Steve Fuston

K9🐕‍🦺🐾 — Medical 🏥 Training With K9 MEDIC K9 Handlers, Are You… Wanting to provide the best emergency field care for your partner? Concerned that your medical training doesn’t address your real-world realities? Looking for strategies on how to better support your K9’s performance and safety at home and at work? EMS/TEMS Providers, Are You… Tasked with supporting K9s, but unsure how to convert your skills? Looking for ways to increase your scope of practice with advanced techniques and a whole new species? Concerned that your veterinary training is clinic-based, and doesn’t address the realities of your prehospital/tactical environments? In need of a few more CE credits for that upcoming renewal? The program includes handling K9 emergencies in both conventional and tactical environments, so you’ll be prepared to respond wherever and whenever you need to. Topics range from safe K9 handling and comprehensive assessments to treating the most common emergencies such as heat stroke and bloat/GDV, as well as tactical injuries such as gunshot wounds. Advanced Paramedicine skills include IO fluid admin and surgical airways. Skill Stations Skill stations focus on a particular field skill and ensure that each student has accurate muscle memory to ensure skillful delivery long after the class is complete. Primary interventions are repeated until students can do them, literally, blindfolded. Each station is designed to build on existing knowledge and translation of human medical skills to the canine anatomy. Assessment skills are on live dogs and go beyond basic vitals and teach students how to conduct ongoing observations and trending through typical work cycles to identify and prevent injuries and illness early in development. Handling includes basic carries and constraints and can include advanced handling such as harness lifts and extractions. Scenarios Solo and Team Scenarios then put these skillsets into the likely field environment and require the student to put together an entire treatment sequence, problem solving the situation as they go. Scenarios are based on the skillset, equipment and mission profile of each team. For example GSWs, IEDs or collapsed building compression injuries may be included depending on the mission profile. + Tactical This add-on curriculum component takes the skills learned in the above levels and puts them into the Tactical context following MMMARCHHH principles. K9 MEDIC® has been teaching this K9 TEMS component for two decades and stays current with the recent K9-TECC guidelines, as well as K99-TCCC guidelines. Hybrid Program for Different Scopes of Practice We’ve been working with handlers and medics for 15yrs and, with extensive experience and the review of many different integration methods, have created ways to make a mixed program level course very successful. When students register we will gather exist levels of human/veterinary medical skills.

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As a retired paramedic, firearm/self defense lawyer, and firearm instructor, among other things, I couldn't agree more with arming EMS providers. It's about time. A couple of thoughts for the armed EMS providers: 1. Consider getting self defense insurance. 2. Put a self defense lawyer on speed dial. 3. Train baby train. The Sig Sauer Academy in Epping, NH is world class. 4. Don't be stupid with a firearm. Check out https://lnkd.in/etiiRRCX. #thinkingdrivesbehavior Lastly, Don't be stupid with a firearm. This information and the firearm, will save your life.

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Nick Harrison RHIP is a leadership opportunity. You identify old school leadership. It was thousand times worse in my day. Officers felt elite and pushed Rank Has It's Privileges, until a small of them felt otherwise and made changes. They placed the Private in front of the chow line, they made sure they had care. They outlawed the swagger stick. In short, leadership stepped up, not 100%. Your narrative does highlight the fact that requires exposure so those officers stuck in the past needs to be held accountable on be the leader that places the subordinate in front of the line. Based on your experience, have you ever met a leader that places the subordinate in front of the line? Great post, we all MUST hold leadership accountable FULL STOP! Courage is the leadership opportunity.

