p u l s e august 2017 - atcemsinside.org 2017.pdf · ongratulations to ommunication medics robin...
TRANSCRIPT
1
P U L S E AN AUSTIN-TRAVIS COUNTY EMS PUBLICATION
August 2017
Future Forward:
EMS Station 38
2
Contents
August 2017
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
06
ATCEMS AND DELL MEDICAL SCHOOL HEALTH
SCIENCE SUMMER CAMP
The one-week camp takes place on the campus of the
University of Texas and provides an opportunity for
100 middle and 100 high school students to learn
about the various health professions
___________________________________________
07
PUBLIC SAFETY APPRECIATION DAY
EMS Explorer Nolan Screen hosted the event in July.
The event was free and provided the general public an
opportunity to interact with their first responders and
get a look inside emergency vehicles
Cover Story
+ Features
14
CAPCOG LAUNCHES WARN CENTRAL TEXAS
CAMPAIGN
For National Preparedness Month in September, the
Capital Area Council of Governments (CAPCOG) and
its community partners including ATCEMS kicked-off
their new safety campaign at a regional press
conference on August 23rd. The campaign encour-
ages Central Texans to stay informed and be pre-
pared for potential disasters and threats by signing
up to get emergency warnings in your neighborhood
by text, email or phone at WarnCentralTexas.org
____________________________________
17
MISSION LIFELINE GOLD AWARD
Austin-Travis County EMS was recently presented
with the American Heart Association Mission Lifeline
Gold Plus Award.
______________________________________
3
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
08
HR TEAM ASSIGNMENTS & AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITIES As a strategic business partner, the Human Resources team provides leadership and support to successfully meet the goals and initiatives within the departments Strategic Plan.
_______________________________________
10
EMS STATION 38
The new EMS/AFD station ground breaking
ceremony took place on July 31st. Station 38 is
expected to be completed in the Summer of 2018.
_____________________________________
11
COMMUNICATIONS CALL OF THE QUARTER
Congratulations to Communication Medics Robin
Krasher, Alex Almodovar, Angela Vorhies, and
Dena Morgan. They were selected from many
nominations as our call of the quarter winners!
_______________________________________
12
PIO/PUB-ED
Seton Health Sciences requested an ambulance
show-n-tell for their Health Science Interactive
Camp for about 30 or so middle school and high
school students.
18
YOUR PHOTOS
Catch a glimpse of your coworkers in action.
_________________________________________
20
EMPLOYEE RECOGNITION
ATCEMS employees receive kudos, special thanks and
congratulations for a job well done.
__________________________________________
26
CUSTOMER SERVICE SURVEY
Results from the ATCEMS customer callback program.
In Every Issue
Division News
4
5
6
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Austin-Travis County EMS participated in the 3rd
annual Dell Medical School Health Sciences
Summer Camp program on July 17th and again on
August 7th. Commander Benavides headed up
the outdoor static display outside consisted of
one of our ambulances, the AMBUS, a motorcy-
cle, and special response unit. Half of the group
toured the vehicles and learned about each type
of vehicle from medics, then headed inside for
the presentation. The other half of the group
received a presentation on ATCEMS and the EMS
Industry from Captain Rutledge and Captain
Noak, and then moved outside to tour the
vehicles. ATCEMS has been a participant in these
summer camps since they were launched in the
summer of 2015.
The one-week camp takes place on the campus
of The University of Texas and provides an
opportunity for 100 middle and 100 high school
students to learn about the various health
professions and take part in hands-on health
sciences experiments. During their week at camp
students are provided unique educational
experiences including an opportunity for students
to earn CPR certification, participate in rotations
in biology, chemistry and clinical skills labs. The
camp partners with school districts throughout
Central Texas.
ATCEMS and Dell Medical School Health Science Summer Camp
By Captain D. Noak
7
Public Safety Appreciation Day ATCEMS Explorer and
member of the Texas Youth Preparedness Council, Nolan
Screen, hosted a Public Safety Day on July 18th. The event was free and provided
the general public an opportunity to interact with
their first responders and get a look inside emergency vehicles. Families also
learned about what to do when an emergency occurs
and how to perform Hands-
Only CPR.
The Texas Youth Prepared-
ness Council is a select group of 25 students from high schools across Texas.
