Complacency at an EMS call almost leads to tragedy. The Ken Prillaman Story. (SAM 238)

  On Saturday, September 13, 2014, the Brooklyn Park Fire Department was dispatched to a medical call that had the potential to be catastrophic for the members of their department, their EMS transport provider and their police department. The call was for a person having a stroke. As the crew arrived and made entry through the front door of the house there was a man on the floor having a seizure. The two police officers on the scene were attending to the individual. One of the firefighters on the scene, Jeff St. Martin, noticed a mess of exhaust and heard what sounded like a motor running. His quick actions prevented a catastrophic outcome. The levels of carbon monoxide measured in the home exceeded the capacity of the department’s carbon monoxide meter (in excess of 600 ppm). Some takeaways from the interview include: How complacency can creep into our mindset that we are responding to “just another medical call. How strong situational awareness can alert us when the pieces of the puzzle don’t fit… and things don’t make sense. How intuition, when followed, can compel action that that can be lifesaving, even when you may not know why you are taking the action at the moment. How a CO monitor carried by first-arriving medical personnel (and perhaps police officers) can alert responders to the potential of highly lethal CO levels. Contact Us www.SAMatters.comwww.RichGasaway.com612-548-4424 (office) 651-331-8518 (cell)   Get connected with SAMattersFacebook: Follow SAMatters LinkedIn: Follow Rich Gasaway Twitter: Follow Rich Gasaway Instagram: Follow SA_Matter Youtube: Subscribe to SAMattersTV Itunes: Subscribe to SAMatters Radio Stitcher Radio: Subscribe to SAMatters Radio Google Play: Subscribe to SAMatters Radio iHeart Radio: Subscribe to SAMatters Radio Our Sponsors Midwest Fire MidwestFire.com   Chief Miller Instagram: @Chief_Miller   Intro music Safety Dance (1982) Men Without Hats GMC - Virgin Records Licensed by BMI Music   Firefighter Near Miss Reporting System http://www.firefighternearmiss.com/ SPONSOR THIS SHOW The SAMatters Show is the longest running, fastest growing, safety focused weekly program on the Internet. If you know a company that might be interested in advertising their product or service to our listeners and viewers, ask them to contact us by clicking the “Contact us” tab at the top of the SAMatters.com website.