Hard Times for Soft Skills revised from the NAEMSE Educator Update Summer 2014 Are so-called “Soft Skills” such as critical thinking, leadership, professionalism, adaptability, and teamwork important for today’s emergency responder? If so, then why aren’t we teaching them?
Read More »Tag Archives: leadership
Is There Value in Busywork in Emergency Services?
If You Have Time to Lean, You Have Time to Clean! Is there value in busywork in emergency services? I think your answer probably depends on whether you are Supervisor or Staff in your organization.
Read More »RescueDigest Reads: USFA Emergency Vehicle Safety Initiative
US Fire Administration Emergency Vehicle Safety Initiative WHY YOU NEED TO READ IT: Are you tasked with leadership, supervision or education of firefighters, police or EMS providers that operate motor vehicles. All hands up? Great, then this document is for you! READ ON:
Read More »The RescueDigest Podcast Episode 25: Delivering Customer Service with Lights and Sirens
A Fire Medic Perspective: Delivering Customer Service with Lights and Sirens. Rom Duckworth discusses how a culture of customer service can work in the real-world with retired Battalion Chief (and prolific author) Rob Avsec.
Read More »RescueDigest Resources: Modern Contents and Construction Demand Modern Fire Tactics
This collection of resources uses a straight forward approach to show how you can use new information to give more options, not less.
Read More »The RescueDigest Podcast Episode 24: Dennis Rubin on a Chief’s Challenges of Change
A Fire Medic Perspective: A Chief’s Challenges of Change with retired (but still incredibly active) Chief Dennis Rubin, formerly serving as Chief of Washington DC, Atalanta, GA, Norfolk, VA, and Dothan, AL Fire Departments.
Read More »Prepping for Change in 2015 and Beyond: Teaching Old Dogs New CPR
Having had the opportunity to attend the last AHA Guidelines roll-out in Chicago in October of 2010 I wound up reading everything I could on the guidelines in the research behind them so that when I showed up to represent my state I didn’t look like some kind of dope. It was an easy digging through all those papers, but when I was finished I noticed something profound in both the recommendations and the research (though not the ACLS algorithms or courses, but that is another topic). I saw how and why we were going to have to make a CHANGE.
Read More »Leadership Lessons: Are Your Leaders Acting like Parents or Substitute Teachers?
The chief emphasized that he didn't mean that all of his people were acting like children, although the look in his eye implied that maybe some were. I wasn't suggesting anything about the maturity of his people, but rather that parents don't stop being parents when their children grow up. In fact, this is exactly what I meant by helping agency leaders acting like parents rather than substitute teachers.
Read More »RescueDigest Reads: FICEMS The Federal Interagency Committee on EMS Strategic Plan
FICEMS WHY YOU NEED TO READ IT: The gears of FICEMS will no doubt grind slowly, but if your agency has any kind of EMS response component you’ll want to know which direction they’re turning. There aren’t any shockingly new ideas here, but it is a good breakdown of where EMS in the United States needs to be moving. WHAT ...
Read More »4+20+10 Things Your Department Social Media Policy Must Address
The biggest problem… With today’s social media use policies are the gigantic swaths of “gray area” that shroud some issues. Not only do statutes and regulations vary tremendously from state to state and workplace to workplace, but as social media case law develops it can be difficult to determine how key phrases such as “free speech”, “privacy protection”, and “on-the-job” ...
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