The council focuses on promoting safety and
emergency preparedness throughout the state of Texas and in their local
communities. Austin Police Department, APD SWAT
Team, Austin Fire Depart-ment, Austin-Travis County EMS, Austin 311, and
Westlake Fire Department
attended the event.
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
8
EMS HR TEAM ASSIGNMENTS & AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITIES 2017
As a strategic business partner, the Human Resources team provides leadership and support to
successfully meet the goals and initiatives within the departments Strategic Plan. Activities include
however are not limited to, assuring the activities and operations of all functional HR areas are
accurate and timely; administering and complying with City practice, policy, procedure, statutes,
ordinances, and the Meet and Confer Agreement; improving the overall diversity of the EMS
department; providing pathways for personal growth and development; and timely responsiveness to
employee related questions, issues, and concerns. Our Human Resources Team is committed to
engagements which support the Pillars of Excellence (People, Service, Quality and Finance) and the
Departments Mission (To provide excellent patient care to anyone, any time, any place in order to
decrease suffering, improve the health of the community and save lives).
The following is the list of current ATCEMS Human Resources Staff, immediate reporting structure,
including current work assignments and contact information. Please note that these assignments are
subject to change as business needs dictate.
Tina Graves – Human Resources Manager
Leads and manages the ATCEMS Human Resources (HR) Division; provides stra-
tegic direction for all human resources activities; develops and implements HR
standard operation practices, policies, and procedures; provides interpretation
and oversight regarding policy and civil service processes for the department;
provides interpretation and oversight regarding policy and civil service process-
es; Provides interpretation and oversight regarding the Meet & Confer Agree-
ment as it pertains to Wages & Benefits, Leave, Promotions, Hiring, Disciplinary
Actions and Appeals; oversees Statutory Civil Service and Municipal Civil Ser-
vice processes and compliance; Serves as primary HR liaison with the Office of
Professional Conduct; and Confers with the Executive Team to align human
resources initiatives with departmental goals and objectives.
512.972.7231 (o)
512.297.1407 (m)
Lakshmy Haridas – Business Process Consultant
Streamline business processes i.e. process mapping, assist HR Manager with
Succession planning and sustainability planning; Standard Operating Procedure
(SOP) Administration i.e. conduct annual SOP review processes, SOP Overview,
Inventory and Update established SOP’s; Collaborate w/HR staff for the devel-
opment of training initiatives, conduct, research, administer & analyze depart-
ment training needs; Administer Civil Service Promotions for all sworn staff,
Encompasses statutory Civil Service process and compliance, Meet & Confer
Agreement process and compliance; Liaison for OPC Investigative Case Review;
Assist w/Performance Evaluation Process for sworn staffing performance
reviews.
512.972.7037 (o)
512.484.9539 (m)
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||HUMAN RESOURCES
9
Stephanie Menendez – Human Resources Supervisor
Partners with Human Resources Manager and Business Process Consultant
regarding potential policy changes based on procedural changes within the
Employee Services area; Oversees Workers’ Compensation, and activities re-
lated to all leaves (paid, unpaid, FMLA, and Military); as well as indirect activi-
ties related to leaves of absence (ADA, Donated Leave Bank, Paid Leave Bank,
Limited Duty, Line of Duty, Return to Work and Paid Parental Leave); Provides
oversight/direction related to Payroll Administration (payroll processing/
auditing); Oversees administration of personnel actions, personnel records
management etc.; SSPR Administration, Reclassifications, New Employee
training, Harassment, Policy Overview and MCS employee relations issues,
investigations and participation in grievance hearings. Direct Supervision of
the following: Laura Maciel; Amelia “Milly” Muraida, Guillermo Mireles and
current vacant position responsible for Workers’ Compensation.
Guillermo Mireles – Human Resources Advisor
512.972.7050 (o)
Laura Maciel – Human Resources Specialist
Amelia “Milly” Muraida – Human Resources Generalist Primary responsibilities include payroll functions i.e. Payroll Auditing for sworn
and civilian time records; New Hire Onboarding to include new hire sign-up
processing, eVerify/I-9, RMS & Telestaff entry; Tuition Reimbursement Coordi-
nator; Bus Pass Coordinator, TRAIN Administrator; HR Division Records
Management Coordinator; Personnel File Management; Employee Separation
Notice Coordinator, Open Enrollment Coordinator.
