The heat is on!
EMS personnel cannot avoid exposure to the heat and humidity of Hampton Roads’ summers. Nor do we have much choice in the uniforms we wear. However, there are things you can do to reduce the effect of heat stress on your body and work performance.
Before Your Shift:
• Stay physically fit through a good diet and routine exercise. Maintain a healthy weight.
• Review your medications. Some medications can make it harder for the body to respond to heat stress and make you more susceptible to getting a sunburn. Talk with your physician or pharmacist if you have questions about your medications.
• Avoid drinking alcoholic and caffeinated beverages with large amounts of caffeine or sugar within eight hours of your shift. Energy drinks should be avoided.
A year ago, a former law enforcement officer and mother of a child with autism started the Autism Law Enforcement Response Training (ALERT) program to help law enforcement and ther first responders learn how to respond to individuals on the autism spectrum during an emergency. Since then, the program has expanded to include fire and EMS, and it has trained personnel from 29 agencies in four states. To meet a need repeatedly brought up at these trainings, ALERT has developed an interactive communication app, Autism Talk. 
Recently the Tidewater EMS Council’s Stroke, STEMI and EMS Performance Improvement (PI) plans received facelifts and contents were upgraded to reflect a new structure and committee processes.
The Tidewater EMS Council periodically identifies surplus items and makes them available at extremely discounted prices or for free. All items are available first come, first serve. All items as is, no warranty and no return. Contact Tonya Cook 
During the March 2017 TEMS Board of Director’s meeting, Eastern Virginia Healthcare Coalition’s (EVHC) program manager Glenn McBride presented an overview of the coalition and the emergency preparedness capabilities they will be addressing during the next five-year federal hospital preparedness program (HPP) grant cycle.
