Richard B the EMT

Only seen in catalogs, and an article I cannot reference, indicating the device was created when some guy attempted using a bathroom plunger on his Dad to do CPR, and was definitely almost 25 years ago, if memory serves. Believe it or not, he allegedly got ROSC! The guy actually wanted to legislate a plunger becoming manditory equipment on ambulances, too!

The church is actually OLD news. Version I heard was, they wanted to rebuild on the same site, but were denied permission (don't recall by whom) to rebuild to the original size. They literally were being downsized.

NYC EMS experimented with MOPEDS for the 1980 Transit Authority strike. I can state that traffic was severely disrupted, as it took me almost an hour to drive from one side of my base hospital to the other, a task that, before the strike, took 3 minutes. PS: I was not yet in the 9-1-1 EMS, but was in an IFT service.

FMC164, sounds like me, a bit, missing seeing the world through that big picture window, with the steering wheel in front of it. Difference is, I'm retired but maintaining my EMT cert.

I found a trick that works, at least some of the time. Close your eyes for a moment, take a deep breath, remind yourself that you are there to do a job, open your eyes, and do it. Afterwards, nobody will question you going to the toilet and barfing your brains out.

Part of the theory behind MotorMedics is, they can get down otherwise traffic blocked streets, or jump onto sidewalks for the same reason.

My friends who study weather tell me that there is no such thing as "Tornado speed" winds. A Tornado is a very specific type of storm artifact, which can generate a concentrated wind funnel, "cyclonic" in nature, from a hundred feet to over a mile in area, which travels along at speeds no man can outrun, or even some fast horses. The winds of the tornado can range from 100 to an estimated 300 MPH, distroying any structure in it's path. There have been storms studied, where, instead of cyclonic action, it was just a straight wind, as distructive as a tornado. There is, however, Hurricane force winds, which is wind moving at least 74 Miles Per Hour. Puerto Rico is threatened by a storm that might actually end up being a hurricane, as I type this. Just for examples, may I suggest you do some lookups at Youtube.com? On a small sidenote, just the darkness suddenly on the crowd, and the winds heard in the video link you supplied, is frightening.

Check out any online articles about the FDNY and the courts on allegation of minority candidates not getting in. Just throwing that out there.

Different direction for me. Almost all of my municipal EMS time was 16 to 2400, and I ended up not wanting overtime, due to my finding out I had Acute Sleep Apnea, and needing my CPAP machine. During the 1996 Blizzard in NYC, figuring, correctly, that I'd get stranded at the EMD, I brought the CPAP along with me. Still lost sleep, as one jerk kept coming into the room, and shining a flashlight into my face to show others "that thing on the B-man's face". (Update: Of course, that jerk is now a lieutenant!) Forgot to mention, I was assigned to the EMD as a call taker.

1) Going to bed doesn't equate going to sleep. 2) I have heard of some people taking certain prescribed meds, as per Medical order, who end up being sleep walkers. One ended up having driven her car over 40 miles before crashing into a local home's wall near me, the other, drove only a few blocks before crashing. Some of these "sleep aids" have disclamors in their broadcast ads. 3) If you find yourself with lost time periods, wether or not they are sleep deprevation related, time to get seen by your primary care physician.

FDNY EMS crews are requested to get the SS #. I always tried getting it in situations where nobody but my partner and the person we asked for the number are within earshot. If they declined, I documented they declined, without any explaination as to why, and continued with my business.

Luck of the draw. Never had either, over 38 years. I did, however, see anoter crew bring in a stabbing victim, knife still in the chest, quivering with each heartbeat. Patient was a gangbanger, made it clear to the LEOs he'd handle the situation on his getting out of the ER. Was also filmed by one of the EMS "Ride-Along" shows, who were inside the ER with yet a third crew on another assignment. This was at Lincoln Hospital, Bronx NY, in the late 1980s or early 1990s. Forgive my manners: WELCOME!