512.972.5833 (o)
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
512.972.7061 (o)
512.965.0011 (m)
512.972.7230 (o)
Primary responsibilities include providing advice and counsel to civilian
management regarding personnel action recommendations to address perfor-
mance and disciplinary violations in accordance with Municipal Civil Service
(MCS) Rules, City Policy and Procedures and Departmental Policies; conduct
investigations/inquiries; Texas Workforce Commission Unemployment Claim
prep/response including hearing participation; compensation to include
reclassification requests; Market studies, etc.; MCS Employment, SSPR
Coordinator, Ethics Coordinator, NEO Development/presenter; Temporary
Hiring/Retention process lead.
Primary responsibilities include lead payroll functions i.e. Payroll Entry and
Auditing, Higher Class Pay, Pay adjustments etc.; Personnel Action processing
i.e. step increases, suspensions, demotions, change of status processing, etc.;
Back Pay Calculations, New Employee Training (payroll) to cadets;
Employment Verifications, Open Enrollment Coordination (back-up).
10
The new EMS/AFD Station ground breaking ceremony took place on July 31st. Station
38 is located at 11112 Old San Antonio Rd. and is expected to be completed in the
Summer of 2018.
The new station will have an open concept design with a shared kitchen and dayroom.
ATCEMS will have three bedrooms with a shift change room. The building is expected
to have 5,137 square feet of living space and 3,990 square feet of garage, storage and
weight room space. There will be three large bays with one designed as a drive
through.
Austin Art in Public Places will have an artist display on the building.
EMS Station 38 Ground Breaking Ceremony
11
Congratulations to Communication Medics Robin Krasher, Alex Almodovar, Angela
Vorhies, and Dena Morgan.
They were selected from many nominations as our call of the quarter winners! During ROT
rally, they successfully worked as a team on a motorcycle accident where they managed multiple injured patients and one fatality. This was one of several high acuity calls that
weekend and everyone continued to work hard with very minimal downtime or breaks. Their peers stated "They did the very best they could to get the information they needed from very rattled callers. Due to call volume, they all had to go on and keep working,
taking more calls, and I wanted to make sure they got some recognition for their efforts."
Thank you for your hard work and dedication to patient care.
Leslie Stanford
Captain - Communications
Austin-Travis County EMS &
Travis County STARFlight
COMMUNICATIONS CALL OF THE QUARTER
12
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||PIO/PUB-ED
Recently Seton Health Sciences requested an ambulance
show-n-tell for their Health Science Interactive Camp for
about 30 or so middle school and high school students.
Medics Evette Samarippa and Michelle Warren were
assigned and talked to the student group about what got
them into EMS, what's it like to work with a partner, and
what's it like to work 12 or 24s, and nights versus days.
Michelle says “In the classroom setting Evette is telling the
group why she chose EMS as a career, how long she's
been with our department, and what kind of training she
went through to get her paramedic and other certifica-
tions. In the ambulance I am explaining how we bring our
primary bag and monitor on every call, and showing the
group our equipment within the bags. I continue to explain
why every altered mentation needs a D stick performed
and what it can mean like stroke versus hypoglycemic.”
Michelle added “We answered a lot of great questions and
I told them what brought me into EMS, how medicine is a
great field for a curious mind because it's always changing
and you can always learn more. I also shared that I'm
planning to continue my education to get my paramedic
certification.”
ATCEMS thanks Michelle and Evette for a great student
presentation and they want to thank Seton Interactive
Camp for their time, questions, and the snow cones!
Seton Health Sciences Interactive Camp
13
On the afternoon of July 17th the ATCEMS AMBUS (MPV-701) was requested to assist in providing rehab and a cooling station for a 500+ acre fire in Hays County Texas. We were
quickly out the door and provided a critical service in an area that was difficult to access. The AMBUS remained on-scene for five hours providing water, snacks and medical monitoring
as needed for approximately 20 firefighters.
The agencies involved in battling the blaze were AFD, Buda Fire, Kyle Fire, Oak Hill Fire, DPS, Starflight, ATCEMS, COA Water, Hays County CERT, Texas Forest Service, Hays County Emergency Management.
AMBUS |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
AMBUS DEPLOYS TO HAYS COUNTY FIRE
14
As part of National Preparedness Month in September, the Capital Area Council of Governments
(CAPCOG) and its community partners kicked-off their new safety campaign at a regional press
conference on August 23rd. Stay informed, sign up to get emergency warnings in your neighborhood by
text, email or phone.
