Proper Practices


Netizens: 911 system better than China’s own

To listen to the 911 call made from Michael Jackson’s own home on the day he collapsed, click here.
The death of pop icon Michael Jackson has led to unexpected criticism of China’s emergency medical system.
Netizens praised the American 911 dispatcher who handled the Jackson emergency call and criticized differences between the Chinese and American emergency [...]

Houston Firetrucks Crash, Injuring 11

Image courtesy of Mayra Beltran, Houston Chronicle.
As part of our safety campaign, we will be highlighting over the course of April methods and case studies relevant to increased safety in our fire and EMS response system
The two fire trucks that crashed in Montrose on Monday morning, injuring 11 people, were en route to what firefighters [...]

Firefighter, Paramedic Loses Job over YouTube

A Milwaukee firefighter was fired and a department paramedic resigned Monday over accusations that they shot what department officials described as a derogatory video at a city firehouse and posted it on YouTube.

Paramedic Edgar Brooks resigned, and firefighter Marcus Eastern was fired, according to an e-mail from department spokeswoman Tiffany Wynn.
Brooks was hired in 2005. [...]

Most EMS Recruits are Overweight, Obese

Photo courtesy of ABC News.
More than 75 percent of candidates for fire and ambulance services in Massachusetts are either overweight or obese, a situation that has major consequences for public health and safety, researchers say.
A team from BUSM, Boston Medical Center, Harvard University and the Cambridge Health Alliance reviewed the pre-placement medical examinations of 370 [...]

Photo of the Day, March 11, 2009

The above is a photo of the fire at the Quebec City armoury, the Manège Militaire, which was built between 1885 and 1888. It burned down on the night of April 4, 2008. More than 100 firefighters were called to the site and less than an hour after the fire started, huge parts of the [...]

How Clean is Your Stethoscope?

A recent preliminary study by Merlin et. al entitled “Prevalence of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus on the Stethoscopes of Emergency Medical Services Providers (abstract) showed that on average one in three EMS professionals are using stethoscopes with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Their first study involved 50 EMS providers, 16 of whom came back after 72 [...]

Cold Weather Firefighting

by Lou Angeli
Special to Firefighter-EMT.com
(Wilmington, DE) — As weather experts debate the effects Global Warming on North America, the “B” shift members of Wilmington (DE) Rescue 1 don’t really give a damn. Winter is on them, and the simple fact of the matter is it’s as cold as it gets in the mid-Atlantic states.
Cold weather [...]

8-Alarm Conshohocken Fire Under Questioning

With five buildings in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania considered a total loss, critics question whether firefighters acted quickly enough to stop the flames.

Firefighter Escapes Burning Building

Peabody, MASSACHUSETTS — Firefighter Steve Franzosa was working on the three-alarm blaze at the Essex Place apartment building at 36 Keys Drive when he stuck his head out a window asking for help. Several onlookers, fire officials from area departments, scrambled to move a nearby extension ladder to Franzosa’s window. The firefighter left the scene [...]

On Using the Glucometer

One of the easiest ALS tools to use, but often one of the most neglected, is the glucometer. Gone are the days of putting drops of blood on a chemical test strip and staring at it intently, trying to figure out which color it had changed to. Today’s provider has accurate test results in as [...]