Foundation Building

Foundation Building

By Alan Perry

I made my presentation for an EMS public education program to my chain of command some 8-9 months ago, after a brief conversation I was given permission to move forward with the project with a few limitations. Basically there would be no funding from the department, no overtime could be used, and any activity on-duty could not interfere with station duties and/or calls for service. I really did not expect any more than this; I was just hoping to get some buy-into the concept from the administration. That was almost a year ago, my life and other department assignments have kept me from moving forward with the project…until now.

The complete plan that was developed was a comprehensive program involving, public awareness training & outreach, community CPR, first aid & AED training, marketing and research. It is clear the ambitions of the initial proposal will have to be pared down. This article addresses that process; I intend to chronicle the adaptation of key parts of the program that one or two individuals can achieve with limited resources and time. Hopefully in this process some public and department interest will be generated, some positive changes will occur and more support for the program can be found to achieve the primary goals of improving patient outcomes, public satisfaction and system performance.

The nucleus of the program is public education; this seems like a good place to start. By developing and refining a short program that generates public interest and support I believe the program can begin to gain traction. The initial proposal included a 15 minuet power point presentation that outlines the emergency response process, the need for public involvement and proper reaction, and resources available to the public from their fire department and other sources. This presentation will be offered to small groups, clubs, community organizations, church groups, scouts, schools, etc. I am sure it will need a few tweaks depending on the presenter and the audience but it is basically ready to go as-is, I just need to find audiences and presenters.

So that is where I am with this, it’s time to put it out there. I will contact the administration and seek permission to solicit within the department for interested personnel to present the program and seek to have the program publicized on the city/department web pages. I suspect that getting the program off the ground will require getting on the phone or hitting the streets to secure presentations until the program can gain some recognition. I will not be able to do this alone, and anyone attempting this outside my department should consider asking for help as I am here. All I can promise you at this point is a chance to get into this program early and help develop it into something very useful.

Full program proposal can be found here:

http://bravenewemsworld.blogspot.com/2013/05/ems-public-education.html