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In stark contrast to Tactical Pants Blog, Rogue Medic has mucho gravitas.

Infusing dozens of citations and studies, blogger Tim Noonan provides deep, meaningful analysis of processes and procedures in the EMS field.

To be honest, some topics discussed on his blog go right over our head — but not all. Noonan’s use of charts, tables, quotes, sources and commentary helps even dilettantes embrace medical research.

While he has only blogged for a little over two years, Noonan’s paramedic experience spans almost two decades. Last year his blog was even nominated as a Fire/EMS Blog of the Year. He kindly took a moment away from his growing body of study to answer a few questions for us.

Why did you start blogging?

I have been writing on various email listservs for a while. One of the medics I know from the listservs started a blog and has been very successful. A Day in the Life of an Ambulance Driver. I blame him.

What is the inspiration behind it all?

Writing on a blog allows me to format the topic in a way that may help me to make my point more easy to understand. Or it can allow me to just write something that is long and tedious. I do both. I don’t really try for long and tedious, but sometimes I can’t help myself.

Your blog is extremely thorough and at times pretty research heavy. Have you always been interested in formal research?

Pretty much. I find that the most effective way to convince medical directors to change protocols is with well-done and relevant research. I am trying to let people know what research is out there.

By looking at the research and understanding what conclusions can be drawn from any particular study and what may be reading too much into a study, we make progress in providing the best care for patients. If we aren’t doing this to provide the best care for the patients, then we might as well just go home and consider a different line of work.

How did you become a part of Research Blogging?

Research Blogging has their own rules for participation. As long as you follow their rules, you can blog through them.

Basically, they are looking for posts that provide some commentary on a study; something more than just reprinting the abstract or cutting and pasting from the paper. If you look at some of what others write for research blogging, they tend to be shorter than mine, which is not surprising.

I also write for Paramedicine 101, which is run by Adam Thompson. He asked me if I wanted to participate and maybe it was the way he phrased it, maybe it was that I was in a social mood, I don’t know. I try to post once a week there. Sometimes it works out to once a month. Other times it works out to several in a week. I have posted for some blog carnivals: Normal Sinus Rhythm, The Handover and Skeptics’ Circle.

I do not have any specific posting schedule. I try to post something two or three times a week on my blog. I also occasionally participate in some podcasts EMS EduCast, EMS Garage and MedicCast.

You list many quotes on your page—what is your all-time favorite?

I don’t have any particular favorite. I tend to add quotes now and then.

I put a new quote at the top of the blog, since I am trying to focus on pain management research for a while. It is an old quote from Albert Schweitzer: “We must all die. But that I can save a person from days of torture that is what I feel is my great and ever-new privilege. Pain is a more terrible lord of mankind than even death itself.”

One thing I like about quotes is that they get people to think about things differently. Many times people think of Nobel Prize winners as serious people who would never encourage any kind of “disobedience.” But the truth is that they often came up with the concept that earned them the Nobel Prize by being disobedient, non-conformist and rebellious.

For example, teachers are frustrated by hearing constantly that Einstein did not do well at math, yet look at his success. They might be more upset by this quote: “Never memorize what you can look up in books.” But what Einstein was saying is that we need to understand, rather than memorize. It does not matter how much we memorize, if we do not understand how to use what we have memorized.

I like to use quotes to get people to think. Too much of EMS is about discouraging thinking and just following orders. Do you know anyone who says, “I want a THOUGHTLESS EMT/medic/nurse/doctor”? The same is true for any of the emergency professions. Fire fighters, HazMat, police, FBI, any branch of the military, et cetera.

The thoughtless person is the customer service person, who takes up an hour of your time for a simple fix but provides the wrong fix. These are the people who provide material for comedians. This is not being all you can be. This is not what we want our children to grow up to be. This is not what we want when we have to deal with an emergency.

That may summarize my blog. I try to get people to think about things differently. It is only by seeing things differently that we develop the insight to make truly significant changes. The only time we can claim that we do not change is when we are dead. I will be there soon enough. I don’t need to treat my mind as if it is already dead.

How long have you been a paramedic? What attracted you to the profession?
I’ve been a paramedic for 17 years. I was going to be a father and figured that I needed to know what to do to deal with emergencies. I would never be able to forgive myself if something happened to my daughter, and I could have done something to prevent it.

I had watched Emergency! in the 1970s and liked the show, but every time I was around an injured person, I would look worse than the injured person. I learned to deal with that and found that I like EMS.

What’s the most frustrating part of your job?

The useless limitations on appropriate care. The pay. The benefits. The respect. The hours. The working conditions. Depending on when you ask, I’ll give a different answer.

And the most rewarding?

Helping people. Whether it is helping a patient directly, helping a student/coworker to understand something better, so that they can help patients better, or helping to change protocols to allow for better patient care.

