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It's so weird to think that anyone would believe I'm worth impersonating. And what do I have to gain by lying? I already lost my job and I doubt the Hospital is going to come to me and say "You know Franco, we've been seeing a lot of positive comments on the internet about you, here is your job back!". I never said what I did was professional, it was stupid. One thing I can say is, I didn't post the photos. That's not to say my partner did without my permission but there is something to be said about the fact that I didn't put them on a site as public as Flickr. I never intended for anyone outside of my close friends seeing these photos. I said nobody from the hospital saw the photos, meaning my supervisor or the administration. My close friends have seen the photos from me showing them in person on my computer when I explain what happened. I'd like to thank everyone who has had kind words for my situation as well as adding that nobody owes me an apology. I am fully aware that what I did was stupid and unprofessional, I just don't think it was deserving of such a severe punishment.

I'm very actively involved in politics. I'm cool-headed. I still think this is a calm discussion. I just take offense to being told that anything expressed to demonstrate the level of the anger the American people are experiencing as "infantile." This is a very serious matter on so many different levels and requires our full attention. The POTUS was giving a speech today and making fun of all of us who recognize the threat this bill and the manner in which it was passed poses to every single American. It was deeply immature on his part and just continues to rub salt into the deep wounds they've already caused. It's disgusting. He's disgusting.

I don't condone acts of violence, but I'm so frustrated that it is easy to celebrate this. Gotta do something to make these idiots actually represent us and not their own special interests. It was times like this that started the revolutionary war and frankly I think it's time to revolt. What do these guys expect when they act in direct defiance of the will of the people that they're supposed to be representing? The majority spoke in overwhelming numbers and they just flipped us all the bird. I've never been so angry in politics in my whole life and it's going to get worse. Next their going to give amnesty to illegal aliens and take over the banking systems...we HAVE to stop this crap! By the way, Obama has done more damage to this country in one year then Bush did in all his tenure. And, Bush is no longer in power so it's time to stop blaming him. I was no fan of Bush, but Obama is destroying the American way of life.

Hey guys, this is Franco Colon. Found this because I decided to Google myself. I just wanted to clarify some things. I had decided not to really say anything regarding this since I had planned on fighting this with my Union but the more time that passes by, the less I feel like drawing this out. First off, I was a Full Time EMT at LICH with no prior instances of ever getting in trouble. I've never banged out of a tour and I've always been comically early. As an EMT in NYC we don't have a station that we hang out at in between calls. We sit at our assigned locations in the ambulance and respond to calls from there. We were parked at our assigned location for about 3 hours. I have my personal laptop with me when I work and so we were passing the time. Obviously we ended up going on chatroulette and since our gas masks where with us we put them on. It was stupid and a bad idea. As you know, pictures were taken an put on Flickr. Another stupid, bad idea. What did NOT happen. We didn't flirt with girls, we didn't write anything obscene or vulgar, you couldn't identify what hospital we were from, I was NOT driving and texting (a photo was taken of me while I was sitting there texting on my phone but my left hand happened to be resting on the wheel) and that photo was NOT named "Franco likes Safety". It was 10 minutes out of our 16 hour shift. We responded to our calls, pt care wasn't compromised, nobody would have even known about it. That is until the reporter from the post found the photos, came to the hospital, threatened us with a story. She was just out for blood. Because of the issues our hospital has been facing lately, we were terminated without a chance to say anything in our defense. I've never even received so much as a written warning. Technically we weren't terminated because of the article, we were terminated for a series of extremely grey policies that allows the administration to fire you for just about anything. The really ridiculous thing about this all. Nobody from the hospital except the reporter, my partner and myself has even seen the photos in question. It's all been based on the word of the reporter. I have no desire to distribute these photos but I'll say this. Friends of mine who have seen them agree when I say, it's absolutely crazy so much fuss is being made over such simple harmless boring photos. I love my job, and it pains me that something like this happened. I feel like I was struck by lightning, just in the wrong place at the wrong time. I would love nothing more than to just move on and get a job somewhere else. I just hope this doesn't hang over me like a black cloud while I try to do so. Watch out guys and gals. Big Brother is watching.

Ooh.. Look at that HOT fog pattern.

