The EMS Section is constantly looking for opportunities to provide you with information to make your job easier, educate you about a hot topic or provide guidance on how to do something new or better. In an attempt to address all three, the section published a new book, Enhancing Fire-Based Emergency Medical Services – Transitioning to the Next Level, this past April.
This project started in 2011 when then-EMS Section Chair Gary Ludwig created a committee, led by Captain Chad Deardorff, "to collaborate on a project to help guide a fire department's transition into—or enhancement of—a fire-based EMS system. The purpose of this project was to create a 'how-to' document on increasing the level of fire-based EMS service that departments are currently providing, and to release it in a form that would benefit all fire department leaders across the U.S. and Canada."
The committee utilized section members of all ranks and positions from career, combination and volunteer departments of all sizes, from Hawaii to Massachusetts, as authors. Together, they developed an easy-to-use book that addresses all aspects of fire-based EMS.
The first three chapters of the book deal with EMS and politics as well as regulatory requirements and educating decision-makers about EMS. From building relationships to available options for your community to federal and state regulations to public need versus public opinion, these chapters provide a good primer to get you moving in the right direction.
Chapter four, Basic Life Support (BLS) and Advanced Life Support (ALS), addresses such topics as the advantages and disadvantages of BLS and ALS, what methods are available to provide this level of service, the need for medical direction and what type of equipment is required. More importantly, this chapter also addresses quality assessment and improvement along with educational requirements.
The last chapter provides a series of checklists that are based on the previous chapters. Designed to be easy to use and understand, these checklists can quickly show you areas that need improvement as well as areas that are being adequately addressed. The appendices provide you with state EMS office contact information and many references that you can use to gain additional information.
Knowing that cost is always a concern, the EMS Section decided to publish this only as an eBook; you can purchase it in electronic format from Amazon. The sale of the book serves as a small revenue stream for the section so we can continue to represent you and fire-based EMS at a national and international level.
Once you take a look at it, we're confident that you'll find this is money well spent and, quite honestly, a pretty nominal cost to help you enhance your fire-based EMS system.