Syverson Receives Awards

Fall 2015 Compassion, Excellence, Community Service

F-M AMBULANCE SERVICE

VITAL SIGNS

He always has an “open door” policy, and has made time for individual and team development. He takes the time to

get to know his employees, hear their concerns and celebrate their successes. Most importantly, Sherm constantly

looks to the future and how the actions of today will impact the lives of people, whether they be employees, families,

or patients. Sherm is an amazing example of leadership in the Sanford organization.

In addition to the Sanford award, Syverson was also awarded the

Jerry Decker Award from the Rural Cass County Ambulance and

Rescue Association. This award is given annually to an EMS

provider for outstanding dedication and service.

Jerry Decker was a volunteer with Hunter Ambulance Service. In

1992, Decker responded to a cardiac call; while he was

transporting the patient he suffered a heart attack and died.

Decker's life was filled with the need to help others; during his life,

he was also a peace officer and a firefighter.

In appreciation for all that he has done for the ambulance squads

in Cass County, and because his life is also filled with the need to

help others, Sherm Syverson was chosen for this award.

F-M Ambulance Service is very proud to have such a great guy

leading our team!

Syverson, pictured with his mother, Jane.

Syverson, pictured with Mike Drees, RCCARA treasurer.

Sherm Syverson, Executive Director of F-M Ambulance Service,

recently received two notable awards.

In June, Sherm was surprised at the annual company picnic with

the Sanford Management Employee of the Year. This award was

established in 2011 by Sanford Health to recognize Sanford

employees that exemplify the Sanford values of Courage, Passion,

Resolve, Advancement and Family.

In his nomination letter, it was noted that Sherm is not afraid to get

down into the trenches and work alongside with F-M Ambulance

Service employees at every level. There have been many hurdles

that F-M Ambulance Service has had to overcome as a team and

organization, and Sherm’s consistency has played a huge role in

the company’s success. He frequently shares his pride of the team

members at F-M Ambulance Service. Sherm constantly

encourages team members to challenge the status quo and search

for new ways to be innovative with the resources that are available.

He always has

Crisis Intervention Training

In order to help with the increasing numbers of calls dealing with patients with mental illnesses or psychological

emergencies, F-M Ambulance Service has been sending employees to Crisis Intervention Training (CIT). CIT is a

program to help emergency responders identify when someone may be experiencing a mental health crisis and

adapt strategies for these individuals. The CIT approach has been proven to dramatically decrease the risk of

injuries or death to both responders and people with mental illnesses, and it also reduces the number of repeat

calls. CIT is a 40-hour class taught by law enforcement officers who specialize in mental health crisis response. The

training promotes de-escalation skills before using force when confronting these patients. CIT training also gives

responders the tools they need to understand what someone in a mental health crisis may be experiencing and to

direct someone in crisis to appropriate care. CIT training also builds lasting partnerships between specialized

officers, emergency responders, mental health providers, people with mental illnesses and family members in the

community.

Fargo AirSho

Approximately 25,000 people gathered in north Fargo

on July 25 and 26 for the 2015 Fargo AirSho. F-M

Ambulance Service provided medical coverage and a

misting tent at the show. Many employees enjoyed

working and watching the great show at the same

time!

Did You Know…

F-M Ambulance Service works with area long-term

care facilities and assisted living facilities on their

tactical and mass casualty incident plans.

In July, Edgewood Vista planned and executed a full-

scale evacuation drill. F-M Ambulance Service had a

team on-site to assist with planning and help during the

evacuation. The team provided suggestions to

improve the next drill or real-life event, if it were to ever

happen.

Drills like the one that Edgewood Vista completed are

essential in order to figure out what works and what

doesn’t work before a real incident happens, and can

really make a big difference in how efficiently and

effectively an evacuation takes place.

F-M Ambulance Service also assists long-term care

these facilities facilities and assisted

living facilities with

table-top mass casualty

exercises and keeping

their tactical plans up-to-

date.

FAA Disaster Drill

Active Shooter Exercise

On Friday, August 7, 2015, law enforcement from our community worked together with the Fargo Fire Department

and F-M Ambulance Service to work through an active shooter training exercise. The atmosphere was intense as

officers and firefighters lead and carried “victims” out of Davies High School to awaiting ambulances. Gunshots could

be heard as officers fired blanks to simulate a true active shooter. Drew Schwan, Operations Manager for F-M

Ambulance Service, said that overall the drill went very well. “It’s important to practice scenarios like this – as much

as we don’t want this to happen, we need to know how to respond to similar situations if they do happen in our

community.”

