firedoc5

Please tell me you don't have it memorized. :roll:

Yeah, you might wind up with F&U Ambulance Serv.

AAARRGH!!! One of my nieces and her top selection. Along with Dora, and Sponge Bob.

My classes were through the resource hospital. But you got credit with the local community college. Whether you were a volunteer, private amb. serv., or paid fire dept, you were all in the same class and clinical settings. It worked out great, everybody knew almost everybody and worked well together for the most part. With Fire Academies, their main focus is on fire fighting. Most states make it mandatory for fire fighters to be at least certified at a basic level and that's it. So cadets are covered for whatever state they are working. Becoming a Paramedic is something extra. Many Fire Depts. that run Advanced EMS will quickly point out that you are a Fire Fighter first and foremost. That's one reason I'm for a Fire Dept. to have a EMS division. But they would still have the same duties as before, but considered as back up fire fighters. IMHO. (Nobody throw anything at me, please)

Like they said when I was in the Navy, "Not on my ship, Not on my watch, Not in my Navy". So I wouldn't have him anywhere around my EMS system.

When I heard it was him, and what he had done, I was flabbergasted. I couldn't believe it. And he was one of the brightest young medics I had in a long time. But he admitted to it. After that he sort of fell off the face of the earth. Not surprising. He didn't seem to have any excuse. Maybe he watched "Mother, Jugs, & Speed" once too often. At least he didn't drop his pants.

I can't stand any of these "reality" TV shows.

His partner was just driving. And I believe it was at night and they had the lights on low in the back. I didn't mean to include him regarding being burned. He just got caught red handed. I was meaning how some gals can make a false claim hoping for money or attention. It's just one's word over another. So, you just don't give them the opportunity of the situation, they can't make those kind of claims.

I've seen that many times. Once in St.Louis there was a MVA on the Poplar St. Bridge right at the MO/IL state line. The local cops were trying to push one of the cars back onto the IL side, I guess to keep from having to deal with it. There was a big too-do about it. It even made the national news.

While posting on another topic, I remembered this advice: Guys, anytime you have a minor female and you don't have a woman partner, always, always request the mother or another close relative to ride in with you. When it's a youth group, like a class trip, get a female sponsor ride in with you. I learned quickly from the mistakes of others. Don't get burned. Whether something did happen, or a false accusation is made, CYA. There was one Medic that I had in several of the classes I had taught did cross the line. Got a little "feely" and evidently did penetrate a 16yr. old that wasn't as comatose as she let on to be. BUSTED. I know most of you already know all this, so it's just a reminder, and to the "young'uns" up and coming, it's just some advice from an elder.

Contrary to popular belief, I never did get a "flat lay" in a rig. :read: No letters to the editor of Playboy. On a very serious point, guys, anytime you have a minor female and you don't have a woman partner, always, always request the mother or another close relative to ride in with you. When it's a youth group, like a class trip, get a female sponsor ride in with you. I learned quickly from the mistakes of others. Don't get burned. I know most of you already know that, it's just a reminder, and to the "young'uns" up and coming, it's just some advice from an elder.

Another thing to remember. When in doubt, fade back and punt.

That's what I requested, and most times totally denied. There were two docs that always rode in with their patients, no matter how busy they were or how full their waiting rooms were. And one of those docs almost always rode with us if he had a patient from ICU/CCU being transferred to another facility. It was always great to "pick his brain" on the return trip.

"Can't You See" - Marshall Tucker Band

I did that a few times at scenes, oh, and once at Fire College. I was fully packed and was usually running. Once was at a trailer fire with about 8" of snow. There was a slight up hill incline that I ran up but when I got to the top my Scott-Pack shifted forward causing me to loose my balance and fall forward. I had snow and ice packed on my mask and regulator. At the same fire I was getting ready to go in and my Capt. warned me of a hole in the floor inside the door. I thought he was talking about the door way at the bedroom where my bud Jimmy was in. Needless to say, I was wrong. It was just inside the door of the trailer. I stepped in and my left leg went through. My ankle was at the same level as my ear and I felt like I did the splits like a cheerleader. So it wasn't my night. And of course at the Fire Dept., they don't let you forget things like that for about three years.

That's what we called it also, scanner jumping. But since we were the only ambulance serv. we knew we would eventually be called. We'd hear either fire depts. tone out and sometimes it would be up to 2mins. before we would get the actual call. So we would already be en-route when we did get the call. And a few times we'd already be at the scene. While en-route our dispatch would confirm the call in and we'd just say we were "10-4 direct". Saved a lot of time. But in other counties that did have multiple services, it caused a lot of problems. Sometimes just short of an "ambulance war". Now those were brutal at times.

Hmmm. I worked with a few that had questionable skills. I wonder. Naw, couldn't have been.

Yep, all 7. And I'm not sure but I think there were a couple of more that came in on their own. One of my first suggestions was to have the bus' exhaust system inspected. And since the air cond. was out, could it have been pumping some kind of fumes into the bus? Or since there was a decrease in air flow, fumes built up?

It was usually in the ER and instead of the nurses being tied up with the patient, we relieved them so they could resume their regular duties. An on-call doc would come in to monitor things, and RT would be there of course, and 2-3 of us would be with the patient. It got to where some of the docs preferred us than the nurses. One time there was a patient that came in with a HALO and it had been hit and shifted. His doc came in to adjust it, but he requested that a couple of us be called in to help. He didn't want the nurses. That didn't go over too well with some.

Ever see the movie "Paramedics"? Several times we helped with keeping patients that were "brain dead" alive until a Transplant team arrived to harvest any and all organs that were salvageable. Some thought that was gruesome enough.

We were called to a truck stop for a young girl that passed out while riding on a chartered bus with a youth group going home after seeing the Pope in St.Louis. Had 13yr. old girl, sitting in a folding chair. Skin pale, slightly diaphoretic. Vomited x3. Find out the air conditioner on the bus had gone out, but she said she was feeling very sick before that. Put the girl on the monitor showing sinus brady @ 50-60. No sign of hyperventilation. She did just start her period, nothing unusual. About that time another girl, 17, started to have the same complaint. OK, one more to transport, no problem. But she did refuse a flat lay. The 13yr. old said she felt better after 4L O2. Right before leaving, two others started in. Call for a second ambulance. We stayed until the second unit arrives even thought the 17yr. old is increasingly getting sicker. Before we knew it, had seven go down. Luckily the one Rescue truck did have transport capability. Heat, fumes from the bus, lack of proper diet, dehydration? All these were addressed. To this day I still say it was a combination of all the issues listed above. To me, big clue was that most felt better after O2. If I remember right three of the kids were admitted for 23hr. observation. Later on nothing was really said what the ER doc concluded.

Was he hung like a horse and the transfer of blood was too great?

A lot of people live with A-Fib and don't even know it. But in this case I'd see how Verapamil (Calan) would help. I was on it for a short time due to an irregular rhythm. I agree with Matt, cardio version should not be attempted.

CONGRATS - Party on, dude.

Thorazine is what we used most for people being combative or freaking out due to an OD or someone who just couldn't handle what ever drug they took. For a while we had some bad cut coke and for some reason had a sharp increase on acid/PCP. We had used Valium for just such incidences, but never helped. So 75-100mg. of Thorazine IM worked very well. A few times they would be fighting us so bad that we couldn't find the usual areas used for IM injections, so you improvise. One night I had a nurse trying to get around the seven guys holding the patient down to give him the injection. Finally I just took the syringe and popped him in his upper thigh, right through his clothes. Not the best way to do it, so I just improvised.