For an interesting perspective on this, David Konig has written This Job Is Not About Helping People.

We hear that some medics do, in fact, wear tactical pants on occasion. Do you wear them? What’s your uniform like?

Yes. 5.11 Tactical Series. These are my uniform pants, and I like them.

My uniform is tactical pants, a polo shirt, boots and a belt. And underpants—they’re tactical pants, not commando pants. I like this uniform. I have no desire to wear anything even remotely formal. I have spent too much time wearing a suit to ever want to wear one again.

No police blog lays down the law quite like Second City Cop.

Better known as SCC, the blog has made a name for itself by exposing the corrupt underbelly of Windy City politics and police. Run by a group of anonymous Chicago police officers since May 2005, the scathing commentary has become more than just a way to vent.

In addition to giving the world a realistic glimpse into the Chicago Police Department, SCC has been hailed as the voice for the beat cop. Because of its provocative nature, it’s not uncommon for a single post to garner more than 130 comments. Typically anonymous and sprinkled with curse words, the comments only add to SCC’s in-your-face allure.

Why is SCC is written by multiple people? How did you find each other?

We feel multiple points of view and input contribute to a well-rounded blog. We are friends and acquaintances of many years, districts and units.

Do you think SCC would be the same if it wasn’t anonymous?

Definitely not. We’d all be on midnight foot posts guarding abandoned factories or something nonsensical. The politicians and bosses would have us strung up by our ankles.

You told The Chicagoist the blog was started “to entertain ourselves” … What’s been the most entertaining aspect of it all in the past five years?

Most entertaining? The shenanigans of the politically connected being brought to light, the current and constant missteps of the current superintendent and his staff who have never been the police, never will be the police and look down at police as a bunch of provincial hicks.

Do you feel like blogging is therapeutic as well?

We certainly feel a bit better after getting some rants off our chests. We feel better when some positive change comes out of it, too.

Did you ever imagine the blog becoming so popular or influential?

Nope. It’s flattering that people think we matter that much. We’re just regular cops doing the job by day and typing sarcasm and silliness on off hours.

Do you truly feel like the “voice of the beat cop”?

We don’t consider ourselves the “voice of the beat cop” — that would be arrogant. We’re simply people with opinions sharing with mostly like-minded people who happen to be cops. The “beat cop” thing is secondary to us exercising our wit.

What’s the best thing about being a cop in Chicago?

Chicago cops, by and large, are the best people in the world. Frank, honest, generous to a fault, brave beyond belief, dedicated to a city that treats them badly, a Chicago cop is an amazing individual. They are the best people we have ever known.

And the worst?

The worst is the politics that has infected this job, and the politically connected who erode what is left of morale.

What’s something all LEOs have in common no matter where they work?

An innate ability to sense and recognize BS, no matter the source. Some people mistake it for cynicism, which does exist, but cops see the real results of misshapen political decisions, failed social programs, hopelessness, despair, etc. We see people at their worst, and we see it long before the politicians try to cure it.

Do Chicago cops sport tactical pants? What are your uniform pants like?

If we aren’t wearing our regular 80/20 polyester blends, we have the cargo pants with roomy side pockets and a more breathable fabric. They wear better than the old pants, but if you try to carry anything in the pockets, it looks like you just came from riding in the Kentucky Derby .

(Image via Flickr)

Suzi Brent a.k.a. Nee Naw

When compared to the U.S., there are some major contrasts with emergency medicine in the United Kingdom. There’s the service funding, the public heath care and even the number you call. (Note: Dial “999″ for help—not “911.”)

Despite the differences, people are generally the same. Everywhere.

It was those very people who drove London native Suzi Brent to the blogosphere in 2005. Not everyone irked her—just those who rang “999″ as if it were a personal butler service. Working as an emergency medical dispatcher, Brent typed out her adventures in the busy London call center a few times a month at Nee Naw, her blog inspired by Tom Reynolds’ Random Acts of Reality.

Now the blog has been turned into a book.

Published by Penguin Books, Nee Naw: Real Life Dispatches from Ambulance Control is a 320-page, behind-the-scenes narrative that covers three years of Brent’s life. We caught up with the author via e-mail and discovered that U.K. emergency medical dispatchers do indeed wear tactical pants, though they call them combat trousers. Oh, and they’re green!

What was your inspiration for writing the book?

I started writing the blog because when I was taking “999″ calls it struck me how little people knew about the emergency ambulance service and the “right” way to make a “999″ call. Of course, it’s not appropriate to start lecturing people about how the system works when they’re in the midst of an emergency, so I hoped that if I wrote about my experiences, people would see it and be better prepared when the time came to call us.

What do you hope people learn from reading your book and blog? If you don’t mind us asking, how much of it is exaggeration versus the truth?

There were two main things I hoped people would learn: That they should only call for an ambulance when they really need one, and how to be a good caller and help us to help them.

