MedicNorth

I've been fitting N95 masks for a number of years, and I have yet to find a goatee that has caused a failure to seal. A couple have ended out with some rather expensive mask models, but the failures have been due to weird face shapes and neck hair. Any outfit that is banning facial hair below the lip is likely trying to save a couple of bucks on mask models. N95 is there to protect you, but if it fits, the facial hair should not be an issue at all.

Response times here are calculated for the system from the time the call is received to the time that the crew arrives at the patient. If the sytem is in Code Red (all units busy) the clock continues to tick, so essentially the caller could accurately time it. Individual crews and stations are also timed on their response time from the dispatch to arrival, but that is NOT an accurate benchmark. In cases where the service is provided under contract with specific time requirements, timing from dispatch to arrival is clearly cheating. If Joe Blow's Ambulance service has one unit, and is required by contract to provide one-scene response within a specific time, he could time it from whenever that unit was available, even if it was sometime next Thursday. If Denver ambulances are that busy, it is clear that they need to expand the fleet.

Our area has been served by a regional service run by the Health Authority for a number of years as one of the pilot projects for this. Our rural service seems to have come through intact, and although there have been some growing pains, the final product is no better or worse than what we had in the beginning.

Some threads seem to become much more emotional than others for a number of us, and severely conflicting views can sometimes bring out emotional rather than rational responses. This seems to have been one of them. Apology accepted, and mine offered if I wrote anything that you felt was a personal slam. This IS a free-speech forum, within reason. I hope it remains so, as a good "Dustup" (pardon the pun) is always stimulating!

Well, Dust, if you feel that my education on the subject is lacking, I regret that. It was not the fact that the quote was truncated - rather it was the fact that the part that was amputated was the point of the statement. Bigger may not be an issue any more, thanks to the invention of firearms - indeed, it hasn't been since the invention of killing weapons that worked from a distance. Meaner is STILL likely to result in an advantage. What concerns me the most is the idea that your general tone here was that the guy got what he deserved. If the result was a deserved one, I fear that the laws that are there to protect us because we are not mean enough (or well-armed enough) will become completely moot. Why bother to call the cops over anything, when it is ok to simply kill the bastards and have the problem solved? At what point will the law become non-existent, simply because our rage, our fear, or our greed justifies any response we make? I am not a roll-over kind of guy, but I am also not convinced that trespassing or harassment warrants the death penalty. I will try to protect me and mine, but I will do so using the laws that our society has instituted where ever I can. A "civil society" protects its citizens, and punishes as its mores and codes require. It does NOT condone taking the life of another without judgement and certainly doesn't allow one citizen to hunt another down.

Once in a while I don't mind being misquoted, but it irritates me to be half-quoted. Funny how you left out the "best armed" section of that. If we give everybody a gun, then things have been equalized as far as the arms are concerned, so once again, the biggest and strongest (and least concerned about humanity) will be able to control things again. My point is that there are some things worth killling people over, and some things that maybe we need to trust the great democratic institutions to deal with. I really hope that the time never comes when I trespass onto the property of, get into the way of, or otherwise irritate someone who thinks that Colt invented anything that prevents people from being bullied or persecuted. All that happens is that the bully gets a bigger gun (hence the "better armed" section of the quote that was left out) If you believe that this man was justified in his murderous actions, I will not argue any further. I will simply retain my conviction that he (and you) are wrong, and stay the hell out of your way.

I have a suggestion. Lets let the world know that democracy, law and order, and civil control are now things of the past. Lets simply toss them out and go for total anarchy - the survival of the fittest, meanest, and best armed. I mean - if someone comes on to your property and threatens to swing at you, shoot them. If they leer at your daughter, by all means shoot their testicles off. If they cut you off in traffic, they deserve to have their families attending funerals, because they do not deserve to live, having messed with your civil liberty. This goes way further - imagine all the money we will save in taxes if there is no need for police, because everything we wish do do is justified, simply because it is what we wish do do, and feel it it is ok. Imagine the joy, the pure revelling in freedom, that we will have if laws and the accompanying enforcement are eliminated! All things that our little hearts desire can become ours, simpy by killing the people in our way. They don't deserve to live beside us, have their own opinions, or have kids who step onto our side of the property line! Damn - we could make this world a better place!

The responses here really hit me in the gut - how the hell can anyone say that shooting a man dead because his kids went into the neighbour's yard is justified? A kid trespassing is a kid trespassing - would it be ok to shoot the kids too? Ah - but they didn't get shot - instead they put their dad in that position, so instead of dying, they deserve to rot in hell. Well, they will be in hell as they deal with the consequences of their mistake for the rest of their lives. Kids do stuff that is not smart. Dads sticking up for their kids do too. That is NEVER a capital offense. crap, already!

