Richard B the EMT

Ladies and gentlemen, may I infer that, due to reasons of security, that we not publish any frequencies we use, on this forum? Let Mr. ben Ladin people get them in another way. I also made this request in the old board. A thought just occurred to me: Someone who becomes familiar with your agency protocols, might set up a frequency triggered "secondary device" that your radio transmissions could activate, at the so called "safe" staging areas of an attack MCI.

Allowing for a faulty memory on my part, I think most "normal day" criminal activity stopped, or at least slowed down, in New York City, in the 48 hours following the collapse of the Trade Center. Also, the "General Population" referred to is not the general population of the US., I think it means the no-special treatment prisoners in jail, i.e. not in solitary or suicide watch areas, Evil as some of these "bad boys" are, like drug traffickers and murderers, they probably also want a piece of the 20th hijacker! It might be the only time the "Bloods," "Crips," "Latin Kings," "Aryan Nation," "Nation of Islam," and any other prison gangs might cooperate with each other. Everybody in New York City either lost someone or knows someone who lost someone at the Trade Center, the Pentagon, or on one of the hijacked jets, including those who are incarcerated.

A Gastroenterologist (spelling?) who did a procedure on me last week left a mark on me, a nasty looking infiltration from his third attempt to start my IV, which I still have. Hope your Ortho guy did better by you.

As per my schooling that "monkey" is still used as a racist derogatory term for people of African descent, may I suggest going with the phrases "automatic" skills or "mechanical" skills?

Try this one on for size: An elderly woman was found unconscious in an empty bathtub, head resting below a head sized hole in the tiles of the wall, her knees draped over the edge of the tub, and her body seems to be red all over. WTF? Home care attendant doesn't speak much if any English (Russian speaker?). Due to the tiny space in the bathroom, we got her out of the room with a carry chair, with the Lieutenant, who is a Paramedic, along on the call holding stabilization of the neck and spine. We then did a backboard immobilization, and make the determination that she fell backwards into the tub, put the back of her head through the wall, and got over 70 percent 1st and 2nd degree burns to her thighs, torso, and chest, from the hot water in the tub, which the home care attendant had drained, prior to our arrival. Again, due to space considerations, we had to tilt the backboard on the wheeled stretcher to fit into the tiny elevator (we were on the 20th floor, by the way), which took several minutes. When we got downstairs, we discovered one of our Paramedic teams on scene, who had been called by the Lieutenant. Seems while checking the apartment while we struggled to get into the elevator, he had found meds for diabetes, and wanted the medics to start IV therapy. We ended up, with ALS established, and aboard my ambulance, transporting to the nearest Trauma AND Burn Center, which was in Nassau County, outside of New York City! We still don't know if the diabetes caused her to initially pass out and fall, or if she slipped, hit her head, and went unconscious.

The story told is, the first time they were used in NYC, as an ALS Only Paramedic protocol, the patient responded as they were supposed to, to the application and inflation. However, when the patient was brought into the Bellevue Hospital, not knowing what they were, a Resident in the ER said, "OK, let's check him out," and before the Paramedics could stop him, cut with scissors into the MAST. As the Mast was the original design, that of one compartment, and not the 3 of the contemporary ones, it instantly deflated, and the patient's BP crashed. Unknown if the patient survived. A derisive joke then became known in EMS: If a FMG (foreign medical graduate) approached an inflated MAST with scissors in hand, that was the only time any EMS crews were allowed to tackle that doctor to the floor.

The Firefighters amongst us will tell you, most times, a camera is no good, as the smoke is so thick, one cannot see their hand from in front of their face. Also, most movies and TV shows show the firefighters either kneeling, or standing up, when doing an "interior attack". My friends in firefighting tell me, simply, NO WAY, it's too hot, they're usually crawling on the floor, as the temperature is going to be much cooler down there. Plus, reading the sample "Learn not to burn" literature, there's probably more breathable Oxygen near the floor than even at a foot above that floor.

"EMERGENCY," from back in the 1970s, was a show about one of the first Fire Fighter/Paramedic programs in the US, that of the Los Angeles County Fire Department. We followed the adventures, and some of the misadventures, of "FF/PM Johnny Gage" and "FF/PM Roy DeSoto" of LACoFD Rescue 51, and the men (and Basset Hound mascot "Hank") of Engine 51, as they attempted to save lives, both medically, and in Fire Suppression/Rescue modes. It was what brought a lot of us (myself included) into the EMS field. Pursuant to another string about an EMS supervisor who transported a patient in the back of a pickup, "EMERGENCY" did show 2 episodes where patient transport was done in other than an ambulance or USCG Helicopter. In one, they transported a patient in a stokes basket on top of the Rescue during a forest fire, and in the other, after the ambulance was involved in a crash, with a critical patient who couldn't wait for a backup ambulance, again in a stokes, was transported along the (in)famous LA Freeway system, on top of the hose bed of Engine 51, actually hanging the IV from the "Deck Gun" water cannon!

I wasn't on this one, but everyone EMS involved was from my "house". 47Boy3 (BLS) and 47Willie3 (ALS) get called to the Coast Guard Station for a Cardiac Arrest, but on arrival are told to Grab gear, and get onto an NYPD Harbor Patrol Launch. Seems someone having a problem on an ocean liner that just left New York harbor. After a half hour boat trip, the 4 EMS crewmen, and at least one of the Harbor Patrolmen, climb up a ship's ladder, on a liner that is still underway, about 5 stories up just to get into the ship. They were escorted to the ship's infirmary, where they are shown a patient suffering from a cardiac condition. The decision was made to request a Medivac. An NYPD Aviation chopper, due to not enough space to land, has to send down the cable, and pull up both the patient, in a stokes basket, and then one of the 2 paramedics (photos are still posted on the "house" walls), and transported them to a hospital in New Jersey. The other 3 EMS crewmen, the NYPD Harbor Patrolman, and the patient's wife, had to climb back down to the Harbor Launch, and then go to a dock somewhere near the NJ hospital to drop off the wife, and then return the EMS guys to the Rockaway USCG Station, where the Paramedic who didn't go into the helo picked up the ambulance, went across the bridge to Brooklyn and the NYPD Aviation base, and picked up his partner. This pretty much took up the entire 8 hours of the 2 crew's tour. Thinking back on this, over 2 years later, I just realized, the Paramedic who flew is a licensed pilot, and the other a former "Squid" (member of the US Navy) who enjoyed the time on the PD launch. Both are now Lieutenants, one from just after the described incident, and the other is only days out of "Lieutenant's School".

I've heard some of my supervisors say that those are the way to stop most public housing projects problems. For the uninformed, the MOAB is the "Massive Ordnance Air Burst" bomb, of which I don't know if it is a bigger "boom" than the Daisy Cutter bomb, also a large conventional (non Atomic or Nuclear) explosive. From what I have read, the MOAB is so big, it physically can't be carried in a B-52 StratoFortress Bomber, or a B-1-B "Stealth" bomber, instead, it has to be dropped like a pallet of supplies from a C-130 (or is that the C-150?) Hercules cargo plane. Supposedly, it is called the "Poor Man's 'A' Bomb." The MOAB was the bomb dropped, first on the African town, and then on the stricken American town, with the Ebola (spelling?) Virus, in the Dustin Hoffman movie, "Outbreak."

Going back to the horses for a moment: I've only been on a horse one time. It was nice, but I've never done it again. Now, due to injuries suffered in the years after the ride, I'm afraid for what's left of me, to go up again. Looks kind of like I'm stuck in the pony cart, now.

Sorry, no. I'm watching "Law and Order" on NBC, not "CSI:NY" on CBS.

This was already posted in the EMS Songs string on this site, but here goes anyway. Gives you an idea... I wish I could take credit for this one, but it isn't mine. Some years ago, a group of EMS instructors got together, when they declared that there weren't any EMS "Country/Western" songs, and, with the cooperation of some studio musicians, created an album called "The EMS Country Express." I can't locate my copy, but I wrote down the words to this song from that album before the tape went missing. Is this what your supervisor goes through with you and your colleagues? The Ringmaster (author unknown) OK, ladies and gentlemen, lets get down to this critique. I've looked at the reports, Seems we've had a busy week! Now, right away I'd like to say some words about supplies. Our inventory's pretty decent, and I realize Sometimes you need an item for use in your own pack, But whoever took the defibrillator had better put it back! Now while I'm on equipment, and I've mentioned it before, Before you leave the bay make sure your rig will clear the door. As you know, we've ordered a new cot for unit 6, 'Cause once those things have been run over, they're impossible to fix! Sometimes I feel like the ringmaster in the circus. Sometimes I feel like I'm the keeper in the zoo. If things don't change, I'll go insane before the year is through. I wish that I could trade in this entire crew! Now, the Mayor has cut our budget, and though revenge is on our minds, Last week at his party you stepped too far out of line. I guarantee that someone here will surely get the sack If I find out which one of you spiked the punch with ipecac! And, it seems we're getting sued again, I'm sorry to report, But if you wouldn't stop while on a run you could keep us out of court! It's nice to hear that you asked the patient if he liked his coffee black, But no more stopping at the Donut Store with someone dying in the back! My doctor tells me that I can't take this much longer. He says my heart just cannot take the strain. If I could, I know that I should get out just the same, 'Cause if my heart holds out, I'm sure to go insane! A note here for the gentlemen: You gotta think before you act. Some patients are quite sensitive, so try to use some tact. When a woman asks you why a chest survey is being done, Tell her that "It's necessary," and NOT "Because it's fun!" Last of all, our protocols leave no room for debate: The patient must be fully unconscious BEFORE you incubate! OK, I hope you got that down. I hope enough's been said. And, I hope I never hear of these things happening again! I must relax, 'cause I can't let this job get to me A first attack I believe I could survive, The ER's good, the doctors there could treat and stabilize, but I can't trust this crew to get me there alive! Sometimes I feel like the ringmaster in the circus. Sometimes I feel like I'm the keeper in the zoo. If things don't change, I'll go insane before the year is through. I wish that I could trade in this entire crew!

