I was contacted on Gmail by a young man named Matthew Phillips who asked to contribute a guest post for this blog. He's a student at the University of Central Florida and an advocate for assuring that EMS people, firefighters and police have the knowledge to protect themselves in environments where the danger may not be obvious. He also enjoys writing and is trying to get experience in all types of topics to expand "his pallet".
Here's Matt's contribution. Feel freee to comment to him here.
When I was eight years old, we lost our house, and not because my parents couldn’t pay the bills. It was because of Hurricane Marilyn, the “big one” that wrecked my home and threw my family into a state of hopeless chaos. I remember my mom wrapping shaky arms around me and my 18 month old brother. She was 7 months pregnant and... well, terrified.
I also remember the moment I felt like everything would be okay. My father had walked for miles to find us help and when he finally returned, he wasn’t alone. Those trained to relieve the panic and suffering of others stepped in. Our family and others like us received food, medical attention and information that probably saved our lives and certainly made it easier for us to go on.
But here’s my question. Who’s saving the life-savers?
Prior to the mid 1970’s, car parts, home insulation, dry wall, and heating appliances contained a natural mineral called asbestos. Because of its heat and fire-resistant qualities, asbestos was supposed to make homes and families safer.
But when disturbed by crashes, storm damages, and fire, asbestos fibers are released into the air. When inhaled, the fibers can cause a deadly lung cancer. Mesothelioma symptoms are often subtle and can be confused with symptoms of more common, more treatable illnesses.
Don’t wait for symptoms of mesothelioma to show. Because of an extremely long latency period (20-50 years), symptoms often don’t lead to diagnosis until the cancer has metastasized. Treatment then becomes difficult or impossible and life expectancy is usually no more than a few months.
Because EMT’s, firefighters, and other emergency response professionals and volunteers are required to work in places like car accident scenes and older homes and buildings, they are at high risk of asbestos exposure. Though the government has created assistance acts for those already exposed to the poison, prevention is the best solution to the problem.
To help prevent mesothelioma and to help save the lives of those who work to save ours, share what you know. Information is powerful and knowledge can promote mesothelioma screenings and the elimination of all asbestos use. We can do our part to help.
Showing posts with label firefighter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label firefighter. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Reflections on the Passing of a Paramedic ...
EMS people, especially in our early careers, tend to feel invulnerable. I'm the rescuer ... bad things won't happen to me because it's my job to be here for everyone else. My first experience with that was in the mid 80s when I was working as a paramedic for a "home town" ambulance company and responded to a motorcycle accident. It wasn't the first ... and certainly wouldn't be the last. I'd had a few years in by then and things were becoming a little routine. It turned out the "victim" in this case was a fellow paramedic and was in traumatic cardiac arrest after hitting a stopped vehicle then getting catapulted accross a major highway. The trauma center staff (the ones who were able to function in the face of familiarity) did thier best, inclusive of cracking his chest, but Frank was gone. My husband (at the time) was a cat scan tech in the same hospital and there to comfort me, but all I felt was numb. I was numb through the next week; the retelling of the story, the viewing, then the funeral. Our ambulance led the procession. One of the responding LA County firefighters was with us.
There was no CISM program back then. We were on our own. We thought the funeral would put closure on the event. Two years later I learned what PSTD was. The other thing I learned from that experience was that it was the newer employees, the ones that didn't even know Frank, were affected the most. That's when I understood how we tend to weave this "web of invulnerability" around us. Then, when we lose one of our own, it's like a sharp smack to the head and a recognition of our own mortality.
This week, some 20 years later, I went to a memorial for another paramedic killed in a motorcycle accident. His name was Rob Brooks. He was 38. he had worked through some very rough times in his life to become a sucessful 11 year medic and father. His last post on his Facebook page was to thank people for birthday wishes. He worked in west Contra Costa County, a tough place to work, but where lifelong friendships were formed. "West County people" are a rare breed and won't work in any of the "milder" parts of the county.
II always have a reluctance to go to "one more" of these memorials because I've had to acknowledge the deaths of too many firefighters, cops and EMS people over the years. Most of them were taken before thier time, like Rob. Only a few years ago Contra Costa County lost two firefighters when a roof collapsed. The memory is still fresh. Each of the people whose memorials I attended took a part of me with them.
