EMS Today

Jana Williams, president and CEO of the Association of Air Medical Services (AAMS), joins Mike Brown to discuss the evolving role of air medical and critical care transport. They cover AAMS’ three pillars—advocacy, collaboration, and education—highlighting current priorities: Medicare reimbursement that reflects modern clinical and aviation investments, the mental health and aviation bill, and a c...

Matt Zavadsky from PWW Advisory Group (PWW|AG) joins the podcast to discuss the economics of EMS. We discuss the current economic landscape of EMS and how it has strained some services to the point of closure. We also discuss the Medicare Ground Ambulance Data Collection Surveys conducted over the past few years and how some of the data collected were not included in the final results published. W...

Dr. Tim Nutbeam, a consultant and professor of emergency and prehospital medicine at a major trauma center in Plymouth, UK, explains evidence that should change how teams manage vehicle entrapment. Key takeaways from the EXIT research program: self extrication often produces less spinal movement than complex “slow and steady” techniques; minimize entrapment time because clinical observations poorl...

Mike Brown sits down with Dr. Sarah Fabiano and Mike Ellis as they distill pediatric diabetic ketoacidosis into a clear prehospital approach. Using a “sour blood stew” recipe metaphor, they explain how zero units of insulin produces ketones, osmotic diuresis, dehydration, and electrolyte shifts. Key takeaways for EMS: prioritize perfusion with IV fluids (lactated Ringer’s preferred), monitor rhyth...

Paramedic Brad Lawson joins Just a Little Salt to talk about founding the PIERCE Foundation and PIERCE Provisions, running mental wellness summits and a new Responder Fest. Brad explains why cumulative trauma drives PTSD and emotional numbness, how healing looks, and why peer led, story driven summits cut through the usual PowerPoint culture. He announces upcoming events: Responder Fest (Greenvill...

Melody Mesmer tells the story behind Foundation 1023, a peer driven nonprofit born after a string of 2015 line of duty tragedies.   Melody explains how 1023 (Kristen McLean’s badge number) connects first responders, dispatchers, medical crews, tow operators and families in Texas and Colorado to culturally competent, trauma informed counselors, peer support training, and outdoor resiliency programs...

Mark Flauter sits down with registered nurse Tammy Scott to share her powerful and deeply personal story of survival and advocacy. In April 2022, Tammy was stabbed and critically injured by a patient while working in a St. Louis–area emergency department. She recounts what she remembers from that traumatic day and opens up about her long and challenging journey toward physical and emotional recove...

On EMS Remembrance Day, we speak with Jana Williams, Tony O’Brien, and James Robinson of the National EMS Memorial Foundation about honoring fallen EMS providers, the annual National EMS Memorial Service, and the drive to build a permanent memorial in Washington, D.C. Learn about Moving Honors (a traveling Tree of Life memorial that visits communities June 1–July 2), the Weekend of Honor (July 17–...

Join the JEMS Podcast as we celebrate EMS Week 2026 with Dr. C. Ryan Keay and Chief Christopher Wray. They cover the frontline issues shaping modern prehospital care: sustainability and stewardship of whole blood programs; rural supply-chain challenges and drone delivery ideas; rapid adoption of point-of-care ultrasound; growth of treatment-in-place and mobile integrated health; AI for documentati...

Mike Brown hosts this JEMS Podcast Save a Life Day special during EMS Week 2026, joined by Chief Rom Duckworth and Dr. Shira Schlesinger. We celebrate EMS professionals and focus on two lifesaving interventions: bystander CPR and bleeding control. Topics include barriers to community CPR, Sidewalk CPR Week and practical, low-cost ways to increase engagement. They discuss Stop the Bleed realities:...

Mike Brown talks with Dr. Kathleen Adelgais and Dr. Manish Shah during EMS Week 2026’s EMS for Children Day for a conversation about where pediatric readiness in EMS stands, and where it still needs to go. Drawing on findings from the 2024 Pediatric Readiness Project national assessment, they examine the progress agencies have made, the persistent gaps that remain, and the practical steps EMS lead...

Mike Brown hosts an EMS Week Safety Day conversation with Dr. Douglas Kupas, president of the National Association of EMS Physicians, on practical strategies to protect providers and transform EMS into integrated healthcare. Topics include evidence on reducing lights-and-sirens use; rising ambulance thefts and simple vehicle interlocks; low-cost countermeasures like 3D‑printed stretcher buckle cov...

