RideAlong: EMT School

What does it take to provide EMS coverage for everything from an NBA game to the Indiana State Fair—and what happens when a planned special event suddenly becomes an unplanned one? This week, Mike sits down at Indianapolis EMS headquarters with Laura Herring, Special Events Lieutenant and a 19-year veteran of EMS. Laura shares her path from originally pursuing nursing to falling in love with EMS,...

This week, Jonathan is out working, leaving Mike and Max unsupervised as they catch up on a busy week in EMS. Max shares a memorable psych call, Mike officially starts Anatomy & Physiology, and after more than a year of going through EMT school and starting their EMS careers together, Mike and Max finally get the chance to work their first shift as partners. For Tools of the Trade, we look at...

Season 2 is officially underway! Now that EMT school is behind us, there’s another challenge waiting: actually finding a job. This week, Mike, Max, and Jonathan talk about the job search and interview process in EMS, including where to find opportunities, networking, volunteering, building a reputation, preparing for interviews, and figuring out whether an agency is actually the right fit for you....

Re-Education Through Labor (What's Next?) It’s the end of Season 1! After 53 episodes of following Mike and Max through EMT school, certification, volunteering, and eventually getting hired in EMS, the crew takes a look back at just how much has changed since the journey began — and how much there still is left to learn. Mike, Max, and Jonathan revisit some of the biggest skills and lessons from E...

The final countdown is here. With the EMT curriculum behind them, Mike and Max revisit one of the final—and most intimidating—steps in the certification process: the psychomotor exam. The crew explains what psychomotor testing evaluates, how practical exams differ between programs and states, and why verbalizing every assessment, decision, and intervention is essential. They break the patient asse...

This week on RideAlong: EMT School, Mike and Jonathan are joined by longtime EMT, EMS educator, hockey goalie, and lifelong friend Brian Santora for a conversation about mentorship, EMS education, and preparing for the NREMT exam. Brian shares how a desire to work in the air-conditioned health lodge at a remote Scout camp unexpectedly launched his EMS career, why teaching and mentoring new provide...

In this special interview episode, Mike and Max sit down with one of the most influential people in their EMS journey: Carter Rowe, EMT, firefighter, EMS lieutenant, and leader of the volunteer program at Chalfont Regional EMS. Carter shares how he entered EMS as a teenager, progressed from interfacility transport and critical care work into busy 911 systems, and eventually found himself leading a...

This week on RideAlong: EMT School, we’re talking terrorism, active threats, and what EMTs need to understand when an emergency scene may still be dangerous. Mike, Max, and Jonathan walk through domestic and international terrorism, CBRNE incidents, warning signs, responder safety, secondary devices, mass-casualty considerations, decontamination, and the EMT’s role during some of the most complex...

This week on Ride Along: EMT School, we’re talking highway operations, vehicle extrication, and what EMTs need to understand when patient care moves into the wreckage. Mike, Max, and Jonathan walk through disentanglement, scene safety, highway blocking, vehicle hazards, patient access, PPE, electrical dangers, vehicle stabilization, and the EMT’s role while rescue crews work to free a trapped pati...

You're a Catastrophe Part 2 (MCI & ICS) In this episode of RideAlong: EMT School, we continue our discussion on mass casualty incidents and the Incident Command System. After covering primary triage in Part 1, we dig into what defines an MCI, how disaster plans are built, and why ICS exists to bring order to chaotic scenes. We break down single versus unified command, the role of the incident...

In this episode, Mike, Max, and Jonathan kick off the first half of their MCI and ICS discussion, focusing on primary triage. After a brief note about technical difficulties that cut the episode short, the crew explores what makes a mass-casualty incident so overwhelming, how incident command helps organize chaos, and why triage is one of the most important skills EMS providers need when resources...

This week on RideAlong: EMT School, Mike, Max, and Jonathan dive into HazMat — hazardous materials, scene safety, and why the best first move is often staying far away from whatever is leaking, burning, spilling, or glowing. The Medical Term of the Week is zones, covering the hot zone, warm zone, and cold zone, and how those operational areas help protect responders, patients, and everyone else on...