There had to be at least 500 people in this very large church. Every seat was taken and people were standing in the doorways. The fire department and police presence was mindboggling. It was a sea of class "A" uniforms. I wouldn't have expected this kind of turnout for a private paramedic. It says something about our county and the people that work in it. AMR was well represented and the General Manager, Leslie Mueller, was there in her to acknowledge Rob. The Alameda County AMR Honor Guard showed support from our neighboring county. There were employees and former employees I hadn't seen for years. One, a former partner for Rob, came all the way from North Carolina. When the procession left, they were led across the bridge by the red Reach Air Medical helicopter.
The thing that struck me about this was that this is the way it should be. There is so much talk about public/private conflict. This comes from the top end; from the political spectrum and the need to position for turf. When it comes to the real work in the streets though, it's all about the relationships you form as a person and a medical professional. I got my first job as an EMT during the time when there were few women and we were only marginally accepted. I had to work harder to prove myself as a competent medic ... and a woman. After that I would spend half my day at LA County Fire station 20. The guys taught me much of what I needed to know to be successful in paramedic school. The first memorial I remember was when one of them died in his sleep one night. He was in his 30s.
At Rob's memorial the amazing outpouring of support and love from the fire and police as well as the EMS community showed that we can work as team ... as a family. This is critically important when there are those who would target us as victims of violence or terrorism. The enemy should be those that wish to harm us, not each other! This memorial showed that true solidarity can exist. This is the basis for the concept of EMS 2.0: When it hits the fan, we're all at the same party."Boots on the ground" people get that. Thank you, Contra Costa County, for being that example. Thank you, Rob, for being who you were and such an inspiration.
There was no CISM program back then. We were on our own. We thought the funeral would put closure on the event. Two years later I learned what PSTD was. The other thing I learned from that experience was that it was the newer employees, the ones that didn't even know Frank, were affected the most. That's when I understood how we tend to weave this "web of invulnerability" around us. Then, when we lose one of our own, it's like a sharp smack to the head and a recognition of our own mortality.
This week, some 20 years later, I went to a memorial for another paramedic killed in a motorcycle accident. His name was Rob Brooks. He was 38. he had worked through some very rough times in his life to become a sucessful 11 year medic and father. His last post on his Facebook page was to thank people for birthday wishes. He worked in west Contra Costa County, a tough place to work, but where lifelong friendships were formed. "West County people" are a rare breed and won't work in any of the "milder" parts of the county.
II always have a reluctance to go to "one more" of these memorials because I've had to acknowledge the deaths of too many firefighters, cops and EMS people over the years. Most of them were taken before thier time, like Rob. Only a few years ago Contra Costa County lost two firefighters when a roof collapsed. The memory is still fresh. Each of the people whose memorials I attended took a part of me with them.
There had to be at least 500 people in this very large church. Every seat was taken and people were standing in the doorways. The fire department and police presence was mindboggling. It was a sea of class "A" uniforms. I wouldn't have expected this kind of turnout for a private paramedic. It says something about our county and the people that work in it. AMR was well represented and the General Manager, Leslie Mueller, was there in her to acknowledge Rob. The Alameda County AMR Honor Guard showed support from our neighboring county. There were employees and former employees I hadn't seen for years. One, a former partner for Rob, came all the way from North Carolina. When the procession left, they were led across the bridge by the red Reach Air Medical helicopter.
The thing that struck me about this was that this is the way it should be. There is so much talk about public/private conflict. This comes from the top end; from the political spectrum and the need to position for turf. When it comes to the real work in the streets though, it's all about the relationships you form as a person and a medical professional. I got my first job as an EMT during the time when there were few women and we were only marginally accepted. I had to work harder to prove myself as a competent medic ... and a woman. After that I would spend half my day at LA County Fire station 20. The guys taught me much of what I needed to know to be successful in paramedic school. The first memorial I remember was when one of them died in his sleep one night. He was in his 30s.
