All Paramedics Must Review: Intubation and Post-Intubation Care
ALS and RSI Providers- While at the National Association of EMS Physicians Meeting this past week there were a few things that I thought I would share. All are congruent with our current protocols, but at the same time, each of these are quite nuanced. I would strongly encourage you to be familiar with the following as you manage your patients airway, and subsequently their ventilation. I would also hope that at the agency level, you perform focused performance improvement... read more
HVA Members' Class Registration
For ACLS, PALS and EVOC: **New sign up procedure**. Going forward, all registrations for HVA members for these classes will be through Enrollware, the program we use for CPR class registrations. A link will be placed on the intranet page for easy access. Use the promo code HVA member to avoid the payment requirement. The schedule for upcoming classes can be viewed using the link, and is also posted on the training bulletin board. For CPR refresher classes, sign up can continue through ePro at... read more
Promotions: Larry Michael & Matt Jarrett
At the regularly scheduled Board of Directors meeting on Feb 10, Lawrence Michael was promoted to Line Deputy Chief. At the same meeting Matthew Jarrett was promoted to Assistant Chief, Medical Billing Manager. Please join me in congratulating these two individuals on their well-deserved promotions.
Mandatory Training
See the "Training & Education" section to the left for details. Due 12/31/14.
Sepsis Protocol
All providers must review and watch the video. Advisory & Protocol Video read more
Chris O'Brien Promoted to Full-Time Paramedic
Be sure to congratulate Chris O'Brien on his recent promotion to full-time paramedic with us.
Priority 1 Calls
I’ve seen a bit of “drift” occurring that I would like to see adjusted. On arrival at a priority one call the paramedic needs to exit the vehicle, take the primary response bag and go to the patient. The driver should get the monitor and ALS bag and if the FD is already there bring the gurney, as the apparatus driver is supposed to be awaiting the arrival of the ambulance. If the ambulance arrives first, the driver simply brings the monitor and ALS bag to the patient. This process can... read more
Wheelchairs
Effective immediately, ALL sheets from the wheelchair log must be dropped off in mailbox # 11. The reason for this is when we send out certified letters for outstanding wheelchairs, we do not necessarily know when they return. By saving all sheets in a designated location, we will be able to better manage this process. This includes the copy of the driver license. Please continue the good work in obtaining the necessary documentation to assist in managing this process. Thank you!
ARE YOU DOING ENOUGH TO KEEP YOUR PATIENT WARM?
Imagine how cold your run of the mill elderly patient is in the comfort of their own home. Now, envision how chilly they feel wearing only their normal clothes (no coat, generally) when we take them outside on a stair chair or a gurney. Please remember to focus on patient warmth. If you only have two light blankets on your gurney this winter, there’s so much more you could be doing. Here are some tips to consider for patient warmth: Load up on blankets. Bring at least 3 into the home with you... read more
Dual Sequential Defibrillation
Information as presented at the meeting is below. Per Dr. Cushman, DSD should be performed at the maximum joules setting, 200J for our monitors. Also, to avoid confusion when the new protocols are released, we should only be performing this intervention with online med control orders. This is different than was presented in the document below since it was created prior to the protocol decision. All patients receiving this treatment should be transported.