Team Safety PA

08/30/2026

Congratulations to the Lancaster EMS Spring 2026 (really Summer 2026) EMT Academy on graduating and all nine (9) successful completion and passing the PA Department of Health EMS Psychomotor Skills Evaluation and First Time padding the NREMT Cognitive Exam giving this class a 💯% passing rate. I have been privileged to be the Primary Instructor of this program since its inception and graduating the 10th EMT Academy.

08/07/2026

Nothing to do with First Aid or CPR but an initiative I am proud of founding whose need is growing in our communities. It is not a solution to homelessness but offers respite from carrying everything with you all the time and allows movement thru out the community without the stigma of being homeless. Message, email or text me if you would like more information or would like to help.

07/22/2026

04/10/2026

Spent the last two mornings showing preschoolers the inside and outside compartments of the ambulance.

02/08/2026

Great night wrapping up the First Aid Adventure with Cub Scout Troop 125

01/10/2026

Congratulations to the Lancaster EMS Fall 2025 EMT Academy scheduled to graduate on Monday, 12 January 2026 at 1800 (6:00 pm). Over the past 15 weeks they have spent 100s of hours between new hire orientation, lecture, skills practice and clinical experience; in addition to the numerous hours of homework. It is a pleasure being the primary instructor and mentor preparing each EMT Candidate in preparation of passing the NREMT Cognitive Exam and PA DOH EMS Psychomotor Skills testing.

11/27/2025

Working with Cub Scout Pack 125 Arrow Light First Aid Adventure teaching hands only CPR, bleeding control with direct pressure, tourniquet use with uncontrolled extremity bleeding, splinting, sling and swathe for shoulder or arm injury and packing junctional bleeding 🩸 The parents, troop leaders and scouts have requested my return in January to complete the First Aid Adventure.

11/19/2025

Key Updates for AHA CPR & AED 2025:

Opioid emergency response: The updated guidelines place a greater emphasis on administering naloxone and making emergency kits more accessible to the public.

CPR techniques:

Infant: New recommendations for infant chest compressions suggest using either the one-hand or two-thumb encircling hands method, as the two-finger technique is no longer considered sufficient for depth.

For choking, the updated approach involves giving five back blows followed by five chest thrusts.

Children: The guidelines provide a more specific compression depth of \(1/3\) of the chest diameter, not going deeper than \(2.4\) inches (\(6\) cm).

AED use: The AHA now recommends using an AED earlier for infants under one year old, especially if equipment with pediatric capabilities is available.

Prone CPR: The guidelines offer guidance for performing CPR on patients who are lying face down and cannot be moved, recommending chest compressions on the side opposite the sternum.

Hyperthermia: For severe hyperthermia, ice water immersion is the favored method for quickly cooling the body.

Terminology: The term "lay rescuer" is now the preferred term for non-medical professionals, replacing previous terms like "bystander" or "lay person"

11/02/2025

Never two young to learn how to do compressions…

07/26/2025