JPINFV

Same here. As far as time, 10-30 minutes depending on how trashed the truck is and how much stuff I'm missing. I'm inclined to be a tad understocked for some of the multistock things (4x4s, for example), but if I'm replacing anything (e.g. the constantly unfilled spare O2 tanks), then I will bring everything else up to spec. I don't care if it's technically not my responsibility (technically speaking, in the system I worked it was the responsibility of the providers on the unit to check, but management's responsibility to restock after the check), as the provider on the unit I feel that I have the ultimate responsibility to insure that the unit is fully stocked. I don't care if calls are holding because once I leave base I know I'm not coming back unless I run out of something (e.g. we only carried one BVM of each size, so if I use one, then I'm being restocked. Period.). If the people who were supposed to stock the trucks overnight did their job properly and every time, then this wouldn't be a problem.

It looks like Imperial, Central California, Coastal Valleys, Nor Cal, and North Coast use them based on this document (page 3). http://www.emsa.ca.gov/paramedic/files/EMTSOP3.pdf

Are you honestly trying to compare someone who goes on EMS calls when they have the time vs someone who is on an ambulance 40+ hours a week? Which one do you think gets more experience over any amount of time? Also, what exactly is the punishment for not showing up to an EMS call at a volunteer agency? You don't get to play with the lights and sirens? Fail to show up/run calls for a paid provider and you're out of your lively hood. The simple fact is that there is nothing holding a volunteer back from deciding to only run the 'exciting' calls.

We could always move paramedics to a 4 year degree. Afterall, my major (biological sciences) couldn't give a flying mouse's tail tip which courses I took to fulfill my breadth requirements as long as I did them.

Strange, insta-physician and insta-nurse programs don't seem to be a problem. Why should EMS do the odd thing and require work at a lower level? We honestly aren't that special.

http://www.ochealthinfo.com/docs/medical/e...mp;P/310.10.pdf 2 exceptions to patient's choice. Medical necessity as decided by base hospital physician, and unreasonable transport time (>20 minutes).

If the ACLS for EMT-Basics is the book I'm thinking of, I thought it was a huge waste of time. The catch, though, was that I was already familiar with 99% of the information in the book from previous experiences.

Paid. 1. They've devoted their lives to this as a profession, not just a hobby. 2. They don't (can't) pick which runs to take. 3. They have a stake in EMS past being a hobby. 4. There's less complaining about increased education (zomg! I can do extra training because I've got a real job!)

Interesting fact. Your small intestine has the surface area of approximately a tennis court.

"10.. The human brain cell can hold 5 times as much information as the Encyclopedia Britannica. " [citation needed] The simple fact is that a neuron, regardless of where it is, is still a simple on/off system.

Quick question, does anyone know if Cataldo hires part time (weekends and, maybe, 1 weekday)? I might be looking to get back into the game in a few months once my research schedule settles down. Coming from California (land of speed limit=65, speed of traffic=80), I had the exact same reaction. Don't forget about the fact that Boston despises lane markings and street signs.

My old company did that. On weekends there was a dispatcher and a call taker during the day and on weekdays there were 2 dispatchers ("north" and "south") as well as 2-3 call takers. Depending on the current load, it wasn't uncommon for a unit to be told to start heading towards a facility (for an "emergency" or non-emergent call) before the call taker had put in enough information into the computer for the call to be officially "dispatched." [hr:a5ea68d2df] Depends on who runs 911 dispatch. The official call time for a company should start at the time notification is made. If, for example, the 911 operator transfers the call to the ambulance company, then time should start at that time. Yes, crews shouldn't be punished for periods of time before they are dispatched, but the clock for a company should start when the call reaches the dispatcher of call taker. Now for a system wide view, the time starts when the call is made regardless of how many links there are before a crew is actually started.

So? At my old research gig I got to run EEGs and at my new one I get to draw blood from mice and play with parasites. That doesn't mean I get or deserve a 50% of EMT-[random assortment of letters] course.

Well, someone's going to Mexican PMITA prison.

http://xkcd.com/431/

^ Strange or sick? Albeit, I'll be the first to admit that I had a sick sense of humor even before working on an ambulance.

Paragraphs. Definitely the paragraphs. Half the time a new person posts something that long they forget that their keyboard has an enter key.

I guess it's too bad that narcs shouldn't affect an imaging study.

I have yet to see a fire engine transport a patient.

Well, to be entirely fair, fire suppression is a pet project of yours. The cuts have to come someplace and no place should be immune.

Paragraphs?

Well, most of the times the houses that burn are the ones that don't have proper brush clearance. If you want nature to go all the way to your door, your house will eventually burn. Other times (cough San Diego last year, cough), you could have a million pieces of equipment fully staffed and it won't do a lick of good. If the fire is spreading so intensely that it's jumping 8-10 lane freeways like some unpaved back country road, a few hose lines aren't gonna stop it.

Actually, I was talking about Orange County, CA. A magical place where the only medics are with the fire department and only a handful of cities transport themselves, regardless of if they respond on an ambulance or fire engine.

Sounds a lot like Orange County. My personal favorite is the triple response. FD engine or ladder truck, FD type 2 ALS ambulance, and private company ambulance (since the OC Fire Authority ambulance doesn't transport). The FD almost always responds code 3 with the private company normally responding code 2.