Richard B the EMT

I have been in both volunteer and paid EMS agencies, and have heard information of "combined" (both volunteer and paid personnel) agencies, where the agency pays for a small percentage of paid personnel for hours when most people are at work, and unavailable for responses. This is usually during daylight of week days. Admittedly, due to my starting in the EMS field as an unpaid volunteer, with no paid personnel in the entire agency, the concept of the "Combined" agency has always felt "wrong" for me. I do know that there are several such agencies within New York State, and the communities so served seem to be all right with that. However, this agency, which is calling itself a volunteer agency, but only (if I am reading the article correctly) has 2 actual volunteers with 12 paid personnel, my opinion is twofold: 1) it is not truly a volunteer agency, and 2) if it wishes to continue, should either go full time paid, and change their status to that of a paid service, or call it a day, and fold up their tent.

Per the information in the article, there appears to not be a way the parents could have predicted the final outcome. This in no way says that the parents are not feeling remorse.

OK, now I have to re qualify my own statement. The 10 MPH above posted speed limit being allowed is not only when necessary, but as road conditions allow one to do it. Going 50 in a 40 MPH zone is asinine, if there is a foot of snow on the roadway. Also, there's Vehicle and Traffic Law #1104, which gets distilled down to "You operate your vehicle with due regard to all others on the road."

Stirring the mix a bit, here: I present an article from the New York Daily News Link at http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2009/05/14...rt_officer.html </h1>

It is, quite simply, a "First Responder" vehicle.

About the duck? Seems things are not all they are quacked up to be!

Just mentioning that the FDNY EMS collar tacs used by EMTs and Paramedics is a silver Star of Life with the FDNY lettering superimposed on it. I'll see if I can find either a print or a link to one.

Hmmm. Every VAC, private employer, and municipal ambulance I have been with has either supplied or had me purchase EMT, EMS, and for (NYC Health and Hospitals Corporation) EMS' Communications, the crossed flags like Army signal corps, for placement on the collars. I kind of like the little embroidered patches idea, but nobody local that I know of makes EMS/EMT lettered style, while I have seen Star of Life mini patches for the collar. I have NEVER seen magnetic mounted collar tacs, and lost, within hours, a nametag with a magnetic mounting.

Unromantic part: A "First In/Jump Kit" (Stocked to local standards!) with her name on it. Romantic part: I'd go the dinner route, too!

The "Afrikaners", who are of Dutch/Netherlands decent, are "White Africans", just not "Black Africans". While not an Afrikaner, I believe him to be a White African/American.

Thanks, Katiebug, your response (at least the part I quoted) is what Lady J feels. As for any call pronounced after being "worked up", my personal take is, I review what I did. If I feel that I missed something, I use it as a learing experience, if nothing appears "off", then I let it go. By the way, what is DTJ? It is an abbreviation I dont know, which might be a local one for you, but not used in my area.

In the hope that a new-jack gets a decent preceptor, I thought I noted someone say If one is not allowed to do a task, because they have not done the task already, to me, anyway, that rates as a "Fail". After all, that follows a line that I read when I was in my pre-teen years:

Wish Central is uneasy granting that wish, as almost everybody knows the light at the end of the tunnel is the headlight of an oncoming express train. Almost 20 years ago, Lady J and I were robbed at gunpoint. One item stolen from me was my department issued badge, which looked a lot like an NYPD badge. My nasty and vindictive wish is that the 2 thieves who robbed us try to use the badge to steal from a street drug dealer, everyone pulls a firearm, and fatally shoots each other, with no civilian casualties, thereby eliminating at least 2 problems. (Sorry about that one, for the first time in a long while I had a flashback to that stairwell!)

Actually, this was to assist me in telling Lady J if this other person was reacting "strangely" (my choice of word) to having had a DOA call. The actual call happened over 15 years ago, but Lady J brings it up every now and then as if it happened yesterday, as she was (and is) upset with that other VAC member for what she regards as a bad reaction. Lady J was not on the ambulance that day, but was dispatching, just as an "FYI". Actually, this was to assist me in telling Lady J if this other person was reacting "strangely" (my choice of word) to having had her FIRST DOA call. The actual call happened over 15 years ago, but Lady J brings it up every now and then as if it happened yesterday, as she was (and is) upset with that other VAC member for what she regards as a bad reaction. Lady J was not on the ambulance that day, but was dispatching, just as an "FYI".

