EMS Goes To Capitol Hill

As some of you know, I'm involved with NAEMT's legislative advocacy efforts on behalf of EMS. Yesterday, I spent the day walking the halls of the Capitol offices meeting with some of the Commonwealth's legislative contingent - mostly their staffers, but I did get to meet one Representative. This was the 5th EMS On The Hill day, and the 4th one I've attended.

This year, our "asks" were actually pretty simple. On the Senate side, we met with the staff of Senator Toomey and Senator Casey (separately). We were primary talking about H.R. 1791, The Medical Preparedness Allowable Use Act. This bill passed the House in February, and it currently sits in committee in the Senate. It's a pretty simple bill - allows an expansion of approved expenses for the Urban Area Security Initiative grant money to fund chemical/biological countermeasure stockpiles. The money is already there, this just means it can be spent on some more things that could be useful. In the Senate, we also talked about the Field EMS bill, even though there is no companion Senate bill yet. Finally, we asked for the Senators to consider joining the EMS Caucus.

After leaving our first meeting on the Senate side, we were able to get an escort by an intern from Senator Casey's office, so we were able to make our meetings on the House side without rushing too much. We got to walk along next to the Senate Subway tracks (We didn't wait for a subway car for the trip. Pretty cool tour!

On the House side, we didn't have to talk about H.R. 1791, because it's already passed. Instead, we focused on talking about the "Field EMS Bill" - Officlally: H.R.809 - Field EMS Quality, Innovation, and Cost Effectiveness Improvements Act of 2013. The Field EMS Bill isn't perfect - but it gets us talking about quite a few things, and at least gets us a seat at the table. If you've got a better idea, I'm sure NAEMT would LOVE to hear it... but right now, this is their best one.

We also talked about the EMS Caucus. Although there's a Congressional Fire Service Caucus, there's no group focused on EMS - yet EMS calls for service are often 5:1 fire calls.

I think the easiest sell with that was Congressman Glenn "GT" Thompson from central PA (PA-5). We walked in to the office as the House Bells were sounding, calling representatives to the floor for a vote. His staff explained that the Representative was being called away for a vote, but "He has 5 minutes and wants to see you." He greeted us with "It's good to see fellow EMS personnel here". Turns out, he's been an EMT and Firefighter since the mid-1980's, and still serves when he's home.

Here's a screenshot of a tweet HE sent with our group photo:

Congressman Thompson's staff said that the Representative has apparently stopped at a few car crashes in rural Pennsylvania since being elected and provided initial first aid until EMS arrived, so heads up, Central PA folks - that gentleman who says he's a firefighter and stopped to help might also be your Congressman!

Anyway - I think it was a relatively successful day. Last picture before I sign off - This is Chief Touchstone from Philadelphia FD EMS (and NEMSMA), with his Congressman, Rep. Chaka Fattah (PA-2).

Boston Box 1579

Today, the Boston Fire Department lost 2 members on a fire at 298 Beacon Street. The firefighters were from the firehouse right down the street from the NCEMSF hotel I was at earlier this month - in fact, L15/E33 showed up at the hotel several times for false alarm activations on that Saturday,

It was absolutely heartbreaking to be walking the halls of Capitol Hill, seeing the incident unfold on Twitter. Social Media is a great tool... but it also has limitations, and there wasn't a lot of information until BFD spoke with the press this evening.

Mark is someone I follow on Twitter, and I think he said it best. In the Boston area, Firefighters are called "Jakes". Lt. Edward Walsh and Firefighter Michael Kennedy leave behind family and friends, and a whole city is in mourning.

Godspeed, gentlemen.

Heard On The Ambulance

I'm walking though the ED after dropping off a patient.
"Oh,  are you the ambulance?" says the ED registrar.


"No Ma'am... I'm the Paramedic. The Ambulance is parked outside.....Wait... I'm not THAT big, am I?"

Gear Review - Raven Concealment Flashlight Clip

Last summer, Raven Concealment Systems rolled out a new product, a clip for Surefire (and other 1” diameter) tactical flashlights. Of course I bought one. And then torture tested used it in my everyday life.

I've been a Raven Concealment fanboy since '07 (before they were used by the Magpul guys, and their order lead time got ridiculous. Their gear isn't unique, but they do make a good product. So when I saw the announcement for the flashlight clip, I figured I'd try it. It has been the best $15 I ever spent, in terms of firearms/accessories.

I'm no Tactical Timmy, but I do carry a flashlight with me almost all the time. I use it daily - Checking a cabinet in a truck at work, or finding my cell phone dropped under my car. It's incredibly useful to have a bright flashlight handy.

