Dustdevil

She's a keeper! Save her at all costs! If it weren't for the weight and BP, I'd have sworn this scenario was about me. Well, and the gender thing too.

Meh... the media just doesn't understand how "logistical difficulties" can prevent a firemonkey from keeping up with his mandated education! It's no big deal!

Ditto. The only concession I make to my heritage is my weird (well, not for Canadia) spelling. It was already habit by the time I got to school, and I was too defiant to stop, no matter how much the teachers complained. But I have been a guest in foreign countries. Many of them. And I never would have demanded that they change their culture for me. In fact, it is my honour to attempt as best as I can to conform to their culture. Any culture that produces people who are that selfish and unreasonable, well... it's no surprise that people want to leave that culture! That's because the Founding Fathers were ass men!

I'm curious if the principal also ordered that the US flag not be raised on the pole that day, as well as having the US flags removed from classrooms and offices. If not, he's a hypocrite, among many other unflattering things. Of course, I'd have thrown the jerks off of campus just because they were wearing shirts with advertising on them, not because of the flags.

Yikes! Twenty years back from where LA already was would be about 1960!

In a shocking number of cases, they are.

Exactly. The fact that so many people seem to not figure this out is a sad statement on the intelligence of the average ambulance driver. In the back is the win. You get to lay down, instead of getting a sore neck from trying to sleep sitting up. You're out of sight and out of mind.

It would be interesting to see an audit of the department's training records to see how often they have "logistical problems" keeping up with their fire training. I'm betting it doesn't happen. Nuff said.

The whole idea of using a code word like that is ignorant. Someone holding you hostage is no more going to let you use some mysterious number code that they don't understand than they are likely to let you call for help any other way. And using such a code only raises the suspicions of anyone you're trying to be under "cover" from. The best way to do this was mentioned earlier. Have a code word that is the ONLY acceptable response to a welfare check. Any other response, even a declaration that "everything is okay" is treated as a distress call. My personal favourite system is to make the use of ANY numerical code a distress signal. That means if you tell dispatch, "everything's 10-4 here", that is a distress signal. Everyone knows what 10-4 means in radio lingo, so it will not raise suspicion if used in front of your threat. And it has the added benefit of breaking your employees of the bad habit of using numerical codes in the first place.

Well, supposedly all of them were fired, so they wouldn't still be working after their picture was posted, lol. But anyhow, it's ridiculous for the public, or even our administrators, to expect medics to sit wide awake all shift long. Our job is to wait. Waiting requires only that level of alertness necessary to hear the pager go off, and nothing more. We're not cops, who are paid to drive around and be constantly alert and working. This is exactly why the "public safety" image of EMS is harmful. People expect their "public safety" public servants to be productively engaged while on the clock. Conversely, they don't give a rat's arse what their doctor is doing when not taking care of patients. That's only one of the many, many reasons that the MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL model of EMS is superior.

I worked for a police department that had a CW (Morse Code) identifier that sounded every hour. Talk about retarded. It was really nice to be searching a building for a burglar in the middle of the night, trying to be stealthy, and suddenly your radio starts beeping with pointless Morse code. I got the sergeant to unlock the radio closet, and I disabled the CWID module and all was good for three days. Then it started beeping again. Some idiot dispatcher noticed it wasn't beeping and called radio service, who came in and "fixed" it, insisting that it was an FCC requirement. Dumbasses. Then there was the first 800mhz trunking system we got. If you keyed the radio and another unit was already talking, your radio would start beeping at you. Again, really great if you're trying to be stealthy.

Now here is an example of an agency that isn't too good or too lazy to serve their community, even if it means getting out of their nice cozy recliner chair and getting cold, wet, and dirty. http://paramedictv.ems1.com/media/1260-Dog-rescued-treated-in-ambulance/ Would I jeopardise my job by violating policy and doing this? You goddamn right I would.

Okay, call me naive, but I have just this one little question; nearly a decade after 9/11, and many more years since the recognition of Islamofascist terror in this country, why the HELL do we just freely admit -- and grant citizenship to -- these jokers? I mean seriously, WTF? Is there a population shortage here in the US that we need to remedy? Is there a lack of diversity in our population that needs urgent addressing? Are there so few IT professionals in this country that we have to import them? Is America a frontier world that needs immigrants to "build" our society? The answer to all four questions is an undebatable 'NO', so seriously, WTF?