Progressive Medical International Progressive Medical International, my main supplier, sells refurbished Defibs, including the M Series by Zoll. These guys are about the cheapest place I've used. In fact, they specialize in supplying refurbished medical machines, in addition to regular EMS Supplies. It's a government contractor, as well as civilian, so I would vouch for them. If you're buying it for a service, to use, then you'll want to make sure you're getting something that will work. Not all "recycled" defibrillators are something you want to carry into battle, per se.

In every partnership of Hollywood. You have a cute, funny one that is slightly dumb.. And you have a realistic, handsome one that is really smart. There you have.. Johnny and Roy, respectively.

What is it w/ firemen? Jesus... Their bathroom is worse than a biker bar or a pre-school. They need to make a bulls eye for the inside of urinals. Oh wait, what were we talking about? Yeah, I've had periods where I lost the joy I had for it. Had a black cloud, lots of things clashed together, frustration with acceptable low standards, quit for a few months. I have a back injury, but it doesn't stop me. Proved that last night, thank (who ever you thank) for the Reeves, in fact it feels good to prove that it doesn't hold me back. Perhaps move, and try EMS in another state. I have nothing against volunteers, as long as they support a forward thinking, progressive, high standard EMS system. No offense, but New Jersey is a black eye to Emergency Medical Services.

Hello, You are dispatched to a suburban residence for a complaint of a painful scrotum and weakness. On arrival, you find an obese (110 kg) 52 year-old male sitting in a large chair. He looks pale with slightly laboured respiratory rate. He is shifting uncomfortably in his chair. The pain started a day ago and has been getting worse. It feels like a burning sensation. He hasn't been able to sleep or eat or drink due to the pain that her rates a 10/10. The pain dose not radiate and is localized to his scrotum. He past medical history includes HTN, DM, Asthma, GERD, High Cholesterol, Smoker (1 pack a day for 10 years), ETOH (3-6 a day), Depression, rapid heart beats and Sleep Apnea. His current medications are ASA 80mg OD, Ramipril 10mg OD, HCTZ 25mg OD, Metformin 500mg TID, Losec 20mg OD, Zantac 150mg PRN, Tly #3 PRN, Tyl PRN, Advil PRN, Crestor OD, Ventolin PRN, Digoxin OD and Tums PRN. You initial assessment shows: GCS 15 PEARL @ 4mm Strong x4 Lungs: wheezing all lobes Rate: 32 SpO2 90% HR 100-120 iregular Skin: hot and sweaty Temp 39 Abd soft and non-tender No jaundice No N+V Voding no problem but 10/10 pain that won't go away Cheers...

News article RIP to the crew. Thoughts go out to the families

So this is the only info I have on this situation. Was George Orwell "1984" most correct when he stated in his novel the decries of a totalitarian government is bent on total manipulation ? So what next, does one get sacked for chatting on the phone between calls and can your employer record them when your working ? Isn't this an infringement on the EMTs rights to free speech and is this not what Freedom in America stands for or better against ? Whats the huge deal if one posts a picture is that some boss man believes is unprofessional or was it just developing comradeship ? Thoughts ?

Jake, great post. I think my last was one that showed I wasnt wanting a pissing contest either. Put simply, IF we are given the right education, we are given the opportunities for professional development, there will be little or no ned for any med control. I resent the notion that I should have to seek direction in my practice of pre-hospital medicine. As welsh stated, threre are a number of things that contribute to this, (no offence intended to thosese who are vollies) vollies, how can I expect someone to pay out money for learning & development as well as turning up for nothing? & the whole fire monkey thing (maybe that is the reason to keep med control - monkey see monkey do), what is their focus, providing real EMS or using it as a reason to get more pay & benefits. As I said, there are those who are posting here who occasionally use med control but prefer to use their brains, but there are those who forgot long ago how to do that, instead prefering to lean on med control. That needs to be stamped out. Phil

Wow lots of jerks giving negatives for expressing valid concerns. Sadly we all should understand what ever we post can come back to harm us. We have seen this for years in discussions about what medics have posted on space book or my face etc. We have discussed the consequences of what we post on our chances of getting jobs. So sorry that I am not sympathetic.

