Summary: Call volume up, population down, rural EMS - we need you, and we'll take a look at gun toting medics plus we'll also revisit atrial fibrillation. All that and more on this week's episode of the MedicCast. MedicCast Episode 295 Good day and welcome to this week’s episode of the MedicCast with your host Jamie Davis, the Podmedic. We have some great stuff, including some interesting articles in this week's news items but before that I do want to remind you to check back here often at the main website of the MedicCast, mediccast.com/blog (http://mediccast.com/blog). Right there at the top of the page under the heading show notes you just click that link and it'll take you right to the first of the show notes pages and you can scroll down and go back in time to find all the episodes, all the way back to episode one. There's going to be some more contact information for me coming up later in the show but I will remind you that you can catch me by e-mail at podmedic@Mac.com (mailto:podmedic@mac.com)and I will get back to you within 24 hours or so. If you have a comment or question, suggestion or news link, I'll let you know I got you information and send you a reply. Without further ado, we'll get into the news in just a sec. Population down, call volume up (http://www.mediccast.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Caring-for-Husband_sm-150x141.jpg)Starting off this weeks news items is an article I found out of Springfield Ohio (http://www.springfieldnewssun.com/news/news/local/ems-runs-up-even-as-population-declines/nP5d2/). It's from the Springfield News-Sun and this newspaper article is looking at the situation whereby their population has decreased in the city of Springfield Ohio by 4700 residents according the most recent census data in the last 10 years and yet their call volume for their EMS ambulance calls have gone up. What is the cause of that? I think that, interestingly enough, this is something that is being questioned by a lot of agencies and organizations around the country and I think that this is something you're going to find in your area as well. Rural EMT Shortage and Recruitment Meanwhile in Sioux Falls South Dakota, call volume is increasing (http://www.keloland.com/News/NewsDetail6373.cfm?Id=134938) but the volunteers that they have available to run their volunteer ambo service is going down. Those numbers are going down for them and why are these numbers decreasing? They're putting out a call to let people know, "if we have to close the doors and we have to cease ambulance service or only provide part-time ambulance service then the nearest ambulance we're going to get is over half an hour away." This is a good example of educating your public about how your system works and what your needs are. These types of articles are all over the place in rural areas and it's a good example of how you can publicize and provide information to your community about what it is that your EMS service does. Gun Toting EMTs Finally, I just have a single question for you. How many of you out there carry a gun when you go to work (http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/Western-Cape-EMS-Medics-shouldnt-use-guns-20120730)? It's certainly unusual here where I live. I don't know of any EMS providers around my area that carry a firearm at work, although maybe they are and I just don't know. But in Cape Town, South Africa, they're looking at their emergency medical services in the Western Cape region and many of them carry guns, firearms to work. The leaders are saying there is not a good reason to be armed on the job as an EMT. Even though their job is a dangerous one, EMT's who carry firearms at work, according to this article, are asking for more trouble from the gun itself being present than as a deterrent or protection from any trouble —————————- Atrial Fibrillation Review Coming up next here on the MedicCast, we're going to jump in and revisit a second tip we've done in the past. But, heck,
