Medic2medic Podcast

William Sukitch is a Paramedic with over 24 years of experience in EMS. His path to EMS started while in college. We talk about his early days in EMS and what drove him to join the Navy. In the Navy, Bill was a combat medic. Bill talks openly about about those times and the affect his career in the military had on him. The PTSD that he experiences and how he handles it hopefully will help others. Bill met his wife at Medical Rescue Team South Authority (I had a small part in this), and is a full time Paramedic at Medical Rescue Team Authority.

Mike Kobneck is President of Novum Concepts Ltd. Mike has developed an APP called BioPhone that capture images and securely send them to a base client such as an Emergency Room from the field. Before the business side struck Mike, he was a paramedic with Denver Health and AMR. We talk about why he developed and how BioPhone works as well as what led him to leave the field to create the APP? His focus is to improve the quality of systems and tools used by paramedics.

Harold Cohen before retiring from Baltimore County Fire had 35 years of experience with the County and 22 years as Division Chief for EMS. Harold since retiring from the Baltimore County, continues his ability to educate and train new leaders in EMS as a college professor and educator at the National Fire Academy. When he is not teaching he is a Senior Project Manager for SPC/TriData. Harold discusses his early interest and start in the public safety arena. We have a great discussion about leadership and what leaders of EMS should be thinking about today. Harold and I talk about the mentor he was (and still is) to me early in my career and what it meant.

Michael Touchstone is the Regional Director of the Philadelphia Regional Office of EMS, a Fire Paramedic Services Chief in the Philadelphia Fire Department (PFD) and the President of the National EMS Management Association. Mike was one of the first Paramedics in the PFD that was not a firefighter first. We will discuss how that came about and what that was like. We talk about his cooking and it's role during those early days in the fire station. Mike is passionate about education for EMS providers and leaders. If you are brand new supervisor you want to hear MIke's advice on what you need to know. Mike is a frequent speaker at local and national conferences on leadership and management.

Michael Gannon began his EMS career in 1979 as a volunteer at Medical Rescue Team South Authority (MRTSA). In 1981 was hired as a full time Paramedic. Today he is the EMS Program Coordinator at Allegheny General Hospital. Mike is an award winning educator, a patient's and Paramedic best friend with his skills and knowledge. During our conversation learn how I played minor role in Mike's move from MRTSA to his current position. Mike also talks about his first call at MRTSA that you will want to hear.

Dr. Bryan Bledsoe is an emergency physician, researcher and EMS author. He is Professor of Emergency Medicine at the University of Nevada School of Medicine in Las Vegas. He is the author of numerous EMS textbooks and has over 1 millionbooks in print. We talk about what is like to be an ER physician in Las Vegas and a few interesting cases he has seen. We discuss the state of EMS today and his view of Community Paramedicine.

Baxter Larmon is a Professor of Medicine at UCLA School of Medicine and the Director of UCLA's Center for Prehospital Care. After 35 years at UCLA, Baxter is retiring on July 1. Baxter has long history of EMS service and loves research and education. We talk about his astonishing career, some of his mentors and what he will be doing after he retires.

Episode 48: Daniel (Danny) Cline is my guest and his EMS career began as an EMT in 1988. Danny has been a provider, educator, trainer and chief. You name a position in EMS, Danny has done it. He is respected among his peers as a medic, educator, chief and hockey player. We discuss his path from the north to the south. He tells a story that he said he has never told anyone. Listen how he came to Cary Area EMS and find out why he is so focus on learning everything he can. Danny is currently a Critical Care Paramedic at Rex/UNC Healthcare.

Episode 47: What would it be like to be put in charge of an EMS department of a major city at the ripe age of 24? My guest Jay Fitch had this honor, listen how this came about and the challenges he faced. Jay is the Founding Partner and President of Fitch and Associates and host of the Pinnacle EMS Leadership and Management Conference held in July. Jay is internationally recognized for leadership as a consultant, educator and innovator in the fields of EMS and public safety. We talk about his start in EMS, his journey to being one of the first paramedics trained in the USA, his leadership style and his mentors.

Do we need to wear gloves with every patient encounter? Is EMS education behind the times when it comes to educating EMTs and Paramedics regarding infectious diseases? You came to the right podcast for answers. Katherine West joins the podcast and we talk about all kinds topics related to infectious disease. Katherine West has been working in the field of infection control since 1975. She lectures both nationally and internationally on this topic. She has served as a consultant to the Centers for Disease Control and the National Institute of Occupational Safety & Health. She is the author of Infectious Disease Handbook for Emergency Care Personnel, now in its third edition.

