Being in the business of rescuing people, you understand the importance of emotional support. Whether you employ firefighters, EMTs, Paramedics or other EMS providers, the people on the front line have a duty to act quickly and not just physically rescue those in danger but to also mitigate their trauma and comfort them in their dark hour of stress. Blankets are essential to this task.

EMS providers help everyone in need. As knowledgeable and caring first responders, EMS providers offer equal care without regard to gender, age, race, or appearance. While this quality of care is the same for all, the protocol for treatment can vary for patients based on these same factors. A common factor that providers need to prepare for is the transport and care of the smallest and largest patients.

The 2017 National Survey on EMS Disaster and Major Casualty Incident (MCI) Preparedness issued by the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT) reveals most EMS responders have received training in disaster response and are practiced in incident response protocols.

It's estimated there are 6 million vehicle crashes annually in the U.S. with more than 37,000 deaths and 2.35 million vehicle occupants sustaining injuries. These statistics highlight the need for EMS personnel to be equipped to deal with any eventuality. A key factor related to patient recovery after serious injury is the requirement to observe the "Golden Hour," that is, to get the patient to a trauma center within one hour.

The calendar says that the official beginning of winter is still a month away, but the weather maps on our televised newscasts are telling us a different story. Already we are seeing videos of snow plows clearing highways in Utah and freezing weather has made an appearance in the Upper Midwest and New England states. So, if you haven’t done it already, now is the time to review your inventory of blankets for your EMS vehicles.

The first step in preventing EMT back injuries is understanding what causes them, specifically regarding patient care and transport.

This year has been quite a year for natural disasters. Wildfires in California and the Pacific Northwest have destroyed homes, businesses, and wildlife as well as having negatively impacted air quality. Hurricanes have caused extensive flooding and major property damage in Texas, Florida, and Puerto Rico. Plus, multiple earthquakes in Mexico. These disasters effect everything; gas prices, crops, infrastructure, and also EMS health and safety.

On October 1st, 2017, a Las Vegas gunman shot into a crowd at a music festival ultimately killing 59 people and wounding more than 500 others. Among the first responders to this incident were emergency medical service providers (EMS). Often arriving at the scene before police, EMS teams face many obstacles while providing patient transport and care during these events.

A flexible stretcher is used wherever it's impractical to gain access to a patient using a conventional rigid stretcher. While at first glance it may seem that this would be the exception, not the rule, there are many instances where the use of rigid stretchers is compromised due to narrow stairways, small doorways, and tight passages.