Registering with WarnCentralTexas.org allows emergency personnel in your local community to directly
contact you by phone, text or email during a disaster or public safety event. Using WarnCentralTexas,
emergency response teams can warn residents about dangerous conditions and situations as events
unfold. They can quickly give specific directions that affect your neighborhood such as evacuation
orders and directions to shelters.
When local emergency personnel and government officials identify a serious threat, they can directly
contact those who are most affected to give them vital information. The information may include items
such as:
If or when residents need to evacuate their homes during floods and fires,
If or when residents should take shelter during inclement or severe weather,
What areas residents should avoid if a nearby hazardous materials spills occurs,
What residents should do during a police manhunt, or
How to take health precautions during a boil water notice or prolonged power outage.
The Capital Area Council of Governments has partnered with communities in Bastrop, Blanco, Burnet,
Caldwell, Fayette, Hays, Lee, Llano, Travis and Williamson counties to bring residents and visitors
WarnCentralTexas.org the FREE emergency alert system that can save lives and protect property during
disasters.
CAPGOG Launches Warn Central Texas Campaign
CAPCOG Launches WarnCentralTexas Campaign
15
16
Motor Medics ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Luke clearly plans to keep the
Vickery Cup nice and clean and
out at M16's
Here's Shed, still savoring sweet
victory... and planning to do RMS
later at M8's.
September training schedules will be out
soon, this means other motor medic will
have the opportunity to drag these
puppies away from these guys and provide
us with new pictures of trophy adulation.
More exciting news! During the September
training, ATCEMS is going to be putting on
a class for new operators.
Randy and Kevin have been recently been
testing applicants, and will be making
offers to the highest scoring riders this
month.
We had nine paramedics apply, which is
awesome because this clearly means
people are interested in being part of the
motor medic program.
Mark Lynch
17
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
MISSION LIFELINE GOLD AWARD
This month Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services received the American Heart Association’s
Mission: Lifeline® EMS Gold Plus Award for implementing quality improvement measures for the treat-
ment of patients who experience severe heart attacks. This award was presented at headquarters by
Sarah Duzinski, Director of Quality & Systems Improvement.
EMS agencies that receive the Mission: Lifeline Gold award have demonstrated at least 75 percent com-
pliance for each required achievement measure for two years.
AHA Mission Lifeline proudly recognizes ATCEMS as a team lead agency that has elevated the perfor-
mance of the systems of care in our community. This could not have been accomplished without our
wonderful dedicated paramedics working tirelessly in the field.
ATCEMS Performance Measures
can be viewed here:
http://www.austintexas.gov/
department/performance-indicators
18
The end of a massive
endeavor “The Great Furniture Project”
Ml K. Pailes
practice practice practice!!
Chief Rodriguez
speaking at M38 ground breaking
Chief Brown & Chief Gardner
at M38 ground breaking
V. Holmes & M. Warren
19
G. Frame 10 years
J. Watkins 15 years
YEARS OF SERVICE ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Thank you
for your
Service
20
Liz Yankiver & John Donohoe
My husband and I attended last week's Safe Baby Academy and we found it to be so incredibly valuable!
The facilitators of the class were fantastic, personable and worked in some humor to keep it engaging!
We are so thankful for the hands-on CPR and choking practice. We walked into class not knowing how
the heck to use our car seat nor did we know the next steps once our baby grows out of the infant
carrier. When we left, we felt so confident in how to set up the car seat and how to handle the next
stage of car safety.
I had asked one of the facilitators if it's we could get the slide deck of the presentation so we could
share with family and friends, is this possible? I also think it would be amazing if ya'll made this class
online because I'd love to share a link for family and friends, but I understand you all are incredibly
busy. If you ever need any volunteers to help make this class available online please let me know as my
husband and I both work in the IT industry and my specific focus in training.
We will recommend this amazing class to anyone we come across who have young children or who are
expecting a baby for the first time like us!
Please pass on our thank you to the facilitators of the class... they were fantastic!
Thanks again,
Mallory V.
Employee Recognition |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
ATCEMS Build A Backpack 2017
Margaret Hackett
When reviewing the calls for quality assurance I had the pleasure of listening to customer service
provided by Margaret Hackett in the Billing office. She was proactive in answering all of our patient’s
questions and provided exceptional customer service. The patient stated at the end of the call “Thank
you so much, you were very professional and very efficient and I do personally appreciate that.”
