An Austin-Travis County Ems Publication
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P U L S EJanuary 2018 AN AUSTIN-TRAVIS COUNTY EMS PUBLICATION 1 ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| Contents Featured News 04 CAPTAIN RANDY CHHABRA APPOINTED TO THE 16 NATIONAL CPS SAFETY BOARD PLUS SIZED TO PALEO PROUD The National Child Passenger Safety Board (NCPSB) has appointed Randy Chhabra to serve as the Our very own Shannon Cook contributes a very special, board’s Public Safety Fire/EMS Representative. very triumphant, and very inspirational story about her lifelong struggle with weight and her recent victory over that battle. __________________________________________ ___________________________________________ 06 EMS DEPARTMENT SPONSORED PORTRAITS 28 Recently, the department sponsored a formal por- ATCEMS MEDIC CHAD STOWE PRODUCES ESD 12/ trait session for all ATCEMS employees and their families. The sessions were a huge success and the MEDIC 23 TRIBUTE VIDEO department will be offering future opportunities to Chad Stowe has been at ESD 12/M23 in Manor since get your professional portrait taken. January 2015 on D shift. “I can honestly say in my 19 years at ATCEMS and 26 years in EMS total I have __________________________________________ never been more happier with an assignment as I am at M23. “ Chad produced an amazing tribute video and he shares it with PULSE readers. 12 ATCEMS EXPLORER POST 247 HOSTS FIRST ANNUAL AWARDS CEREMONY ___________________________________________ On Tuesday, January 9th, EMS Explorer Post 247 held their first annual awards ceremony. This was a 34 big step forward for Explorer Post 247 as recent growth in the program has seen many changes. SURVIVOR STORIES On Wednesday, December 27th 2017, Mr. Robert Williamson finally got to meet medics Matt Schickel __________________________________________ and John Costantino who saved him from a cardiac arrest event last summer. 2 ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| Division News 26 In Every Issue FLEET SERVICES UPDATE The latest news and tips from Fleet Services. New trucks are here and we have started processing our 30 eight new Dodge 4500 ambulances. YOUR PHOTOS ____________________________________________ Catch a glimpse of your coworkers in action. 29 _________________________________________ COMMUNICATIONS CALL OF THE QUARTER Congratulations to Shaun Pursley, EMS Communica- 35 tions Call of the 3rd Quarter Winner! Shaun had a 1st EMPLOYEE RECOGNITION party caller with a gunshot wound (GSW) to the ATCEMS employees receive kudos, special thanks and abdomen with an additional patient outside. congratulations for a job well done. _____________________________________________ __________________________________________ 39 40 RECORDS MANAGEMENT SECTION RECEIVES AWARD CUSTOMER SERVICE SURVEY Minnie Lopez and Diana Palomo were both recognized Results from the ATCEMS Customer Callback Program. for the highest score obtained during City of Austin Records and Information Management Certification Program Training. They were both personally awarded __________________________________________ certificates of completion from the County Clerks Office. This programs requires 40 hours of training followed by an exam in order to be certified. 3 Captain Randy Chhabra Appointed To National Child Passenger Safety Board The National Child Passenger Safety Board (NCPSB) has appointed Randy Chhabra to serve as the board’s Public Safety Fire/EMS Representative. The mission of the National Child Passenger Safety Board is to oversee and maintain the technical quality, standardization and relevance of the curriculum which is part of the National Child Passenger Safety Certification Training Program throughout the United States. The program was created to train people to become certified child passenger safety (CPS) technicians and instructors in order to provide assistance to families and caregivers for the safe transportation of children. The Board works with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), who has the responsibility to assure the technical accuracy of the curriculum, and with Safe Kids CPS Certification, who has responsibility, authority and liability for the certification and re-certification processes. The Board provides input and perspectives from their representative organizations and field, and to their representative constituencies, on ways to ensure the ongoing significance of the National Child Passenger Safety Certification Training Program in keeping children safe. Captain Chhabra began the Austin-Travis County EMS Child Car Seat program in 2008. Since it's inception, thousands of families have been touched by the program. We are excited to be able to represent our community at the National level. Over the next 3 years. Please join us in congratulating Randy on a much deserved opportunity 4 Chiefs at the Capitol following participation in the MLK Day Parade. 