Avery County EMS

10/07/2026

We have the best around!!

10/07/2026

🚑 Looking to refresh your critical care knowledge before the end of the year?

EMS Wizard is excited to help spread the word about the upcoming Critical Care Refresh course offered through Central Carolina Community College in partnership with The Carter Institute.

This course is completely online, giving busy EMS professionals the flexibility to complete the course while balancing work, family, and everything else that comes with life in EMS.

📅 November 1 – December 31, 2026
👨‍🏫 Lead Instructor: Toby Carter
💻 100% Online

If you have been looking for an opportunity to strengthen your critical care foundation, review key concepts, and continue growing professionally, this is a great way to close out 2026.

📧 Registration / Information:
John Wilson — [email protected]

Tag a partner, coworker, or medic who needs to see this and help us spread the word!

10/07/2026

We would like to thank HEART & all of the first responders who helped out today!

09/21/2026

As we near the two-year mark of Hurricane Helene, we invite our community to come together for A Time of Remembrance as we honor the lives lost and dedicate the memorial bench in their memory.

Sunday, September 27 | 2:00 PM | Avery Square

09/04/2026

The JROTC would love to honor all 1st Responders and Veterans tonight with a free dinner at 6pm and need help with the BIG flag before the game if you are interested in attending.

09/01/2026

Avery High School JROTC works very hard providing a meal and midfield ceremony for First Responders and Veterans. Please come out with your families. We are going to enter through the JROTC entrance at the top parking lot.  Please leave the parking spaces that are closer to the building available for those in need. Details for a shuttle service that will also be provided for those in need will be available soon. Please share this information with any First Responder or Veteran you know.🎖️🚒🚑🚔🏥

08/26/2026

We’ve came across a product that we highly recommend for individuals that have health problems. This bracelet is $20 on Amazon so it’s very affordable, easy to set up and very user friendly. The Lucky Tag allows medical professionals to easily scan the QR code and have your current medications, recent surgeries and emergency contact information. It’s available on Amazon.

08/22/2026

The R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center presents the EMS Broadcast "Beyond the Blast" Monday, August 31, 2026, 1800-2000 hours. This educational webinar will introduce EMS clinicians to the fundamentals of blast injuries. Participants will review a real-world case study and have the opportunity to engage with presenters during a Q&A session. Pre-register (required) by August 30 at https://tinyurl.com/BeyondTheBlast.

08/19/2026

08/07/2026

New research shows most unstable pelvic fractures never get a binder in the field.

Only 17% of patients with a confirmed unstable pelvic fracture got a pelvic binder before reaching the hospital.

Why it matters: Unstable pelvic fractures can bleed fast, and quietly. A binder put on early, and on the right patient, can slow that bleeding. Miss it and you may miss the window.

By the numbers: Researchers looked at 319 confirmed pelvic fracture patients at one trauma center over five years.

▪️ Just 9% of all patients got a binder in the field. Only 17% of unstable fractures did.
▪️ Other countries do this more. The UK: 26.5%. Switzerland: 59%.
▪️ Pain during the field pelvic exam nearly doubled the odds the fracture was truly unstable (OR 2.24).
▪️ Every 10-point drop in systolic blood pressure raised those odds too (OR 1.13).
▪️ A falling GCS, meaning a less alert patient, also raised them (OR 1.09).

Yes, but: Local guidelines in this study just say to "attempt to stabilize if you suspect a pelvic fracture." They never say what counts as suspicious. Vague guidance leads to vague practice.

The catch: A low binder rate isn't automatically the problem. A recent NAEMSP position statement found little evidence behind prehospital binders at all, and binders carry risk. They've been tied to pressure sores, nerve injury, and at least one case where blood pressure got worse because that fracture pattern didn't need squeezing. Not every pelvic fracture benefits, and we're still sorting out which ones do.

Bottom line: This isn't just underuse. It's a problem of knowing who needs one. Clearer criteria, like the New Brunswick consensus statement that weighs pain, instability, GCS, and blood pressure together, could help crews reach for binders more often on the patients who need them, and less often on the ones who don't.

Should EMS protocols set defined criteria for binder use, or is the bigger need better field tools to tell which fractures actually benefit?

Read the full study here:https://media.handtevy.com/website/Prehospital-Application-of-Pelvic-Binders-for-Suspected-Pelvic-Ring-Injuries-A-Retrospective-Cohort-Study.pdf