The Green Screen Classroom

The notion of social media is no longer a new concept, and most agencies and departments have by now established coordinators or leads to handle Twitter, Facebook, podcasts and more. Most have successfully mastered the art of delivering immediate news, sharp images and concise messaging. The use of technology in EMS education—particularly the creation of training videos to catch every provider, no matter the time of day or their location—is a growth industry.

At one small rural agency in central Virginia, a technological change is about to raise the bar even further in EMS broadcasting. From a basement studio in the depths of its county administration building, the County of Orange Fire and EMS (COFEMS) delivers broadcasts that are light-years ahead of the studio surroundings or the beautiful country backdrop in which these programs are created. Unlike any other current EMS magazine-style interviewer/interviewee format, recorded in front of the ubiquitous black curtain, COFEMS has created a commercial-standard pure “green screen” environment, which in turn allows the image of a very expensive CNN-type studio set to appear before viewers’ eyes.

As an example for every agency on how high quality broadcasting can be achieved—cost effectively, locally and with a high degree of style—the OC’s (they proudly claim to be the original Orange County!) setup is worth understanding. The “studio” sits below ground in 15 foot x 15 foot cleared room in the basement, behind the archived records storage area. The set consists of walls painted green, yellow-framed work site lights purchased from the local home improvement store and an oval shaped desk, handcrafted in the local fire station vehicle bay and painted in COFEMS colors. The set is completed by three bar-style swivel chairs. The production suite is filmed on three newly acquired DSLR high definition cameras; previously, cameras were borrowed locally, in addition to one camera acquired through a grant from the state fire programs office. Firefighter and former professional photographer Tim Bullock is the carpenter, set designer and technical expert, while also doubling (or tripling) as cameraman and editor of the canned shows.

The technology is only half the story. A good production needs a good anchor, producer and director. The program and studio was the brainchild of COFEMS Assistant Chief Tom Joyce. Joyce, a native of Ireland, is a natural. His clear level of intelligence and knowledge of the subject matter, combined with an obvious gift for blarney and the enthusiastic twinkle in his eye, means he’s not only able ask the difficult and technical questions but also translate complex responses into lay speak for all to comprehend.

For Joyce, innovation is a rule and thinking inside the box is simply not allowed. With a shoestring budget and a big idea, he created this venue for mass communication and pulled in an impressive array of knowledgeable and eminent participants to provide the joint roles of guest and lecturer. Earlier productions are now all available on COFEMS own YouTube channel (COFEMSvideos). Titles such as “Cracking the Code—Prehospital Cardiac Arrest” and “Board to Tears—Are We Helping or Hurting Our Patients with Current Immobilization Practices” are all made to the highest production standards, in the green screen studio and featuring expert guests to help tell the story. Level 1 Trauma center doctors, including Michael Kurz, MD, director of Emergency Cardiac Care and Resuscitation Fellowships at Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center and Bill Brady, MD, of the University of Virginia Medical Center, have both beaten a path to the OC to be willing educators and studio guests.

Studio, interviewer, guests, cameras, content and action expertly mixed with a little computer generated lights and magic all combine to deliver a product that must be seen to be believed and enjoyed.

What’s next for COFEMS? Joyce is taking his studio out of the basement, up the stairs and creating a new live show, where guests will still sit adjacent to the green screen but also in front of a live studio audience who will be able to react to and with the program as it unfolds. Clearly the level of innovation and creativity is high, as is the cost of the cameras and software. But the return on investment, as seen in the quality of production and education delivered, is worth the trouble—and the green paint!

In the premiere episode of EMS World's new podcast, Word on the Street, host Rob Lawrence talks to Tom Joyce, Assistant Fire Chief of Orange County (VA) Fire Department, about the green screen technology.

Rob Lawrence is chief operating officer of the Richmond Ambulance Authority. Before coming to the USA in 2008 to work with RAA, he held the same position with the English county of Suffolk as part of the East of England Ambulance Service. He is a graduate of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and served in the Royal Army Medical Corps. After a 22-year military career in many prehospital and evacuation leadership roles, Rob joined the National Health Service, initially as the Commissioner of Ambulance Services in the East of England. He later served with the East Anglian Ambulance Service as director of operations. He is also a member of the EMS World editorial advisory board.