A reader asked, “Do you maintain a calendar of EMS conferences?”

That sounds like a huge project to build and maintain a calendar. To find upcoming EMS conferences I would do the following:

1. Check for an EMS conference calendar at the big 3 EMS media websites – EMS1.com, EMSWorld.com, and JEMS.com.

2. Search Facebook for EMS Conference Pages.

3. Narrow your search to a time and general place, such as “EMS Conference and Wisconsin.”

4. Create a Google Alert with the search query “EMS Conference”.

5. Ask your social network for conference suggestions.

Are you planning an EMS conference? Let the details and a link in the post comments and send me a press release I can share with Everyday EMS Tips readers.

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In November I attended the American Ambulance Association (AAA) conference in Las Vegas. The conference was the first I have attended, to my knowledge, that had a conference app. Available for free download in the iTunes store and Android market the app was a guide to the conference, the sessions, and the vendors.

I suspect the app, which was an adaptation of the conference program, is a service offered to conferences. The features in the app

AAA App Home Screen

didn’t seem to reflect any specific knowledge of the conference attendees or our needs. Because of some of the errors in the app vendor listings I also wonder if the app was a proof of concept or a low cost item outsourced by the conference planners without careful inspection of the app contents.

Some of the features of the app:

• 6 primary navigation choices
• Easy to navigate between screens
• Ability to build a personal schedule during the conference
• List of vendors
• Links to the vendor websites

Features that would make this app more useful:

• Social features that would allow me to share my schedule
• Buttons to share conference session info to Facebook, Twitter, and Google+
• RSS feed for the conference hashtag
• Photo album of photos taken and tagged by conference attendees
• Social check-ins and special offers for app users
• App updates to help me plan for the 2012 conference

AAA App Nav

I like  the idea of a conference app. How do you make a conference app valuable to attendees, presenters, and vendors?

I would encourage conferences to build an app that attendees would learn about before the conference, have a reason and a chance to use before the conference, and continue to engage with attendees through the app after the conference.

Have you used a conference app? Which features were useful? 

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Challenges in 2012

As I look ahead to 2012 I see several challenges on the horizon:
1) Continuing to build on the momentum and success I have in my job at CentreLearn, as well as my passions like the EMSEduCast podcast and writing projects like this blog and my EMS1.com column.

2) Learning new skills and ideas. I don’t want to stagnate. I want to keep learning and growing as an educator, spouse and father, and community member. I do a lot of reading, but it is fairly haphazard. I would like to pick some topics to dig deeply into.

3) Pushing through to meet my health and fitness goals. Long time readers know that running, biking, and overall wellness are very important to me. I am looking into hiring a coach to see if coaching and guidance can help me reach the next level of speed and endurance.

Connection Points

I welcome your connections and learning what your challenges are for 2012. Perhaps I have something to offer to help you meet your goals. Two great ways to connect are the comments for any everydayemstips.com blog post or emailing me at greg dot friese at everydayemstips dot com

I also welcome your connections at:
Facebook.com/gfriese
LinkedIn.com
Google+
Twitter.com/gfriese

When you make a friend request let me know how we are connected. It is also helpful to know if you are seeking anything specific from our connection.

Near the half way point of the 2011 New York City Marathon

No related posts.

EMS professionals are challenged to balance work, family, and other obligations while also staying or striving for mental and physical fitness. The Everyday EMS Athlete is a regular column to recognize and learn from other EMS professionals that are setting and meeting fitness goals. This edition was contributed by EMT and Talon Rescue Racing team member Jimmy Pearson.

Q: What is your EMS job?

I am a licensed EMT-B. I currently work as an AHA CPR instructor and teach new Nursing and EMS students at Oklahoma City Community College. I am also in school completing my Associates in Emergency Medical Sciences and Associates in Nursing.

Q: What are your athletic pursuits and goals?