I admit to having some questions on some of the wording, so far presented in this string, which I hope does not appear to be any type of personal attack. When I hear of new unions, they are always saying "Organize! Unionize!" Anyone want to yield the point that there are similarities, as well as differences, in those two words being used together? I urge caution in the usage of the phrase "I'm done with you". Due to my low level involvement in local politics (I'm in a political club, and am a petition carrier, do sound truck operations, and I'm the dude who picks up material from the printers and gets it to the crews that hand it out, and the pizza for that crew) outside of both employment and union activities, I am painfully aware that the guy (or gal) running against you today, might be the needed "Best Friend" on an issue of mutual interest tomorrow, and worst enemy the next day. At least, in local politics, I know who my "frenemies" are. Richard B, the EMT. Member, Fire Department of New York EMS Command; Member, Local 2507 (Uniformed EMTs, Paramedics and Fire Inspectors of the FDNY) District Council 27, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees; Member, New York State Volunteer Ambulance and Rescue Association, district 4; Board Member At Large, Good Government Regular Democratic Club of the Rockaways (Queens County, NY). Views expressed are my own, and may or may not reflect those of the agencies mentioned, above.

Years ago, when the "In" things were the pet rocks and mood rings, I was one of many at my VAC wearing one of the mood rings (I had to give up the pet rock, it never came when I called it). We noted that, even when a CPR run was unsuccessful, and the ER/ED pronounced, the mood rings showed the wearers, myself included, to be quite happy. Was something wrong with us, to get that reading? Prior to State DoH certification for Certified First Responder, my VAC had an "in house" CFR training level for riding members. My "Lady J" was so "certified", when she rode. Another member, who was also an "in house" CFR, and in an EMT course, kind of upset Lady J, who was dispatching the call in question. The call was a DOA (Dead On Arrival), and this other personnel, at the time about 21 years old, was jumping up and down, being so happy that she had been on a DOA call. I was told that she didn't put on any such display in front of family members/friends/bystanders on scene, at least, but saved it until inside the VAC headquarters. If I have a DOA call, I usually am somewhat somber, whether the patient was "worked up" or in obvious signs and indicators of death. Taking into account that I've been doing this from 1973, is there any proper way to handle one's self following DOA calls?

From Gilbert and Sullivan's "Mikado"

Perceived by me as fact: 1) This was bungled, as it would have been a lot less expensive to do the photo shop treatment. 2) Who's bungled idea was it, to not advise local mayors, like NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg, and local area (in numerous local jurisdictions in 2 states!) LEO officials? 3) In an area where 2 jet aircraft struck, and ended up destroying, 2 skyscrapers, who's brain wasn't turned on to think, "Hey, the locals might see an aircraft being chased by a fighter jet, and believe that another air attack was in progress"? 4) I live near an airport. I cannot see the colors on most jets flying over my house. I see an aircraft, but might not see the big words on the side saying United States Of America, because of viewing angle, the aircraft's elevation, or it's speed. Were I in lower Manhattan, bum legs and all, I'd be moving real quick to some kind of "safety", too.

NWCG? CPAT? While I am in an FD based service, I am urban/suburban, not rural, and EMS mission specific. What mean these terms shown above?

My first ambulance was pulled by a triceratops, hers was pulled by an amoeba! We're old, but don't fold!

I thought I saw an article in either the New York Post, New York Daily News, or New York Newsday, of using the "Twitter" service to do mass notifications via texting clients (PDs, FDs and EMS agencies) with emergency messages, with the qualifier that personnel should then confirm by calling their service bases, in case of possible phony messages. Unfortunately, going back 3 months on all 3 newspapers, I couldn't find any articles to reprint here. Perhaps this might meet the needs of your department? I don't even have a Twitter account, so I cannot say how effective this is.

As one who gets paid to sit in the FDNY EMS Academy classroom by the department, we seem to go, for practical skills instruction and refresher instruction, with 5 students to one instructor.

Yes, a "Lock." Picky, Picky, Picky!

Momma B and I agree that, in it's perverse way, it actually makes sense!

Prior to the FDNY/EMS merger, EMS in NYC wore Forest Green trousers, tie, and jackets over a white shirt. Dress uniform added an "8 Point Garrison Cap" also in green, but work uniform was a green baseball cap with the orange "half moon" service patch on it. Rule was, "Sewn on" not heat transfer or embroydery.