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Honoring Those Who Say "I'm Possible"

EMS Week | May 20-26, 2018

We had just dropped off a routine case at the ER. I was talking to a police officer when his radio lit up with a call that shots were being fired. He and I looked at each other. The shooting was occurring right down the street. We could hear the shots in stereo coming over his radio and from a few blocks away.

That is the situation in which Paramedic and Flight Nurse Carlos Tavarez found himself at 2:00 AM as shots rang out from the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, FL, June 12, 2016. He and his partner, Paramedic Joshua Granada, were the first medical team to respond.

Carlos’s and Joshua’s skills, decisiveness, and resilience under pressure resulted in their treating and transporting 13 victims to the hospital.  Every one survived. Carlos and Joshua’s story is an extraordinary example of how simulation-based training can prepare someone to look at even the most impossible circumstances and reply, “I’m possible.”  

We extend our sincerest gratitude to Carlos and Joshua, to all in EMS, and to those in patient simulation who train them. All work diligently to make zero preventable harm an attainable goal.

Carlos and Joshua's Story

In Our Hearts

EMS Week In Our Hearts

The loss of life at Orlando’s Pulse Nightclub on June 12, 2016 remains a national tragedy. We extend our thoughts and condolences to the families and friends of the victims of that tragedy. And, we honor the hard work and dedication shown by the City of Orlando Fire Department and EMS. EMS exists because at any time any one of us may need someone to save us. We thank everyone in EMS who is dedicated to that job. We hope that an event like Pulse never happens again.

Zero: The "I'm Possible" Goal

Medical errors take the lives of 250,000 patients annually in the U.S., according to researchers at Johns Hopkins. In response, the patient safety community has committed itself to a goal of zero preventable harm by the year 2020. Without stories like Carlos and Joshua's, it might be easy to conclude that zero preventable harm is idealistic.  But, it’s not.  It’s a real, tangible and attainable goal. We believe that simulation is a means to getting there.

Tell us your “I’m possible” story

Laerdal's Commitment

Earlier this year, our CEO, Tore Laerdal, declared Laerdal's commitment to achieving zero preventable harm.  Hear what he had to say.