Excellent work, Margaret!
Thank you,
Meagann Wade, EMS Customer Care Program Manager
Thanks to everyone who donated to the
annual Build a Backpack school supplies
drive! Every year ATCEMS takes part in this
city sponsored drive and this year’s goal was
to collect 900 supply filled backpacks. The
city set a new record by collecting 1418
backpacks for local Austin students! Special
thanks to the COA Innovations team working
with EMS on the Recruiting Messaging
project, they offered to deliver our back-
packs to City Hall for us! Thanks everyone!
Pictured left to right: Katherine, Hillary,
Courtney, Michael & Julia
21
Congratulations to Medic-II Esme Harvey and husband
Drake, who welcomed a beautiful baby boy, Julian, to their
family on August 9, 2017. Julian was 8 lbs. 4 oz and 20.5
inches. Julian is doing great, and Mommy and Daddy are doing
well and enjoying their bundle of joy.
Congrats are also in order for Medic-II Chris Marks, as he is
now a grandfather!
Just wanted to pass on a little kudo that we received on our Facebook
page. This was a “visitor post” from a Ms. Ria W. Here is what she had
to say:
“Just wanted to tell this man, J. Flynt Thank you... My son ran to him
with open arms And a big hug for him cause He knows he's safe near
ANY type of law enforcement. And if anyone knows him, please let him
know. Now my son can't stop talking about the lights and paramedics.
And if you are reading this. You TRULY made his day! He loves police-
men, firefighters and paramedics.”
ATCEMS PIO Austin-Travis County EMS
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Just wanted to pass on a kudo that was received. M06 Cluskey, Francis; Ferguson, Thomas was
dispatched to incident 17221-0213, a priority 2 auto vs bike at Rio Grande/MLK. We first received a
message via twitter then AFD reached out to the person asking them to email them some details. They
then forwarded additional info to our office. The following are the contents/comments from the tweets
and email:
Tweet #1: Thank you to the 7 members of @austinfiredept @atcems & @Austin_Police who came to
aid of the cyclist hit by a car in front of my office.
11:37 AM - 9 Aug 2017
Tweet #2: Fortunately, he's now walking and talking. Unfortunately, that's the 4th time he's been hit
by a car on his bike just this year.
Email: Hi There, I just wanted to send a shout out to the fire, ems, and police officers who came so
quickly today when a cyclist was struck by a car in front of my office at 1806 Rio Grande this after-
noon. By the time I'd run inside & come back out to bring some water, I was jumping for joy to see
help was already arriving.
As a bike commuter myself, it was really scary to watch, and seeing these professionals show up so
fast with such resources was really heartening. I'm so glad the cyclist got immediate treatment and
though certainly shaken - was soon back on his feet.
You pros definitely embody the ready & caring Austin community I am proud to call home. Keep up the
great work!
Jen D.
ATCEMS PIO Austin-Travis County EMS
22
Employee Recognition |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
FANTASTIC WELL DONE
Chief Gardner,
I just saw the latest (June-July) Pulse issue. It is
very impressive. Please pass on my appreciation
and admiration of the staff that puts it together.
Paul Parrish, MD, MPH
Medical Director, Austin Public Safety Wellness
Center
Community Relations,
Dr. Parrish has some very kind words for
you about the amazing work you do with
Pulse. I know that putting together each
issue is no easy task, but it is very well
done and you guys make it seem
effortless.
Than you for your hard work!
Terésa Gardner, Assistant Chief
Chip Shadden PIO team wants to share a
compliment we received (via private message) on
our Twitter account. This individual is a citizen who
is a consistent follower of our social media accounts
including our LIVE Radio Traffic Broadcastify feed.
Heath Holt
Kelsie Jirasek,
I received a customer service call
from the ER Supervisor at STDH
free standing ER in Pfluerville. She
call to say that she and her staff
were very grateful for assistance
you provided during a cardiac
event at their ER. She stated that
the staff was "lucky" that you were
there at the time and that the care
of the pt during the CPR went "as
smooth as I have ever seen". She
stated that our dept. exemplified
professionalism and confidence and
that you were the example of who
we are.
Thank you both very much for
representing us so well. The staff
talked about how you stayed with
the ER staff and comforted them
after such tragic circumstanc-
es. They will not forget your skill
and most important, your
compassion, for a good long while.
