Kevin Hazzard reflects on a TV show which is based on a book called “5 Days at Memorial” by Sheri Fink. In this story, the characters are faced with impossible challenges inside a hospital in the days after Hurricane Katrina. There are many parallels between what they experienced and what out-of-hospital paramedics are presented every day.
The first time I heard Kevin’s voice was in 2016 when he was a guest on NPR’s Fresh Air with Terry Gross. They were discussing his book “1000 Naked Strangers” where he recounts memories from working for Grady EMS in Atlanta for over a decade. I was struck by this quote during that interview: “There are a lot of situations where it’s just not practical to wait for it to be completely safe and you gotta just try to weigh the odds.” With that quote, I knew he’d be a guest well-matched for Medic Mindset where we understand the grey in which decisions are made in EMS everyday.
Kevin has been referenced many times on Medic Mindset. Check out this episode of the Reading Series.
His long-form article in the Atavist about Freedom House.
The Premonition book he enjoyed recently about Infectious Disease.
Hidden Figures movie referenced by Ginger.
This randomly happened while we were recording for this episode! Kevin got the first delivery of his own book, “American Sirens” releasing in September.
The Weatherman – Medic Mindset
Eastern Kentucky University degree programs are for those who are currently certified as a paramedic by the NREMT or a state EMS office.
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