Christopher.Collins

Ummm, yea... Wow :!: :?: :shock:

Wow, where are you from? Here in CT anything above 80 is often an automatic arrest if stopped. Anyways, I completley agree with you for the most part. But I do agree with another post that they may be slightly zonned out. Do you flash your lights when you drive by someone who has theirs off at night? I do... because sometimes if I make a quick stop I turn them off but leave my parking lights on. If Im in a well lit area I sometimes forget to turn them back on when I leave. But you do have a good point, to each their own as far as people breaking the law (then getting caught) is concerned in my eyes.

*Laughs* How fitting for you to say this with your avatar being Maj. Frank Burns....

I do think its weird and rude... But not just talking on the phone, talking in general. Well, unless you their with your kid or something. Just the other day I walked into a restroom at work and was greeted by loud grunting and straining, followed by a, "come on you little bastard." Needless to say I went to another restroom.

I can only hope that if your ever in that situation that your friend on the phone isnt in the stall next to me... :twisted:

The funny thing is bigj is that people will talk about how their departments dont have the money for extrication gear (we'll say a volly EMS squad so they dont have turnouts issued) but said members who respond in the shorts and flip flops have no problem spending $100s-$1000s on lights for their POV. Think Im making it up? *laughing* I see it alot. I mean spending $275 on a new LED Talon (when you already have 4 other lights and a bar) vs about $300 on an extrication suit and gloves sounds like a no brainer.

Flash, I agree with your assesment about 95% because there are deffinatley times when cover on the legs may not be nessecarry... and there is a think called bunker gear and extrication suits if cover is needed. But personal comfort and personal safety are two different things.... and while a line may be drawn between it and looking proffesional.... there is no line to be drawn with safety.

This is what I do... I play the abandonment card. If the person is higher certified... or claims to be, you explain to them (and ask if they understand) that if they want to assume care they are legally obligated to remain with the patient untill they can hand off to an equal or greater level care provider. I.E if its a nurse... they will likley have to go to the hospital with the patient, if its a medic they will have to wait untill an ALS unit arrives, if its a BLS unit then they must go to the hospital (like the nurse). Know what I mean? The same applies to doctors too of course. But Id make sure you ask them if they are an M.D or a P.H.D and specifically what kind of doctor... dont be handing care over to a pediotrist. If all else fails and they dont have any kind of PPE (especially if its one of thoes that run into a wrecked car types) then you just kick them out. Where I come from FD has command of emergency scenes and we are sticklers over PPE. Of course, I do appreciate help but if a bystander is ganna help they are moving stuff out of my way or something non-direct patient care oriented. On second thought, asking all that does waste time... but the all of two times Ive done it, it got nagging "higher ups" off my back.

Ooooh Oooooh Ooooh can we rock the knee high socks and safari hat like the mailmen too?

"Bye Bye Beautiful" - Nightwish (For domestic disputes/violence) "Cadence of Her Last Breath" - Nightwish (For respritory/CPR) "Seven Days to the Wolves" - Nightwish (For DOA's) Putting this one seperate because its just wrooooong on so many levels... lol "Bad Touch" - Bloodhound Gang (For OBGYN)

Wow, Id love to see someone actually do this at a convention just as a gag.

Im not quite sure how to answer your question... but I think the occasional freelance is ok provided the freelancer isnt stupid. The department I got started in, as with most (but not all) do not permit the use of personal emergency lights and POVs (aside from line officers) on highways in Connecticut. I have broken both of these protocols once and in another jurisdiction no less. But when your stuck in gridlocked traffic during evening rush on I-95 for close 4 minutes finally to come across a mangled trailer blocking the left breakdown lane... and a 25-30' boat crossing both travel lanes, with traffic barley sneaking by in the right breakdown, what is one to do? Several people were running around and 2 or 3 cars pulled over. I blocked both lanes (as if it was nessecarry with the boat there) put my LEDs and hazzards on, called 911 and started patient assesments (no injuries the trailer just ripped off the tow vehicle and people just stopped to gawk at it). Wondering if Id catch sh*t from the state police I waited for them before taking off. They, if anything, were greatfull I stopped... I wound up taking controll of traffic for a while because fire/ems wasnt cancled by them.

Ahhh see this I did not know.... but the ones I see wear the holey ones.

Well Former if I may answer... I worked for one of the lowest paying EMS agencies in the state of Connecticut.... on top of the roughly 11 something I was making to work night shifts I took a .75 cent pay cut so certain people could get raises. But I kept doing it because I loved the job... I knew before I started there that the pay sucked (average starting in most other agencies is 12-15hrly) and that the pay in EMS sucked as well. Needless to say though I wound up quitting for personal reasons and the pay cut. Unfortunatley I was no longer able to keep up with the payments on my new car. Its important to be able to support yourself and your family... but to me its most important to love and be happy with your chosen proffession.

I found it in an add in the back of JEMS.

Well, *deep breath* here goes... My name is Chris and Im a 23 y/o EMT-B in the State of Connecticut. Ive been volunteering for about 5 years and working paid for about a year, both in various agencies in south central and south eastern CT. I started as an MRT then got my EMT a year later because I actually wanted to do patient care rather than twiddle my thumbs, and year later got my FF1. I actually fell into this. I grew up in a Fire/EMS family so I knew all the locals including the local cops and staties. I wanted nothing to do with it... (I wanted to be an airforce fighter pilot *laughs, yea right*). Anyways shortly after my grandmother passed away, when I was 16, a family freind encouraged me to take the MRT class she was teaching, and it just went from there. It started as a hobby in which I never took seriously and kinda got into some trouble... then in recent years it has become my true passion.