All of the stories in the book are true. While I’ve changed some details to protect confidentiality and for the sake of confidentiality used a little poetic license, I wouldn’t say any of them are exaggerated. There are so many weird, shocking and horrific calls to deal with that I don’t need to exaggerate!

When you decided to become a medical dispatcher, did you ever imagine writing a book about it? Have you always been a writer?

I’ve always written as a hobby—at school I constantly carted a diary around with me detailing the minutiae of my existence. I guess the blog was really just a continuation of this. I never expected it to get the amount of attention it did or that it would become a book. Because I know how much competition there is in the world of publishing, I was amazed and delighted when Penguin told me they were interested.

We’re sure you get this all the time, but tell us about the strangest call you’ve ever received.

Just one? It probably has to be the lady who had a chili pepper inside a very delicate orifice, and rang us for advice for what she should do. Well, taking it out would be a good start…

You haven’t posted to your blog since the end of 2009. Will you start posting again regularly? Did you take a hiatus because of the book?

I was promoted last year, which means I don’t take “999″ calls any more—I’m now the person who makes decisions about which ambulance goes where and suchlike—and felt my stories were becoming less personal. The publication of the book seemed like a natural end to the blog, but I haven’t given up writing. Nee Naw may return one day, especially if my career takes a different turn at some point in the future.

Do medical dispatchers wear tactical pants? What is your uniform like?

Yes, we do wear tactical pants, although we call them combat trousers! In fact we wear exactly the same uniform as paramedics (green trousers, green shirt and fleece, steel toe-capped boots), which I find a bit odd as our working conditions couldn’t be more different and most of the time the people we speak to wouldn’t know if we were sitting answering the phone wearing our pajamas and sporting large pink Mohawks!

What advice would you give to someone interested in becoming an emergency medical dispatcher?

See a psychiatrist! No, seriously—I’d tell them that it is one of the most rewarding jobs you can do, that you can go home feeling like you really achieved something and that you have the ability to change people’s lives forever despite only having a few minutes’ contact where they never see your face or learn your name.

It’s not an easy job but if you can cope with the long hours, the verbal abuse, the frustration of dealing with time-wasters and the horror of dealing with some unimaginable tragedies, the day you deliver your first baby or assist in your first successful resus will stay with you and change your life forever. It really is an amazing job.

Now that you’ve heard from Brent about her experiences as an EMD, share yours. Tell us about the most rewarding and/or challenging part about your job.

Cst. Sandra Glendinning and police service dog (PSD) Hondo

Finding a police blog that’s anonymous is easy. But one that’s not? Now that’s a challenge.

When Cst. Sandra Glendinning decided to write about her life as a police officer, she picked the road less traveled. As a member of The Vancouver Police Department’s Dog Squad, she chose to reveal her professional life and represent her department publically online.

Launched in 2008, Behind the Blue Line has a devout following of LEO, retired LEO and non-LEO folks from across the globe. Glendinning discusses everything from suicide negotiations to computer woes. And, of course, she often mentions her partner Hondo, a pure bred German Shepherd police service dog.

We caught up with her this week via e-mail to learn more about her blog, her future novel and her dream pair of tactical pants.

Your blog is one of the few “official” police department blogs out there. When did it start?

The idea for authoring a blog about policing lingered through the first half of 2008. There was so much to say about the job, but I needed to have a reason to write about it. Also, I did not want to remain anonymous, because if anyone was going to believe anything I had to say, it was important they know I was an actual officer.

There are many police blogs out there, but the majority are authored by officers who chose to remain anonymous. Even after extensive searching, there were only a few blogs authored by officers willing to identify themselves. That said, I totally understand why most would want to remain anonymous—being a sleuth gives a police writer the ability to rant without getting in trouble or running the risk of their department not approving of the blog and shutting it down.

I’ve been a writer for years but never tried to publish anything. But as with most things that are a passion, the writer in me was getting angry at being hidden away. The blog was a natural progression as one of the fundamental rules for an unknown/unpublished author is to ‘write what you know.’ Well, I know policing. A little bit, anyways.

By mid-2008 the blog idea wouldn’t go away, so I sought permission from the Vancouver Police Department (VPD) to write it. In all honesty I expected to be told ‘No,’ so I was very excited when the department embraced the idea and asked when I would start. The department even helped with the design and layout, working closely with me to get the right look.

Why blog from a department standpoint?

The reasons for writing the blog are quite simple:

1. It shows the general public what law enforcement is really like. The life of an officer is not anything like what is shown on television and in movies (for the most part).
2. If the general public begins to understand the ups and downs of policing as well as the wonderful and sometimes horrific things officers are subjected to, then perhaps the public will be more accepting of law enforcement as a whole.
3. I hope the blog shows that officers are just regular people who have chosen a demanding career. Inside our uniforms we are still mothers, fathers, daughters, sons, spouses and friends.
4. The biggest audience at this point are regular people at with no affiliation to police.

