Medic2medic Podcast

Episode 131 is Dena Ali. Dena is a 10-year member of the Raleigh Fire Department, which she is a Captain. Dena also works in EMS and started her public safety career as a Police Officer. Dena has personally experienced the benefits of peer support and recognizes how critical it is to simply be heard and understood.You will hear Dena's passion about the well being of all of us in public safety and her effort to prevent suicides by Firefighters, Police Officers, Paramedics, Advanced EMTs, and EMTs. We talk about her fascinating journey, why all the above is important and the new Peer Support Team for Public Safety that she is a founding member. If you need help or need someone to talk to you can call 855-7NC-Peer (855-762-7337) anytime.

Episode 130 is Simon Taxel a Paramedic Crew Chief with the City of Pittsburgh Bureau of EMS. Simon is also on the Dive Team, a medical specialist on the Pennsylvania urban search and rescue strike team as well as a contributing author for JEMS and CE Solutions. He started his EMS career 14 years for Meadville Area Ambulance Service. After receiving his bachelor's degree he moved to Pittsburgh to attend Paramedic School at Community College of Allegheny County and went to work for the City of Pittsburgh. Simon, as mentioned above is a frequent contributor to JEMS and his article on employee retention caught my eye. We discuss this article as well as others, his start in EMS, City of Pittsburgh EMS, the cold rivers of Pittsburgh and how he becomes involved in writing articles for JEMS.

Episode 129: Uber versus Ambulance. Which one would you call if you were having a heart attack or a sprained ankle? David Slusky, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Economics and an Oswald Scholar at the University of Kansas, where he also co-directs the Health Policy Research Group and is a faculty affiliate of the Institute for Policy & Social Research. David and his co-author Dr. Leon Moskatel take a look at what Uber has done to ambulance calls in cities across America. David discusses how the idea came about, methods and the surprising results of the research. Our conversation also leads us to what may be the next step with this research? This episode is sponsored by The PulsePoint Foundation.

Episode 128 brings back the editors from EMS1.com and JEMS to the podcast. Greg Friese and AJ Heightman join me to talk about their picks for the impact stories in 2017. Both AJ and Greg offer their insight into the stories as well as they give you a peek into the stories in 2018 that will be of interest. All of us had a spirited discussion and it was a fun podcast to produce. Enjoy and Happy New Year from Medic2Medic.

Episode127 is Jon Politis. I could tell you that Jon retired from EMS and Public Safety after starting his career in 1971. I would be not telling you the truth. Jon is an engaging educator who has presented at many state and national conferences across the US and Canada. Jon has served in many capacities: firefighter, ski patroller, Paramedic, Paramedic Program Coordinator, State EMS Training Coordinator and EMS Chief. He was the first Chief of EMS of the Town of Colonie EMS Department Jon continues to practice as a Paramedic, continues as an active volunteer firefighter and alpine ski patroller. In the summers he works as a Seasonal Ranger/Paramedic in Grand Teton National Park, Jackson Hole, WY. Jon and I talk about bringing 6 EMS agencies into one, leadership, politics, ski patrol and his Boot Camp Educational Program for supervisors.

Episode 126 is Benjamin Currie. Benji is an EMT-P, currently serves as a District Chief for the Wake County EMS Advanced-Practice Paramedic (Community Paramedicine) program for the Wake County EMS System. He graduated from the inaugural APP academy administered by Wake County and spent three years functioning in the street as an advanced-practice paramedic. Since being promoted to supervisor, he serves as a front-line asset that also works with program managers within the community who serve high-risk patient populations to coordinate and facilitate care and increase collaboration between multidisciplinary agencies. Benji is a believer in Peer Support and a leader in the Wake County EMS System Peer Support Team. During our talk, you can hear Benji's passion regarding Peer Support and how important this is to him. We also discuss a few other EMS related topics.