We had a lot of discussion of the Polyheme on the old board. Until and unless some of the folks previously posted there answer you here, all I can recommend is to work your favorite search engine.

In the last 7 or so years, I don't think I've seen the paramedics I work with use anything but pads, even with paddles equipped defibs.

No way! Even a backpack nuke is way too powerful for the need, besides, the shock wave will break glass for a good distance, with people being cut by the shards. Can you spell "MCI?"

OK, I'll raise you your EMP (Electro Magnetic Pulse, for the uninformed), with a Phaser rifle (I'm a Star Trek fan). As for cars refusing to move for you, I saw, in my rearview mirror, someone being ticketed for just that. The cops saw her refuse to move out of my ambulance's way. There are some systems that will record the forward view from the windshield, which save the last 15 seconds when detecting a collision, otherwise it keeps recording over and over. They ought to set it up with a selective switch to record those vehicles which won't move.

I would like to hear why the gang-bangers know where the backboards are. If not here, set up an e-mail attachment to send to those who want to know, like me. Definitely sounds like a "swattin' flies while swappin' lies" situation, and I like stories.

For something like that, I'd document on the call report, that, due to the short transport time, I was unable to fully reevaluate the patient. I would also treat (and document) whatever I'd found during the time available.

Gilk, I'm not trying to provoke a fight, but being assigned to the ambulance is punishment? There are departments out there, where going to the Engines and Ladders from the Ambulances is "advancement," others feel going from "fire suppression" to "EMS" is the leg up. Then, there are those departments that play everything on a more or less even playing field, something like at specified periods in a monthly period, everyone will spend time on suppression, and then on EMS. In the FDNY, you're mission specific, you're either a Firefighter, or an EMS crew person. We aren't cross-trained. BUT... no matter which you do, EMS, "Suppression," or cross-trained and available to both, I know when the call comes in, you'll do the right thing, AND do it well!

FDNY EMS crews are taught to "Awareness" level. Some, like, I think, BKone, are trained higher, as they are on "Haz-Tek" units. BKone, want to follow up on this one?

Those of us working in or near New York City have been seeing reports on TV, showing "upper-middle" management types using city vehicles equipped with lights and siren, and using them (the L&S) without having an emergency to respond to, simply to get thru NYC's infamous traffic jams, and to work on time. While, politically, I don't usually agree with Mayor Michael Bloomberg, I agree with him removing these persons from these assigned city vehicles, and putting them onto public transportation, like the majority of taxpayers who are paying these folks' salaries.

Started in 1973 overall involvement with ambulance work. Indicated below, showing base of ops for each service. Except for the first one listed, and the municipal service, all are private proprietary non 911 service providers. Peninsula Volunteer Ambulance Corps, Rockaway Peninsula, Queens County NY, (1973-1996) (Unpaid service) Empire Oxygen Ambulance Service & Medical Supply Company, Brooklyn, NY (1975-1975) Holmes Ambulance Service, Brooklyn, NY (1975-1978) Midwood Ambulance/Ambulette and Medical Supply Service, Brooklyn, NY (1978-1978) Taylor Ambulance Service, New York, NY (1978-1980) Nassau Ambulance/Ambulette Service (division Di-Jer Corporation), Nassau County, NY (1980-1985) New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation Emergency Medical Service, Maspeth, NY (1985-1996) (Municipal) Fire Department New York Emergency Medical Service (following merger of NYC HHC EMS into FDNY, 03-17-96), Brooklyn, NY (1996-?) (Municipal)

What about the calls at the Nursing Home, less than 100 feet from the ER? I don't think you can have a shorter time from departing scene to ER arrival times, and several ERs have some extended care facilities that close or closer.

Uh, what is a "Day Off?" It's been so long, I've forgotten. (LOL)