HERBIE1

Thanks, all. Dreading the next 3 days. Having coffee, getting ready, and steeling myself for what is to come. Based on all the media requests and calls we have received, this will be huge. I have been trying to prepare my family for what will happen- a line of duty death is a huge event, and sadly I have been through too many of those. A soldier KIA is exactly the same thing in terms of scope and interest. It's all been so abstract until now- it's been a week of plans, media interviews, making arrangements, family issues, and now he's finally coming home.

This story was NOT about race. It was about responding to unsafe scenes. If you want to start a thread about racism and EMS- be my guest. Just be prepared to back up any claims with proof that EMS refuses to respond to calls because of some racial factor.

I debated as to whether or not to post anything here, but oh well. On November 1, my nephew/godson was killed in Afghanistan. His platoon was returning from a patrol when a suicide bomber rode up on a motorcycle and detonated an IED, killing Andy and his buddy Jonathon. Apparently they took the brunt of the explosion, so although the rest of his platoon was also badly injured, they all should survive. Andy was 21 and he was my sister's only child. He arrives back home from Dover AFB tomorrow, wake is Wednesday, funeral Thursday. I will be a mess for the next few days. Please say a prayer for all the soldiers who have made the ultimate sacrifice, and those still in harms way.

Folks, you have no idea how much I needed this little reprieve from reality. Heavy duty problems right now. Thanks one and all....

It's true. Men are very easy to please and not very complicated. Makes you wonder why there is so much conflict between the sexes, doesn't it?

Er- you replied to the wrong post.

Crochity- To the article about tearing down public housing in Atlanta... That is a mixed blessing, and essentially just a shell game. Yes, high rise or sprawling housing project complexes are an eyesore, and they are dangerous, but it's not as easy as destroying the buildings. Ask any city who has done something similar, and essentially all they are doing is shifting the burden of public housing to other areas/neighborhoods/cities/suburbs. The primary problems remain(drugs, violence, unemployment, single parent homes, uneducation, etc) but no, they are not concentrated in just a couple structures. Often times, Section 8 vouchers allow public housing residents to join communities that have no idea how to deal with these problems. The problems for the original community may decrease, but they are simply shifted somewhere else. The fallacy seems to be that that the buildings themselves caused the problems, and by eliminating the structures, somehow all those problems will vanish.

You are absolutely correct about my opinions on Obamacare, but at the risk of derailing the thread... In most areas, the problem isn't the availability of, or access to the resources, it's their proper utilization, AND some type of mandate that requires people to take some responsibility when they do use them. For example, in our realm, in a few select areas, even folks who are on public assistance are required to pay at least a nominal fee for an ambulance ride. Obamacare has nothing to do with that, and in fact will remove even more responsibility and choice from the hands of people. It will do nothing to address the underlying issues.

Well Eyedawn, men do LOVE to dance. Problem is, women keep insisting that it be done vertically instead of horizontally...

Just wanted to point out something that crotchity asserted about response times. In my area, the ghettos have more police, fire and EMS protection per square mile than in any other area in the city. Social service agencies, city services, free clinics- nowhere else in the city has this concentration of city provided services,and it's still not enough. Why? Obviously because there is a need- real and/or manufactured. Problem is, the call volume for public safety in these areas is also HUGE, with a great deal of it being for NONEMERGENT issues. Thus, unless you had an EMS unit, police car, or fire truck on every street corner, there simply is not enough services to always meet the need in the quickest manner. Here's a dirty little secret- In the area I live in, our response times are actually much WORSE than in the ghettos. Why? Because the area is safe, we don't have the gangs, drugs, violence, etc, thus many of the public safety assets have been redeployed to the ghettos(some temporarily, some permanently) to supplement the coverage already there. Can I cry reverse racism?

I disagree about our industry being the worst for gossiping, etc. I used to work in the food service industry, and those folks can whine with the best of them. Long hours, sometimes lousy pay, dealing with the public, etc. I do agree that we have a choice. Problem is, changing professions mid career is not easy, and certainly not for the faint of heart unless you have a really good back up plan. Most folks have families to support and bills to pay, and even a lousy paycheck or less than ideal working conditions are better than being unemployed.

