Seattle’s Medic One: How We Don’t Die

In 1968, Dr. Leonard Cobb, along with Seattle fire chief Gordon Vickery, began to implement something new and daring: one of the country’s first pre-hospital coronary care systems. Along with Dr. Michael Copass, they started Medic One, an emergency service unlike any other. One year later, the first vehicle equipped with a defibrillator and ten highly trained Seattle firefighters took to the streets. Medic One has since trained hundreds of paramedics, added an emergency air transport service in four neighboring states, helped build a statewide emergency transfer system and saved countless lives. Dr. Richard Rapport delivers an inside look at one of the most influential medical programs in Washington State and the country.