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https://lnkd.in/e3eqvJbm This one is a tough one to write about. What if you were part of an organization that was not held accountable nor learned due to error? Without this error signal or feedback loop, there is no way you can be a high performing unit. In Naval aviation, there is always a legal (accountability) and a safety (lessons-learned) investigation with any aircraft mishap. This ensures any egregious wrongdoing is stopped and lessons-learned from error or material failure are spread to fellow warriors. In military medicine, the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act made possible claims (accountability) for service members that were wrongfully harmed due to medical malpractice. Prior to this, there was no legal recourse to force this feedback loop of improvement due to a legal precedent called the Feres Doctrine. SFC Richard Stayskal made possible this recourse through a legal act named after him. He was misdiagnosed which allowed his cancer to progress. His claim was denied by the Army and the Defense Health Agency. THAT'S RIGHT- THE MAN WHOSE NAME IS ON THE ACT WAS DENIED! The services are currently policing themselves and denying 98% of claims! I want to bring this environment to light because I am part of the 98%. My claim, despite having 2 medical experts state the standard of care was not met, was denied by both the Navy and the Defense Health Agency. As a retired O-6, I had plenty of resources to make a solid case. Most leaving the service are not as fortunate. I also had to force the major military healthcare facility where this error took place to do a safety investigation, months after I was assured by my healthcare provider that one would be done. Without these legal and safety feedback loops, military medicine will not improve and service members seeking care will pay the price for needless repeated mistakes. There is a Heroes Act, or HR 4334, to help correct this process by allowing 3rd party adjudicators to claims, but it is far from a done deal. Lesson-learned: If you are in the service and have a potential medical condition that you are uncomfortable about, please seek additional review outside of the military healthcare system. There is little accountability and the safety program is in doubt. You can ask your military healthcare providers that you'd like a referral to a civilian physician. In aviation terms, it's always good to get "dual-concurrence" on any critical item...like a diagnosis. Medical error is the #3 killer in the United States today behind heart disease and cancer. Make sure you are the pilot for your health...and not a passenger!

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This is probably one of the most comprehensive, and accurate, takes on the mental health issues impacting EMS Providers I have ever seen. It behooves EMS leaders and decision-makers to examine the various issues that Dave has mentioned and ask how we can better address them. Kudos David Fifer, MS, NRP, WP-C, FAWM #mentalhealth #EMS

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𝟮 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗴𝗼 𝗜 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝗮 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗲𝗽𝘂𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝘀𝗸 𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗱𝗱𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗜 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝘀𝗸𝗲𝗱. While teaching an officer safety course 2 years ago, I had a young deputy ask me the saddest question I had ever been asked. He was a young go-getter and he came up to me on the break and asked, “Sir, in your opinion, is proactive policing over?” He said that given all of the anti-police rhetoric and subsequent kowtowing from some police leaders, he felt that doing assertive police work might put himself in career/legal jeopardy. But, he said, doing proactive police work and stopping criminals before they commit crime was the whole reason he wanted to be a cop in the first place. The best answer I could come up with was that proactive police work is vital to our society and to protect himself he just needed to go about it smartly. To do so he would need to be well versed in the law and be a great decision maker, knowing when to engage and when to wait for more resources. Not sure if that was a good answer or not but hopefully it helped steer him in the right direction. Check out Erik Lavigne's post asking whether or not proactive policing is back and be sure to give Erick your feedback. #police #policetraining #lawenforcement #lawenforcementtraining

