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Obviously the writer was a city slicker. Of course in saying that I have seen city fire departments send a crew to aid us on 100000 acre wildland fires and they did respond in bunker gear as they had no wildland gear. They basically were of no help to us, just consumed food we could have used.

I prefer the newer plastic tanks ie Nalgene I just looked I think wajax made mine but it is worn off, the older brass pumps are field "fixable" I do not like the new ones made out of composites. 4c6 the tin ones are sooo freaking old and way heavy, hard to fill in a crick and the straps cut in huge, galvanized are from when Smokey the bear was still sucking on mommas teat in the den ... Wildland Firefighting clothing no bunker gear even with interface fires even "sprinkle or foam protection crews just wear coveralls, in Alberta it is manatory that "fire resistant" is used as we do a lot of Chopper Time. ASRDthe standard issue is "Proban Coveralls in Yellow " they suck but are better visibility from the air unfortunatly do get blacked out really fast. In BC issue it 2 piece Nomex pants and coined "the red shirt's" there quality of Nomex is by far better. As a medic attached to WFF teams by regulation must be "easily identifiable" so I wear a "Old Blue Nomex flight suit" with a Hi Vis Trauma vest. http://www.scottyfire.com/ link to new gack. LMFAO ... so who pulls his hose ? So Phil gets to you ... you should hear the nasty things he calls ME <insert sniff, whining> Inter agency cooperation is mandatory if you sir can not understand and that a sense of professional humour exists gentle ribbing can actually be a moral booster, btw you missed "bucket fairy" a favorite of mine. Sometimes these are just terms of endearment: YOU NEED to wear thicker Bunker Gear like really, hell, I have been called bandaid counter, ditch doctor, Para-site, mattress holder, oh oh my favorite hey get the LAB as in Labrador dog or = Lazy Ass Bandaid. Ever hear Sticks and Stones may hurt my bones but words never will hurt me ... This Forum is called EMT CITY and even though we do tolerate fire based services perhaps look to your IAFF for stirring the pot first, you do know that North America is about the only place in the world that uses a FF/Medic model ... try thinking out of the box present facts and studies evidence based medicine (because many of the US FF/MEDIC services get a big fat fail, and then again some are stellar)there are many models that deliver Pre Hospital Care Medicine and far more efficiently <insert gasp> cheers

You will hae vo forgive this poor misguided soul. Remember there is no intelligence required to put the wet stuff on the hot stuff. Brains are an optional accessory.

Here in Australia EMS and Fire are two totally different government funded services. Each state in Australia has a Metropolitan and Country branch of Fire Service and each state has there own Ambulance Service. In my state Melbourne has the Metropolitan Fire Brigade which is all paid, full time firefighters. In the country interface we have Country Fire Authority which encumbers just over 1000 fire stations, they have about 3,000 paid full time fire fighters and 30,000 volunteers. The larger rural city's and large coastal towns have paid full time staff and the remaining stations have volunteers. It's no walk in the park to become a paid firefighter, the entry test is quiet extensive and so is the 4 months of academy. The Ambulance Service is all paid full time staff, we don't have volunteers in EMS apart from CERT in remote areas. Again it's quiet a vigorous entry requirement to become a paramedic, most have 3 years degrees and undertake graduate training. We don't seem to experience the conflict and problems between EMS and Fire as you guys do over in America.

I too was confused by that.... One has to wonder if his motives were altoether altruistic, or if he was in some small way helping to bring some 'positive press' to the FDNY.

In your wildest dreams turnip.

Thanks for the scenario. I am not too proud to admit I initially considered croup. Take care, chbare.

Bite me upside down roo breath ... get a life !

I would suggest you read tniuqs' post. Heathy competitiom between services is a good thing. Derogatory humour will always exist. I think u need to learn not to take it personally. If you would care to read the rest of my posts you will find I am also critical of many in EMS for their lack of initiative, stupidity & other moronic acts.