This episode is sponsored by my friends at the PulsePoint Foundation.Episode 125: Greg Mears, MD serves as the Medical Director for ZOLL, providing clinical guidance to ZOLL’s Data and Resuscitation Divisions. Greg has been an Emergency Medical Services Physician, educator, and specialist in performance improvement for more than 25 years. Prior to joining ZOLL, Dr. Mears was a Professor of Emergency Medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the North Carolina State EMS Medical Director. EMS Agenda 2050, being a State EMS Medical Director, his responsibilities at ZOLL and his love of data and information are some of the topics we discuss. We also touch on the National EMS Information System (NEMSIS), which Greg was a key player. Episode 125: Greg Mears, MD serves as the Medical Director for ZOLL, providing clinical guidance to ZOLL’s Data and Resuscitation Divisions. Greg has been an Emergency Medical Services Physician, educator, and specialist in performance improvement for more than 2

Episode124: Charles A. Blankenship is the Manager of System Transport for Mission Health System in Asheville, North Carolina. Charles has over 25 years of EMS experience that includes being a Critical Care Paramedic and being an officer from American College of Paramedic Executives. Charles is the Chair of the Accreditation Committee for the National EMS Management Association. We talk about his military career, why EMS, how he ended up in North Carolina and how he leads 5 different departments.

Episode123: Colene James joins me this week. Colene is a former volunteer and full-time employee at Cary Area EMS. Colene has over 10 years of EMS experience. She began her career at Florida State University's Medical Responder Unit where she quickly moved up the ranks to serve as Director of Operations, EMT Field Supervisor, and Teaching Assistant. She has served with three different Counties in Florida before arriving at Cary Area EMS. She is currently working as a paramedic in a local ER in Salt Lake City, UT. We talk about her experiences and her attempt to become an American Ninja Warrior.

Episode 122: Richard Price is the Founder and President of the PulsePoint Foundation.The foundation provides a suite of mobile apps designed to support public safety agencies working to improve cardiac arrest survival rates by using technology that sends nearby citizens trained in CPR to the scene. Listen how a retired Fire Chief goes from fighting fires to the tech world and the story/call that inspired Richard to start PulsePoint.

Episode 121:David Hunnicutt and Christian Bennett from Cary Area EMS are the guests this week. Both are full-time Paramedics with Cary Area EMS and both have traveled to Ecuador with students from North Carolina State Universty on a medical mission. We hear about their experiences and challenges that they faced in Ecuador as well as their unusual paths that lead them into EMS and to Cary Area EMS.

Episode 120: John Feal. What do you think when you hear the words First Responders? Do you think EMS, Fire or Police? This week I talk to another First Responder who is not in public safety and was a first responder who was at Ground Zero. On September, 12th 2001 John and his team were ordered to report to Ground Zero in order to aid in the cleanup and recovery mission following the terror attacks. Without hesitation and with a sense of pride in serving his country in a time of need, John and his team reported as ordered. Tragically, on John’s fifth day on site, he became the one that needed aide. While supervising his team a steel beam weight approximately 8,000 pounds came loose from the huge pile of debris, crushing John’s left foot. Jon Feal’s story is unbelievable and his story at Ground Zero has led him down a path that he never knew he was on. Subsequently, John went through years of surgeries and innumerable hours of therapy; as well as extensive stays in the hospital for follow up treatments. John qu

Episode 119: Michael Bachman has been a paramedic for over 24 years and is currently the Deputy Director of Medical Affairs for the Wake County EMS system. Michael is responsible for the 911 response, clinical quality, performance improvement, research, and data analysis. Prior to this appointment, Michael held various positions in EMS to include Field Training Officer, District Chief and Clinical Educator. In addition to his responsibilities for quality assurance and data management, Michael oversees the implementation and delivery of the Advanced Practice Paramedic (APP) program for the Wake County EMS system. Our discussion includes Michael's early days in EMS, where you had to call for an IV, his track to Wake County, research, the future of EMS and an inside look at the Office of Medical Affairs.

Episode 118: Jon McCarthy is the author of Hard Roll: A Paramedic's Perspective of Life and Death in New Orleans. Jon began his public service as an active duty member of the United States Coast Guard. Six years later, he entered the world of emergency medical services and has worked for 20 years as a paramedic. He is one of the architects of the New Orleans EMS Field Training Officer program. The book gives readers an inside look into the chaos of EMS and the toll the job of a first responder takes on those who serve. We discuss his path into EMS, a mistake that almost cost him his career, the book and if there will be a sequel to Hard Roll?

