Mick Messoline discusses various patient conditions and when to transfer or continue care.

Deciding how to prioritize patient needs is fraught with controversy for the engine company medic. Mick Messoline discusses time management and resource allocation on EMS calls.

The initial assessment performed by the first-arriving company sets the tone for the entire incident. Mick Messoline goes over some of the details firefighters, EMTs, and paramedics must pay attention to when performing an initial assessment.

As an engine medic, your actions and decisions directly affect patient outcomes. By being properly prepared, Mick Messoline writes, firefighters can be sure that each patient will receive the interventions and disposition that most benefit them.

Kenny Thompson discusses how motivation impacts the fire service, specifically response time, and how to keep firefighters and paramedics moving with a sense of urgency to every call.

Firefighters in communities around the United States must contend with the possiblity of responding to drowning incidents and other pool-related injury scenarios. Robert Owens has tips on responding to water rescue situations.

Patient assessment is, without a doubt, our most important EMS skill. Jim Logan examines patient assessment for engine companies responding to EMS calls.

Firefighters need to use the same level of organization that they use responding to fire calls when they respond to emergency medical calls. Brian Carr discusses how preplanning EMS calls can save lives.

There is no such thing as a routine call, and firefighter safety is paramount. Jim Logan recounts an response to a motor vehicle accident involving a child that almost got out of hand.

Sometimes firefighters' vehicle extrication plans are made for convenience, not necessarily in the best interest of patient care. The next time you’re faced with an extrication problem, make patient care the key factor in determining your action plan, Robert Owens writes.