Episode 45: Lisa McDougall knew when she was 7 and had freak accident that she wanted to be an emergency medicine physician. Listen how EMS became her career path. Lisa is an Advance Practice Paramedic (APP) for Wake County EMS and the Wake County EMS System. Besides being an APP she is on the PTSD team and you will find out how she helped me and Cary Area EMS through a difficult time when Paramedic Ramirez died suddenly. You can her during our conversation the passion Lisa has for EMS and the APP Program.

Paul Falavolito is the Chief of White Oak EMS outside of Pittsburgh. Chief Falavolitio begin his EMS career at Medical Rescue Team South Authority in 1997. Chief Falavolito is an innovator leader with numerous successes during his career. He created a state certified wilderness Search and Rescue Team and has authored articles that have appeared in public safety magazines. Besides being a professional photographer (listen how Garth Brooks played a role) one of his bold new projects is Faces of EMS. This project is a wall exhibit of current EMS providers, which is being used for awareness and to celebrate the field of EMS. Chief Falavolito is also the host of his own podcast called EMS Talk, which launched a few weeks ago.

William Miller has experience in the provision of EMS, EMS Education,fire and rescue services that now spans more than 40 years. Bill's start was in small town in Pennsylvania to a career with the City of Pittsburgh Bureau of EMS to his current position as Physician Assistant. Bill is also one of the nicest person you will ever meet. Bill and I met when I was hired by the City of Pittsburgh and he was one of the Training Assistants who had to teach us everything from the culture of the City EMS to climbing up and down bridges. With me it was a challenge for Bill and his partner Roy Cox. I had no experience in rescue or climbing. Listen to Bill and I talk about those days as well as Bill's first experience as volunteer firefighter and the impact it has had on his life.

If you every wondered if you could be in EMS and be an entrepreneur then this podcast is for you. Jayme Burgman joins me this week to discuss his EMS career and how he went from Paramedic to entrepreneur. Jayme has a history in both entrepreneurial ventures and corporate executive management roles requiring high-level expertise in business development, operations and finance. We also talk about the on-going battle on who had the busiest ambulance in the City of Pittsburgh (Medic 5).

Skip Kirkwood currently serves as the Director of Emergency Medical Services and Chief Paramedic in Durham County North Carolina. He has been involved in EMS since 1973, as an EMT, paramedic, supervisor educator, manager, consultant, state EMS director, and chief EMS officer. A frequent speaker at regional and national EMS conferences, Skip is an Adjunct Associate Professor of Clinical Research and Leadership at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences.We talk about his Navy beginnings and how the Field Training Officer Program came about.

Mike Prevatte is a Division Chief at Cary Area EMS. Mike started out as a volunteer for Cary Area EMS in 2003. His journey and interest in EMS started way before when he was Boy Scout. He is an Eagle Scout too. Mike Prevatte's journey from Eagle Scout to Division Chief is an interesting story. Besides heading up Cary Area EMS's Training Division, being a Shift Supervisor, he also serves as a Tactical Paramedic for the Wake County EMS System.

Christopher Stawasz is AMR's Regional Director for New Hampshire and Maine. Christopher was born and raised in New Hampshire and was one of the first practicing paramedics in the state. We talk about the opioid crisis that is hitting New Hampshire and how EMS is combating the epidemic. There is a program in New Hampshire to place Narcan in the schools. Listen to how the EMS crews handled the change in allowing non EMS persons administer Narcan.

Kris Kaull is a serial entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience in public safety both as a clinician and business professional. Kris was the the founder of EMS1.com. Kris began his career in public safety as a firefighter and EMT. Kris is passionate about EMS and technology and you can hear this during our conversation. We talk about leadership qualities and you will be surprised about quality Kris thinks is the most important. We also talk about what gets Kris's creative juices going.

Dr. Winslow is the State EMS Medical Director for North Carolina. We talk about how he became the Medical Director, protocols and the responsibilities of this position. There is a strong emphasis on collaborating and involving stakeholders in the process of EMS in North Carolina. Dr. Winslow's main goal is to help insure high quality of emergency care to the people of North Carolina.

Todd Pritchard is the Chief of Medical Rescue Team South Authority, an EMS agency serving sixcommunities just south of Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. Todd began his career with MRTSA as a volunteer in 1985 after graduating from California University of Pennsylvania. Todd was promoted to Chief of MRTSA in 2007. We talk about his journey to from being unsure if EMS was the right path for him and how he became Chief. We talk about the challenges that are facing EMS today.