Skip Kirkwood

Chief Concerns

Skip Kirkwood has been involved in EMS since 1973, as an EMT, paramedic, supervisor, educator, manager, consultant, state EMS director, and chief EMS officer. He is a past president of the National EMS Management Association, is a vigorous advocate for the advancement of the EMS profession, and a frequent speaker at regional and national EMS conferences.

LATEST ARTICLES

EMT, EMS, Paramedic Jobs and Careers

A real EMS career ladder for the paramedic profession

Six different career ladders with compensation and rank based on experience, higher education and specialized training improves retention

September 17, 2024 03:27 PM

Skip Kirkwood

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Legislation and Funding

Will HR.4527/S.2552 expand or limit retired EMS insurance options?

Three questions about the Expanding Health Care Options for Early Retirees Act suggest revisions may be needed before providers should rely on the Medicare option

October 10, 2019 10:34 AM

Skip Kirkwood

Patient Assessment

Rapid Response: ‘Dead’ baby hoax: Avoid finger-pointing stemming from a mistaken death

A hands-on patient assessment must be performed to declare a victim dead, even at a potential crime scene

June 21, 2019 12:05 PM

Skip Kirkwood

Paramedic Chief

Active shooter response training for EMS: Get it done!

If the leaders of an EMS agency have failed to prepare personnel for an active shooter response, they need to get the training done, one way or another

October 15, 2015 01:56 PM

Skip Kirkwood

Ambulances

Is an ambulance the right vehicle for psych patient transfers?

EMS chiefs need to examine the clinical, safety, and economic rationale for medically-stable psych patient interfacility transfers

July 27, 2015 02:28 PM

Skip Kirkwood

Incident Management

Deafening silence: EMS chiefs’ response to triage best practices

Without the right triage training and MCI supplies EMS field personnel are ill prepared to be the masters of disaster

July 23, 2015 04:39 PM

Skip Kirkwood

Safety

Why we need critical thinking for scene assessments

In the real world it is impossible for a scene to be 100% safe; therefore we must constantly assess risk

March 11, 2015 06:40 PM

Skip Kirkwood

Training EMS personnel to drive: What are we thinking?

Driver training is inadequate to the challenges of operating an ambulance and we need to devise a strategy to improve training and reassessment

February 11, 2015 05:32 PM

Skip Kirkwood

How NEMSMA’s ‘Management of Ambulance Services’ textbook was created

The concept of a college-level EMS text, with collegiate-level research and writing, was something of a challenge in the world of EMS texts written at a much lower level

September 02, 2014 07:52 PM

Skip Kirkwood

Special Report: It’s time to stop the violence

NEMSMA launches initiative to end violence against paramedics

September 02, 2014 07:50 PM

Skip Kirkwood