The utility of this procedure is intubation in confined, awkward entrapments where you cant get full access to use a traditional visual approach (or foward seated approach- Sky hook) intubation and nasal intubation is not an option. I have had two opportunities in 19 years to do this. Both were trapped patients sitting in a car, roof was not flapped yet , dash wasnt pulled yet either...so extrication and traditional seated intubation (sky-hook) wasnt an option. Neither case turned out well in the long run, but neither died for lack of airway control . I was thankful my paramedic instructor insisted we practice this method on a sitting dummy over and over and over. And for the record, neither had IV access, and one would not have been a good candidate for IO due to entrapment and orthopedic injuries. Not that we had adult IO's back then. That said, I too have fat fingers (big hands...means I ...wear big gloves ) I have found that teaching this over and over again, that since we added the Bougie to our tools, the Bougie combined with digital manipulation makes this MUCH easier over digital manipulation of the tube. As a side comment, I have also found that mastery of the Sky Hook (AKA Pick AX, or Tomahawk) method of intubation should also be considered and essential skill for these awkward situations as well....and is also seldom taught in most schools. P.S. To answer another poster....I prefer nasal ANYDAY over digital. But I started before the era of RSI, and Nasal was a mainstay of paramedic practice back then.

About 8 weeks ago or so I had an 82 y/o man that had gotten confused and taken several days worth of medications together. When I got to him he was unresponsive, had pinpoint pupils, brady at around 40, was exhibiting mild seizure like activity, incontinent to urine, diaphoretic, nose running all over. In his med list was beta blockers, benzos, narcs, tricyclids, and he was believed to have washed them down with half a bottle of dish soap. You can probably guess that he had dementia meds as well. My original thought was fluids, narcan, atropine, intubation, but was afraid that nuking some of his narcotics might increase the seizure activity, which I could live with at this point, but didn't want to make worse thus forcing me to treat it with more benzos. I could have just protected his airway and ran with him the 25mins to the hospital but I knew the odds of him coming off of a vent once on were poor. Intubation was the easy answer, but possibly not the best for my patient. He has such a rainbow of meds onboard, in unknown doses, that I wasn't really sure what to do (pharmacologically) but knew that if I had the tools, but not the knowledge, to treat him without intubation that I wanted to do so. Now, it sounds like what our friends on the wrong side of the planet have been saying in this thread is, "You're a medic. Make the hard decisions! Narcan, Atropine, intubation and write it up later! Do your job!" Why would I choose to do so when I had access to superior information? Now, of course what I got from med control was narcan, atropine, fluids and intubation so that they could sort it all our when they had labs, but that's not really the point. Had I chosen not to call for med control, I wouldn't have gotten jammed up. I could have kept this pt alive without advice, but perhaps would not give him his best chance at recovery. Why am I somehow less of a provider because I called a doctor instead of calling a coworker? And no, this had nothing to do with covering my ass. How is this situation different in the field than in the hospital? (Someone made a comment akin to it being advantageous to call an advanced care medic (something like that) instead of a doc because docs don't work prehospital.) If calling your advanced care medics for advice is just as good as calling a doctor, then why do you have doctors? Why not simply staff your hospitals with ACPs? I get a little tired of the whole, "Though we have access to online advice, I've never used it because I'm a medic and know how to do my job..blah, blah." I think that most of us that choose to put ourselves out there for judgment on this forum have some idea how to do out jobs. Berating others for using all of the tools at their disposal seems ignorant to me. And to say that you have nothing to gain by getting a second opinion on an ECG, because you know your job, tells me that you've never been around two or three cardiologist discussing the same strip at the same time.. :-) I had a kid with a severely dislocated knee. I had good pulses, it's just that his knee originally made an L instead of an I. I intended to control his pain with morphine but then wasn't really sure what they were going to use to sedate him when I got him to the hospital, though I was confident that they'd want to relocate the knee right away. I called in to ask what they'd prefer for pain management. I wasn't asking permission to treat, only what would be most conducive to getting this kids knee back in place in the shortest possible time. They told me what they preferred, I delivered it, and life went on. I grabbed a ruler and checked immediately but didn't notice that my penis had shrunk to any noticeable degree for me having talked to someone else about my patient. Those were two of the three times that I've contacted medical control. The third because I intended to disregard orders given to me by a transferring doctor that I believed were proving to be detrimental to my pt. Yea, on that call I just wanted to cover my ass... Interesting thread I think. But I have to say to the non Americans that when you make the argument that, "You need med control because you're systems sucks so bad you'll likely screw the pooch without it. Someday you'll be as smart as we are and actually know how to treat patients at which point you won't need such silly things any more." that you come off as arrogant and unbelievable. I believe your training is likely Superior to most of ours, but I don't for a second believe that it's superior to your doctors. And your doctors, believe it or not, ask for advice all the time. Thanks for your thoughts all... Dwayne