Every couple of years, "Motorcycle Medics" seems to come forward as a "new" idea. As indicated in the string, some areas have been using them for years, as "routine" part of call responses. Other areas use them for Special Events. I know a few agencies use bicycles, but, again, specifically for Special Event coverage. Because one member of a department has his own horse, he actually responds to incidents at the special events on his equine! There's an ALS "Special Events/Non Transport" group near me, uses "Segway" units, which is by special permission, as Segways are illegal within NYC. Back to the bicycles: The groups I know of that use them, are members of the national group of LEOs who use bicycles for regular patrol, as not to be so obvious when approaching the "bad guys" plying their trade, so to speak.

For something like Autism to be a problem, first, it has to be recognized as a problem. Hence, if Autism first gets a diagnostic recognition at the same time as problems from childhood vaccinations, possibly, there is a connection. (I don't have the information to argue this point on this specific either pro or con) Then, Science Fiction is taking the existing state of science, and taking an educated guess where it's going to be going in the future. Star Trek predicted, in 1966, we'd be on the moon in 1969. With Dick Tracy's "Wrist Radios" in the 1930s, a cartoonist predicted that the LEOs would all have a 2 way portable radio strapped to their hip circa 1970. In the 1950s, there was a Sci-Fi dream of a ray gun could temporarily paralyze someone without killing them; indeed, the "Thomas A. Swift Electric Rifle" may have been inspiration for the TASER (speculation exixts as to the naming of the weapon after the Sci-Fi device). Who can tell? In a few years, Dr. McCoy's Medical Scanner Tricorder may be invented, and be mandatory equipment on the ambulance.

Oops, sorry about my doubleposting. Computer error.

Someone showed me a "behind the scenes" video from the "COPS" show, where 2 Police vehicles ran into each other while responding to a "hot" assignment. Both had "Ride-Along" videographers aboard! At least the 4 LEOs and the 2 cameramen were not hurt, and were cracking bad jokes back and forth about it.

Pax, as I understand it, is Latin for "Peace". As for within aviation, when JFK Airport activates the "ringdown" line to FDNY EMS Command EMD, the aircraft is described as, crew and passengers alike, with so many "Souls" aboard. I would presume that a pilot, like a ground EMS ambulance crew, has to, for self preservation, go with a "Me first" attitude. One has to know the limitations of their vehicle, be it Chevy or Beechcraft, themselves, and their partners. Attempting to extend too far past those limitations can prove fatal.

A mention re 9-11 Memorial Services at "Ground Zero": Due to the construction of the new World Trade Center, space has become such a consideration, especially with President Obama also attending, that, apparently only family members of those who died will be allowed in, by invitation. Members of the FDNY, FDNY EMS Command, other EMS service providers, and the Hardhat Construction people, reportedly, will have their 9-11 ceremony on a different day. Say WHAT!!!??!?! A Different Day? News Item from a few hours ago: The then acting Governor of the State of New Jersey was originally denied a ticket to attend, but at the insistance of the current New Jersey Governor, New York City (New York State) Mayor Mike Bloomberg relented, and the previous NJ Governor will attend. The "Ground Zero/World Trade Center" site is owned by the New York (state)/New Jersy (state) Port Authority, under the control of both state governors. New Jersey Governor Chris Christy is now on record as saying Mayor Bloomberg is too controlling. (Please forgive any spelling errors, as my spellcheck is down.) A mention re 9-11 Memorial Services at "Ground Zero": Due to the construction of the new World Trade Center, space has become such a consideration, especially with President Obama also attending, that, apparently only family members of those who died will be allowed in, by invitation. Members of the FDNY, FDNY EMS Command, other EMS service providers, the NYPD, and the Port of New York and New Jersey Police Department, and the Hardhat Construction people, reportedly, will have their 9-11 ceremony on a different day. Say WHAT!!!??!?! A Different Day? News Item from a few hours ago: The acting Governor of the State of New Jersey on 9-11-2001, was originally denied a ticket to attend, but at the insistance of the current New Jersey Governor, New York City (in New York State) Mayor Mike Bloomberg relented, and the previous NJ Governor will attend. The "Ground Zero/World Trade Center" site is owned by the New York (state)/New Jersy (state) Port Authority, under the control of both state governors. New Jersey Governor Chris Christy is now on record as saying Mayor Bloomberg is too controlling. (Please forgive any spelling errors, as my spellcheck is down.)

