Dallas, here I come

 

So, this is my second week with a blog, and this one will be none to exciting, but it will tell a story.

I want to talk about attending EMS Expo in Dallas.  Why you ask?  Because this is an opportunity to hear some of the best and brightest in the profession speaking on what's new and innovative for ems.  From induced hypothermia (yes they are doing that prehospital), to an ambulance that you load the patient from the side.

This year, for the first time ever, I am going to Expo alone. What I mean is there is nobody else from my service making the trip. The people I plan to meet in Dallas are those I chat with through social media on an hourly, daily, or weekly basis. These are people I call my friends, yet we have never met face to face. My wife thinks I am crazy, I think otherwise. I would not be attending EMS Expo if I was not fortunate enough to have become friends with Greg Friese on Facebook and Twitter. He helped me make the trip happen. Thanks again Greg.

Expo is the chance to see all that is ems.  You get to see the newest equipment and apparatus.  It gives you the chance to hear and see what others are doing.  You have to remember that there is a lot to learn from others.  Just because you think you are doing things the best way you think possible, does not mean that someone else out there does not have a better way of doing it. The opposite is also true; they might want to hear how you do it.

It is the opportunity to see and hear from the members of the "service of the year".  What have they done to deserve this honor?  What do we have to learn from them?  Are you happy with just being average?  Do we not strive to be the best?  Imagine the honor of being recognized as the best.

I have the chance to attend leadership presentations from some of the best, such as Skip Kirkwood. If you are not familiar with him, go check out Wake County EMS. Wake EMS is very progressive service in the Raleigh area that is leading the way for ems. They have a prehospital hypothermia protocol, and they have implemented the idea of "community paramedics". I am excited to learn what he has to teach.

Most important though…I am finally able to meet those who have inspired me. Geeky Medic, Happy Medic, Ambo Driver, Ms Paramedic, Imagemedic, Podmedic, and the list goes on and on.  These are the people who have been working so hard to move ems to the next level.  EMS 2.0.  These are the people who inspired me. They awakened the idea from within me, and gave me the tools to expand on the idea. While in Dallas, if I can help them to inspire more people to the 2.0 way of thinking, then that is all that matters.

This week I also get the chance to do a podcast (or two) face to face with the others. I finally get a face for the voice. The podcast thing is kind of funny for me. I remember mowing the yard and listening to ems garage and thinking, "wow, these guys are amazing, I have never looked at it (insert idea or concept here) like that. I thought to myself that someday, I might be on the garage. Others might care to listen to my idea and my opinion. Since I started doing some podcasts, I get feedback from people I know telling me how great it is that I am a part of it.

EMS Expo is about being with friends. Old ones and new ones. It is about round two of darts between Chris and Kyle (I am still accepting bribes guys). It will be the best time you can have doing anything related to work. From standing on the grassy knoll, to eating BBQ, it is an opportunity to sit back, relax, and take it all in.

In a little over twelve hours, I will be on a flight to Dallas and the word excitement just doesn't describe it. See you there.