The call came in as a “child down.” No other information was available. As your unit races to the scene, you do a quick mental inventory of the equipment you may need: pedi bag, airway bag, spinal immobilization, trauma bag. As with any emergency, your pulse is racing, but when the call involves a child, there is always an added layer of stress. Is your equipment ready? Did you inventory the pedi bag this morning? Can you recall the drug dosages, in case the child is in full arrest? A million questions flash through your mind.

School is in session, and medical emergencies in school are common – 10% to 15% of students have special medical needs or a chronic health issue—yet many schools are unprepared to manage them. 

Your suction machine is an unassuming but key ingredient in your emergency preparedness kit, allowing you to help patients remain comfortable, reduce their risk of serious airway complications, and – in some cases – save their lives.

For many first responders, airway trauma is an unusual scenario. Airway trauma accounts for less than 1% of traumatic injuries. Those with little experience managing airway trauma may be reluctant to intervene and lack confidence in their skill. Given the high mortality rates associated with severe airway trauma and the risks involved, first responders must master the art and science of tracheal trauma airway management. Regular drills and continuing education classes can help.

It’s 3:00 a.m., and you’ve just arrived at the home of a woman in her early 70s. She told the dispatcher that her husband was feeling a bit of discomfort in his chest and got up to go to the bathroom several minutes ago. She heard him fall in the hallway and found him unresponsive. You’re informed that he has a history of high blood pressure and has been a smoker for over 50 years, alerting you to the possibility he had a heart attack. 

Chest trauma can mean lethal consequences for your patients. Chest injuries account for 20% to 25% of deaths from trauma and contribute to 25% to 50% of the remaining deaths. Early recognition and treatment is one of the primary factors in reducing mortality.

It’s winter, and the cold presents unique challenges to first responders. If you didn’t do it this year, take the time now and before next winter to take stock of your equipment and winterize your first responder kit. Here are five the steps to take: 

It’s a Sunday evening, and your team is alerted by dispatch that a 73-year-old woman was eating dinner at her son's house when she started having chest pain and difficulty breathing. She's still conscious but is in a good deal of discomfort, and you know that you’ll have to perform a respiratory assessment upon arrival. While riding to the scene, you also start thinking about the special considerations you’ll need to take in the assessment because of the patient’s age.

Because there are always many unknowns, preparing for a disaster is an enormous undertaking. For rural hospitals, this challenge is further amplified due to issues such as remote location, limited resources, and staffing shortages. Yet by actively preparing for the types of disasters that rural hospitals are most likely to face, such difficulties can be lessened.

Let's face it: Pediatric patients can be intimidating. They're small, they cry a lot, they require different medication dosages, and, fortunately, we don't run into them with great frequency.