I was recently asked if I follow a certain page on social media. I won't mention it by name; in reality, it could be any of the many, many pages associated with emergency services. I see memes and rants from these pages shared many times over; sometimes I chuckle, but most of the time I …
18 years in one photograph
A week or so ago I was fortunate to photograph 18 years of my #EMS career in one shot. Between September 17th, 2001 and May 26th, 2009 I worked in the Communications Center of Mercy Flight Central. I began the current phase of my career with Monroe Ambulance on June 1, 2009 and continue working …
Feeling antisocial?
This may seem like a contradictory statement considering my full-time work, but I've gotta say it: being antisocial once in a while is great.
Building a strong foundation through training
This should go without saying, but the foundation of any premier service provider is a strong initial and continuing education program. Unfortunately, in emergency medical services (at least in my experience) this seems to be forgotten in lieu of getting bodies on the trucks, not wanting to pay for training hours, or giving in to …
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Terrible news
This morning, I received some terrible news: one of my colleagues, a past supervisor, was found in his home. I don't think I need to elaborate further on what that means. It hits too close to home, coming on the heels of an anniversary of another tragedy in our public safety community. I'm still stunned, …
Admit it: EMS stresses you out
A recent story in the Tampa Tribune, available here, talks about the "price" first responders pay for the stressors encountered on the job. My comment to my friend who posted it: "The reality of the job stressors in our environment is becoming more evident. I'm seeing more and more of this come out, and its …
Fitness in EMS
Every once in a while, a trend starts regarding the fitness for duty of EMS providers, including a recent story of a fire department mandating fitness while on duty for their firefighters and paramedics. While I'm not on board with departments mandating fitness while on duty, I am on board with EMS providers needing to …
Response Policies, or, Responding Red at 11 pm
I recently participated in a social media conversation started by a former colleague of mine who openly questioned the response to a working house fire. At issue wasn't the emergent response but the manner of the response. I don't normally engage in these types of conversations, because there is rarely any real resolution achieved. …
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Has it really been five years?
Five years ago today, I experienced what to that point had been the most frightening situation I’d ever encountered. It actually still ranks up there in the top two or three in my mind. At 30 years old, with young family and the bulk of my professional career with the company, I lost my job. …
Are You “Facebook-Proof”?
If you're local in the Rochester area, you've probably heard of the Greece high school teacher who resigned a picture of her using some questionable language in the classroom was posted to Facebook. Regardless of who was right or wrong in this case (there are questions surrounding the intentions of the student, the student's mother, …
Jon David LeRoy 