^ Seriously not recommended.

boeingb13 Group: EMT City Sponsor Posts: 99 Joined: 27-August 06 Gender:Male Location:Jacksonville Florida Interests:surfing,music Reputation: -7Neutral Sent Today, 07:00 PM That was cute, my info I believe is in my profile, if not i'll post it. Whats the last name, since were not hiding. The tone of your messages is beginning to get really, really unfunny. All future messages will be posted publicly and forwarded to Admin. Any with a threatening tone will be forwarded to law enforcement. You need to think very carefully before you start playing the, "Fuck with me and I'll hunt you down" game shithead. You think I'm froggy online? Give me some reason to think that you're actually stupid enough to show up on my family's doorstep... Fair warning. Dwayne

Too.....many.....jokes......heads.......gonna......explode...........

Another service turned this run down due to weather. That is not going to bode well for the pilot's culpability here.

First (the victim) couldn't breathe or pee, now it's (the victims) boys and heart. Is this a pattern, or does (the victim) secretly need to see Dr. Drew? Clearly (the victim) is being kicked in the groin, maced and tazed. Maybe (the victim) needs to try a different approach?

Scrotum, or scrotal contents? Specific localisation? Exacerbation? Onset? The whole PQRST thing. How was the temperature taken? It may or may not be particularly significant, depending on route. But if you got that off someone's TM or forehead, that's a doozie. And it may or may not be related to the pain. There's no law against having pneumonia and Testicular Torsion both on the same day. The dirty lungs may be indicative of the origin of the fever, irrespective of the source of the pain. Regardless, I'm pretty surprised to see an assessment in the field that includes a temp, but not a BP. Tachyness can be related to the fever, the lungs, or the Ventolin, so while significant, it's not particularly contributory to ruling anything out. Top three, off the top of my head, in order of suspicion at this point: 1. Epididymitis - Fever puts this at the top. 2. Testicular Torsion - Always a concern with 10/10 pain, and a true emergency. 3. Inguinal Hernia - Often exacerbated by coughing, which he most likely is doing with the Asthma and junky smoker's lungs. All three rate a trip to the hospital right now for proper work-up.

Very sorry to hear this. I have nothing but the utmost respect for the crews on rotary and fixed wing ambulances. They take some of our most critical patients at great personal risk. My heart goes out to friends and family effected.

This is absolutely NO different from pulling up on an MVA and finding the patient trapped in the wreckage. You cannot -- I repeat, CANNOT -- just say "fuck it, I can't get to them" and drive off. You have to stay there and exhaust all possible avenues of reaching them, as well as calling for the proper resources to do so. If a doctor or dispatcher signed off on this, big deal. Three wrongs don't make a right. If a doctor gave you a dangerously inaccurate drug dosage, would you do it? Of course not. This shit is from day-1 of paramedic school. It's not rocket surgery. And I really can't believe how complicated some people are trying to make it.

I didn't say being angry was infantile, I just said that some of the explanations given behind hatred of the bill ARE. And when you say "American People," you have to realize you don't speak for all of us. I just did a quick search to find this: http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2010/03/25/polls-indicate-support-for-health-care-reform-has-increased-since-sunday-vote/?fbid=ty7Kb9sbz8G Now realize that YES the numbers are not in support of the bill in some of these stats, but some of those number don't support the bill because they don't think it goes far enough. And that still leaves millions who support the bill. Again, not saying that makes it right, but from what I hear on this forum, I would expect militias roaming the streets. There are A LOT of angry people, but there are A LOT of people who either aren't angry or aren't angry for the same reasons as you. You ARE perfectly entitled to have your opinions and I think some of them are valid. The things I have a problem with are A) death threats, (I guess B ) makes a cool face) talk about revolution, and C) thoroughly opinionated people with thoroughly uninformed opinions. And I'm not saying all the dissenting voices are uniformed, but the tone of this discussion is really polarizing (from some people). The reality is that the way forward is going to be one of compromise, not of deafness to the idea's of others. BOTH sides are guilty on that one. My problems with the bill: spending, cuts for seniors, and lack of tort reform. What I like: more people covered and some needed regulation of insurance companies. Still not sure about: whether or not this will actually work out as a "pay now, save later" scheme in reality. I know we don't want to talk about history, but even besides Bush, many of the big government legislation that has been successful in the past has ended up with high levels of public approval. Think social security, medicare, and medicaid. None of those programs are anywhere near perfect, but today's healthcare system is far from perfect itself.