You know you're a firefighter if... You can't realize that EMS is a completely separate field from fire supression and post fire-only items on an EMS website and actually think you'll get a positive response.

Ahem ... root veggies are all the rage this time of year !

My first instinct when I read this was "where is the outcry from the insurance industry". Now I am no genius, and I can often oversimplify things, but to my way of thinking, true health reform would have resulted in massive arguments from the people making all the money with the present situation. No outcry from the insurance companies equals bad bill in my limited little mind. Then, what to my wondering eyes should appear but an article in one of the preeminent nursing mags which I quote in full - Nation’s Largest RN Organization Says Healthcare Bill Cedes Too Much to Insurance Industry By National Nurses United December 21, 2009 The 150,000 member National Nurses United, the nation’s largest union and professional organization of registered nurses in the U.S., today criticized the healthcare bill now advancing in the U.S. Senate saying it is deeply flawed and grants too much power to the giant insurers. “It is tragic to see the promise from Washington this year for genuine, comprehensive reform ground down to a seriously flawed bill that could actually exacerbate the healthcare crisis and financial insecurity for American families, and that cedes far too much additional power to the tyranny of a callous insurance industry,” said NNU co-president Karen Higgins, RN. NNU Co-president Deborah Burger, RN challenged arguments of legislation proponents that the bill should still be passed because of expanded coverage, new regulations on insurers, and the hope that it will be improved in the House-Senate conference committee or future years. “Those wishful statements ignore the reality that much of the expanded coverage is based on forced purchase of private insurance without effective controls on industry pricing practices or real competition and gaping loopholes in the insurance reforms,” said Burger. Further, said NNU Co-president Jean Ross, RN, “the bill seems more likely to be eroded, not improved, in future years due to the unchecked influence of the healthcare industry lobbyists and the lessons of this year in which all the compromises have been made to the right.” “Sadly, we have ended up with legislation that fails to meet the test of true healthcare reform, guaranteeing high quality, cost effective care for all Americans, and instead are further locking into place a system that entrenches the chokehold of the profit-making insurance giants on our health. If this bill passes, the industry will become more powerful and could be beyond the reach of reform for generations,” Higgins said. NNU cited ten significant problems in the legislation, noting many of the same flaws also exist in the House version and are likely to remain in the bill that emerges from the House-Senate reconciliation process: 1. The individual mandate forcing all those without coverage to buy private insurance, with insufficient cost controls on skyrocketing premiums and other insurance costs. 2. No challenge to insurance company monopolies, especially in the top 94 metropolitan areas where one or two companies dominate, severely limiting choice and competition. 3. An affordability mirage. Congressional Budget Office estimates say a family of four with a household income of $54,000 would be expected to pay 17 percent of their income, $9,000, on healthcare exposing too many families to grave financial risk. 4. The excise tax on comprehensive insurance plans which will encourage employers to reduce benefits, shift more costs to employees, promote proliferation of high-deductible plans, and lead to more self-rationing of care and medical bankruptcies, especially as more plans are subject to the tax every year due to the lack of adequate price controls. A Towers-Perrin survey in September found 30 percent of employers said they would reduce employment if their health costs go up, 86 percent said they’d pass the higher costs to their employees. 5. Major loopholes in the insurance reforms that promise bans on exclusion for pre-existing conditions, and no cancellations for sickness. The loopholes include: * Provisions permitting insurers and companies to more than double charges to employees who fail “wellness” programs because they have diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol readings, or other medical conditions. * Insurers are permitted to sell policies “across state lines”, exempting patient protections passed in other states. Insurers will thus set up in the least regulated states in a race to the bottom threatening public protections won by consumers in various states. * Insurers can charge four times more based on age plus more for certain conditions, and continue to use marketing techniques to cherry-pick healthier, less costly enrollees. * Insurers may continue to rescind policies for “fraud or intentional misrepresentation” – the main pretext insurance companies now use to cancel coverage. 6. Minimal oversight on insurance denials of care; a report by the California Nurses Association/NNOC in September found that six of California’s largest insurers have rejected more than one-fifth of all claims since 2002. 7. Inadequate limits on drug prices, especially after Senate rejection of an amendment, to protect a White House deal with pharmaceutical giants, allowing pharmacies and wholesalers to import lower-cost drugs. 8. New burdens for our public safety net. With a shortage of primary care physicians and a continuing fiscal crisis at the state and local level, public hospitals and clinics will be a dumping ground for those the private system doesn’t want. 9. Reduced reproductive rights for women. 10. No single standard of care. Our multi-tiered system remains with access to care still determined by ability to pay. Nothing changes in basic structure of the system; healthcare remains a privilege, not a right. “Desperation to pass a bill, regardless of its flaws, has made the White House and Congress subject to the worst political extortion and new, crippling concessions every day,” Burger said. “NNU and nurses will continue to work with the thousands of grassroots activists across the nation to campaign for the best reform, which would be to expand Medicare to cover everyone, the same type of system working more effectively in every other industrial country. The day of that reform will come,” said Ross. We have been sold out by a president desperate to get something done fast. This is a huge disappointment.