When did Behind the Blue Line launch? Have you been maintaining it the whole time?
The official launch was in November 2008, and yes, I’ve been maintaining it the entire time. The department computer guy helps if I have a technical question, but that’s about it. The VPD does not vet my writing, nor does it tell me what or when to cover something—they leave it up to me, which is a huge show of trust. I stay away from hot topics (politics, current investigations) as my allegiance is to my fellow officers, and I will not compromise their safety by writing something I shouldn’t. Even though sometimes I really want to.

What are some pros and cons for having an official blog for a police department?

The pros: Everything. The blog put a few noses out of joint, and my reasons for writing the blog were challenged at the beginning—both from other officers and from citizens. But that’s human nature, and the challenge was not unexpected. Most of the unease seemed to stem from the fear I was going to share tactics, inside operations, training or other top secret stuff, because now that everyone has seen I refuse to do that no one seems to mind. Also, if someone disagrees with a post, they bring it up, and we deal with it.

The cons: Some of the stuff officers are exposed to is very funny, amazing and disgusting but at the same time not suitable to be talked about in this blog format.

As for the VPD benefiting from the blog? I hope it makes their job easier.

What’s the biggest challenge working on the Dog Squad? How is it different than other units?

Working as a police dog handler is definitely the highlight of my career. The initial challenge was learning to trust my dog and his incredible sense of smell. When all my senses were telling me, “The bad guy went that way!” my dog’s behavior would tell me, “No, silly human, the bad guy went THAT way,” and we would go in the opposite direction to where I would have gone if by myself. And you know what? The dogs don’t lie. They find the bad guys.

Now the biggest challenge is to enjoy every day working with PSD Hondo and to not worry about the future. You see, our dog handler positions are tenured. So once your dog is retired, you must leave the section. I try not to think about it too much because I know I am doing what I was made to do. So, while Hondo is able, we are going to do it well.

The bond with a K9 partner is both a blessing and a curse. A blessing to know and work with such magnificent animals and a curse because dogs simply do not live as long as we do.

On your blog you write “You can still be a cop and be a girl.” What advice can you give to young females interested in law enforcement?

If you are serious about becoming a police officer then do it. Do not let anyone tell you can’t, or you shouldn’t, or that you’re too short or too small. You will know, deep within that secret part of yourself, if you are right for the job.

We hear that you’re wrapping up your first novel. Will this book be based at all on your experience on the force?

Ah, yes. The novel. Familiarity with the inner workings of a police agency definitely helped the plot, but all I’m going to say for now is the first and second drafts are complete, and I’m currently working my way through the final edit, which is taking forever, before I start sending queries to prospective agents. It’s in the mystery/crime-fiction/thriller/suspense genre.

We’ve exchanged emails about female tactical pants (or, rather, lack thereof). Can you describe the perfect tactical pant for you?

The women’s 5.11 EMS pant with the following modifications (I wish!):

• Raise the waist line by about an inch (or two) to accommodate a police duty belt.
• Put BDU style pockets on the backside.
• BDU style cargo pockets instead of EMS style cargo pockets on the legs.
• Offered in 32″, 33″ and 34″ inseams.

These pants fit like a dream—they are slimmer in the waist, so they don’t gap in the back, they are slightly tapered at the knee and slightly flared at the ankle so they are flattering on just about every figure.

They are also very functional—built in knee pads and triple stitched at stress points. The only issue for a police officer is the pants are only offered in a low rise. This is great if all you have to do is carry your gun in a hidden/plain-clothes holster, but they do not fit a general duty/patrol belt.

Now that Sandra shared her views on blogging as an official LEO, tell us what you think. Should police officers be encouraged to blog officially for their departments? Do you know of any other “official” police blogs out there that you enjoy reading?

The face of Tactical Nuclear Penguin

Earlier this month we discovered the most tactical beer on the planet. Not long after, Tactical Nuclear Penguin made the long journey from Scotland to the U.S. coast.

Because of its ridiculous potency (it has a 32 percent alcohol by volume), the recent import is making a pretty loud splash stateside. Said to be six times stronger than good ole Budweiser, the penguin beer has been compared to other radical imports like absinthe.

Jim Watt, co-founder of Brew Dog, chatted with us via e-mail about his creation that will soon appear at Whole Foods supermarkets in California and New York.

‘Tactical Nuclear Penguin’ is a pretty random and hilarious name. Where did it come from?

This video kinda explains it. Oh, and we really like penguins.

Would you consider your approach to beer-making ‘tactical’? If so, in what way?

No, we are not very tactical. We just tend to follow our muse and see what type of trouble it lands us in. You can see exactly how we reclaimed the strongest beer title here…

What do you think would happen if a real penguin drank TNP?

