Fire Critic An Unadulterated View of the Fire Service
I remember when I began this blog, one of my first new acquaintances was The Happy Medic. At the time, he was living under the pseudonym Steph Frolin. We exchanged some ideas and we were both running anonymous blogs (his more so than mine). It didn’t take me long to figure out who HE was though and he totally busted my over-the-top investigative skills by saying yeah that is me and it is no big deal…although he was still anonymous. I considered it OUR little secret at the time.
Justin, as we all call him now that he has “come out of the closet” with his anonymity, was very excited about this project with Mark Glencorse (999 Medic).
I apologize, but I am sure I am paraphrasing stuff I have already written.
Fast forward to this last weekend, enter in many other key players like Ted Setla and Chris Eldridge, mix up hundreds of giddy followers of #CoEMS on twitter, throw in over 3,000 fans on facebook, showcase the writing of dozens of great bloggers, and don’t forget about the social media inept following whose numbers are unobtainable and you have the Chronicles of EMS.
I was there to watch the premiere online and was able to chat with other viewers. The buzz was great!
What is even more amazing is watching, reading, and imagining this grassroots effort take hold.
These guys are not missing a beat. They are pounding the pavement to spread the word about their project, our project, your project.
For EMS professionals not to be in tune with what these guys are doing is like ignoring the next big thing. This is not a fad though. This is a realization of change, a necissary step in making our service better, and a bandwagon that has room for all of us.
For EMS industry leaders, the time has come to embrace the cutting edge of a movement and involve yourself with the professionals who make this industry work.
I must say that episode 1 was excellent. I watched it today with the guys at the station and I heard many comments. One comment that really stuck out was when Justin was helping a patient step into the back of the ambulance…a medic/firefighter watching with me said he applauded Justin for having the guy walk on his own knowing that he was being filmed. Whether it is or isn’t protocol, it spoke volumes on Justin’s behalf (as viewed by us) that Justin was willing to do business as usual and NOT cater to the depths of worrying about what others might say by his performance at work.
After all, that is what it is all about….how we/they/you DO EMS. There were many other examples as seen in the show. The introspect that Mark and Justin were able to give about how San Fransisco/United States does stuff versus how it would be done in the UK was a breath of fresh air.
Keep up the great work guys, we are watching, we are learning, we are INTERESTED!