I've seen Lone Star's list before, but I LOVE Firemedic's article! I nearly spit my coffee all over my laptop... In the interest of fair play, I'm sure the ladies have their own versions...

Not really much more to add. Lone Star and Dwayne both hit home runs so it's golf claps for both of you guys. To the original poster, Mazrin: ANY job or profession will have it's problems. Many people would think being an astronaut would be the coolest job ever. Then you hear how the training is so difficult, how the selection process for the missions is full of politics, long hours away from the family, and of course the potential danger. You need to look at the whole picture- warts and all. A site like this has many viewpoints- we have old timers, new guys, young and old alike. Some are students who are just starting out in their careers, while others may already be retired. You take all those viewpoints, mix 'em up and come up with an opinion of your own. Any job is only as good as you make it. As long as you have realistic expectations, you like what you do, and are able to make an adequate living, that's all that matters.

LMAO Interesting attitude, Dwayne- reverse psychology. Hey- whatever works for you, I guess, but that's not a good idea for me. Fear and anxiety over exams and practicals simply motivated me to work harder, study more, do more drug cards- whatever I happened to be worried about. It never got rid of the fear or anxiety, but I realized that by the time the tests or practical came, I was as prepared as I was going to be. Rely on what you studied, and do the best you can. At the time of the exam, there is simply nothing more to worry about- either you will do well, or you will tank, but either way, at that point it's simply too late to do anything about it. It was a rare occasion when I felt absolutely confident and fully prepared going into an exam/practical situation, but it did happen. I think that once you pass your exams and become licensed, a little fear/anxiety is actually a good thing. It makes you focus, makes you recall your training and knowledge. Even after 30 years in the business, I still get twinges when we have a critical patient. If that anxiety ever completely goes away, that means I have become an omnipotent provider(not in this lifetime), or I simply no longer care(time to quit the job).

LMAO Those 747 boxes aren't as rare as you might think. I know plenty of places that still use them- us included. We STILL use those boxes for extra meds, as well as meds we do not use very often. Yes, we also have a Peds Bag and a Quick Response bag, filled with first line cardiac drugs, and other commonly used treatments, as well as spares in our cabinet. I agree those compartments ARE too small, but we make do. We also have a lot more room in the 747's than we used to since we no longer carry D5/W, LR, AND .9 NaCL.

We have random drug and alcohol testing here. When it was first instituted, I could not believe how many people actually objected to the idea. Not fair, unconstitutional, it's a witch hunt, what we do on our own time is nobody's business, etc. We heard all the excuses. All I would say to these people was- What if your partner, your officer, or a guy on your company was impaired? What if that person's impairment cost you time, money, or even your LIFE? We aren't making widgets in a factory, we have the lives of the public- and each other- in our hands every day. We SHOULD be held to a different standard than others, and if you cannot agree with that, then I suggest you are in the wrong profession.

The site I found is US located, but does ship internationally. It has an 800 number listed so I imagine you can get more information from them. Looks like a great site- has plenty of resources- books, supplies, etc- for this problem. Good luck, Mobey. This one says it's out of stock but claims item will ship on or about 11/15: http://bedwettingsto..._vibralite3.htm This actually looks like a pager- can be worn discreetly on a belt, and is also only $40, AND it claims it's in stock. http://bedwettingsto...sible_clock.htm

When this idea first came out, PDA's, Blackberries, and IPhones were not popular. Now, many people have so much private information- links and apps for their online banking, etc, that many phones are password protected, and rightfully so. I think ICE was a nice thought when we all had simple flip phones, but now you would waste so much time screwing around with trying to access even someone's contact list it simply would not be worth it. As UG said, look for a wallet or ID, a medical alert charm/bracelet, etc, and be done with it. Let the police and/hospital staff do the digging to make notifications. There have been a couple times where I have looked through a person's recent calls, and found someone to contact, but it's very rare. Problem is, unless a person is listed as "Mom" or "Dad" you really have no idea who you are talking to, or their actual relationship to your patient. Not worth the headaches and potential liabilities it would cause.

