docomd600

I was wondering what other departments were doing for the week? I wanted to do something last year but our director was far too busy to be able to find the time (new department with lots of woes!). I mentioned something last week and he said "Git 'er done". What I've done is made arrangements to go to area elementary schools and do a presentation that should last about 45 minutes that covers what we do, evaluating a patient with Lifepak 12 (BP, Pulse ox), splint a kid, bandage another one and maybe do a full cspine on another, then demo the stretcher & stair chair and to finish up let them do a "Walk-by" of the unit. My director said we have lots of handout stuff plus including a 911 Dispatcher who has a call simulator for calling 911. It's funny, last week we had a kid (4 YO M), with a fractured arm. Well the kid was screaming bloody murder but not so much because of the pain but he was afraid we were Policemen!! I guess we really do need to get out in the community more!

Something else we do not have is adequate coats and cold weather gear. Our cold weather gear is a job shirt with a Galls raincoat for outerwear.

Is there any kind of national standard pertaining to housing areas for 24 hour duty crews, for example, kitchens for food preparation, cooking utensils and storage, showers, laundry, restrooms, room sizes for sleeping quarters, etc. I work for a county government operated EMS that in our stations we either share the kitchen with the volunteers, have nothing but a small refrigerator(anything over 6 cans of soda and it's full!), no separate bath or shower, very small floor space for lounge and sleeping quarters. Can anyone help me if they know anything.

The Volunteer Fire department I joined in Deale, Maryland I was 16, started riding first as an 3rd attendant, took my CPR & Advanced First Aid (That was all that was needed at the time) and was riding as the 2nd attendant 6 months later. I went a step further and took a class called EMT and was certified in 1975 and have had that certification ever since. I still ride the ambulance as a volunteer plus fight fires on the engine and tower plus handle rescue calls on our Rescue Truck. There is nothing wrong with having 16 year olds to ride as an observer. I've been riding ambulances since 1973 and I still enjoy it. I have been a full time EMT for the last 3 years. If we want to interest young people in our profession, give them a taste of what we do to let them see what the real world is all about.

I have to say I'm disgusted and angry about this game.

AZCEP: I'll suggest that to her about not going into the leather processing business!! LOL!! SCARAMEDIC: Formaldehyde: Now isn't that stuff used in say, preserving frogs and other creatures for science experiments? I would have thought by now she's been exposed to this substance before, although I would not imagine a 11 year old disecting frogs in a classroom yet. I might call POISON CONTROL and ask them but I really do not want to bother them with all the BS they go through allday! :evil: Yes it really was strange how cool and clammy she was, took her away from that area and how quick she improved. Last year I kept here there, in a chair in a covered open area with a fan on her because Ambo was left in sun not running. This year I kept in on and parked in shade. 8)

Last year I worked a medical standby at a farm life event in our local area. I remember one patient we had who was a 10 year old girl who had passed out in the area where a leather craftsman had custom made belts, vests and wallets. When I assesed her, she had an altered mental status and displaying the classic shock symptoms. I figured it was the high heat and humidity that got to her. She was transported to the ER by a different unit. Well Guess what! I had her AGAIN this year, and in the same area of the display barn with the same symptoms, where the leather craftsman was setup. I immediatly scoped her up and took her to the Ambo. After I got her inside, she started acting normal again while I was assesing her. I further questioned her and her mother, she had just arrived at the event and this was the first place they visited, not being there 5 minutes. The girl played sports and has never had any heat-related problems ever but BOOM! The same spot she passed out last year. The only thing I can figure is she must be allergic to something the leather craftsmen is using in his polish and stains! Talk about strange coincidences!

RIDRYDER 911: Very well put! Thats a good "Rule of thumb"!

Well, I've been in this thing for starting 34 years, most of the time I was a volunteer but I'm a career EMT now, and I have always heard the importance of what you say in front of patients but an unconscious patient I never would have given much thought, and he said he heard my voice on Saturday when I was giving info to the triage nurse for another patient and he said he recognized my voice when I transported him. Lesson learned! Thats for sure!

This one of those "You ain't gonna believe this!" Two shifts ago me and my partner was dispatched for an OD. Well, this guy was unresponsive and vomiting. I used a sternum rub on him to get any kind of response from him, in which I did. My partner asked for a medical assist for an engine company to get he guy out (big patient) plus for a driver for unit since both of us was going to be in back. Well, we got to the ER and the patient was unconscious the whole trip. We transferred him and all info over and went about our business. Now last Saturday when I was working, I delivered a patient to the ER, gave all info to the ER Staff, when a gentleman walked up to me and said "Were you on a OD call last week?", in which I replied "Yes". Well long story short he told me he was the patient, in which I recognized him, and he told me (GET THIS GANG!!) "I heard every word you guys said, it was weird how all I could hear but not answer or respond to anything, I even felt the Sternum Rub, and it hurt like a bitch!" He also said "In the ER I could hear them discuss how they were going to intubate me!" So lesson learned: WATCH WHAT YOU SAY AROUND THE PATIENT!! CONSCIOUS OR UNCONSCIOUS!!

Question: Does anyone who works out with a Bowflex Machine tell me what would be a good exercise for, say doinf CPR Compressions? I've looked and tried several different ways but was wondering if someone has a regular exercise they do on a routine basis. 8)

I can do my check I guess really 15-20 minutes, check all the bags, cabinets, O2 levels in 2 portable & main bottle (2 spares), paperwork, fluids, lights, etc. No I do my tire pressure checks later in the day, usually before I wash the unit and fill the ice cooler (bottled water for fire rehab). But still it's frustrating to see them sitting on their asses BUT they'll be the ones on the hot seat if something was not in stock or missing.

I use "SOAP" for my narratives: S - Subjective, what the patient tells you and this is where I put my SAMPLE (Sign/Symptom, Allergies, Medications, Past medical history, Last oral intake, Events leading up to the patient calling 911 for MOI/NOI) O - Objective, what you see. This is where you document what you see, OPQRST, Vitals, Chief complaint, your exam of patients MOI/NOI A - Your assesment of patients condition, always put "Rule out Possible......" How you found patient, patients attitude, etc. P - Plan of action, what you did to help patient (splinting, O2, etc.), how the patient moved to Ambulance (stretcher or walked on their own), any improvements in patients CC, condition on arrival, any problems enroute with patient (drunk, assault, complained of severe pain), name of hospital you transported to. I hope this helps you. I also made up my own patient stat sheet that I included information such as Protocols, BLS Drugs and doses, burn calculations, SAMPLE, OPQRST, Helicopter flyout catagory (A-D), helpful hints for terms, assesments, DCAPBTLS, normal vital signs, GLASGOW Scale, area zip codes, hospital codes and patient info

Am I an idiot or something? Whenever I get to work, the very first thing I do is put in the refrigerator any perishable items I may have for lunch & dinner (24 hour shift), put a pot of coffee on and then check over my unit, top to bottom EVERYTHING including my bags (Trauma, ALS, Ped, etc.), O2 level, spine boards, paperwork and maps of the area, THEN I sit down and drink my coffee! It usually takes me about 10-15 minutes and I know that my unit is 100% ready for anything, so if I get any type of call I can handle it with what I have. BUT, the shift that relieves me, they come in and sit down on the sofa, drink coffee, eat breakfast and go for an hour or sometimes more without checking to see if anything needs to be done or if something is missing. Am I doing something wrong by wanting to know my unit is ready when I'm called, wether it's 8AM or 8 PM? I 'm just curious to hear from others about this!

Ahmen Brother!! 8) 8)