Tag Archive: Culture

Does Diet Impact Fire/EMS Performance and Outcomes?

While it is well known that good nutrition plays a significant role in our overall wellbeing, the impact of our diet tends to fall behind issues like exercise, fatigue, and exposure to carcinogens when we discuss the health risks related to performance and safety in Fire and EMS. It is time for a closer look into what…

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Building a qualified, empathetic and resilient workforce

In our most recent EMS Trend Report, we found that the top concerns of EMS leaders were recruitment and retention of qualified, quality employees. From our work in emergency communications, fire and other public safety and healthcare sectors, it’s clear those same issues impact organizations across emergency services. So I think it’s always fascinating to find…

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Collaboration Between 911 and EMS in Bend, Oregon, Gets Big Results

Every year I enjoy attending Navigator, the annual meeting of the International Academies of Emergency Dispatch. At this year’s conference, held last month in Las Vegas, we were again proud to honor graduates of the Communications Center Manager course during the opening ceremonies. Fitch & Associates created the program with IAED more than 15 years ago and it now has more…

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8 tips for talking about sexual harassment with caregivers

EMS leaders set the tone for nurturing employees and moving organizations forward with integrity

Fatigue, Scheduling are Critical EMS Challenges

EMS Trend Report 2017 findings highlight the importance of fatigue management as a safety issue for both caregivers and patients By Jay Fitch, PhD Caregiver fatigue and increasing negative performance associated with longer shifts are often the underlying reasons for changing schedules that we hear from clients and colleagues. More than 50 percent of the…

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Blind Spots: Distracted Driving in EMS

If the EMS profession truly wants to prioritize safety, we must address distracted driving and all the ways we currently make it worse By Meg Chandler and J. Todd Sheridan Motor vehicle collisions continue to pose a significant risk to EMS providers and our patients. Some agencies have responded to this risk by addressing factors…

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