My running goals for 2012 are:

• Sub 20:00 5K
• Sub 1:40 1/2 Marathon
• Sub 3:30 Full Marathon

I have 6 half marathons, 4 full marathons, and at least a dozen 10k & 5ks on my schedule for 2012. In the late summer of 2013 I want to run the Full Pike’s Peak Marathon…billed as the hardest marathon in America.

Q: Do you have race, lifestyle changes, or other accomplishments you are particularly proud of? If yes, please share and describe.

Around 5 years ago I injured my back lifting things improperly at work. I did not do the proper rehab and switched to a non-physical role in my workplace (aka desk job). As the years passed I packed on 80 lbs and was always tired and sore. In January of 2011 I had to have a cholecystectomy and was placed on anti-hypertensive medication. That was the turning point. I have always been an athlete and was not going to live an unhealthy lifestyle anymore. I made the commitment to make health and exercise my priority again. By May, 2011 60 lbs was gone and I was running 5-6 days a week. My Hypertension was gone and I was removed from all medication.

At 34 years old I am in the best shape I have been in since graduating high school. Since May I have lost 10 additional lbs with 10 to 20 to go.

Q: Can you share a few tips to help other EMS professionals to set and accomplish fitness goals?

The best tip I have for fitness would be make public goals and commitments. Get your family friends and co-workers involved. Become part of a group of runners or a running club to where you feel obligated to run, exercise, and practice.

If you are new to running start small, go slow, take your time. Speed and endurance will come. Trying to go to hard could cause an injury, sidelining you and breaking your routine. Most importantly I am very lucky to have a great family. We all run and train together. We participate in a running event almost every weekend of the year.

Out for a training run

Q: Is there an organization that supports your training and racing efforts?

A huge thank you to Tom DeRosa owner of Talon Rescue for sponsoring me. As a member of the EMS community it was important to me to have an EMS product sponsor. Follow Us On Our Racing Page and check out Facebook.com/TalonRescue for The Best Trauma Knife in EMS.

Read related posts and tips:

1. Everyday EMS Athlete Profile: Matt Bassett EMS professionals are challenged to balance work, family, and other...
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News video of paramedics in Texas that responded to a school shooting.

A few thoughts:

1. After a high profile incident does your service issue a statement to local media about the EMS response?

2. Do you contact local media and invite them to interview responders?

3. Use social media tools like Facebook and Twitter to engage with local media.

4. Train with local law enforcement and school officials on shootings at schools.

5. Pre-plan a television interview location, props, and staff attire. I like the set-up in the video. High visibility of the service with a clean ambulance and well dressed and sharp looking paramedics.

6. Make sure to link to videos from your department Facebook page and embed in the agency blog.

Anything else come to mind for you after watching?

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I have been reading some great content about social media and emergency responder organizations.

Social Media Discipline During Firefighter Injury or Line of Duty Death
Many of us share the highs and lows of life through Facebook. Last week after making phone calls and private emails to my closest friends and family I shared on Facebook the passing of my beloved yellow lab. It seemed natural for me to share this down moment with the broader community that knew me and also knew that being a dog owner is a part of my self-identity.

Because Facebook has become so ingrained in our daily lives it is a natural place for us to share tragedy, ask for prayers, and solicit for additional information. The Fire Critic has written an excellent post about Social Media Discipline. Ask your crews or companies to read this post and then discuss how you will honor one another and the chain of command by using social media discipline should a colleague become seriously injured or killed in the line of duty.

Also every organization should have a LODD standard operating guidelines, policy or checklist. And just like any other significant incident that might befall your organization practice the LODD SOG. In the tabletop exercise make sure to include:

• Use of checklists
• Notification of next of kin
• Notification of on-duty crews
• Moving up resources
• Preparation of a statement for the local media
• Implementation of any occupational health procedures like drug testing
• Activation of counseling services
• Posting updates to the organization blog and Facebook page
• Directions to all staff on social network sharing

This is just a partial list for the first few hours. What else would you add to a line of duty death tabletop exercise?

Also check out this interview with Tonya Silloway about the LODD Handbook for EMS on the Medical Author Chat podcast.

