Paramedics / Dispatchers / Medical Professionals

Training for Paramedics, Dispatchers & Medical Professionals

While most injuries to paramedics and EMTs are related to overexertion and falls, nearly 10% are transportation-related, and a significant number involve assaults, reports the Department of Labor (DOL) Bureau of Labor Statistics in one study. During the study period, of the 59 fatalities that occurred among these first responders in both private industry and the public sector, 86% were transportation-related and 8% were assaults.

In light of these dangers, 2 The Rescue has created courses designed to increase the safety and enhance the on-the-job effectiveness of paramedics and EMTs. Exceeding the standards of classes that were previously available to Michigan’s emergency medical services personnel, these courses are approved for State of Michigan EMS Continuing Education credits and Michigan State 911 Committee Dispatcher Training Funds.

“Zero to 60: Career Survival and Emotional Wellness”

Through boots on the ground experiences, 2 The Rescue provides first responders a clear picture of why their profession can lead to destructive habits and unhealthy lifestyles. We will demonstrate how the inability to manage the cumulative stress from daily exposures to adrenaline and trauma can negatively affect the responder’s safety, decision-making and ability to remain ethically solid.

After attending our Career Survival and Emotional Wellness course, your first responders, their loved ones and work family will be armed with tools to manage their everyday stressors. We will help them recognize the warning signs for chronic and post-traumatic stress and suicidal behavior. All will leave with realistic, simple and successful methods to help rescue the rescuers! Topics addressed include:

  • Understanding The Lifestyle Change
  • Recognizing the heavy toll
  • Assessing the disturbing facts
  • Acknowledging career realities
  • The 3 types of stress
  • Cultural mindset of the responders
  • The good, bad and ugly of adrenaline
  • Controlling the adrenaline roller coaster
  • Differentiating core values vs. situational values
  • Staying ethically sound
  • Recognizing personal destructive behavior

  • Identifying normal vs. abnormal behaviors
  • Building a healthy resilience
  • Identifying physical, emotional and behavioral warning signs
  • Recognizing the symptoms of post-traumatic stress
  • Becoming aware of suicidal tendencies
  • Providing lifestyle management tips
  • Learning the 4 Cs of Survival
  • Support keys and phrases
  • Knowing crisis referral options
  • And more

“Loss of Control: Suicide, PTS & High Risk Behavior Education”

This frontline experience-based wellness training is designed for first responders, their loved ones, organizational leaders and peer support team members and will address suicide, post traumatic stresses, secondary trauma and accumulative career exposures. Whether you have been in this field 3 weeks or 30 years you will be given life changing tools to be safe, successful and healthy in your career, personal life and into retirement. You will be armed to be a more knowledgeable and effective peer for your partners.

Attendees will learn why the suicide rates are so high within first responders cultures and what must change! You will understand what post traumatic stressors are and be able to recognize high risk lifestyle behaviors so to make personal changes or intervene before it is to late. Topics addressed include:

  • The Terrible Ten!
  • Trauma exposure survival keys
  • Personal and departmental accountability
  • Are you a high risk responder?
  • High risk behaviors and destructive warning signs
  • High risk years of service
  • Suicide & PTS signs, symptoms and intervention options
  • How to survive accumulative and post traumatic stress
  • Cumulative and secondary stress responses
  • Mastering the adrenaline rush
  • Support systems
  • The ins, outs and workings of a critical incident
  • The importance of communication
  • Peer support role (formal and informal)

“Peer Support Team: Bringing Your Team To The Next Level!”

Whether you call it a Cop to Cop Responder team or CISM Team, you may be wondering how to bring them to the next level of care for your personnel and their families. This course will help you develop and maintain a successful team, show you how to educate your organization from the top down to the front lines and teach ways to gain the support of your risk management and union leadership. Peer Support Teams is designed as an open discussion format. Two the Rescue will lead the dialogue on a range of training topics, encouraging course participants to raise specific questions on what is and is not working in sustaining their peer support team. Topics include:

  • History of First Responder Peer Support
  • Basic training needs and support
  • Advanced training needs
  • Education for the leadership
  • How to educate the new recruits
  • Problem Recognition
  • Policy, Procedures & SOP’s
  • State Laws – privacy of peer to peer conversations
  • What is a CISM Debriefing vs. Defusing?
  • When is it time for the One-on-Ones?
  • Mindset of an organization and its personnel

  • Building awareness and trust: How to make your team visible
  • WHO is on this team and how to keep them active
  • Networking and Mutual Aid when it comes to use of another Peer Support Team
  • Where does CISM fall when dealing with First Responders family members
  • Death Notifications
  • Dealing with the Line of Duty Death or Suicide of a colleague
  • References, Resources and Support


“Situational Awareness and Threat Assessment”

Conflict occurs when the beliefs or actions of one or more members of a group are resisted by others. Of course, the violence that can result from such conflict is a concern for any business or organization.

