Medic2medic Podcast

Paul Falavolito is the Chief of White Oak EMS outside of Pittsburgh. Chief Falavolitio begin his EMS career at Medical Rescue Team South Authority in 1997. Chief Falavolito is an innovator leader with numerous successes during his career. He created a state certified wilderness Search and Rescue Team and has authored articles that have appeared in public safety magazines. Besides being a professional photographer (listen how Garth Brooks played a role) one of his bold new projects is Faces of EMS. This project is a wall exhibit of current EMS providers, which is being used for awareness and to celebrate the field of EMS. Chief Falavolito is also the host of his own podcast called EMS Talk, which launched a few weeks ago.

William Miller has experience in the provision of EMS, EMS Education,fire and rescue services that now spans more than 40 years. Bill's start was in small town in Pennsylvania to a career with the City of Pittsburgh Bureau of EMS to his current position as Physician Assistant. Bill is also one of the nicest person you will ever meet. Bill and I met when I was hired by the City of Pittsburgh and he was one of the Training Assistants who had to teach us everything from the culture of the City EMS to climbing up and down bridges. With me it was a challenge for Bill and his partner Roy Cox. I had no experience in rescue or climbing. Listen to Bill and I talk about those days as well as Bill's first experience as volunteer firefighter and the impact it has had on his life.

If you every wondered if you could be in EMS and be an entrepreneur then this podcast is for you. Jayme Burgman joins me this week to discuss his EMS career and how he went from Paramedic to entrepreneur. Jayme has a history in both entrepreneurial ventures and corporate executive management roles requiring high-level expertise in business development, operations and finance. We also talk about the on-going battle on who had the busiest ambulance in the City of Pittsburgh (Medic 5).

Skip Kirkwood currently serves as the Director of Emergency Medical Services and Chief Paramedic in Durham County North Carolina. He has been involved in EMS since 1973, as an EMT, paramedic, supervisor educator, manager, consultant, state EMS director, and chief EMS officer. A frequent speaker at regional and national EMS conferences, Skip is an Adjunct Associate Professor of Clinical Research and Leadership at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences.We talk about his Navy beginnings and how the Field Training Officer Program came about.

Mike Prevatte is a Division Chief at Cary Area EMS. Mike started out as a volunteer for Cary Area EMS in 2003. His journey and interest in EMS started way before when he was Boy Scout. He is an Eagle Scout too. Mike Prevatte's journey from Eagle Scout to Division Chief is an interesting story. Besides heading up Cary Area EMS's Training Division, being a Shift Supervisor, he also serves as a Tactical Paramedic for the Wake County EMS System.

Christopher Stawasz is AMR's Regional Director for New Hampshire and Maine. Christopher was born and raised in New Hampshire and was one of the first practicing paramedics in the state. We talk about the opioid crisis that is hitting New Hampshire and how EMS is combating the epidemic. There is a program in New Hampshire to place Narcan in the schools. Listen to how the EMS crews handled the change in allowing non EMS persons administer Narcan.

Kris Kaull is a serial entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience in public safety both as a clinician and business professional. Kris was the the founder of EMS1.com. Kris began his career in public safety as a firefighter and EMT. Kris is passionate about EMS and technology and you can hear this during our conversation. We talk about leadership qualities and you will be surprised about quality Kris thinks is the most important. We also talk about what gets Kris's creative juices going.

Dr. Winslow is the State EMS Medical Director for North Carolina. We talk about how he became the Medical Director, protocols and the responsibilities of this position. There is a strong emphasis on collaborating and involving stakeholders in the process of EMS in North Carolina. Dr. Winslow's main goal is to help insure high quality of emergency care to the people of North Carolina.

Todd Pritchard is the Chief of Medical Rescue Team South Authority, an EMS agency serving sixcommunities just south of Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. Todd began his career with MRTSA as a volunteer in 1985 after graduating from California University of Pennsylvania. Todd was promoted to Chief of MRTSA in 2007. We talk about his journey to from being unsure if EMS was the right path for him and how he became Chief. We talk about the challenges that are facing EMS today.

Jonathan Washko as been involved in the EMS industry for over 30 years and has held progressive leadership position with small, medium and large EMS systems in government. Mr. Washko is considered the leading industry expert on EMS system design, High Performance EMS concepts and Industry Best Practices. Jon was one of my classmates at Hahnemann and knew from the first time I met him that he would great for EMS.

