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Search and Rescue K9s Throughout History
By: Joanne Ewen, JD, EMT, DOT-I, K9 HandlerWorking and training with the Northstar Search and Rescue (SAR) Team has given me a deep appreciation for handlers and their dogs. I became curious about the beginnings of SAR and when dogs were first recognized as having the ability, the willingness, and the desire to track and…
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2016 State of the Program
By: Sean Ewen, MD, EMTExecutive DirectorThis month marks six years since the start of Allied Medical Training. We have witnessed an incredible amount of growth over the years – in student enrollment, size of our training facility, and ourselves as instructors. In 2015, we trained over 270 EMT initial students, recorded our fourth version of…
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K9 Rebel
By: Joanne Ewen, JD, EMT, DOT-IK9 HandlerImagine having a puppy with so much energy and drive that she never stops. Leave her alone and she will chew up anything in sight, including walls! Would you deliberately choose that dog because of her extreme play drive and noisy barking? Well that’s Rebel, a rambunctious, energetic, and…
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Zika Virus
By: Marven Ewen, MDMedical DirectorYou may have heard on the news about a new virus called Zika. It is a viral infection that is transmitted in a mosquito-to-human-to-mosquito cycle. This virus first appeared in Brazil in May 2015 and has quickly spread through many South and Central American countries as well as Mexico and the…
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Orientation Woes
By: Dave Kahat, BA, EMTER Tech & EMT Teaching AssistantDuring any sort of employment orientation, one would expect that a more experienced employee would oversee the new employee for a set period of time. Once a certain set period of time is complete, the company expects the “greenie” to be oriented, and know how to…
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How to be a SAR K9 Handler
By: Joanne Ewen, JD, EMT, DOT-IK9 HandlerHave you seen movies or TV shows that highlight a dog tracking a person? The attention is on the dog, but in reality the K9 works closely with its handler. So, what does it take to become a K9 handler for a search and rescue dog?Besides training the dog…
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Why Standard Protocol Matters
By: Dave Kahat, BA, EMTER Tech & EMT Teaching AssistantBecoming EMT certified requires a lot of “by the book” training. EMT students memorize certain “normal” vital values. They memorize SAMPLE questions, the OPQRST acronym, and so on and so forth.This computerized, robotic way of looking at emergency scenarios can be both effective and cumbersome at…
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How to Help During a Mental Health Crisis
By: Chad Larkin, BIS, EMTEMT InstructorPrevalence and CausesRoughly 1 in 5 adults has a mental illness, making it one of the most common health concerns in the United States. While the vast majority of people with a mental health concern are able to manage their illness well with community support, therapy, and medication, others may…
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EMT and Trailing Search Dogs
By Joanne Ewen, JD, EMT, DOT-IK-9 Dog HandlerRoss Butterfield, EMT, is an EMSRB Examiner with Allied Medical Training. Ross is also a K9 Handler of an awesome search and rescue (SAR) dog called Bosco. He brought his enthusiasm for K9 Search and Rescue with him to AMT and recruited me to the Northstar SAR Team.…
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Did you get your flu vaccination this year?
By Marven Ewen, MDMedical DirectorThe CDC recommends yearly immunization for influenza for all persons 6 months of age and older. Unfortunately, not everyone chooses to be immunized. As a result, people needlessly get ill, and in some cases, die. The fact that many people don’t get immunized makes it even more important that EMTs do.…
