Richard B the EMT

RuffEMS, Dusty, and a few others already are the moral police here! (nope, I ain't one, usually)

We wanted to be. We still are not. We didn't answer to a commissioner, who answered to the mayor. Our top chief answered to a mid level vice president of the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation, hence, we were not "Third Service" Now, following the March 17, 1996 merger, we are FDNY EMS Command, and our top chief answers to the FDNY top chiefs, who answer to the commissioner, who answers to the mayor. While not cross trained as Fire Fighters, we are a part of the FDNY.

For those who don't recall the Kitty Genovese case, follow this link... http://www.newsday.com/community/guide/lih...0,7944135.story For those who want to hear a social commentary on this case, look up "A Small Circle Of Friends" by Phil Ochs, on Youtube.

Not necessarily a good thing, friend. A former colleague of mine had a ringtone that said "The bimbo is calling you!" when his girlfriend called. Imagine his, and everyone's horror, when the phone said this just after terminating CPR in a patient's home, in front of the patient's family, seconds after telling them, "we're so sorry for your loss"?

When brought to the hospital after collapsing in the house, my grandmother was almost blown off by the ER crew. The ER crew's behavior was lackadaisical, figuring it was just a dementia case of a 70+ year old woman. It wasn't until my brother in law, who worked the X-Ray department of that hospital, saw her, and advised the ER crew that this was emphatically NOT her normal behavior, that they took her condition seriously. It turned out to be related to Phlebitis, and the treatments cleared up the "dementia" in less than 48 hours.

I must mention that, according to Hollywood made TV and movies, ANY car in an accident will almost immediately catch fire and blow up. Not the case. The vehicles that burn and/or blow are devices to further along a plot line, to hurt the bad guys, or make the hero more heroic when they rescue the crash victims "just in time". I would say that, from 1973 to now, I have had only 2 or 3 cars burn from the impact of a collision. People, though, end up with a viewpoint of "I saw this happen so many times on TV, it must be based somewhere on truth, that a car will explode following a collision. Therefore, it MUST BE THE TRUTH that cars burn and explode when they are in an accident." Must be a case of "perception" as opposed to "reality", which we all know is "what a concept!"

Considering that I say it so often, I must have forgotten to mention that EMS in NYC is not a "Third Service", and never was, even before we were forced into the merger with the FDNY.

I will answer a few of these with FDNY and NYS DoH protocols and rules No chance, as the patient has to sign the call report, both for declining any and all, or specific treatments the crew feels are necessary, as well as the acknowledgements required for HIPAA compliance. Actually, the gate got blown shut as we were leaving the scene (True!), and we filed a report for the new dent on the vehicle. No need to falsify a report. One team lied, and tried blaming me for damage to the ambulance, but when I reminded the supervisor, that, due to my partner having fulfilled his overtime commitment the previous day, I had no partner with which to finish the tour, so the supervisor and I did a "walk-around" inspection of the ambulance without finding any damage. This same supervisor did another walk-around with me to see my reaction to the damage, and when I was surprised by actually seeing the damage, he wrote up the crew that had tried blaming me. He also took that new ambulance away from my team, so all 9 of us suffered because of these two liars, while using the oldest "any body's" ambulance vehicle.

The ER action this string started with sounds reminiscent of an early "ER" show plot. A White doctor presumed the Black kid, who had been shot in the chest, was a "Gang-Banger" shot in the commission of some gang activity, based solely on the "fact" that it was a Black teenager. Imagine his surprise when the hotshot surgeon, also a Black man, started all sorts of treatments on the "Gang-Banger", wondering openly why the surgeon was "waisting his time and hospital resources on a 'banger'". It wasn't until the surgeon turned around and punched him that he found out the Black teenager was: 1) from a respectable family, 2) was an honor student, and most importantly 3) the surgeon's nephew! On hearing the commotion, and on hearing the story, the doctor in charge overall of the ER fired the White doctor.

This case reminds me of a New York case from 30+ years ago. My VAC (I was not on this call), responded to a car into an elevated train pillar, only to find a Citizens Band Radio "Rescue" crew on the scene. Without any knowledge of either the need, or the "how to" of C-spine immobilization, they had pulled the single occupant of the car out of the car, through the window, and placed her on the ground. Per the crew that responded, they were looking at my people like a puppy that just retrieved a ball, placed it down, and was waiting for the ball to again be thrown. The woman would later be a wheelchair-bound quadriplegic. You can bet that the VAC Crew Chief, when filling out the call report, attempted to document, Document, DOCUMENT EVERYTHING involved with this call, from care, or lack of, by the "rescue crew", to immobilization, and transport by my people. And yes, while we were named in the lawsuit, due to the complete and thorough documentation, were declared not responsible for putting the then 22 year old woman into the wheelchair, and a sizable award from the courts given to the woman against the Rescue company. The Rescue group very shortly thereafter was disbanded. Some wanted to learn what they should have already learned before the incident, so we trained them, and had them join my VAC. One actually elevated himself to being a VAC Officer!

In no particular order, EMS, FD, Police/Sheriff's Department, Sanitation (garbage), Sewer and Water Departments are ALL essential services, but all must look on how to "cut the fat" when they are already claiming they are "cut to the bone".

Nobody is recession proof, as even my own FDNY is trying to cut costs while not eliminating jobs. The FDNY had announced they were going to "close" 4 engine companies between 6 PM and 9 AM. All of these (pumper) engine companies are both considered "low response call volume", and share quarters with a (ladder) truck company. The residents of the neighborhoods where these night time closures are to occur are understandably upset. In support of one of these engine companies, they are in the newspapers this week, as, at 4 AM, some woman went into the water off of City Island in the Bronx, and the engine company that responded got her out successfully. If this company had already been closed for the overnight, it would have been at least 10 minutes for the next due engine to arrive. Speculation is, she would have died either of drowning or hypothermia had the engine not been there to respond. (I will not be addressing WTF the woman was doing on a pier at that hour)

Thanks, Arkymedic

Not fer nuttin', but at a protest meeting against a local house of worship, that was going to get paid needed fundings by allowing a cell tower to be placed on their roof, my mom, who was in attendance from the house of worship, noted that many of the protesters were making and receiving calls on their cell phones. Her take on the issue was, these protesters didn't want the danger of the tower's radiation, but wanted to make use of the benefits of a cell tower for their phone's usage. Strange "NIMBY", in her opinion.

Not my personal experience, but have read it in at least 4 separate EMS "Trade Magazines", multiple times, over many years' time.

4cmk6, as for your carrying sandbags, are your arms stronger for carrying them? lol

I have to mention that when I was hospitalized with the aneurysm in my leg, the Paramedics used their cell phone to call the OLMC to get permission to go to a distant hospital outside the FDNY's "10 Minute Rule", and the Paramedic riding the back lent his cell to my mother, so she could call my sister to let her know we were on the way to the hospital (Thanks yet again, Giovanni).

When the cell phones first became of a pocket size, the NYC EMS had policy we weren't to carry them. After the merger into the FDNY, that changed to carry it concealed, and on vibrate. My opinion is in line with New York State Vehicle and Traffic Laws, simplified down to "if you're driving, you're not on the phone. If you're on the phone, you're not driving. One or the other, or tickets, fines, and points on your license". What I couldn't understand is, I heard one of my ambulances given a call, and seconds later, my partner's cell phone buzzed (set to vibrate), with a call from the Tech who was driving, telling us he was driving to a call. Excuse you! Everyone on the division heard you get the call, as well as the scannists with the Radio Shack police monitors, so stay the hell off the cell phone, and concentrate on driving to the call, and the call itself! For the record, I don't own a cell phone, but might sometimes, for special purposes, borrow my mom's "in case of emergency" or to let her know I'm done with the special trip and am on the way back, so she should start dinner.

Reminder: NEVER use WNL to indicate the patient's vital signs were "Within Normal Limits", as the lawyers will say it stands for "We Never Looked"!

Nearest was a mom and 3 senior teen daughters, each one better looking than the rest, all with Christmas Party related food poisoning. 4 walking patients, and 4 call reports later, all at the hospital, and a really good dreaming session when I got home. Beyond "vitalizing" (recording vital signs), I didn't even approach! My Lady J is a purple belt in Shogotan Karate!

We used to "splint" by taping a sandbag onto the flail section. Now, just told to apply a "bulky" dressing, like a trauma dressing or the pillow. Lotta differences 'tween 1973 and today, huh?

So many times, possibly as recently as 5 minutes ago, too!

What is that old adage? Oh, yeah:

(Richard B, the EMT, a sometimes poet, who darn well knows it!)

Time to stop and explain to me, again: What is/are a "Pedimate"? I don't recall ever hearing that one before. Something new, or I might know under a different name?