Annual Skills Reviews

On 12/12/18, 12/13/18, 12/16/18 Northwest EMS employees participated in ALS and BLS Skills reviews through our command facility Allegheny Health Network. Paramedics, A-EMTs, Pre-hospital Registered Nurses (PHRNs) and Pre-hospital Physician Extenders (PHPs) are required by our command facility to participate in Advance Life Support (ALS) skills reviews. In this review, participants practiced pediatric and adult intubation, Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) protocols, needle cricothyrotomy, chest decompression, CPAP, ventilator use and 12-lead recognition. 

EMT-Bs participated in Basic Life Support (BLS) skills reviews as well. BLS providers practiced pit crew CPR, blood glucose administration, narcan administration, immobilization and radio communications.

Providers at both skills reviews also reviewed our new bleeding control bags which contain tourniquets, hemostatic agents, pressure dressings and other tools necessary for our crew to respond to mass casualty incidents and stop the bleeding of victims. All providers also got a chance to brush up on Emergency Response Guide (ERG) usage which while infrequently used by our crews is vitally important in incidents with potential hazards that could threaten our crews' safety and our patients' safety.

Employees' also had the opportunity to be patients themselves and receive their yearly flu shot and TB tests.

We are thankful to our employees' dedication to furthering their knowledge and reviewing necessary skills. See below for some pictures from the skills reviews!