2012 Social Media Predictions for Emergency Responder Agencies

Dave Konig, co-founder of PIOSocialMediaTraining.com, looks into his crystal ball and makes some very astute predictions for Social Media for Emergency Responder Agencies in 2012. If your agency is still on the fence about social media I agree with Dave that it is not a passing fad that you will be able to simply wait out. It is hear to stay.

I have noticed the changing tone within EMS about social media based on the speaking requests I am getting for 2012. In the past requests were typically “how can our agency stop social media usage?” or “how do I control the message?” Now conference organizers are telling me, our constituents have to get involved in social media. They ask, “How can they do it effectively and communicate value to their community.”

Is your agency changing its tone about social media usage? 

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At the PIO Social Media Training blog I wrote about how to resolve or end a Facebook Rant or Complaint with a terminal comment with the goal of resolving the complaint and ending comments with out deleting the comment or blocking the user.

Fortunately at the Everyday EMS Tips blog I rarely have complaints or negative comments, but I know that EMS agencies Facebook pages can receive comments from disappointed visitors.

How do you resolve complaints on your social media accounts? 

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I had a tip published at EMS1.com a few weeks ago, Patient Assessment is a Non-Linear Process. Check it out and share your thoughts.

Facebook Comments on EMS1.com

I also wanted to highlight that EMS1.com has implemented the Facebook comments plug-in. Their previous comment system was pretty clunky and not always browser friendly. With the Facebook system my Facebook profile is shown as the comment source and I receive notifications of new comments in Facebook. I like the fact that identities of comment writers are more obvious. I am not a big fan of comments from handles like EMT9756 or BloodStainedMedic. I think we should all own our words with our own identity. This system also keeps writers from hiding behind “anonymous.”

On the flip side this will probably increase my Facebook friend requests and make it more important than ever for me to assign Facebook “friends” to lists.

What do you think of the Facebook comment system? 

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I had some downtime at Newark Airport a few weeks ago. And by downtime I mean 5 hours camped out on a chair near the terminal B baggage claim. I splurged on the Boingo wireless and used the time to make some site changes. A few of those changes:

1. Social share buttons moved to side bar. +1, Twitter, and Facebook like have been moved from the top of the post to the left side of the post. Your shares of Everyday EMS Tips posts are a leading source of site traffic. I really appreciate every share. Thanks.

Click on the social share buttons to Retweet, +1, of Like

2. Training Tab on Nav Bar. I added a three drop downs to the Training tab on the nav bar. These are resource pages. So far I have created resource pages which link to other posts for:
a. Hot Topics – 12 Lead ECG, Capnography, MCI and Bath Salts
b. Patient Assessment – patient assessment and vital sign measurement related posts
c. Race Reports – recaps of races I have run in 2011.

Do you have other suggestions for improvements to Everyday EMS Tips? Many of the changes I have made have come through user comments.

Thanks for your ongoing support. Your occasional clicks on ads and purchases through affiliate links help me cover the costs of hosting and sending the weekly email newsletter. Thanks!

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EMS professionals are challenged to balance work, family, and other obligations while also staying or striving for mental and physical fitness. The Everyday EMS Athlete is a regular column to recognize and learn from other EMS professionals that are setting and meeting fitness goals. This edition was contributed by paramedic and ultra runner Brandon Mulnix. 

Brandon Mulnix, Everyday EMS Athlete

Q: What is your EMS job? 

I am a Field Supervisor with Montcalm Country EMS in Michigan.  My duties include being a paramedic when need be, but mostly equipment, supplies, and maintenance of our 9 Ambulances, 13 Rescues, and other staff vehicles.

Q: What are your athletic pursuits and goals?

My ultimate goal is to maintain a healthy lifestyle.  Along the way I want to complete:

• 50 Ultra Marathons in 50 States
• Run across the United States
• Complete a bucket list of races that include: Leadville 100, Western States100, and at least one 100 miler in less than 24 hours.