Mike Taigman has over 41 years working as an EMT, paramedic, QI manager and General Manager. He is currently the Improvement Guide for FirstWatch Solutions. Mike has written over 600 articles and published a book on EKG interpretation. Mike has taken his leadership and QI abilities all over the United States, Canada and the Middle East. We talk about our connection toTodd Stout and similar career paths as well as other interesting topics in EMS.

Lynn Nowak is a paramedic and volunteer for Cary Area EMS. Lynn has been volunteering with Cary Area EMS since 1995. Listen how a different subject path in school guided her to EMS. We talk about how another service missed out on her sprit to volunteer and how Cary Area EMS gained a dedicated volunteer.

Gene Lambert retired after 31 years working for Wake County EMS. In those 31 years, Gene held different positions from Paramedic to Training Chief. Gene’s dedication to public service was spurred by the tragic death of his sister, a nurse, when he was 12 years old. Listen to Gene's stories on how he went from law enforcement to EMS and arrived first at an airplane crash. We also talk about his days when he was the Chief of a Rescue Squad and how he became the Chief.

Dan Swayze is the Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the Center for Emergency Medicine of Western Pennsylvania and is widely considered one of the earliest pioneers of community paramedicine. Dan has been in Emergency Medical Services and has been involved in EMS for more than 30 years. In addition to receiving several local and state EMS awards, in 2014 he received national recognition by JEMS and Physio-Control as an EMS10: Innovators in EMS award for his work with the CONNECT Community Paramedic project in Pittsburgh.

Randolph Mantooth and the TV Show Emergency has influenced countless of people to become EMTs, Paramedics and Firefighters. I am one of those countless people. For our 30th Episode, I was lucky to have him as a guest. Mr. Mantooth is a well known speaker at conferences and advocate for EMS and the fire profession. Mr. Mantooth and I talk about his acting career, how he was selected to play Johnny Gage, the impact of the show, his relationship with Kevin Tighe, an inside look on of the production and set of the show. Mr. Mantooth also provides his thoughts on the state of EMS today and his thoughts on a reunion show.

Medical Rescue Team South's Paramedic David Terkel is my guest. David is longtime resident of Mt. Lebanon, PA and started serving the community in 1995. He is part of the Allegheny County HMMR (HazMat Medical) team. The team is the medical support for the county HazMat team. David and I discuss numerous topics, which David has some strong opinions and thoughts. We talk about him being assaulted and how he handled the aftermath.

Alexander Garza MD, MPH is the Associate Dean for Public Health Practice and and Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health (EOH) and is board certified in Emergency Medicine. He holds academic appointments in the Epidemiology and Emergency Medicine at the Saint Louis University College for Public Health and Social Justice and School of Medicine as well. In addition, he is the Medical Director and Homeland Security advisor for FirstWatch Inc, a data and quality improvement software company in Encinitas, CA focusing on emergency responders.Prior to coming to SLU, Dr. Garza was appointed by President Obama and confirmed by the US Senate as the Assistant Secretary and Chief Medical Officer at the Department of Homeland Security. He oversaw all aspects of health and security at DHS, was a principal advisor to the Secretary of Homeland Security and briefed the White House on health and security issues. Dr. Garza’s career has included working at all levels of emerg

Doug Widmer is a Paramedic and Deputy Chief at Medical Rescue Team South Authority (MRTSA) in the South Hills of Pittsburgh. Doug knew when he was 5 that he wanted to be in EMS and he has the proof. Listen to how he got started as a volunteer, being a dispatcher at 16 and how his career path landed him in my old office at MRTSA.

Peter Dworsky and I went to Hahnemann University (now Drexel University) and graduated from their EMS Degree Program. We talk about those early days of the program, his career path and interest in safety for EMS providers. For the past 12 years Peter has been working for MONOC Mobile Health Services in New Jersey. Originally, as Director of Special Operations and most recently at the Corporate Director of Support Services. He also spent 18 years working as a field paramedic in New York City. Peter lectures at national and state EMS conferences, written several text book chapters on various aspects of EMS and disaster management. He is also a two time recipient of the JEMS EMS 10 Innovation Award.

Erin and I discuss what it is like to be married to an EMS provider and you hear how we met. Erin is a Real Estate agent and offers a great program if you are buying or selling a home. Hometown Heroes is an organization designed to give back to those who help make our communities a better place to live by offering real savings. Listen to hear more about this program and get a small glance into support she has provided me during my career.