fireflymedic

Thanks dust, I had heard that was not for sure so I didn't include them. I was aware that Careflight did quite a bit ago, but they have since dropped that and gone to the traditional staffing. However, as of last time I checked, helmets were not required which is definitely a concern in my book. That is their choice though. But one thing to note here people - as to Rabbit - he is not a pilot, he is medic onboard. however I still stand by my pilots statement lol. Just a clarification. Not that it makes much difference though - I still believe this is a disaster.

Okay, Okay, I picketed the show as promised and refused to watch it, but reading everything here left me with a few things to say anyway. 1. I would never allow pilots access to a gun or versed for the very reason stated - knowing a couple grumpies that have the attitude of shut 'em up so I can fly they would have probably very little issue either shooting them or applying some pharmaceutical assistance. Heck sometimes I wish for it (if only we could sedate patients for being a pain in the rear) NOTE : If any of you all are reading this I'M JUST KIDDING you know I love you. 2. Didn't you know this blatant overuse of urban HEMS is what Dr. Bledsoe is describing? Only this ain't houston, it's san fransisco. Same difference though, never mind you're 15 minutes by ground, we're going to fly you anyway. Though it is almost getting that bad in a few areas that are rural. There's a little freestanding ER clinic with an ALS service less than 15 min by ground from university's level 1 trauma (yes right down the same exact street so it's a straight shot) yet they utilize flight a ridiculous amount from there. Even at worst, the far edges of the county you are no more than 30 min by ground out. I think they just like to see the pretty birds show up *sigh* - you can't fix stupid. 3. Ruff - didn't you know she did a quick look before she defibbed him knowing that yes he was the perfect candidate and of course it would save him? We just didn't see it. If only my record of saves were as good as they are on tv I would be thrilled. Sad that's not the case. And of course, atropine is the miracle drug. Atropine fixes all didn't we know that? 4. There is the rare flight service (ie Maryland State Police) that fly pilot and one caregiver and utilize scene personnel if an additional provider is needed. There has been much debate over their chosen structure as to whether is is adequate or not for patient care. They are the only service that I am aware of that flies this way (if there is another please let me know). 5. As I mentioned before this does annoy me with the reckless deal with the flight EMS. This is definitely not the appropriate time for it (not that there really is, but especially now). It hits an especially sore spot that people think that pilots fly recklessly and crews are more concerned with their sex lives than their patients which is much the opposite. When the public is already extremely critical without much knowledge of the industry, this certainly doesn't help towards education and certainly NOT the image that safety is a major concern of crews. 6. If someone actually puts their name on this crap as paramedic or any form of medical advisor they should be running in shame and should have quit long before now. 7. There was a discussion on another board about a series in the works called MERCY AIR - was promo on myspace some time ago. I had a few discussions with their people to express the concerns I had about the inaccuracy of content. I was promptly e-mailed back and told your job is not exciting so we had to add Hollywood to it and bottom line, sex sells (if anyone wants a copy of this let me know I'd be happy to PM to you. I have saved it.) They informed me that MERCY AIR was not the final title due to the negative attitude of the actual Mercy Air which yes is based in california (can't even remotely understand why !). However, it sounds like this may be the brain child (or butt child) of this show. I highly suspect it. They just added more fluff to it as it was originally a flight ems focused show and they've thrown extra in there to get it to the networks. I'm sure a few on here would remember that discussion lol. Yes I seriously hope this series dies quickly as did Saved or at least doesn't make it past this season. I did send NBC a nastygram about this show (it's the best I can do). I understand Hollywood is going to have some sex and overblow things no doubt with alot more glitz and excitement. And obviously picking little old ladies up off the ground isn't exciting, but please show some respect to the job and at least try to get the medical aspects right.

Number 1 for this show fail is lack of sensitivity - recent crash and you are going to glorify it on TV. I'm sorry - pick another time to pilot your trash on tv, show a LITTLE respect to that crew which was probably more professional than you could ever dream of your actors EVER being. And don't even think of dedicating the show to them - I'm sure they would roll over hearing that. I watched the 4 min preview of the pilot episode on tv prior to my knowledge and went there is no way in hell I'm watching that. My husband asked me this morning - you want to watch it? My answer was - I never want to see that on in this house. I wasn't joking either. I thought it looked like garbage and I was ready to turn off the preview less than a minute into it, but I sucked it up and watched all four and felt more like an idiot for doing so. Yes Dust, this show is set to go into failure itself and let's pray they only have DNR orders for it.

We have comps in the ER that we can download onto and it's compatible with most of the E-PCR program in the area which is really nice. Prior to that, we would print them back at the station and take them in at the end of each shift (rarely was a pt out before the end of shift). If we did a long distance transfer to another facility that we couldn't drop them at, we still used the old paper PCR's. Hope that helps - speak to your ER about something similar - most I've found are pretty responsive to the idea especially if you are willing to put the software on it where they don't have to purchase it. Just a thought for ya.