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The greatest tragedy in a brief round of teen dabbler satanic activity when I was a juvenile investigator in the late 1980s was homeowners’ ignorance about their insurance policies. Plano Police Department had a rash of crimes involving high school “teen dabblers” in satanism. Mostly, their crimes were petty vandalism. But the crimes that hurt people the most occurred in vacant homes listed for sale. We had a series of burglaries and major vandalism cases in those homes. A group of kids would break in and conduct their “rituals.” They would spray paint profanity, the symbol for Anarchy, an inverted pentagram, and “666” around the walls in the house. They would break every piece of glass inside the house – mirrors, light bulbs, glass tabletops, etc. And they would urinate and defecate in multiple places on furniture or the carpet and smear it on the walls. The homeowner or a realtor would report the crime several days after it had happened, but pinpointing the specific night was usually difficult. Damage typically ran well over $10,000. Most of these homes were on the market because the homeowner had moved to a newer, larger home prior to the vandalism. After moving out, they had cleaned, repainted, and staged the older home for sale. By the time the house was ready to show to prospective buyers, it had already been vacant for a month or more. What the homeowners didn’t realize is that a typical homeowner's insurance policy needs to be modified after the owner moves out. A policy on an occupied property ceases to be in effect after the house becomes vacant. Most of these families were already cash-strapped by that point. They had made a down payment on the new house and paid to fix up the old house for sale. But by failing to update the insurance policy, they had allowed coverage to lapse. After a teen dabbler vandalism such as described above, they now had to come up with another $10,000 or more cash to repair the damage to put the house back on the market. I saw husbands and wives break down in anguish and desperation when they could not scrape up the money for repairs, shocked that their insurance company declined to pay due to lapsed coverage. If only they had known to modify the policy once they moved out, the extra expenses could have been mitigated. We seldom caught the kids who did the damage. We would get a plethora of fingerprints and other evidence, but rarely developed suspects. On the rare occasions when we did, they were usually first offenders and got probation. It then became a civil matter for the victim homeowner to recover damages from the kids’ parents. I presented at the 1988 IAI conference in Sacramento and wrote a paper for the Journal of Forensic Identification on processing those scenes, but by the early 1990s the fad seemed to have faded out. I’ve often wondered about the families whose homes and finances were ruined by the senseless acts of those kids. And the kids themselves - did they ever grow out of it?

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..:this should be mandated nationally in all 50 states including third world california..:after legalization of high potency weed, DV has become more epidemic everywhere high potency crap has been legalized

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Our last Firearms Training Day I ran a combat course of fire, solo officer, multiple officer and staggered officer response (In that order). The desired outcome of the total course was to see them fighting to cover, proper utilization of cover, shooting and moving, moving and shooting (difference between the two), bounding and communication. The load out was their duty carry of 2 rifle magazines to accomplish the task. The officers were given a starting point, a goal to achieve and an ending point with targets strategically placed for safety. In trying to keep self organization in mind, they were given limited information but enough to understand the task and general range safety. Constraints were added to include the following: 1) prior targets back in play when moving to new positions of cover that must be addressed again, 2) the staggered officer response, 3) having to shoot from the 100yd line standing only when in solo response, but this constraint not given in multiple officer or staggered officer response (interesting reappearance in multiple officer response, without the constraint, when I was told they would never ever shoot that way in real life at that distance with that cover), 3) on the staggered response, when they are attempting to communicate from across the range, turning a siren on without them knowing and keeping it on throughout. We saw officers thinking through round count and some burning up all their rounds and having to figure out how to finish the task (handing off your extra magazine isn't always the answer especially when you are low or is it?). We saw officers work through communication dilemmas and the importance of acknowledgement of communication to include hand signals. We saw officers systematically engage targets based on exposure while not over exposing to others. We also saw moments of problem solving, team work and leadership. We debriefed Socratically, allowing them to come up with answers to problem sets. There is more to come but baby steps for me in trying to implement and figure this out (safely of course when using live fire). Chris Butler Jeff Johnsgaard thoughts?

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Getting to make fake wounds for medical training is one of the cooler parts of my jobs #veteranshelpingveterans #transforminghealthcare #bestplacetowork #simulation #simtechlife #simulationspecialist

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🤬🤬🤬 Accountability ALERT 🤬🤬🤬 In life, I've learned that your success is 100% determined by your level of commitment...as well as your ability to be accountable for what you didn't achieve. Law Enforcement is one of the greatest industries this world has ever seen. For so many men and women it has been life changing...that includes me as well. That said, I've grown weary of people who have a negative experience because of their own doing. I'm speaking from personal experience when I say this "Your personal habits determine your success!" What I won't stand for is someone bad mouthing the industry when it was actually the person's inability to seek knowledge, deny comfort and evolve that lead to their failure. Get your copy of Dominate Your First Year As a Cop today and gain the focus you need in order to overcome the challenges of policing and become the best police officer you can be. https://www.hi-teaches.com