Q: Do you have a race, lifestyle changes, or other accomplishments you are particularly proud of?

In October 2009 I could not run a mile with my daughter due to being over weight and way over lazy.  On November 1^st of that year I weighed in at 270 pounds and started a journey of health and fitness that I hope doesn’t end.  My goal was simply run a marathon in the fall of 2010.  On the way I finished my first Ultra Marathon of 50K.  Since running the fall marathon, I have went on to run 6 ultras finishing 5 of them.  The longest was the Burning River 100 miler which I finished in a dream time of 26:46 (3 hours faster than expected).  My hardest accomplishment to date was not running 100 miles, but running 50 miles with my jaw being wired shut – See Article Here.

My jaw was wired shut from a car accident that happened on my way home from work in February 2011, and after the initial surgery and recovery I had to be wired a second time after the titanium plate in my jaw broke.  So I made the most of it, by running the races that I had already committed to.

Finisher: North Country Trail 50 miler

Q: Can you share a few tips to help other EMS professionals to set and accomplish fitness goals? 

EMS all to often stands for Earn Money Sitting.  I decided to make a choice in 2009 to change that to Earn Money Sweating.  While sitting in parking lots around our county I made the choice to get out and walk.  I found walking a set distance or time away from the ambulance and doing loops or out and back made my shifts healthier.  Using tools like LiveStrong’s Calorie counter I learned just how much “CRAP” I was ingesting everyday, and started to eat better.  I will never say I went on a diet.  I didn’t stop eating the fast food, I just made better choices and burned more calories than I consumed.

I encourage all EMS providers to stop sitting and do something.  Its just as easy to “Get the 411 about what’s going on” while walking around the outside of the parking lot or local park, instead of the comfort of the trucks or vans you park your ever growing rear end in.  Most companies just tell you where you are supposed to be, they usually refrain from telling you what you can do.

Set goals and stick to them.  Once upon a time you set a goal of becoming a Paramedic or EMT and you followed through for the “love of it”.  Now its time to set goals in your personal life.  Some people choose to “Run a Marathon” or simply lose 10 pounds.  I found by just trying to lose weight I could find it again to easily.  By setting the goal of running a marathon, I lost 10 pounds, became healthier, and accomplished something that nobody could take away from me.  Compare that to a diet and what have you accomplished.  Go bigger than you can imagine.  I always thought the impossible was just out of reach.  What I realized about myself was that “Impossible” is a lot farther away and every time I reach out and test my limits I find the “Possible”.  So I encourage EMS providers to reach for the impossible and finally learn what is possible in your life.

Brandon with his family

Q: Are there organizations and sponsors that support your training and racing efforts?

My journey has brought me close to a number of companies that have supporting values.  Some of my favorites are Good Gear- maker of bamboo clothing that doesn’t stink, Soft Star Shoes- maker of the minimalist shoes I wore to complete my first 100 mile race. Reading has been one of the biggest influences on my training and a few books have inspired and educated me: Barefoot Running Step by Step: Barefoot Ken Bob, Running on Empty: Marshall Ulrich, and Born to Run: Chris McDougall

Mackinac Bridge Run

Q: Do you have any final thoughts to add and how can readers connect with you?

Running is about enjoyment, not about pain.  Too many people use “Running Hurts” as an excuse to not get moving.  Running doesn’t have to hurt.  I started out like I had so many times before.  Run a few times and then the pain started in.  The enjoyment of running came when I learned how to run pain free.  It required “Backward Thinking”, but after learning the facts I took off my shoes and ran barefoot.  After a summer of stress fractures and knee pain I wanted freedom.  After taking off my shoes running has only gotten better.  I don’t run barefoot all the time, but when I do my form is corrected almost immediately.  When not barefoot I wear minimalist shoes that mimic being barefoot (not the toe shoes).  This change has resulted in healthier feet, knees, shines, and my back doesn’t’ bother me.

Brandon's minimalist shoes

If you want more info about my story, check out http://www.brandonmulnix.com or contact me on Facebook.

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