National Premiere for Firestorm
Everyone in EMS knows well the seriousness of hospital overcrowding and diversion, but the public is still generally unaware that there is a problem in their own backyards.
In July, Firestorm, a film produced by New Jersey-based Talking Eyes Media that focuses on the crisis in EMS, will have its national premiere on the Documentary Channel, which can be accessed on Dish Network Channel 197 and DirectTV Channel 267.
"Firestorm, which took us five years to make, looks at the crisis in EMS through the eyes of the Los Angeles Fire Department and the fact that more than 80% of what they do is medical," says Julie Winokur, executive director of Talking Eyes Media who produced and directed the film. "It uses LAFD as an entry point to talk about ER overcrowding, hospital closures, access to care, and the fact that there are large populations of underserved people who rely on 911 to receive every level of care. It also looks at ambulance diversions and driving further distances to deliver patients to hospitals, and tries to connect the dots about a system that is not serving patients as well as it could."
The July broadcast will coincide with the launch of the Rescue the Rescuers campaign, a robust outreach strategy to screen Firestorm in cities across the U.S., says Winokur.
"We've developed a tool kit, which will soon be available from our website, Firestormmovie.com, to encourage people to use the film to raise awareness about EMS and the volume of work it provides," she says. "We're encouraging people to use the film in community screenings and to talk to policymakers within their local areas. We're also asking them to download, read and endorse the white paper that was created by the International Association of EMS Chiefs asking for designation of a lead federal agency for EMS.
"We're eager to hear from people in the field and hope that what we're doing will provide a platform to launch a national conversation," Winokur adds. "We've been struck by how fragmented EMS is in this country. For example, there is a white paper and movement to have a lead federal agency, and yet who out there knows about it? It begins with EMS providers and from there, getting the general public on board. Things have gotten worse since we began making the film, and they'll continue with the budget crunches that are forcing publically funded services to be cut and reduced. Just last week, the mayor of New York announced that he wants to close 20 firehouses, and that means a lot of ambulances out of commission. What this film shows is that the status quo is on the brink of breaking, so the idea of cutting back is problematic."
Firestorm will also be shown during EMS World Expo at the Las Vegas Convention Center on Thursday, September 1 at 1 p.m. For more information, see EMSWorldexpo.com.