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**Virginia Fentanyl Billboard: Families Unite to Raise Awareness** **When:** July 13th at 10:00 AM **Where:** 200 W Grace Street, Richmond, VA (Right beside Richmond Police Department) Families who have lost loved ones to fentanyl will be sharing their stories in an effort to raise awareness and save the lives of other Virginia citizens. Virginia Fentanyl and Substance Awareness knew the importance of this Billboard and wanted something to honor our local Virginia Families who have lost their kids. VFSA collaborated with Rachel Angels, to make this billboard possible. Event Details: Virginia Fentanyl and Substance Awareness (VFSA) is hosting a significant event to unveil a new billboard aimed at raising awareness about the dangers of fentanyl. This event will feature heartfelt testimonials from local families who have tragically lost loved ones to fentanyl overdose. These families are coming together to share their stories, hoping to shed light on the devastating impact of fentanyl and to encourage preventative measures. Their brave testimonials aim to create a sense of urgency and awareness among Virginia citizens, highlighting the critical need for education and action to combat this epidemic. The new billboard, strategically placed beside the Richmond Police Department, serves as a powerful visual reminder of the ongoing crisis and the importance of community involvement in addressing this issue. #FentanylAwareness #VFSA #EndFentanylCrisis #CommunitySupport #VirginiaFamilies #RachelAngels #SubstanceAwareness #StopOverdoses #SaveLives #FentanylPrevention #PublicHealth #CommunityEvent #RichmondVA #TogetherWeCan #AddictionRecovery #OpioidCrisis #BillboardCampaign

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In Light of the recent events involving the officers killed executing a warrant with the U.S. Marshal's Fugitive Task Force, our condolences are given and we render the appropriate level of respect as everyone should. The families will go forth with heavy hearts , many questions, and a void in their lives that will never be filled. From every aspect of life come the many different "Experts" that play the Should a, Would a, Could a ,of what "They" think should have happened, and the causes. These so called experts have either forgotten where they came from, or absolutely have no clue how to run a Multi-Jurisdictional Operation. Most I have read and heard have stated that "I don't know if they prepared, briefed or gathered enough information, "Why was it a Daytime effort?", Why did they do this , Why didn't they do this instead." Those that come forward and make those kind of statements are very shortsighted, and do not fully realize or take into consideration the full picture. Once those assigned to the U.S Marshal's Task Force receive a fugitive to be tracked or a request to do so, the planning goes into the intelligence phase where the officer or Marshal assigned, does a "Deep Dive" into the targets life. The Officer leaves no stone unturned as far as open source research. Once that is established they escalate to different investigative sources that I will not reveal for operational security reasons. Once that is done, that information is pushed to the supervisor for review, and out of that approval the "Team" sits down and starts a comprehensive operational planning phase. The plan is put on paper as a 1. Primary Plan. 2. Alternate Plan. 3. Contingency Plan. and 4. Emergency Plan. Then comes the number of personnel that will be needed, notifying EMS and the Fire Dept as soon as necessary to maintain operational security. The determination to use a SWAT / ERT /SRT, or any special officers is based on demographic's and geography for the area of the operation, the intelligence gathered and propensity for Violence by the Target. Medical Evacuation Routes are documented and rehearsed prior to the execution and start of the intended capture. The ONE thing that is uncertain, is the actions of the target at the time of the intended operation. The recent incident was planned and carried out by outstanding exceptional Marshal's and assigned Officers. Having trained with, and operated with a U.S Marshal's Task Force, to include supervising officers assigned to the Task Force, it is without a doubt, proper protocol, policy and procedure was followed. Please take this opportunity to reflect on this tragedy and give the proper resect as we continually ask our men and women in Blue to go out in the world to uphold the Law, and face the danger everyday that 99% of you would run from. They run to the fight and gunfire. Unless you have walked and run in their shoes, you have NO idea what they should have done. Never forget That.

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The Department of Defense has allocated $87 million towards lab-grown meat for soldiers, sparking debate over priorities. This move, overshadowing mental health resources and equipment needs, raises concerns. It's crucial to refocus on addressing critical issues like military suicide and troop well-being. Let's ensure meaningful support for our troops, prioritizing their genuine care and well-being over gimmicks and gestures. #DepartmentOfDefense #MilitaryPriorities #SupportOurTroops.

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A recent incident in Okinawa involving a U.S. soldier highlights the importance of responsible driving and the potential legal consequences of driving under the influence (DUI). The soldier, stationed at Kadena Air Base, was arrested this weekend after allegedly colliding with another vehicle and leaving the scene. Police reports indicate a blood alcohol content exceeding three times the legal limit in Japan. This case raises concerns about alcohol abuse and safety within the military community stationed overseas. It's crucial for service members to understand the local DUI laws and the potential ramifications of violating them. Potential Legal Consequences: * Charges under the Japanese Road Traffic Act, which can lead to imprisonment and hefty fines. * Disciplinary action under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ), including potential court-martial proceedings. Preventive Measures: * Military personnel should be thoroughly briefed on local DUI laws and penalties. * Commanders should emphasize responsible drinking habits and the importance of designating a driver or using ride-sharing services. * Fostering a culture of safety within the military community is essential. By taking these steps, we can prevent similar incidents and promote responsible behavior among service members stationed abroad. https://lnkd.in/gctzKiPT #militarylaw #USmilitary #Okinawa #DUI #prevention

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TITLE: Suicide Now the Primary Cause of Death among Active Duty US Soldiers Source: The Brink (Boston University) A recent study released by the Pentagon revealed a sobering statistic: US soldiers are now more likely to die from suicide than any other cause. The report, which examined the deaths of 2,530 active duty Army soldiers between 2014 and 2019, showed that soldiers are nearly nine times more likely to die by suicide than they are in combat. The numbers reflect an increased rate of suicide in general across the United States. In 2022, the provisional estimate for suicide deaths in the US was 49,449, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention—an increase of 2.6 percent from the year before, and an increase of more than 37 percent since 2000. In all cases, firearms were the leading cause of death. The Brink spoke with James Whitworth, an assistant professor of psychiatry and a US Army veteran, about the Pentagon data and what more needs to be done to address the crisis. Whitworth served with the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team from 2003 to 2006 as an infantryman, designated marksman, and fire team leader, including two years in Iraq. During that time, he regularly exercised to cope with the stress of combat. After being honorably discharged, he began to explore the human-performance side of exercise in his graduate and doctoral research. The death by suicide of a close friend who had served with him in Iraq led Whitworth to refocus his research on how modifiable lifestyle behaviors like exercise can be used to reduce, treat, and prevent the disability associated with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other mental health disorders. Today, he is an exercise physiologist with specialized training in PTSD, working extensively with veterans. What more needs to be done? We need to continue reducing stigma. Big institutions like the military are slow to change. When I was serving, we didn’t talk about mental health. We, as service members, were fearful of reprisal if we came out and said we had an issue. I know for a fact that the culture of the military has changed, that there are active initiatives to encourage people to seek help, but it may take time for those to set in and service members may not always know where to turn. So, continuing to work to destigmatize PTSD, depression, suicide ideation, and other mental health issues is important. I want veterans to know that these things are not a sign of weakness. PTSD can happen to anybody. Depression can happen to anybody. Trauma can happen to anybody. Just like PTSD and depression, suicide ideation is treatable. . If someone feels down or desperate, there are lots of options. They aren’t alone. Tell someone you know what you’re feeling, talk to a friend or family member, talk to a colleague, a healthcare provider. There are resources out there, like the Veterans Crisis Line or the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. If you’re a veteran, call 988 and push 1. #wellness

