As firefighters, EMTs and other first responders you are on the front line every day, interacting with patients in a fast-paced setting. Sometimes, you may feel limited by the equipment you use to stabilize and transport victims in the field. However, do you know where to go or who to talk to about making changes, upgrades and improvements to the equipment you’re currently using? 

Whether you’re a firefighter, first responder, or EMT, much of your job centers on the safe transport of patients. While certain parts of the economy remain in varying stages of reopening, first responders are on the ground every day, ensuring that society is operating smoothly. Paired with the ongoing factors of natural disasters, mass shootings, and civil unrest, performing your job during a global pandemic has only heightened the risk factor. 

2020 has been a trying year for nearly every industry, but perhaps no one was impacted as directly as first responders. Every day, firefighters, EMTs, and other first responders were on the front line facing a virus that spread across the world. Unlike patient care in the controlled environment of a healthcare facility, EMS care presented unique challenges in the wake of a pandemic, including uncertain response environments, interventions with limited information, enclosed spaces during transport and the need for rapid decision-making.

Under normal circumstances, EMS Directors and Administrators carry the responsibility of protecting staff and patients from cross-contamination when treating out-of-hospital patients. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has added another layer of concern and precaution.

Thankfully, equipping ambulances and responders with disposable First Responder supplies ensures they can deliver high-quality care while reducing cross-contamination even in high risk scenarios, such as a global pandemic.   

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a common concern for EMS professionals, but the COVID-19 pandemic has placed unique pressures on everyone in the sector. First Responders now have to deal with profound pressure on top of the normal stresses that come with the job. This means that EMS Directors, Fire Chiefs or Deputy Fire Chiefs need to do all they can to protect the mental and physical wellbeing of their staff.

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act is a $2 trillion economic relief package introduced to soften the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Passed by Congress on March 27, 2020, the CARES Act is intended to provide “fast and direct economic assistance for American workers, families, and small businesses, and preserve jobs for our American industries”.

The COVID-19 pandemic has placed significant strain on all sectors, but nowhere more acutely than in healthcare. Day after day, hospital and pre-hospital healthcare professionals don PPE and return to the frontlines of the pandemic — a commitment that takes a mental and physical toll. This, in turn, places pressure on EMS administrators who are responsible for staff wellbeing.

The Covid-19 pandemic places unprecedented pressure on nationwide healthcare systems and first responders. As a result, we are seeing negative effects that prolonged stress has on the mental and physical wellbeing of our emergency first responders. Other concerns, such as a general lack of PPE and understaffed facilities, are compounding matters and pushing our police, firefighters, and ambulance workers closer to burnout.

Community paramedicine is a growing healthcare initiative that sees emergency personnel operating in expanded roles to strengthen underserviced areas of healthcare in their communities. 

According to EMS1, this evolving model is increasingly adopted as EMS agencies are stretched thin by aging populations, chronic illnesses and soaring healthcare costs. The added strain of the COVID-19 pandemic is exposing gaps in community treatment, necessitating the need for more EMS professionals to go over-and-above their chosen roles.

We are living in uncertain times with problems and perils on all sides. This is why Graham Medical has decided to make available, to our current and potential distributors, a package for our MegaMover^® Portable Transport Units in the form of:

• Pricing Information
• Product Order SKU, Descriptions and Quantities
• Product Brochure, Resources and Education
• Full Product Catalog with Additional EMS Products (Electronic)
• Marketing Information 
• Contact Information for your Graham Representative

These items have been collected into a MegaMover^® Portable Transport Unit Distributor Package and can be yours to assist you in your selling process simply by completing the attached form.