My current flashlight of choice is a Surefire 6PX Pro - good all around light, with decent battery life. I like the Low/High option, rather than the On/Strobe. The low is good enough most of the time, and saves battery life.

Anyway - Back to the pocket clip. It's seen a little use. The finish is a little worn, but the flashlight has dings, too. It's held it's shape in all sorts of trousers over the last 9 months, and still works as designed. The clip has two purposes. It holds the flashlight in a bezel-down position at the top of the pocket for easy deployment, and it has an O-ring for flashlight manipulation.

The idea behind the O-ring is simple - When you grab the light as you would for a Harries stance, you slide your index finger through the O-ring. This allows you to retain the flashlight, and also enables a very cool-looking flip of the flashlight to the back of your hand, to free up your non-dominant hand to reload your firearm or perform other m manipulations. Here's Stephen Pineau demoing the clip - he shows the ring as the first option.

Since I normally use the Harries technique to combine my flashlight with my firearm, this device is just what I needed. If you're scraching your head at the term Harries, here's a link that better explains it.

Install is stupidly easy - You unscrew the tailcap, slide the metal clip over the threads and down to the bottom of the barrel at the tail, and then put the tailcap back on. It's quick and easy, and doesn't impact the flashlight use in any way. There is usually a small gap between the flashlight and the tail cap, so you aren't adding much, and the threads are long enough to handle it.

I wear the flashlight with clip in my left front trouser pocket all the time, either on or off duty. When I'm off duty and laws allow, I have a firearm on my right hip, and I leave the flashlight on my left all the time for consistency.

The light rides relatively low in my front pants pocket, and doesn't stick out. I've only found one pair of pants that had trouble holding the flashlight, and that was a pair of Dickies-brand work pants that seem to have pockets that aren't as generous as most pants. In every other pair of pants I've worn, I've never had the flashlight fall out.

Anyway - This device, overall, gets an A+ from me. It's inexpensive, and makes carrying a flashlight daily much easier. You don't need to worry about light carriers or having the light fall out of your pocket, or get buried under other items in the pocket. It's a fantastic tool, and something I recommend with no hesitation.

If you want to buy the clip - here's the link to RCS's shop.

An Open Letter on Degrees

For some time now, the EMS profession has been looking for a clear leader to emerge. We have been waiting for someone to lead us boldly into the future. Currently, the EMS field is at a crossroads. We are DESPERATELY in need of a degree requirement to help us survive and stay relevant in the ever changing and highly competitive healthcare field. It is well documented that those who possess a college degree enjoy benefits that extend well beyond the simple possession of information as a result of education. As evidenced by the increasingly complex nature of the biomedical sciences, a firm educational foundation is key to providing the best care possible. Learning the skills necessary to stay current and continue to learn throughout a career is part of the value of a college degree. The role of EMS has shifted since its inception in the 1970s toward that of an independent prehospital healthcare practitioner. In order to avoid being left behind the wave of change, EMS professionals must rise to the occasion. We would like to see you and / or other national level EMS advocacy groups visibly and rigorously support a degree based paramedic education. I and a growing number of other EMS providers hold the opinion that our field could easily transition to a degree based field through the following method;

Require all new paramedics to hold an Associate in Science degree.

This requirement would allow for a transition to a degree based model while not threatening the livelihood of current paramedics. Based on the past experience of the ANA, we can surmise that the most vocal critics of a degree requirement will be those current paramedics whose ability to practice would be threatened. Making this degree requirement pertain to future paramedics, and not requiring current paramedic to return to college to remain practicing EMS providers should avoid most grass roots opposition. This model would also allow for the continued use of EMTs by fire departments and volunteer agencies since it would not effect the EMT level provider. Furthermore, an associate level degree requirement would allow for the hundreds of community colleges currently providing paramedic education to retain their programs. Happily, since requiring A.S. level degree education requires more college classes for these prospective paramedics, community colleges should welcome this potential increase in tuition funds.

As with any change in EMS, there will be critics. There will be those who argue against change no matter how much they ultimately benefit from it. I and many of my colleagues stand ready to support you and your organization as you look toward the future. We believe that we cannot, as a field, be successful in the future without being on the same level as other healthcare professions. We cannot expect to thrive and even expand into community paramedicine or mobile integrated healthcare without paramedic leaders who possess the same tools and skills as those with whom they work. We cannot be successful without being a degree based profession. We need you to lead.

Sincerely,

The EMS Profession