Episode 117: Tom Bouthillet is the EMS Battalion Chief of Hilton Head Island Fire Rescue and Program Director of the South Carolina Resuscitation Academy. He is Editor-in-Chief of several websites devoted to Emergency Cardiovascular Care, an EMS 10 Award recipient, and has taught nationally in the Critical Care Transport (CCEMT-P) program out of UMBC. His writings have been referenced in the American Heart Journal, the Journal of the American College of Cardiology: Cardiovascular Interventions and the EP Lab Digest. We talk about EMS life on Hilton Head, his new promotion, Tom's early interest in cardiovascular care, the Academy and leadership.

Episode 116: Pittsburgh Emergency Management Retired Deputy Director Ray DeMichiei has 42 years oF public safety experience. His introduction to the importance of emergency management in his local community of Plum Boro was in 1972; where, as a volunteer firefighter, his first call was a three-day response to the aftermath of Hurricane Agnes. Deputy Director DeMichiei became involved with Emergency Medical Services in 1973in Plum Boro outside of Pittsburgh. He was certified as an EMT-2 in May of 1975 and employed by the City of Pittsburgh Emergency Medical Services in June that same year. He put Pittsburgh Medic 2 in service for the first time on September1, 1975. During his EMS tenure he was assigned to Rescue 2 was promoted to Crew Chief and worked at Medic 5, Medic 1 and Rescue 1. June of 1986 saw Deputy Director DeMichiei assigned to the Pittsburgh Public Safety Office of Professional Responsibility as in investigator. In 1988 he was assigned to the Bureau of Communications 9-1- 1/EOC as Emergency Operati

Episode 115: Stephen Kavalkovich is the host of a brand new podcast called Rescue The Rescuer. Stephen was a 911 Paramedic who in his career saw and helped those suffering and experiencing tragedy. He was part of a team that went to New York City right after the 9/11 attacks and he tells a story that you won't believe about the trip from New Jersey to New York on that day. Stephen is a person who knows what it is like to be rescued and saved. He is recovering from substance abuse and PTSD. We discuss his story and how he changed his life around and how Rescue The Rescuer Podcast came about. I recommend after listening our podcast you listen to the first two episodes of Stephen's http://rescuetherescuer.com.

Episode 114: Joseph Zalkin joins the podcast this week. Joseph is the retired Deputy Director from Wake County EMS and his career spans close to 40 years. His career includes being a field paramedic, training and education, teaching and numerous leadership roles. Listen how Joseph goes from Georgia to McDowell County North Carolina to Wake County EMS. We discuss the early days of the Wake County EMS System too. Joseph talks about his EMS teaching experience on the Indian Reservation in Western North Carolina and his research projects. Our discussion leads to EMS and what is occurring in the profession today. If you thought retirement was going to slow him down, it is not and he updates us on what projects he is involved with today.

Episode113: The Happy Medic Justin Schorr joins me this week to discuss his blogging and how his podcast called the Crossover Show got started. It is an interesting tale and you will be surprised how he meet his co-host. Justin has over 25 years in the fire service and his entry into EMS is a good listen. He is a Paramedic Captain and works at one of the busiest airports. He started writing his blog in 2008 and were no subject is off limits. We discuss all of this and his thoughts on EMS.

Episode 112: Larry West started his EMS career in 1989 in Ventura, California. Somehow he ended up in North Carolina. Larry tells how he went from Southern California to the South and ended up at Cary Area EMS as a volunteer. Larry spent time as a Paramedic at Six Flags Amusement Park and also became a RN. Larry is a Clinic Manager for Duke University Hospital. Larry was the first person who I met when I arrived for my interview at Cary. Larry and I discuss his beginning days in EMS, how he arrived at Cary Area EMS, why his certification lapsed and why he will be a lifelong volunteer.