Richard B the EMT

If I remember, that is pretty much what Johnny and Roy did.

Please clarify: Someone gave her aspirin, or gave her a headache? The phrasing is, shall we say, murky. Actually, was that an aspirin, or one of the recreational pharmaceuticals, which she didn't realize was not an aspirin?

Except for my Vollie ambulance, and my current Municipal EMS employ, the 5 "private" ambulance "Inter-facility Transfer" services I had worked for never even offered such. Two of them actually gave me grief for declining overtime, so I could get to my EMT Refresher classes.

Years ago, a TV show plot had a paramedic team that felt a treatment was required for a patient. The OLMC denied them. They then contacted a different OLMC, which authorized the treatment. then advised the second OLMC that due to location they were going to transport to the first OLMC's hospital. They caught flack, but persevered. Does anyone have knowledge of that type situation actually happening? No locations, please, for obvious reasons.

On that: They thought I was 67 inches tall, not 66 inches, but then the bump on my head healed.

You go, girl! It sounds like, no matter which way it ends up, a first step has been taken by you. Good luck, and good health to you. Despite my more than occasional grumpiness, and that of others here on the site, we do care!

As the Original Poster, I ask we try to stay on topic. It has been pointed out that someone has to pay for bridge and tunnel maintenance, but can the number of emergency and city services vehicles be doing that much need for that maintenance? There is one sector within my home area police precinct, where there is one of these affected bridges between the northern and southern halves of that sector. "100 Charlie" is based out of the 100th Precinct, literally at the southern end of the Cross Bay Bridge. On the northern end of the bridge is the community of Broad Channel, covering an area about a mile long, and maybe a half mile wide at the widest point of the residential area, with a wildlife area of about a mile and a half long, just north of the residential area. 'Hundred Charlie" also covers some of the Rockaway Peninsula, on my side of Jamaica Bay. Now, presume a car accident in the wildlife area on the Cross Bay Blvd. Responding: NYPD 100 Charlie, 100 David, 100 Boy, FDNY Engine 266, FDNY EMS (BLS) Ambulance 47 Boy, and due to it being reported to be a rollover, FDNY EMS (ALS) Ambulance 47 Willie. That is 6 City vehicles, but we don't have an accident in "The Channel" within each 24 hours, just a few a week. The MTA might go broke waiting for them to go over the bridge. Admittedly, 100 Charlie probably crosses over several times each 8 hour tour. On a slightly different track, due to the isolation of both the Rockaway Peninsula and Broad Channel, and the fact that the tolls were supposed to have paid off the bonds for the bridge decades ago, the residents of both these areas have a "deep resident discount" for when they go over the Cross Bay Bridge. There will be war if the MTA tries to eliminate that discount. I was a part of the previous war to try to eliminate that toll for all, not just the 2 communities. Out of curiosity, does anyone in EMT City know of any other toll bridges or tunnels connecting 2 parts of the same county or parrish? As a followup on the previous newspaper clipping... http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2008/0...backfire_s.html

OK, vans are type 2, "cutaway" vans are type 3. What about type ones? You know, the ones look like a pickup truck with a big box on the back?

I would be asking what (and how much) she had been drinking, had she let the drink out of her sight at any time, and if anyone she didn't know, or trust implicitly, had handled any of the drinks for her. That might rule out an attempt to "get to" her with a date rape drug. The interview would next go to if she had used any "recreational pharmaceuticals", including, but not limited to "Ex" (Ecstacy). Am I getting warmer?

Just remember, in a time some decades ago, during the Cold War, Comrade Nikita Khrushchev (spelling?) was talking about how democratic the USSR actually was, even under Communism. He said:

All right, people, looks like I kind of misspoke. Per the following Associated Press article, the MTA's Bridges and Tunnels Authority won't be seeking cash from NYPD, FDNY, or FDNY EMS Command vehicle crews using their facilities, but will bill the City of New York, at possible cost to NYC of $10,000,000 a year. That is Ten Million dollars! ****************************************************************** Sept. 24, 6:12 PM EDT Agency to bill NYC for bridge, tunnel crossings NEW YORK (AP) -- The Metropolitan Transportation Authority voted Wednesday to start charging government agencies for police officers, firefighters and other public employees who cross its bridges and tunnels. The MTA board approved the plan 7-6 after a debate that pitted Mayor Michael Bloomberg's appointees against several of the other members. City budget director Mark Page, one of the mayor's four representatives on the MTA board, said "the ill will arising from this proposal" would probably outweigh the expected $10 million a year in additional revenue. MTA Executive Director Elliot Sander said he sympathized with the city's position but added, "This is an accounting issue. And it's something that we need to do given the current state of the MTA's finances." The plan will go into effect in six weeks and affects dozens of agencies including the New York Police Department, the New York State Police and the Nassau and Suffolk county police departments. The agencies currently use free E-ZPass fare payment tags. When the new policy takes effect, the agency vehicles will continue to use their tags but the MTA will bill the agencies for the tolls. The policy applies to the MTA's five bridges and two tunnels. The vote came after the MTA faced a controversy over the free use of E-ZPass tags by current and former members of its board. Board members voted in June to give up their free lifetime passes, a perk criticized amid a financial crunch at the nation's largest mass transit agency. © 2008 The Associated Press.

While stopping hopefully short of mob mentality, the consensus of this string seems to be for you to see the Doctor, nutritionist, dietician, and the physical therapist. Please please PLEASE do so. What you should say is

Prior to the EZ Passes being implemented, per the MTA's own rules, a vehicle, other than a delivery truck, carrying medical Oxygen ready for usage, was given free transit. That probably included Vollie ambulances. Somewhere on the forum, I posted a story of a Vollie FD company, painted their engine the then-new "fire engine lime green chrome" color. When driving over one of these BTA facilities, after refueling on the far side of it, the toll taker refused to allow them free passage, because he couldn't understand that a fire engine could be anything but painted RED! When he found the toll plaza "surrounded" by that department's other 2 engines, 2 ambulances, and a large part of the Vollie FD's compliment in their private cars with the blue lights all lit, his sargent read him the "Riot Act", mandating the allowing of ANY fire service vehicles the free passage, despite color! I mention this, as, for an experiment when the "fire engine lime green chrome" color first came out, at least 2 engines and truck companies of the FDNY, per each of the 5 boroughs, got that paint job. Imagine telling THEM that the vehicle wasn't a fire company! (Admittedly, the fire fighters bemoaned the color: "How could they do this to MY company?") Actually, due to a lack of recognition by the public used to seeing red, the project fell apart, and the companies, after a year, were repainted the traditional red.

Cheeky, you said Except for this forum, obviously we've never met, however, I must strongly not suggest, but urge you to set up appointments with your primary care doctor, the nutricianist, and possibly a physical therapist, to determine what amounts and types of food and/or excercize you need to get you to where your weight should be, to keep you healthy for whatever your "body type" is. Don't use my joke used in "defence" of my own obesity that "per the weight and height charts, I'm not overweight, I'm under-tall. I should be 7 foot 9 inch". We both know that won't fly.

In an attempt to speed up traffic at the toll plazas, New York City and New York State have joined, from at least 1996, a program called "EZ-Pass". This is a nationwide program (or soon will be one), which might be called a "Sun Pass" in Florida. Vehicle owners attach a device called an RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification) to either their windshields, front bumper, or front grill, a radio beam at the toll booth "reads" the device's ID number, and subtracts the toll amount from the account to which that "tag" is assigned. Vehicles slow down to about 5 miles per hour, but keep moving, as opposed to stopping and handing money to the toll-takers in the booths, which saves a bit of time. For example, if I use the Verrizano (spelling?) Bridge from Brooklyn to Staten Island, I get $10.00 removed from my account (Staten Island residents are in a "resident's discount" program, and pay a lot less). My account is replenished via one of my credit cards automatically when it goes below a certain dollar amount (I pre-selected the specific card, used for anything to do with my Chevrolet Venture Mini-Van.) The windshield "tag" is about the size of a pack of cigarettes, and is colored white. Commercial vehicles use a blue one, and "official" vehicles, like "Cop Cars", Fire companies, and, of course, municipal ambulances, are issued red ones. The red ones are glued to the windows, so nobody can take one home for personal usage. Here in New York City, EZ Pass is administered by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, usually by way of their "Bridge and Tunnel Authority". The State level of the MTA is trying to explain why so may folks who don't qualify for an "Official Vehicle" "free ride" red pass, have one, and are cutting back, or cutting out, past board members. However, the newest plan to be announced is, they are going to remove the free ride status from NYPD patrol cars, FDNY engine companies, ladder companies, chief's cars, and ambulances! Picture it: a task force of cops, fire fighters, and EMSers in a convoy, now will not only be slowed down in their response to an emergency in another borough by having to join the non "tagged" cars in the "cash only" lanes, they will have to reach into their own pockets to pay for the transit of their city or state owned vehicles over a state owned toll bridge! Also, as they would be responding "quickly", they probably won't be waiting for a receipt to get the money back from their agency. If, due to being nearest, units based in Bay Ridge or Bensonhurst responding to Staten Island, or FDNY Rescue 5 responding into Brooklyn or the other 3 boroughs from Staten Island, and make several responses over the bridge, that can take a lot out of the driver's own pocket. Hey, the way it is now, the city takes money out of one pocket (the "Official" vehicles), and puts it into another pocket (the MTA). Now, they're going to tax city employees for doing their city jobs in city owned vehicles on a city owned bridge or tunnel? I'd move, but I cannot afford the toll on the bridge to "get out of Dodge"! Newspaper article links will be posted when they become available to me.