This was discussed on another forum recently but I'm curious and wanted to bounce it off a few here that have completed the class recently or know someone that did. They had unusually high failure rates, but I was told they some were receiving letters of apologies and some even issued cards still? A recent class held at my former service experienced this and there were complaints of the slides being extremely outdated for what the exam covered and we did have a decent pass rate, but it was still unusually high failure. We attributed it to perhaps some of the people that had chosen to take the class as they were barely 2 years into being medics and had little experience. They were sharp though and did well typically in classes, so I'm wondering will they still be receiving cards or receive a letter of apology? Is there a refresher going to be offered and them test again or what? This was all new to me so if this is true does anyone know what the cutoff for still receiving a card was? Several are now asking me.

For just learning EKG's I personally like EKG Made Easy by Barbara Aehlert. It seems to break it down pretty well for those just learning and also has a field reference with it, plus some really decent practice strips.

Okay, not only as said from spenac a very poor attempt to be funny (wow spenac actually agreed with me on something - I'll have to take note of that) but also those comments showed your ignorance and lack of recognition that substance abuse in EMS is not only a common but significantly growing problem. I have been on both sides of the fence and worked within the EMS world where part of my duty was to test for drugs for potential hires for an outside company to working with a partner that lost his license due to drug use to attempting to fire someone who had a significant problem (and refused to pursue treatment which was offered to him as a condition of maintained employment) and was arrested driving an ambulance under the influence of drugs and shown getting arrested on CNN in uniform (yeah it WAS that bad). I wasn't allowed to fire him for refusing treatment as he was a boss's pet and I quit that day - he was arrested two days later. I rarely mention the company's name, but those in my area know who I'm referring to. All you have to do is look on the disciplinary action board and see a multitude of listings for people that have lost their license due to drug use and caught either using "waste" drugs or abuse of prescription drugs. Our state offers the option of if you go to your employer and disclose you have a problem will they arrange treatment, but also the state doesn't hold it against you. If you are caught, then there is almost a 100% chance your career in EMS is done. Oh and to the comment that private services dont check - with the exception of the private service discussed above - every employer I've worked for not only tested but did so frequently (roughly about every 3-6 months) and was completely random. Too bad more don't do so. Please be safe and smart people. You've worked too hard for this to lose it to stupidity.

Been in current position rounding out 6 months and yes I do still love it despite having a few concerns. We are very safety oriented and they have worked with me on some situations that I didn't think they would so I'm quite happy. My prior job I was at for 5 years and I loved it, and only left to pursue a different aspect of EMS. I felt appreciated, had an amazing boss and crew to work with. Couldn't have asked for better - which was fantastic and the pay was quite good (I could afford to live on one job) as it is now. So current job I'd give about an 8, and my old job a 10. Though no, I don't think I'll be switching back though it's crossed my mind for a few reasons recently, but I'm staying put. I worked too hard to get where I'm at to throw it away.

Richard - I believe he was referencing the fact that the helicopter's main rotor previously had significant damage and was overdue to be changed by 600 hours rather than the similar one which was involved in the incident. Again prayers to family, friends, coworkers. God be with you.

I work very hard not to discuss aggravation or frustration with my partner in front of my patient, unless they do something blatantly dangerous to patient care (which I have yet to have happen and I hope it never does as I'm typically the one to tech because I choose not to drive). The way I handle it and most likely would have handled it scenario 1 was I would just simply say he's able to walk. I don't think mentioning that is uncalled for as one can save their back and should if the pt is able to walk. Scenario 2 again, if we have the required stuff I think we can get the rest of the info on the way. Scenario 3 - well that speaks for itself, but I wouldn't have said anything in front of the patient. It would have waited until later which is what I do after the call when we are alone in the truck. That is the best way to handle things. If it needs to be said in front of the patient - say as little as neccesary and do so tackfully. The you're aggravating me comment was uncalled for - it's not all about her and she needs to get over it. Yes we sometimes get frustrated, but if you guys have as good of a work relationship as you say I would discuss this with her and the fact that it bothers you. Hopefully she will take some direction from that and may even apologize as she may not realize she is being that way. She may not. But either way, it's worth a try. Good luck to you.

Thanks for letting me know. It wasn't up when I was on there earlier today. The names have now been released. Helicopter pilot Patrick Walters, 45, of Murrells Inlet, flight nurse, Dianna Conner, 42, of Florence and flight medic Randolph Dove, 39, of Bladenboro, N.C.,

Names have not been released yet, but very early this morning a helicopter crashed in South Carolina (Georgetown County). They had just dropped off a patient so fortunately no patient aboard but there were no survivors. Please everyone be safe on both the air and ground.

