Richard B the EMT

I work for the FDNY EMS. We of the EMS were shocked when the Fire Fighters included us in the much bandied-about number (343) of departmental personnel killed at the World Trade Center. I'll break it down: 340 Fire Fighters and fire supervisory personnel, from probies to the Chief of Department, Father Mike Judge, of the department's Chaplain Corps, and Paramedics Carlos Lillo and Ricardo Quinn (Quinn was phostumously promoted to Lieutenant). This September 11th, while standing in the waiting room at the FDNY headquarters' Bureau of Health Services, where I'm doing light duty, holding a salute-at-attention position as the 3 buglers sounded "Taps" after the reading of the WTC dead, I started crying. Due to a medical condition, I was unable to respond to the Trade Center that day in 2001. I actually only knew 4 of the dead, an EMT named Mark Schwartz, from the Hunter Ambulance Service (Inwood, New York), a member of my political club, Father Judge, whom I had met the previous Ash Wednesday and Carlos. Carlos was from my EMS Academy Class, "New Employee Orientation Program 85-02". Figure now, each Fire Fighter who was working back then, probably knew at least 10 fire fighters killed, and probably more. Then-Fire Commissioner Thomas Von Etton, who had previously been the President of the Uniformed Fire Fighters Association, probably knew each of the 340, and Father Judge, of course. VaREMS1, I have never used this forum to tell someone off, but your comments really went too far, and I feel I must. You should leave the EMS field, as to do this job, one must have some compassion, and your comment of "people use it as an excuse to come together and shed tears", was totally without compassion. We still have people being medically affected, from having breathed the contaminated dust, causing the myriad breathing disorders generically called "WTC Cough". We believed the mayor and the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, when they were disseminating incorrect information that the air was "safe", when it was definitively not. I am still going to funeral homes for friends and associates, so we are still getting together to cry. One of my friends is the owner of a restaurant. He is a retired fire fighter, who was so glad his son decided to become a CPA, instead of a fire fighter. The son died at his desk, at Cantor-Fitzgerald. Are you going to tell him to stop mourning his son, or his fire fighter "brethren"? We are taught in our EMT classes, here in New York State, that people grieve each in their own ways. There is no time limit for grief. One individual, on losing a family member or close friend, will be all right after 10 days, another won't be "better" for 10 years, or longer. Some of that is personal, others, by background, and some, both. I agree with you about it being a pity that people in the streets don't remember when the attack on America happened, but can tell you the most intimate detail of a fading "rock star's" life. On behalf of the people at Cantor-Fitzgerald, Windows On the World, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the New York State Court Officers, the New York (city) Police Department, the Fire Department of New York (city), the Secret Service, businesses at the WTC, other fire fighters from other departments, other EMTs from different departments/Corps/companies/agencies, let me invite you to, if you ever travel to New York City, refrain from making such statements as "If I hear someone mention 'Nine-Eleven' again, I'm going to blow up the world." I don't condone violence, but, with you making statements like that, I would never stand in the way of other locals throwing you a blanket party as means of correcting your thinking.

The only ambulance available for you to take out, is the department's best known "Garage Queen" (vehicle spends more time with a mechanic working on it, than a crew in it), which, of course, dies after refueling it, right next to the only working pump at the garage.

Does that explains why your avatar looks like it does? LOL

An "EMS" is a/an Emergency Medical Service, considered to be a part of the EMS System. An EMT is a/an Emergency Medical Technician, a person trained to a level of competency of pre-hospital medical care, and are a major operational part of a/an EMS. A letter or number following the initials EMT will tell those versed in the "language" of EMS, to what level of competency the individual is trained, as recognized by a town, city, county, state or provence, or country's agency so set up to regulate medical care within their jurisdiction, as, in my case, the New York State Department of Health's Bureau of Emergency Medical Services. A/an EMS can be operated by a group of unpaid individuals from a community (a Volunteer EMS service provider), with training, equipment, and other needed things either paid by direct donations from the members of the geo-political area, or via taxes. It can also be under the operations of either a paid or volunteer fire department, a police department, a sheriff's office, a hospital, a corporation or company that wants such service provided for their employees, their families, and others within the company's geo-political area. It can be privately owned for the profit of the owner or owning agency from providing the service to paying individuals, or under contract to serve a geo-political area's residents and transients or visitors within that area. I hope that this helps, while admittedly, I turned this into a school class.

