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So you want to hold the United States to the standards of Saudi Arabia?

Are you @#$%ing kidding me? I linked to TWO different websites providing the same article. I copy/pasted FOUR out of FIFTEEN paragraphs. I gotta stop there, because I'll get in trouble if I keep typing. :rolleyes2: :rolleyes2:

When you tell a town of 1000 people that it's going to cost them $540,000 a year to pay for 3 full-time paramedics, it's a no-brainer for people who've never needed the service, but do wonder where their next mortgage payment is coming from. They're never going to think of it in terms of $44 a year.

Perhaps there is more to it than the bad joke of: It's not MY emergency. As already stated here, it's their worst day. They are looking to you to help. Anger and confusion feed on themselves. Don't join it.

What you are describing is extremely common. Almost universal, I would venture to say. Applicable rule from The House of God (essential reading, by the way): 3. AT A CARDIAC ARREST, THE FIRST PROCEDURE IS TO TAKE YOUR OWN PULSE. I dismissed that as a joke when I first read it (before I was a paramedic). Now I see the genius, and I honestly remind myself of that phrase whenever I feel things starting to get out of control. I would advise you to always remember: -Our job is simple, and often becomes more so as the "crazyness" of a call increases. -Do the same things on every call ALL of the time. Even the BS ones. Cannot stress this enough. -Reassess mental status, check lung sounds and vital signs often. -IV, monitor, O2. If you find yourself "stuck" on a call, give yourself time to regroup by reassessing or doing one of those tasks. -For the VAST, VAST majority of the time (read: pretty much all of the time), seconds do not count. Take your time to do things right and relax. You'll get things done quicker than if you had tried to rush. This is why we walk onto the scene and do not run. Carry that mindset with you for the rest of the call as well. -Embrace the phrase "it is not my emergency," not out of callousness, but out out of respect for a job well done. On a scene where everyone is freaking out, it is your responsibility to calm things down-- even if only by example. -Don't be afraid of mistakes. Be very afraid of repeating mistakes. -Always remember that we are here to provide comfort and reduce suffering, and are placed in a position of trust that enables us to do so. Some of that may be helpful and some not. Just some lessons I've learned along the way and would like to pass on... Things will get much better with time and experience, but don't expect it to happen overnight. Good luck!

Alternatively, some of us don't believe in compromising the Constitution in the name of fear mongering.

All ambulance crew needs to understand that unless cop is around a siren on ambulance is there request permission to pass being that you can't issue a driver a ticket for refusing to get out of your way. As such it's the driver if he/she decides to let you through or not. Blasting your siren or using your pa is not going to get you around me as only thing it will do is get a middle finger from me. Writing my plate will not help you as an officer needs to witness the violation before he/she can issue a ticket being that an officer would need to pull me over to issue that ticket.