Dominion, I think those stories are rampant everywhere. However, there are a few that I am aware of by admission by some people that currently practice in your area and I'm thinking they are the same ones that I'm familiar with . At any rate, I've personally known of a crew which took their truck out of service for a rendevous and have walked in on someone that was in questionable behavior within the station. Each situation was dealt with as neccessary, but what was done back then and what is done now is two very different things. It's like the "supply closet" stories that float through every hospital. They're there and frankly I don't make it my business as I care not to be involved in all the drama. I will say though, you do it in my station, on company time, or using company resources and I promise you won't last long !

Your points were well noted. Whether human or mechanical there are more risks involved simply from the aspects of most helicopter flights with incidents of recent crashes involving everything from mid air collision, to brownout, to entanglement with power lines, to blade issues. You don't typically get airports with nice safe landing strips - you get rooftops, fields, and roadways for landings. Just food for thought so there is just more risk without arguement. However, human error can be applicable to both FW and RW and both can be quite safe with good training.

Okay, I guess I'm the one with the weird input here, but there are some departments that have actually had oxygen masks donated to them by emergency vet clinics and also been provided a pet CPR class. I don't think it unreasonable if on a fire scene that if all humans are accounted for and don't require care, or have already been appropriately cared for that you attempt to care for the family's pet as well. That is part of the deal whether we like it or not, ems and fire are joined in this statement - to protect life and property. Prior to my EMS days and for a period during I worked for a equine clinic in their neonate ICU and also worked on several breeding farms. Oxygen was always available to the foals - and yes I have performed CPR on more than one (including one of my own) and even taken care of a few on a ventilator. I have also participated in rescues and am still part of a equine specialty rescue team for the facility. But there was never the choice having to be made between caring for a human or an animal. In that instance, the HUMAN always comes first and I make that very clear when we go on rescue scenes. If it becomes unsafe for humans, I'm sorry, but I'm not compromising their safety for an animal. however, as long as it is safe, I will do all I can to help your four legged friend. This discussion reminded me of my time in fire when we showed up to a house where a couple had left their children at home alone (a ten year old and twelve year old) for several hours. We showed up and the children couldn't be accounted for yet. The couple came home screaming not for their children, but for their two dogs. Eventually it was discovered the children were at a neighbor's house down the road and were not home at the time, but the two dogs were killed and there wasn't even a prayer of saving them. If there was would I have provided care? Yes after I was positive no people were involved and needed care. I don't think it's a ridiculous request, but on the same hand I don't think departments should be going out purchasing equipment specifically for that (unless it is in joint with a specialty team where it will be used frequently as is the case with equine rescue here). A regular O2 mask would work just fine - and just as a side note - taking a plastic cup, popping the o2 tubing in the bottom works great for a muzzle to deliver o2 Take care all and stay safe.

Pav - welcome to the boards, nice to have the input of a pilot and EMT on here. Unique perspective that's provided on other boards, but not seen here. You do make a good point in saying there are alot more ways to literally screw up in a helicopter. There is a statement I read elsewhere that stated "anything that screws its way into the sky flies according to unnatural principles" - much is to be said to that (and to who has that posted on their sig line if you are on here great line and I looked to quote it but unfortunately couldn't find you - so please don't hate !) Vent - I would have serious reservations about flying with a department that had access to safety technology such as NVG and chose not to train their pilots on it for appropriate use for 4 years. I too read the article, and while I don't know the entire situation, there is some concern there. As others have stated we won't know the full results from the inquiry and it's irresponsible to speculate as to causes before the NTSB report is released. It may truly have been something beyond their control, it may not have been. We don't know and it's not right to condemn where we don't have full knowledge. However, I would have even greater reservations with a program that provided NVG, but didn't provide the training for their pilots. That could be an even greater danger. I'm going to hold further comment on this until more is revealed.

