Steven Velásquez - Granting "Sirenity"

by Steven P. Velasquez, NREMTP Of all the courses I teach, I am probably most proud of teaching The Difficult Airway Course; EMS TM. (DAC). There are many reasons for this sense of pride, not the least of which is how a student can immediately put these assessment techniques to work, immediately begin practicing airway management more safely and based upon best evidence, can begin driving better outcomes for patients. Mark Bober NREMTP, Difficult Airway Course; EMS Instructor and Clinical Manager - JFK EMS   Less than a week ago, our team took the DAC to J.F.K. Medical Center's EMS Department in Edison, N.J. The audience included everything from the newest paramedics in search of good information (and perhaps a couple of CEU's) to seasoned practitioners, flight paramedics and critical care transport nurses. I personally have a near panic attack every time I get in front of a group of people and this group particularly because I directly work with many of...

Steven P. Velasquez, NREMTP    A tired paramedic completed his night shift and greeted the beautiful summer morning with a smile -- and strong coffee. His unit was close to the home of his seven year-old daughter who lives with her mommy. He called the mother to see if they were busy. If not, perhaps he could spend the day with his munchkin. She agreed and they chose a venue somewhere between their locations, a diner with a retro 50's theme and customers to match. The place was busy, jammed, filled with what looked like a casting call for Ron Howards' 1985 movie " Cocoon ." Walking through the door, a delicate ear could hear a gentle and homogenous hum, an alliance of sound, a mix of atherosclerosis and Elvis filling the air (and apparently rendering the tired paramedic invisible).     Tired as he was, and eager to read the book under his left arm, he moved to the rear of the diner and aimed his large body...

by Steven P. Velasquez August 13, 2014 Little B and I visited my parents today. My mother uses me for two things usually, to create and transport grandchildren to her home, and to fix all the technical issues in said home. Today I had to re-direct her Facebook account to her new email address and connect a DVD player to her new HD TV. Her fascination with her oldest son faded many years ago and has transformed to a relationship of utility. Abuela, a septuagenarian from Puerto Rico, sat in her rocker, gently rocking to and fro, while Little B watched " Mama Mia " on the newly connected DVD player. The afternoon air filled with conversation about current events, a custom born of retirements' boredom. The sadness of the passing of actor Robin Williams dominated the conversation and was only temporarily sidelined to allow for discussion of yesterday's passing of actress, Lauren Bacall . Robin Williams as Dr. Hunter "Patch" Adams Abuela asked me if I h...

  by Steven Velasquez     This morning, New Jersey's Police, Fire and EMS agencies were called into respectful action for the third time in as many weeks, to bring another young, deceased, member of service home.   Flight Paramedic Rebecca Serkey's remains arrived at JFK International Airport early this morning to make her final journey home, following a fatal MEDEVAC helicopter crash July 17, 2014 near Newkirk, New Mexico.   Rebecca (29) was a NJ Mobile Intensive Care Paramedic with Holy Name Hospital MICU in Teaneck and University Hospital EMS  in Newark before following her dream and moving to New Mexico, to work with TriState CareFlight.  Rebecca had also worked as an EMT for Holy Name Hospital, Teaneck, Ridgefield Ambulance Corps. and others.   Today she was brought home surrounded by those who loved, worked with and respected her. Numerous EMS agencies including: Montclair Ridgefield Teaneck...

by Steven P. Velasquez June 14, 2014 My family, over the recent past, has been encountering (sometimes enduring) what seems to be an unprecedented amount of change, of transitions . From anticipated change like the long-awaited arrival of Spring, to special occasions that no matter how well documented, highlighted or punctuated they are on one's calendar, always feel like a surprise! Nazareth Area H.S. Class of 2014 A few weeks ago, we finally began to encounter temps over 50 degrees Fahrenheit. The days are longer and one's warm-weather wardrobe re-emerges from storage boxes beneath their beds. This week, my first born daughter Nicolette , graduated high school (so proud). Next week, she will blow out 18 candles, be eligible to vote, to serve in the military, to make her own decisions (I pray she makes good ones). A month from today, she'll leave her mother's nest, spread her wings and begin attending Liberty University in Virginia , about half-way between...

May 1, 2014 by Steven P. Velasquez, MICP Credit: www.nycareaweather.com A soaking rainfall introduced us to the month of May this year. Most of New Jersey got between 5 to 5 1/2" of rainfall over twenty-four hours. The normally miserable morning commute worsened exponentially as roads were impassible, routines were disrupted and tempers flared. My commute from the Keyport area of Monmouth County to Newark was one of them, but this guy ain't complaining, as my detours drove me into a chance meeting with a real-life " Ambulance Driver ." I abandoned the Garden State Parkway in search of perhaps longer, but at least moving, roadways. I traveled into Union County, past one of their submerged county parks, entered Kenilworth and out of sheer frustration, planted myself in a booth by a window to study Tranexamic Acid , eat some grub and spectate while my commuter cohorts sat paralyzed in their coffins trying to reach their daily grind. The Kenilworth Diner w...

by Steven P. Velasquez March 3, 2014 This past weekend, my daughter's mother gave us a complimentary pair of tickets to a NJ Devil's hockey game. I'm sure I don't need to embarrass myself by offering gruesome details of financially difficult times, we all have them, some worse than others. Anyhow, for a family that tries to make small things count, since small things are often all they've got, Little B and I tried to make the best of it - on a budget. So, instead of the overpriced foods of the arena, we were going to pack stuff from home and have us a Newark-style picnic. We prepared cold cut sandwiches on Portuguese rolls, wrapped them in foil and headed to the Pru (the Prudential Center Arena ). She was bouncing with enthusiasm as she has blossomed into a devout Devil's fan, and she was spending quality time with her favorite father. When we arrived in Newark and found parking. We walked to the Pru at a rapid pace (it was really cold and my head was ch...

by Steven P. Velasquez Feb 13, 2014 Originally outlined (but not finished) in January 2011, I never actually put the finishing touches on this little gem. Today I'm sitting, quietly composing its' final draft, in the Yellow Rose Diner in Keyport, NJ, as we get clobbered with yet another of the endless snowstorms of 2014. I reached back into my archives and thought you might appreciate another of the Medic of La Mancha's not-so heroic tales. A decade has passed since I last heard so many friends and co-workers speak with such granular detail about somewhere they were, something they saw -- or something they endured.   Two 110-story office towers had collapsed in lower Manhattan after being struck by fuel laden jet-liners in a terrorist attack.  Another plane flew directly into the Pentagon and a fourth dove into a field in Shanksville, PA after a valiant struggle between unarmed passengers and the blood-thirsty animals aboard. America, and freedom-loving people eve...

by Steven P. Velasquez January, 16, 2014 We responded for a report of an unconscious person and when we arrived, were updated this would be for a pronouncement of death. Pretty routine event, and with (it would appear) greater frequency during the holiday season. " Meah " we shrugged, " at least this will be an easy chart " and bring us about a half-hour closer to shift change. He laid in bed upright in the cold, dimly lit room. Without getting into grizzly detail, it was a safe assumption his passing was recent by his presentation. Unlike so many other DOA's we respond to, his home was impeccably clean, disturbingly clean even. I poked around looking for anything we could include in our patient care report like his medications etc... A police officer was at my side when we opened his cabinets (sometimes this requires more bravery than one might imagine). The sight in the cabinets now punctuated the pristine apartment we were scouring through. Like...