Falls, drops and lifts

Matt Streger, Brian Hupp and Simon Claridge discuss patient and provider safety devices and protocols

December 19, 2023 09:24 AM •

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Editor’s note: 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 edition of EMS One-Stop, Rob Lawrence welcomes an international panel to discuss falls, drops and lifts. Matt Streger, attorney with Keavney & Streger; Brian Hupp, director of EMS at the Maury Regional Medical Center in Columbia, Tennessee, and newly awarded Tennessee EMS Administrator of the Year; and Simon Claridge, CEO of Mangar International, based in the UK, join the show.

While discussing falls, drops and lift, Matt describes a patient movement sim lab used by one of his clients, funded by an insurance company in order to assist with the prevention of paramedic acquired workplace injuries and with the liability associated with dropping patients.

Brian talks protocols and prevention, and Simon identifies UK health and safety law and the requirement for every vehicle to carry lifting devices. He also touches on mandatory training for care home staff and highlights the post-falls management white paper now made available to U.S. services.

This article was originally posted March 15, 2022. It has been updated.

Rob Lawrence

Rob Lawrence has been a leader in civilian and military EMS for over a quarter of a century. He is currently the director of strategic implementation for PRO EMS and its educational arm, Prodigy EMS, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and part-time executive director of the California Ambulance Association.

He previously served as the chief operating officer of the Richmond Ambulance Authority (Virginia), which won both state and national EMS Agency of the Year awards during his 10-year tenure. Additionally, he served as COO for Paramedics Plus in Alameda County, California.

Prior to emigrating to the U.S. in 2008, Rob served as the COO for the East of England Ambulance Service in Suffolk County, England, and as the executive director of operations and service development for the East Anglian Ambulance NHS Trust. Rob is a former Army officer and graduate of the UK’s Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and served worldwide in a 20-year military career encompassing many prehospital and evacuation leadership roles.

Rob is a board member of the Academy of International Mobile Healthcare Integration (AIMHI) as well as chair of the American Ambulance Association’s State Association Forum. He writes and podcasts for EMS1 and is a member of the EMS1 Editorial Advisory Board. Connect with him on Twitter.