is even more pronounced when it is a global event, since different countries note and report different data points and have different thresholds for including these elements in a report.  Those countries with their own robust health systems, especially with epidemiologically-based public...

April 2, 2020Read more...

First Responders, Stress Management and Coronavirus – April 2nd | Recording and Resources

How to take care of yourself and your family during this crisis Coronavirus transformed our lives nearly overnight. Suddenly, we’re bombarded with messages: Stay home, shelter in place, avoid sick people, flatten the curve, not enough ventilators, you may be a carrier for days without symptoms. It’s no wonder people all over the world have a higher collective stress level than any time in modern history. And if you work in emergency services, you can’t stay home or avoid sick people. The extra layers...

March 29, 2020Read more...

New COVID-19 Resource Page on EMS.gov

A new COVID-19 resource page on EMS.gov provides easy to find links to the most relevant and up-to-date information from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), NHTSA Office of EMS and other Federal agencies involved in the response to the pandemic. This includes guidance for treating potential COVID-19 patients, information on PPE use and supplies and processes for handling healthcare providers who have been exposed to coronavirus.

March 28, 2020Read more...

Ryan White Act Expanded to Include COVID-19 Reporting

Executive Summary: For those Public Safety Agencies reporting an employee’s possible exposure, and expecting notification of a positive COVID-19 disease result from the hospital or public health officer, the expanded Ryan White Act of 2009 update has been published by NIOSH/CDC and will address this issue.  Furthermore, emergency response employees covered by the Act have been defined.  Full Report: The CDC/NIOSH has updated the Infectious Diseases and Circumstances Relevant to Notification of Emergency Response Employees: Implementation of Sec.2695 of the Ryan White...

March 27, 2020Read more...

COVID-19 Surveillance and Triage Using MPDS Webinar – March 27th | Recording and Handout

Emerging Disease Surveillance and Triage using the MPDS ProQA software Click here to view the recording. Click here for a pdf of the slides. Mentioned during webinar: Link to Academy Analytics COVID-19 features, click here. Link to webinar on Monday, March 30th, about using Academy Analytics for COVID-19, click here. We will post the Q&A if we receive any more answers that were not covered in the webinar. This presentation covers the various software tools available in the ProQA-medical software program for managing...