Given the potential for workplace violence, you will benefit from 2 The Rescues course on Personal Conflict Assessment, Situational Awareness and De-Escalation Techniques. Comprehensive in its approach, it explores proven techniques of awareness and recognition. They emphasize de-escalation, avoidance over confrontation, and how to respond. Topics covered include:

  • Developing a mindset for success
  • Differentiating conflict vs. crisis mentality
  • Understanding why we fail
  • Knowing the 3 Principles of Personal Safety
  • Learning verbal control principles
  • Enhancing conflict management skills
  • Knowing the importance of active listening
  • Practicing de-escalation techniques
  • Identifying verbal violence warning signs
  • Discerning non-verbal pre-attack indicators
  • Understanding survival response options

  • Spotting handgun carry indicators
  • Practicing safe-escorting techniques
  • Addressing environmental concerns
  • Avoiding and warding off dog attacks
  • Recognizing radical group warning signs
  • Learning marijuana grow regulations
  • Detecting illegal drugs and paraphernalia
  • Identifying bombs and incendiary devices
  • Providing layers of security
  • And more


“Emergency Response Liability & Advanced Driving Strategies”

This advanced drivers training program from 2 The Rescue adheres to your organizations practices as it meets or exceeds legal statutes of the State of Michigan and recommendations by VFIS. The courses training methods are designed to change your vehicle operator attitudes and modify driving behaviors in non-emergency and emergency operations to help ensure safe, legal and efficient responses in all situations.

“Active Assailant Preparedness & Response”

No one can realistically expect to eliminate the potential for workplace violence. These events continue to occur with increasing regularity and severity. However, with training to recognize the indicators and preparation to react appropriately, any company or organization can minimize the devastation from these tragedies.

Comprehensive in its approach, the Active Shooter and Assailant Preparedness course from 2 The Rescue covers topics including:

  • Assessing an assailants state of mind
  • Discussing FBI active shooter incidents
  • Recognizing preparatory indicators
  • Identifying pre-attack behaviors
  • Distinguishing handgun indicators
  • Developing a survival mindset
  • Minimizing the devastation after an occurrence

  • Knowing: Recognition + reaction = survival
  • Practicing run-hide-fight
  • Learning What’s Important Now (W.I.N.)
  • Enacting 911 communication protocols
  • Designating safe rooms
  • Preparing emergency kits
  • And more

“Scene Safety & Traffic Control”

A combination of classroom learnings and hands-on training, this 2 The Rescue course helps first-responders learn the legal requirements for scene control according to the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), OSHA and DOT regulations and how to protect themselves and their patients while on scene.

Testimonials

“Great insight into why my personal life is a mess. It showed that I haven’t taken care of myself, my family or my life. An eye opener on how and why my divorce after 28 years went downhill.” RN Charge Nurse Labor & Delivery

“AMAZING! I never knew there was talk/organizations for things like this. I’ve been dealing with some hard things lately and this program has helped me look at things a bit different.” Patient Care Assistant

“Best class of the whole week!” Dispatcher/ Attendee at 2019 Michigan Public Safety Telecommunications Conference 

“Should be a requirement for all dispatch hires!” Attendee at 2019 Michigan Public Safety Telecommunications Conference 

“Brings awareness to emotional baggage we carry.” Dispatcher/ Attendee at 2019 Michigan Public Safety Telecommunications Conference 

“I can not tell you how much this touched my heart.” Dispatcher/ Attendee at 2019 Michigan Public Safety Telecommunications Conference 

“Great job addressing the audience. Thank you for supporting 9-1-1!” Attendee at 2019 Michigan Public Safety Telecommunications Conference 

“Both instructors were engaging and personable, life changing for me!” Dispatcher/ Attendee at 2019 Michigan Public Safety Telecommunications Conference 

“Phenomenal class/session!” Attendee at 2019 Michigan Public Safety Telecommunications Conference

“Amazing session, extremely informative!” Dispatcher/ Attendee at 2019 Michigan Public Safety Telecommunications Conference 

“Brings to light a lot of what we try to bury and promotes healthy habits. Thanks!” Attendee at 2019 Michigan Public Safety Telecommunications Conference 

“Excellent presentation, thanks for being so open and honest!” Dispatcher/ Attendee at 2019 Michigan Public Safety Telecommunications Conference

“I just wanted to send you another thank you in regards to the seminar/class you lead at Life EMS a few weeks ago. I was able to put into practice what you guys taught us just this past weekend, and I’m amazed once again at how effective this information is. Long story short, my partner and I had a suspicious circumstances cardiac arrest that ended up being a dead on scene. This was my partner’s first time she had to tell someone that their loved one was dead, and I could tell the call was bothering her. I used the information you guys passed on to try and help her process this call, and the next day at the beginning of shift she flat out told me, “This call is still bothering me.” We had a discussion in the back of the rig, and by the end of it I could tell she had some closure with it. But honestly, I borrowed and hodge-podged what you taught me as best as I could. My partner has become a good friend of mine, and that I could help her in some small measure was awesome. So again, thank you. Thank you so much for what you are doing. We really need more of you and more classes and more people who are learning this. I mean, you guys have seriously changed how I’m looking at this crazy career I’m in.” Paramedic, Kent County, MI