Job well done.
Millie Zapata, EMT-P,
Field Commander
Sheila Schwall,
I want to let you know that I LOVE
the Canva Safety Messaging you are
creating. The messaging is pertinent
and looks great. I really appreciate
the work as it has personally helped
me out tremendously but also elevat-
ed our Sunday Facebook posts to a
much higher level of quality.
I appreciate you!
Randy Chhabra, Captain
23
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
CONGRATS AWESOME
WELCOME We are pleased to announce:
Recruitment Coordinator
Ashleigh O’Connor
Temporary- Quality Improvement Specialist
Elizabeth Brown
Human Resources Advisor
Guillermo Mireles
This is so sweet...
Mason, Bryan
Narciso, Erica
Run#137409
The patient on this account came in to pay
the full balance and stated she wanted to
come in person as she felt she needed to b/c
she did not realize she had the check sitting
in an envelope as she thought it was nothing
from her insurance. She felt really bad that
she paid this so late. She asked if I could
please pass along how great the paramedics
were. She stated the balance was not enough
for their services, wishes she could thank
them or tell them how grateful she is as she
feels they saved her life. She stated Bryan
was sitting in her car with his back turned
towards the windshield with the little space,
did not blink once as he concentrated on her.
She said when she went to the hospital, they
just didn’t ditch her, he waited there. She
began crying stating she just cannot thank
them enough.
Margaret A. Hackett CAC
Austin Travis County EMS
Ambulance Billing and Coding Supervisor
Cole, Michael
Hengst, Kate
Run#17-93179
Date of Service 07/29/2017
From Margaret Hackett: “The mother on this
account asked that I let someone know that the
paramedics were very kind, very helpful, she
really appreciates them and wanted to let
someone know.”
It is with great pleasure that I announce
the promotion of Keri Cinquina to the
rank of Captain. Keri will continue her
assignment at the EMS Academy where
she has been spent the last 2 years
teaching a number of cadets and
contributing to their success as medics.
Please join me in congratulating Keri on
her promotion.
James Hawley, Assistant Chief
This patient requested we thank the medics
for her. Her quote:
They were very respectful, very nice, and got
there quickly. They had to put me out with
pain meds as I broke 3 bones in my ankle so
I was really out of it and don't remember
some of the initial questions answers. Please
let them know I really appreciate them.
Thanks,
Carolyn Huckle, Administrative Specialist
24
Employee Recognition |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
It has been suggested that we add a “Lost or missing equipment” choice in the Command Note Type
drop-down menu in RMS?
In following a process of repeated lost or missing equipment, the Code of Conduct would ultimately
lead to “Neglect of Duty” as part of that continued infraction (if not more elements). A single loss of
equipment, or even a second occurrence would not routinely reach the level of “Minor Miscon-
duct” (loss of a monitor could potentially). Tracking these would be difficult in the current configuration
as they would fall under a “Generic Discussion” of some sort in the Command Notes section. The Web
based “Equipment Request Form” covers Lost [captured in Event Type] equipment or goods , which
can be considered missing if the item is not present during the course of an inspection, but does not
facilitate a nexus to RMS . This “requesting/reporting” web tool should be accompanied by an RMS
reference which could be simply remedied by the addition of the RMS tab “Lost or missing equip-
ment”.
Let me know if you have any additional questions. Thanks in advance.
Respectfully,
Mikel J. Kane, Division Chief
Mike,
The choice: “Lost or Missing Equipment” has been added to Note Type pick
list and is available for all notes entered. Command, Captain, Division Chief,
Executive. It is now active and available.
Mark Tomasek
All,
Please take note in the below email string; Two elements I would like to focus on.
“Lost or Missing Equipment” has been added to Note Type pick list.
Team work and Speed of Action.
This is a great example of someone (Ed Johns) having a contribution to improving a process,
effectively communicating that idea, and moving it through the Chain of Command.
Commander Murphy and Mark Tomasek showing their commitment to all of us in their
willingness to listen to those ideas, and executing them very quickly. This entire process took
three days…”That’s what I’m talking about”….(You know what’s coming...)
BRAVO ZULU! Great job by all!
