Richard B the EMT

I'm a hypocrit: The idea is sick, and I scored a 43.

I was off duty, when I monitored, on a scanner, a report of a bus crash, with possibly 30 injured. Also heard reports on local full time news radio stations, both reporting the incident, and in the traffic reports. In my Personal Owned Vehicle with me, was my girlfriend, Lady J, and she is not even a Certified First Responder. We were not too far from the accident, geographically. A) Me: 1) Off duty. 2) "Scanner" responses discouraged. 3) Different station's area, although same agency (I work Queens, the action was in Brooklyn). 4) POV, no patient transport capabilities. 5) With all the radio chatter monitored on the scanner, on the EMS (both municipal and local VAS), FD, and PD dispatch frequencies, obviously they had enough help, I wasn't needed. 6) I do carry equipment in the POV. Incident: 1) The bus hit a telephone pole. 2) The bus driver suffered a sudden cardiac arrest, and probably was dead before the bus veered off the roadway and into the telephone pole. 3) The incident happened just after nightfall, on a local street, so the bus was probably going less than 30 MPH. 4) This was a chartered bus, taking a group to an Atlantic City casino for an overnight gambling jaunt. 5) The trip was supposed to benefit a local political club. 6) The group leader was standing in the isle, selling raffle tickets, and was thrown against the inside of the windshield. 7) Everyone aboard was transported to be, minimally, checked out at nearby ERs (Agency policy is, in a vehicle accident where there is even 1 death, all must be seen, preferably at the trauma centers). 8) The trip leader was the "executive member" of this local political group, meaning an elected official, from my residential area. 9) I, Lady J, and Momma B all hold unpaid offices in the political club (Momma B is President, Lady J is a VP, and I'm a board [bored] member at large). 10) It was not until the next day I found out that it was my political club's bus that had crashed. 11) Only one of the bus passengers was kept overnight in a hospital, "for observation", but everyone else was a minor injury case. C) Rational: 1) Legally, I had no duty to act, as I was off duty, not in uniform, and "technically" "outside" my response area (as already stated, I work a section of Queens, this call was in a section of Brooklyn, although the duty uniform patch says "City of New York", which includes both). 2) As there were so many units, and associated crews, on the scene, per what I was hearing on the monitored frequencies, I felt justified in not having a moral duty to act, while the incident was ongoing. I had, and have, no problems that I didn't go. I felt bad for the victims, and worse for the driver, but have a clear conscience. Keep it polite, people. Would you have done anything different, given the description given here?

Ter, Santa is NOT into kidnapping good looking male flight Paramedics to be turned into partners for ground unit lady paramedics, so go for something else for him to bring you, like a hot pink Smart4Two car.

If in former VP Dick Cheney's hunting party, better decline. Same for a party with Sarah Palin!

If I understand the "rules", you have to be 17+ to design the wrapper, but no minimum age for actually using the product it wraps, to wrap ...ok, maybe I won't go there in this venue. Just as a mention, I was at the "Mega-Show" at the Nassau (County, NY) Coluseum, a showing of new Fire, Rescue, and EMS vehicles, and what goes in and on them. One company, that does pressure testing of fire hoses had a giveaway item, with their ads on the wrapper...of a condom. It seemed a lot of them were being taken by senior teen and lower 20 something aged guys.