It happens most weekends in Fraserburgh. Most of the nonsense in the Tactical Nuclear Penguin video was the result of a penguin drinking TNP!

We suggest trying TNP while donning a nice pair of tactical pants. What would you deem as appropriate TNP-drinking attire?

I would suggest really dressing up for the occasion. A dinner suit and black bow tie combined with an air of aristocratic nonchalance would be perfect!

Any other tactical beers in Brew Dog’s future?

Of course. Maybe one infused with raspberries! Tactical Raspberry Penguin anyone?

Many law enforcement officers who encounter social media on a personal level tend to run the other direction. Sure, they use sites like Facebook to research suspects, but what’s the point of participating on a department level?

It’s a question Christa Miller hears all too often. She’s spent the past year and a half researching and blogging about just that. With the tagline “branding police work via social media,” her blog Cops 2.0 answers many questions about the hows and whys of social media.

Miller, who has covered the LEO sector as a trade journalist for nearly decade, works together on the blog with Scott White, a Virginia police officer and marketing strategist. She created Cops 2.0 to help LE officers and administrators navigate social media as a potentially powerful community relations tool.

How did you get involved in the 2.0 world?

I have been talking to people online since 1993, when I got into college and discovered my first listserv in the campus computer clusters. It was an X-Files fan community. From there I joined listservs for writers then moved to bulletin boards and from there to blogs.

I’ve belonged to communities devoted to first-time novelists, crime fiction authors, law enforcement officers and moms. But it wasn’t until I went full-time with my PR business that I joined Twitter and Facebook and the rest.

How is social media changing the law enforcement community?

I am not sure that it is, quite yet. Law enforcement is arguably the most change-resistant population out there!

I think social media has had its biggest impact on public safety and criminal activity in that as with so many other things, LE is not prepared for what their constituents are doing with it. Witness the problems with flash mobs and the fact that many agencies (or government IT departments) are still blocking social sites, although anecdotally I think more and more ARE using them to investigate crimes.

I do think, however, that a lot more can be done using social media, and also taking from social media culture to apply toward law enforcement. It might take another generation or two or five, but I’m not sure constituents will expect anything less.

Most people are completely overwhelmed by the exhaustive social networking options out there. If someone’s a social media novice, where’s the best place to start? Where should they not start?

The best place to start is to back away from all those tools and take time to think about what you (and your community) need. Research how social media are in use in the community. Which bloggers seem to have a good handle on local and regional events? Ask what their readership is. And consider whether other people in your community use social networking for staying in touch with family/friends, for business networking, to get their news, just for entertainment.

After that, figure out what your communications needs are. What do you most want people to know about — crime stats? Specific crime problems? Crime prevention? Those issues will drive how you use tools.

You also need to figure out who’s going to be handling this stuff: one person or a mix? A team approach can help. Is there someone gifted at writing or photography, or even with an interest in video production? See if they’re willing to devote some time to figure out how to put good department- or law enforcement-related content online.

What’s the secret to social media? Or is there one?

The secret is that there is no secret. It’s about being out there among people. People like me who are very introverted and even shy in crowds have found a voice online.

I think for some, it does come more naturally than to others. And I do think law enforcement officers approach it differently. They are used to thinking tactically, not taking people at face value, and trusting “half of what you see, and nothing of what you hear.” In some ways, they’re actually better equipped than the general public to be online! But in others, “just conversing” is not an easy thing for them.

And what’s something a LEO should *never* do online?

Actually … we live in a world where offline very quickly becomes online. Think about the Oscar Grant shooting. So the best thing officers can do is live and breathe their agency’s code of conduct, on or off duty. Yes, it’s a tough job, you do need to blow off steam, and the public can never understand what you do.

But, the public also has been conditioned to believe what they see — not half of it, ALL of it. Cops are always complaining about how the public can’t take responsibility for themselves. But they’ll also have a harder time taking LE seriously if they’re always seeing “stupid cop tricks” in the media, about the latest officer firing for a YouTube video or Facebook posting.

Now that you’ve heard Miller’s take, let us know how you feel about LEO participation in social media. What ways have you seen departments take advantage of sites like Facebook and Twitter?

At Medic999, Mark Glencorse blogs about life as a paramedic on the other side of the pond. And it turns out that being in the emergency medical service in the United Kingdom proves to be a unique experience. Through his blog, Glencorse shares this knowledge with his American colleagues as well as with others throughout the world.

In addition to his writing, Glencorse has also played a major role in the online EMS community by running The Handover Blog Carnival as well as participating in the Chronicles of EMS, a reality series about life as an EMS. Oh, and he also wrote us back via e-mail after we sent him a bunch of random questions, which was also rather cool of him. Without further ado…

You’ve spent a decade in EMS (prior to that you were a nurse). What made you decide to make the switch into EMS?