You guys are missing the point completely! The is no scientific explanation for what you saw - rather, it was simply the urge of the metronomes to fit into the society of metronomes, once they were isolated by the pop cans. I can't believe you have failed to do your research into the social urges of these oft-misunderstood creatures!

To Dwayne, 9 - 5 = 5

lol - Alberta (which is nominally part of Canada) might be a little tougher to take over than the rest of the country.....

It is said, in an educational setting, that there is no such thing as a stupid question - only stupid answers. If I want to know the answer to a question, I go to a place where there are people who can tell me. There are people here who can! I don't want to spend extra time researching those answers from books, the net, or Wikki, or maybe I will and still need input from intelligent, experienced people who live this every day. Asking questions here IS research! We hear the same questions from different people over and over again. It is because the questions are dumb? No, it is usually because it is a question that most people who don't have a lot of experience will ask - the very fact that it repeats 18 times SHOWS that it is important. If you are too tired of answering it, don't answer it, and leave it to someone who has the patience. I've been a teacher for too long to admit, and yes, I get the same "dumb" questions a hundred times a year. Are they really dumb? No, the dumb thing to do would be to not ask, and learn the hard way, which could be disastrous. You wanna blast a veteran for a statement you disagree with? Go for it. You want to instruct a newbie on the value of spelling, grammar, thinking things out? Do it politely, maybe in PM. Those of us who have been around for a while can handle this - those who just come in as newbies deserve some time to learn the ropes. Abuse, rudeness, and plain impatience will send them away, and that makes me sad.

Gaelic - last night I read some post responses, and left the site feeling exactly like you do about this. I logged on tonight with the intention of posting a thread that covers the same issue. I thank you for starting it for me. There are many people on here who are experienced veterans, with tons of knowledge. There are any people here who know nothing about the job, and are interested in finding out more, and every level in between. This is the reason EMTcity exists - to provide a place where knowledge and experience can be shared. I joined in 2005. I took my knocks from the "old Guard" and stuck sround because I knew what I wanted, and was ready to stand up for my position. I looked at the people throwing stones at me, and thought that this was a combination of experience, frustration, and passion for a job that few people have the heart or guts for. I have changed my mind some. Yes, there are people here who fit that mold. There are also people here who will look at anyone who comes in tentatively, asks a question that they feel should have an obvious answer, or says something they disagree with, and cheerfully blast them to bits. Sadly, there appear to be people here who reply to certain kinds of post negatively simply because they can. I don't hate Firefighters simply because they have FF in front of their name. I don't hate EMTs simply because they have not finished their training and become medics yet, or even because they have decided that they won't go any further. I don't hate Volunteers who are providing a service - the fault is not with them, but with the municipalties they live in that are too cheap or too poor to provide professional full-time EMS. Don't get me wrong - I am not a fan of ignorance. I detest incompetence. I will argue until I am blue in the face to convince people that my point of view is the correct one, at least until they convince me theirs is better. What pisses me off is this automatic assumption that blasting someone, belittling them, and generally being abusive is an efficient way of improving the profession, or the site. There are people who can take it and come out stronger. There are many more who simply never come back, and I think that is a shame. City has over 19000 registered members, but I would be willing to bet that less than 500 are active - can we figure why? Some have moved on, some have been abused so badly as newbies that they never came back. Is it time for us to maybe take away the knee-jerk ego reactions? Is it time for us to start welcoming people, opening our minds and actually doing some helping, instead of crapping on people and saying that they couldn't take it here ,so they wouldn't make it in the real world? Come on, guys - passion is NOT the same as arrogance!

Well, now that you're there and have called it in, pretty much all you can do (assuming a reasonably safe scene) is C-spine support and wait until the folks with the toys arrive. The failed airbag would worry me - stay away from it, because they can deploy at strange times when malfunctioning.

Congratulations, Dwayne. There never was much doubt in the minds of anyone here about whether or not you would do it. Well done- Party at your place tonight?

Canadians have nerves?

The theatres are full of stupid movies that poke fun at, degrade, and belittle every possible profession there could be, including the police, fire, doctors, armed forces, you name it. Do the cops call for a boycott of the Police Academy movies? Anyone who sees the movie and actually believes that this is the way reputable EMS is run deserves to be afraid to call 911! I agree that the best way to give out free publicity is to threaten a boycott. If you think this movie is stupid, judging from the trailer you are probaly right. If a movie looks stupid, I simply don't go, but I don't particularly care if the guy down the street (or my partner) goes to it. It is a "B" movie - simple brainless entertainment, and that is that. I would be more likely to be upset if it was a serious drama that was ostensibly based on reality with inaccuracies and lies in it - that is the kind of thing that can do serious damage to the reputation of a vocation. Sure lets boycott the movie, simply by not going - not because it slanders EMS, but because it just looks like a crappy movie! Edit: HOT girls in it, though!

