Episodes
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Driving is a common and sometimes overlooked risk faced by first responders daily. Despite all the training in the fire service, when it comes to driver training, there is more work to be done. Dave Michaels, Executive VP of VFIS Education, Training and Consulting, talks about updates to the new VFIS Emergency Vehicle Driver Training (EVDT) Program, which are based on the latest standards and most recent statistics available.
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Crew Resource Management (CRM) is a set of training procedures for use in environments where human error can have devastating effects. Woody Sullivan from VFIS Education Training and Consulting talks about CRM and how to adopt these principles for the fire service
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Missing episodes?
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Batteries can be used in anything; not just electric vehicles. In this episode, we talk with Chris Pfaff (Owner-Lead Instructor) of PHRT Hazmat and Rescue Instruction about the widespread use and potential dangers of Lithium-ion batteries from the perspective of consumer commodities such as tablets, scooters and laptops.
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It requires a whole community approach to prepare for, respond to, and recover from an active attack event. In this episode, Massachusetts’ Scott Cluett (Statewide ASHER Coordinator for the Dept. of Fire Services), John Mazza (Statewide ASHER Coordinator for the Municipal Police), and Jake Wark (Public Information Officer for the Dept. of Fire Services) join us to discuss details of the NFPA 3000 and how they utilized this standard to develop their statewide ASHER (Active Shooter/Hostile Event Response) program.
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Testing aerial devices of fire apparatus is crucial to ensure their functionality, reliability and safety during firefighting operations. In this episode, Sam Yank from Industrial Inspections & Analysis (IIA) discusses the aerial device testing services they provide, the differences in tests and the recommended inspections for aerial apparatus.
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Standard Operating Guidelines (SOGs) and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) – What is the difference? Is there a difference? In this episode, Blair Tyndall and Mike Baker of Client Risk Solutions and Emergency Services Specialist Bryan Duquin discuss the importance of SOGs and SOPs, the differences between them, and ways to develop and integrate these governing documents into your organization’s operations.
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From aerials to tires, a comprehensive fleet maintenance program serves to protect the organization’s most valuable assets. In this episode, Blair Tyndall from VFIS Client Risk Solutions and Emergency Services Specialist Bryan Duquin discuss fleet maintenance best practices – what to include and why.
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Forty-four percent of the professional liability claims experienced by VFIS are attributed to patient handling. Mike Baker and Dave Bradley of Client Risk Solutions join Paul Bachtel of VFIS Claims to talk about trends in patient handling claims and provide key insights and suggestions to help emergency service organizations mitigate this exposure.
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In this episode, Jake Hoover and Nicole Dugan from VFIS’ Education, Training & Consulting (ETC) department discuss quality assurance (QA) in the emergency services and provide some suggestions for assessing a quality assurance program to help ensure it enhances efficiencies, improves proficiencies and supports continuous improvement.
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Documentation helps minimize the impacts of an incident on the responder. It also helps identify risks and implement change to reduce those risks in the future. In this episode, we talk with Bryan Duquin of VFIS and Tracie Young-Brungard of the PA State Fire Commissioner’s Office about the importance of incident documentation for Fire and EMS.
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What’s the big picture? All incidents should be investigated to identify trends and benchmark information, find a root cause and build an educational model for the organization. Find out more about incident investigation best practices in this episode with Blair Tyndall and Bryan Duquin of VFIS Client Risk Solutions.
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From cell phones to e-bikes - In today’s world, you would be hard pressed to go to a fire where a lithium ion battery is not involved. In this episode, Bobby Salveson from The Haz Mat Guys talks about the dangers of lithium ion batteries and some best practices for emergency service providers to consider when encountering these products at the scene.
www.thehazmatguys.com
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How do you put a price on your fire apparatus? In this episode, VFIS Regional VP of Sales, Joe Giorgi, and Sales Executive Scott Cain provide an overview of the agreed value concept and discuss updates to the VFIS policy.
What is agreed value? (glatfelters.com)
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Whether it’s a public assist call or a police response call, emergency service leadership and providers should be concerned about their patient refusal process. In this episode, Paul Bachtel of VFIS Claims joins Mike Baker and Dave Bradley of Client Risk Solutions to discuss patient refusals, including trends and best practices for patient refusal procedures.
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Incident rehab serves to identify conditions in personnel that may otherwise go undetected and could lead to serious health conditions, disabilities and death. In this episode, Tracie Young-Brungard, Director of Recruitment and Retention for the PA State Fire Commissioner’s office, discusses how the concept of incident rehab applies to emergency services.
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“Documentation wins the day.” In this episode, David Givot, Esq., EMS Defense Attorney at The Legal Guardian, author of Sirens, Lights and Lawyers: The Law and Other Important Stuff EMS Providers Never Learned in School, and former paramedic from LA County, provides insight on issues he’s observed with protecting and defending EMS clients.
Sirens, Lights, and Lawyers: The Law & Other Really Important Stuff EMS Providers Never Learned in School: Givot, David: 9788350901871: Amazon.com: Books
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From large apparatus to brush vehicles and trailers, there’s a huge liability exposure when a service vehicle exceeds the manufacturer’s gross vehicle weight. In this episode, Mike Baker and Bryan Duquin from Client Risk Solutions discuss why it’s important for ESOs to obtain the heights and weights of their emergency vehicles and some best practices for doing so.
Additional Resource
Visit www.responderhelp.com for additional resources on gross vehicle weight and axel weight ratings.
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From one-off phishing emails to sophisticated cyber schemes, cybercriminal techniques continue to advance. Shawn Nelson, Chief Information Security Officer at Glatfelter Insurance Group, provides some best practices to help Emergency Service Organizations prevent cybersecurity-related incidents and protect the valuable personal information they collect.
Additional Resource
VFIS University offers cyber training courses to active clients.
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