I always wanted to be a paramedic, but various decisions took me into nursing first. What I have found interesting after getting to know so many US Paramedics is that many of them aspire to move into nursing, where as I wanted the opposite.

In 1999, I saw an advert for direct entry advanced technician training (similar to EMT-I) and jumped at the chance to start the career I had always wanted to do. I had grown a little bored of doing the same thing day in and day out (I was an OR/Anesthetics nurse.) and wanted the variety that pre-hospital care would bring me.

What’s one thing you’ve learned during the past 10 years?

I guess the main lesson I have learned and one that I am keen to pass on to everyone who cares to listen is that you never, ever will know everything about pre-hospital care. If you think you do, you are setting yourself up for a big fall.

Oh, and the one phrase that I am known for, “If you are going to do a 4 lead (ECG), then just do a 12.”

You were recently named the Fire/EMS Blogger of the Year, in which you officially won bragging rights (lucky you!). Is there anything you want to say about the contest and the EMS/Fire blogger community?

Firstly, kudos needs to go out to Fire Critic for organizing and running the contest. Previously, Rogue Medic and I had e-mailed a few times about setting up some sort of awards for EMS blogging, but we never actually got around to doing anything about it. Fire Critic came along and all of a sudden I found myself in the running.

I am honestly not trying to be modest here, but I know that I am not the best blogger in that group of finalists. But I guess I must have some of the most dedicated followers who just kept on voting whenever they could.

The contest did, however, fulfil its main goal, and that was to highlight many of the blogs out there and to get readers to look beyond the usual blogs they read and hopefully find some new ones with some new viewpoints and information to share. The contest was a roaring success, and I know that the Fire Critic has much bigger plans for next year’s competition. So please, watch this space!

Were you surprised when you started blogging in December 2008 to find such a vibrant online community for the public safety industry?

Very much so. Before I started blogging, I used to only read a couple of blogs every now and then. But once I started my own and started to reach out to the rest of the EMS blogosphere, I was suddenly aware of so many more like-minded professionals who were all trying to stimulate conversation and effect change in their own unique ways. What is more surprising though is the sheer number of new blogs that have sprouted up over the last year. And in this case, it really is “The more the better.”

You’ve been able to visit the States and get a small taste of our EMS system. Besides our contradictory spellings of words like “favourite,” what are some of the major differences in the US system compared to where you work in the UK?

The one thing that Justin and I always used to say when we were working together is that it is “The same patient, just a different country.” It quickly became apparent that Justin and I think so very much alike. We look at our patients in the same way, we come to the same diagnosis and want to do the best for our patients, but what makes us different are the systems that we work for, and the limitations that they place on the care that we may want to give.

There are obviously differences due to funding of services and the way that the public pay for their health care and that is one thing that was very clear whilst I was working in San Francisco. I’m glad that I don’t have to have those sorts of conversations with my patients, the ones which cover the question of “How am I going to pay for this?”

What are your hopes for the Chronicles of EMS?

I hope that the Chronicles of EMS will provide a platform for EMS to use to springboard our profession into what we all know it should be. Highly trained paramedics, recognized as health care professionals, able to make clinical decisions based on patient presentation and not always default to a trip to the ER. Higher educational standards and the salary to match the professionals that decide to devote their lives to this career.

In essence, EMS 2.0—rebooting EMS, and taking it to the next level. Oh, and I want to travel the world with Justin, to experience and share best practices from prehospital services across the whole globe. That’s all, not much to ask is it?

When, if ever, do you wear tactical pants? Are they stylish in the UK? (Sorry, had to ask!)

I wear tactical pants as part of my uniform. They are not stylish (they are green!) and they are not designed for heavy duty work like we out them through. I have lost count of the amount of time that I have ripped the crotch right out from them!

The worst one being in the middle of a resus when then really was no other option but to just keep going. It certainly helped keep me cool though!

Being a private detective might seem like a rather glamorous career path. Mystery. Intrigue. Beautiful places; beautiful people. These stereotypes gleaned from decades worth of TV shows are enough to make someone like Paul Huebl nauseated.

Why? Because Huebl is a real-life, licensed private eye. He knows exactly how un-glamorous the job can get. “If you want real glamour, excitement and some serious money, take acting lessons, go to Hollywood and portray a private investigator,” he has said.

At Crimefile News, Huebl blogs about law, criminal cases and his own experiences and political views. He took a moment away from his latest case to talk about his writing, California living and, of course, tactical pants.

You’ve been blogging since 2005. How has your blog evolved through the years? Do you still blog for the same reasons?

My blog has changed as technology has improved. I bring more video and public documents seamlessly into my stories. I hope my writing has improved along the way, too. I blog because I can!

What kind of pants do you wear on the job?

I wear civilian style clothes unless there is potential street combat, then I wear tactical gear complete with body armor. Thankfully my combat suit has not been getting used at all. I do, however, drill with the gear every 90 days to make sure nothing shrank in my closet and that everything is in working order.

