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Highway to the Danger Zone


Kenny Loggins took us through a lyrical danger zone while Maverick and Goose zoomed off the deck of the USS Enterprise in their F-14 Tomcat.

So, I am sure that at this point you are already asking why I am talking about a great movie from the late '80s on an EMS and fire service blog.  If you have been keeping on eye on the new trends in emergency medicine then you will know what I am talking about.

On the 19th of September, The United States Fire Administration released a document called "Fire/Emergency Services Department Operational Considerations and Guide for Active Shooter and Mass Casualty Incidents" which outlines the new trends in emergency medical care of patients involved in shooting events. (DOCUMENT)

I don't think it would ever cross anybody's mind that if you delay patient care the outcomes will remain good.  That being said, the document looks at the current incident action plans for an active shooter event and changes the thoughts of most prehospital care personnel.  Up until now the typical Fire/EMS response to an active shooter event is to stage at a secure location and await an all clear by the special operations teams to clear the scene.  Depending on the size of the incident footprint clearing the scene can take hours.  This is valuable time that injured patients don't have to spare.

Now, neither the document or I recommend rolling up on scene as the first responder, but it is talking about a more coordinated approach to active shooter events.  Now, when I was completing my bachelor's degree, I was charged with a capstone project that required me to take my knowledge of fire service administration. In my capstone project I researched the topic of interoperability.  Now, when I researched and wrote about interoperability I spoke about what I titled "True Interoperability".  When most people think about interoperability they think about their radio being able to speak to somebody else when true interoperability is what is needed during an incident such as this.  Responders that are seemless across multiple disciplines.  Incident command staff that are representative of the total response force, and a communications plan that eliminates any potential response threats that compromise the incident action plan.  The document I referenced above speaks to the thoughts of True Interoperability.  The need to develop a coordinated training program that combines responders into situations such as these and allows medical personnel to integrate with response team to provide medical care quicker to those injured in the incident.

Over the next couple of weeks I will be breaking this document, and the new tactical actions plans for active shooter events down to determine how we can enhance patient care and ensure safety to our personnel.

Take Care and Stay Safe.
The Combomedic

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