Richard B the EMT

Per the "Today" show (I think), there is a movement to eliminate Mr Edison's Incandescent bulb by 2020, in favor of the more efficient CFL, or Compact Florescent Light. The CFL is supposed to be in the cross-hairs, too, in favor of the even more efficient Light Emitting Diode (LED) bulb. The good news is, the 60 watt equivalent LED should last 15 to 20 years, the bad news is, it damn well better, seeing the aforementioned 60 watt equivalent will cost about $40.00 a bulb. Hopefully, that might be some needed information for your planners.

Let's be kind to Lady J (Johanna), now. Yvette WAS my girlfriend, in the late 1960s to the early 1980. The thing was, she was not as into me as I was into her. When she got married (the first time) I ended up in a relationship best described as a "Rebound" type, to Debbie B, of Teaneck, NJ, lasting 9 years. When that ended, I started dating Lady J in 1986. She is walking distance, literally one mile between our houses here in Rockaway, NY. I am still in sporadic contact with Debbie B (once or twice a year), and with Yvette (on her third husband, now, and living in Maine) a few times more a year, mostly through Facebook.

As we know, twins are considered High Risk, due to usually low birth weight. She, and the twin, were born on the "rez", and, per the telling, were removed from there by a public health nurse, to a local hospital. Before her birth family could catch up, they were transferred to a pediatric specialty hospital in Utah. When a translator, acting on her family's behalf, called the Utah hospital, the hospital denied any knowledge of having received twins. If you want more and better details, pick up a copy of a book called "Looking For Lost Bird", by Yvette Melanson.

Some here know me to have had a Deneh Navajo girlfriend, before Lady J. She was adopted from falsified documentation, and, although she knew she was adopted, didn't find out her real background until she was about 36 years old, when her birth family finally found her. She had been trying to find her twin brother, who had been adopted separately. She was raised a quarter mile from me, the brother somehow ended up in Ohio. They were reunited on the "rez" (reservation) in Arizona, where she and her then husband had moved back for a year, after being "found" while living in Maine.

Welcome aboard!

Would the W in WEMT be "Wilderness"? Also, what is/are "NOLs, solo, and WMA"? You mention you work in "hostile environments". Do you mean Hazardous Materials, bullets flying around, or "Mother Nature" trying to kill you? If the first, get some additional training in "Haz-Tec", if the second, "Combat Medic" style training might be the order of the day. If it's the "great outdoors", survivalist training probably would be a good idea, especially in ultra-cold regions. If you expect to be working in areas where environmental conditions (mountaintop or deep forest) will make it be hours until you can move a patient to a helicopter medevac landing zone, "Wilderness EMT" would be appropriate. By the same thought, if working in a livestock or agricultural area, "Farm-Medic" is a good possibility. I was trained in an urban area, have only worked in, and expect to continue only working in such environments. For me, "Wilderness" and "Farm-Medic" would only be nice things on my resume, but would be necessary, as I see it, were I to change over to such areas. However, the basic EMT training remains the same for all. Hope that information helps. Also, welcome to EMT City!

I'll have to go to Steve "I am NOT an Ambulance Driver" Berry for a comment on that. He showed a picture of a long timer in refresher class, with the younger folks all saying similar about him, but the "balloon" with his thoughts said "DAMN! I didn't realize I had forgotten so much from the last refresher!" Yes, there is always going to be change in what we do, and I hope it is going to always be more proactive than reactive. Continuing Medical Education can (or hopefully should) cover temporary gaps as protocols change. I can tell you of numerous outdated protocols I had to unlearn, and totally new protocols I'd be being taught at the same time as an EMT in training for their first certification or license. It's in the nature of the game, so to speak. Leave it at this idea: Some things will never change, others alongside them will always be changing. The trick will be in telling the difference between the two!

In the FDNY EMS Command, the uniform is assigned, but the member is responsible for regular cleaning. Said uniform issue, for EMTs and Paramedics, is as follows: 5 sets trousers + 5 Long sleeve uniform shirts, with appropriate department and level of training patches + 5 short sleeve pullover "golf shirts" * + 1 pair boots ** 1 pair imitation Patent leather dress shoes 2 different style inch and a half leather belts with square silver buckles 1 "Work Jacket" with removable thermal liner + 1 plastic "Fire Helmet" (Bullard) 1 set "Turnout Jacket" and "Turnout Pants" (Morning Star brand) to BBP standards 1 light blue long sleeve uniform shirt, with appropriate department and level of training patches 1 light blue short sleeve uniform shirt, with appropriate department and level of training patches 1 Clip on Long Tie + 1 Single breasted dress jacket, referred to as a "blouse", with appropriate department and level of training patches + 1 "Dress Trench Coat" raincoat, with appropriate department and level of training patches + 1 "Bell Cap" with Star of Life front device. + 1 Baseball Cap with FDNY patch on front + 4 silver Star of Life collar pins, with FDNY superimposed over them. 1 "Firematic" style badge with member's department number and level of training (for carry and ID, not for dress uniform display) * Members who still have them, are allowed to wear the short sleeve uniform shirts, with appropriate department and level of training patches + ** Style of BBP resistant boots are in a review for change of brand and style + Item is Navy Blue in color EMTs and Paramedics wear the light blue shirts as dress uniform, or if assigned in the academy or in headquarters. Lieutenants wear light blue duty shirts, and white for dress uniform, with double breasted dress jackets, Captains and Chiefs wear white dress style shirts at all times, with the tie. At their own expense, members may have approved "station patches", or a US Flag patch (Not both! I got ordered to remove one or the other by a division chief)) on the right sleeve of their work jackets, dress jackets, and the Trench Coat, instead of level of training patches. In cooler weather, members are allowed to wear one of 2 styles of Navy Blue Fire Department approved "Work Shirts" on the job, over the uniform of the day shirt. Socks will be black. (referring back to a different string, most times, if the socks are completely covered by the trouser legs or PPE boots, nobody seems to care if they wear a cartoon design sock) (Members wear dark blue or white T-Shirts when wearing open collars on the uniform of the day) A mention that the BBP Turnouts and boots run close to $500.00 USD total, alone.The Golf Shirts are silk screened to read FDNY EMT, or FDNY Paramedic.

