jbullfrog09

On April 23, 2009 New Jersey Governor Corzine announced he would raid the EMT Training Fund for $4,000,000 to reallocate the funds to the general treasury in an attempt to relieve the budget crisis. This fund provides training monies for Volunteer EMTs and is a critical preparedness and retention tool for Volunteer EMS agencies. The Problem The EMT Fund does not have this type of surplus. This action would leave $400,000 in the EMT Training Fund as of 7/1/09. As-is with current expenditure, the EMT Fund spends $1,000,000 more than it takes in. This action would in effect discontinue the training for NJ Volunteer EMTs and force individuals (during a recession) to pay for their own training to donate their time to their communities. It's expected that many will not be able to afford it and will have to be replaced by paid providers (who cost much more than the training expenses the state is saving). Why it's in particularly poor taste The EMT fund is not tax money. It's a public trust created by the legislature. Every time there is a moving violation in New Jersey, $0.50 is collected and placed into this fund to train EMTs. Raiding this fund to finance state spending is awful - if we can't trust the government with our Fund, who can we trust? The Plan The NJEMSEA has a plan, but it needs your help. We plan to appeal to the Governor's office, enlist other legislators' support, and mount a public action campaign to bring public attention to the issue. It is vital, that in times like these, we as EMTs band together to fight poor decisions by the Governor. At the same time, the people we treat every single day will be affected by this horrible decision, and those people are you. Please help us, as well as yourself, by filling out one of the letters below and sending it directly to Governor Corzine himself. One voice can be supported by many. For information on helping our follow this link http://www.njemsea.org/helpNJEMTs.htm Please follow through the site and download the letter and send to Governor Corzine With the voices of many, there may be a chance that we can save our training fund.

lets see, i hit the bay door forgetting it was partially open when a call came in.(rookie, volly) i had a minor fender bender responding lights and sirens when an elderly man realized i was behind him and he slammed on the brakes in front of me to stop in the middle of the road.(still on first card, paid) i did hit a sign and many curbs ( 1st card, volly and paid) I've hit deer, squirrels, rabbits, raccoons, opossums, and even a porcupine( we have a lot of wooded areas, volly and paid) i hit the pole in the garage with the mirror on a van ambulance( 2nd card, paid) and finally i backed my ambulance into a telephone pole( 3rd card, paid) and every time i have been razzed and teased about these incidents, let alone threatened by management, and had driving privileges suspended. my advice, accidents happen, it is statistically probable that in this profession you will get into an accident. you cover so many miles, have big flashy distractions, adrenaline, radios, cell phones, stupid drivers(the other vehicles), and lack of sleep that are all working against you. unfortunately there is no amount of driver training that can prevent the inevitable conclusion that an accident will happen. driver training is great, don't get me wrong but sometimes people don't know how easy it is to get into an accident with an ambulance. ambulance accidents happen every day some even hit the news ems news network but a lot are not reported so when you hit your sign, curb, or deer remember you not he only one just be more care full next time. and every one be safe out there, slow down, buckle up, and stay off the those cell phones when driving! you can't save any one if your the one who's hurt

this is the nj state link for O2 rtk info including is hazards http://nj.gov/health/eoh/rtkweb/documents/fs/1448.pdf doesn't o2 make you high? and do air planes really have nitrous oxide mixed with its o2?

i had one who would go 3 or 4 times a week to the hospital with made up symptoms. she would go to the ER just to eat and then she would walk out and walk home. she lived in one of those roach motels on our tax money. one time she used the excuse that she didn't know how to apply her hemorrhoid cream. the squad and first responders tried to get her fined for 911 abuse but she didn't have any money (DUH) and once people started complaining of her poor living conditions and her stain on the 911 system the state finally got her the help she needed, she was placed in a psychiatric facility where she got three square meals, a clean shower, and someone to help her with her hemorrhoid cream.

we use a mix of scenario and the generic questions. throwing in "what are the indications of using glucose?" gets people thinking and i generally get more honest answers when they use their skills. however, if you have to prompt them on the basic skills, you have to consider if this person will be a liability, how well can they perform there other skills, and will they be able to follow state and organizational protocols. also, skill assessment can give you an idea of how much training this person will need to perform at the level of quality you company expects out of your employees. ( 1 week, 2 weeks, or even a month) also, during the hiring process you need to ask opinion questions were there is no right or wrong answer. this should give you an idea of a persons social skills, bed side manners, and fellow employee compatibility. no matter how good an EMT-B or EMT-P at there assessment skills they still need to get along with facility representatives, their patients, and especially their co-workers( no one wants to work with someone with a god complex. it is detrimental to company moral.) my last tip is to ask them about there future. most will get there certifications or license and stop with furthering there education. but the others that continue to educate them selves to benefit there patient care or to benefit the company (leadership/management classes) or other college to benefit themselves. do they plan on enrolling in a retirement program with or with out the company? are they willing to handle more responsibility in a few months? all these will help indicate to you weather or not they will stay or use the company as a stepping stone in there careerer

Thank you all for your input. i feel much better about my actions. oh the lung sounds were rails all the way up, a GCS 5, and sitting up the pt only stopped the gurgling.

my question comes from an odd emergency I had an elderly male nursing home pt. upon arrival he was alert but not oriented and lying supine. we were called for "sudden onset" of respiratory distress. the pt.'s respiratory rate was 36bpm, labored w/rails, and medics were unavailable. Pt has a hx of CHF and weeping pedal edema. i applied a NRB at 15lpm w/ partial bag deflation and sat him all the way up. i monitored his airway with out any change in his status. rapid transport to the ER which is 4 miles away. the RN yelled at me for not having medics and not using a BVM to slow down the respirations. i was always told not use a BVM on a conscious pt, and i felt the pt really didn't need to be bagged. i get mixed signals from different medical professionals MD's, RN's, EMT-P's, and a respiratory tech(who agreed with my actions) on this subject. the general census that i've obtained is that for an unconscious pt. we bag at 28bpm for the conscious pt it varies from 28 to 40bmp for when we are supposed to bag. can someone help shed some light on on this taboo subject.