At Rob's memorial the amazing outpouring of support and love from the fire and police as well as the EMS community showed that we can work as team ... as a family. This is critically important when there are those who would target us as victims of violence or terrorism. The enemy should be those that wish to harm us, not each other! This memorial showed that true solidarity can exist. This is the basis for the concept of EMS 2.0: When it hits the fan, we're all at the same party."Boots on the ground" people get that. Thank you, Contra Costa County, for being that example. Thank you, Rob, for being who you were and such an inspiration.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Red Lights, Hot Spots and Disaster
The Concept: I have many interests which intertwine around each other, yet are also very different. My work as a paramedic has taken me from 911 ambulance work, to the world of disaster medicine, and now EMS training and QI for both fire departments and communications centers. I'm a trauma and QI consultant for an EMS agency in California and training officer for both a federal disaster medical team and a local Medical Reserve Corp. I teach an EMT class for a local community college. I love the work, and it pays the mortgage, but I also have a strong love of writing and now, podcasting. My first feature article was for the Journal of Emergency Medical Services (JEMS) in 1991 which led to presenting a few pre-conference workshops for their conference series. I have written and edited EMS textbooks and just had a story published in an anthology of disaster stories called, "To the Rescue - Stories of Healthcare Workers at the Scene of Disaster". I created a blog called, "Sam Bradley's Writer's Blog" that I've linked to a podcast, but found trying to address the world of EMS, Fire and Disaster along with unrelated stories tended to be confusing and cumbersome. Hence, this new blog which will link to a podcast specifically addressing the EMS life.
Discovering the world of EMS Social Media: I received my first iPod as a Christmas gift in 2005 and uploaded the first podcasts from iTunes. Initially there wasn't a whole lot of EMS podcasts, but that has changed dramatically in the last few years. Social media, especially Twitter, has opened my eyes to a whole new world of EMS related media. I learned about a movie called, "Level Zero" which was created by a man named Thaddeus (Ted) Setla (chroniclesofems.com). Ted is an Alameda County paramedic. I expected to see a "You Tube" level production but found an amazing, well produced, professional level film about "real" EMS people, many of which I knew personally. I found Ted on Twitter and we began to chat. I found that he had created "Level Zero" for EMS week 2009. Not only was this not-for-profit, but any money donated went to the families of the Oakland police officers that had been recently slain. Needless to say, I was immediately impressed with his love for the business, his charity, and his interest in taking EMS to a new level.
Through my association with Ted, I met some other amazing EMS field people who had blogs and/or podcasts. Subsequently, Greg Friese from EPS411 and emseducast invited me to take part in two podcasts with his group. Ted, and now Greg, let me to other people like Chris Montera (Geekymedic) at chrismontera.com, Tim Noonan (The Rogue Medic) at paramedicine101.blogspot.com, Carissa O’Brien at baselinevitals.com, Buck Feris at gomerville.com Jamie Davis(The Podmedic) at MedicCast.com, Steve Whitehead at theEMTSpot.com, Christopher Kaiser from lifeunderthelights.com and Dr. Keith Wesley from Jems.com. This is just the short list.
These people (and others I will link to in this blog)started an effort called EMS 2.0, which is an attempt to improve EMS from the field up. Ted experimented with some new social media concepts at the "EMS Today" conference in 2009. He and his group interviewed people from the conference, produced video of panel discussions, and created streaming video of the event with chat room communication capability. I took part in this and was very impressed.
Then came, "Chronicles of EMS". Originally called, "The Project". Two EMS bloggers, Justin Schorr (thehappymedic.com) a paramedic with the San Francisco Fire Department, and Mark Glencorse (999medic.com) from England, worked with Ted on the idea of working within each other's EMS system while blogging and filming the event. The result is the movie, "Chronicles of EMS" which will premiere in San Francisco on February 12th. I had the good fortune of meeting both Mark and Justin along with Chris Kaiser and others at a Tweetup in San Francisco recently. I'm looking forward to seeing them again at the premiere along with more EMS "movers and shakers" than have ever been in one place. The invitation said,
"This will premiere the pilot episode of "Chronicles of EMS" to the world. Where social media and television meet in an unprecedented first of its kind audience participation WebTV original series set in San Francisco. We will bring EMS Professionals from around the world together to network and inspire the future of the industry".
The following day we'll be filming a new venture called, "A Seat at the Table" which will involve discussions of current and relevant topics which will be it's own series. I was honored to have been invited to take part in this.
