Christopher.Collins

Kinda figured that was a given one, new discoveries on this planet that is. Rest assured every time some dead and rotted animal washes up on the beaches of New London (Connecticut) its always this famed monster from some island in the sound. Frankly I think the media and dumb parents of young kids need to chill out and realize dead things decompose. They also need to realize that Plum Island (an animal testing facility for infectious diseases) is near by.

I woulda just poured some gasoline down the cliff, dropped a match and said, "here Timmy Mr. Fire will bring your bear back to us, in really tiny delicate pieces and then you can glue him back together." Of course then Id have to answer to the police why I started a fire burning half of California up over a teddy bear. But at least then the kid woulda learned a lesson :twisted: And to think I deny my wife calling me vindictive

Spenac must be an alien... he wrote babys instead of babies. Im with ya crotchity... its far to big a universe and I watch way to much Stargate, Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis to believe we are alone. I once dated a VERY Christian girl... and we had this discussion. Im a sci-fi fan and I also just like to think outside the box. I asked her why aliens couldnt exist and the second best "explanation" she came up with is because nothing can be more powerful and intelligent than God. Ok I confess I am not a religious person, spiritual at best but not religious. Now someone correct me if Im wrong but who said that anything capable of interstellar travel or just simply living on another planet is automatically better than God? Who said they were even nessecarilly more intelligent than us? Even if they could travel far in space, they could still be dumb as hell. The only reason we cant achieve such travel is because we dont have enough money to keep our space shuttles from blowing up. I know that was harsh but I mean that with deep and morbid respect to the fallen shuttle and apollo crews. Her best and more legit explanation was that there isnt a planet out there capable of sustaining life. Makes a little more sense but says who? Just because we breath oxygen along with all other living organisms on this planet dosnt mean that any living organism in existance has too. It also means that we need to explore beyond our solar system before someone who isnt even a freaking scientist let alone dosnt own even a kiddy telescope can just say there arnt other planets like earth.

:oops: Eye injuries are my kryptonite

Oops I already deleted it thinking I got it wrong from talking to you more about it... Ill try again. Here goes. Ok so your transporting an assault victim. The patient is stable and family is following in their POV behind you. Dispatch radio's that the family is calling and complaining of chest pain. You pull over and examin the second patient. Your partner of equal cert. (whos with the original patient in back) exits the ambulance and takes over care and tells you to get back to the original patient. Is this abandonment?

Well, as we discussed I ultimatley see it as abandonment. Yes you were in the ambulance and equal certification to your partner caring for your original patient... but a lawyer is likley to look at it as since you were in the cab and the patient was in back you were not readly available for the patients needs. If the patient suddenly has a seizure, you still have to get out, run around the back and get in rather than be right there from the moment your partner left. Ive always been told to do it like this... if you come across an emergency while in transport, stop and call for assistance. The DRIVER regardless of certification level gets out and checks the scene. If your patient is not stable and requires an emergency transport then do not stop... call it in by radio.

"As Charelton Heston would say, guns dont kill people, apes with guns kill people!" ~Robin Williams Live on Broadway

Why do you think that my fellow hose jockies are trying to take over? Yea sure ultimatley they are trying to capitalise on the great income potential from cost of services rendered that we as strictly EMS dont see. But they can also do it while operating vehicles that dont just look like cargo vans and cop cars... so maybe because they do it in a fire truck then it means they care?

Now Im totally convinved these are parade peices. Their brush truck dosnt even have a hint of pumping capabilities... looks like a mini rescue to me. Im completley surprised they dont have a "Bronto Skylift" ladder truck, or whatever truck currently has the record of being the tallest. These guys should also totally buy a Ferarra Strong Arm. Looks like they have two ambulances as well. I figured that the huge one was going to be some mobile intensive care unit... but the back (not inside unfortunatley) it just looks like a regular ambulance.

Thanks for the correction Arizona... but regardless even for a fire truck (the front end pic I posted) that thing is rediculous. I appologize to my brothers at MtHFD but thats kind of embarassing, it dosnt take a buff or even a whacker to spot a parade peice. I bet on top of all that its got a power call siren too. As far as the ambulance dont get me wrong its an eye catcher and looks cool... but it better be twice as functional. Because it just states overcompansation for something.

SAWEEET I knew someone would finally realize Im a hero!!! No actually, I only threw that whole thing in there cuz Im not a quiter even if the odds arnt in my favor... its a rediculous story and I already knew that. I have a ton more... like the first time I played poker.

I havnt seen either officer in a couple of years as I had moved out of my hometown in '07. Im not aquanted with all the facts but I can say that the media is either ommiting something or not being told something. I have never known either officer to be short of proffesional. Hell Ive received a ticket because of one officer over something really stupid, thats how proffesional. As former Westbrook FD and Westbrook EMS Id like to hear the dispatch recordings also. I wont make accusations but it just has being thrown under the bus written all over it, considering the town itself is being sued. Id also like to know who the supervising state trooper was on duty during that shift.

