FAT CAT EMERGENCY!

Ok, so we didn't have a real emergency :) which is good! But it is that time of year again that I got to go film at Hutchinson Community College for the annual "Field Operations" class. It was so great to see old friends! Field Ops, as they call it, is a special two day hands-on operational course teaching paramedic students how to run ambulance calls from start to finish. In class you learn a lot of bookwork and didactic skills, in the hospital clinicals you use your skills under direct care and supervision, but just before field internship where you actually put everything together on the ambulance, you get run through the ringer at field ops!

Students start by being assigned to an ambulance and a mentor in the field of EMS. They check their jump kits and inventory equipment, then wait for the radio to signal an emergency. They are disptached by a real dispatch center and ride red light and siren to the scene of the "call". Once they arrive, volunteer patients act out a number of traumatic or medical emergencies including but not limited to chest pains, car crashes, falls, seizures, heat stroke and this year they even threw in some agricultural accidents with a haybaling machine and horses! Too cool. The patients are "moulaged" to look as if they are really injured, burned or bleeding or whatever the scenario calls for. A concoction of ketchup and chocolate sauce stands in for blood, pieces of plastic built up on the skin act as protruding bones, frozen noodles act as, well- brain matter. After the students give appropriate treatment, they transport the patient in the ambulance to an on site emergency room, give report to the nurses and then return to their posts to restock the ambulance, write run reports and grab a bite to eat and wait for the next call. Last year the crews ran almost 100 calls, this year they well topped it!

Last year we made a 40-minute documentary that has been criss-crossing the midwest promoting the field operations course to other EMS services and teaching schools. It's been a big hit. Next year we will make a new edition of the documentary! We can't wait! Two 12 to 13 hour days of filming about non-stop in the heat and humidity really are fun :)

We have said for some time we will post a portion of the video... give us time, we keep having other deadlines to meet and just haven't done it. Someday it will happen :) The first documentary is done, it's just taking us time to post!

What a hoot today was, thanks to my buddy Chy for having me back this year, although I am extremely bugbit, chigger attacked and sunburnt, I had a blast!

Steph