I never know what special problem a client of mine may have or the possible civil disorder I may be dispatched to deal with. The police have their responsibility and I have mine. Cooperation has always been excellent.

For tactical matters, I wear light weight cargo pants but have them sewn to prevent the lower pockets from sagging. I never put more than a note pad and pens in them anyway. I’d like all pants made for police and military to have elastic bands designed to hold two or three pistol magazines flat in each back pocket ready for possible action.

You are a licensed private detective in Southern California. What’s the oddest case you’ve worked on?

A Santa Monica death investigation from the 1930’s involving an actress and her physician husband who was arrested and acquitted during a sensational trial.

Any on-the-job celebrity run-ins that you can discuss?

Celebrities come with the territory in L.A. Those folks suffer arrests for criminal allegations, get divorced and then there are people who take advantage of them just like everyday folks. I really can’t bring up a recent specific case without violating confidentiality laws and agreements.

Is it difficult being a conservative in the land of the liberals? Do people misrepresent California as a completely liberal state — or are those views pretty accurate?

I live in a dream world where I like to think we all really want the same things like peace, prosperity and to see our nation productive and happy. We all have diverse ideas on just how to achieve those goals.

Being that you were a LEO in Chicago, do you ever miss being a cop?

I do miss the old days and working with great people. Had I the option to live my life over again, I’d have gutted out biochemistry and gone to medical school. I would never choose to be a cop in today’s society.

You seem to have a lot of beef with the TSA. If you could be a TSA agent for a day, would you? What would you do differently?

The TSA is as un-American as you can get. There is no amount of money I’d ever take to treat my fellow law-abiding Americans like prison convicts. I’d be glad to take over responsibility to deal with air-pirates and airline terrorism. I could do that a lot cheaper and more effective than the TSA any day. Flying would be enjoyable once more.

Watch Huebl’s personal infomercial below.

For highly sophisticated tactical clothing, look no further than Kitanica.

In 1995, Beej Cronin founded the clothing company in Brooklyn with his brother Chris. Now based in Oakland, Calif., the outerwear line features USA-made gear such as jackets, pants and shorts that have been spotted on geek superstars like Mythbuster’s Adam Savage.

When he was 14 years old, Cronin taught himself how to design and sew by creating jackets and other clothing. His first designs were constructed to endure farm life. Since then, he’s moved onto heavy-duty, high-quality menswear. His latest addition to the Kitanica line is a 12-pocket tactical pant that packs a mighty punch.

As a sewer, designer and patternmaker, you could probably make just about anything. Why tactical clothing? What was the appeal?

Tactical clothing is designed for functioning in varied and physically demanding environments, and clothing in general is for protection and utility (although much of it tries its best to not be). Practicality and durability are characteristics that I want in what I personally wear.

I spent my younger years in farming, and you really blow through clothes in that line of work. When I first started making apparel, it was to hold up to the daily rigor of farm work. Down the road, the military fabrics and materials were an obvious choice, and the look and feel of these materials has an appeal of its own.

In 2008, there was a tactical pants boom when brands from Propper to Tru-Spec came out with lines specifically tailored for law officers and gun professionals. When did your line begin, and what sets your tactical pants apart from the competition?

I’ve been making utilitarian clothing since I started making clothes; our latest pants are perhaps the most tactically oriented design. There are a lot of companies in this area these days, so the selection is pretty wide. I’ve seen some really innovative stuff and some pretty unremarkable stuff.

Our line has a durability factor and aesthetic that stands out. The materials and construction that we use are as tough as we can get. Our look may be a little over the top, but I don’t think that making something that isn’t unique is really a thing worth making in this business.

We are really big on American manufacturing. All of our materials and findings are sourced domestically, our sewing is all done domestically as well, and this is a thing that very few apparel companies can claim.

It’s been about three years since the Adam Savage/Mark IV coat mania. Do people still seek out that coat just because he wore it on several MythBusters episodes?

Of course. Adam has a pretty big and loyal international following, and I routinely get requests making sure they are getting “the jacket that Adam wears on Mythbusters.”

In 2001, you shelved your company to go teach, are you back full-time now? When did you come back and why?

Yes, I am full time (maybe more than full-time). I don’t think this is the venue to discuss the state of the American education system, but in a nutshell, the “system” makes student success difficult to say the least. And I got frustrated.

I’ll be back someday, but I really love apparel and the time was right. I was doing a little in my leisure time, and people started tracking me down from the MythBusters connection so with additional interest from Chris and Len, we gave it another go.

We checked out your new PNT X.A pants and thought they were pretty sweet. Any other new products in the pipeline this year?

Thank you. Of course [there'll be new products this year]. We have a couple jackets slated for fall, and an LE version of our Mk I. We’re toying with the idea of doing some really small runs of some items, kind of test runs, which we can do as we are pretty self-contained.

