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.