The federal government is sponsoring 27 Metropolitan Medical Strike Teams, including one at Boston Emergency Medical Services (BEMS). These teams use pre-hospital medical providers to deliver medical care to a patient who is the victim of a chemical or biological weapons attack. In these teams the medical provider may be called upon to wear chemical protective gear. This chemical protective gear includes a self-contained breathing apparatus, hooded suit, boots and two layers of gloves. This chemical gear is frequently bulky. The purpose of this study is to determine if paramedics can perform medical interventions while in chemical protective gear, as well as determine if they will be able to perform these tasks on multiple mannequins. We will be comparing the ability of paramedics to perform intramuscular injection, intubation and needle chest decompression multiple times both in chemical protective gear and in standard uniform after walking 440 yards and then again after walking 220 yards on a treadmill.
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