Watch the recording ==> https://youtu.be/uTPTaKe7_us
The link below is a transcript of the webinar Q & A's, as responded to by the panelists live, during the webinar.
MythBusters Expectations vs Reality Q-A.pdf
Resource Document: The link below is a research summary and positions papers dispelling 'Myths' of reliance on response times as a performance measure, all ALS vs. Tiered Response (BLS & ALS) and lights and siren use:
References-Resources on Response Times - All ALS and EMS Performance Measures Updated 11-27-24.pdf
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Recent headlines illustrate the EMS delivery crisis in America:
“Kentucky's shortage of EMS providers has reached 'crisis' level, expert tells state lawmakers”
“N.Y. ambulance service ends operations after 75 years”
“Chicago firefighters plan protests over paramedic, ambulance shortages”
“Santa Barbara (CA) Supervisors Caught in Crossfire over Ambulance Contract”
“Lebanon Fire District (OR) faces ambulance service challenges amid funding and staffing woes”
Modern EMS is half a century old, and would you believe there are some things the public ‘expects’ that are no longer supported by volumes of evidence-based research. EMS systems, and the communities they serve are clinging on to practices based on beliefs that not only have been disproved by science, but are dangerous, such as:
Reliance on response times as a sole performance measure
- Medical first response on every EMS call
- Lights and siren responses
- A paramedic on every EMS response
Unrealistic public expectations are driving much of the staffing and economic crisis EMS systems are facing.
This dynamic and ‘controversial’ webinar will highlight current research and outcomes to bust myths related to the sacred cows that are driving the challenges for EMS delivery such as paramedic resource deployment, response times, lights and siren use, and even the fundamentals of EMS system design.
Attendees will leave the webinar armed with the up-to-date evidence to slay sacred cows and long-held beliefs about EMS to change how EMS is delivered in their local communities to help navigate the current EMS staffing and economic crisis.
Co-Hosts:
- Academy of International Mobile Healthcare Integration (AIMHI)
- International City/County Management Association
Panelists:
- Chip Decker; CEO, Richmond (VA) Ambulance Authority; President, AIMHI
- Dr. Kevin Mackey; Medical Director, Sacramento (CA) Fire Department
- Dr. Doug Kupas; Medical Director, Geisinger Health; President Elect, National Association of EMS Physicians
- John (JP) Peterson; Executive Director, Mecklenburg EMS Agency
- Tom Wieczorek, Director, Center for Public Safety Management
About the Panelists:
Chip Decker serves as the CEO of the Richmond Ambulance Authority (RAA) located in Richmond, VA. And is the Board President for the Academy of International Mobile Healthcare Integration (AIMHI). He currently serves as a member of the Virginia Public Safety Foundation’s Board of Directors and remains an active member of the Virginia Association of Governmental EMS Administrators (VAGEMSA).
Dr. Doug Kupas is the President-Elect of the National Association of EMS Physicians. He is a board-certified emergency physician subspecializing in emergency medical services. He is also the Medica Director for the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians, a Professor of Emergency Medicine, the Medical Director for Geisinger EMS in Pennsylvania.
Dr. Kevin Mackey is a Board-Certified EMS and emergency medicine physician and services as medical director for several EMS agencies, including Sacramento Fire Department in California. Dr. Mackey was named one of the Top 10 EMS Innovators by JEMS Magazine in 2020.
John “JP” Peterson is Executive Director at Mecklenburg EMS Agency (Medic) in Charlotte, North Carolina. Medic is the exclusive provider of 911 and non-emergency ambulance service to the residents and visitors of Mecklenburg County. The Agency has 650 employees, covers 540 square miles, serves 1.1 million residents, and responds to nearly 160,000 calls per year.
Tom Wieczorek is the Director of the Center for Public Safety Management, the exclusive provider of public safety consulting services for the International City/County Managers Association. An expert in fire and EMS operations, he has served as a police officer, fire chief, director of public safety and city manager and served as the Executive Director of the Center for Public Safety Excellence (formerly the Commission on Fire Accreditation International, Inc.). CPSM has conducted hundreds of studies on EMS and fire service delivery.