They key here is to see what happens with the Tea Party movement. If they decide to break off from the GOP and field their own candidate, the Democrats will retain control of Congress in 2010 and the POTUS in 2012. If they decide to come to an agreement with the GOP, their presence could prove to be a force to be reckoned with. Before HCR passed, we saw several states express their displeasure with the Democratic party- even in heavily Democratic Massachusetts. The reasons for this displeasure however may be because they feel the HCR bill did not go far enough left to suit them, NOT because they were unhappy with the party in general. I do however think many people feel that Obama and the Democrats are ignoring what the people really want. I read a poll that said health care reform was the 4th or 5th most important issue to Americans, yet Democrats spent the last year focusing on it. That singular focus, despite the will of the people, may cost Obama and the Democrats their majority as well as a second term for Obama.

Excellent, then you're as angry as most of the rest of the country is. Revolution is not the ONLY answer, but they're not giving us many alternatives. There is no exaggeration in any of this. This is serious and perilous times for us. Obama is the worst president in American history. Congress has the worst approval ratings in American history since polls started being recorded. This isn't a handful of fanatics that are angry...this is the OVERWHELMING majority. Bush didn't actively work to socialize America. Besides...we're not talking about Bush anymore. Bush's time has come and gone. We can't undo anything about the Bush presidency. He needs to stop being everyone's answer to what Obama is doing to destroy this nation. . I think we all do too Funky....the problem is that we're under a regime right now. We have a government that has gone rogue and is acting contrary to the will of the people. We're being violated. Maybe you need to more fully read the posts in this thread. We've all said there are a couple of things in this that don't sound bad. I like that insurance companies will not be able to hold a pre-existing condition against someone. That part of it is deeply overshadowed, however, by the rest of this terrible bill. I'm not cleaning up anything. This government has gone hostile towards the people. I'm advocating the removal of this governing body. I'd prefer it not happen by means of anything violent, but I guess that will be up to them. Violence is rarely ever the answer to anything in life. But sometimes people have to defend themselves, their principles and values. This government has nobody but themselves to blame for the threats they're receiving. They chose to arrogantly blow off the masses.

You know what? I am damn sick of all the exaggeration and violent talk! DAMN SICK OF IT! More profanity would be included if this were not an internet forum. But seriously people? I am ashamed that some of us are now cheering on death threats? Saying Obama has now ruined the whole country? Revolution is the only answer? I didn't see anyone b1tching like this when the federal gov't saw its largest expansion ever under Bush. Now some of you sound like chicken little with talk of how "the sky is falling!" I don't necessarily agree with Obama's bill or many elements of his presidency, but as an EMS professional, citizen, and human being, I know how to appropriately express my views and push for change. I am disgusted to hear some of the talk on here. You need to realize there are two sides to every issue, maybe try to look at the other side of things, or the positive in this very bill. More help for children with pre-existing conditions gets my full support! I DO think there needs to be HEALTHY debate about the economic implications and things I don't personally care for such as cuts in care for senior citizens, but come on people, lets grow up, clean up our act, and stop these INFANTILE EXPLANATIONS of complex issues. This does not apply to all posters or even posters who are against the bill. If it applies to you, you probably already know it.

Key here is, "on the phone." The MD did not assess this patient. It's difficult to DX over the phone. If you could DX over the phone, why would we ever need EMS crews. The fact that this guy called for help, what, three times is a red flag by itself. The fact that his significant other stated on the phone that he was not easily arrousable after falling asleep should have been a HUGE red flag. The fact that they then told them that he was too sick to walk the distance he was asked to walk should have made any reasonable agency/crew get out and go to the patient (which they should have done anyway). This isn't rocket science. It's our job description.

I have to ask WM, Kiwi and Aussiephil, do you guys not have any standing orders or can you just practice willy nilly? There are very few interventions I need to call for. I, like you, am capable of assessing my patient's and treating them accordingly. I agree most of the time with what you all have to say. Sometimes though, this "holier than thou" attitude is a little condescending. Not all of the medic's in the US attend medic mills, and function in a "mother may I" system.