I have always preferred a bare arm and a mannual cuff. Granted theres always a human factor where errors can be made, but Id sooner trust my own ears than a machine. Besides... a machine cant give you some readings; strong, thready... etc. As far as EKG... well Im not a medic yet but my partners have always placed closer to the heart and not on the arms, so thats how I usually do it, unless otherwise told.

Im guilty of saying stupid things on the net. I was caught by my peers and rightfully discaplined. I think that the OP has a valid point in his post and I truly think we should censor ourselves as one poster questioned. There is a time and a place for certain comments and discussions in public or on a site the public can access is not it. Now... I dont think we shouldnt be allowed to make comments such as the one in question at all. But we must exercise discression as to where and how we do so. We are humans too and we need to vent, some think, some dont think rationally possibly due to being emotionally distraught (which in some cases I feel is excusable), some dont think at all and some just like to make themselves look good. Some of you have already mentioned that the public dosnt understand us. I completley agree with that... an ex-girlfriend of mine thought I did nothing but drive the ambulance for the longest time. But if we honestly expect them to understand us at all we cant make comments like that in their eyes. They already dont know the challenges we face, but they also dont need to see us act like our patients are crap though. Im sure our sometimes inhumane reputation dosnt come just from what we are capable of doing. Fact of the matter is, if we are in a rational state of mind then we should keep some comments to the crew room.

I dunno reaper, I mean comfort is deffinatley important I agree... and of course they are wearing socks but Ive never worn a sock that didnt absorb any kinda fluid. And these holes arnt that small.

Question the facility's name... Question is lack of nursing staff and patients.... Question why you found a woman appearing to be the glutton from the movie Se7en... Flee due to an "unsafe scene"

Anyways heres another question. Anyone go to their area hospitals and see the staff wearing Crocs? Thoes new (supposedly very comfortable) shoes that have about a dozen holes in them? Alot of nurses are wearing them now and that kinda ticks me off too. I mean seriously... let me finish barfing and bleeding all over your might as well be bare feet. I guess Im just a stickler for safety. Especially if its common sense safety. Actually Im from Connecticut... but moving to Tennessee fairly soon.

Kudos to you lol most girls I know can barley walk in heels!!!

And Ive seen it done too!!! Ive seen a motor vehicle vs pedestrian, with significant blood loss... and of course what were some of the responders wearing? Shorts and flip flops! First off if I was IC they wouldnt be on my scene... but at the very least (if by some freaking stupid reason I had no choice) I would have assigned them to the driver of the car who was having a panic attack post collision. I understand we shouldnt have to have gear with us 24/7/365 and that we all just want to help... but if one is not equipped to do so then thats it... period! There should be no questions asked. One of my previous volly departments was squared away. We had station uniforms, if we were there doing something then we were to be in uniform... if we were on duty we were to be in uniform. This may not be possible or convinent for all departments... but its good practice.

Let me first state that I am a volunteer Firefighter/EMT as well as paid and that this is not intended to bash anyone. I really do not understand the whole wearing shorts and flip flops to a call thing. Yes we are volunteers, our protocols and standards in some cases are lower than most paid services. Particularly due to the low in recruitment in some places. Furthermore we do not all have duty shifts nor should we have to walk around town in uniform all the time... but again, whats with shorts and flip flops on calls? I see it all the time in photos, videos... etc and most of those times that is not the point of the photo or video. And yes, Ive seen it in person at severe trauma's where blood loss is almost phenomenal. I was watching a training video for a previous job on vehicle safety... during this video several photos of an MVA we shown and a barefoot lifeguard was walking through broken glass and fluids from the car. It freaked me out. I just don't get it. BSI and Scene Safety? Or, perhaps I should go out on a limb and be a bit obnoxious to say common sense? Now, I do understand that getting grants are not the easiest thing in the world... and I by no means think we should stop dressing comfortably in the possibility that we may have to pull an old lady out of a car that crashes in front of us. Hell, I sweat profusely at times so when off duty I'm always in shorts and a t-shirt. There are many ways to combat this though: if you have turnout/extrication gear then use it... even if its the middle of summer and your only responding to a sick call (remember we don't always get what we are dispatched). It is not just just good for fighting fire and cutting cars and at the very least it looks professional. Keep them in your POV if permitted. If you work strictly EMS and your department can not afford to buy extrication suits and you don't want to front the money yourself, then go to wal-mart and buy a cheap set of hospital scrubs... it may look tacky but its your health, and your life. Besides... (and Ive seen this done :twisted: ) it looks a hell of a lot better than walking into a sick elderly persons house wearing a t-shirt that says "Boobies make me smile." Finally if I may say so... buy a $275 Whelen Dual LED Talon or a $300 extrication suit? At the very least a pair of blood borne resistant pants and boots (side zipper for quick and easy donning). In my humble opinion, Ill put my personal safety before a light that merely suggests the person should pull over. Besides, a $60 strobe or halogen light is just as well. Oh and you can also get a box of surgical shoe booties pretty cheap too... Stay safe brothers and sisters... and please think before you act. As the saying goes, the life you save may be your own. Something like that lol.

Into one patient? :twisted: