Richard B the EMT

Uniformed members of the FDNY, FDNY EMS, NYPD, the Sanitation Department, as well as Department of Education Teachers, the Transit Authority (bus and subway trains) and other municipal jobs in New York City, operate under what locally is known as the Taylor Law. Basically, if you, as a part of your union, go out on a strike, you get fined 2 days pay for each day out on the strike. If you are going to strike, you, and the union, better have a big "War Chest" to cover the lost wages.

What does that say about most of us? We all seem to do it, even if not in a book. I have posited that anyone in the EMS, Fire services, or Law Enforcement fields for more than a year were to write an "as it happened" book about the job, the public would still dismiss it as a "couldn't have happened that way" fabrication. I beg to differ. The call with Rabbit and Nancy, where they saved a multiple gunshot wound patient, only to have a gunman follow them to the ER and shoot him dead, started out as an MCI (Multiple Casualty Incident), consisting of 5 persons shot. The protocols that I operate under (FDNY EMS Command) have any incident generating 5 or more patients, or the potential for generating 5 or more patients, as an MCI. Breaking it down further, each FDNY EMS ambulance is crewed by either 2 EMTs or 2 Paramedics. On presumption of one personnel for each patient, if a 3rd ambulance is needed, the call is an MCI. "Yup, he dead!" My problem is, I have had folks sometimes refer to me as a "Bo" like person.

The right people, at the right place, at the right time. I love it when a plan comes together.

What is "Lulz"? 1) Glen is apparently at a writing class, discussing his book. 2) Rabbit is yelling at the traffic ahead of him that is not moving out of the way. Even if not out loud, don't we all do that? (Don't lie, I know you do!) 3) Referencing to the Jackson, MS crew staging too close to the shooting, and Scene Safety, Rabbit and Nancy had a "Save" of their shooting victim, until the gunman followed them to the hospital ambulance dock, and shot him dead on their stretcher. When the black limo pulled up in the ambulance dock, it telegraphed what was to happen. It just reinforces my pessimistic view that there ain't no place safe. 4) Can anyone confirm if San Francisco is a "Safe Haven Law" town? For the uninformed, this means a newborn to 2 week old can be brought to an Emergency Services station or house, questioned only as to any special needs of the baby, and no legal actions taken against whoever brings the baby there. Kind of what happened with the woman dropping the baby off to Glen in front of the station. 5) Unusual paring of Tyler and Nancy doing BVM on the baby to bring up the heart rate, while Glen drove, but I usually don't argue with what works. 6) The blind leading the blind: Rabbit asking Marisa relationship questions? 7) Tyler's dad is in town. Is Tyler going to "Out" himself? 8) Nancy's weirdest call? A violent, self destructive EDP tearing up his own apartment. Standard stuff for most of us, but the EDP turns out to not only be a station-mate, but her future boyfriend, Rabbit! Then he berates her for saving his life in the helicopter crash that killed all aboard except Rabbit, including Nancy's fiancee. It does at least explain why, in a previous episode, Rabbit trashed the closet doors in Nancy's apartment. 9) One punch knockout of Nancy's partner? 2 cops and chemical restraint to temporarily calm down Rabbit? The EMT didn't press charges, due to embarrassment at being knocked out? 10) I need chemical information. Codeine slows down body systems? The "He dead" patient may have also had Mammalian Diving Reflex, even though the water may not have been all that cold. 11) When Tyler's dad announced he had Lymphoma, it was the correct decision, for that moment, not to advise dad that Tyler is gay. 12) Nancy unknowingly blows off the home made dinner with Rabbit to "bond" with the baby she, Tyler and Glen saved. So many rules these EMSers break, and she has her telephone turned off in the hospital? 13) At least she had the decency, on finding out what had transpired, attempted to call Rabbit to apologize. 14) Tyler incorrectly using the radio, as he "Trolls" for calls. AGAIN! At least he caught one. 15) Marisa was married? She goes stereotype "Latin Spitfire" at the "other woman", threatening to kill her, then, as "other woman" runs away and falls down the stairs, Marisa renders aid? 16) See 15. This causes her to sign back up for another tour of duty in the sandbox? While I may joke a lot about Military "Intelligence", the folks in the Pentagon can't be that dumb to allow her back in, so soon, for that reason. 17) I agree with the statement, "Normal ain't what it's cracked up to be." 18) Suspend reality, we got a script here! Would any of us flat out ask a patient questions about someone in the crew's personal relationships? 19) Apparently, the first time Dr Diane saw Glen, her current paramour, he was bringing in a child with more gunshots (14) than he had years of age. She misidentifies him, an EMT, as a Paramedic. At least we know that happens, as us EMTs are either Drivers or Paramedics to the public, as seemingly nobody knows what an EMT is. (Rant over.) 20) Nancy doesn't have to bond anymore with the baby, seems there's at least 10 families want to adopt. Good for "Baby Jane". 21) While Tyler's dad has Lymphoma, they "caught" it in time to treat fully, good prognosis towards full recovery. 22) Dad had suspected Tyler was Gay, but accepts this fact, while saying many from back home wouldn't. 23) Can fog be so invasive through open windows as to prevent rescuers from seeing a large pet python? 24) Glen, again reading from his "book", comments on Nancy. Despite how tough she can be, figuratively, the baby brought Nancy down to her knees. 25) Nancy set off by Glen's revealing the chink in her armor, calmed down by Rabbit. She questions if the two of them can achieve "normalcy".

