FirstWatch News

NEMSQA Wins Nicholas Rosecrans Award for Reducing Ambulance Crashes with Lights and Siren Initiative

LAS VEGAS, NV (September 18, 2024) – The National EMS Quality Alliance (NEMSQA) was honored as this year’s prestigious Nicholas Rosecrans Award winner for their exceptional work on the Lights and Siren Collaborative. NEMSQA’s initiative has been pivotal in reducing the risks associated with the use of lights and siren in emergency medical services, improving safety for EMS providers and the public while maintaining high standards of patient care.

Mary E. Meeks Selected as the 2024 – 25 Recipient of the Jack Stout EMS Fellowship for Leadership Development

PLATTE CITY, MO — Mary E. Meeks, EMS District Chief for Chatham Emergency Services (CES), headquartered in Savannah, Ga., has been named the 2024 - 25 recipient of the Jack Stout EMS Fellowship. Endowed by FirstWatch, the Fellowship was created in collaboration with the Fitch EMS Foundation. The Fellowship is named in honor of the late Jack Stout, widely regarded as the father of high-performance EMS systems. It aims to provide a platform for chosen individuals to acquire...

Celebrating Pride Month at FirstWatch: Honoring Our LGBTQ+ Team Members

As we step into June, FirstWatch is proud to celebrate Pride Month, a time dedicated to honoring the vibrant and diverse LGBTQ+ community. This month serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of inclusion, acceptance, and the ongoing struggle for equality. At FirstWatch, we believe that our strength lies in our diversity. Our LGBTQ+ team members are integral to our success, bringing unique perspectives, creativity, and passion to our workplace. We are committed to fostering an environment where everyone...

Orange County Fire Authority: Leading with Data

Transparency is good. But data without context can mislead. How OCFA leverages data to tell a more complete story. “A critical component of our work is accurately identifying and describing the problems we face as a fire department and as a community,” says Orange County Fire Authority Chief Brian Fennessy. “Once we’ve identified a problem, then we can address it.” The bigger and more complex those challenges, the more important it is to convey them accurately. For Fennessy and OCFA, this begins...

Keeping Ahead of the Crowd

How Lake Stevens (Wash.) PD continues to innovate, despite staffing challenges

Chief Jeffrey Beazizo of the Lake Stevens, Wash., Police Department needs to keep informed in order to keep his community and officers safe. “If something big happens,” he says, “I want to know immediately. With FirstWatch, I get alerted through CAD triggers on my phone as soon as that call comes through. “It’s obviously not every call I need to be alerted to,” he says. “But major crimes and Priority...