Kitanica's New PNT X.A Tactical Pants

We couldn’t help but notice that your price of $160 is much higher than a lot of tac pants out there. What are people getting for the extra cost?

In general, ours is a unique product, we make them in small lots out of the best stuff available. Some of it looks like costume kit from the movies but it is made of the real stuff and is totally built to last.

The patterns are crazy and have a lot of pieces that require a tremendous amount of sewing. There is almost 3 yards of fabric in those pants and probably over 100 separate pieces that need to be assembled (I haven’t counted because I don’t really want to know) and since this is done domestically that’s gonna have a cost.

What are some other things that are unique about Kitanica?

We outsource very little. All design, pattern-making, grading, sampling, sourcing is done in-house as is all of our jacket production. I don’t know of any companies that do what we do — making this type and level of apparel without a large team and/or outsourcing.

We are lean and mean — emphasis on lean as I do all the design and product development as well as production management and, when needed, production sewing. I love it all. My partners Chris (brother) handles the marketing and outreach and Leonard (cousin) manages our business office end. Without them involved, I’d be tinkering on stuff unknown to anyone in a basement in Oakland, Calif.

There’s a special range of emotions a driver experiences when flashing lights begin to flicker from behind. The heart races, as does the mind. Then there’s the shock. The fear. The frustration.

Now picture the person who stirs those emotions. Day in, day out.

Ever wonder what that person is thinking? Well, then you’ve never read Motorcop’s blog. “If You Got Stopped … You Deserved It” is a no-holds-barred glimpse into the life of a California police officer just out doing his job (on two wheels, mind you).

The blog, which he describes as “bawdy,” indeed provides excellent intel as to what’s going on in a police officer’s mind. MC even encourages readers to send him questions about anything and everything. His answers are insightful, witty and really quite informative.

The title of your blog implies that everyone who gets pulled over is doing something wrong. Is this always the case? Do officers ever make mistakes when they pull someone over?

If you got stopped…you deserved it. In my experience, this is the case 99% of the time. Of course, officers are human and make mistakes. Sometimes, a car can get lost in a sea of similar looking vehicles. It has happened to me, and I figured out the mistake by the time I contacted the driver. Almost every time, the driver is glad they weren’t the party I was looking for; however, they’re still nervous. I chalk it up to them feeling guilty for something else they did whilst driving and didn’t get caught for.

Come to think of it, my answer is yes, it’s always the case … just not necessarily for what they were stopped for! Seriously, though, 99.8% of the time the driver I stop has committed a violation of some sort, and most of the time, they receive a written reminder of their irresponsibility (read: citation). Personally, I’ve never issued a citation that I wasn’t absolutely certain about. I’m not about to stand up in court and testify to something I’m just sorta sure about.

Readers submit questions to you on your blog. What’s the strangest question you’ve encountered thus far? What’s something you wish people would ask about?

Believe it or not, most of the questions I get are legitimate. Most folks have always wanted to ask a cop a question, but don’t necessarily want to approach us on the street (which is appreciated by the by). I did once get a racy question about wearing nothing but the motor boots in the boudoir … turns out it was The Wife, though, so I suppose that doesn’t really count.

Most of the questions I get are well thought out and something that a lot more people than just the asker are curious about. Chances are if you are wondering about it, someone else is as well. I wish people would ask me more about my aspirations and dreams, you know? The things that make MC tick. *sigh* Instead, it’s all about “Do I really have to stop at a red light” and “Isn’t the speed limit for other people”?

You list your occupation as “Soul Crusher” on your blogger profile. How does one crush a soul?

Soul Crusher. Achieving that status is a closely guarded secret. I can only say it involves a lot of writing, tears and whining … and then there’s the people I stop. Don’t get me started on them!

How would you describe the average facial expression of a person when you pull them over?

The average facial expression is a combination of mild disappointment, anger and guilt … and that’s just what I see as I’m looking at them in their rearview and/or side mirror.

Despite the overwhelming impression I may give on the blog, most people accept their just deserts and take responsibility for their actions; however, those instances are just too boring to document. No one wants to hear about the average lady that said little or nothing during initial contact, signed the cite, and then drove away with no comment. Boring!

What’s the most ridiculous way someone has tried to get out of a ticket?

I’ve had the typical flirty woman. I’ve had the crier. I’ve had people yell, call me all sorts of names and generally make large fools of themselves. They all got tickets. The most ridiculous one actually ended up going to jail.

Come to think about it, I don’t think I’ve ever blogged about it. I’ll have to fix that! Long story short, a 43-year-old woman basically just lost her mind, and I practically had to wrestle her in the middle of the street during school rush hour because she didn’t want to sign the ticket (more or less). She went to jail. You’ll have to tune in to the blog to find out the rest.

(Image via @MSG)