Make Good Use of Your On-Duty Downtime

Regardless of where you are between runs—in a station, at home, or on the road—you may have some downtime. It could be a few minutes where you’re lucky to use the restroom or get some chow, or in some slower systems you could go an entire shift with the coveted “no-hitter”—no calls for service. How do you use your downtime? If you want to use your time differently than simply chatting with your partner, listening to the radio, or scrolling your phone, this article will give you some alternatives to consider once you’ve completed required tasks like rig checks and cleaning.

Training

A good EMS provider will never stop learning—there is always more to know in our ever-emerging field. How can you train with just you and a partner or small crew? Here are a few ideas:

• Read and discuss articles. With a little searching, you can find plenty of articles relating to patient care and advances in EMS. EMS World is a great place to start, but there are other platforms as well as fire-service journals that discuss advances in cardiac care, stroke, trauma, infection control, and more. Pick an article, read it, share it, and talk about it!
• Pull out a piece of equipment. Some tools we use on every call. Some we never use in our careers. Look for sme rarely used items on your vehicle and take some time to get hands-on. Do you know what’s in your OB kit, or do you just look to see you have one? Is your drug box set up well, and do you have the muscle memory to grab what you need in a stressful situation? When was the last time you put on a traction splint? Practice with a piece of equipment or play “scavenger hunt” with your partner to remember where everything is in each cabinet and bag.
• Practice pit crew CPR. All the latest research shows effective pit crew CPR makes a difference for ROSC. If you have access, pull out a manikin and practice! If you do not have access to a manikin on duty, game-plan your next CPR call.
• Quiz your partners on protocols, drug doses, and algorithms. Add a competitive edge and make it a contest where the loser buys coffee.
• Take advantage of an online CEU class or a webinar. Many are free!
• Look for online videos to educate yourself.

Fitness

With all the lifting we do, all the sitting, and some poor nutritional habits, it is no surprise many EMS providers have bad backs or a few extra pounds. What’s one solution? Get up and move!

• Make sure you don’t sit for more than an hour at a time. Even if you’re posted on a street corner, get out of the ambulance and walk a few yards back and forth.
• Do squats; build up leg strength.
• Consider looking at workout programs geared to first responders. 555 Fitness has free resources for firefighters and EMS at www.555fitness.org/programs.
• Look for some yoga or stretching programs you can do. YouTube has hundreds of them.
• Use equipment on your rig for weights. Do curls with your jump bag. Do overhead presses with your Lifepak.

Sleep

EMS workers, especially those who work night shifts, are known to have poor sleep habits. If your agency allows you to sleep on duty, take advantage of that, even if it’s a short nap. According to the National Sleep Foundation, the optimum duration for a nap is 10–20 minutes. This amount of time is enough to increase one’s level of alertness. Some providers swear by “coffee naps”; this is when you drink a small cup of caffeinated coffee, then take a 20-minute nap. The coffee wakes you at the end of the 20 minutes, and you feel doubly refreshed!

If you’re on a night shift and looking to sleep during the day, less exposure to blue light from phones or computer screens will be helpful for less-disrupted sleep. At night where possible, use red light as night lights or writing lights. It has been shown that red light has the least power to cause melatonin shifts. Blue light-blocking glasses during your shift are also a possibility.

Edutainment

There are plenty of movies and TV shows where EMS plays a role. Whether you go old-school with Squad 51 and Emergency!, to the 1990s with Bringing Out the Dead, or to current shows such as Chicago Fire, Nightwatch, or Tacoma FD, there’s something affirming about seeing our profession on the screen. Watch the show with your team or partner! As an added educational boost, make a contest out of finding errors where performers violate protocols or administer care in a less-than-professional fashion.

Hot Wash

The National Center for Security and Preparedness in upstate New York uses a training practice called “hot wash” in its scenario-based training. It is a great learning tool. In these situations students go through an EMS simulation while being observed by instructors. After the evolution students are briefly brought together to reflect on what went well and what didn’t. Hot washes are short, no more than 5–10 minutes, and the main purpose is to have students reflect and analyze their actions. Partners or a unit can use the hot wash idea after calls. Sometimes simply thinking about calls and questioning yourself can be as valuable a learning experience as a class.

With all the things we see and do as EMS providers, there is certainly value to some mindless chatter, phone scrolling, or simply staring out the windshield for a few minutes between calls to take our minds off things. However, if you are looking to maximize your downtime for self-improvement, these ideas can help you on your way.

Barry Bachenheimer, EdD, FF/EMT, is a career educator with more than 34 years in EMS and fire suppression. He is a frequent contributor to EMS World.