Both police and fire departments have been around for over 200 years. EMS has only been around, officially, from roughly 1970. Figure they have a better publicity machine than us. Don't worry, we're getting better in the publicity area, while admittedly we have a ways to go.

If, during a transport, the patient goes off, first, get out of the way of the patient, as in, stop the vehicle and bail (take the keys with you!), and use your portable 2 way radios to request the LEOs, FORTHWITH/STAT! If you are in a municipal ambulance, as I am, let the patient destroy the vehicle, as when the LEOs get there, the patient will be a little tired from doing the destruction, and won't be as big a problem to the LEOs, plus, the taxpayers will give you a new ambulance, or at least another one. The taxpayers are not authorized to give you and your partner a new body to live in. As has been mentioned, the LEOs are trained in how to take down an uncooperative person, with as little damage as possible to both the patient and themselves. Let them do it. When they cuff the individual, they have the person in "protective custody".

It is perhaps the most popular show, as it is, by some, considered "soft porn'. Look at Pamela Anderson's costumes, and how they fit her (or her, the costumes), and see if it could be thought of that way.

When I have seen ads for medical coverage in an oilfield, it seems that they were in Saudi Arabia, or some other middle Eastern country. I have never worked an oilfield, at home (USA) or away (the rest of the world), so I am unqualified to answer this question, so I'll ask it of those who have worked internationally: What about working somewhere "offshore" or internationally?

NYS/NYC protocols indicate that as long as the BP is at or above a specific minimum, and the patient has not taken more than 2 Nitro pills prior to the BLS' intervention, or taking Viagra (or similar sexual enhancement drugs), and verifying the expiration date of the Nitro, and confirming that the Nitro is a prescription for the patient, and not another individual, the EMT-B may assist the patient in taking the patient's own Nitro pills. As always, I hammer on the fact that the protocols I use may be contradicted by the protocols used in your location. At your home community, YOUR local protocols rule, as mine do by me!

Whoever posted the video on Youtube spliced together the openings from several seasons worth of Baywatch. AND, if I remember, Mike Newman, the last name shown, was, and possibly still is, a Los Angeles County Fire Department Lifeguard, I think also cross-trained as an EMT. FYI, as I was born in 1954, I have lived through a lot of TV viewing, both good ("Emergency!"), and bad ("240 Robert" and "Rescue 77").

Spenac wrote . How is this a problem?

In New York State, Ammonia Inhalants were removed from the list of acceptable treatments years ago.

Due to scheduling complications, usually not the supervisor's fault, I have, at FDNY EMS, been partnered for a tour, or a part of a tour, with a paramedic. By radio designations, we know who are normally BLS or ALS, but when you have a BLS assigned with an ALS personnel, the unit is usually a BLS designation, with the team doing BLS skills. If the mixed crew responds on a dual level call, with a full ALS crew also responding, the Paramedic from the BLS team can and will operate at ALS level, the EMT stays within BLS level treatments, assisting the 3 paramedics as if he were a part of a regular BLS team. I have used the occasions to ask a lot of medical questions of my Paramedic partners, between calls.

When I pulled up the site, I initially, and incorrectly, thought it was something like Red Adair's oilfield fire-fighting group, although they probably use procedures Adair pioneered.

How long have the Catalina Island Paramedics in the Baywatch been there? My reason for asking is, I remember hearing "the Hoff," as lifeguard "Mitch," mentioning some of his trainees being assigned there, but also remember, from back in the early to mid 1970s, "Emergency"s "Johnny and Roy" being flown out to Catalina by USCG Sea King helicopter #1442 to effect rescues, trauma and medical calls.

Let me try an EMS style revamp of "it's going to be a bad day when..." jokes: You know it's going to be a bad day, when: 1) You look out the front door to the station, and see a "60 Minutes" news crew setting up it's cameras, and Katie Couric looking at you while checking her clipboard. 2) You turn on the TV, and they are showing evacuation routes out of your city. 3) You report to your station, no private cars are in the lot, and all the ambulances, engines, ladder companies, and supervisors vehicles are not there, and your station is not on the mayor's list of facilities to be closed. 4) You note the bus depot across the street from your station is also empty of personnel, as well as private and company vehicles. 5) There's nobody in the streets, at mid day, on a Thursday, traditionally the busiest day for the mall in the next block.

If possible, can you replace that ball in tube style regulator? Get one with a click to flow level type, or at least a round gauge type? Unless my memory has gone (more), the ball in tube style is in disfavor, as with the tilt to lay it down can cause the tech to inaccurately read it.

For the uninformed, those are the multiple packages of anti nerve agent meds, in auto-injectors, used similarly to epi-pens. The kit is only to be opened on authority of on line medical control, but if that order comes down, it will be citywide in nature, not just one ambulance crew. Thanks for the reminder, Seth.

Here in NYC, in the FDNY EMS, we are allowed to administer, when s/s and standing protocols indicate so, Oxygen, Albuterol, and chewable baby aspirin. We are allowed to assist the patient in their self administering, when s/s and standing protocols indicate so, of Nitro, and "Epi-Pens". We no longer have syrup of ipicac in our protocols. Figure I probably left something out, so anyone else from either NY State, or FDNY EMS want to fill holes I might have left?

My partner and I responded to an EDP in the nursing facility cafeteria, NYPD there in multitudes, per their protocols. As she was reportedly violent, my partner and I were glad to wait in back of the LEOs, for them to "secure" her. One of the LEOs turned to me, and asked ME what the ETA was on EMS! I'm only standing right next to him. My partner, the other cops, and myself, have never let the poor guy forget it, either!

Protocols can change. New York State used to allow EMT-Bs to transport patients on an established IV line. No longer. Now, we can transport a "saline lock" but not an IV, you must have higher medical authority disconnect the IV, or find a Paramedic to go along with the patient.

The only times that I remember going over 15 LPM, is when the tubing is connected to a bag valve mask.

He actually wears briefs. Due to how well known he seems to be, if he ever wears a brand name, he'll make some endorsement deal! Also, what is he hiding behind that guitar?

The only distinction between the devices seems to be color coding of the straps, or lack of same. Usage and placement is the same. However, the KEDs had non-removable straps, while the KODE and IDEA have removable ones. Figure replacement as opposed to attempting cleaning off BBP, plus, there was possibility of blood seepage in the seams on the KEDs, allowing the blood to enter the device. Design of the KODE and IDEA is supposed to eliminate this problem, per my last EMT refresher class.

Remember I am BLS, and do not handle ALS narcs, when considering this response. FDNY EMS Paramedics have, on a "by the tour" basis, an assigned belt pouch with specific narcotics in it. At the start of the tour, they remove said pouch from a specific 2 key safe, and sign out this filled pouch, generating paperwork showing they got their narcotics. If the items are not used, they put the unused narcotics into another specific 2 key locked safe, and generate paperwork as to how much was used. At specific intervals, which I am not aware of, a Paramedic assigned to the FDNY EMS pharmacy responds to each EMS station, picks up the unopened and unused narcotics from safe #2, places full ones into safe #1, and, with the station supervisor and the pharmacy paramedic countersigning each other's record books, generate more paperwork, but it is now in multiple places how much narcotics, what type narcotics placed in the safe, and same returned. Obviously, any narcotics used on calls, or destroyed unused portions of the narcotics (witnessed by a nurse, or someone else of higher medical authority at the hospital) will be documented (including the Higher Medical Authority's name) will be in the count. At regular intervals during a day (at least once per 8 hour tour?) either a station supervisor, or a paramedic so requested to do so by the station supervisor, will take a count of each type narcotic not in the belt holder, and generate paperwork as to how much of each type narcotics are in stock, how many belt pouches are available and/or used, and, if short, due to busy paramedic teams, and request the station supervisor make formal request for an early restock. As a somewhat typical New York City agency, we kill a lot of trees for our paperwork. I wonder if we are like the Department of Defense, that nothing written on paper can be discarded without making 3 copies first? Suffice to say, paperwork is going to be generated when narcotics are delivered to a station, when it is assigned to a Paramedic personnel, or their ambulance, when "leftovers" get returned to the stations, and when what is left is returned to the pharmacy. Presumably, they have similar at the department pharmacy.