On June 2, 2015 F-M Ambulance Service, along with many other law enforcement, fire and emergency service

providers in our community, took part in a simulated airplane crash disaster drill. Patients were moulaged (makeup

that simulated injuries) and gathered in a bus, which acted as the crashed airplane. Firefighters entered the bus to

remove the patients and bring them to awaiting paramedics and EMTs, who then treated and transported the patients.

F-M Ambulance Service used several ambulances along with the MCI truck and the AmBus during the drill. Thank

you to all of the emergency responders and community members who volunteered their time for this event!

2015 Company Picnic and Awards

Welcome to Our Team!

Welcome to all of our new employees!

Infectious Disease Exercise

Adam Braaten Dispatcher FMA Kali Muchow Paramedic FMA Katrina Wiens EMT FMA Nissa Washburn EMT FMA Devon Pekas EMT HAS Aaron Wiger EMT HAS

Cole Sogge EMT HAS McKenzy Diehl Driver HAS Riley Kramer EMT HAS Ashleigh Erdmann EMT TRF

Welcome to the team!!

F-M Ambulance Service celebrated 2015 with a company picnic and awards ceremony at Rheault Farm in June.

Jason Eblen and Todd Neumann were both recognized for 15 years of service. The 2015 Achievement in Excellence

award winners were Shannon Butler, Kelsey Bodvig, Ryan Hiatt, Lindsey Hiatt, Roger Kotchian and Tyler Tougas.

This award is given to employees who provide compassionate, competent and quality pre-hospital care and

transportation while maintaining a commitment to excellence and continuous improvement to the community and

each other. The National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution National EMS Award for EMS and Honor

Guard Performances was awarded to Mike Sylstad for his dedication to the F-M Ambulance Service Ceremonial

Unit.

F-M Ambulance Service and Sanford participated in

an infectious disease exercise in July.

F-M Ambulance Service has a special team in place

to respond to a potential patient with an infectious

disease. These team members are trained to use

special equipment designed to limit exposure to the

infectious disease.

Thief River Falls Area Ambulance Service

Did you know that in 2008, F-M Ambulance Service

purchased Thief River Falls Area Ambulance Service

(TRFAA). TRFAA covers a population base of about 12,000.

The primary service area consists of 1200 square miles,

covering all of Pennington County and portions of Marshall

and Beltrami Counties in Northwestern Minnesota.

This year, TRFAA has been busy responding to a record

numbers of calls and also attending various community

events!

Ambulance personnel participated in TRF Night to Unite. Two

ambulances and the Quick Response Vehicle were at the

event, along with Paramedics and EMTs, who answered

questions about what EMS providers do and gave tours to

kids.

TRFAA employees also participated in the Digi-Key Safety

Expo and explained what EMS does in the Thief River Falls

community.

At the Pennington County Fair in July, Paramedics and EMTs

spend as much time as they can standing by and monitoring

for any injuries or medical issues that may arise. They also

took part in the community parade.

It is important for TRFAA to be a vital part of the community,

which is why ambulance service members try to take part in

as many community events as possible.

Are you interested in a career in EMS or joining TRFAA?

Contact Tim Schmeets at (701) 364-1730 to see how you can

be on our team!

Charge Medics Did You Know…

Amanda Danielson, Ryan Hiatt, Todd Neumann and

Stefan Winkler have been named F-M Ambulance

Service full-time Charge Medics.

F-M Ambulance Service Charge Medics will be tasked

with many duties essential for day-to-day operations.

They are a valuable resource for F-M Ambulance

Service and we are excited to launch this position in a

revised role!

!

Did you know that F-M Ambulance Service sends

paramedics and EMTs out on bikes at certain events?

New Trek bikes were purchased this year and outfitted

with equipment. The bikes

were used for the first time

at the 2015 Fargo AirSho.

The bicycles allow

paramedics and EMTs to

get to patients who may be

located in an area that

would normally be difficult

to reach by ambulance or

other vehicle. Watch for

the FMA bikes out and

about again next summer!

Other qualified Charge Medics who

will fill in as needed include Sondra

Bergem, Jaymes Feil, Sam Heyen,

Tyler Tougas and Login Wysocki.

