Combo Medic

I really didn't know the impact this blog had on individuals until here recently when I have been sought out by a few people about why I discontinued the @combomedic blog.  Really, I never officially discontinued the blog, so much as I let other things in life take my time and failed to continue.  When I looked back at the statistics I found that many people read the blog on a regular basis, and I am looking forward to beginning to write again.   The combomedic has been a outlet for situations that I have rolling through my mind that I see.  I have used it to publish vacancy notifications that I see on different webpages, news items that are effecting the world of Fire and EMS, and somethings that are just a fun to me or our field.   Since my last few posts last year (truly almost a year ago) EMS has continued to go through the realm of expanson to the point that other professions are starting to worry that EMS is going to take over into their realm.  We ar...

If you didn't know, I have been working on a project with Greg Friese, Rob Theriault, and Bill Toon who are the co-hosts of the EMS Educast (www.emseducast.com).  This project is known as the EMS Educast Mini Edition.  We have put together 4 episodes so far to go along with their regular EMS Educast, and we find topics of interest that will help the EMS Education community.  As these episodes  continue to post, I am going to put a little more information here about how the topic was developed. In the latest edition that posted this morning (15 Mar 2013), I discuss relate sports with EMS education. Now, I was once a professional basketball fan and loved to watch Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bull as they went for the 6 National Championships.  It was a sight to see, a cohesive team operation that while it focused on a superstar, each member would step up and show what needed to be done in those last clutch minutes.  BJ Armstrong, a young talented athlete ...

Yesterday, I was privileged to have an opportunity to speak with rising Freshmen students from two neighboring counties.  These students were learning about a "Day in the life of a College Student" and were presented with the arts, sciences, and our tremendous Paramedic Program.  During this opportunity, one of the students asked a question regarding the highest authorized speed an ambulance can drive.  Now, I understand the basis behind his question, but it made me think while I answered.  Now, I have driven fire trucks, ambulances, and support vehicles through vast amount of roadways in both perfect conditions and not-so-perfect conditions.  I have driven them quickly, and no-so-quickly, and luckily I was never involved in an accident.  Now over the years, I quickly became more mature when driving and truly embodied the principles noted below in the Tennessee Codes Annotated. With due regard for safety...what does that mean.  Driving an emergenc...

EMS Today 2013 is has ended and everybody is returning back to their homes in spite of mother natures attempt to infiltrate Washington DC with #snowquester2013.  Don't you just love how so many take a name and quickly rebrand it into another name.  Now I must say, EMS Today 2013 was a massive success...and I wasn't even there.  The 2013 JEMS Conference and Exposition was held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in the center of the Nation's Capital, Washington DC.  Kicking off the conference with the National Association of EMS Educators Instructor I course, the main conference was held from 5-9 March 2013. AJ Heightman, Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Emergency Medical Services (www.jems.com) providing the momentous kick-off necessary for a conference of this size.  Coming forward in a three piece suit, Mr. Heightman spoke to the "Changing History, Unchangeable Dedication" and brought the attendees through the years and provided awards to thos...

Being in the younger generation, I have taken to Social Media and I utilize it on a daily basis.  It is interesting, because when I first got into Social Media I was very apprehensive about joining the "fad". Well, many years have past since I first joined the world of myspace and Facebook.  Since then I have long lost the myspace account and traded it in for a Linked In, Facebook, Twitter, and 2 Facebook pages, 3 organizational twitter feeds, and...really I am not sure I am tracking it all right now.  In addition, I write this blog and sit in on podcasts with the EMS Educast and Educast MINI, and the EMS Office Hours.  To manage all of this I use an application that is designed to help an individual efficiently utilize each of these resources, but I have come to find out something today. Now, with everything that I have going on with my life I want to make sure that I adequately manage my time to ensure that I spent every quality minute with my wife and children a...