“Excellent class! This material needs to be presented to every firefighter/EMT/law enforcement professional entering the job. It is great training for people who have been on the job for a while too. It explains a lot on how calls take a toll on our emotional state. It really brought to light why some of us feel the way we do and act the way we do when we go home and how it can be destructive on ourselves and marriages. This is a great class to bring your spouses parents and older children to so they can understand what you deal with and how to deal with that as well. This job takes a toll on your emotions no matter how tough you think you are or no matter how long you been on the job building up that wall of emotion to block out what we  have seen. Everybody handles what we see differently, and it affects everyone differently. Long or short term. This class will also be good for you to recognize signs your partners might be having trouble, and how to help them before things get much worse. If you get a chance to do this class do not pass it up!” 18 year Firefighter Paramedic, Unknown Location

“As both a fire wife and a full time paramedic this class was outstanding. Sometimes filling both shoes is tough, this definitely helped remind me what was important.” Unknown Paramedic, Oakland County, MI

“I had the pleasure of sitting in on this class this morning. Many tears were shed and ANYONE would benefit from this class!! These 2 home town heroes are bringing light to the fact that Emotional Wellness is just as important as your job skill set. In this case; our 1st responders have a HUGE % of divorce rate, alcoholism and sadly to say suicides (more so than the civilian population). Definitely PTSD in many cases. There’s good calls and bad calls. Our brains are wired to remember the bad before the good. How do you cope? Personally AND as a family?? These guys are presenting info (from the field), increasing awareness in hopes to modify behavior and change the attitude of civilian and public safety community!! Hat’s off to you Terry & Mike  thank you for sharing your stories with us today.” Stacy Allman Blair Township Fire and EMS Spouse, Grawn, MI

“Thank you for sharing your story with our first responders. This has been of of the most informative trainings I have been part of in a long time. I wish my wife could have attended, as she is also a first responder, but she was dealing our other kids activities. Again, thank you so much for what you have presented to our family.” Chris Belanger, Kimball Township Firefighter/EMT-B/Emergency Medical Dispatcher, Kimball, MI

“Thank you guys for reaching out. This is one of the best classes I have attended. It certainly is very eye opening.” Todd Hurley, Battalion Chief Clay Fire Territory, 

“You did our class at Selfridge ANGB. Loved your message, revitalizes the soul that we aren’t really crazy!” Fire Chief Christopher Ross, United States Air Force, Macomb County, MI

“I attended your workshop last night and I didn’t get a chance to thank you for sharing your vulnerability with us. It provided an extra component to the training that is invaluable. I came as a support person for my husband. I am not a first responder. I have been a medical oncology nurse and a sexual assault nurse examiner for 11 years & just recently within the past year started staffing the child abuse clinic at Bronson. My exposure to trauma is different than that of EMS, Law Enforcement, Firefighter. Even so, I have noticed some of the coping mechanisms and personality traits that you discussed surface throughout my own career. Your tips and tricks for relationship strengthening for those unable to make decisions and those drained of emotion are spot on. I found it VERY helpful my personal use and for application when being a supportive wife. Thanks again. Keep up the Good Work!” Sherri Khillah, Nurse and Responder Wife, Kalamazoo, MI

“Fabulous Class! Very interactive and engaging! Can tell they really do care about dispatchers.” Anonymous Dispatcher, Michigan NENA 9-1-1 Conference

“Very personable and relatable. Their personal stories and experiences made the class very memorable and brought their points home. I would go to any class put on by these two. Thank you!” Anonymous Dispatcher, Michigan NENA 9-1-1 Conference

“Very good class and presenters. Great examples and life experiences!” Anonymous Dispatcher, Michigan NENA 9-1-1 Conference

“Awesome class! My administration should have been sitting here.” Anonymous Dispatcher, Michigan NENA 9-1-1 Conference

“Excellent Class and would be a great keynote speaker.” Anonymous Dispatcher, Michigan NENA 9-1-1 Conference

“Higher speeds showed dynamic handling of heavy fire apparatus.Training Coordinator Laitila, Thornapple Township EMS, Middleville, MI

“Very informative! As a supervisor of an ambulance company it helped me with the placement of my rigs for crew safety.” Field Supervisor Convey, Pro-Med Ambulance, Muskegon, MI

“3rd class with you guys and learn something new every time.” Lieutenant Ogren, North Muskegon Fire Department / Pro-med Ambulance, Muskegon, MI