Close The Doors and I am Gone (EMS Operations - Patient Transport) In this episode, we close the doors and hit the road for the final part of our EMS Operations series: patient transport. Mike, Max, and Jonathan break down what happens after the patient is loaded into the ambulance, including packaging, stretcher safety, provider safety in the patient compartment, reassessment, hospital notificati...

This week on RideAlong: EMT School, we’re back in EMS Operations and moving from “getting ready” to actually getting out the door. In “No Stop Signs, Speed Limits,” Mike, Max, and Jonathan talk through the response phase of EMS calls: dispatch information, Code 3 responses, lights and sirens, ambulance operations, safe driving, navigation, highway scenes, and what it really means to respond quickl...

EMS doesn’t start when the tones drop — it starts before the call ever comes in. In this episode, we begin our EMS operations block by breaking down what it means to be ready: checking the ambulance, knowing your equipment, understanding the minimum equipment list, and making sure the truck is truly prepared for the next patient. Mike and Jonathon walk through ambulance types, BLS versus ALS equip...

Some patients require EMTs to slow down, adapt, and think beyond the standard call. In this episode, we break down special patient populations, including patients with developmental disabilities, cognitive differences, hearing or vision impairment, chronic illness, mobility challenges, and technology-dependent medical needs. Mike, Max, and Jonathon discuss how EMTs can approach these calls with em...

Episode 40 is here, and we’re going full term. In this episode, Mike, Max, and Jonathon tackle one of the most intimidating low-frequency, high-acuity topics in EMT school: OB/GYN emergencies. From childbirth and labor complications to gynecological emergencies and the realities of caring for two patients at once, the crew breaks down the concepts EMT students need to understand before the call co...

Environmental emergencies don’t stop at heat and cold — sometimes the real danger comes from water, altitude, and the creatures around us. In this episode, we dive into drowning, diving injuries, high-altitude illness, and bites and stings. We break down what’s actually happening in the body, what EMTs should be looking for, and how to manage these situations in the field — all while sharing real-...

EMS 20/20 Simulcast - Split the Party This one’s different—and honestly, one of the most fun (and chaotic) things we’ve ever done. The RideAlong crew teamed up with EMS 20/20 for a special simulcast episode where EMS meets Dungeons & Dragons. Guided by Chris and Spencer, we were dropped into a high-stakes, dice-driven scenario that quickly spiraled into full-blown EMS chaos. What started as a...

Environmental emergencies can sneak up fast, and once the body starts losing its ability to regulate temperature, things can go downhill in a hurry. In this episode, we break down hot and cold emergencies, focusing on how the body responds to temperature extremes, what warning signs EMTs should watch for, and when simple exposure becomes a true medical emergency. Mike, Max, and Jonathan walk throu...

Multisystem trauma patients present one of the biggest challenges in prehospital care — multiple injuries, competing priorities, and the constant risk of rapid deterioration. In this episode, we break down how EMTs identify high-risk trauma patients using mechanism of injury, physiologic findings, anatomic criteria, and special patient considerations, along with how trauma scoring and transport de...

Chest and abdominal trauma can rapidly become life-threatening, even when injuries aren’t immediately obvious. In this episode, we break down blunt and penetrating trauma affecting the thoracic and abdominal cavities, focusing on injuries that can compromise breathing, circulation, and major organ function. We discuss pneumothorax, hemothorax, flail chest, internal bleeding, and solid organ injuri...

This is Spinal Snap (Neck and Spinal Trauma) Neck and spinal injuries can be subtle, devastating, and easy to miss — making them one of the highest-stakes assessments an EMT will perform. In this episode, we break down spinal anatomy, mechanisms of injury, red flags for spinal cord involvement, and when spinal motion restriction is appropriate. We also discuss how spinal cord injuries can affect b...

Head injuries can change everything in an instant. In this episode, we break down head and skull trauma, including traumatic brain injuries, skull fractures, and why bleeding or swelling inside the skull can quickly become life-threatening. Mike, Max, and Jonathon discuss mechanisms of injury, signs of increased intracranial pressure, and the importance of identifying subtle neurological changes e...

Great tools don’t just show up in EMS — they’re built by people who understand the problems providers face in the field. In this episode, we sit down with Bob Waddell from SAM Medical to talk about the evolution of hemorrhage control, product design, and what it takes to create equipment that actually works when it matters most. We dive into the story behind SAM Medical, the development of tools l...