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Accountability in action: Building a culture that sticks in EMS

Breaking down the barriers to accountability and building a culture that thrives on change

Editor’s note:Welcome to the What Paramedics Want podcast series of Inside EMS, sponsored by Pulsara. The state of the industry What Paramedics Want Report explores issues tied to provider recruitment and retention; safety, health and wellness support; technology adoption; and career development, produced in partnership with Fitch & Associates and the National EMS Management Association. Learn more and download your copy.



In this week’s episode of the Inside EMS podcast, cohosts Chris Cebollero and Kelly Grayson dive into a vital topic: the culture of accountability in EMS. Sparked by FireRescue1’s Chief Marc Bashoor’s thought-provoking article, “Where is our culture of accountability?”, the hosts explore why change is so difficult to embrace, how leadership impacts culture and what steps agencies can take to help foster accountability across an organization. From managing expectations to addressing fairness in discipline, our cohosts discuss the challenges of enforcing standards and avoiding the normalization of deviance. Whether it’s implementing safety protocols or shifting organizational norms, this episode unpacks how leaders and teams can work together to inspire meaningful change.

Quotable takeaways

  • “The only one who likes change is a wet baby.” — Kelly Grayson
  • “If you don’t correct something, that thing becomes the new standard.” — Kelly Grayson
  • “Vision is where we’re going; strategy is how we’re going to get there and culture is the behavior of the organization in reaching the vision.” — Chris Cebollero
  • “Turnover isn’t the end of the world.” — Kelly Grayson

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The Inside EMS podcast is a regular expert discussion of hot topics, clinical issues, operational and leadership lessons for EMTs, paramedics and chiefs