Here it goes again! There must be 100 threads on this site that deal with age in EMS, and what is better! A thousand things have been said, most of them appropriate, but the bottom line is that if you are physically capable, mentally prepared for what you'll deal with, and mature enough to treat it as a career, not a hobby or a religion, you will probably do well at it. There are 18 year olds who are incredibly mature and professional; there are 50 year olds who deserve to be thrown onto a 73 Ford 4x4 pickup with lightbars and EMS stickers and sent to NosePick, Georgia. Finding the correct mixture of enthusiasm, intelligence, and life-experience for ANY high pressure job is difficult. Coming into EMS late has its challenges, but it is not likely to be the result of a drunken boast or a need to save the world. It is a job, with massive challenges and huge rewards, but it is not like becoming an astronaut or a nuclear physicist. If it feels right, give it a try! edit - post #500!

This is nothing new to me - I haven't been able to donate blood since I was about 20, which is just after they invented it! I have consistently low BP - usually around 90/60, and have dealt with it for my entire life. It works fine, but there are some things that don't work - like any reduction in the volume does cause shock symptoms. Did they check your BP before and after? I agree with the general consensus here that you should go and get things checked out. I was told there was nothing I could do about it, except be aware. Keep us posted - this is intriguing!

I don't think there is such thing as being too old to go into ANY new career, as long as you are physically able to handle it. I have been working casual and part-time EMS for almost 10 years, and will be retiring from my other job of 30 years soon. It is in my plans to go back to school, upgrade, and spend as many years as I can working EMS full time. They say that people who are our age are not as quick as far as learning new things is concerned - they may be right, but the fact that we have made an informed and committed decision to learn this material makes up for it easily. If this is where your heart is, go for it, guns blazing and no regrets.

in our region the ambulances have stopped carrying extrication equipment because all the FDs attend and extricate. Most of them use reciprocating saws in their bags of tricks, but the brands vary. The ones used in our town are Dewalt, one corded, and the other cordless. We find that they are extremely useful, especially for cutting through pedals and steering columns without the deflection you often get with hydraulic cutters. Redesigning them for dedicated extrication use would be a challenge- perhaps attaching some kind of shield to help protect patients when the quarters are very tight, or reducing the size of the body of the machine?

Ah Ruff - I'm trying to be generous, here! It also gives someone an opportunity to take a step back, realize wackerness, and perhaps sell the lightbar on Ebay, using the money to pay for some education.......

This one makes me shake my head, wondering how stupid some people can be - its right up there with the yokels who cut out the exterior walls of the bathroom so that the cows could drink out of the bathtub. This man deserves to be charged. If he is unable to poke a hole in his exterior wall with tools that are designed for it, what makes him think that a handgun will be an appropriate tool, and WHY would he not let everyone in his family know his (retarded) intentions so they could get out of his way? Do the world a favour - put him away for a LONG time!

Sporty - if it the nerves that are getting to you to mess up the assesment, then I think it would be an excellent idea to completely memorize the sequence, if there is a written script in your course, and then practice, practice, practice. Practice on friends, family, other students; run it through your head from memory as you lie in bed, drive around; write it down from memory every chance you get. If you don't have an assessment script, there are plenty of them around. On that note - a memorized sequential pattern is NOT an assessment - it is simply a guide that should get you the answers you need if you listen, but it tends to be a good starting point - get into the routine, and the nerves become less an issue. Eventually you will adapt it to suit your needs and style, but for the preceptors and examiners, the big issue will be completeness. The other advice here - Watch and listen others as they do theirs. This is great advice, but it can be very enlightening to observe other students as well, and them help each other by discussing what was good, what needed improvement or expansion. The big requirement here would be the discussion - never be afraid to ask WHY something was done. Good luck to you - your attitude towards learning by asking here is laudable - I think you will do well.

dpemsia - it would appear that you have the old guard chasing you here, assuming that you were "ordering a lightbar" for yourself. On that basis, the term Wacker looms large, so you might wish to defend yourself and post a picture of said lightbar, properly mounted on an ambulance or other emergency vehicle. If the lights were for your POV, I guess that is ok too, just don't tell us about how cool it looks and how big it makes you feel, as that is the same as mounting a target on your forehead, in this place. Now that said, I'm not one to publicly cast aspersions on the one's ancestry for being a whacker - welcome to City, and spend some time with us posting lots. There is a great deal here to learn, even for "wannabe's"