David S. Becker, 2008 Dec 5, David S. Becker

When I travel, I always have a book to read on the airplane. I usually have several that I've been waiting to start or finish on my next trip. Having grown up close to his boyhood home of Hannibal, Mo.,...

David S. Becker, 2008 Oct 6, David S. Becker

On the eve of the presidential debates and the upcoming election, I thought I would take a few moments to discuss workplace politics and the results of playing politics with your employees. Some organizations...

David S. Becker, 2008 Aug 13, David S. Becker

"EMS manager, you have a call on line one," says the operator. "It's the local paramedic training program asking again about having their students do their clinical rotations with our service." If this...

David S. Becker, 2008 Jun 6, David S. Becker

A backdraft occurs when a fire becomes starved of oxygen. Combustion ceases, while the fuel, gases and smoke in the closed area remain at a high temperature. If oxygen is reintroduced into the area, such...

David S. Becker, 2008 Apr 4, David S. Becker

Those of us in EMS are professionals who train to provide our patients with the best prehospital care. But to be looked at as professionals, we need to use professional terms for our equipment, including...

David S. Becker, 2008 Feb 1, David S. Becker

In just about one year this country will elect a new president. An event most Americans take for granted, this involves not only the passing of the torch from one president to the next but also an overall...

David S. Becker, 2007 Nov 24, David S. Becker

Back in the mid- to late- 1960’s, the television show "Star Trek" portrayed the futuristic lives of starship crew on a mission to explore for new life forms. On almost every show the crew, while cruising...

David S. Becker, 2007 Oct 3, David S. Becker

I recently came across some old pictures from one of the first ambulance services I started working for as a paramedic. I showed them to some people I used to work with, and we had a great proverbial walk...

David S. Becker, 2007 Aug 3, David S. Becker

When was the last time you held a training session with your supervisors and employees on moral ambiguity? Ask the average worker in your EMS organization to discuss their approach to moral ambiguity...

David S. Becker, 2007 Jun 14, David S. Becker

As the EMS managers and administrators running ambulance services today begin to retire, does your agency have the procedures in place to find and replace them? Perhaps your agency has had to remove someone...