Richard B the EMT

OK, I have heard the phrase as coming from "regular people", hard line radicals, hard line traditionalists, even members of the John Birch Society. This is a first:Quakers?

As paranoia runs rampant, I can only trust the two of us, and I have my doubts about you! (Wish I knew who to attribute that to, or what I paraphrased from)

jaferd2, I understand protocols change, add, subtract, and modify over the years, but I had not been informed that actual compressions for practice on a living person were allowed, just on manikins, as the compressions could cause problems, like broken ribs. Please advise.

In mentioning the Yoshihiro Hattori shooting, it got posted before I could but that happens on this site. I am unaware if it is factual, or now urban legend, but supposedly, all Japanese exchange students are now being taught, especially if they go to the United States, on hearing the word "Freeze" shouted at them, to stop, and raise their hands in surrender, for their safety.

First off, welcome to the forum, from the guy who has the questionable honor of being the 3rd highest in postings on the site. As for the adult conversation, just remember the story of the first grade teacher who was involved in a minor, no injury fender bender car incident. On looking at the damage, she said.

I congratulate the paramedic for her actions. Pre FDNY/EMS merger, a paramedic got awarded for jumping from one elevator car to another, which was stuck, to render aid to a woman. Both elevators were up something like 30 stories at the time. I am sure that almost all ambulance agencies have some kind of awards program for actions taken that are outside the regular stuff, which later translates to the so called "WTF were you thinking?"

Leatherman, Gerber, and SOG make some good looking stuff. I use the Leatherman line myself. I have seen, advertised next to the above, in, of course, the Galls catalog, a scissors that has a cutout for use on the stem of an O2 portable tank, but as I have never used it, can give no product review.

Perhap[s we need to impart for would be rescuers on job sites the adage I was taught for handling initial discovery your scene is a HazMat job:

I will disagree on one point here. When the facility and ER nurses vent on how ineffectual the others are, as we, the ambulance crews are right there in front of them, they both show THEIR unprofessionalism by venting at us. So perhaps it is BOTH the patients and us caught in the middle. The patients usually don't know or understand that the venting is going on, and it behooves US to maintain OUR professionalism when and if it happens to us.

OK, my error. Then, again, Spanish has it's regional accents too, as Spain Spanish has at least 2 dialects, then add Puerto Rican, or Dominican Republic Spanish, and let us not forget Mexico Spanish, and all before you add the "Americanisms" to the hybrid language "Spanglish". A friend of mine used to complain he spoke Spanish, as taught to him by Mexicans, but couldn't understand the Spanish of the "Neuyoricans", as it was spoken way too fast for him. Are not the French fighting in France the import of "Americanisms" into the French language? The American English language is already using either words from other country's language origin, or making up stuff that sounds like it did. Perhaps this is from the vast number of languages spoken by immigrants as they entered the US. I'll just touch on the "Castillion" Spanish, which sounds almost like a mild lisp (lithp?). And yes, Belle Harbor is a nice neighborhood. The people of either Spanish or Portugese ancestry have money, and can afford the prices around here, the rest are from other European countries, with a large Italian and Irish grouping. One thing I have noted. Due to tone of voice, no matter what language they are speaking, by that tone, you'll know when you're being cursed out!

Didja notice I didn't even refer to going over to my friend's house, by toity toid and toid, to help him fix his erl tank? Dis is sumpin usually brought up when discussin regional accents, like that I'm from Noo Yawk Ciddy, altho I seem ta be Lawn Gyland. Youse guyz wanna make sumpin ovvit? (Typing in dialect? I'm not even going to try using the spellcheck! The Ozzies and Kiwis will most likely return in kind, too!)

You spoke of different accents just from within the UK. I hear different regional accents from within Brooklyn (county), New York, as the true students of the spoken language, which I actually am NOT (Surprise!), recognize, amongst others, as Flatbush, Red Hook, Bensonhurst, Canaries, and Greenpoint, with a couple more. These "true students" can supposedly determine which side of 13th Avenue you were born on. And I also mention that Mel Brooks, who provided the voice of so many of the Warner Brothers cartoon characters, is supposed to have combined some East Flatbush with some north Bronx (another of the 5 counties that make up the Greater City of New York), and the result became the speaking voice of "Bugs Bunny".

Just remember, the biggest blunder of movie product placement was when M&M/Mars declined being in a movie, and Reece's Pieces got the nod. Specifically, what do you think Elliot used to lure the ET out of hiding, and into his house, in the movie, "ET-The Extra Terrestrial"?

The T-Shirt saying is "Welcome to America, now learn and speak English!" Some of the folks I have met would remind us, the "furriners" came here, and should assimilate to "us", not the other way around. I volunteer in a political office, so I help register voters for within the New York City area. I have seen mail-in registration forms in several languages. There was a time, 40 or so years ago, if you were a citizen, even a Naturalized one, you had to speak English to register. (Side note, and sidetracking myself, if you are a US citizen who is registered to vote, Tuesday November 4, 2008 is Election Day, Your mission is, sometimes during the day while the polls are open, VOTE!) The general consensus I seem to have found is, at least in New York City, to get around linguistically in EMS, you have to speak (in no particular order) German, Russian, Serbian, Croatian, Italian, a minimum of 5 Chinese dialects, Urdu, Farsi, Hebrew, Yiddish, Polish, French, Swedish, and some crazy language called English. This is not including whatever the native languages are called (sorry, I don't know the actual names) of the Souix, Pawnee, Arapaho, Navajo, Mohawk, and other "Native American/First Nation" people, commonly known as "Indians". I was reminded by my mom recently, her father had an arrangement within his household, English was spoken by family members outside the house, and primarily, German inside the house. My dad, although born in Brooklyn, learned English as a second language. His parents, my grandparents, spoke Russian, Polish, and German, in addition to Hebrew and Yiddish. when they wanted to talk in front of him, they'd switch to either Russian or Polish, which my dad didn't speak.

True. Change the job, with any untrained folks from that job, just trying to do either or both "something" and "not feel like they are not trying to help". They will emotionally feel better for "doing the right thing", even if it is so off the wall, the EMS, LEO and FD crews will be talking about the blunders in their trade magazines, and on forums like ours.

Frustrating as an EMT, a PA, or both? And probably so in any combination. There was a time 3 decades ago, at least one of my local hospitals had a plan, in the event of a major incident, any in-patient who could be "safely" done so, would have been discharged, opening up a bed. In addition, they would have resorted to the "army stretcher on cafeteria table in cafeteria" plan. Food would not be served (DUH!), but a sizable number of patients, theoretically, could have been seen. The only time I am aware of that the plan was implemented, was in June of 1975, for the Eastern Airlines Flight 66 crash on Rockaway Blvd, literally on the perimeter fence at John F Kennedy International Airport, Jamaica, Queens County, New York. The hospital figured out how bad the incident was, when no patients were brought in (727 Jet slammed down by a wind shear while on final approach, with 113 souls aboard killed, no ground casualties).

What I should have said in my posting was, the nurse supposedly assigned to the floor got off an elevator to meet us. I hope this was an abomination, and not common practice.

FireDoc5, that sounds kind of like a term I heard about years ago re computers in general: "GIGO". Means Garbage In, Garbage Out!

I used to date her (a happy Medium) years ago, but that has been covered in a different string.

What I now write, I do not know if it supports or undermines positions taken already by the city members. Many times, in first the inter-facility transport (non 9-1-1 system) ambulances, and from 1985, in the municipal 9-1-1 ambulances, I have been dispatched to a SNF, usually as a call type "Other", meaning all we know is there is supposed to be a patient somewhere there. On arrival, we get directed to a floor, where we wait at an unoccupied Nurse's station for a few moments for someone to tell us which room. We do our initial patient evaluations, vital signs, place on O2 if s/s indicate need (per protocols), while awaiting a transfer report (one crew-person does most of this, while the other starts writing up the Pre-hospital Care Report <PCR>). The Nurse finally showing up at the desk says the "Charge Nurse" has the paperwork. A short wait later, the Charge Nurse shows up with the "transfer sheet", which has patient history, meds, and the reason for the transfer, which gets documented to the PCR. We then transport to the ED, where the Triage Nurse usually makes some comment on the incompetence of the SNF staff, either, "They should have been able to handle this," or "Why did they wait so long to do this transfer, the patient is one foot in the grave, the other on a banana peel." (Or, at least, words to that effect.) What I love, figuratively speaking, is when we get a call, no information, and the patient is on a ventilator. Now we have to delay transport while awaiting the Paramedics, or if a long ETA, package and transport using the BVM (Bag Valve Mask). These are usually tubed, or trached, patients. All I can say in conclusion, is, I don't always have these experiences, and don't always experience them on different nights at the same facilities, but the fact it happens at all is never a good thing.

To me, it matters not if the patient is held in the ER or an upstairs hallway, it is still "boarding". Could it be my imagination that when patient populations go up, hospital management grows scarce, but when the patient population goes down, you cannot get away from the management? A mention: I was hallway boarded for 2 days in 1967, and recovery room boarded for 2 days in 2007 (specifics as to why I was in the hospital won't appear here!).

A pen on a lanyard, or one on a retractable cord, have a bad potential. They are attached to you, and if a patient grabs the pen, they also have you. Think about the reason for "breakaway ties" for uniforms, and reconsider this plan.

Someone mentioned hot sauce? Go the other direction and dip the pen into something bitter, preferably something you dislike with some degree of intensity (in the dislike).