Repeating the question, what community or department on Long island? My 6 digit EMT number starts 021***. While I'm on this string, let me say I started my almost 38 year career with 26 years on a community based Volunteer Ambulance Corps, overlapping 10 years private (non 9-1-1) Inter-Facility Transfer ambulance service, and 25 years Municipal 9-1-1 Service. Welcome Aboard the EMT City! (Please forgive any misspellings, as my spellcheck is down.)

Paramedic Mike and ERDoc both make valid points. If NYPD Aviation is requested for a Medivac by FDNY EMS Command, procedure used to be as follows (no idea if this is still the protocol, but was 5 years ago, anyway): 1) Sending hospital doctor in charge of the case contacts EMD (Emergency Medical Dispatch) on duty Tour Commander with request. 2) Tour Commander contacts On Line Medical Control doctor, who landline confrences with both sending and recieving facility Doctors. OLMC Dr. advises the Tour Commander if they feel it to be a medical nessesity or not. If yes... 3) EMD Tour Commander contacts NYPD Aviation on duty Tour Commander of need. 4) Aviation Tour Commander confers with Helo pilot as to any conditions that the pilot feels threatened by (weather related low visibility, wind gusts, snow, lightning). 5) Pilot is responsible for helo and all aboard (duh!), has final say. If yes... 6) EMD notified, puts assignment "into the system" (Computer Assisted Dispatch system, and FDNY EMS ground units are assigned to both sending and recieving LZs (if helipad is not on hospital grounds, EMS ground crew will transfer the patient from sending facility to the LZ). 7) EMT or Paramedic riding as "Tech" accompanies the patient in the Helo to the recieving LZ, transfers care either to 2nd EMS Ground Crew, or to the recieving hospital's ER, who is already notified they're recieving a Medivac. 8) Tech either will either await arrival of partner with the ambulance at recieving facility, or will be flown to the NYPD Aviation Base, where the driving partner will meet up, and then go back to their normal response area and resume the tour. 9) EMT or Paramedic driving the ambulance will be directed by EMD to respond, with NO lights and siren, to either the recieving hospital, or the NYPD Aviation Base, to "recover" the partner, return to their normal response area, and resume their tour. <10) If the recovery of the flown "tech" will delay the next tour's using the ambulance significantly, the driving tech might be instructed by EMD to return to their station, and the local field supervisor near the Aviation base (out of either Kings County or Coney Island Hospital) will recover the flown "tech" and bring them back to their station (easy overtime for that tech when that happens). Otherwise, the next crew goes out in a spare vehicle, and both of the "late call" crew earn the easy overtime while returning to their base.>

How big were the Medivac Helo crews? The TV depiction I referenced was a pilot and one Paramedic. Oh, by the way, if the NYPD runs a Medivac flight, it is usually the pilot, an observer, and an EMT or Paramedic borrowed from a ground ambulance accompanying the patient. Most of the Medivac flights I have seen, or heard about, using an NYPD helo, a ground ambulance crew was usually already on the scene, or bringing the patient to the aircraft. This included the rare IFT flights from some hospital's heli-pad, to another, "specialty" hospital. OK editing problem. Standard NYPD crew is a pilot, and an observer.

"Genevive" actually said that to "Collin", on today's episode of "The Young and the Restless", a "soap opera" on the CBS TV network. ...and UglyEMT? Thanks for the translation.

Addendum: Almost 38 years experience, 23 years volunteer ambulance service, which overlapped 10 years on 5 IFT Private (non 9-1-1) ambulance services, and 25 years municipal EMS (splitting 11 years in a hospital based service, 14 in a Fire Department based service). Current status is medically retired (bad back and knees, so I no longer can safely lift without risk to me, my partner, or the patient), but EMT-Basic is active, as already mentioned, until 2015.

2C4, could you provide a link to "Anderson Wheel"? Thanks.

I just remembered something. Under NYS DoH and FDNY protocols, if unable to "get" a pulse distal to an angulated fracture, as in one where you know the limb don't bend THERE, as being the only time, and as a one shot only deal, EMTs and Paramedics are allowed to attempt reducing the angle of a fracture, otherwise, we are to attempt to splint it as it lies.