WORD! Franco ... firstly welcome to EMT city. First off I believe you 100%. Secondly I believe some on this website owe you an apology. This momentary lapse of judgement and as if we ALL are not guilty of this at one point in our careers ... Hell I know I have, but I believe that it is part of being farking HUMAN BEINGS. But following this downward trend proves 2 things: 1: Big Sister is watching ... BITCH and this is not the first time news groveling reporters destroy lives .. DUH. 2: We still eat our young just when will WE grow up as a profession ? Thoughts .... or does anyone know of an employer that stands up for the employee and is looking for a stand up EMT ?

If I'm reading this correctly, Patient A goes to the hospital and runs up a $10,000.00 tab, but has no insurance; so XYZ Hhospital passes this tab onto the next 10 patients (Patients B-K). Those patients each end up paying 10% of Patient A's bill. Now Patients B-K have insurance. Since it's assumed that Patient A (with no insurance) isn't going to be able to pay the bill, the next 10 patients get 10% of that bill to pay. Lo and behold! Patient A comes into a windfall, and comes back to pay the $10,000.00 bill. In a perfect society, Patients B-K are entitled to a refund of $1,000.00 (10% of Patient A's bill). Now, we know this isn't going to happen, so in theory; Patient A's bill has just been paid twice, so XYZ Hospital just made $10,000.00 in extra profits. Joe's Insurance Company (who insures Patients B-K, passes the extra cost on to their customer base of 1000 other clients by raising everybody's insurance premiums by $25.00 per month. By doing so, Joe's Insurance Company just increased it's yearly profit by $290,000.00 It seems that with all this 'double dipping' going on while Peter is robbed to pay Paul, the only places that are getting rich are the hospitals and the insurance companies. THIS is where 'reform' needs to start! Granted, the numbers are extreme, but it shows a trend without having to go into numbers that would just boggle the mind, and further complicate things. I further realize that this doesn't happen in every case, but how many times does it happen? Now, knowing that hospital bills can be 'negotiated', do you REALLY think that the insurance company is paying 'full price'? Since the doctors know that the price can actually be negotiated (usually at a 'loss' of 30%), they inflate their prices by the same amount, so that when it's all negotiated down, they didn't lose anything. Even where doctors DON'T follow this practice, the insurance companies certainly aren't passing the savings back to the customer base! Again, THIS is where 'reform' needs to happen!

No need to PM you man, I'll speak to you here where folks can offer opinions. Too bad you sent the below PM, as I actually agreed with you on some of your points above. I received the following PM today... boeingb13 sent you a new conversation Subject: ? Replies: 0 Sent: Today, 08:49 PM I love how you loud mouth internet tough guys get on here and say what ever you want knowing you can hide behind a name. If your ever in north Florida, look me up. We'll discuss your comments in person. Let me break this down for you sport. Hide behind a name? My name happens to be Dwayne. And I happen to be an EMTP. And you may have noticed that my picture is right there by my name. From your response, can I assume that you're real name is boeingb13? (For the record Hotshot, the grownup world capitalizes names.) Because certainly a man like you wouldn't hide behind a pseudonym (a pseudonym is a pretend name used in the place of a real name)...Or would you? And if you would, wouldn't that then not only make you a coward for making your bullshit threats in private, but also the worst kind of hypocrite? The good news is that you've shown yourself to be the exact kind of ignorant coward that I'd predicted you'd be when I responded to Annie. This isn't 4th grate any more shithead. You need to use logic and intelligent debate to make your points here...No one's afraid of you. Good luck with your EMS endeavors. Dwayne (My real name)

Good question ruff, I dont have much input being, and as you know, my area has been fire rescue for a long time.

It's called sarcasm... you people suck at having a sense of humor.

I came across chatroulette a long time ago. After a few mins of that, I decided never to go back. Since the site was mostly guys jacking-off, it was not appealing. If these EMTs were on that site, then yea.. I could see punishment being given since it is essentially "not safe for work". Local hospital where I am, has wifi and LAN. The wifi can be used by anyone and the LAN is all the hospital computers. People frequently browse ebay, google, youtube, craigslist, various forums, etc etc all the time. They keep it clean, and never let it impede on their job. A happy work place is a good work place. Absolutely NOT!! You must sit there, and stare at the wall or windshield. If there is something on the wall like a poster or something on the street then you must open your map book or protocol book and memorize it. ps, I am being sarcastic

Wrong. and I accept Visa, MasterCard and PayPal. Those inflatable boats that are required by PA DOH for Heavy Rescue Certification, would have worked. If they have a state certified rescue truck, then they should have one. That's a big thing anymore, to have state decals all over your apparatus. Good for getting grants.

