EPIC Medics is an organization of Paramedics, EMTs, Firefighters and many others dedicated to integrating EMS and injury prevention.
On May 8, 1996, Paul Maxwell was on duty as a Paramedic in San Diego when he responded to a pediatric emergency. Nicholas Rosecrans, a toddler at daycare, had wandered away and found the non-gated pool of the neighboring house. Paul and his team worked diligently to resuscitate the boy, and did succeed in restarting his heart, but he was too badly injured to recover and twelve hours later his family released him from life support.
A few days later, Nicholas' mother, Lynn Rosecrans, contacted Paul by letter thanking his team for their efforts and for the short, yet important, time they had been given to say goodbye to their son. The paramedics were devasted. This incident was not the first or second pediatric drowning they had seen that summer. The aftermath of the incident so touched Paul, that he vowed to do everything in his power to make the loss of Nicholas Rosecrans the last one. Paul and like-minded paramedics Josh Krimston, Shelly Bylar, Matt Hartfield, Jose Ramirez, Jeff Kaimer and Ahmed Luz banded together to effect change. Medics Eliminating Preventable Injury in Children, EPIC Medics, was born.
In coordination with the San Diego Safe Kids Coalition, the power of paramedics in delivering the injury prevention message was realized. The program gained traction throughout the region and successfully lobbied for pool safety legislation in California. The organization has presented at countless conferences and explored solutions to injury prevention with local, state, and national government entities. EPIC Medics has expanded to include injury prevention across all age groups, and for fifteen years it has been nationally recognizing those individuals and organizations that have also been successfully preventing unnecessary injury in their communities.
In addition to our own work, EPIC Medics and our partners give out an annual Nicholas Rosecrans Award each year to recognize those who also work in prevention and to inspire others to join. The California Paramedic Foundation currently runs two EPIC Medic campaigns: Helmets for Kids and Safety City.
