FirstWatch

We are all safely home from an amazing week at - great to see friends and colleagues old and new.

During the week we also had the chance to celebrate our own Dave Amaya as he graduated the Ambulance Service Managers (ASM) class of 2024.

ASM is a class for aspiring, new and experienced managers who wish to develop their leadership competencies and sharpen essential management skills, the ASM program provides a broad foundational curriculum that matches cutting edge management theory with real-life practical applications. The core faculty includes experts in the art and science of EMS management, as well as distinguished guest faculty representing current leaders in emergency medical services management.

Congratulations KC Dave we are proud of you!

(Dave is pictured in the front row, third in on the right)

Unrehearsed Roundtable: Where Ideas Take Shape

We are excited to be here at and if you are in, join us at 6:30 this evening for an hour in the company of Mike Taigman and Todd Stout

Most conference sessions are as carefully planned, constructed, and executed as an orchestral performance or a Rolling Stones concert. This “just in time” educational circle is more like improvisational jazz or a Grateful Dead concert. It’s unplanned, spontaneous, and lots of fun. We never know what will happen. Join us as we discuss whatever matters most to you at the moment. It could be hospital wall times, why annual performance evaluations suck and should be abolished from the planet, how to make field supervision more effective and fun, or anything else you’d like to discuss/learn about. Facilitated by Todd Stout, Founder and President of FirstWatch and Mike Taigman, Improvement Guide for FirstWatch and Assistant Professor UCSF.

Fitch & Associates

Thank you for including us! We would love to see you all at the FirstWatch booth during this year! It’s going to be a great week.

We are here at and looking forward to a great event! We absolutely love Maria Beerman-Foat’s Conference Bingo Card. Yes we will be On The Escalator With and challenge you to bring us your best pearl of wisdom to share with the world to escalate EMS! See you all soon.

Only one week until the 2024 FirstWatch User Group at Pinnacle EMS

Network & Learn with Colleagues and Fellow FirstWatch Users

One of the highlights of Pinnacle is our Annual EMS User Update Meeting. We focus on sharing cool new things we’ve built for our customers over the last year along with a preview of coming attractions. You’ll have the opportunity to add your ideas to our roadmap for the rest of 2024 and 2025. While the session is designed for our current customers, everyone is welcome, free of charge.

Please join us for all or part of our 2-hour high-speed update led by Todd Stout and Mike Taigman

Full details: https://web.cvent.com/event/0bfbec77-d882-402b-831b-bb155fba79bd/websitePage:645d57e4-75eb-4769-b2c0-f201a0bfc6ce?Refid=AGENDA&session=a5f12abc-0284-4906-a45a-c910156063ab

Team-driven improvement in the use of lights and sirens

Mike Taigman and Brian Maloney of Plum EMS penned an excellent article at EMS1 on how Plum’s use cases demonstrate when the risk of using L&S is lower than the risk of delaying a lifesaving intervention

Team-driven improvement in the use of lights and sirens Plum EMS use cases demonstrate when the risk of using L&S is lower than the risk of delaying a lifesaving intervention

New EMS Educator Podcast: Cultivating EMS Educators: The Role of Mentorship

In this episode, we dive into the intersecting worlds of EMS education and mentorship with guest Jonathon Jenkins, a seasoned EMS educator, and a surprise, guest drops by, (we said his name 3 times and he appeared!) as we also welcomed Mike Taigman, a renowned expert in EMS and healthcare improvement and mentor to many.

Together, they explore the critical role of mentorship in developing new EMS educators, sharing insights, personal stories, and practical advice.

Whether you're an aspiring EMS educator or a seasoned professional, tune in for this conversation on the power of mentorship for EMS educators

Rob Lawrence and Dr Maia Dorsett host this months discussion.

‎The EMS Educator: Cultivating EMS Educators: The Role of Mentorship on Apple Podcasts ‎Show The EMS Educator, Ep Cultivating EMS Educators: The Role of Mentorship - Aug 1, 2024

ICYMI - here is the Video version of the Jack Stout Fellow 2024 interview with Mary Meeks. The video version contains additional material and images during the discussion.

Thanks to EMS1 and Rob Lawrence we were delighted to take part in the latest edition of the EMS One-Stop podcast, to introduce the 2024 Jack Stout Fellow, Mary Meeks, district chief of night shift at Chatham Emergency Services.

