COVID-19

Public Safety-oriented information and resources on the Novel Coronavirus COVID-19.

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 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 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 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 the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as surveillance approaches...

March 25, 2020Read more...

National Institutes of Health (NIH) launches COVID-19 website for the workplace, including emergency responders

With new funding from Congress, the NIH has launched a website with training and educational resources for workers confronting COVID-19 in the workplace, including emergency first responders, hospital workers, and others at risk due to possible exposure to the virus via their work assignments. This training will be part of the already established Worker Training Program. Use this link for specifics about the COVID-19 training program and links to other training programs and resources. National Institutes of Health

March 24, 2020Read more...

5th Webinar in a Series: Paramedic Chiefs of Canada – COVID-19: National Conversation on Employee Quarantine and Other Topics – March 26th | Recording and Handout

Canadian Paramedic Services National Conversation led by Darren Sandbeck, Senior Provincial Director & Chief Paramedic, Alberta Health Services Emergency Medical Services This conversation was in the tradition originally started with a conference call among Canadian EMS leaders sharing information during SARS. This highly successful information and best practices sharing approach was continued, with help from FirstWatch, during the H1N1 and Ebola outbreaks. This session was led by Darren Sandbeck. Click here to view the recording. Click here for a pdf of the slides. Situational Awareness for All Public Safety...

March 13, 2020Read more...

4th Webinar in a Series: COVID-19 EMS Patient Management: Myth vs. Reality | Recording and Handout

This joint webinar of PCC, AIMHI, IAED, NAEMT, CAA, and FirstWatch was the 4th in a series. We were proud to see that over 1,300 people registered for it. With Matt Zavadsky from MedStar moderating, our presenters for Solano County, California were Dr. Bela Matyas from Solano County Public Health, Ted Selby from Solano County EMS, and Jimmy Pierson from Medic Ambulance. They provided incredibly useful and practical information from their ongoing experience providing care for COVID-19 patients quarantined at Travis Air Base. One example of insight shared is how they balanced the needs of the community for EMS coverage with the...