I had some long thought over this - do I think it warranted firing all the officers involved? Yes for many of the reasons already expressed. The biggest of which being that it is misuse of company (city) property. I don't know if any of you recall the incident involving the female FF who chose to pose for playboy very scantily clad within her firehouse, but I do believe she was fired for her actions. Again, for the fact that she misused city property. Also, another thing often overlooked is many city/county departments have something to the effect of a morality clause. This states they can fire you for anything that has the potential to make the department look bad or is of poor moral judgement. While entertaining, I definitely think that this fits into this category. It is for this reason many departments in our area have asked personnel not to wear their duty shirts into bars, etc (or really even off duty unless they just got off and are running errands), or to park the ambulance at hooters to eat in uniform while waiting on an out of town drop and return doc's appointment. I know of two crews that received their walking papers for this very action. I think the reckless actions of these officers and lack of thought definitely did and have an undesired effect on the public's image of them and their department. Playing a prank is one thing, but doing something of this nature is an entirely different level. As far as the fire fighter calendar, if it is approved by the department, that is their choice, their decision as to what they have chosen to be acceptable by their department. I don't personally know of any in my area which do so for fundraising, but if approved by all parties involved, then why not? It is when you take the decisions in your own hands that problems quickly result as it did for these officers. As a female involved in this field and someone now married to a leo I do not appreciate the "badge bunny" picture this portrays. We are working to gain professionalism within the field yet, we're going backwards faster than we can possibly take a step forward and then we wonder why people want to continue to call us ambulance drivers and pay us minimum wage? Hmmm - could it possibly be the way we perceive ourselves? Ever stop to think of that? I'm not saying have no fun, but be cautious. Make sure what you do will not have a negative effect on the public's perception of you or your department. Project professionalism and demand respect, and you'd be suprised what you see in return in people's attitudes.

One of my personal favorites is by far e-medicine. Very easy to reference material, reliable information, and great info on common drugs to treat the conditions and even things that may be ruled in or out that may resemble it that might clue you into what is really going on. If you have access to PDA's etc, Epocrates is another excellent resource as is the ever faithful online PDR (though it can tend to bog you down a bit - Epocrates much easier to get what you need regarding meds). For research and stuff Pub Med is another great one.

Congrats on good save and wishes for speedy recovery to jockey ! Way to go racetrack medics !

As far as I am concerned with things, frankly if someone desires to call me out and force me to verify my point, I'm more than happy to do it. Sometimes I prefer to have the discussion via PM as I have done so with a few (that reminds me croaker - I still gotta get that stuff to you sorry been crazy busy !) due to the fact I care not to release some personal information due to some issues I have had previously with member harrassment on the board that got out of control. If asked, I will defend my point or give you the links to which you can research it for yourself. I try to make educated remarks and not speak like an ass. If I don't know or can't make intelligent conversation about it, I'll keep my mouth shut. Sometimes, that is the most intelligent thing one can do. And as far as calling me out - have at it. I'd rather have someone address me personally than me sit there thinking - did they perceive my post that way? Sometimes I post things and it doesn't come out quite as I expected it to sound (hmm imagine that when you're posting at 3 am). Please don't make me guess if you are referring to me or not. I may step on toes and if I do, I'm sorry, but I rarely stomp on them unless a comment is completely invalid or has no medical basis. Everyone stay safe out there. Oh and dwayne, this for you !

Misleading title or not, it is always unnerving to hear of a crew possibly being injured. I'm just grateful all are okay. Fly safe all in the air, and be safe on the ground ! Let's all come home after our shifts.

I can and have been caught on a bad day before and occasionally do take a post at face value. I am a bit tired of hearing people complain and say they are getting out of the field I have chosen as my career. Yes I said it - I chose this field as my career. I'm fortunate enough to have worked in some places that pushed education and had an actively involved medical director. I realize not everyone is this lucky and that can lead to frustration and you feel like you really are getting nowhere and it's a dead end road. However, in this area, more opportunities are opening for medics that are good paying and you can make a career out of this job. I enjoy what I do and love it as much today as I did the day I started. I am content with what I do, and I've seen a wide scope of opportunities for medics from the truck, to ER, to industrial, to workmans comp, to flight. The good places are out there, you just have to put your time in at the lower places and work your way up. They're not going to be handed to you straight out of class. It's like any place - start at the bottom, put your time in, and work your way up. You do that, your possibilities are out there. I do get frustrated with people saying they are getting out of this field rather than saying I'm working to change this. Frankly if I don't like something, I'm going to speak up until someone hears me. Remember, it's the squeaky wheel, not the quiet one that gets the grease. I may be squeaking a long time, but I'll keep it up as long as I need to. If we push one state at a time and joined together instead of fighting with each other, we might get somewhere. Nursing learned that a long time ago, as did the fire service and they got what they wanted - when are we going to learn? When we do, we'll see the changes we desire. Instead we're sitting back going well I want this, and you want that and billy bob is happy being the backyard country bumpkin volunteer first responder. Until we DEMAND further education, we're not going to have professionals and people are going to keep using EMS as a vehicle to get to other careers instead of making it theirs. Just a little food for thought.

You don't mention whether it is state or national registry, but either way, you can call and provide your info and most will send you a duplicate card for a nominal fee. I lost both my state and national registry card two years ago when my wallet was stolen and had no problem getting duplicates of the cards. Hardest duplicate to get ironically was my PHTLS card ! Anyhow, they will have all your info on file so you should have no trouble just contacting the state board and NR either one and getting a duplicate. I think the charge for my state was $25 and it was same for NR. Good luck !

Such a tragedy - why does it seem like the good ones always leave us too early? Prayers for her family.