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We need to stop the killing on our roads. Would you volunteer to tell a family their loved one is never coming home? What would such a task do to you, in addition to the poor family? Zero Deaths Maryland needs to post stories like this instead of silly slogans like "Be the Driver" Delivering the message by Sgt Mike Templeman When the worst happens, it falls to our Officers to pass on the news to family that their loved one has died on our roads. As part of our engagement on the fatal 5, we will be sharing an account of what it’s like to undertake this awful task. This is Sgt Mike Templeman. “You attend the scene of a serious collision and you become aware very quickly that it is now a fatality. The scene can be absolutely horrific. “The most important thing we need to do, apart from look after the dignity of the person involved, is to find out who their next of kin is. We do not want the next of kin finding out through another source and as soon as you've got those details, someone needs to be asked to volunteer to go and pass the death message to the family. “You don't really think about what you’re going to say, all you do know from your experience is what you do say is going to affect and change this family’s life and the life of their friends for good. “When you approach the house sometimes you can hear people laughing inside and it just makes it all the more horrendous knowing that what you’re about to tell them is going to stop that laughter. “You knock on the door and what can seem like a lifetime before they answer it. Sometimes they look worried straight away, sometimes they just seem happy to see you, but they don't know why you're there. It only starts to dawn on them when you ask if you can step inside. And if the realisation hasn’t hit by then it soon does when you ask them to confirm if they are the next of kin. “Sometimes you can pass the message there and then, other times they’re that upset and that distraught they literally fall to the floor in front of you. You wait for a break before you can actually say the words that their loved one isn’t coming home again. “It's absolutely horrific for the families. “You stay as long as you can, you need to check on the welfare of all those that are in the house as well. The only thing you can then do is try and explain the process of what's going to happen with the Family Liaison Officer when they’re appointed. “And then you leave. “And you leave them to the grief. “And you go to the next job.”

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IF YOU PULL? YOU MUST SHOOT! OTHERWISE, NO PULL! Every once in a while, in my years in police work ranging back to the early 1970s, we would get a new shift supervisor like a sergeant or lieutenant, that would open his early shift briefings with some new preference standards. Often this would be a desk jockey or what we use to call a “REMF,” in the Army. Which stands for “rear-echelon-m________, f_________.” These were folks with little too no street experience, by their choice, or folks forced upwards to soon, to fill admin openings. Still a lack of experience. And yes, some of these people were detached airheads. Several demanded that we never, ever pull-draw guns unless we absolutely have to shoot a bad guy, All other times, the gun must remain holstered. Only draw and must shoot. Must draw? Then must shoot! We would look at each other and think, and later complain in private powwows: -“Has this idiot ever searched a building or home after an alarm or invader threat?” -“Has this knucklehead never made a felony traffic stop?” -“Has this yahoo never…… (on and on with this list).” Apparently not! How could some supervisors in law enforcement be this ignorant. But this idea transcends policing. I bring these memories up because, lately in my teaching travels, sometimes big, sometimes small, I have run across citizens who have been smart enough to attend concealed carry classes or other entry-level, defensive tactics courses. They attend my "Force Necessary: Gun" courses. When teaching this and organizing class training to make decisions, a number of attendees are graduates of simplistic, entry-level, CCH and intro “def-tacts” from other programs. Some of these attendees have approached me and said – “Well, they told us in _______ that we only draw our pistol in severest, deadly force situations and can only draw to shoot to kill-stop. You can’t pull your gun unless you also absolutely intend to shoot to kill-stop.” Ooooh boy. That old chestnut again. I just look at them, flabbergasted, and wonder “who are these teachers?” And how I can undo this kindergarten, mentality message. I try to explain that I use a commandment list of “Assess, Draw-and-Assess,” decision-making based on many actual events. Assess, Draw and Access, the big five decisions: 1-There-Not There. 2-Pull-Don’t Pull. 3-Aim-Don’t Aim. 4-Shoot-Don’t Shoot. 5-Leave-Don’t leave. These decisions may all occur in 2 seconds or half an hour! Yeah. Situational. I am not writing this today to dissect the list of 5 materials, as I have written long essays on each, elsewhere. Each of the 5 have a successful history..." For the rest. Click here - https://lnkd.in/gBxb8ccg? #combatives #gundefence #quickdraws #selfdefense #hockhochheim

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