Airway suctioning is a routine part of a first responder’s job. From preventing aspiration pneumonia to clearing the airway of a drowning victim, the right suction machine is an integral part of your EMS toolkit. Yet many paramedics, EMTs, and other first responders avoid suctioning the airway unless they absolutely have to.

The first chill of autumn is already in the air in many parts of the country, and though warmer regions still see tomato blossoms and gardenias, this last flush of summer will soon give way to cooler weather. The cold presents unique challenges to first responders. Now is the time to take stock of your equipment and winterize your first responder kit. Here are five steps to take now.

When you think about treating patients with head injuries, using an emergency suction pump may not be the first thing that comes to mind. Certainly, airway is your main priority, but we tend to focus more on level of consciousness, spinal immobilization, and assessing for additional trauma than we do on portable suction.

If you serve in an administrative position within your department, you have a lot on your plate. Certifications must be kept up, training requirements must be met, and your personnel must be prepared to respond to an ever-changing EMS landscape, from biological attacks to mass-casualty incidents.

When you think of intubation, you should automatically be thinking "suction." The two treatments go hand in hand; you cannot safely intubate without the aid of suction, which is why you must include the portable suction unit anytime there is the possibility of intubating.

When was the last time you worked a code? If you serve a busy, urban area, or a population heavy on retirees, you probably remain proficient in advanced cardiac life support (ACLS). Drug therapies and dosages, intubation procedures, and post-resuscitation care are part and parcel to busy EMS systems. But what if you work in a slow-paced, rural setting, where the calls are few and far between? What happens to your ACLS skills if you rarely use them? Most likely, you lose them.

Head injuries have been receiving a lot of press lately. Between the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan on the one hand and the National Football League on the other, traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) have been elevated to front-page news. It’s been a long time coming. The rate of TBIs in America (and among Americans returning from war) is reaching frightening proportions. Here are a few statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:¹

It's three a.m. and you have just been dispatched to a "pediatric difficulty breathing." As you rub the sleep from your eyes, you perform a quick mental review of PALS protocol, just in case. Perhaps the child simply has a cold, and the parent has panicked. It happens all the time. But perhaps it's something more serious. You had better be ready for anything.