Paramedic Chiefs of Canada – COVID-19 Webinar – A National Conversation: Part 7 – COVID-19 Procedure Manual Review – May 14th | Recording and Handouts

In this installment, we had a follow-up discussion with Deputy Chief Shaughn Maxwell on the editable COVID-19 Procedure Manual used by South County Fire in Snohomish County, Washington. In our previous session on April 30^th, Dr. Richard Campbell covered their approach to PPE Conservation, and gave a quick overview of their entire manual which received input from NASA and other experts on various subjects, including Human Factors, to enhance adoption and usability. The manual was very popular among webinar attendees, and by popular demand, representatives from Snohomish County, Washington shared more information about the manual, it’s evolution, and ways other organizations can benefit from their efforts. FirstWatch is helping by hosting the latest versions of their COVID-19 Procedure Manual, their N95 Decontamination Guide, and supporting documents at firstwatch.net/hi/snoco for both Snohomish County providers, and for use as-is by other agencies.

This was a continuation of our reoccurring COVID-19 Webinars, “A National Conversation” where we gather brief “snapshots” of current provincial and/or national states on a variety of pressing topics related to COVID-19. This conversation was in the tradition originally started with a conference call among Canadian Paramedic and EMS Leaders sharing information during SARS. This highly successful collaboration of information and best practices sharing approach was continued, with help from FirstWatch, during the H1N1 and Ebola outbreaks. This session was led by Paramedic Chiefs of Canada facilitators.

During the webinar, toward the start of his presentation, Chief Maxwell shared several “Quick Lessons Learned”. We have created a bullet list from his discussion of them from 22:53 to 29:33 during the webinar.

Quick Lessons Learned

• Protect the Workforce and Station
  • For example, decontaminating outside
• Activate your network
  • started with their regional opiate task force
• Assign special positions
  • Infection Control Officer
  • Logistics position for PPE
  • Science Officer to sort through the deluge of information
  • Documentation person
• Leadership will need to make hard decisions early and stand their ground
  • Required high level of PPE despite some protests, with no infections yet
• All of their “gotcha” patients we NOT COVID calls, but regular calls and patients
  • Falls, lift assists, etc. who turned out later to be COVID-19 positive
• Set expectations early
  • including that there will be lots of rapid changes

Links:

View the Full Recording

View/Download PDF of the slides

CDC Health Alert Network (HAN) Advisory on 5/14/20: Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) Associated with COVID-19

Click here for the most recent version of the South County Fire COVID-19 Procedure Manual and the N95 Mask Decontamination Guide

FirstWatch Health Intelligence

Next COVID-19 Webinar – A National Conversation: Part 8 – Thursday, May 28th

Speakers:

Facilitator: Kyle Sereda
Webinar Facilitation and FirstWatch SitRep: Todd Stout

Advisors:
– Silvia Verdugo, MD, MPH, Medical Director – FirstWatch
– Pam Farber, RN, EMT-P, Public Health Advisor – FirstWatch

Guest Speaker:
– Shaughn Maxwell, Deputy Chief South Snohomish County Fire and Rescue, Everett, Washington

The International Academies of Emergency Dispatch (IAED) are our partners in these COVID-19 webinars.

For further information visit www.paramedicchiefs.ca

Webinar Date: May 14, 2020 | Recording Available