Inside EMS

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Keeping you on the pulse of what’s happening inside the EMS community. Catch up with Chris Cebollero and Kelly Grayson weekly as they discuss EMS life through good-natured banter and expert perspectives. Their vehicle for delivering the news and know how is that of two medics sitting on the truck between calls. Their mission is to make all listeners, EMS insiders.

Episodes

5 days ago

Overcoming addiction: A first responder’s recovery journey

5 days ago

This episode of Inside EMS is brought to you by Lexipol, the experts in policy, training, wellness support and grants assistance for first responders and government leaders. To learn more, visit lexipol.com.

Suicide is always preventable. If you are having thoughts of suicide or feeling suicidal, please call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline immediately at 988. Counselors are also available to chat at www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org. Remember: You deserve to be supported, and it is never too late to seek help. Speak with someone today.

In this episode of Inside EMS, our cohosts, Chris Cebollero and Kelly Grayson, are joined by Willie Doan, a paramedic and academy coordinator from Newcastle, Delaware, to discuss the rampant issues of stress, depression, burnout, substance abuse and suicide among first responders.

A recovering alcoholic, Doan shares his story of addiction, beginning with his first drink at 14, acknowledging that he often drank more than his peers, but never recognized it as a problem. As he joined EMS and began witnessing distressing scenes as part of his job, he continued to drink, sometimes using his work as an excuse, whether it was to celebrate a successful resuscitation or to numb the pain of a bad call.

Despite his dedication to his duty, Doan admits that his addiction worsened. He didn't acknowledge his alcohol problem until he was in rehab and was educated about how substance abuse affects the brain. His turning point came about 604 days ago, when he was arrested on suspicion of DUI, his second in 6 years. Waking up with no recollection of the event, he asked his mother, "What's wrong with me?" This moment marked the beginning of his journey to recovery.

Throughout the discussion, Willie underscores the importance of recognizing and addressing addiction in high-stress professions like first responders. His story serves as a reminder that recovery is possible, and that seeking help is the first step towards overcoming addiction.

EMS1 is using generative AI to create some content that is edited and fact-checked by our editors.

Additional resources

Monday Sep 18, 2023

How can we save rural EMS?

Monday Sep 18, 2023

In this episode, our cohosts, Chris Cebollero and Kelly Grayson discuss the dire straights for rural EMS as Kelly settles into his new region in upstate New York. Tune in as they discuss:

Why EMS isn’t deemed essential. Though more states are making moves to designate EMS an “essential” service, it’s not universal. What will the designation mean for EMS – and will it be a tax base?
The volunteer shortage. With volunteers aging out of EMS, how do we bring new volunteers in? The diminishing numbers are not due to generational differences, Kelly says. “I used to be one of those people who said, ‘aw, kids these days,’ … it’s not the kids that are bad, it’s that EMS has failed to adapt to the times,” he noted.
Getting over ego and grudges. Mergers and consolidation are a path to stem EMS closures, but require getting over old conflicts and for someone to step aside and make way for growth.

They ask for your input: What will save rural EMS? Chat with our hosts at theshow@ems1.com.

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Enjoying the show? Please take a moment to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts. Contact the Inside EMS team at theshow@ems1.com to share ideas, suggestions and feedback, or if you’d like to join us as a guest.

Thursday Sep 14, 2023

Finding new solutions to old problems

Thursday Sep 14, 2023

Inside EMS has been serving up industry news and hot topics for 10 years, with over 600 shows and about 2 million listens!

In this episode, our cohosts, Chris Cebollero and Kelly Grayson discuss the importance of getting outside your rig, your agency and your silo to learn from others.

Our dynamic duo break down an article from rural EMS expert Nancy Magee on the top 10 reasons to attend EMS conferences.

Memorable quotes

“If you’ve seen one EMS squad, you’ve seen one EMS squad, and way too many agencies only know their way of doing things, and they kind of stagnate – or they run the risk of stagnating – if they don’t get outside their own little bubble and see the ways that other agencies are doing things.” — Kelly Grayson

“If you feel like you’re the smartest person in the room; you’re in the wrong room.” — Kelly Grayson

“There are people who are doing the work in organizations who are far more advanced than you are.” — Chris Cebollero

“There are very few new problems under the sun.” — Kelly Grayson

Listen in as they discuss:

Getting out of your comfort zone/tearing down your silos
The benefit of networking – seeing what’s working for other agencies
How enthusiasm is infectious

Additional resources

Rate and review

Catch a new episode every Friday on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, PodBean, Amazon Music, Stitcher, Spotify, and RSS feed.

