Richard B the EMT

I never heard that in a gaelic accent before!

In the early days of 800 MHz radio in NYC, on returning home from work, the liasion Lieutenant between the then NYC Health and Hospitals Corporation EMS and the New York State Volunteer Ambulance and Rescue Association suffered an injury on his back porch, tried to reach out on the new 800 MHz radio, and could not obtain a signal. He then tried reaching out on the older 400 MHz radio, and made contact without any problems, summoning help for himself (broken leg). Using that as an example of a potential problem, there also was a movement within the department to limit usage of the 800 MHz units, as there was a fear, so far neither substantiated or denied, regarding possible radio radiation caused damage to woman's reproductive organs. Figure the antennas for the radios being on the hip of a "woman of child-bearing age" next to the womb, being the problem.

OK, I have sent this to 3 friends of mine from the New York State Volunteer Ambulance and Rescue Association. I hope to have a response soon. Richard B, The EMT. Hello, Jim, Marty, and Kuntree. An Internet associate of mine, in Nebraska wrote me, via the EMT City Web Site, (www.emtcity.com), for some help in setting up medical coverage at an event, quoted as follows: "I will try to make this as short as possible. A buddy and I are going to be doing some special event/on site EMS stand by. My first question is how can we justify dedicated EMS, not security/EMS as they currently utilize? I can think of a bunch of reasons but, what I'm looking for is how do I justify this to someone without an EMS background? Secondly, we will be responsible for coming up with a structured approach to providing coverage for this area. We're talking approximately 75 acres. I'm not talking about "what equipment do we need?" or "what kind of pt's can we expect?" We know the answers to those types of questions already. I don't want our people to just wander around aimlessly. I'm thinking more along the lines of personnel/resource management. Any advice would be appreciated. Due to service licensure level we will be working as a BLS non-transport service at this point (although the majority of those involved are ALS providers). We have an ALS service approximately 10-15 min. away. Advice on either or both issues would be greatly appreciated. I've got experience with special events but, not so much with events that last a month or with the planning of the EMS coverage of them. Thanks in advance for your help." I have already explained to my Nebraskan friend that, under NYS DoH rules, and, I think, NYS Public Health Laws, for a set amount of expected event participants, a set number of EMS personnel must be on site, as so ordered after Woodstock 1969. I also realize that what holds for New York might not be the standard for Nebraska. Can you either let me know what our state requirements for an event are, direct me to specific documentation, or put me in touch with someone who has set up such coverage? I seem to remember taking a convention class at Roaring Brook on this topic. Does anyone have a name and e-mail for me to contact the lecturer, that I can put my EMT City associate in direct touch with him? With any responses, I will "sanitize" your e-mail addresses off them for your privacy, as I plan to publish any material so received on EMT City. Thank you in advance for any help in this matter. Richard B******* Member, Dist 4 NYSVARA.

Cross reference to the EMT City link that follows, and contact the involved persons, via EMT City, if no e-mail address is listed. I never got a reply from the NYS DoH that I requested, which shows in the string. http://www.emtcity.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.ph...oodstock#102911

I would suggest consulting your personal physician, and your therapist/physician, and ask for guidance. Remember, the physical side of EMS involves lifting, carrying, and physical stresses of your own body, let alone using it to do CPR on another person's body. Whatever the results, follow the recommendations, so if your doctor says, "Don't do that," then don't do that. Don't quit the therapy until the doctors agree you've gotten as much benefits from it as you are going to get, the benefits expire, or are expended. Get written copies of any and all medical reports on your case, and treatment I also hope that the person who hit you, or their insurance company, is paying for your rehabilitation and therapy. As you didn't yet have the job, I have no idea if you could sue for potential lost wages from that job. On that, you might want to talk to a lawyer.

As I must have mentioned in several other strings, you can get NR in New York State, but NYS doesn't recognize NR from any other state. Been that way for as long as I can remember.

I hope everyone realizes that not all VAS and VFDs are supported via a local tax base, some survive on billing, direct donations, targeted fund drives, or all three, with other items specific to that department on getting in the M&Ms (Members and Money).

Nobody watches the commercials anymore: the owl reached the center of the tootsie roll pop after 3 licks! Ruffems said That might explain why I failed the NR test when I took it, all those years ago: I had already been an EMT for some years, and somewhat set in my ways.

Another case of "How is your wife and my kid?"

It is my hope that everyone comes to the realization, that any ambulance service, even non transporting first responders, as well as non 9-1-1 ambulance service providers, are part of the Emergency Medical Service SYSTEM! Everyone has a part to play, as witnessed by the assortment of services, even out of their jurisdictions, that responded to the Golden Venture, the bombing of the parking garage at the World Trade Center, the September 11th Attack on the WTC, and American Airlines Flight 587's crash into my neighborhood. These are the ones known to me, and I feel sure that other longtimers have their own recollections of a multi-agency and jurisdictional response to some local "Big One" in their backyard.

I was not expecting that. Mayor Bloomberg did use the wording I quoted, but was not fully quoted in...what is that, a publication of, from and/or by the beer-making industry? My only issue with the item shown is, the Rockaways is a part of Queens County, New York City, and not Brooklyn (Kings) County, New York City. I am a "lifer" in the Rockaways, and do not remember the peninsula moving across Jamaica Bay/Rockaway Inlet to physically join my Brooklyn neighbors. Furthermore, it is a small part of an ongoing problem, that of a beach front community where, during the summer swimming season, the lifeguards go off duty at 6 PM, while the homeowners might still be in transit heading home. Local politicians and activists are trying to get the rules changed, and monies made available, to have lifeguards available to at least 8 PM. Current rules are, the water closes at 6, the sand at 10, and, in those areas where there is one, the boardwalks close at midnight. Bicycling on the boardwalk is forbidden after 9 AM, when the water is supposed to be open, but, this year as in the last 10 years, there are many beaches closed due to no lifeguards (They also claim that we have nesting Piping Plovers, a Federally protected species of shore bird we are not allowed to approach). Is that what we paid for, when we bought these houses and homes, but commute to "the city"(Manhattan), to pay for them, and the associated city taxes? My apologies, I am ranting on local Queens County New York City Community Board 14 issues, in an international forum. Sorry for the hijack of the string.

There are areas where that is the policy, but there are areas where whatever ambulance is the nearest, from that service, will handle whatever call comes in first, dependant as to the call's priority.

This may be off topic a bit. In past years, I have seen officers of the NYPD, following directives for beach usage, randomly stopping families and groups carrying coolers, and having them open the coolers. If there's no alcohol, the officers wish them a good day, and allow them to proceed to the beach (no glass containers, they break, they become a foot cut hazard), but they either arrest anyone trying to bring alcohol, usually beer, or make them dump it in front of them, before wishing them a good day and proceeding to the beach. The people are getting off either the "A" train at Beach 116/Rockaway Park Station, or the "Q53" bus, only yards from that subway stop. They are coming to the beach from either "the city" (Manhattan), Brooklyn, or what I refer to as "inland", meaning the main body of Queens, from the other side of Jamaica Bay. Obviously, they are not going to be driving, they took public transportation. If they clean up after themselves, I don't see any problem, but that is the NYC Parks Department rules, no alcohol to be consumed in a city park. UNFAIR AND UNEQUAL ENFORCEMENT: The "No Alcohol" rules are heavily enforced at the beach in Rockaway, lightly enforced in Coney Island, and the Mayor has been photographed at concerts in Central Park, drinking wine. When called about that, Mayor Bloomberg "explained" it by saying, and this is a direct quote, "Nobody ever drowned in a Tuba!"

I have vague memories of visibility testing being done by the California State Highway Patrol (yes, the "CHiPs"), so if someone with them would care to respond, I am sure all would appreciate it.

Would somebody spell out what IFT translates to? Thank you. There are areas of the US, where "Privates", under contract to a geopolitical area, provide both Emergency as well as non-emergent ambulance service. The often discussed, and by some, maligned, "Mother, Jugs, and Speed" movie, was about 2 such ambulance service providers, "F&B", and "Unity", in competition with each other for a Los Angeles district's contract for both such services, once you got away from the jokes within the movie. Neither could handle the case load, and the district authorities were about to go to another service provider, when the owners of the 2 companies, on the spot, decided to merge, which was acceptable to the district authorities.

I will mention, without identifying the agency, a VFD where I have friends (That's just about every VFD in Brooklyn and Queens Counties in New York City), an officer there told me someone from "The State" (no specification as to if it was an EMS or Firematic State agency) paid a visit, and ordered them to open their soda machine, to verify there was no beer in it. The agency complied, and no beer was found. A month earlier, I had been offered a beer by that officer, and he purchased said beer from that very soda machine (I declined the offer, I was driving that evening)!

WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL ME? lol

Oh, my, I forgot to mention "Turnpikes" in my listing of limited access roadways. Most of them on the east coast of the United States, leastwise the ones I know, are toll roads, you pay by what plaza you came on, and what plaza you leave the roadway.

No offence intended to the neighbors to my Northern border, but that sounds like a Canadian thing. Or, something involving the New Joisey Toinpyke!

Peninsula Volunteer Ambulance Corps (1973-1996) was NO alcohol on premises, except authorized social events, and then it was bottled or canned beer. Policy was, No alcohol consumption 12 hours prior to being on duty, and it was enforced. I had to send a personnel home one time, as he reported for duty drunk, and the corps threw him out. Now, as for my actual paid employment, under New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation EMS, and after the merger, the FDNY EMS, policy was, and is, no alcohol on department property, even closed container storage. They find a closed 6-pack in the locker, the person is in a heap of trouble, even if it is for consumption after work, and the individual is going into their 3 day "Pass Days" (regular days off, alternating 5 days on, 2 off, 5 more days on, and 3 off). You don't want to know what they did to the captain (from another house, thank goodness!), in whose desk they found a bottle of Johnny Walker Black. I have a 7 person van, so I end up being a designated driver. When I am going to be parked for a couple of days, as in vacation, or a convention, I never drink closer than 18 hours before I know I will be behind the wheel again, either a company vehicle, or my POVan. (God help the intox co-worker or friend who throws up in my Venture Van!)

Last time I had something like that, I can at least mention what triggered remembrance of the dreams (visions?). I had an updated dream of being caught in a tsunami at the Atlantic Ocean end of my street. Yes, I said updated: the new nightmare had houses unbuilt at the time of the original dream, as well as a 1990s Good Humor Ice Cream truck, instead of, from when I was maybe 7 years old, the empty lots and 1950s Good Humor Ice Cream truck. The updated dream happened after the world and I were seeing the videos of the Christmas Day Tsunami in the Indian Ocean.

Us "east coasters" have freeways, thruways, parkways and expressways. All are "limited access" roadways, so what are you going on about, JPINFV? And I'll ask the inevitable question: Why do we drive on a Parkway, and park in the driveway? (Ah, Language: Can't live with it, can't live without it)

I have heard of the CERTs, and didn't know what they teach. As for packing a backpack, and each partner carries the others, this is dangerous, as, for example, I carry a lot, my partner carries not too much, I end up with a couple pounds, the partner gets practically a portable emergency room. Unless the agency issues the backpacks, with minimum equipment and supply lists what goes in them, potential for inequalities on the bag weights is kind of high, in my opinion.

Those who know me, know I speak often of the girl I almost married, but for that one insurmountable hurdle: When I asked her to marry me, she said "no". She displayed some ESP (Extra Sensory Perception) ability, and she is one of the folks I mentioned taught me how to do seances. She, herself, used to joke, as she was a kind of height-challenged person(5 foot 2?), that no one refer to her as a "Medium", as when she was out and about in the community, no one would mention her as the short medium at large. I maintain 2 files on my memory sticks, one about her, the other about the seances, and, again, only by e-mail request, will I send them out. One is about 10 pages (today!), the other is 5, so only by request, with EMT City mentioned in the subject line, otherwise I may reject the e-mail unread. Oh, yeah, nearly forgot, previously posted somewhere here, I had an episode of deja vu, and had also mentioned that a crew member of my VAS predicted, by a few hours, the crash of United Air Lines flight 66, which crashed on final approach to JFK Airport in June of 1975, killing 113 persons.

I've had a number of patients, Emotionally Disturbed Patients all, try to tell me that they were the reincarnation of Jesus of Nazareth, calling on God to strike the NYPD Officers in attendance, as well as my partner and myself, down. However, I used to dabble in seances, and, ONLY on request, I will send you an E-mail with the attachment of the story. If you ask for it, put EMT City into the subject line. Richard B, the EMT (known on the CB Radio as "the Witchdoctor") RCBtheEMT@aol.com