5 ATCEMS Department Sponsored Portraits Recently, the department sponsored a formal portrait session for all ATCEMS employees and their families. Sworn and Non-Sworn employees had the opportunity to have their portraits taken with a professional backdrop and lighting in a formal setting with the Department insignia and flags or the Department logo as a backdrop. Appointments were taken for a 15 minute photo session at EMS HQ for three days in November and we had very positive response! As a result, the department will make this opportunity available on a monthly basis beginning on February 13, 2018. Appointments will be taken from 0800-1200 every 30 minutes. To schedule an appointment email [email protected] Here are some comments from a few “satisfied customers” “I didn’t want to pass up a FREE professional headshot session being provided by the depart- ment – the quality, backdrop, and convenience of it all were perfect!” Ashleigh O’Connor, EMS Recruitment Coordinator “My wife and I had a lot of fun with the personal portraits, we brought additional clothing for personal portraits with loved ones” Commander Broadwater If you didn’t get a chance to schedule a photo session last year we hope that you will take advantage of the next opportunity on February 13, 2018. Appointments are on a first come, first serve basis so don’t delay make your appointment today! Stay tuned for more information about future session dates. 6 7 8 9 10 11 ATCEMS EXPLORER POST 247 Awards Ceremony uesday January 9th, EMS Explorer Post 247 held their first annual awards ceremony. This was a big step forward for Explorer Post 247 as recent growth in the program has seen many changes. Explorer Post 247 began as a small project in 2010 and over the course of the past 8 years has T grown from a small group of 4-5 dedicated youth, to a large in depth program with over 30 youth members that has generated multiple department employees. Tuesday’s ceremony was held at EDWD with Explorers, Advisors, parents and even Chief Rodriguez in attendance. Many Explorers were recognized throughout the evening for accomplishments and were presented with certificates as well as ribbons to wear with their Class A uniforms. Post Advisor Rob Yarger led the evening’s presentation with the assistance of Associate Advisors Melissa Hall, Obie Jones, Coty Baker and Amanda Baker. Along with recognition of the Explorers’ accomplishments, the Explorers themselves chose to recognize an Advisor of the Year, presenting the award to Medic II Amanda Baker. After the presentation of awards, new officer positions for the post were announced. Officer positions in the post are assigned based on merit, attitude, and leadership qualities. Earning a position as an officer is a high honor that is taken seriously by Explorers. At the beginning of the night just six out of the eleven positions had been filled, by the end of the night for the first time all eleven had an occupant. To conclude the night refreshments were served as post members socialized with their families and shared congratulations with new officers and award recipients. Post 247 looks forward to making this ceremony a continued tradition in order to recognize the achievements of the Explorers and encourage their continued growth. 12 Awards presented include: Community Service Recognition: This award is presented to Explorers who have completed over 100 hours of community service as part of the Post. Presented to: Jay Beard, Milo Clark, Maya Deol, Alana Douglas, Aaron Foster, Allyson Hall, Grace Hooker, Amber Hoskins, Jordan Malone, Isobel Margerrision, Andy Rather-Murray, Hope Rodri- guez, Hannah Sanchez, Joanna Sanders, Nolan Screen, Joshua VanSyckle, and Makayla Webber Health Crisis Prevention Award: This award is presented to Explorers who have participated in multiple Health and Wellness Projects for the department or the community. Presented to: Allyson Hall Tenure Award: This award is presented to Explorers who have been a part of the Post for at least 1 year. Presented to: Jay Beard, Allyson Hall, Grace Hooker, Jordan Malone, Andy Rather-Murray, Hope Rodriguez, Nolan Screen, Joshua VanSyckle, and Makayla Webber NIMS Training Citation: This is presented to Explorers who have completed the FEMA ICS 100 and 700 courses. Presented to: Jordan Malone and Allyson Hall CERT Member Citation: This is presented to Explorers that have completed training and are members of a local Community Emergency Response Team. Presented to: Vimal Kumar, Isobel Margerrison, and Nolan Screen Search and Rescue Training Citation: