Richard B the EMT

Anybody remember Lew Ferrigno as a Paramedic/human Jaws Of Life on "Trauma Center"? Or the Paramedic doing the handstand on top of the paddles of a defib unit in a partially water filled tunnel, as he shocked a patient, in "Rescue 77?" Or Mark Harmon, before he became an agent of the NCIS, or even a doctor in "Chicago Hope", when, as an L A Sheriff's Deputy/Paramedic, he used the power winch to rip the door off a car in an MVA, pull the woman out of the car, throw her down on a backboard, and then place a C-Collar, and, with no warning to the woman, slid his hand down inside her shirt? At least he was holding a stethoscope, and that show was "240 Robert", and was the premiere episode to the 2 year run of that show.

Wish central grants the wish, now use the magical powers to get whatever vehicle I mistakenly called the pot pad, due to the cooking impliments I was carrying at the time, back, vehicle and contents intact, including the full tank of gas I put in seconds before the impounding!

1) Correct, no matter how good a dispatch center and it's crew are, there is always going to be room for improvement 2) Transit just has a link to send the assignment to the "Relay" position in the EMD. They rarely if at all talk to anyone in the EMD. 3) Even with me being a former call taker in the FDNY EMD, I thought a minor injury was at least a priority 5, which still has a L&S response. 4) That person, while starting out as a seizure call, was hit by a train! Someone dropped the ball, and badly so, as I'd think a person hit by a train would be a Major Trauma, at Pri ONE! BLS, ALS CFR Engine, EMS supervisor, hell, add a truck company. That was a big time call. 4A) Tskstorm, if available, could you provide a link to any newspaper stories on that job?

Pursuant to a past wish of Terri's for a flight paramedic, and her current wish of Wish Central says the following... Spenac graduates Medic School, but doesn't go to flight paramedic school. Sorry Ter, no flight medic for you, at least, not yet. I wish I could make up my mind as to which brand, what model, what packages, what factory or dealer add ons, that I will purchase as a replacement minivan for my 1998 Chevy Venture minivan, of a manufacturer that is NOT about to close down (Not the Mazda 5, there's not enough room between the third row seat and the rear hatch for my Bag Valve Mask, let alone the rest of the assorted stuff I already carry)!

Yes. I am All American, of combined German, Russian and Polish extraction. So I am the POLE in my house. Lets tread lightly here.

Herbie: A relayed message from Past Queens County Commander Sara (Momma) B, Queens County, New York, Jewish War Veterans of the United States, who is a WW2 Veteran, and my mother...

I may have the incorrect actress, but doesn't Demi Moore Kutcher have a pole installed at her residence for exercising? You know that strength is needed to do some of that, without falling down on their heads.

So true. I always follow a simple rule concerning rescue:

You do? I have never seen any emergency vehicle with "Ambulance" on the side that didn't transport. I also have never seen any engine or ladder-truck company, even in areas where the Fire Fighters were all cross-trained as EMTs, to say "Ambulance", instead of "EMT". Even the NYPD's Armored Personnel Carriers, which have "Ambulance" written on the side, can transport patients (usually used to rescue people who are shot, from out of the area of the field of fire). Side note on that, the APVs don't have gun ports or external weapons, but I have been led to believe they do have water cannon mountings. As to not be insulting to anyone, I must conclude that it might be a local thing to have "Ambulance" written on the side of an engine company, because the vehicle has EMTs on board.

I'll have to review all preceding this, at risk of repeating myself or others, but, do not most 9-1-1 receiving site operators have some sort of set questions to ask callers requesting an ambulance? FDNY EMS EMD first asks if the patient is breathing, then if the patient is awake (conscious, numerous people calling in wouldn't know or understand the word, sorry to say). Then, they ask what seems to be wrong with the patient, and from there, per the algorithms book (or program, I haven't been to the EMD in a while) get some kind of determination as to what is going on, and enter the call into the CAD (Computer Assisted Dispatch) system, with a pre-assigned caltrop, priority, and if BLS or ALS is the primary responder for the specific allotrope. The call takers have the option, due to age given for the patient, or other factors told them by the callers, to upgrade the priority. The algorithms book I used to use at the EMD even had the first aid instructions to give the caller, if the caller was wanting, or willing, to assist the patient until either the BLS or ALS ambulance, or even the First Responder Engine company could arrive onscene. Having stated all that, I realize there are some individuals who call into 9-1-1, and know the "right things to say" to "insure" a rapid response of an ambulance, usually using the word(s) or phrase(s) "Cardiac", "Heart Attack", "Someone is pressing the guy's chest", or other phrases, which all of us have some favorite one. As has been mentioned and questioned before on the city, "Gee, ya think the callers might be lying, to get an ambulance to them quicker?"

Hey, Niftymedi911, that Mount Horeb Rescue vehicle that you posted? Is that considered a medium or heavy rescue? I'd say it's the same height and width of the FDNY Rescue companies, but a few feet shorter. FDNY Rescue Companies usually don't transfer patients, they leave that to me and mine in the FDNY EMS Command (Rescue, Hazmat, and a few other specialty units are a part of the FDNY Special Operations Command).

I just remembered something I heard in a lecture, many years ago. Does any course still teach this philosophy, especially in regards to siren use?

I skimmed the postings, so if this was already mentioned, oops on me. If no skills sheets are shown to a student following a failed skills test, on presumption that the student will go back and study each and every little detail on a skills station, leaves open a potential problem that, no many times the student studies up, the student misses the same point each and every time, and has no inkling that they ARE missing that one fatal point. I use as an example, one time I was told an office I was looking for was upstairs to the right. I went up the stairs, turned right, and hit a wall. After 3 tries, I returned to the directing individual, who then realized I had not seen a hidden staircase to the right. The office was at the top of the hidden stairway.

(Italics are mine) That point is good, no matter if the response is Midtown, or middle of nowhere, because it is always harder to start out any type backup than to cancel them. Make that inclusive to the LEOs, FD, EMS, power/gas/water/phone companies.

(from the jems e-newsletter) http://www.jems.com/news_and_articles/arti...MS+eNews+052109 Communicate with a Mass Notification System</H4> <LI class=author>Ann-Marie Lindstrom 2009 May 20 Have you ever been on a call that turned into a news story? Maybe you were involved in assisting victims of a hazardous substance with TV cameras rolling. If so, you may have wished you could assure your family that you were OK. Or maybe there was a severe weather incident that left you concerned about your own family's welfare while on the job. That's where a mass notification system can help. Lacey (Wash.) Fire District 3 (LFD) uses its mass notification system to alert families of their EMS and fire personnel when their loved one is engaged in an unusual event, such as a mass-casualty incident (MCI). In addition, the families are asked to contact the district if they are injured during a major incident, such as an MCI. Both are examples of a user customizing a mass notification system to meet their unique requirements. LFD also uses its Wide Area Rapid Notification (WARN) Command system for the more typical call for overtime personnel or reserve staff. WARN is a partner with MIR3, which provides the engine and technology for the system. It's clear mass notification systems have grown past the reverse 9-1-1 model of alerting the public to weather, criminal activity, evacuation orders or missing children. "Yes, it does that, too, but much more," says MIR3 Executive Vice President Ken Dixon. Dixon says he isn't surprised LFD has brought families into the loop with the mass notification system. MIR3's customers frequently come up with their own ideas of how to use the system. MIR3 customers have the luxury of creating new ways to use the system because it's so easy to customize. LFD Division Chief Steven Brooks says, "It's absolutely easy to use. And it only takes about two hours a month to do any updates." EMS Division Chief Mark Stone of Fire Department New York (FDNY) is another happy customer. "We had specific needs, and MIR3 matched those needs. They worked with us very closely to customize the system." Stone says the FDNY can call in fire and EMS personnel based on their qualifications -- such as requesting dignitary paramedics when heads of state come to the United Nations -- or proximity to an event -- such as first responders who live close to the incident. Dixon explains that to begin the registration process, a customer uploads a data file of names, identifying category -- reserve, EMS, fire, civilian personnel or home ZIP code -- and contact information -- cell phone, landline telephone, e-mail, fax or Blackberry. When it's time for the agency to send out a notification, the system administratoror a designated initiator defines the criteria for people to call and creates the message. The MIR3 system simultaneously contacts all appropriate personnels' contact devices until it gets an answer. The staff at MIR3 is available to compose the message, if necessary. Disaster Medical Assistance Teams (DMAT) use an MIR3 system when they need someone with a specific skill. Dixon says the system will make calls until it finds someone who fills the necessary criteria, such as the ability to set a broken leg. The MIR3 system creates an online documentation trail Dixon says can assist with post-event incident analysis. "It tracks everything. Who I called and when. What happened and when. You can review it all on the Web site." Both Brooks and Stone commented on the added security of a Web-based system. If their communications systems were to go down for some reason, all they have to do is get Internet access to use the mass notification system. MIR3 has several platforms, two of which -- inLocalAlert and inGovAlert -- are designed for first responders. Dixon says the main difference between the two is what he calls "the order of magnitude." InLocalAlert is intended for city-wide use, while inGovAlert is used for larger areas, such as a county, state or region. Brooks and Stone both mention the flexibility of the system and the support MIR3 offers its customers. MIR3 offers customer resources, such as webinars on client case studies and systems testing, and provides e-training for administration and initiation of the system. Both LFD, with its approximately 150 employees and volunteers, and the FDNY, with its more than 15,000 employees, say their mass notification systems increase efficiency by cutting down on time and manpower demands. MIR3 isn't the only company providing mass notification systems, of course. But with satisfied customers on both sides of the country with such different needs, it -- or similar products companies like Universal Alert, Omnilert and Bell Tower Technologies -- is worth talking about. Copyright © Elsevier Inc., a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Terms and Conditions Privacy Policy