I have never operated outside my scope. If the situation came up, either the Paramedics, or the OLMC Doctor better be giving me instructions, because I cannot "freelance" in any state of good will. If, in those circumstances, I did do the deed, and get hit with the "outside of scope" charges, I'm taking either the Paramedics, or the OLMC Doctor down with me.

I agree that it was not my best posting of a concept, but the Wage and Labor Boards, and the laws they enforce, came in BECAUSE of the unions. A bit more of a history lesson, here: Due to allegations of connections to either or both the Communists and Organized Crime (Cue "The Internationale" and "The Godfather" from the music library), to some, even today, unions admittedly leave a bad taste in some folks' mouths. I see that as a point of perception. It is my hope, that when unionists put up a picket line, either for informing the public of the union's wants and needs, or an actual protest line, that employers and their companies don't go back to methods used at the beginning of the last century. That would be: hiring private armies, private security guards, and simple thugs, to break heads of those on the lines, firebomb their homes, and generally make life tough for the unionists!

It took me 20 minutes to clean my lunch, previously eaten, off of the carpet on the way to the latrine. (Didn't make it before losing it) Can we lose that picture? Please?

Once again, I mention that I am in shape. Round is a shape, ya know!

I don't know if I am complimented or insulted NOT to be on that list.

That is almost the true "Balanced Diet": Devils Food cake in the left hand, Angel Food cake in the right...

Most of those who suffer through my missives know I am a member of Local 2507 (Uniformed EMTs, Paramedics, and Fire Inspectors of the Fire Department of New York City), of District Council (DC) 37, of the AFSCME (American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees). I will always emphasize the "Uniformed", as it puts us into a different bargaining "unit", separated from others within DC 37, that are not considered "uniformed". I will use as examples, sewer workers, highway maintainers, park forestry maintainers, and those who clean and sweep the floors of city office buildings and hospitals. Local 2507 hopes to, someday, get pay parity with the Fire Fighters of the FDNY, and/or the Police Officers of the NYPD, or at least higher pay, period, without having to give back such things as medical coverage, vacation days, or sick days. Local 2507 President Patrick J. Bahnken always tells us that negotiating with the City of New York is a slow ongoing process, never a revelation. Our pay is, at least, slowly going up. As for those who dislike unions, what if you worked for a boss who arbitrarily could decide if you were going to work for the next 36 hours, but only pay you for 10? If you complained that you should get paid for all those hours worked, that was considered insubordination, and get you fired without any pay at all, and possibly "blacklisted" with any companies doing similar work for the next 3 states around. There was a line made the rounds, Unions got started, and the bosses found that they couldn't do that any more. People started getting better pay, worked under better working conditions, and even started having affordable medical insurance available for themselves and their families. Can you imagine how different the classic story would have been, if Bob Cratchet had been a unionized secretary working for Ebenezer Scrooge? Admittedly, there are still problems. The Air Traffic Controllers wanted better working conditions and higher pay, some struck, a few stayed on duty. President Ronald Reagan fired the entire bunch of them, including those who stayed at their radar screens instead of picketing outside. All members of DC 37 work for New York City, or New York State. We have something called the "Taylor Law", which enables the city (or the state) to penalize anyone who strikes, no matter what the strike is about, 2 days pay for any days out on strike. I reproduce the law here, and open the floor for discussion.

I presume you exercise early in the day, before your brain wakes up and sees what you are doing?

I know what an OPerationS guide is, what is an OOPS guide?

What page/paragraph/line in the ops guide says that?