Ummm I don't see me referencing firemonkey, incompetent etc. However, this is called EMT City, not Fire City. I'm not against fire - I was originally a firemedic. I also support our firefighters that are going through some issues right now. Both serve their purposes. However, I do NOT agree with fire based EMS. I certainly think resources and grants that are poured into fire (based on medical runs to pad call volume) are much better directed to be used for EMS funds only. Not to buy a prettier shade of red fire truck when the current one works fine and there are EMS departments that are lucky to have a running truck ! But I won't start that arguement as its been debated to death on this forum. Just understand it wasn't the right audience, we're commenting on that, not fire in general (or at least I can speak that way for myself).

This might be a little off topic here, but I'd just like to make a comment on the olympics in general. I have found that the olympic games exist soley to enhance the glory and profile of the IOC and in this case COC, and VANOC members. Its certainly not about the world class athletes that participte in the games. Not only has this nonsense with BC ambulance left a bad taste in my mouth, but the corporate ties also seem endless and in my opinion inappropriate. The most ridiculous being Mcdonalds and Coca cola. I know that there is a long standing connection between these brands and the Olympics, but I find it ironic that two junk food companies are the official sponsers of a world class athletic event. Then are is the controversy with the new design of Team Canada hockey jerseys. The IOC says that the hockey federation logo can not appear on olympic jerseys, so now the new jerseys are selling like hotcakes @ $130 each for replicas. Ten percent of that goes to Hockey Canada, the rest? Back into Olympic coffers, not a bad payday. I know that it costs a lot of money to run the games, but the corporate sponsorship seems overwhelming and in my opinion, sucks all the fun out of the event. So this latest scandal with BC ambulance just takes the games one step closer to complete irrelevance.

here's a more friendly and receptive crowd for you www.firewhackers.com

Do you have us confused with Firehouse.com?

So its acceptable to support VANOC in one capacity over another, has your Paramedic union released a policy ? Just wondering is all. Well intentioned, thats awesome but now that you are becoming more informed of the real issues and how VANOC has affected the long term the whole province for their "15 minutes of fame" .... have you Tented in the Whistler Mountain Area its not a easy feat and do me a favor and check in with Whistler SAR Rescue room (it can be located in the village) I am a past member btw. I was watching the news and because of limiting Venue Tickets to our US neighbor's the 2 RV lots proposed in Vancouver area have been "closed" due to lack of interest. Yeah think, apology accepted. Ok define Natives ? In some eastern provinces the First Nations they have refused to allow the "Flame" to cross on their land. Many natives live in true poverty and the cost to the taxpayers running a Flame across 5000 kms to promote the "Olympic Dream"would be better spent to address the issues of POVERTY. The vast majority on First Nations would never ever get to compete with the worlds "elite" let alone attend. I believe in the entire Canadian History of the Olympics only the Firth sisters (out of Inuvik) in cross country skiing were the only First Nations to ever compete ! (Not an Expert in that) Do you know VANOC had "homeless" in Vancouver um whats the PC word Yes "relocated" the majority or the homeless are from native background. meh another huge FAIL. Maybe the best idea to "pull the pin" let Arctickat give the real inside skinny. I take issue with that: MY BP goes through the frigging roof when my brothers and Sisters get screwed over huge, when human rights are tromped upon and a huge waste of taxpayers moneys in the first place. Here is another "tidbit" the Mayor of Vancouver office renovations will cost more than the Womens Ski Jumping (estimated cost) to be included in the EVENT. cheers