Health Department Invites New Yorkers to Submit Designs for a Special, Limited-Edition NYC Condom Wrapper This page is located on the NYC.gov Web site at http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/pr2009/pr084-09.shtml FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Press Release # 084-09 Tuesday, December 15, 2009 MEDIA CONTACT: (212) 788-5290 Jessica Scaperotti/Erin Brady: PressOffice@health.nyc.gov Health Department Invites New Yorkers to Submit Designs for a Special, Limited-Edition NYC Condom Wrapper Entries due no later than January 22nd December 15, 2009 – The Health Department is inviting creative New Yorkers to give the NYC Condom a new look. The city-branded condom will retain its classic image, but the winning design will grace a special limited-edition package that debuts next fall. Any New Yorker at least 17 years old can submit an entry between now and January 22. During February, the Heath Department will unveil a small group of finalists – designs that capture the city’s distinctive culture while promoting safer sex. New Yorkers will then choose a final winner through an online popular vote. Besides appearing on several hundred thousand condom wrappers, the winning design may be featured in future condom promotions. “The NYC Condom has helped New Yorkers talk about and practice safer sex,” said Dr. Thomas Farley, New York City Health Commissioner. “We now give away more than 40 million condoms a year – up from 3 million in 2002. We want to keep people excited about the brand, because we know that condoms protect health. Used correctly and consistently, they prevent HIV, sexually transmitted infections and unintended pregnancy. This is every New Yorker’s chance to help convey that message.” New York City residents can submit design entries online (at nyc.gov/condoms) or in print (see details below). The artwork must be original, and can’t include images that are copyrighted, trademarked or sexually explicit. A panel of judges, made up of artists, advertising professionals, health experts and social marketing experts, will select a small number of finalists from the qualifying entries. The finalists will then appear on the Health Department’s website and the NYC Condom’s Facebook page, allowing all New Yorkers to select a final winner. “We hope creative New Yorkers will take this opportunity to promote health while showing off their talent,” said Dr. Monica Sweeney, the Health Department’s assistant commissioner for HIV prevention and control. “And we hope this reminds all sexually active New Yorkers to use condoms every time.” The NYC Condom is a lubricated Lifestyles male condom – the same one sold in stores – but has its own distinctive wrapper and is free. Any NYC-based organization, public or private, can order them at nyc.gov/condoms. As a result, individual New Yorkers can now find them in bars, clubs, restaurants, gyms and coffee houses, as well as clinics and community centers. The original 2007 design, based on a New York City subway motif, got a 2008 makeover at the hand of designer Yves Behar, who also created a sleek dispenser. This year, on Valentine’s Day and National Condom Day, the NYC Condom got its own Facebook page – facebook.com/NYCCondom – where users can discuss sexual health and send e-condoms to their friends. New Yorkers can also receive condom-related tweets via twitter.com/nyccondom. Summary of Select Contest Rules and Regulations You must be a resident of New York City and 17 years of age or older to be eligible to participate in the contest. Applicants under 18 must obtain written consent from a parent or guardian, and submit along with their entry. Consent forms can be found online along with the entry at nyc.gov/condoms. Only one design entry per eligible person will be accepted. Duplicate entries and entries by groups will be discarded. Employees of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Ansell, members of the NYC Condom Wrapper Contest judging panel or any of their respective parent companies, subsidiaries and affiliates, and their families, are not eligible to participate. Entries should be uploaded on the Health Department’s website or mailed to New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Bureau of HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control ATTN: Director of Condoms and Materials Distribution 40 Worth Street, CN-A/2, Room 1602 New York, NY 10013 Artwork submitted via postal mail must be in an 8 ½ by 11 inch format. Artwork uploaded on the Health Department’s website should be a minimum resolution of 300 dpi and 11 ½ by 11 ½ inches in size for possible display purposes. All artwork must be original. Copyrighted or trademarked images such as those of the Empire State Building or Statue of Liberty cannot be included unless legal permission to use the image, satisfactory to the Health Department, is submitted. Entries that are incomplete, illegible, damaged, or include any false, deceptive and/or obscene images or words will be rendered ineligible. When designing, please keep the final format in mind. The winning artwork will be displayed on a condom wrapper that is 2.3 inches square. If you submit a large design and it is chosen as the winner, only a portion, or a reduction, of a larger design will appear on the condom wrapper. Entries do not need to include the NYC Condom logo. The NYC Condom logo will be added to winning artwork at the discretion of the Health Department. All entries must be received no earlier than 12:01 a.m. on December 15, 2009 and no later than 11:59 p.m. on January 22, 2010. For complete rules and regulations, or for more information on the contest, visit nyc.gov/condoms. About the New York City Condom Program New York City’s condom initiative dates back to 1971, when the Health Department started distributing male condoms through its clinics. The program expanded during the 1980s when it added community-based service organizations to its distribution channels. Free female condoms were incorporated into the program in 1998. The condom initiative increased more than seven-fold in June 2005 when the Department launched an Internet-based bulk ordering system. The city-labeled NYC Condom, first of its kind in the nation, was introduced on Valentine’s Day 2007. The Health Department, together with more than 2,000 community partners, now distributes more than 41 million condoms a year – an average of 3.5 million every month – to venues ranging from hospitals to bars and beauty salons. ### Copyright 2009 The City of New York DOH Home | Contact Us

Perhaps that was a bit..nasty? Try this gentler poke at the big guy in the red suit... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPaGQEskSKM

From the discription, PAMI is the same as STEMI (and sorry, I momentarily forget the specifics as to what STEMI stands for, but will update at a later time).