On today’s EMS Week Education Day episode, Mike Brown speaks with Dr. Navin Ariyaprakai and Michael Kaduce about how national partnerships, accreditation, and modern learning strategies are reshaping prehospital care. They explain why accreditation lifts program standards, improves outcomes, and strengthens medical director involvement; and give examples where evidence changes field practice. They...

In this special 2026 EMS Week episode of the JEMS podcast, Mike Brown hosts Gamunu “Gam” Wijetunge from NHTSA’s Office of EMS and Dr. Nicholas Cozzi, an emergency physician from Chicago. The conversation centers on a significant shift in emergency medicine: moving high-level clinical interventions like blood transfusions directly to the point of injury. With roadway fatalities hovering around 40,0...

Dr. Jonathan Warren discusses practical uses, evidence, and implementation challenges for prehospital ultrasound. We cover lung ultrasound for acute heart failure and B line quantification, trauma FAST exams, cardiac arrest applications including focused pulse checks and transesophageal echocardiography, and how prehospital transfusion and early diagnostics change diagnostic momentum on ED arrival...

At FDIC International 2026, our panel of EMS providers and critical‑care physicians break down ventilation during cardiac arrest: what the science supports, where practice still fails, and practical fixes you can use tomorrow. We cover why bag‑valve‑mask ventilation is a high‑risk skill (and best performed as a two‑person procedure), how over‑ and under‑ventilation change intrathoracic pressure an...

Dr. Brandon Morshedi, a paramedic turned emergency physician and EMS medical director, joins Eric Chase to map a practical path toward EMS 3.0. He explains his driving “why”: improving the systems of care he and his family rely on. The conversation ranges from training paramedics as clinicians and the realistic role of degrees, to on call decision making—when to contact your medical director versu...

This episode of the Not a-Fib Podcast features Dr. Sarah Jahnke, someone who spent over a decade researching the health of first responders. The conversation moves past the usual surface-level advice to tackle the deep-seated cultural issues that lead to burnout and chronic disease. Jahnke challenges the "badge of honor" mentality surrounding sleep deprivation, citing evidence that shift work itse...

JEMS Development Editor Mike Brown interviews Hannah Herbst, founder and CEO of Golden Hour Medical, about a compact, automatic tourniquet designed to guide anyone through life‑saving hemorrhage control. The device uses audio‑visual prompts and a simple three‑step interface to let a bystander or first responder apply, monitor, and adjust pressure on arm or leg wounds. It initially inflates to 300...

Dr. Alexandra Jabr, a longtime paramedic-turned-educator and founder of Emergency Resilience, tells the story how therapy reshaped her life and purpose. She explains practical boundaries and vulnerability, why collaboration beats competition in EMS education, and how clinicians can support peers after moral injury and critical incidents. Alexandra walks through emerging options for treatment—empha...

JEMS Development Editor Mike Brown speaks with Dr. Simon Grosjean about shifting EMS from “prehospital transport” toward “territorial medicine.” They unpack alternative transport/non‑conveyance, physician response units, and why many low‑acuity calls may be better managed outside the ED. The conversation contrasts systems across Europe and the UK, highlights gaps in data collection, and exposes pr...

Firefighter Jake Ryks joins the Just a Little Salt podcast to dismantle the "hero" archetype often taught in fire science programs. He reflects on his early career, admitting he’s actually less confident now than as a rookie because he finally understands the sheer depth of the profession.   The conversation shifts to the unique culture of the fire service, specifically the "sacred" firehouse tabl...

JEMS Development Editor Mike Brown sits down with Dr. Stacy Shackelford, a coauthor of a new JAMA Network Open paper, to unpack findings about calcium abnormalities in trauma patients. The authors tracked a cohort of 1,270 trauma patients arriving at three level I trauma centers and found that 22% presented with hypocalcemia and 5% with hypercalcemia. Early mortality varied significantly by calciu...

Paramedic, educator and consultant John Todaro joins Eric Chase to trace a 49-year career at the intersection of prehospital care, nursing, and public health. Todaro argues for degree-based education for paramedics, emphasizes soft skills—communication, empathy and cultural awareness—and explains how broader clinical training strengthens judgment and the patient narrative. He examines professional...

Jennifer Pearsall joins the Not a-Fib Podcast to share insights from her Naval Postgraduate School thesis on the strengths that can emerge in emergency managers after life‑changing events. We explore her career across local and federal emergency management, the contrasts she encountered along the way, and the experiences that inspired her to create EM Wellness and define its mission. She reflects...