This episode is a flashback episode where Fire Chief Ken Prillaman shared his near-miss story where complacency at an EMS call almost resulted in a catastrophe.
Length: 45 minutes
Click the YouTube icon to watch the full VIDEO
__________________________________________________
If you are interested in taking your understanding of situational awareness and high-risk decision making to a higher level, check out the Situational Awareness Matters Online Academy.
CLICK HERE for details, enrollment options and pricing.
__________________________________
On Saturday, September 13, 2014, the Brooklyn Park Fire Department was dispatched to a medical call that had the potential to be catastrophic for the members of their department, their EMS transport provider and their police department.
The call was for a person having a stroke. As the crew arrived and made entry through the front door of the house there was a man on the floor having a seizure. The two police officers on the scene were attending to the individual.
One of the firefighters on the scene, Jeff St. Martin, noticed a mess of exhaust and heard what sounded like a motor running. His quick actions prevented a catastrophic outcome. The levels of carbon monoxide measured in the home exceeded the capacity of the department’s carbon monoxide meter (in excess of 600 ppm).
Some takeaways from the interview include:
- How complacency can creep into our mindset that we are responding to “just another medical call.”
- How strong situational awareness can alert us when the pieces of the puzzle don’t fit… and things don’t make sense.
- How intuition, when followed, can compel action that that can be lifesaving, even when you may not know why you are taking the action at the moment.
- How a CO monitor carried by first-arriving medical personnel (and perhaps police officers) can alert responders to the potential of highly lethal CO levels.
—–
Contact Us
www.SAMatters.com
www.RichGasaway.com
612-548-4424 (office)
651-331-8518 (cell)
SAMatters Social Media
Facebook.com/SAMatters
www.linkedin.com/in/richgasaway/
https://twitter.com/RichGasaway
SAMatters TV
https://www.youtube.com/SAMattersTV
SAMatters Radio
iTunes
Stitcher
Google Play
iHeart Radio
Our Sponsors
Midwest Fire
MidwestFire.com
Chief Miller
Instagram: @Chief_Miller
Intro music
Safety Dance (1982)
Men Without Hats
GMC – Virgin Records
Licensed by BMI Music
Firefighter Near Miss Reporting System
http://www.firefighternearmiss.com/
SPONSOR REQUEST
The SAMatters Show is the longest running, fastest growing, safety focused weekly program on the Internet. If you know a company that might be interested in advertising their product or service to our listeners and viewers, ask them to contact us at SAMatters.com