Timmy, where have you been for the last year? We've been dissecting that show in the City even before it came on the air, and then took the show apart, item by item, on medical treatments used and abused, the use and misuse of the HEMS aspects, mental health of the characters as they work, play, and have sex with each other. We'd even disuss plot devices, like the guy thrown out of a bar. Normally, we'd expect the guy to come back with a blazing gun, or start swinging a samurai sword, but instead, had an out of control car come flying in through the wall. We never saw the guy again. I used to think, to insult someone for a "Cowboy" attitude on this web site, we'd start to call them a "Rabbit".

On a Google search, and this is all I could find. Somehow i don't think it is the information you're looking for. http://www.alibaba.com/showroom/fire_card_.html

I might have some oceanfront property in Arizona. For the right price, I'll throw in this bridge in Brooklyn... Actually, I have had experience in Real Estate that matches my Stock Market dealings: To get a small investment, start with a large one!

Welcome aboard, Anthony. A quick word here. We're international in scope. What might be standard practice for your home area might be against the rules and regs I'd be following, here in New York City and likewise were I to try yours. I emphasize MIGHT. Please don't use abbreviations. Not all of them are universal, kind of like Mel Brooks' line in "To Be or Not To Be", "He's world famous in Poland". We will nitpick you, and expect the same in return, just keep it civil. Other items will be brought out, should you step on anyone's toes, but we're a fun loving bunch, despite everything I've said here. Again, welcome aboard! (Just remember, I'm a legend in my own mind!)

Out of curiosity, UG, where in NJ are you at?

Joseph! Repeating yourself from early on in the "Pun-Demonium" string? He wanted to wake up with a bang, didn't he?

About how big is that ship in that show? 95 to 100 foot? (I don't know metrics!)

Somebody caught it on video:

I'm an American, and I sometimes have difficulty listening in through some regional American accents. Also no offense intended in misidentifying a Navy vessel as a Coast Guard vessel. A ship design is a ship design, just the operating authorities may be different. Prior to September 11, 2001, while maintaining their own identity, the US Coast Guard would, in times of war, become an operational part of the US Naval Fleet. Oh, I just remembered, a then 30 something year old 95 foot harbor patrol vessel of the USCG, the Cape Strate (spelling?) was sold to the Argentine Navy. It was berthed at the USCG "Station Rockaway", at the south end of the Marine Parkway/Gil Hodges memorial Bridge, roughly 2 miles to my west. She may have seen action in the Falkland Islands conflict of a few decades ago.

I've stated before, and probably will again, anyone who doesn't speak your language the same way as you and your parents has an accent. As for the 10 or so minutes I watched of the show, it just seems to be the usual of females in command positions in the military, in areas previously male only. This could be any nation's Coast Guard patrol vessel.

Did the Doctor in Florida advise your father either way on his safety on a plane flight? As for a description of what that diagnosis said, I have access, off duty, to our OLMC Doctors. As long as I advise them it is not an active call within our system, and if they are not actively handling an assignment, usually they have been helpful to me. I have even told them I'd be quoting them here, and they said, "No Problem". Hopefully, you have a good relationship with your OLMC Doctors. (PS: If they are working a call, I just say that I'll try to call back at a less active moment.)

Speaking as someone who can only "stick" someone with an auto injector, but has donated blood to the amount of 3 Gallons over the years, it's kind of like stabbing yourself with a pin, or a sewing needle. You feel a tiny isolated point of pain, maybe a bit of minor pressure, and that's it. Just remember, if they teach using live sticks, instead of mannequin arms or oranges, the other students are going to fear you "needling" them as much as you fear them.

Just a thought, but if someone from each US state, and someone from each Canadian Provence, could post something like what I posted on obtaining reciprocity in their respective regions, we'd at least have the ideas posted.

In the Mass. case, the individuals went into it, knowing they were committing fraud. In my friend's case, he was the one defrauded, as well as whatever others had taken the class with him. Funny thing, but, he was, before the discovery of his lack of NYS DoH Certification, still a damn good EMT. Got to mention he was a Viet Nam War Army Medic before all this transpired.

I went to the NYS DoH (WWW.Health.State.NY.US) and typed into the search-box for "EMT Reciprocity", and got back a file with information as to whom may apply, what is needed, and even the applications themselves. Check it out at http://www.nyhealth.gov/nysdoh/ems/pdf/reciprocity_packet.pdf

I had an associate with a similar, yet dissimilar, case. He paid for the class, took it, passed, and was told by the training agency his NY State DoH EMT number. He had been working for 6 months or so, when an expected state audit of the company found that no such EMT number existed. The training agency had never filed the class he had been in with the Regional EMS COuncil (REMSCO), or the state DoH. He was lucky on a few levels. On one, the company kept him on as an ambulette driver, until he went through an actual registered class, earning his EMT, on another, the state didn't charge him with impersonation (of being an EMT), as he was a victim of the agency's fraud. The last level he was lucky on, was that he both sued the training agency for the fees charged for the fraudulent training, and got the money back before the "teachers" vanished under the rocks like the snakes they were!