Mark R. Halladay Emergency Services

Happy Easter everyone! Thanks for the tremendous amount of kindness that you give me every time we meet. I hope you have a great Easter Sunday!

Just booked my first course for 2027.

Helping People Help People!

Once in a while I donate my time to help out an organization with their required training. This past weekend I was happy to teach first aid to the Trail Wardens of the Frontenac ATV Club. As well, Club members were offered a free CPR course the next day. Extra people with training on the trails makes the rides a bit safer....and I got to make a few more friends for the rides! :)

Recently I taught a class that tried to bribe me into not having them write the final exam. When I came back to the classroom from a break they had spruced up a manikin and had taped a $20 bill to it. What do you think I did? Should I have accepted the bribe or should I have given them a more challenging celebration of knowledge?

Just finished teaching a First Responder course in North Frontenac. As always it was a great course. The participants handled the final scenario like pros.
Scenario: 2 people on a motorcycle that crashed. They landed one on top of the other. Bottom patient fatally injured. Top patient had a spinal
Injury, chest injury with an open wound, fractured femur and fractured ankle. Lethargic with an Sp02 of 87.
Treatment: C-spine control, helmet removal, chest stabilization, leg and ankle splinting, Sp02, vital signs monitoring, oxygen, and finally immobilization on a backboard ready for air ambulance evacuation.
End result: a very happy instructor!

Pelvic Injury!

We all know the need for good upper body immobilization with a suspected head, neck or spinal injury. But with a renewed focus on pelvic injuries we need to be intentional in securing the pelvis appropriately. Even if we have pelvic binders, we need to ensure cross strapping at the hips, padding between the legs and securing the legs together in multiple places and then to the fracture board. When required we need to pay special attention to “whole body” immobilization not just the upper body.

How could a message like this not make your day! Received this from a group I taught last week. :)

"Thank you as well for making the training session so much fun!

I’m sure I speak for all that we really enjoyed having you as our instructor.

Your energy and sense of humor made the learning experience engaging and memorable for sure.

We really appreciate your genuine passion for what you do.

Thanks again for everything!"

Safety First!

I have been doing the annual medical training at Ontario Power Generation in Bath this week. CPR, AED, pocket masks, bag valve masks, tourniquets, pulse oximetry, blood pressure, oxygen, suction, naloxone, collars and oral airways. But the icing on the cake was the new safety requirements even for my manikins. I think I was being duped for this requirement. Thoughts? 🤔

Firefighters taking care of firefighters!For the past 4 weekends I have been completing medical training with South Frontenac Fire & Rescue. There are no amenities close by where people can purchase lunch. But not to worry, the firefighters have it figured out. One of the firefighters recently acquired a new to him chip truck. With the help of other senior firefighters this chip truck arrived just before lunch every Saturday and Sunday and provided fries, pogos and poutine for the firefighters taking the course. No charge but donations accepted. Unfortunately the food was so good that bellies were full and eyes were heavy for the start of the afternoon sessions. 😉 There are rumours that the truck may get a sprinkling of red paint and a name. Want to help? Drop a suggestion to name the truck in the comments below. Cheers!

How do we provide the best patient care possible?

The biggies are Teamwork, Communication & Leadership.

Then we have designated roles, mutual respect, training, skills practice, listening, documentation….

It doesn’t just happen. Dedication and commitment are key traits of healthcare workers. Thanks everyone for doing what you do!

Let me introduce you to “Rodney” my pointer. As the use of data projectors in the classroom is being replaced with large screen tv’s, laser pointers are not useful anymore. Instead, let’s bring back the ol pointer. Rodney actually extends to 12 feet which usually creates some conversation. 😁 Rodney’s original use is actually a hand held flag pole used for marching in parades. However in my world Rodney will remain one of my best classroom assets. 👏