Mikel J. Kane, Division Chief
25
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Lets employees know that their work is valued and appreciated
Gives employees a sense of ownership and belonging in their place
of work
Improves morale
Enhances loyalty
Helps build a supportive work environment
Increases employee motivation
Improves employee retention
Employee recognition is not just a nice thing to do. Employee
recognition is a communication tool that reinforces and rewards the
most important outcomes that people create within their working
environment and the vision of the department.
When you recognize someone effectively, you reinforce the employees
value and prove that you see them as valuable and appreciate their
hard work.
Employees inherently crave positive recognition when they put in extra
effort, and knowing an achievement has been seen, appreciated and
acknowledged by supervisors and peers can go a long way in how one
feels about themselves and the department.
Community Relations has produced 40 editions of PULSE magazine
and in each edition we have had a KUDOS page. There are several
individuals who consistently take the time to write a kudo and
acknowledge the good work of their fellow employees. I would like to
acknowledge and send a special thank you to the following people
who have submitted the most employee recognition letters, comments
and kudos to community relation for publication in the PULSE.
Mikel Kane with 34 submissions
Margaret Hackett with 20 submissions
Lisa Sepulveda with 14 submissions
Mark Karonika with 08 submissions
Through the years we have received many kudos from sworn and
non-sworn employees who were eager to recognize someone for a job
well done. A huge thank you for supporting your fellow teammates and
for submitting employee KUDO’s for publication. We realize the
importance of employee recognition and the value that it holds.
Please continue to praise your fellow co-workers by sending
Community Relations letters of recognition, kudos and appreciation for
PULSE publication to be shared with your EMS community.
Employee Recognition Is Important Because It:
By, Sheila Schwall
26
Customer Service Response:
461 calls were made during June. The questions asked focused on measurable
customer service actions.
Patient Comments:
“They were so good. He kept eye contact with me as I was scared. He also stayed with me a little while
and explained my situation to the hospital staff. He was so good to me. I want to say thank you to them.”
“Knowledgeable, courteous, and professional. They treated her with kindness. We appreciate their care of
her.”
“They were really great and so reassuring. Gary in the back with me explained my situation and I really
appreciate that. Both medics were wonderful.”
“Their personalities were upbeat and seemed to know what they were doing.”
“Excellent! Very polite, even the trainee. 10’s all the way”
“Everything went very well, the thing I recall the most was their kindness, they were excellent.”
Respondents were asked to rate the customer service provided by our medics on a scale from 1
to 5, with 5 being the best 82.05% of the patients rated the customer service they received at
a 5 and 16.67% rated their service at a 4. The average rating overall was 4.8 out of 5 for
customer service.
The response we obtained from our customers is evidence of the great medics we have and the
tremendous job they do each and every day.
27
Customer Service Response:
461 calls were made during July. The questions asked focused on measurable
customer service actions.
Patient Comments:
“They were the best, they laughed at his jokes, and the medic in the back actually stopped the blood flow
before he got to the hospital. They let me go to the hospital with them. They were just delightful, they
were the best. Please let them know. I’d like to visit with them and we could have a party. At their young
age they were very knowledgeable.”
“Mallory was so good, she had a lot of information about my condition and that made me feel good. She
urged me to go to the ER and helped me while I found friends to stay with my wife who is blind. I was so
pleased with the care I received, as it was a pleasurable experience because of the medical staff who
attended me.”
“They communicated well with me and they were encouraging me that everything was going to be alright.
Their names were Brian and Gary. They were great.”
Respondents were asked to rate the customer service provided by our medics on a scale from 1
to 5, with 5 being the best 82.76% of the patients rated the customer service they received at
a 5 and 16.09% rated their service at a 4. The average rating overall was 4.79 out of 5 for
customer service.
The response we obtained from our customers is evidence of the great medics we have and the
tremendous job they do each and every day.
28
CONTACT US WITH YOUR SUGGESTIONS REGARDING…
CONTENT IDEAS
EMPLOYEE RECOGNITION
PHOTO CONTRIBUTIONS
WRITING A GUEST COLUMN
STORIES FROM THE FIELD/COMMUNICATIONS AND NON-SWORN
ANYTHING YOU FEEL IS RELEVENT, HAVE A PASSION FOR, OR SOMETHING WE MIGHT HAVE MISSED.
EDITOR IN CHIEF: [email protected]
ASSOCIATE EDITOR/WRITER/GRAPHICS/EMT-P: [email protected]
PHOTOGRAPHER/EMT-P: [email protected]
Community Relations
information gap Bridging the