Synopsis
This is the first book written specifically for firefighters who act as first responders, and represents a unique joint venture by Brady Publishing and the International Fire Service Training Association (IFSTA)--two leading producers of fire service training manuals. Written by authors with extensive experience in the fire service and EMS, it features a full range of National Standard Curriculum Materials for First Responders as well as enrichment materials--all expanded to take into account the distinct needs and requirements of members of the fire service. A host of features speak directly to firefighters: On Scene scenarios; Fire Drills; Company Officer's Notes; Firefighter Focus summaries; Fire Company Reviews; Resources to Learn More; and At a Glance flow charts and other visual summaries. Introduction to the EMS System. Scene Safety and the Well-Being of the First Responder. Legal and Ethical Issues. The Human Body. Airway. Circulation. Automated External Defibrillation. Scene Size-up. Patient Assessment. Cardiac and Respiratory Emergencies. Other Common Medical Complaints. Environmental Emergencies. Psychological Emergencies and Crisis Intervention. Bleeding and Shock. Traumatic Injuries. Burn Emergencies. Musculoskeletal Emergencies. Injuries to the Head, Neck, and Spine. Childbirth. Infants and Children. Lifting and Moving Patients. Multiple-Casualty Incidents and Incident Management. EMS Operations. Hazardous Materials. Fireground Rehabilitation. EMS Rescue Operations. For firefighter first responders.
Carl A. Moore
This text is designed to teach pre-hospital patient care to firefighters who provide care prior to formal EMS patient contact. It is an effort to customize emergency medical training to the firefighter who has not had any prior EMS training. The fire service has long been involved in providing pre-hospital emergency medical care. In the past the fire service has had to rely on textbooks written for EMT training. The authors brought the International Fire Service Training Association (IFSTA) in on the validation of this text. IFSTA has long been recognized as a nationwide leader in the field of fire service training. There has been an obvious effort to design this book to speak to the firefighter. Virtually all of the areas covered by standard EMS initial training books are addressed. There are chapters on general subjects (i.e., patient assessment, medical emergencies, trauma, etc.) which are basic, well written, and easy to understand. There are chapters on firefighter rehabilitation and hazardous materials that are not normally found in EMS texts. In Chapter 2 the well being of the first responder is covered. This is the best stress management information that I have seen delivered in any EMS initial textbook at any level. I would like to have seen more specific information given on infectious diseases, to answer the many questions that firefighters commonly have regarding this. The illustrations and photos are very well done. The Patient Hand-Off at the end of each chapter gives excellent examples of the information that first responder crews need to gather and pass on -- this is the best unique feature of this book. There are several brief inserts in the chapters designedto give extra tidbits of information to the firefighter. The inserts titled "Company Officer Notes" highlight key areas of concerns for crew officers. The "Geriatric Notes" and "Pediatric Notes" are also useful bits of information. The insert entitled "Fire Drill" is an oversimplification of the topics and could have been left out of this book, especially since some of the connections between EMS and firefighting made in the insert seem to be somewhat of a stretch. This is a high quality text directed at the fire service pre-hospital medical care provider. I would recommend it to be included in the training of fire service personnel.