Latest

March 1, 2016

Special Apparatus: New FDNY Rescue Medic Ambulance

The citizens of New York City know that when they call 911, the best-trained, most diligent medical professionals will arrive at their door. It is due to the attentiveness and organization of the Bureau of Fleet Services that these trained professionals have the ability to reach those callers in a timely and effective manner. Fleet […]

March 1, 2016

EMS Leader: Scene Management at New York City’s First Confirmed Case of Ebola

In October 2014, while operating as car 523, I was assigned to a multi-dwelling residence in Upper Manhattan, along with a Haz-Tac BLS, an ALS, one Conditions Officer and a Haz-Tac Officer. On arrival, I received a phone call from FDNY EMS Operations personnel, stating that the patient was a doctor who recently had returned […]

March 1, 2016

One on One: Dr. Dario Gonzalez on Being Dispatched to West Africa During Ebola Outbreak

I recently had the honor of conducting the first One on One interview for our new FDNY Pro Podcast with a colleague of mine. As our Office of Medical Affairs (OMA) physician, long-time FDNY employee Dr. Dario Gonzalez is responsible for medical protocols, training, field response and quality assurance reviews. He is also the FDNY […]

March 1, 2016

Preparing for Success: The What Ifs

Before anything else, preparation is the key to success. –Alexander Graham Bell, Inventor On October 23, 2014, local health officials identified the first case of Ebola in New York City. A physician working for Doctors Without Borders had returned from Guinea, where he had been treating Ebola patients five days earlier. All eyes then turned […]

March 1, 2016

Safety First: Avoiding the Spread of Communicable Disease Starts with Personal Safety

The best and safest strategy for treating a patient suspected of having any communicable disease, but particularly Ebola Virus Disease (EVD), is: Assure early identification of the infected patient. Assure proper use of personal protective equipment (PPE). Assure proper cleaning and decontamination. Patient Identification In New […]
March 1, 2016

FDNY Pro EMS: Commissioner’s Brief for 1/2016

It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to the inaugural edition of FDNY PRO EMS–the Department’s first ever magazine highlighting the medical training, dedication and preparedness of our Emergency Medical Technicians, Paramedics and EMS Officers. Published by the FDNY Foundation, FDNY PRO EMS will build upon the great success of WNYF–With New York […]

March 1, 2016

Tiered Response: Preparing for Novelty

First responders are expected to have emergency response plans in place and periodically test these plans through exercises to ensure that the procedures work. But after years of preparedness, what happens when they are faced with an event that goes beyond specific plans? Are first responders prepared for novelty? On October 23, 2014, New York […]

March 1, 2016

Retracing Ebola’s Deadly Path

The 2014/2015 Ebola epidemic, which is thought to have started in Guinea in March of 2014, affected several West African countries and infected more than 28,500 people, with nearly 11,500 of those dying, to date. This Ebola epidemic (the 26th outbreak in history) has been the largest and worst. According to the World Health Organization […]

March 1, 2016

Special Apparatus: New FDNY Rescue Medic Ambulance

The citizens of New York City know that when they call 911, the best-trained, most diligent medical professionals will arrive at their door. It is due to the attentiveness and organization of the Bureau of Fleet Services that these trained professionals have the ability to reach those callers in a timely and effective manner. Fleet […]

March 1, 2016

EMS Leader: Scene Management at New York City’s First Confirmed Case of Ebola

In October 2014, while operating as car 523, I was assigned to a multi-dwelling residence in Upper Manhattan, along with a Haz-Tac BLS, an ALS, one Conditions Officer and a Haz-Tac Officer. On arrival, I received a phone call from FDNY EMS Operations personnel, stating that the patient was a doctor who recently had returned […]

March 1, 2016

One on One: Dr. Dario Gonzalez on Being Dispatched to West Africa During Ebola Outbreak

I recently had the honor of conducting the first One on One interview for our new FDNY Pro Podcast with a colleague of mine. As our Office of Medical Affairs (OMA) physician, long-time FDNY employee Dr. Dario Gonzalez is responsible for medical protocols, training, field response and quality assurance reviews. He is also the FDNY […]

March 1, 2016

Preparing for Success: The What Ifs

Before anything else, preparation is the key to success. –Alexander Graham Bell, Inventor On October 23, 2014, local health officials identified the first case of Ebola in New York City. A physician working for Doctors Without Borders had returned from Guinea, where he had been treating Ebola patients five days earlier. All eyes then turned […]

March 1, 2016

Safety First: Avoiding the Spread of Communicable Disease Starts with Personal Safety

The best and safest strategy for treating a patient suspected of having any communicable disease, but particularly Ebola Virus Disease (EVD), is: Assure early identification of the infected patient. Assure proper use of personal protective equipment (PPE). Assure proper cleaning and decontamination. Patient Identification In New […]
March 1, 2016

FDNY Pro EMS: Commissioner’s Brief for 1/2016

It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to the inaugural edition of FDNY PRO EMS–the Department’s first ever magazine highlighting the medical training, dedication and preparedness of our Emergency Medical Technicians, Paramedics and EMS Officers. Published by the FDNY Foundation, FDNY PRO EMS will build upon the great success of WNYF–With New York […]

March 1, 2016

Tiered Response: Preparing for Novelty

First responders are expected to have emergency response plans in place and periodically test these plans through exercises to ensure that the procedures work. But after years of preparedness, what happens when they are faced with an event that goes beyond specific plans? Are first responders prepared for novelty? On October 23, 2014, New York […]

March 1, 2016

Retracing Ebola’s Deadly Path

The 2014/2015 Ebola epidemic, which is thought to have started in Guinea in March of 2014, affected several West African countries and infected more than 28,500 people, with nearly 11,500 of those dying, to date. This Ebola epidemic (the 26th outbreak in history) has been the largest and worst. According to the World Health Organization […]