Hmmm...Seems to imply that Chuckie has not gone his standard "Lone Wolf" on us, but instead, gone "Rogue"!

I cannot say with certanty that this doesn't happen, but if "flagged down" in the NYC 9-1-1 system, a call report must be generated for the flagged down call, with the location of call, nature of the incident, the name and address of the "patient", and any and all treatments rendered. Of course, the next nearest appropriate ambulance must then respond to the original call. Should I pass the first ambulance and find them goofing off, sorry, but I don't play that game. They will be reported, as I would be reported should I try that. My "flag down" calls are always legitimate, even if they turn into "patient refused medical assistance and transportation, and signed the release" dispositions. (Hey, my lieutenants would respond when things like that happen, so I might not need to turn in my colleagues.)

I missed the terminology. What is/are "PAMI"? As for a vehicle with friends/family following the ambulance, I have simple instructions for that driver. I tell them, when in a stable patient condition, that I am not going to use the L&S, and will be stopping at traffic lights, they should not be freaked out that I am going slow, I'm giving a "Ride that's a Glide" trip, and the smooth ride will benefit the patient. When it is a L&S run, I tell them not to chase me, leave before I do if possible, but not to break any traffic laws. Better they be delayed in arriving at the same ER, then not make it at all due to them being in an accident of their own. Most times they listen.

I do, and I have. When there are 200 vehicles in a section of roadway designed for 150, where are they going to go to get out of your way, without someone attempting to violate the law of physics that states

Would you consider they are both? Just like the guys!

Correct! You involve your ambulance in a crash, you're out of service. So is the ambulance, or ambulances, that respond to your incident. Then add the one assigned to your original call. So, that is a minimum of 3 ambulances not available, due to your incident.

A crew running L&S for a Fractured Tib-Fib? FAIL I would say 95% of the time, that would be a stable injury, and the "Need for the Speed" is replaced by the need of the "Ride that's a Glide". That remaining 5%? Suspected arterial bleed and/or suspected nerve damage MIGHT be requiring the L&S. I emphasize "MIGHT".

Within the United States, how many agencies are authorized to declare a doctor as "Board Certified", and who are they? I'll presume that we are restricting the listing to those specializing in "Emergency Medicine". Same question for International.

If I read this correctly, the Lt who didn't respond RESIGNED, and the co-worker/subordinate got fired. Can the survivors of the deceased woman go, financially, after the now former Lt, as well as the fired Fire fighter, and the department they used to be with? Litigation-happy society we are, probably. And win, too.

Directly stealing from another member of the EMT City's commentaries,

Side issue: The Six Million Dollar Man shows an actual spacecraft prototype, a part of "Project Dyna-Soar", which would lead to the Space Shuttle. The real pilot of the spaceplane survived the crash shown, but was nowhere as badly hurt as the fictional "Steve Austin". In the series' third year, they showed a successful flight and landing of the spaceplane. Design problems of that prototype caused the plane to be unstable, and that particular design was totally replaced.

Lone Star, do you work for them? The way you had that information, it seemed "print-ready" for a sales brochure, or lifted intact from their web site. <BR>(Observation, not complaint)

The PCRs in NY State are used to generate statistics, and for that reason are supposed to be standardized thruout the state. Per a meeting I attended just last night (as of this writing), apparently the state will allow copies of the PCRs without a series number. The "Official" edition has them preprinted.

Uh...are you sure?

Here is the link to what is arguably one of the best known Christmas wish lists in the English speaking world. And for the more silly... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzTG0fTLAlU

This is not the first time I have heard of personnel starting fires to create activity for their agencies. I fear that there will also be such in the future.

Wow. Circa 1975, I was one of those people using that Plano 747Medic box, and now you say that they are still being used?