Wise words. Not a bad mantra to live by, either.

If someone simply makes a racial or sexual orientation slur in the commission of a crime, then it can automatically escalates it to a "hate crime". Something such as this as a hate crime- I think it depends on the creativity of the prosecutor. To my understanding, simply making the comment/grafiti/effigy, etc WITHOUT breaking some other law I believe would fall under 1st amendment protection. Crude, tasteless, immoral, inflammatory- it could be considered many things, but it would still be protected.

Well, there are some generalizations one can make that are NOT PC. There is a huge alcohol problem within the Native American community. I have read they may have a genetic predisposition for an intolerance to alcohol. Who knows? There are also medical conditions and diseases that are more prevalent in one ethnic/racial community vs another. Is it racist to point out such differences? Personally, I cannot find the truth offensive- regardless of how unpleasant it may be. You cannot address a problem- whatever it is- if you don't talk about it, understand it, and accept it. That said-even with a genetic component to a problem, it still does not doom a person or a race/culture/ethnic group to have that problem. Totally agree. Pretending a problem does not exist in the name of being PC is foolish, as well as dangerous. It's all about context and environment. Honesty and political correctness are usually mutually exclusive, which only creates more problems.

Do I think this is racist and stupid? Yep. Protected?- yes and no. While I agree with the notion that offensive speech like that of Fred Phelps seems to be protected, I would bet that this will be viewed differently. Why? Hate crime laws. Not only will this display NOT be protected, but unlike Phelps, I would bet this guy will be prosecuted. Double standards. Now- I am NOT defending this guy in any way, I am merely pointing out that this will not be treated as a simple 1st Amendment issue.

Disclaimer- I am not familiar with this course, the instructor, or anyone who is a product of the course in question. This is not a knock on this particular program or anyone who is a product of such a program. Now, to piss some people off- Personally, I do not think that accelerated courses are a good idea. I truly think that in the world of medicine, it takes time to not only absorb the information, but to truly process it and be able to properly apply it to the job. You make connections and relationships with the material, diseases, and the patient, and these connections take time to truly understand and develop. Yes, some folks can quickly learn all the skills and probably be a decent cook book medic, but I think there is far more to this job than simply regurgitating a protocol. There is a reason why medical school training takes as long as it does. First and foremost- obviously there is a mountain of information you must absorb. Second, I think that within that time(student, intern, resident, attending), people mature, and are better able to reason and understand how this knowledge can and should be applied. Now- before anyone misunderstands me- I am in no way comparing medical school to a paramedic program, just in terms of the basics I outlined above. It's the same idea- just on a smaller scale. Anyone who deals with new medical students or even brand new residents can understand the difference maturity, confidence, context, and experience can make in a doc. You essentially undergo a transformation during your training- not just in terms of your knowledge, but as a person, and a provider. I realize that a compressed program may be someone's only choice due to time, money, and personal constraints, so I will not judge a person based on where or how they got their training(unless I somehow know they come from a crappy program). I just feel that in something as important as patient care, the public needs to have the best trained, best qualified, and best prepared providers possible, and I feel a compressed format program is not the optimal method to learn this job. Let the flames begin...

Wow! Textbook example, Dwayne. It doesn't get any more obvious than that. Can't wait to hear about mechanism of injury.

Glad you had a good experience with your preceptors. I never understood the mentality of some providers who did not like having riders or students. Most of the time these types were clowns, cutting corners, and not providing proper care. I would much rather teach someone the right way to do the job than for them to learn bad habits from day one. The didactic part of the learning process is "easy"- it all depends on how much you are willing to absorb and retain. The hard part comes when someone needs to show you how and.when to apply that knowledge, and the little things that make you a good provider. To me, a good trainer/preceptor/field training officer is worth their weight in gold. They determine the caliber of the future providers, and whether or not we will eventually gain the respect and pay we all deserve.