You have to fill in the drain holes on the Ferno Rescue Basket, for it to be used effectively, on a patient not already affected by the cold. But otherwise, it does make a good sled. We used rope and a stokes all the time, to take patients out of homes where there is deep snow, and no way to carry them up to or down to, the roadway. 25' of rope, and four guys, and you're in business.

Weird.. When u posted that space suit thing, the picture showed up in the chat room.

It looks like a cheap version of the SKED.

Shit. I missed House.

I wonder if he, she or it did fail..? There was no follow up.

It did look real.. Then it looked like a toddler, then it was obviously.. what it was.

Opening Line Fail. ...right... because EMS is just one big pot of gold, that's why we're all rich, and have the latest high tech equipment..

We joked around about buying them to place on patients we're extricating from wilderness areas. Quicker and warmer than the traditional three-fleece burrito style patient packaging technique. Still use Hartwell wraps and tarps, just cut out the blankets, and toss one of these in.

I'd close it till the body decomposed... But then reopen it, make people sign a waiver, that if an accident occurs, there will be no rescue. That sounds brutal, but people like to do dangerous things, and what may seem stupid, to a reasonable person. Therefore, they should have that option, provided that no lives are risked to remove them from their willful situation.

Heres my story for you. A couple of years ago I was just getting into paramedic school, and just like fire school and emt school I found myself up late every night trying to study and really take in as much as possible, but I kept coming acroos things that I just wasn't understanding and at 1am its not like you can just call someone. So I did a search for a ems related chat room or site, and low and behold I found this one. On that first night I joined and went into the chat and asked for a explanation on whatever it was I was studying at the time. Akflightmedic happened to be in there and he explained it perfectly on a level I understood, so for months after that any time it was late and I needed help I would log in and minimize the screen and check periodically to see if he had come in so I could ask what ever question was puzzling me. Never once was I told I was stupid or made fun of for not being on the same level, I got straight forward answers that were broken down if I didnt understand them. Then eventually I actually started meeting people in the room and becoming friends. And to attatch a side note to this. This reason alone is why I am not a fan of making the chat a pay site, im sure there are several people out there who like myself couldn't work much through medic school and had enough to eat and pay bills, and though 20$ isnt much money when you dont have it, it is. I understand and have read all the why's as to the reason it is pay now, ive just always been a big fan of knowledge is free when you ask questions. To wrap it up, thats why I stayed on here for as long as I did, there was one person who always had a answer when I needed it, and that is one person whom I have alot of respect for.

We now have had death threats against elected officials and their families, and actual attacks on their offices with thrown bricks and pellet gunshots through windows and doors, and powder suspected originally to be anthrax delivered through the mail. We have a former candidate for vice president telling folks to "reload", which to some might be interpreted as a request for sniper attacks to those who supported the bill's passage. Hey, people, both in this forum and beyond! Can we simply agree to disagree, and tell our elected officials to work out compromises that, while neither side will be satisfied, would actually do the least hurt and most good for the majority of US citizens?

Dont let them bother you some folks just like to spank there monkey

On the original topic, if you run many cardiac emergencies, it doesn't take you long to realise that a pretty significant portion of acute cardiac patients are mildly, but noticeably hypoglycaemic. And if you're well educated in physiology, it's not any big surprise when you realise it. I agree with Crotch to a degree. You cannot just go blindly "treating" signs and symptoms without any intelligent regard for the total clinical picture. That is an extremely valid and important concept in medicine. However, in order to make that intelligent decision, you do first need all the facts, which means getting all those tests and exams done before jumping in feet first with potentially contraindicated interventions, i.e. D50. It does appear, from the story presented here, that the crew did make an uneducated mistake by jumping at the chance to pop the top on another drug vial without any clinical indication, and without sufficient knowledge of the potential consequences. Education FTW. If your agency doesn't make a major learning issue out of this incident, your agency sucks.

Some days I have to shake my head in disbelief.