When I was in highschool we didnt have a wrestling team... but that didnt stop one classmate from wrestling. He quite litterally became our one man team. He practiced with a neighboring town but was not a part of the team and still had to face them. By the end of the season this one kid rose up (technically by himself since he faces the team he practices with) and took second place in the state championship. He was a great person, very hard working and determined... and he rose up. Yea so wrestling is a bit different than other sports; the matches are on an indavidual rather than team basis. But he didnt even have a team. I feel bad that the blowout was that great... but heres the thing, if the losing team was so desperate for additional players they can do what many other towns and cities do, join forces with a neighbor. My school didnt even have a football team because of lack of interest, we had football players on another team though... and it was the Old Saybrook / Westbrook Rams, a joint effort. Additionally, you cant fault either team nor any team in highschool basketball for not having any kind of mercy rule. That is somehting that could be changed Im sure, but basketball being a fast paced and high scoring game would probably not work the same. Could the winning coach have had them back off a bit? Maybe, but how? "Hey girls just allow them to get a few shots here and there!" I suppose that he could diplomatically have talked to the other coach about forfeiting or something but come on... Im sorry but Im with alot of others in saying that this (my) generation is full of a bunch of pansies. It has absoloutley nothing to do with flag drapped coffins or military service either... NOTHING. Because not everyone in this generation falls into that category. Hell at one time I did, but you know something with the help of no one I woke up and snapped out of it. And its nearly impossible to discipline a child these days... I dont mean that you should have to strike a child to get their attention but hell people dont even raise their voices anymore. And I see kids of thoes parents get away with bloody murder as mom or dad quietly count to 3 then walk away rather than enforce. My aunt and uncle have two boys, in their pre and early teens... they discapline them when nessecarry and dont go overboard. But they do discapline their kids no less, and teach them lessons. My uncle coaches baseball also. Neither of these boys regularly causes trouble, acts with poor sportsmanship or do much of anything with poor judgement. Oh sure some of you probably think they are total squares? (NOT YOU GUYS IM SPEAKING FOR THE JUDEGMENTAL SOCIETY AS A WHOLE) Well they have alot of friends, have a social life and have alot of fun... including video games... and they arnt shooting up schools cuz they didnt get that candy bar the other day or the big wheel they wanted for christmas. Personally (not proffesionally) while I aknowledge some people have learning disabilities... I think that this ADD crap is a myth. We need to stop shoving pills down our kids throats and spend time with them. And yes I do know that the economy makes that difficult today. Pretty much its either love your child and make no money to feed them, or work but never see them. Its a damn double edged sword. Using a personal story... mind you I didnt play school sports: I used to play paintball on a regular basis in high school. We didnt have a school team but my friends and I did. We played in fields against others and were very competative. There was no prize for the win but alas it was competative. We played a group of current and former Marines once and hell it was tough... most of us were wannabe and/or future military, but of course had no training of the sort. Mind you a paintball gun fires and operates differently from a real firearm... but they still had the stealthy capabilities and better communication and team orientation. I was the last guy remaining on my team and they still had a full one. I was pinned down with pretty much 0 chance of survival. I could have used the mercy rule to quit but why? Thick brush protected them while I sat almost in the open, oh yea and I was down to one 1/2 speed loader and an empty gun. I was fu*%ed. They started to flank me and on a hope and prayer took out three of their guys while reloading at the same time... then I took one to the head :x I coulda been a little pansy and quit... I was 1 kid up against 4 frigging real life Marines but seriously, theres no fun in quitting... no matter how fu*%ed you are.

This is the link to the site. http://www.sponsorhospital.org/ Its a joint class between Yale and St. Rapheal Hospital. My mentor took it as did a few other peers. Most everyone else I know takes the Capital Community College class. I spoke to the director of the sponsor hospital class on the phone, you see my finances really suck and I cant even get approved for a loan, a few thousand dollars is a lot of money even broken up and he said that they could try to help me by allowing payments.

I didnt vote for him, and I didnt have much interest in him either. But it kind of says alot that he is saying all these changes hes got planned wont happen right away. He could be lying and they may never happen... but if hes ganna tell an obvious truth that it wont be instant... then one truth is a start.

My appologies to my fellow Irishmen and democrats...

Good idea Ruff... I think that if the EMT-I (known as Intermediate here in Connecticut but as IV most other places) would be a great substitute for fire-medics. Even Rhode Islands version of an EMT-Basic would be a good model for them... their basics can do more than Im aware any basic in any other state can. If fire wants to make EMS thier job then it should be done like FDNY... fire is fire, EMS is EMS... PERIOD. Im pretty sure thats how they do it, someone back me up if not. I dont care if (AMBULANCE) EMS is fire based but Im not all for this flip flopping stuff. There is a couple of FD based ambulances Id like to work for, but frankly Im not interested in doing fire proffesionally. These services usually do something like 2 years on the ambulance 1 on the truck or engine and continue to alternate something like that. And again, Im all for fire having EMS credentials if they dont provide the ambulance... if I call for manpower because the next closest rig is to far out and I dont have enough hands I want someone that knows what they are doing. But I dont see the need for a fire truck to have a paramedic on it. How does that work anyways? Ive never run into it, if a call is BLS and and dispatched as such, fire is the R1 how can the fire-medic even turn over care to a BLS rig? And Im not asking this question to start a no need for BLS emergency fight.

