MEDIC Solutions

04/22/2026

Stop by and join the conversation, DM or reach us at info@medicsolutions.org for the link before we start setting up at 7:30pm EDT. The chat group is open to all EMS volunteers currently affiliated with a volunteer rescue squad or fire department. 🚑

Reminder: tonight's podchat is at 8pm ET.
We've been talking about standards, public perception, funding, recruitment, and retention.
Volunteer agencies struggling with these issues have repeatedly offered the same explanations for as long as I can remember.
Are they accurate? Probably not.
Why? Because most originate in the volunteer EMS echochamber.
The public isn't in that conversation. They're watching and listening to what is put out there, and questioning what they see in action.
The research shows their perspective on volunteer EMS and fire does not align with the message we think we are sending.
Tonight, we will talk about owning responsibility for the future of volunteer EMS and changing the narrative to meet actual expectations, not outdated assumptions.🚑🚑🐝 @topfans

04/20/2026

Check out both pages😎

There are calls you run that sound made up even when you’re standing in them.

It was one of those humid Arkansas afternoons where the asphalt in the Walmart parking lot is trying to melt your boots off. Dispatch drops something vague. “Male subject acting erratic.” That could mean anything from drunk to possessed to just Tuesday.

We roll up and I see police already on scene. Or at least… attempting to be on scene.

There is a completely naked man sprinting across the parking lot like he just escaped a bad life decision. Police are chasing him in what can only be described as a slow-motion Benny Hill episode. Every time he spots a woman, he stops mid-run and starts windmilling like he’s trying to summon rain.

Then he takes off again.

Now here’s the part nobody teaches you in EMT or Paramedic school. There is no protocol for “naked psychic windmill guy in Walmart parking lot.” There’s no checkbox on your PCR that says “patient displaying advanced interpretive dance under unknown spiritual influence.”

So I did what any seasoned paramedic does when faced with a situation that has zero clinical benefit and a high chance of ending up on YouTube.

I stood there.

Because here’s the truth nobody likes to admit. Not every problem is yours to fix the second you see it. Scene safety isn’t just about guns and knives. Sometimes it’s about asking yourself if you really need to be the one chasing a naked man across hot asphalt while he’s aggressively greeting the public.

Law enforcement had it. Or at least they had… something resembling effort.

Eventually they got him under control. Once he was actually a patient and not a free-range event, I stepped in. Sedated him. Packaged him. Did the job.

That part made sense.

The next morning did not.

I’m sitting in front of my boss trying to explain why I didn’t “assist more.”

Now go ahead and try explaining that thought process out loud. Try putting into professional language why you chose not to chase a naked, windmilling psychic through a Walmart parking lot while five officers were already failing at it.

There is no clean way to say that.

So I told him the truth.

“You don’t pay me enough to chase naked men around parking lots.”

Silence.

And here’s the reality most people don’t understand about EMS. We operate in controlled chaos. We make decisions in seconds that we have to justify later in calm rooms with people who weren’t there. And sometimes the decision isn’t about what you can do. It’s about what you should do.

Just because you have a patch on your shoulder doesn’t mean you have to insert yourself into every circus in progress.

Sometimes the best clinical decision you make all day is knowing when to wait.

Because once that scene becomes safe, once that patient becomes a patient, that’s when we’re at our best.

But until then…

I’m not getting into a foot chase with a naked psychic on hot asphalt. I like my dignity. And my career.

If you’ve been in EMS long enough, you’ve got one of these stories. The kind that sounds fake even though you lived it.

What’s the call you ran that no one believed when you told it?

And if you’ve ever had to explain something ridiculous to a supervisor the next morning, go ahead and share it. Tag your partner who stood there with you pretending this was normal.

Follow the page if you want the real version of EMS, not the sanitized one.

-- East Arkansas Paramedic

04/15/2026

This podchat is open to people who are active in volunteer EMS, and is a place for a respectful exchange of ideas, concerns and education on how other agencies are dealing with the issues at hand.
If you would like to participate or listen in, email info@medicsolutions.org and we’ll send the link.
We start off with ground rules, an overview of the topic, and then we listen to each other’s concerns, ideas & suggestions.

Tonight at 8PM EDT, in the Redesigning Volunteer EMS podchat Zoom room, we’re getting back into accountability.
Every organization says they have standards.
Not every organization enforces them.
What you tolerate becomes your culture.
What you excuse becomes your reputation.
Are your mission, vision, and values driving decisions, or being ignored when it’s inconvenient?
Sometimes difficult choices need to happen, and tonight we'll focus on how to survive them.🚑

04/15/2026

On tomorrow's podchat, I'm going to continue last week's conversation about accountability in volunteer services.
And I'm pretty sure I'm going to break the rule again. *sigh*
Details to follow, watch this space. 🚑
If you would like to be on the weekly email reminder list, email info@medicsolutions.org
All active/affiliated EMS & FF volunteers are welcome to join!

04/14/2026

Some complain that EMS is a just a steppingstone to a different healthcare career. When we consider the downstream benefits to patients and those who remain as field providers - it’s a feature, not a bug.

HVAS is fortunate to have EMTs like Samantha, who are college students pursuing medical careers, volunteering with us.
Their EMS experience carries forward into how they care for patients in the emergency department.
Having worked in the field, they understand the prehospital environment, value the EMT’s assessment, and communicate more effectively during handoffs.
For patients, that means a smoother transition of care and a provider who truly understands their story from the moment help arrived.
We’re very grateful they choose to spend time outside of their classes working alongside our local volunteers, answering calls, and caring for our community.🚑🎓

04/10/2026

True story.

04/09/2026

Sometimes it's all you can do to take the high road. 🤦‍♀️🚑

04/07/2026

We are so proud of Nate- not only did he work exceptionally hard from day 1, but he has a great personality and is exactly the kind of provider we would want taking care of our family.
Please give him a shout-out!
Kudos and welcome to the club!

04/05/2026

03/11/2026

Hot topic warning🔥🔥🔥. Volunteers, let's hear what you think!

What's on my mind tonight?
Volunteer Stipends. Is this the future of volunteer EMS?
IMHO- ABSOLUTELY NOT!
It's an issue that keeps coming up and gets kicked down the road because no one wants to touch it.
It's a time bomb.💣🧨
Tonight at 8pm EDT, I'll be in the Zoom room to talk about it, and I will share some slides from an upcoming workshop on this topic.
Hope to see you there! 🚑🚒🚑🚒🎧🎤🎬

03/11/2026

Question for EMS professionals- What is the standard operating procedure in your agency for handling a patient in possession of a weapon, specifically a firearm? Hand off to law enforcement? Lock box?

12/30/2025

The more you know!🚑💰