SA¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½

SA¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ is 10 years old.

Our baby is growing up.

A decade ago – with all the love, support and expertise from a team of dedicated folks – we launched SA¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ with a clear vision to connect EMS professionals. The concept was a combination of the assets and industry knowledge that I brought with me from Paramedic.com; the vision from Praetorian Digital’s CEO, Alex Ford; and the editorial insight by VP of Content, Jon Hughes.

But the purpose wasn’t one-sided. It wasn’t about SA¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ telling the story of EMTs and paramedics. Instead, SA¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ was the platform through which others told their stories.

Their stories, you see, were told by EMTs and paramedics from all different walks of life. Some of our storytellers were big name national presenters and textbook authors. Others were brand new to the industry with limited exposure outside their rural service area. Some weren’t EMS experts at all.

And that was great – because it really was about starting conversations.

SA¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ by and for EMS

Sometimes, the conversation was polite, grammatically correct and backed with data. Other times, it was irreverent, crass and in your face. But always, the conversation’s sole purpose was to make us better.

Better clinicians. Better leaders. Better colleagues. A better industry. Better friends.

It was important that SA¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ be relatable. It wasn’t about being an established publication with an impressive list of advisory members and an editorial calendar that only covered MCIs once a year in the October issue.

It was about the now. We wanted to be timely. Covering important topics like the Newtown school shooting, Boston Marathon bombing or an EMT refusing to respond to an infant in cardiac arrest when they were happening. When it matters most.

EMS-provider focused, accessible

In late 1990s, everything on the internet came through AOL. You got an AOL CD. You installed your AOL web browser. You had an AOL email address. And you read your AOL news. You went to AOL to get your information. This model for accessing and delivering content was still prevalent in the mid-2000s.

We wanted to be different. We let you decide how you consumed SA¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½â€™s information – in your time, using your preferred device, through your preferred media channel.

Maybe you found the answer to your question about blood pressure assessment by searching Google. Maybe your web browser’s homepage is SA¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ and you start the day with a cup of coffee and our news headlines. Maybe you clicked through to the list of habits paramedics can’t shake or a Grayson top 10 list from the SA¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ page on Facebook.

When you went mobile, you could be part of the conversation on our mobile app. Or maybe you simply received a weekly email of top news headlines and expert-written columns.

That was the vision. And, in many ways, we crushed our goals. SA¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ has:

• 260,000 members
• 350,000 followers
• 25,000 followers
• 13,500 members

Future of SA¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ is the future of EMS

But, we’re not done.

Someone asked me the other day to reflect on the first 10 years of SA¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ and share where we’ll be 10 years from now. But the truth is, I don’t know.

I don’t know where we’ll be five years from now. I don’t know where we’ll be in two years. Technology moves too fast for us to pretend to know where things are heading. Luckily, we built SA¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ to be dynamic, adapting to the industry’s needs. But I do know that SA¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ will be here. Walking arm and arm with you. Committed to one thing – excellence.

And we have some important things to explore together. Answering questions like:

• What does the model of health care look like for our communities?
• What will be the minimum education requirement of a paramedic?
• Will we all be called paramedics?
• How can we standardize best practices across the country?
• Will Replica be the fix for reciprocity?
• Will we be licensed in all states?
• Will the scope of practice match the needs of the community?
• What is the role of high-fidelity simulators in education?
• Will data guide our patient treatment decisions?

So many questions, so much conversation yet to be had. Yes, much has changed in the last 10 years. But the most important things remain the same. Conversations carried on by the people who make our industry great.

People like you.