Congratulations

Health Highlight

Dialing 9-1-1 is a call you never want to make. However, when it

comes to heart attacks and strokes, every second counts. People

commonly have several reasons for not calling 9-1-1. They may not

want to bother first responders, they are close enough to drive

themselves in, or may not think that they need immediate medical

attention.

But, calling 9-1-1 instead of driving yourself, or a loved one, to a

nearby emergency department can be the difference between life and

death. Quick treatment can help limit damage to the brain or heart

and increases the chance of a full recovery.

I am having some chest pain… but I will just drive myself in to the emergency department.

When the call is made, an emergency medical dispatcher will provide pre-arrival instructions until the first

responders arrive and gather information and symptoms. Paramedics and emergency medical technicians (EMTs)

are also trained with lifesaving techniques they can use if needed.

According to the American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association, 50 percent of people drive

themselves to the hospital when heart attack and stroke symptoms are present. Nationally and locally, the average

time from arrival to treatment is significantly reduced by calling an ambulance.

Once first responders assess the patient, they contact the hospital emergency department informing them of a

possible heart attack or stroke patient. While en route to the hospital, paramedics alert medical staff to begin

preparation for arrival, thus saving time.

The hospital will arrange medical equipment, specific treatment rooms or labs, and ensure that specialists and staff

are brought together. If someone drives on their own, the hospital has no prior information on the patient, unlike

arriving by ambulance.

Hospital staff will then need to assess the patient and determine if a heart attack or stroke is present, before

treatment can begin, causing further delay. Another danger of driving yourself: you place yourself and others at risk

if you were to lose consciousness.

Source: www.osfstjoseph.org/911/

Thank You for Wearing a Helmet!

Paramedics and EMTs from F-M Ambulance

Service spent the summer handing out coupons

for ice cream to kids who were wearing their

helmets! Thank you to all of the kids that

received one of these coupons, and thank you to

Culver’s for teaming up with us once again to

help promote safety in our community!

Over 100 ice cream coupons were handed out

this summer as part of the F-M Ambulance

Service / Culver’s initiative. Bike helmets can

reduce the risk of brain injury or death by up to

85%, yet only about 45% of all children nationally

wear a helmet when they ride a bike or scooter.

We hope that you have enjoyed this edition of “Vital Signs”, a quarterly newsletter distributed by F-M Ambulance. An electronic edition of Vital Signs can be found on our website, www.fmambulance.com. If you have any ideas, questions, or comments about “Vital Signs”, please contact Kristi at (701) 364-1759, or kristi.engelstad@fmambulance.com.

SHEMSE Update NAEMSE

Kyle Janssen, Laurie Hill and Ron Lawler attended the 20th

annual National Association of EMS Educators (NAEMSE)

Symposium in Nashville, TN. They participated in classes

about the latest educational technology, tips for classroom

management and research on the latest trends in education of

adults and EMS providers. Ron presented research about EMT

level testing at the poster and oral abstract sessions. This is the

third time he has presented research at this national

conference. Laurie presented last year. Our goal is to present

every year! Ron and Laurie are also member of NAEMSE

national committees.

NREMT

The National Registry of EMTs (NREMT) hosts item writing

workshops 12 times a year at their office in Columbus, OH.

These sessions bring in teams of 10 people who are working

EMS providers, educators, administrators, medical directors,

state regulators and subject matter experts to write questions

(items) for the NREMT computer adaptive tests. These tests

are used to certify that students are competent at the four levels

of providers. This summer, Kelly Wanzek and Ron Lawler both

attended separate workshops to provide and edit questions at

the Emergency Medical Responder level. Between the two

teams, nearly 600 items were added to the test banks. Ron

previously attended a workshop at the EMT level in 2011.

EMT and Medic classes

Sanford Health EMS Education (SHEMSE) is honored that 40

students have chosen to take our paramedic program starting

this fall. We have distance students from over 300 miles away

again this year. EMT classes have also started and have strong

participant numbers. The EMS program has made some

revisions over the last couple of years with improvements to

when the courses are offered and to online coursework. In

partnership with NDSCS, SHEMSE has now integrated all of

the initial courses. Starting with the EMT students and

continuing through the AEMT level, students can take courses

that will not only allow them to gain those certifications, but will

also count towards their paramedic certificate or AAS degree.

This eases the credit load at the paramedic level so those

students can concentrate on the advanced topics they need to

learn.