In this series, Fire Engineering Senior Editor Mary Jane Dittmar looks at the things that motivated and inspired instructors to present on their topics at FDIC International 2016. Segments will be posted on a regular basis up to and through the conference, April 18-23.
Mike McEvoy
EMS Coordinator
Saratoga County, New York
EMS Technical Coordinator, Fire Engineering
What’s New in NFPA 1584?
Tuesday, April 19, 8 a.m.-12 p.m.
My primary motivation for selecting this topic is my involvement in the medical research that has become the driving force in promoting firefighter rehabilitation. I envision the optimal effect of this presentation as honing the firefighter rehab process so it becomes more agreeable and functional to firefighters. I believe the current rehab process is not always done efficiently or effectively and that it ends up wasting firefighters’ time and fails to optimize hydration and nutrition and energy reserves and cooling or rewarming firefighters as needed–all in a rapid and an effective manner.
Many of the attendees in my classes on this subject appreciate the real-world perspective I bring to the table with suggestions and examples for how firefighters and officers can effectively and efficiently implement rehabilitation on the fireground and in training exercises. Also, attendees express surprise about how little is really known about medical monitoring and recovery in rehab.
