EMS One-Stop

This episode of EMS One-Stop With Rob Lawrence is brought to you by Lexipol, the experts in policy, training, wellness support and grants assistance for first responders and government leaders. To learn more, visit lexipol.com. In a continuation of the Inside EMS podcast, Host Rob Lawrence picks up the EMS leadership discussion with Robbie MacCue, FP-C, MBA and Lisa Giruzzi of the EMS Leadership Academy. Robbie, Lisa and Rob discuss a systems approach to leadership, emotional intelligence, encouraging freedom of thought, relationship building, effective listening and – above all – the ability to communicate at all levels. Robbie and Lisa will be launching the 4th Annual Leadership Summit on September 20-24th, virtual and free at www.emsleadershipsummit.com.

This episode of EMS One-Stop With Rob Lawrence is brought to you by Lexipol, the experts in policy, training, wellness support and grants assistance for first responders and government leaders. To learn more, visit lexipol.com. Durham County, North Carolina, commissioners recently passed a pay increase for paramedics. The increase, which went into effect in August, took the starting hourly rate for paramedics from $20.84 to $28.25. Officials said the current staff will receive this rate and a multiplier based on their years of service to determine their final salary. One of the catalysts for this change occurred when Durham EMS Chief Paramedic, Mark Lockhart, read an article by Lexipol Editorial Director, Greg Friese, MS, NRP, “Pay paramedics a thriving wage to end the retention crisis,” and was inspired by the approach Greg suggested. “The thriving wage initiative was born,” Lockhart noted. Across the board (EMT, AEMT, paramedics and supervisors), the average increase is 16.8%. For paramedics, the average salary increase was 25%. “We’re still facing recruitment challenges, but our retention significantly improved,” Lockhart wrote EMS1. In this week’s podcast, Host Rob Lawrence welcomes both Mark Lockhart and Greg Friese to discuss the process that Durham EMS went through to achieve their increase as well as the pay situation across the EMS profession at the moment.

This episode of EMS One-Stop With Rob Lawrence is brought to you by Lexipol, the experts in policy, training, wellness support and grants assistance for first responders and government leaders. To learn more, visit lexipol.com. In this episode of EMS One-Stop, Host Rob Lawrence speaks with Melissa Harris, owner of AmbuServe Ambulance and Shoreline Ambulance operating in the greater Los Angeles area, while recording at the California Ambulance Association Stars of Life event in Sacramento, California. Melissa describes how she began her EMS life and now owns and operates two ambulance companies, and pays homage to her staff. She also discusses the challenges that keep EMS leaders up at night, and current legislative challenges and associated calls to action. Rob then speaks with AmbuServe Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Jim Karras, who interviews his three CAA Star of Life recipients, Ethan Garmon, Wesley Graves and Caitlyn Humphrey. They discuss the highs and lows of delivering service in the pandemic, and offer advice for new medics. The full interview with Ethan, Wesley and Caitlynn is available on Ambuserve’s Real EMS podcast.

This episode of EMS One-Stop With Rob Lawrence is brought to you by Lexipol, the experts in policy, training, wellness support and grants assistance for first responders and government leaders. To learn more, visit lexipol.com. Just over three months ago, Rob Luckritz assumed his new appointment as the Chief of Austin Travis County EMS, Texas. He got the job after a very public selection process where he not only competed against internal, time-served candidates, but also a list of very qualified external candidates. Thanks to the transparency of the process, the public, both in Austin, and far and wide, were able to follow the process every step of the way. In this episode of EMS One-Stop, Host Rob Lawrence catches up with Rob Luckritz to discuss his first 100 days in office. Luckritz describes his reception so far, what he has found and his future plans for ATCEMS. He also offers advice for young EMS leaders aspiring to get a senior job at an organization such as ATCEMS and how to prepare for an EMS leadership career. Luckritz also takes part in a quick-fire round, highlighting his thoughts on our current EMS challenges from recruiting to available ambulances and everything in between.