Thursday Sep 07, 2023

Legacy, vigilance and cohesiveness

Thursday Sep 07, 2023

This episode of the Inside EMS podcast is sponsored by Verizon Frontline. The advanced network for first responders on the front lines. Learn more at verizon.com/frontline.

“To remember those who have sacrificed, and who ran up the stairs and escorted people in the eyes of danger, you owe it to them to try to be your best every day.” — Aaron Zamzow

In this special crossover episode of the Policing Matters, Better Every Shift and Inside EMS podcasts, Cohosts Jim Dudley, Aaron Zamzow and Chris Cebollero come together to discuss preserving the legacy of 9/11 responders and to assess our readiness to respond to a large-scale MCI in our communities.

Together, they dive into technology trends that we could (and should!) use to improve the security of citizens and first responders, from license plate readers to crime mapping, facial recognition, drone surveillance and AI analysis.

Watch in as our panel discusses:

Keeping the 9/11 legacy alive with new generations
How awareness of occupational cancer and mental health concerns is more prevalent today
Community preparedness and incident command
9/11-related illness and its continued impact and devastation today
How AI can contribute to the security of citizens and first responders
The importance of information sharing and security

Memorable quotes

Our cohosts shared poignant reflections of the infamous September day and offered their analysis on how best to prepare first responders for large-scale mass casualty events, with several notable takeaways:

“It’s up to all of us to try to get better, try to improve, try to do something to hone our profession to provide the best service we can when we’re called to do that. And that doesn’t require a chief, that doesn’t require leadership; that requires a mirror, and that requires you and some dedication.” — Aaron Zamzow

“After 9/11, we had PPE in the trunk of every radio car, and training every year, and little-by-little, the suits expired, the training stopped, the funds ran out; and we may be at a situation worse than before, so we need that impetus to take another run at preparedness, training, exercises, PPE, equipment, and a best practices manual, and that’s got to come from above so that we’re all doing it the same.” — Jim Dudley

“The economic factor should not be a factor. FEMA puts out 100, 200, 700, 800 for free to law enforcement agencies and many more subsets beyond that. So if you are an agency – if you’re listening to this podcast – if you’re not practicing ICS, find out why and explain to your chief sheriff, ‘it’s free, we’ve got to do it; we should start doing it now.” — Jim Dudley

“We’re not working for today – we’re working for the next 5 and 10 and 15 years now – and how do we need to prepare for this?” — Chris Cebollero

“We saw firefighters run into that building – there were police officers there too – that were in harm’s way, trying to get people out of there, and that’s what we do, and now we’re seeing ‘hey, even though we do that, there are harms beyond just that physical incident.’” — Aaron Zamzow

“We’re in protective service and we need to be proactive in the way that we look at these things … we looked and said this could never happen; well it did, and we did a heck of a job responding after the fact, and we were very proactive after a period of time, and I think that’s gotten a little bit lax and we need to stay on our toes, stay vigilant, and I think that’s one of the best ways to remember all those people sacrificed in these events, is to grow from them.” — Aaron Zamzow

Additional resources

Read more reflections, tips for processing and lessons for training to respond to MCIs in our 9/11 coverage, sponsored by Verizon.

Learn more with these resources mentioned in this episode, as well as additional articles from Police1, FireRescue1 and EMS1:

Rate and review

Catch a new episode of Inside EMS every Friday on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, PodBean, Amazon Music, Stitcher, Spotify, and RSS feed.

Enjoying the show? Please take a moment to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts. Contact the Inside EMS team at theshow@ems1.com to share ideas, suggestions and feedback, or if you’d like to join us as a guest.

Thursday Aug 31, 2023

Where is the place for ChatGPT in EMS?

Thursday Aug 31, 2023

“Tell me a time when you were stressed and how you dealt with it.”

You’ve like heard, answered or asked a variation of that question in one or more interviews during your career. But how can interviewers get more from their questions?

In this episode of Inside EMS, cohosts Chris Cebollero and Kelly Grayson discuss a recent article by Lexipol Editorial Director, Greg Friese, MS, NRP; “How to use ChatGPT for paramedic interviewing, selection.”

In the article, Greg outlines how leaders can use Chat GPT to craft panel interview questions, and a sample prompt:

I am interviewing applicants for a full-time job as a paramedic at a busy, private ambulance service that responds to 911 calls and interfacility transport requests. One component of the process is a panel interview with the operations supervisor, a field training officer and an experienced paramedic. Recommend five scenario-based questions the panel should ask each applicant.

In this episode, Chris and Kelly put Greg’s prompt to the test and debate, should we be using AI in our daily work in EMS?

