Tag Archive: Leadership

Balancing “I say, you do” with empathy and stewardship Published by EMS1 By Guillermo Fuentes, MBA, Fitch & Associates I often hear the theory of servant leadership and how it doesn’t apply to the concept of command, as paramilitary systems are inherently top-down structures. The concept in command structures is, “I say and you do.”…

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Surface the top talent your agency should develop with a focus on professional development and recognition Published by EMS1 By Jay Fitch, PhD, Fitch & Associates Attracting the best and brightest to EMS leadership is an important goal. The goal is elevated from important to imperative when one considers the impending retirement of the baby-boomer…

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By Jay Fitch, PhD As I pulled on my bunker pants, I started whining about taking a middle-of-the-night, low-priority ambulance call. It was early in my career, and an older firefighter leaned over and said, “Son, remember that the M on your EMS patch stands for medical, so quit whining and just get on with…

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How will EMS advance at its current pace of change?

By Anthony W. Minge, EdD “From ghoulies and ghosties and long-leggedy beasties and things that go bump in the night, Good Lord, deliver us!” — Scottish saying Have you ever heard that noise in the middle of the night? You know, the one just when you are dozing off and there it is … thump! And…

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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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By Steven Knight, PhD Many fire departments that have traditionally used 24-hour shifts to staff response units have begun looking to alternative staffing models, recognizing that call volume does not remain constant throughout the day. Long shifts can be especially grueling for providers on ambulances because of an increasing demand for medical services in many…

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We know collaboration is key to thriving in our profession, especially as our communities become more interconnected. But truly fostering the collaborative relationships that can take your organization to the next level takes strong leadership and commitment. We in public safety often think we are being effective collaborators. On an incident scene, we frequently work…

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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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This month, organizations around the country are recognizing National Suicide Prevention Month. Sadly, for many of us, it is also a time to remember our colleagues, friends or family members who took their own lives, such as EMT, firefighter and emergency telecommunicator Isaac “Skippy” Greenlaw. EMS cartoonist Steve Berry, best known for his often humorous,…

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