I was in the office of a commercial security company one time. In the field supervisor's office was an entire wall covered with Polaroid pics of guards sound asleep in their patrol vehicles. While I found it beyond amusing, I also found it beyond stupid to display those where potential customers would see them.

They should fine people for about three-quarters of the things they call 911 for, including every goddamn car they see on the shoulder of the road that they decide must be a "major accident with entrapment", or the air conditioner condensation from the roof that must be "an industrial structure fire", or the actual MVA with entrapment that already has three police cars, four fire trucks, two ambulances and a helicopter on scene. Or what about parents who call 911 because their kid hasn't shown up for dinner yet, when he's probably just somewhere playing X-Box? What about people who call in their grass on fire? Is there a serious shortage of grass in this country that burning grass is an emergency? In the grand scheme of things, I honestly don't see this event as being any worse than the majority of the 911 calls made each day. At least there was a true "emergency", as defined by state law. Again, the FAIL is on the part of the fire chief for turning a PR opportunity into a PR FAIL.

http://www.ems1.com/air-medical-transport/articles/815233-Medical-helicopter-industry-out-of-control-conference-told/ May 04, 2010 Medical helicopter industry 'out of control,' conference told The number of medical helicopters has more than doubled in the past decade, the session was told By Jamie Thompson EMS1 Senior Editor LAS VEGAS — Medical helicopters are an important part of the EMS system but have become "out of control," Fire-Rescue Med was told Monday. "It's an industry out of control but an industry we need to rein in," Bryan Bledsoe told the conference in Las Vegas. Dr. Bledsoe, professor of emergency medicine at the University of Nevada School of Medicine, outlined the huge increase in the number of medical helicopters across the United States — as well as HEMS operations — over the past decade during the presentation. One of the main issues related to air medical safety, Dr. Bledsoe said, relates to the lack of regulation in the United States. "The helicopter industry can't be touched because it falls under the Airline Deregulation Act, so states cannot really regulate medical helicopters," he said. The rise in the number of air medical operations in the past 10 years follows a trend over the decades of specific medical industries becoming out of hand, with Dr. Bledsoe citing the "boutique" psychiatric and substance abuse facilities of the 1980s and home health care agencies of the 1990s. The number of medical helicopters has more than doubled in the past decade, the session was told, and emergency personnel are feeling more pressure to use them — often unnecessarily — as more of them scramble for business. Dr. Bledsoe outlined the results of several studies that examined the use of air medical transport in both the United States and overseas. These included a UK study in 1996 of the London Helicopter Emergency Services, which was a prospective comparison of seriously-injured patients transported by HEMS and GEMS. It concluded "as there is no evidence of any improvement in outcomes overall for the extra cost, HEMS has not been found to be a cost-effective service." One of the most recent studies, Dr. Bledsoe said, came last year with Helicopter Evacuation of Trauma Victims in Los Angeles: Does it Improve Survival? Among the conclusions was "in a metropolitan Los Angeles trauma system, EMS helicopter transportation of injured patients does not appear to improve overall adjusted survival after injury. There is, however, a potential benefit for severely injured subgroups of patients due to the shorter prehospital times." However, while there is a large volume of literature from both sides on the subject, the quality "isn't great," according to Dr. Bledsoe. But what there is, he told the session, seems to show no or only limited benefit of using air medical transport in many scenarios. Dr. Bledsoe said in many articles there is a virtual statistical "leap of faith" to justify air medical transports.

Here's another bit of news for any city/county thinking they can make money if they give their EMS to their firemonkeys: http://www.ems1.com/legislation-funding/articles/814599-EMS-costs-far-exceed-revenues-in-Fla/ May 02, 2010 EMS costs far exceed revenues in Fla. Jumps in property tax rates for emergency medical services range from 18 to 47 percent By Anne Lindberg St. Petersburg Times PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — The Pinellas propery tax rate will almost certainly go up next year to pay for increased costs of emergency medical services. That's the one common factor in four options staff members are scheduled to present to the County Commission during a Tuesday workshop. The proposals show the jumps in property tax rates for emergency medical services ranging from 18 to 47 percent. The lesser tax hikes would be offset by increases in ambulance fees, a reduction in reserves, or both. The proposals are designed to make up an estimated $13.6 million shortfall between revenues and the expenses of the EMS system. Option 1: This would maintain four months of reserves and leave ambulance fees at their current level, which average $473.73 for the county. But the EMS property tax rate would jump by 47 percent, or add $39.99 to the tax bill for a home with an assessed value of $170,000 with a $25,000 homestead exemption. Option 2: Would maintain reserves, increase ambulance fees by 10.15 percent, or about $48, per ride. Taxes would go up 43 percent, adding $35.93 to the tax bill of the $170,000 home. Option 3: Would reduce the county's EMS reserves to a three-month cushion, leave ambulance fees as they are and increase taxes 22 percent, adding $18.97 to the tax bill of the $170,000 home. Option 4: Would reduce reserves to the three-month level, increase ambulance fees by 10.15 percent and property taxes by 18 percent. That would add $14.91 to the property tax bill on the $170,000 home. A tax increase to pay for EMS has been a likelihood since last year, when the county dipped into reserves to pay for higher costs without raising taxes. Officials said then that could not be done a second time. And earlier this year, Pinellas County Administrator Bob LaSala told the St. Petersburg Times editorial board that an increase was likely. An increase in taxes seems to be almost unavoidable now with property values expected to decline by about 12 percent from last year. Budgets submitted by the county's 18 fire districts had an increase of about 5 percent, or $1.9 million. The requested increases included no new positions or units, but came mostly from higher salaries and benefits for paramedics. County figures show the average EMS-funded paramedic will earn 4.3 percent, or $2,098 more, next year than this year. The average increase in benefits will be about 12.12 percent, or $3,803 more than this year. That makes for an overall increase in compensation of about 6.3 percent, or $5,901. At least one county commissioner said he is willing to look at a tax increase to fund the county's EMS system. "In the context of falling property values it is not a tax increase," Welch said. "I think at some point you have to look at do you have a sufficient revenue base to fund services at a sufficient level?" Referring to requests for funding increases, Welch said that each would have to be individually vetted and that necessary streamlining would have to take place. But, Welch said, "the question becomes, if those are legitimate requests, how are we going to fund it? At the end of the day, though, with a reduced property tax base in the county, we're going to have to look at what to do on the revenue side of it." That's a solution for the short term, he said. The longer-term solution could involve a revamping of the entire system. "Some sort of consolidation," for example, would "have a lot more efficiencies," Welch said. That's a topic that has been much talked about throughout the years but has never taken root. But now might be the time, Welch said. "At some point, the economics drive us to looking at the system with a fresh pair of eyes," he said.

http://www.ems1.com/fire-ems/articles/814807-Medics-to-provide-advanced-life-support-techniques-to-patients-in-Fla/ May 3, 2010 Medics to provide advanced life support techniques to patients in Fla. Advanced life support techniques offer paramedics a larger complement of tools and techniques for an emergency situation than basic life support techniques By Aaron Hale Naples Daily News NAPLES, Fla. — Diplomacy failed, a North Naples fire official says, so the department is moving ahead on its own. The North Naples fire district has chosen to resume its effort to provide advanced life support emergency services through its own medical director, Deputy Chief Jorge Aguilera said. The advanced life support program was suspended last year for the district when the medical director for Collier County Emergency Medical Services (EMS) pulled certification for firefighter-paramedics. The program had allowed certified fire district paramedics to provide advanced life support techniques to patients before Collier EMS took over to transport patients to the hospital. Advanced life support techniques offer paramedics a larger complement of tools and techniques for an emergency situation than basic life support techniques, including starting IVs and administering powerful drugs during serious heart attacks and allergic reactions. Dr. Robert Tober, the EMS medical director, pulled the certifications of previously approved North Naples Fire paramedics, as well as those in East Naples, citing a failure to meet training requirements. Currently, only fire departments in the city of Naples, city of Marco Island and Ochopee offer advanced life support in Collier County. The rest, including North Naples, give only basic life support, which includes techniques such as CPR, until Collier County EMS paramedics arrive. Aguilera, who oversees the North Naples fire department's medical services, has argued advanced life support techniques are essential for providing the best safety to the people of North Naples. "The inability of North Naples to be able to augment the first response is without a doubt a detriment to the citizens," he said. "They would be served at a higher level of medical service." To have its advanced life support program reinstated, the district applied for a certificate of need in November, Aguilera said. The move would have the state certify the district's own medical director, Dr. Jeffery Panozzo, and would bypass the need to go through Tober, he explained. The North Naples application would have to be approved by the Collier County Commission, Aguilera said, before it goes to the state for final authorization. That application had been put on hold for months, Aguilera explained, because the district had hoped to negotiate new terms for advanced life support with Tober. Attempts to negotiate failed to give the district what it wanted, he said. Keep life-saving skills fresh Tober's primary justification for taking away advanced life support certifications from North Naples and East Naples last year was failure to participate in a swap program with Collier County EMS. Under that program, fire paramedics were required to work in EMS ambulance shifts several times a month. The program was meant to give fire paramedics continuous hands-on experience in emergency situations, Tober said, and to keep their life-saving skills fresh. North Naples officials cited "logistical" problems in scheduling its almost 50 paramedics in the required number of shifts. When North Naples fire officials tried to negotiate new requirements to meet Tober's concerns about training and the district's concerns about logistics, Aguilera said Tober wouldn't budge. For his part, Tober said disputed training requirements aren't the only reason North Naples paramedics are without the desired certifications. "I definitely believe the fire districts don't need (advanced life support) service," Tober said, "particularly if their districts are not in places that are geographically remote." Tober argues for a tiered pre-hospital medical system in which advanced life support is left to county EMS and agencies such as fire departments and the Sheriff's Office should focus on quick and proficient basic life support services. That model earned Tober recognition with the Journal of Emergency Management Services recently, when it named him one of the top 10 innovators in EMS for 2009. It also was supported in February by a panel of community leaders who are looking into pre-hospital EMS and fire services in Collier County. That committee is led by retired Physicians Regional Healthcare System CEO Geoffrey Moebius and includes representatives from various county agencies. The panel's recommendation prompted the East Naples fire district to formally vacate its advanced life support program in March. An uphill battle The North Naples fire district may face an uphill battle if it is relying on county commissioner support to bypass Tober. Fred Coyle, chairman of the Collier County Commission, said he was skeptical of the approach by the North Naples fire district to establish its own advanced life support program through the state certification. "The (commission) in the past has been reluctant to create multiple standards of EMS tiers in Collier County," he said. Coyle offers an "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" argument for pre-hospital care in the county. "We have an award-winning EMS system that is nationally recognized," he said. "They do a wonderful job, and one of the reasons we have such a record is because there is centralized control." He said North Naples' approach would fragment the current system. For now, the North Naples fire district continues its business as if it will have its advanced life support program reinstated. Even since losing certification last year, the district has maintained paramedics and trainers on its staff. The district continues training programs so that, as Aguilera puts it, "we just have to turn the key" to restart the program. It remains uncertain if the district will be able to start that engine anytime soon.

True, but unconciousness, apnea, hypovolaemia, and hypothermia are also treatable conditions, yet we still have to check for them. No one sign -- other than decapitation -- is untreatable. This is a 'preponderance of the evidence' deal. The more you have to support your diagnosis, the better off you are.

I think more correctly, not having one is pretty retarded, and reflects very poorly on the administration of any given system. The concept is at least as old as I have been in EMS, so I have to say that any agency that does not currently have one sucks arse.

Actually, I get the impression that these pics came from the inside. Smart money has it that some disgruntled medic took them and sent them to the media.

FAIL on the fire chief giving the interview while standing around slouching, with his hands in his pockets. PR101 FTW. And how about "pigs and animals come secondary"? Okay, I'll grant you that. But what exactly were your men doing at the time that came primary? Were they pulled away from a cardiac arrest? Or were they just keeping their recliner chairs warm while checking their eyelids for leaks? Dunno about Ohio (and don't want to know, because frankly, Ohio sucks), but in most states, an "emergency" is defined as an immediate threat to life or property. A pig is both. If I can call the firemonkeys when my grass is on fire, then why can't I call them when my pig is dying? My grass is more important? They could easily have turned this into a PR win. Instead, they went to the media with a sob story about having to get off their fat, lazy arses to help a citizen in need. Boo hoo, losers. Get a job.

Fired. Oh, and criminally charged too.

Meanwhile, while rescuers are hard at work saving lives, the police are hard at work preventing, uhhh.... something very dangerous, I'm sure.

To warn the rest of us to be careful to avoid the appearances of impropriety, in order to protect our careers and our profession from the wrath of public opinion.