How to Help During a Mental Health Crisis
Prevalence and Causes Roughly 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 eventually experience a “mental […]
Why Standard Protocol Matters
Becoming 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 the same time. It is extremely effective to […]
How to be a SAR K9 Handler
Have 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 and having it certified by […]
Did you get your flu vaccination this year?
The 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. Not only are you […]
EMT and Trailing Search Dogs
Ross 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. In fact, my dog Coda comes from […]
Understanding Deep Vein Thrombosis and Pulmonary Embolism
/*! elementor – v3.21.0 – 30-04-2024 */ .elementor-widget-image{text-align:center}.elementor-widget-image a{display:inline-block}.elementor-widget-image a img[src$=”.svg”]{width:48px}.elementor-widget-image img{vertical-align:middle;display:inline-block} Deep Vein Thrombophlebitis, or DVT as it is usually referred to, is a common condition. Because of this, it is something that should be considered in any patient with an extremity complaint of pain or swelling, or in a patient with chest symptoms. […]
Search and Rescue Dogs
There are several kinds of search disciplines for K9s and their handlers, and this article discusses the two basic disciplines of all search dogs: trailing and area search. Northstar SAR has dogs and handlers trained in many SAR disciplines. Trailing dogs use a scented article from the missing person and typically follow the path taken […]
Naloxone (Narcan) for Opioid Overdose
/*! elementor – v3.21.0 – 30-04-2024 */ .elementor-widget-image{text-align:center}.elementor-widget-image a{display:inline-block}.elementor-widget-image a img[src$=”.svg”]{width:48px}.elementor-widget-image img{vertical-align:middle;display:inline-block} If you are an EMS provider, you will see opioid overdoses. Opioids are drugs that act on the central nervous system at the opioid receptor on the cell membrane of neurons. In addition to their analgesic effects, they can also cause sedation, euphoria, […]
K9s and EMTs Working Together
Northstar Search and Rescue (www.northstarSAR.com) is one of the leading K9 search and rescue organizations in Minnesota. I just became a member of it with my German Shepherd pup Coda, now 5 months old and absolutely loving the fun “game” of finding people in the woods and through high grass fields. We were invited to […]
Why Nitroglycerin is Given for Acute Coronary Syndrome
/*! elementor – v3.21.0 – 30-04-2024 */ .elementor-widget-image{text-align:center}.elementor-widget-image a{display:inline-block}.elementor-widget-image a img[src$=”.svg”]{width:48px}.elementor-widget-image img{vertical-align:middle;display:inline-block} To understand the benefit of Nitro in the treatment of Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS) it is helpful to first understand why cardiovascular disease can cause pain. As you will recall, the heart is a muscular pump. Like all muscles, it requires oxygen. The […]