Tune in to this episode

Listen in as our hosts discuss:

Other use cases for generative AI in EMS – from scenarios to deployment plans
How AI is a potential resources – as well as a potential headache – for educators
Takeaways from the recent 2023 NAEMSE Symposium
Flattening the forgetting curve – retaining training

And don’t miss a side debate: is there a case for prehospital ultrasound?

Memorable quotes

“When we think about interviewing, that’s when people really will put the dog on; they are giving us the very best of who they are and we are just getting answers to questions that may or may not be true, and we really have to try to decipher, but how do we challenge these people who are coming in?” — Chris Cebollero

“Our dean walked into the office and said, ‘I need you all to start thinking about how we can use ChatGPT and generative AI to enhance and augment our paramedic program.” — Kelly Grayson

“The better you are at writing prompts and giving it some specific direction, the better content it’s going to churn out for you.” — Kelly Grayson

Let us know how you’re using AI in EMS: contact editor@ems1.com.

Rate and review

Catch a new episode of Inside EMS every Friday on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, PodBean, Amazon Music, Stitcher, Spotify, and RSS feed.

Friday Aug 11, 2023

Getting into the uncomfort zone

Friday Aug 11, 2023

Get better every shift with stress management and leadership insights from Aaron Zamzow and Janelle Foskett

In this special episode of Inside EMS, Host Chris Cebollero welcomes the dynamic hosts of the Better Every Shift Podcast, Aaron Zamzow and Janelle Foskett. In Better Every Shift, Zamzow, a Madison (Wisconsin) firefighter; and Foskett, editor-in-chief of FireRescue1, spotlight the passion and perseverance of firefighters and EMS providers, as they dig into what drives responders to improve themselves, their crew, the service as a whole. Listen in to get better every day, every call, every shift.

In this episode, they discuss:

Getting out of your comfort zone
The issues no one wants to talk about in the fire service (e.g., recruitment and sleep)
Leadership and stress management
Managing up
The need for leadership training
How a staffing crisis leads to a leadership crisis, that leads to a stress crisis – and the ramifications on health and wellness

Foskett also shares insights from the FireRescue1 "What firefighters want in 2023 report," into firefighter stress. Foskett notes among respondents, 46% reported considering leaving their fire department – mostly due to staffing – and a staggering 42% of firefighters are considering leaving the fire service due to their stress levels.

Memorable quotes

“In order to be a better whatever – paramedic, firefighter, EMT, podcaster – you need to get out of your comfort zone.” — Aaron Zamzow

“We’re really starving for leadership, but in the same breath, we’re looking in the maybe the wrong places, whereas we should be starting in the mirror and then looking out.” — Aaron Zamzow

“People are craving leadership and when there is a lack of leadership, that doesn’t mean all is lost; you have options, you have solutions, and you can take ownership of that and be proactive.” — Janelle Foskett

“There are some of those fire houses, they don’t turn a wheel in a 24 hour period; there are other ones that don’t get to see their beds in a 24 hour period. It’s one of the things that we now have to start to think about. We’re still running models for EMS and fire that we were running 40 years ago.” — Chris Cebollero

Learn more

Follow Better Every Shift on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcastsor wherever you listen to your podcasts
Download the "What firefighters want in 2023 report" for more insights into staffing and stress relief
Download the "What paramedics want in 2023 report" for insights into mitigating stress, staffing challenges and leadership shortfalls

Thursday Aug 03, 2023

’Keep your heads on a swivel’

Thursday Aug 03, 2023

In this episode, Chris and Kelly discuss the recent spotlight on public access defibrillation after high profile cardiac arrests in young athletes, as well as the growing danger of assaults in the field for EMTs.

Together, they discuss:

Bronny James, USC freshman and son of Lakers star LeBron James, was resuscitated after a cardiac arrest at USC basketball workout
Julia Taylor Fatum, a N.Y. EMT, was stabbed and nearly killed by a patient in her ambulance
The death of Lt. Alison Russo-Elling, who was stabbed multiple times
The collapse of Damar Hamlin and the world watching his on-field resuscitation
Has EMS taken a step backwards in training the public?
How violence against providers is becoming a retention issue

Memorable quotes

“Children and athletes and young adults can go into cardiac arrest, and I would wager that the only thing that saved Bronny James’s life is that second link in the AHA chain of survival, which is prompt, early access to defibrillation, and it’s a shame that public access to defibrillation in so many places is still a pipe dream or poorly implemented such that it’s not really public access.” — Kelly Grayson

“Public access to defibrillation means just that: public access to defibrillation. It’s not a special thing for special people to use. The whole point of public access to defibrillation is that it can be readily accessed by anyone.” — Kelly Grayson

“As an EMS leader … that has to be first and foremost concern of mine: to make sure that the workforce goes home at the end of their shift. And I’m losing faith in that we are keeping our providers safe.” — Chris Cebollero