Nasal? NRB. Thiamine and Dextrose, PRN too... Or so I am told...

You know you're a Firefighter if… 1. You can tell what type of fire it is by the smell of smoke 10 miles away. 2. You have ever had a heated debate over the color of firetrucks. 3. You have ever spent 10 min trying to force open a door only to have someone come along and open it by turning the handle. 4. You have ever taken 10 or more showers in 1 day. 5. You lay out your cloths from that day so if there is a call at night you can find them quickly. 6. You take great joy in smashing the windows of a car parked in a fire zone or in front of a hydrant. 7. You have ever been airborne without an aircraft and water was your thrust. 8. You always wear red suspenders. 9. You have ever slept in a hosebed. 10. You carry a ton of specially modified tools in your pocket. 11. You ever cursed out someone for armor-alling the seats to make them look nice. 12. You've ever clung to the air horn chord for dear life because the driver is insane. 13. You have ever played jingle bells at Xmas time on the air horns to clear traffic. 14. You double your weight every time you go on a job a building. 15. You have ever said, "she's hot tonight" and not been talking about a girl. 16. You have ever had "yoda ears" 17. You have ever called a person found after a fire a "crispy critter" 18. You have ever smoked and there wasn't a cigarette in sight. 19. You have ever stomped out a fire with your boots because you couldn't wait for water. 20. You have ever walked 3 miles into the woods in 100 degree heat in full turnout gear and a 5 gal or more water can strapped on your back just to put out a fire.

I wanted to give my 3 y/o and 1 y/o nieces chlamydia and syphilis, but I couldn't find them, so I setteled for MRSA and chicken poxs.

Speaking of lack of brains, every time the word fire is uttered, it's "firemonkey, stupid, incompetent, etc. etc.". It's like a Pavlovian response. Such responses strongly suggest a high degree of jealousy. Or did a FF steal your girl, beat you up or something? Your fire bashing is transparent and nauseating. Also, to make the comment that fire suppression requires no intelligence I would assume that you have significant experience in the fire service? Or are you just making blanket ASSumptions as usual? There's a little more to it than aiming an oversized garden hose.

Children play nice together or there will be a lump of coal for you.

Nooooooooooooooo really?

All this animosity stems from "HOSE envy". Sadly its true some people feel woefully under equipped to handle all situations so they choose to canonize the one the have mastered. Its a shame really all they need is a little confidence building and they to will feel adequate in most situations. But one truth still remains some of use can be firemen and emt's some can't. P.S. I love stirring the pot Merry Christmas to all

Ummm he may not have used the term "firemonkey" and such this time, but he's constantly posting comments of that nature. It doesn't matter what the topic is, monkey sees "fire", monkey bashes "fire". That was the ponit of my comment. Our EMS division is fully funded, so I don't see your point. My rig is brand new with 4000 miles and that new "green" technology where the exhaust is retained and superheated, and requires a regeneration if driven at slow speeds too often. Our supplies are fully stocked. Since our personnel are dual role, we don't have problems such as burnout due to mandatory OT, and our firemedics get a break from excessive call volume by rotating to and from the engine. Retention and longevity are easier to achieve when firemedics can work different aspects of the job and not get burnt or feel "stuck" in a certain position. I agree with fire based EMS probably as much if not more than you disagree with it. Don't project the shortcomings and faults of your former dept onto mine.