Who writes their material? On the 6 O'clock news, discussing the air passengers stranded due to the Iceland volcanic ash cloud grounding almost all flights in Europe, they actually said the passenger's travel plans were "up in the air".

Resurrectinga really old string: Hey, EMTinsobx did you get on the job?

This is currently a holding pattern, as it is 40 minutes to showtime, and I'll probably do the point by point posting sometime tomorrow morning or early afternoon. Until then, Hey! Let's be careful out there!

A quick question from the BLS sector, here: is there any possibility, due to long hours flying a desk, that this patient may have Deep Vein Thrombosis, and threw a clot?

Because I speak US variety English, with an understanding of British and Jamaican English, why am I suddenly unable to understand Australian and New Zealand English? I used to be able to do that.In other words, "what did those guys just say?"

Is that even if the fear was from being found out to have stolen a candy bar at age 7, but otherwise led a life of exemplary behavior up to current age 46?

Not necessarily so. Their management may have written the protocols for them, indicating the need for "higher medical authority", I.E. an ambulance crew's EMTs over their own First Responders, for treat/transport decisions. Therefore, it is NOT lazy Fire Fighters, but "allergic to litigation" chiefs of department, writing protocols that field folk like us EMTs and Paramedics, as well as the Fire Fighters, have to follow.

Regarding tax write-offs, contact the IRS to find out if such exists, and then ask if you qualify. Worst that can happen is, they say no,

FDNY usually doesn't charge for members injured or sick while on duty, but somehow I must have slipped through the cracks. I was contacted by a collection agency after a year and a half. A month and a half of debate, and the issue was finally resolved.

I think I need a clarification here. Was the initial agency a non transporting agency, as opposed to the OP's agency, which does transport? If I am the first EMS BLS, and transfer the care to an ALS, also on scene, my paperwork indicates any and all care, or attempt at such, was transferred to the ALS crew. Or did I miss something else in the translation, here?

Oversimplified, perhaps, but she better buy a vowel, as she don't have a clue!

So it takes a few minutes to fill out the call report. I have written up some indicating the patient was not the one made the call for an ambulance, and declined to give us their name or address, and wanted nothing to do with EMS. I put it into the call report comments, that the patient declared not wanting to have anything to do with us. Usually, this is accompanied by action and then our record, "...,then, the patient left the scene on their own, to unknown destination(s)".

@4c6: NYPD does have a museum. I visited it back in 1970, when doing research for a "term paper" connected with my getting my drivers' license. FDNY EMS has a really small museum, in a tiny room at the EMS Academy, started before the merger. I could probably put the entire contents of this museum into my minivan, as it is mostly pictures. It has some additions from a year ago: Items recovered from the World Trade Center, including the Ambulance Equipment Checklist from the vehicle Carlos Lillo was on. He was one of the 2 Paramedics in the FDNY killed that day, and are included in the 343. He was also a classmate of mine in the EMS Academy preceding the current building.

I don't know about that. The slightest thing the patient did wrong, and the possibility of being confronted on it by Chuck Norris (SIR!) might bring on asystole from fright!

I will always refer back to a drill I witnessed, not as an active participant, at the "Pulse Check" Convention of the New York State Volunteer ambulance and Rescue Association, some years ago. Scenario: Several persons shot in a courtyard between 2 buildings, the LEOs are on scene, VAC EMS already treating and packaging on the scene. The scene is supposed to be secure. Suddenly, a man wearing camo makeup and Battle Dress Uniform busts out of the door of one of the 2 buildings facing the courtyard, firing an Uzi at all the patients, LEOs, EMTs, Paramedics, and us spectators! Turns out the gun toting maniac was the original shooter! OK, real time, again. The weapon was one of the "motorized" water guns designed to look like an actual Uzi submachine gun, popular over a decade ago, until LEOs started firing their Glocks at kids carrying the realistic looking toys. The gunman was an actor within the scenario. Point being, even when the LEOs are on the scene, and declare it "Safe", the scene may not be: it will be in flux until you get off the scene, and even then, the bad guys may follow you to "complete the job" at, or even IN, the ER. Yes, this is kind of a Television or Movie scenario, but it definately can happen. As already covered in this string, AMR's crew did follow protocols in that they staged, but staged too near the initial incident, making themselves potential targets. Then, they compounded the error by initially withholding treatment when the patient was physically brought to them, potentially setting themselves up for retribution from those with the patient for withholding that treatment. As I see it, the AMR crew ended up in a lose/lose situation. There was no right thing from the moment the vehicle was seen by those on the scene.

It sounds like you can do Aura readings. I had one done years ago, and the guy who took me to the "reader" was upset with me, because I am supposed to have had a better status aura than he did. That is perhaps the wrong wording, but I am talking about an experience/adventure from back in 1968 or so.

The article states Condoms? Also, why am I hearing about this only now, the day after the taxes had to be filed?

When inquiring on the condition of the twin kids transported earlier in the shift, after they ingested stuff from an "odds and ends" drawer, the conversation went like this: Me- How is the boy who ate the coins? Dr- No change yet. Me- And how is his sister, who ate the roll of film? Dr- Nothing has developed yet.

All your base are ours!

In which case, 4C6, could you elaborate on your comment regarding Municipalities running an EMS, an FD, or a combined FD/EMS?

Re "Ultimate Showdown": 1- Chuck Norris defeated by Mr. Rogers? Unlikely! 2- You probably just made Dusty's hit list for blasphemy! While nowhere as big a Norris fan as Dusty, even I know limitations!