Im with 4c on that one... what did happen? I mean I know that some of these guys went on TV, but my knowlege of it ends there.

Thats actually just about every paramedic student these days. I mean the fact that it makes potentially poor if not dangerous care provides aside... its competative to get into medic classes, why clog it up with people who dont even want to be there?

Im a Steelers fan... but you know something, if the Cardinals win then they are above and beyond diserving. Goodluck to them.

No, it was all our own equipment. I understand your point though, under thoes circumstances I would be in full agreement. And yes while I understand that they have medcontrol and want people under that to be compitent... they do nothing but demonstrate it as a money making scheme rather than a competancy test.

Vent, that would deffinatley be a good thing to ask the State of Connecticut. Around here while its not required, generally you have to have almost 30 (exagerating for dramatics) different certifications to do a damn thing. Even though we are taught all of this as EMTs and have to keep up with CME's you generally need to be seperatley certified in AED, Bloodborne Pathogeons, epi-pen... etc. Its more a money making thing though than it is a, "Im certified to do all of this" thing. One particular hospital (whom shall be un-named) is notorious for requiring seperate additional certifications to use equipment. Of course these training courses must only be taught by their own personel and the certifications issued with their seal of approvale. Yea as an EMT I am trained and certified to administer epi with med control and use an AED... but Im not allowed to unless I re-learn it by them and pay like $30.

My former commercial service had one, and also a NICU unit. Honestly I dont know alot of the financial logistics behind it but I can tell you how it was equiped if that helps at all. Its a modular Type III rig on an E series chassis. Interrior: handrails on the sides at the patient level and reach, sometimes even the barriatric stretcher is too small and they kinda roll/flop around and need something to grasp, a winch is located under the command seat to pull the stretcher in and ease it out. Mid floor mounted stretcher locking mechanisms Stretcher: Stryker Barriatric Stretcher. It has mountable rails that allow for easy pushing and pulling while the stretcher is at ground level. Collapsable mid mounted side rails that slide out for extra hands when lifting. Not sure off hand the weight of the stretcher or the weight it can hold while collapsed or raised. Exterior: one large compartment designated for barriatric accessories (ramps, stretcher handles), mounts for stretcher ramps (simmilar to what you buy for your pickup truck) at back doors. Ramps are moderatley easy assembly for one person so the other tech can remain with the patient.

Im going to aknowlege your quote with the upmost ammount of sarcasm I believe is possible for one person to dish out. Only because it hurts to think of it as truely being meant. As time goes on I wish my finances were straight. I dont think that EMT-Basics are useless at all... but I am beging to feel useless and like I could do so much more. Now to answer the question. If anything I think that the most advanced thing EMT-Bs should be allowed to do is cardiac monitoring. I dont mean interpriting rhythms (maybe basic ones if anything)... but I mean if you have a chest pain call and all the medics are tied up... get an initial rhythm for the doc. I know some rural services do this. I also know with added responsabilities comes the need for more knowledge... why does this do that, what causes this etc. My only response for this is that there is no reason we shouldnt continue to educate ourselves. Maybe combitube also. Connecticut for a short time allowed basics to drop combitubes, I was certified to do it also but never got the chance. They pulled it because it wasnt actually in the state standards when implimented. Supposedly since its "not used often" people will forget how to do it properly. Anything involving IVs... well we have an inbetween solution. The EMT-Intermediate. Mostly they only practice in commercial transport services. If your going to transport a patient whos on maybe 1000 bag of saline and nothing else then just have an EMT-I do it and spare your medic. They are considered ALS and can do more than just transport and start IVs but they arnt very common anymore so I dont know their standards well. ~~~~~ Overally my one big beef with implimenting anything at the basic level, hell at any level is the whole, "we dont use it enough and people forget" argument. I smite anyone who thinks like that for epic laziness. TRAIN TRAIN TRAIN.... and damn it TRAIN some more. Oh but we are volunteer... tough luck, if you cant commit some time then dont do it.

I havnt lost a ped yet but have run some tough ped calls. In terms of losing a friend/coworker, I still get upset over it and this was around 2005 when it happened. If I can get the finances straight Im planning on participating in the EMS memorial bike ride, and with his parents permission, in his name. I find bike, as in bicycle, riding to be a great stress reliefe. Unlike a car or motorcycle your in full controll of what happens (untill your chain derails or your tire pops) and you get great exercise. You dont have to be in shape to do it either, not saying you arnt though just that its pretty easy. If you dont have a bike, go to WalMart, they have some really decent adult bikes for under $100 and just ride untill you cant anymore.