The Jack Stout EMS Fellowship, endowed by FirstWatch, aims to empower emerging EMS leaders by equipping them with the knowledge and skills necessary to guide EMS systems effectively in the future. Developed by FirstWatch in cooperation with the Fitch EMS Foundation, the Fellowship underscores the commitment to leadership development and community service. Named in honor of Jack Stout, a pioneer in high-performance EMS systems, the Fellowship teaches principles such as people-centered leadership, data-driven decision-making, improvement science and systems thinking.
As the chosen Fellow, Meeks will attend the 2024 Pinnacle EMS Leadership Forum, participate in either the Fitch Ambulance Service Manager or Communication Center Manager program, and benefit from a customized mentorship led by Mike Taigman, renowned for his contributions to EMS quality improvement. This comprehensive program not only honors Jack Stout’s legacy but also ensures that his visionary principles continue to shape the future of EMS.
Additional resources

• IHI Framework for Improving Joy in Work | Institute for Healthcare Improvement

https://www.ihi.org/resources/white-papers/ihi-framework-improving-joy-work

• The Jack Stout EMS Fellowship, endowed by FirstWatch

https://firstwatch.net/jack-stout-ems-fellowship/

• Pinnacle EMS leadership conference

https://pinnacle-ems.com/

Pinnacle EMS
Fitch & Associates

https://youtu.be/nnFJGMyGbVU?si=4svsKUoZYBiXdTEN

Unleashing leadership audacity | EMS One-Stop In this edition of the EMS One-Stop podcast, host Rob lawrence welcomes Todd Stout and Mike Taigman of FirstWatch as they introduce the 2024 Jack Stout Fello...

Interested in learning how your agency can improve the quality of its service? This new white paper, made in partnership with National EMS Quality Alliance, examines what you should measure, how to measure improvement, data visualization, and more! Download it today!

Taking the Pulse of Your System: Performance Measurement for Improvement This white paper includes case studies from Mount Sinai on how that system improved effective airway monitoring; how Albuquerque Ambulance Service discovered and addressed narcotic wasting discrepancies; and how St. Luke’s (Pa.) University Health Network used longitudinal and regional data to impr...

We can’t wait! Tomorrow is webinar day!

Tomorrow is Webinar Day!

Tackling Overdoses with Real-Time Data
Tuesday, July 16, 2024 | 1 p.m. Central

Overdoses continue to plague communities throughout the US and Canada, and, increasingly, world-wide.

During this engaging session, you’ll learn:
-How to identify suspected overdose cases using Computed Aid Dispatch (CAD) and Electronic Patient Care Report (ePCR) data
-How communities are using near-real-time data related to overdose to save lives.
-How FirstWatch and ODMAP collaborate to help systems understand when and where overdoses happen.

Register here: https://bit.ly/4crKuWU


FirstWatch
EMS1 Ninth Brain

Thanks to EMS1 and Rob Lawrence, we were delighted to take part in the latest edition of the EMS One-Stop podcast, to introduce the 2024 Jack Stout Fellow, Mary Meeks, district chief of night shift at Chatham Emergency Services.

The Jack Stout EMS Fellowship, endowed by FirstWatch, aims to empower emerging EMS leaders by equipping them with the knowledge and skills necessary to guide EMS systems effectively in the future. Developed by FirstWatch in cooperation with the Fitch EMS Foundation, the Fellowship underscores the commitment to leadership development and community service. Named in honor of Jack Stout, a pioneer in high-performance EMS systems, the Fellowship teaches principles such as people-centered leadership, data-driven decision-making, improvement science and systems thinking.
As the chosen Fellow, Meeks will attend the 2024 Pinnacle EMS Leadership Forum, participate in either the Fitch Ambulance Service Manager or Communication Center Manager program, and benefit from a customized mentorship led by Mike Taigman, renowned for his contributions to EMS quality improvement. This comprehensive program not only honors Jack Stout’s legacy but also ensures that his visionary principles continue to shape the future of EMS.
Additional resources

• IHI Framework for Improving Joy in Work | Institute for Healthcare Improvement

https://www.ihi.org/resources/white-papers/ihi-framework-improving-joy-work

• The Jack Stout EMS Fellowship, endowed by FirstWatch

https://firstwatch.net/jack-stout-ems-fellowship/

• Pinnacle EMS leadership conference

https://pinnacle-ems.com/

Pinnacle EMSacle
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ems-one-stop/id1652693488?i=1000661950165

‎EMS One-Stop: Unleashing leadership audacity on Apple Podcasts ‎Show EMS One-Stop, Ep Unleashing leadership audacity - Jul 11, 2024

Are you a FirstWatch customer looking to do more with your system and connect with our team? Our user conference, Collaborate Live, is at the Catamaran Resort Hotel and Spa in San Diego, Sept. 30 - Oct. 4, 2024. Expert panels, case studies, networking, hands-on learning, and more -- register now!
https://firstwatch.net/collaborate-live/

Please mark your calendars for next Tuesday for the Pinnacle Webinar Series – Tackling Overdoses with Real-Time Data - July 16th 1100am PST / 1400EST / 1900UK Register via: https://firstwatch.net/pinnacle-webinar-series-tackling-overdoses-with-real-time-data/

Join our Medical Director Dr. Silvia Verdugo and Ali Burrell, MPH to discuss tackling Overdoses with Real-Time Data. As we all know, overdoses continue to plague communities throughout the US and Canada. One North American EMS system recently had 245 overdoses in a single day. Identifying, tracking, and mapping overdoses is key to effective intervention. During this engaging session, our speakers will explore cutting-edge technology that EMS systems use to tackle this problem in near real-time.

You’ll learn:

- How to identify suspected overdoses cases using Computed Aid Dispatch – CAD and Electronic Patient Care – ePCR data

- How communities are using near real-time data related to overdose

- How FirstWatch and ODMAP collaborate to help systems understand when and where overdoses happen

Meet the Speakers:

Ali Burrell, MPH, is the Program Manager for the Overdose Detection Mapping Application Program (ODMAP) at the Washington/Baltimore High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (W/B HIDTA). She is an experienced public health professional with a master’s in environmental and occupational health from the University of Pittsburgh. Her expertise is in drug overdose and su***de prevention programs.
[email protected]

Silvia Verdugo, MD, MPH, is the Medical Director for FirstWatch. She leads the Clinical Team and has a multi-decade interest in opioid overdose and substance use as it relates to Emergency Medical Services. [email protected]

Pinnacle EMS

O beautiful for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain, for purple mountain majesties, above the fruited plain!

Happy Birthday America! - our heart beats red, white, and blue today. With our bold stripes, bright stars and brave hearts we celebrate this sweet land of liberty.

From all of us here at Firstwatch, we bid you all a great happy and safe Independence Day.

Mary E. Meeks Selected as the 2024 – 25 Recipient of the Jack Stout EMS Fellowship for Leadership Development

Mary E. Meeks, EMS District Chief for Chatham Emergency Services (CES), headquartered in Savannah, Ga., has been named the 2024 – 25 recipient of the Jack Stout EMS Fellowship. Endowed by FirstWatch, the Fellowship was created in collaboration with the Fitch EMS Foundation. The Fellowship is named in honor of the late Jack Stout, widely regarded as the father of high-performance EMS systems. It aims to provide a platform for chosen individuals to acquire knowledge of Stout’s core principles: people-centered leadership, data-driven decision-making, impactful quality improvement, and holistic system-wide thinking.

Founded in 1961, CES is a community-based nonprofit fire and EMS agency that serves Chatham County in Georgia. CES operates with a team of 450 personnel, both paid and volunteer, answering more than 74,000 fire and EMS calls each year.

Using Date to Accentuate the Humanity of EMS Work

When asked what she hoped for from her Fellowship, Meeks said, “One of my mantras is ‘hope is not an operational plan.’ So, I want to gain a deep understanding of the Public Utility Model and learn about a metrics-driven approach. I want to be able to create change using data without losing the human element.”

“Mary is exactly the kind of emerging leader Jack Stout loved,” said Mike Taigman, Improvement Guide at FirstWatch and the chief mentor for the Stout Fellowship Program. “Her passion for taking care of her team so they can take good care of their community, combined with an insatiable curiosity, inspires hope for the future of our profession.”

Todd Stout, the son of Jack Stout and president/founder of FirstWatch, said he is deeply appreciative that his father’s principles live on through programs like the Jack Stout EMS Fellowship. “We had more than 30 highly qualified nominations,” Stout said. “We’re happy for Mary and are grateful to be able to give back to the EMS profession.”

“Mary’s been a rock-solid part of CES for 10 years, starting as an EMT-B and working up to EMS District Chief,” said Chuck Kearns, CEO of Chatham Emergency Services. “She is an emerging leader in our organization, and I’m delighted she was selected for this Fellowship named for the great pioneer Jack Stout. I had the privilege of working with Jack, and Mary has much to learn from his impressive body of work.”

What the Fellowship Offers

Jack Stout Fellows attend the Pinnacle EMS Leadership Forum and either the Fitch Ambulance Service Manager (ASM) program or the Communication Center Manager (CCM) program with registration and all expenses covered by FirstWatch. The Fellowship is customized to each winner, with a curriculum designed to meet their specific interests and needs. This includes selecting mentors with specific expertise from the FirstWatch leadership team and from across the industry.

Nominations for the 2025 – 2026 Fellowship will be open starting in February 2025. For more information and to apply, go to FitchEMSFoundation.org and select the Jack Stout EMS Fellowship, endowed by FirstWatch.

About the Fitch EMS Foundation

The Fitch EMS Foundation is a non-profit entity that supports leadership development and research efforts for emergency medical services and public safety. It is endowed by Fitch & Associates, other major organizations, and individuals that believe that the future of our profession requires the aggressive development of its future leaders.

About the Pinnacle EMS Leadership Forum

Now in its 19th year, Pinnacle is the only leadership-focused national meeting that serves all EMS service models. Always located in a retreat-like setting, the conference is renowned for its networking, mentoring, and cutting-edge program. This year’s Pinnacle will be at the JW Marriott Beach Resort at Marco Island in Florida August 12 – 16.

Pinnacle Webinar Series – Tackling Overdoses with Real-Time Data
July 16th 1100am PST / 1400EST / 1900UK Register via: https://firstwatch.net/pinnacle-webinar-series-tackling-overdoses-with-real-time-data/

Join our Medical Director Dr. Silvia Verdugo and Ali Burrell, MPH to discuss tackling Overdoses with Real-Time Data. As we all know, overdoses continue to plague communities throughout the US and Canada. One North American EMS system recently had 245 overdoses in a single day. Identifying, tracking, and mapping overdoses is key to effective intervention. During this engaging session, our speakers will explore cutting-edge technology that EMS systems use to tackle this problem in near real-time.

You’ll learn:

- How to identify suspected overdoses cases using Computed Aid Dispatch – CAD and Electronic Patient Care – ePCR data

- How communities are using near real-time data related to overdose

- How FirstWatch and ODMAP collaborate to help systems understand when and where overdoses happen

Meet the Speakers:

Ali Burrell, MPH, is the Program Manager for the Overdose Detection Mapping Application Program (ODMAP) at the Washington/Baltimore High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (W/B HIDTA). She is an experienced public health professional with a master’s in environmental and occupational health from the University of Pittsburgh. Her expertise is in drug overdose and su***de prevention programs.
[email protected]

Silvia Verdugo, MD, MPH, is the Medical Director for FirstWatch. She leads the Clinical Team and has a multi-decade interest in opioid overdose and substance use as it relates to Emergency Medical Services.
[email protected]

Pinnacle EMS

Catch our own Carlynn Crampton, a featured guest on the Within the Trenches Podcast, which focuses on the experience of being a 9-1-1 dispatcher

In Episode 551 Carlynn discusses:

The importance of standardized questions and procedures in dispatching.

Personal stories of challenging calls and their emotional impact.

How First Watch software aids dispatch centers by automating tasks and analyzing call data.

The significance of accreditation as a center of excellence in emergency dispatch.

Strategies for maintaining professional boundaries and fostering trust within dispatch teams.

‎Within the Trenches: Within the Trenches Ep 551 on Apple Podcasts ‎Show Within the Trenches, Ep Within the Trenches Ep 551 - Jun 18, 2024

CPSE – FirstWatch Webinar – Data-driven Leadership: Quality Improvement in the Fire Service

Join Chris Carlson, Mike Taigman, Brett Ciskoski, Brian Frankel and Robert Whitaker on Monday, June 24th | 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm PST

It’s incredible how quickly leaders went from “We don’t have enough data” to “There’s too much.” This interactive roundtable conversation with three pioneering data-driven fire and emergency services leaders will explore strategies for:

•Sharing data with your team in an actionable way.
•Make measurable and meaningful improvements in the things that matter to your community, team, and department.
•How properly wrangled data can improve your life as a leader.
•Sizing up your actual performance.

Register via: https://firstwatch.net/cpse-firstwatch-webinar-data-driven-leadership-quality-improvement-in-the-fire-service-20240624/

Happy Juneteenth from all of us at FirstWatch! 🌟Today, we celebrate Juneteenth, a day of profound significance and joy. On June 19, 1865, news of emancipation finally reached the last enslaved African Americans in Galveston, Texas, marking the true end of slavery in the United States. This momentous day reminds us of the resilience, strength, and enduring spirit of the African American community.

As we honor this day, let’s reflect on our history, acknowledge the struggles, and celebrate the achievements. Juneteenth is not just a commemoration of freedom but a call to action for equity and justice. Let’s continue to educate, advocate, and uplift one another. Happy Juneteenth!

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To all in our public safety community that also call themselves, Dad,Pops, Pa or Grandpa - a very happy Father’s Day from all here at FirstWatch.

Good morning from the Paramedic Chiefs of Canada. The team are here and looking forward to see you today! https://paramedicchiefsleadershipsummit.com

The California EMS Administrators Association (EMSAAC) conference continues this morning. This years thene is HO'OHANA Hawaiian for “Do Meaningful Work" and we lived up to that in a fun but busy day yesterday, meeting friends, partners and customers at the booth.

Of particular interest to many was our Hospital Status Dashboard ( https://firstwatch.net/what-we-do/enhancement-modules/hospital-status-dash/ ) and the day ended with the always fun EMSAAC President’s reception and it’s Hawaiian theme.