Richard B the EMT

I'm a municipal employee. "Gift" in the city's eyes is spelled "Graft". So... "I cannot accept your gift, but if you could write my bosses and comment how good your treatment and care was at my and my partner's hands, that would be appreciated. 'Attaboy/Attagirl' letters in our files are always a good thing." Of course, local protocols and department rules would be the final guide, even on my suggestion.

I thought that "Emergency Medicine" was ALREADY considered a medical specialty amongst the MDs and DOs?

Yes, that is the video I referred to. Thank you.

Miss Sasha said I remember reading of an amateur bodybuilder who successfully filed a lawsuit against the NYPD. NYPD claimed they couldn't hire him, as he was "obese", which wasn't the case at all, he just was that solidly built, due to the body building and weightlifting. The insurance company height/weight charts hadn't taken anyone from the "Gym Rats" into account.

Those UK seat belt commercials are always interesting. There is one I have seen shows the one guy in the back seat, who, on vehicle impact, is thrown into all 3 other persons in the vehicle, killing all. There is always going to be one in a million who can claim NOT wearing the seat belt saved their life in a collision (I know one guy who has been ejected through the wind shield...TWICE), but the chances are so high against survival, I think I'm going to continue using the belts. Due to my size, I went to a Ford car parts dealer for a seat belt extender to use on my ambulance. The dealer, not asking that I needed the extender for my work, gave it to me for no cost! Also, I have seen video footage from my friends at the NYPD's Police Academy Driving Range (their EVOC), showing how, when driving through the high speed traffic cone serpentine course, unseat belted cadets are bouncing all over the seats. If it were the driver, they had higher instances of losing control of the car.

1) As we hit the seasonal weather change, I unscientifically observe call volume of elderly people increases, mostly respiratory related. 2) Many of these persons are in a socioeconomic group that uses the hospital ER/ED as their "family doctor". They are open about it, you ask for the name of their doctor, they tell you "the ER at (insert name of hospital here)". 3) Due to geographic groupings of nursing homes, assisted living centers, and assorted levels of non-acute long term care elder residences, when these folks need the doctor, the facility staff sends them to be checked out at the nearest ER/ED, as ordered in by the doctor of record for the patient/resident. Transported by non 9-1-1 private ambulance services, community based Volunteer Ambulance Services, hospital based ambulance services, and, of course, FDNY EMS resources (You already know I am a member of that last one!). 4) When my ambulance arrives at either of the 2 hospitals in my service area, both have 6 bays. You can safely presume that there is going to be a wait for either the triage nurse to do their evaluation, or a wait for an examining bed, if there are 3 ambulances already in the bays. 5) If there is a code being worked up, in the ER/ED, you can safely presume the delay for triage or bed assignment will make the delay longer than as mentioned in item #4. 6) On other strings, I have mentioned that diverting patients away from a specific ER/ED for a part of a tour is a courtesy, not something carved in stone. FDNY EMS has groupings of hospitals in geographic "Pods", and if a certain number within a pod close to specific categories, all within the pod are reopened to "catchment", meaning, if the hospital is local to the pickup, they get the patient anyway. Even if the hospital is "on diversion", if a patient from nearby is "in extremis", the patient then goes to that nearest hospital.

Is it now the law of the land, as voted on by both the senate and congress? Not trying to stir up trouble, I just don't recall seeing this entered in as law.

So far, you're in view of the telescope, but not yet the microscope. We, the EMT City "Greek chorus", will determine when, and/or if, you make THAT transition Welcome aboard!

Border Patrol checkpoints? Did I miss something referring to going through international border "gateways"?

As pointed out earlier, what about David Norman Robinson, or Donna Nancy Roberts? That initials bracelet, or anklet can be confusing. Momma B is listening over my shoulder, suggests someting like a Star of Life with a red circle and slash design, something like a "Do Not Enter" sign, superimposed over it?

After a fast Google, Douglas Adams is only known for Hitchhikers Guide to the Universe. Have not read book or seen movie yet. Am I getting warm?

Reminds me of the old joke about the intox patient, who wants a DNR, then asks "what IS a DNR?"

While not trying to sound off for FDNY EMS, as I usually do, that figure is probably closer to one point 3 million calls a year. However, with the figuring mentioned in the OP, I really don't know (and I was always horrible in math.)

1) If a pediatric patient can be kept calm by bringing the mom or dad along, they get seat belted in on the rearmost seat of the crew bench, out of the way, kind of, but the child can see them from the stretcher. 2) When working a call where a female got raped, I'll ask them if they'd like to have another female come along, if available, and based on "Load and Go/Stay and Play" conditions with the patient, try and comply. A patient's girlfriend, mom, grandmother, or a lady LEO can come along, but they get seat belted in. 3) The patient is not from the area, nor is the patient's friend/family member, who wants to go with them. They arrived on public transportation, not by car. Are you going to leave them behind? Again they get seat belted in. It is also a case by case decision in that scenario. 4) If the patient is stable, and friend/family member wants to follow in a POV, I give travel instructions, including the fact that the patient appears stable, and I won't be traveling L&S, and will be stopping for all traffic signals. I advise them to do likewise. 5) If the patient is not stable, and friends/family members want to follow in their POV, I give travel instructions, and start them off to the hospital, if possible, before we even load the patient, stating, "we'll meet you there, now drive safely."

Food! (Yeah, I know, I know! I'm no help.)

OK, you just reminded me. the NYC Health and Hospitals Corporation EMS had a converted bus they set up as a mobile command center/field comm unit. Due to the time the EMS was all gasoline powered, they converted an intercity/interstate bus frame from diesel to gasoline. The vehicle was horrid due to that. Every time they used it, either for drills or actual Multiple Casualty Incidents, something went wrong with the damn thing. Fastest example was, for a vehicle that actually was rarely used, why did it lose it's muffler each time it went out? I have no answer to that one. EMS eventually gave the thing to the Mayor's Office of Emergency Management (OEM), and stored it down the street at the NYPD's Central Repair Service garage. As for the ambulance fires, correct, they were due to horrible design conversions. Placing a relocated fuel line over the exhaust pipe? Putting the radiator overflow recovery tank so close to the engine block that it would melt, and engine coolant (which contains alcohol, which is a fuel) would fall onto the engine and ignite? Yup, the ambulance builders did that. Ford's QVM addressed the problems, and, as far as I know (subject to information others have that I don't, YET), other chassis/drive train makers followed suit.

For anyone interested, the Darwin Awards are at the following link: http://www.darwinawards.com/darwin/

For those who survive, the Darwin Awards have an "Honorable Mention" category.

1) I have a lieutenant keeps verbally warning me I am in department violation to even eat food while in the cab of the ambulance. He never gave me requested copies of any department edicts to that effect. 2) Then, there was the time I came to an ambulance I usually did not work, knowing that the truck had been unused for a week, while undergoing maintenance, and found a half full urinal bottle while doing a vehicle checkout. Ugh!

Tevya the dairyman, Anatefka, former USSR (Fiddler On The Roof)

Now, for the BLS dude (that would be me), what do MAT and WAP stand for?

While admitting there is always room for improvement in any system, a bad system is still better than NO system at all.

I wrote, previously, to either contact the child's parent, or the LEOs, but the patient takes the priority. Someone else mentioned to just strap the child into the ambulance and transport along with the patient. I clarify my statement by saying, yes, transport both, and have the LEOs, or even the parents, meet you at the hospital, to put the child into protective custody (the LEOs), or retrieve the child (parents). Saves a bit of time, as due to the patient's described condition, you should be "Load and Go", as opposed to "Stay and Play".

That is one angry kitten!

While surprised to find a string from April of 2008 reactivated, I mention here, as I had on all previous strings on the vests, watch the wording, as no vest is totally bulletproof, as noted in the armpits and head areas. Besides, there are the so-called "Cop Killer" Teflon bullets, which are still illegally available. They are called Cop Killer, as they are designed to fatally penetrate all types of "bullet proof " vests. Call the vests what they really are, "Body Armor"! Even an Arthurian "Knight In Shining Armor" could have been killed by a well placed arrow shot, penetrating the breastplate and chain mail.