The Action Training Systems Emergency Responder Blog

EMS Training: New AHA Guidelines Change Resuscitation for Good

Posted by Elise Andreasen on Tue, February 21, 2012 @ 12:10PM

As most of you with a recent CPR certification know, the American Heart Association released some important changes to the 2010 Guidelines for CPR and ECC. The AHA reevaluates these guidelines every five years based on new peer-reviewed evidence in resuscitation studies to ensure the best techniques are used.

The biggest change was in the BLS sequence, which changed from A-B-C to C-A-B. Chest compressions start sooner to force existing oxygenated blood through the body. During that time, another responder can prepare a pocket mask or BVM with oxygen to deliver the rescue breaths. This may also allow time to prepare an AED as well.

Action Training Systems incorporated these new guidelines into our EMS Training: Emergency Medical Responder (EMR) series title called Resuscitation. Here are some of the production team’s behind-the-scenes shots from Resuscitation.

First Responder Training

We shot the main CPR setup in Buckley, WA with Officer Adam Garrett with Buckley Police Department. EMT Miriam Cooper played our bystander who happened upon our victim, retired firefighter John Justice.  We filmed in an alley just adjacent to the fire department and nearby police station.  The shoot was supervised by Buckley FD instructor and ATS technical advisor Angela Riggsby.

EMS Training

Our responders Dwayne McGehee and Justin Torres arrived from City of Buckley Fire Department to demonstrate our two-rescuer CPR technique.

The 2010 AHA Guidelines also made some subtle changes to chest compression rates and depths. Previously, the AHA recommended a rate of approximately 100 compressions/minute. Now, the 2010 guidelines recommend at least 100 compressions/minute. The compression depth of 1.5 (4 cm) to 2 inches (5 cm) for adults has also changed to at least 2 inches (5 cm).

Since John was alive and well, we decided to save our compressions demonstration for a dummy. Our cameramen Sjon and Peter captured the demo at Pierce County Fire District 5 with Andrew Cochrane, Ryan Gorcester and Alex Langlow.

                     EMS Training

The dummy didn’t seem to mind and only responded with a satisfying “click” upon each compression.

The compression depths for pediatric patients changed slightly in 2010 as well. Previous guidelines recommended a compression depth of approximately one third to one half the anterior-posterior diameter of the chest, but the new guidelines recommend at least one third the anterior-posterior diameter of the chest. The new guidelines also include an approximation of that depth as 1½ inches (4 cm) for most infants and about 2 inches (5 cm) for most children.

                 EMS Training

We shot this pediatric CPR scenario with North Kitsap Fire & Rescue’s Trevor Glebe and Steven Green, who make regular appearances in the EMR series. Our patient actor, Bryce Delmendo, kept laughing, although we reminded him he was supposed to play dead. It was hard for the guys to keep a straight face, too. 

The production team had a great time working through the CPR and AED procedures with our local EMS departments. Check out the Resuscitation title on our EMR page to view a quick demo of the program.

What do you think about the changes to the AHA Guidelines?

 

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Tags: firefighter training, EMS training, emergency responder Training, first responder training

Lieutenant Discovers New Use For Fire Simulator Software

Posted by Elise Andreasen on Tue, January 31, 2012 @ 01:01PM

Fire Simulator, Firefighter Training, StageIT 

Dennis Elliott from Central Kitsap Fire & Rescue in Silverdale, WA recently found StageIT to be a great firefighter training tool for creating some schematics to update his department’s Field Operations Guide (FOG) for apparatus positioning. Click on these 4 examples to see the schematics he created. Example 1 Example 2 Example 3 Example 4


As part of his Lieutenant’s promotional exam Dennis was given an assignment to work on updating the department FOG for apparatus placement at a scene. He had to turn in the updates on paper and provide diagrams illustrating apparatus positioning.
StageIT is most often thought of as a tool for an instructor to use and create simple to complex emergency response simulations. Often overlooked are the schematic diagrams included in StageIT’s media library which allowed Dennis (the testee not the instructor) to quickly create some aerial view schematics illustrating apparatus placement. It took him about a half an hour to produce the four professional looking schematic illustrations included in this folder.

Simple but effective. He did not want to use an aerial map image view to illustrate the placements because too much distracting detail was shown in the photo. With these schematics the focus is all on the placement of the vehicles. While the schematics Dennis created can be projected on screen for use in a classroom, he was also able to print them out to hand in with his assignment.

StageIT provides an easy way to create real-world training solutions to enhance strategy and tactics planning, promotional testing and pre-incident planning. 

By the way, Dennis passed his exam with flying colors and is now a Lieutenant with the department.

Fire Simulator Software, Dennis Elliott, StageIT  

Pictured Above: Dennis Elliott with his son Austin at his badge pinning ceremony.

    Click here to see another example of StageIt Fire Simulator Software

Tags: firefighter training, EMS training, emergency responder Training, first responder training, Fire Simulator, Training schematics, Field Operations Guide

Can competency-based Fire/EMS training be achieved on a budget?

Posted by Elise Andreasen on Fri, January 20, 2012 @ 12:50PM

Can competency-based Fire/EMS training be achieved on a budget?

Time and time again we hear there is an increasing need for quality training for emergency responders, but budgets are being cut and departments and organizations have to consider layoffs.  

Is there an option to reduce the amount spent on training without compromising the quality of the training provided?

I think before answering that question, the comment must be made that you cannot put a price tag on the value of emergency response training. It is common knowledge that quality training is essential to insure the safety of your staff as well as our community members. Now, the answer to the question is YES, you do have options when it comes to quality firefighter training, EMS training, industrial fire brigade training and all other emergency response training.

One option is to supplement your hands-on training with other training resources.  Classroom training and distance learning cannot replace hands-on training, but they can be used to enhance hands-on training.  There are also several great training materials available for instructors and trainers that cost less than outsourcing all your department/organization training.  

There are training DVDs with high-quality video that have been proven to be great companions to industry-leading emergency response training manuals.   Interactive computer-based training programs  can be installed on a stand-alone computer or networked in a computer lab. These programs provide students with an opportunity to take courses on specific topics, learn specific training objectives, take interactive quizzes and exams and then have that information tracked and recorded by the instructor. This type of training has been proven to significantly increase student competency in the subject matter, better preparing students for hands-on training and increasing confidence out in the field. In addition to DVD and computer-based training, there are also some great simulation software programs on the market that can be used by the instructor to create or re-create fire, HAZMAT or emergency response stages of an incident and present them for testing and evaluation.

In-house training is becoming more popular, and there are companies out there doing a great job of providing competency-based training that is improving student comprehension and confidence. Some are very efficient in their delivery methods and are affordable, however it is important to thoroughly check into the quality of content of any training program you are considering. Some companies focus on meeting departments’ budget needs, but the level of content and student competency levels could be compromised.  There are options out there that will meet your needs in terms of quality of training, affordability and efficiency.

Action Training has always been known for their high-level quality training content, but it is equally important to them to meet department and organization needs in terms of budget and efficiency of delivery. Their entire staff is devoted to providing you with the best emergency response training resources on the market and their group of highly qualified training consultants will help make your needs a reality.  For more information, go to www.action-training.com or call 800-755-1440 ex 3

 

Tags: EMS training, emergency responder Training, first responder training