EMS

February 18, 2025Read more...

Paramedic Chiefs of Canada – Burden of Command: Leading Others at the Expense of Yourselves

The concept of the ‘burden of command’, which has a historical legacy that pre-dates the Great Wars, is becoming a growing concern affecting our paramedic leaders. Join us as we seek to explore the ‘burden of command’ that exists within the paramedic community. The session will feature research highlights as they pertain to the psychological health and well-being of paramedic leaders in Canada, and a showcasing of the results from a recent pilot study with paramedic leaders in Eastern Ontario....

February 6, 2025Read more...

Paramedic Chiefs of Canada – The Preburn Project: Preventing Burnout by Predicting Compromised Wellness in EMS Workers

View this in-depth exploration of the innovative Preburn Project: Preventing Burnout by Predicting Compromised Wellness in EMS Workers. This session is designed for EMS directors, EMS administrators, paramedics, dispatchers, mental health professionals and researchers who are committed to improving the well-being of frontline EMS workers.

December 5, 2024Read more...

Paramedic Chiefs of Canada – Paramedicine, mental health, and crisis calls in the community: Highlights for leadership

In this session, we will consider some of the current research and evidence with respect to what paramedic leaders need to know and what they can do to implement evidence-informed improvements. An evidence-informed framework for crisis care will be shared, along with areas for potential practice change. Areas for practice change include alternative care options (outside of ED), response team approaches, community paramedicine, and post-care follow up. Finally, identification of which mental health-related continuing medical education and training is pertinent, including recommendations for continuing education going forward.

October 7, 2024Read more...

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.

September 18, 2024Read more...

Election Safety: Risk Assessment and Preparation Webinar

The upcoming presidential election will be a wild adventure for the U.S. (as well as future elections everywhere). In addition to deciding our vote, those of us in emergency services need to prepare for all kinds of election-related disruption. During this webinar, Bill Ott, the Cybersecurity Strategist for FirstWatch, will address: Cybersecurity Threats, Polling Place Safety, Election-Related Violence, Post-Election Unrest, Foreign Interference, and Voter Intimidation and Harassment. Our Data Analyst, Valerie Popovich, will also show you how geofencing and triggers...

August 21, 2024Read more...

Public Health Emergency of International Concern – Mpox Clade I

The likelihood of a large outbreak of Mpox Clade I or I b is low outside of Africa, but isolated cases or outbreaks are possible. This post provides an early alert to First Responder Agencies, especially those that do EMS, to make sure their agency is ready if Mpox should occur in your area, to reduce the risk of responders being exposed to & developing Mpox.  There will be some suggestions for initial preparation for Mpox to get you started....

July 16, 2024Read more...

Pinnacle Webinar Series – Tackling Overdoses with Real-Time Data

Overdoses continue to plague communities throughout the US and Canada. One North American EMS system recently had 245 overdoses in a single day. Identifying, tracking, and mapping overdoses is key to effective intervention. During this engaging session, we explored cutting-edge technology that EMS systems use to tackle this problem in near real-time.

June 22, 2023Read more...

Paramedic Chiefs of Canada – Burnout in EMS: An Evidence-Based Organizational Approach

The negative consequences of burnout in EMS stretch well-beyond the individual and can affect entire organizations as well as the patients served. Nevertheless, most traditional interventions aimed to reduce burnout focus on the individual and fail to address the underlying systematic causes. In this session, Dr. Remle Crowe reviews the latest research and presents organizational-level strategies to meaningfully reduce and prevent burnout at your EMS agency.

May 16, 2023Read more...

Pinnacle Webinar Series: Meaningful Improvement Using Data

Every EMS system has some “quality” function, yet very few have actually made anything better. During this interactive session, you’ll learn to use run charts and control charts, accurately analyze your performance data, and how to use it to make improvements that matter to your patients, your employees, and your organization.

April 20, 2023Read more...

At Issue with the Paramedic Chiefs of Canada – A panel discussion on the current state of the Paramedic Workforce

While not isolated to the healthcare profession, pressures from the Paramedic Workforce are trending as one of the biggest issues for Paramedic Services (EMS) across Canada. From a noticeable increase in retirements, resignations, burn-out, low graduation rates to the challenges of the NEXT Generation labor force, health and wellness and work-life balances, there are growing pressures on how to address the dynamic environment of recruitment and retention in the Paramedic Workforce.

January 3, 2023Read more...
CTM Partnering with Hospitals

Partnering with Hospitals: Solving Offload Problems Together

Recent Tweets: “36 ambulances were stacked outside the hospital last night with crews forced to swap oxygen cylinders with each other as they ran out.” “It used to be we had 50 patients in the emergency department on handover; now we have 180. Last night 60% of patients had been in the ED more than 12 hours, some more than 40.” We are frustrated with wall time and diversions. Our hospital partners are understaffed and overwhelmed. There are no easy...

November 9, 2022Read more...

Updates for Seasonal Influenza (Flu) for 2022–2023

After a couple of Flu Seasons that were extraordinarily mild, Seasonal Flu is back with a vengeance. It’s starting early and all indications point to a very active Season.  The FirstWatch Intelligence Page (HIP) has updated Flu Resources, both in written documents, as well as links to outside resources for quick reference. Hopefully, these resources, as well as Weekly Flu Summaries of Flu Activity for the US and Canada, as well as globally, will help navigate this Flu season for your...

November 1, 2022Read more...

Be Careful with Fentanyl but Don’t Be Afraid to Treat

The Media, and now TV shows & movies, are representing any response from First Responders (EMS, Fire, Law Enforcement) as at risk for their own overdoses, should they even be in proximity to fentanyl.  This is partly due to the fact that there are reports of First Responders becoming symptomatic when on the scene where fentanyl is suspected or found, sometimes delaying critical patient care. This article looks at the current literature and expert guidance to explore the actual continuum of...

October 28, 2022Read more...

Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Resources for First Responders

There has been increased concern about both domestic and international terrorism throughout the world. There are also natural disasters and accidental events, such as chemical releases or theft/loss of radioactive isotopes from construction sites or hospitals, occurring all around the country. One thing is clear, First Responders are almost always going to be first in on any of these incidents, except for those on the scene as the incident is occurring, looking for help. First Responders can, with the correct training,...