I'm going totally anecdotal, here, as I have no hard facts to refer to. We've mentioned sprinkler systems that are powered by the water coming into the house from the water main, or from a pressurized holding tank. We've also mentioned dry chemical vapor systems, delivering Halon (a trademark, I think), which displaces oxygen. Unfortunately, I am aware that Halon systems, due to displacing a normal oxygen atmosphere, require rapid evacuation of all persons and 4 legged pets residing in the area, just like the fire itself, mammals need oxygen to survive. I think all these systems have some kind of "flow alarm", which at minimum, rings some alarm bell when the flow is detected. In the systems I know about powered by the household water main, the water flow itself powers the alarm bell. As noted, most systems use a melting head. A soft metal in the head melts from the heat of the fire, allowing the water to start flowing. Hollywood and Bollywood movies show all the sprinkler heads starting up at the same time, for the same reason all car crashes have the vehicles explode, because it makes it more visually entertaining than when they don't. This is not to say they don't have systems that start water flow to all heads when even one detector is activated. I feel that there are systems that are normally dry, but the valve at the feed point to the system starts water into the pipes, and the sprinkler heads are always open. As for a centralized system, most house or business burglar alarms call a central station, who, in turn calls the local 9-1-1 system to request the LEOs or the FD (if the alarm is activated for a "B&E" or open door/window, the folks at the monitoring station call up to ask if all is OK, and wait for a prearranged code word before calling off the response). The older systems I am familiar with simply dial 9-1-1, and state via a pre-recorded message, to effect that "There is an emergency at the Jones residence at 123 Fourth Street, between 5th Avenue and 6 th Lane. Send someone immediately". When my house was wired the first time (we've upgraded) by the alarm service, they offered the automatic call to the monitoring station via landline, dedicated cellphone, or combination, so I know these systems are out there, and have been for decades. As for the pipe freezing? I have been getting home improvement catalogs from many sources, and most offer a heating element that wraps around pipes. It starts heating up when the built in controller reads ambient room/crawlspace temperatures below 40 degrees, and only heats enough to keep the pipes above 32 degrees Fahrenheit, water's freezing point.

How many were burned by that? I am so angry, smoke is coming out of my ears.

Hmm. I am going to a graduation party on Friday. A woman I work with is graduating college, which she says she did "while taking her upgrade in training" to Paramedic level. I worked with her as an EMT, but on an "inside" detail, not in the field. Other colleagues who she works with field-side say she is a competent Paramedic.

If I use all caps, it usually means that I AM SHOUTING!

As for "If I have to be up, everybody has to be up"? Early on in my career, my dispatcher reported that, as we responded to a call at 0230 hours, some lady called up to complain about the ambulance using the siren (a Federal "Q", which is a loud one), at that hour, and awakening herself and 10 year old grandson. Her attitude was, "there's nobody on the road at that hour, so no need for any noise". As to the call type, the dispatcher asked her, "If nobody is on the road, why are we going to a multiple car crash?"

Are you sure? I thought it was the bird, with the tip of the cat's tail in it's mouth, a bunch of fur all over the place, and then the bird burps...? (Yeah, I know, I'm one sick pup. Pun unintended, by the way)

I think we went down this path before! Yup, we have been here before. Latte/Espresso Machines? OK, Wish Central grants the wish (again!), but all bathrooms within 2 hours travel are broken, and someone forgot to put a fresh urinal can into the ambulance, so you have to "go" behind a bush. When done, the local LEO is there, ticket book in hand, and cites you for public urination, public indecent exposure, depositing a noxious liquid, and misdemeanor trespass (how were you to know the bush was at the mayor's house?). I wish, when I just spend hours cleaning and polishing an ambulance, that, before I can hit the road in that clean ambulance, the supervisor won't switch me to another, filthy vehicle.

Not the cat, but the dog. Someone stocked the wrong size in the bin, so I've been there. Non issue. Try the guy in the string bikini type underwear, and black lace bra that doesn't match his beard and mustache. Especially the frequent flyers, with a wink to the senior personnel. Everyone, no matter if they will admit it or not, has, to some degree, "Been There, Done That"!

1) "One riot, one Ranger" may be a misquote, which actually referred to the RCMP ("One riot, one Mountie). 2) I cannot locate the article, but someone, somewhere, called the LEOs on a "Man with a Gun" call, which turned out to be an empty apartment with a freestanding movie poster, Sylvester Stallone toting a gun. The poster was taken into custody.

My information might be outdated, but New York State offers NREMT, but not through the DoH. NYS DoH does not recognize incoming NREMT from outside NYS