Magical Destinations By Steve Podcast

Episode 106: Brett Schneider is the the host of the podcast Words Off The Street. Brett talks to guests that write, talks with authors, podcasters, writers and bloggers that put the proverbial pen to paper about the world of Police, Firefighter and Emergency Medical Services about what’s going on out in the street. Brett's professional career spans a collection of careers, starting in the Army in the mid-1980s. He has worked as a policeman, a paramedic, a Safety Manager and many other positions. He says he basically didn’t know what he wanted to be when he grew up.Brett and I talk about his interesting career at New Orleans EMS, the books he has written (he is currently working on his 4th book), the podcast and many other topics.

Episode 105: Chief Robert Farrow is the Chief of the City of Pittsburgh Bureau of EMS. Chief Farrow was also my Supervisor when I worked for the City. Chief Farrow is a 41-year veteran with the City of Pittsburgh Bureau of Emergency Medical Services. Chief Farrow has held the position of Chief since May 2016. Chief Farrow is one of three remaining Bureau of EMS employees who started with Pittsburgh EMS upon its inception back in June 1975 at the age of 19. Chief Farrow has held the rank of Paramedic, Crew Chief, Supervisor/District Chief, Rescue Division Chief and Deputy Chief. The Chief and I discuss his start in EMS in high school, the challenges of being a chief, what it was like in the beginning days of EMS in Pittsburgh and a little bit about how it was to supervisor me.

Episode 104: Chief Dan DeGryse from the Chicago Fire Department joins the podcast this week. Chief DeGryse has 28 years with CFD and holds the rank as Battalion Chief/EMT. What is unique about Chief DeGryse is that he is the Director of the Rosecrance Florian Program. Rosecrance is a leading provider of behavioral health services with nationally recognized addiction treatment programs. Rosecrance is a place for veterans and public safety providers can go to who need help.The Chief shares his start at CFD and his career path. He shares his personal story and how that led him to become the Coordinator of the Chicago Firefighters' Union Local 2 Employee Assistance Program for 14 years. You will hear during our conversation the importance of firefighter and EMS mental health, emotional wellbeing, peer support and sleeping. We have to many of our public safety family committing suicide or not seeking help, Chief DeGryse is here to help, just give him a call.

Episode 103: Josh Stuart from Medical Rescue Team South Authority (MRTSA) joins me this week to discuss his 25 year journey in EMS. His career started when he was in elementary school, when a visit from MRSTA guided him to becoming a Paramedic. As he got a little older, he started by watching the Emergency! and he never looked back. Josh discusses his persistence to get his career started, as he met some resistance from MRTSA who said he was too young to start volunteering. Josh talks about calls that impacted him as well as the call that he encountered that led him to become a leading educator regarding the"Choking Game" and risky teen behaviors. Josh provides the fantastic details on how MRTSA changed his life forever.

Episode 102: How would you feel if you were a patient in a driverless ambulance? How would you feel if you are a provider transporting the patient going lights and sirens? This week on the podcast Dr. Joseph Keebler, Dr. Stephen Rice of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and Dr. Scott Winter from Florida Institute of Technology discuss their research study on this interesting topic.The professors discuss the creation, methods and the results of this study. The results may surprise some and intrigue others. We discuss the pros and cons of a driverless ambulance and the future research needed on this subject. Let Medic2Medic Podcast know your thoughts regarding this topic on Facebook, Spreaker, Soundcloud and Podbean or by email at medic2medicpodcast@gmail.com

Episode 101: Faces of EMS is a project that was created by Paul Falavolito, Chief of White Oak EMS in Western Pennsylvania. Paul created a wall of EMS practitioners by taking their portraits and displaying these portraits and Faces of EMS was born. Paul joins me to talk about this project. The project is being launched to celebrate the 43rd Annual National EMS Week that runs from May 21-27, 2017. Faces of EMS is being featured on the cover of EMS World Magazine, NAEMT's website and other areas of EMS as part of the #EMSstrongcampaign.This podcast is dedicated to all those those who are involved in EMS. Medci2Medic Podcast wishes you a happy and safe EMS Week.

Episode 100: City of Pittsburgh EMS Old Timers Podcast. Robert Farrow, Dave Lindell, Mike Yee and Tim Gaughan join me for a free flowing conversation. We talk about their humbling beginnings in EMS and how they became a Pittsburgh Paramedic.They talk about the good and sad times as well as some stories that may never have been told before. This is number 100 of the podcast, the guests had no idea that this would be number 100 (neither did I at the time). I just want to say a big thank you to all of you for the support to reach this milestone. Here is to another 100!

Episode 99: This podcast brings up the old as time tale of: Do we need Red Lights and Sirens in EMS? Doug Wolberg is the guest. Doug has been involved in EMS since 1977. He started as an EMS provider and later worked at the county, regional, statewide and federal levels in his career as an EMS administrator. Doug is an attorney and a founding partner of Page, Wolfberg & Wirth, the nation’s best-known and most respected EMS law firm. Doug is an author of several books and hundreds of articles in the industry’s leading publications and has been a featured presenter at EMS conferences. We discuss this well debated topic, his first encounter with James Page and he answers what is the number 1 liability an EMS agency faces.