There will be much more to tell you about, but I'll save it for another day. Am I excited about this? ... hell yes! I've always believed in "Don't complain about it unless you have a solution". These EMSers have found that solution through blogging, podcasts, and video. I really hope the EMS world is paying attention, because it's about to change for the better!
Lastly, what I want this blog to be is a place for EMS folks, firefighters, law enforcement personnel and disaster workers to share stories about their professional lives and the things they most care about. Please link this to your blogs and your social media sites, and add a story or start a discussion thread. Stories produced in written form can also be podcast on iTunes to reach a larger audience if you like. Let me know what you think. I'll look forward to hearing from you!
Discovering the world of EMS Social Media: I received my first iPod as a Christmas gift in 2005 and uploaded the first podcasts from iTunes. Initially there wasn't a whole lot of EMS podcasts, but that has changed dramatically in the last few years. Social media, especially Twitter, has opened my eyes to a whole new world of EMS related media. I learned about a movie called, "Level Zero" which was created by a man named Thaddeus (Ted) Setla (chroniclesofems.com). Ted is an Alameda County paramedic. I expected to see a "You Tube" level production but found an amazing, well produced, professional level film about "real" EMS people, many of which I knew personally. I found Ted on Twitter and we began to chat. I found that he had created "Level Zero" for EMS week 2009. Not only was this not-for-profit, but any money donated went to the families of the Oakland police officers that had been recently slain. Needless to say, I was immediately impressed with his love for the business, his charity, and his interest in taking EMS to a new level.
Through my association with Ted, I met some other amazing EMS field people who had blogs and/or podcasts. Subsequently, Greg Friese from EPS411 and emseducast invited me to take part in two podcasts with his group. Ted, and now Greg, let me to other people like Chris Montera (Geekymedic) at chrismontera.com, Tim Noonan (The Rogue Medic) at paramedicine101.blogspot.com, Carissa O’Brien at baselinevitals.com, Buck Feris at gomerville.com Jamie Davis(The Podmedic) at MedicCast.com, Steve Whitehead at theEMTSpot.com, Christopher Kaiser from lifeunderthelights.com and Dr. Keith Wesley from Jems.com. This is just the short list.
These people (and others I will link to in this blog)started an effort called EMS 2.0, which is an attempt to improve EMS from the field up. Ted experimented with some new social media concepts at the "EMS Today" conference in 2009. He and his group interviewed people from the conference, produced video of panel discussions, and created streaming video of the event with chat room communication capability. I took part in this and was very impressed.
Then came, "Chronicles of EMS". Originally called, "The Project". Two EMS bloggers, Justin Schorr (thehappymedic.com) a paramedic with the San Francisco Fire Department, and Mark Glencorse (999medic.com) from England, worked with Ted on the idea of working within each other's EMS system while blogging and filming the event. The result is the movie, "Chronicles of EMS" which will premiere in San Francisco on February 12th. I had the good fortune of meeting both Mark and Justin along with Chris Kaiser and others at a Tweetup in San Francisco recently. I'm looking forward to seeing them again at the premiere along with more EMS "movers and shakers" than have ever been in one place. The invitation said,
"This will premiere the pilot episode of "Chronicles of EMS" to the world. Where social media and television meet in an unprecedented first of its kind audience participation WebTV original series set in San Francisco. We will bring EMS Professionals from around the world together to network and inspire the future of the industry".
The following day we'll be filming a new venture called, "A Seat at the Table" which will involve discussions of current and relevant topics which will be it's own series. I was honored to have been invited to take part in this.
There will be much more to tell you about, but I'll save it for another day. Am I excited about this? ... hell yes! I've always believed in "Don't complain about it unless you have a solution". These EMSers have found that solution through blogging, podcasts, and video. I really hope the EMS world is paying attention, because it's about to change for the better!
Lastly, what I want this blog to be is a place for EMS folks, firefighters, law enforcement personnel and disaster workers to share stories about their professional lives and the things they most care about. Please link this to your blogs and your social media sites, and add a story or start a discussion thread. Stories produced in written form can also be podcast on iTunes to reach a larger audience if you like. Let me know what you think. I'll look forward to hearing from you!
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