“We’ve been on calls that have been very benign, that have escalated verbally, that have escalated behaviorally.” — Kelly Grayson

“Keep your heads on a swivel. Always be alert, always have your eye on your patient.” — Kelly Grayson

Learn more

Monday Jul 24, 2023

Intellectual curiosity

Monday Jul 24, 2023

In this episode of Inside EMS, Cohosts Chris Cebollero and Kelly Grayson dive into critical thinking. They point out the need to teach EMT students how to make the leap from linear to critical thinking, and the key critical thinking skills needed to make decisions:

Being curious: Asking the question why
Reasoning
Self-awareness

Memorable quotes from this episode

“Critical thinking is all about the discipline of being able to take in information to experience what’s happening, to have a good observation of what’s happening and to reason and make the best decisions that we can.”

“I think one of the hallmarks of intelligence is intellectual curiosity.”

“This is a missing component of critical thinking. Just because we’ve gotten some information doesn’t mean that information is acted on without good analysis.”

“When you can divorce yourself emotionally from the information that you’re processing, it makes it much easier to analyze.”

Together, they discuss:

Linear thinking vs. critical thinking
Taking emotions out of thinking
Emotional intelligence
Falling victim to confirmation bias

Thursday Jul 20, 2023

Kelly Grayson, on coming off the truck

Thursday Jul 20, 2023

After 30 years in EMS in Louisiana, the past 15 as a critical care paramedic, Kelly Grayson is leaving the Bayou state – and the rig – for a full-time paramedic educator role in New York.

Kelly will begin his position as the lead instructor as the lead instructor for the new CoAEMSP-accredited paramedic program at Clarkson University in Pottstown, New York, in August.

Chris and Kelly discuss what motivated Kelly to make this leap, and what happens when you change jobs and have to prepare for the next chapter.

Memorable quotes from this episode

“I can render no higher praise for an EMS agency than to say they let me do my job without handcuffs.”

“When we lose a longtime member of the workforce – it hurts – and I hate to be the one to do that.”

“You never want to burn a bridge. Even if you hate the place you work, you never know that you may have to go back to them one day and say, you know, ‘are you looking for any help?’”

“If I make a commitment to a place, I’ll follow their rules, cheerfully.”

“Make yourself valuable to prospective employers. If you’re not happy where you are, you can make a good living at EMS, you can have career satisfaction in EMS. You might not be able to have those things at the place you are currently.”

“It’s an employee’s market right now.”

“Vote with your feet.”

Together, they discuss:

When it’s time to make a career change
The skills you need when you come off the truck
Shifting the paradigm in EMS education
Developing and standing up a new paramedic program
Bringing affordable EMS education to rural communities
How to leave a position without burning bridges

Friday Jul 14, 2023

ET3: Don’t let this be the final word

Friday Jul 14, 2023

“My first reaction was, what the hell. My second reaction was, well, I guess if there’s not going to be any participation agreement, then we’re not bound by confidentiality anymore, and I’ll just email the Booz Allen presentation to every member of Congress, and say, ‘here’s the savings to the Medicare program, please pass the TIP and TAD language. And I honestly think we should do that, and we probably will.” — Matt Zavadsky

In this crossover episode of Inside EMS and EMS One-Stop, Matt Zavadsky, MS-HSA, EMT, chief transformation officer at MedStar Mobile Healthcare (an ET3 participant), joins cohosts Chris Cebollero and Rob Lawrence to discuss the recently announced end of the ET3 program.

Top quotes from this episode

“That must be a mistake … I was just dumbfounded, absolutely dumbfounded.” — Matt Zavadsky
“We can’t stop this – we’ve got to continue to move this along somehow and ensure that we’re still doing the things we need to do for our patients.” — Chris Cebollero
“Continue to do what you do while we try to sort out this mess, because we thought we were on the right route, and then someone’s now put out a roadblock, so we have to work out how to detour or indeed knock it down. Keep up the good work while we try to work out how to get around this.” — Rob Lawrence
“We as a profession cannot let this be the final word.” — Matt Zavadsky

In addition to why CMS didn’t see the savings they were anticipating, and the hoops agencies had to jump through to participate in the ET3 program, the group focuses on what’s next for reimbursement reform.

Together, they discuss:

How the national associations (NAEMT, AAA, IAFC, IAFF) are working to get legislation introduced in Congress to get treatment in place and transport to alternate destinations (TIP and TAD) covered
The need for data from organizations that participated in the ET3 model that proves the cost savings
Admittance avoidance vs. arrival avoidance at the ED
Turning frustration with Medicare into action