Episode 98: Ginger Locke is the creator and host of the podcast Medic Mindset a Paramedic and an Associate Professor of EMS Professions at Austin Community College. Ginger's podcast is cool and unique as she interviews medics face to face in long, intimate format. During the interviews the medics open up about their mindset, routines, mistakes and their thought process. Ginger started a project called #PartnerProject (#partnerproject) that has gone viral just not in the United States, but Internationally. We discuss #partnerproject and how it came about, the podcast, how did the name Medic Mindset was derived and her beginnings in EMS.

Episode 97: Lisa Giruzzi and Rob MacCue are the founders of the EMS Leadership Academy. The Academy creates leadership resources for EMS providers to enhance their organization and develop magnetic thriving organizations that people want to be a part of. The Academy's purpose is to be the source of transformational leadership in Emergency Services. Robbie MacCue has more than 14 years experience in the EMS industry. Currently, he is a flight paramedic NY. For more than 10 years, Robbie has served as President of Sand Lake Ambulance, a non-profit EMS organization in Upstate New York. Lisa Giruzzi is a best-selling author, result-producing consultant and an award-winning trainer with more than twenty-five years’ experience helping individuals and organizations to be more successful and achieve their goals. Our discussion travels their careers, how they met and the creation the EMS Leadership Academy. They both offer great tips for EMS leaders on the issues they face today. Robbie and Lisa are offering Medic2Medic Podcast listeners a chance to receive their book and take one of their courses for free. The code for these resources are revealed in the podcast. Take a listen.

Episode 96: Jerry Overton serves as the Chair of the Board of Accreditation for the International Academies of Emergency Dispatch, the organization charged with setting standards, establishing curriculum, and conducting research for public safety dispatch worldwide.Previously, he served as the Chief Executive Officer, Richmond Ambulance Authority (RAA), Richmond, Virginia, for 18 years and had overall responsibility for the internationally acclaimed performance based EMS system. Mr. Overton also served as the Chief Executive of the Kansas City, Missouri, EMS system. As an expert in EMS system design and deployment strategies, he was named one of the 20 most influential leaders in EMS by JEMS magazine. In 2016 he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Association of EMTs and the National Registry of EMTs. We discuss his great EMS history, work in other countries, a few good lessons he learned, his leadership style, Jack Stout and what he is doing now.

Episode 95: Bobby Hopewell, a Michigan native brings 29 years of extensive healthcare, leadership and public service experience. Today he is responsible for the day to day operation of Mobile Health Resources. He has a passion for serving and service delivery, especially as it relates to ensuring a positive impact for those being served. Previous to his hospital work, Mr. Hopewell served a combined 13 years in Emergency Medical Services leadership in West Michigan with Life EMS Ambulance, LifeCare Ambulance Service and Gull Lake Area Ambulance. In the early 1990’s Mr. Hopewell successfully led his team at Life EMS Ambulance through the inaugural Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services accreditation surveys. This achievement makes him one of the first EMS leaders in the nation to lead an accredited EMS organization. Mr. Hopewell has been a Michigan Licensed Paramedic and is presently Mayor of the City of Kalamazoo. We discuss his entrance into EMS, healthcare, leadership style and how he has uses his EMS experience in the political arena. We have a good discussion regarding employee engagement and their surveys. We talk about how he and his City of Kalamazoo worked through a critical incident. Mr. Hopewell helped Stryker Equipment in their beginning with their yellow stretchers. Listen to how this came about this week on the podcast.

Episode 94: Matthew R. Streger is a paramedic and attorney with more than thirty years of EMS experience. Matthew is a Member (Partner) at the law firm of Keavney & Streger in New Jersey. He has worked in EMS systems in New Jersey, New York, South Carolina and Ohio. He has served as the Executive Director of Mobile Health Services (EMS) at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Jersey and the Deputy Commissioner of EMS in Cleveland. Matt has interesting take on why EMS providers should apologize to patients and he outlines this during our conversation. Matt and I met while working at Helene Fuld Medical Center in Trenton, NJ. We discuss those days working in New Jersey and how it was like Squad 51, EMS today and his new collaboration with the American Ambulance Association.

Episode 93: Dr. Brent Myers serves as Chief Medical Officer for Evolution Health and Associate Chief Medical Officer for American Medical Response. He has deep expertise in systems of care, population health approaches and public health. Prior to his appointment, Dr. Myers served as Director and Medical Director of Emergency Medical Services for the Wake County EMS System. He currently serves as the President of the National Association of EMS Physicians (NAEMSP). Dr. Myers and I discuss how he became interested in EMS, advice he received from the retiring Wake County EMS System Medical Director, research and the politics of being a system director. We talk about his undergraduate degree decision, Evolution Health responsibilities, where EMS is going and what he misses about the Wake County EMS System.

Episode 92: Paramedic Jaime Redig from Cary Area EMS joins the podcast this week. Jaime traveled an interesting path to come to Cary Area EMS. She has lived in nine states including Alaska and spent time in Sweden. This on it's own is interesting, but Jaime came to EMS from law enforcement. Jaime tells us how she made this decision, her love for medicine and her experience with online paramedic education.