Richard B the EMT

I'd be dropping something else into my underwear.

Bloomberg, supported by a number of members of the New York City Council, already has given a one finger salute to the people of the city. We voted for "Term Limits", restricting city elected officials to 2 four year terms, which was why Rudy Giuliani, Bloomberg's predecessor, was not allowed to run again. They conspired and voted against the will of the people, and changed the law back, and ran again. Shockingly, the bastards won reelection. "Mayor Mike" has also gone on the record that he doesn't aspire to higher office. He also is on record for the inequal enforcement of the law, specifically, my home community is a public beach under the NYC Department of Parks. Their rules prohibit consumption of alcohol, such as beer or wine, on park grounds. As I am usually the designated driver anyway, this doesn't really affect me. However, "Bloomy" has attended various concerts in Central Park, at which both beer and wine were served. NYPD LEOs were at both, and either arrested the offenders, or poured out the alcoholic beverages...in Rockaway. In Central Park, not one action was taken against the drinkers. His comment to the inequality of Rockaway Peninsula residents drinking on the beach versus Central Park event attendees was, "Nobody ever drowned in a Tuba". As in Herbie1's statement, he DOESN"T care what people think. JPINFV added a comment while I was still typing. Eminent Domain itself has come into question. It is one thing to condemn a neighborhood, to allow the construction of an interstate highway, hopefully to the benefit and betterment of all. Robert Moses did that from the 1930s to the early 1960s. However, recently, some community used Eminent Domain to condemn a bunch of private houses, to put up some "Big Box" store. Instead of for the public good, this was for private industry. I think I heard that this case is supposed to go to the US Supreme Court. (Sorry, I am forgetful as to which community, and which store.)

Glad to know there's still a few long timers like us, who were in the caddylances, and still around.

First, take deep slow breaths. Tell your partner what they probably already figured out, that you're new, and ask their guidance so you don't mess up, then follow their suggestions. Also, when posting, watch those typo errors, one got by you indicating just how nervous you are, as you enter that first 24 hour shift. Don't worry, we don't bite. Too Hard, anyway. Welcome aboard EMT City, and into our crazy EMS world.

On June 3rd, 1993, around 2300 hours local time, a "tramp" freighter ship, named the "Golden Venture", was deliberately run aground at Fort Tilden, Gateway National Recreation Area, Rockaway Peninsula, Queens County NYC, NY. Her cargo? 310 would be illegal immigrants, mostly from Fujian Provence, China. After being on the "Venture" for months, they siezed the ship, and simply aimed for the lights on shore. 10 died in the water. I was a part of at least 600 assorted LEO, FD, and EMS personnel who responded 299 persons were seized by an impromptu task force of United States Park Police, the NYPD, US Coast Guard, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE), FBI, and unarmed security personnel from the Breezy Point Cooperative (a private, gated community next to the old fort). One refugee escaped, and as far as I know, is still at large. The rest were farmed out to federal detention centers up and down the US East Coast, to await hearings re them being released into the US. It took about 5 years to get through them all. One who was sent back to China was found a few years later on another illegal immigrant boat, and after 2 years of processing, WAS allowed entry.

Please don't put words in my mouth, thank you. I posted something that made me, in my own eyes, seem like some kind of fool, and removed it a minute later, as not to be offensive to either the EMS or Fire Fighting side of the FDNY, my employer. Better thought of as a fool, than open one's mouth and remove all doubt. Besides, while after the merger of EMS into the FDNY, sometimes relations can still get tenuous, even after 14 years, and I am from the first EMS/FF "Combined House" in NYC (Eng 265, Tower Ladder 121, Battalion Chief 47, EMS supervisor "Conditions 47", BLS 47Adam, 47Boy 47Charlie, 47David, 64Adam, Paramedic 47Willie, and Paramedic Haz-Tec 47Zebra).

Re posting #4: Too cool for school?

From the FDNY's Newsletter, "Inside the FDNY" One of the Busiest Days in a Decade for EMS As the temperatures rose on July 6, EMS members responded to 4,225 calls – a 20 percent increase in call volume. It is the fifth busiest day for EMS members since 2001, with only two days of the 2003 blackout and two New Years Eves recorded as more active. “Heat makes the call volume increase all the time,” said Assistant Chief of EMS John McFarland. “Heat definitely played a role here.” Of the July 6 calls, the Chief said 1,575 were life-threatening. Yet, despite the demand, EMS members had an average response time of 7 minutes and 9 seconds, only 23 seconds higher than normal. Because of the increased call volume, Chief McFarland said the Command added an extra 20 tours each day for EMS workers. They ask everyone to be mindful about calling 911 only when necessary, as to not tax the system with unnecessary responses. In warm temperatures people should wear loose-fitting, light-colored clothing and stay hydrated. FDNY members ask that everyone check on their elderly and disabled neighbors, and ensure they have a working air conditioner and cold beverages. July 6 and 7 also were busy days for firefighters. They responded to two five-alarm fires in Queens – each utilizing more than 200 members and 44 units – as well as a third-alarm in Queens and two second-alarm fires in the Bronx.

Torn meniscus, 1997. Laser arthroscopic surgery to correct. 2 separate additional injuries to same knee, Now developing Arthritis in same knee. I can predict bad weather, sometimes up to 72 hours before we see clouds in the sky, due to the discomfort from the lowering atmospheric pressure. By the way, Red, which beach?

Most of the private services in the NYC area are inter facility transfer type services. There's more chance of Emergency calls with the volunteers but ultimately, the choice of which to try and join belongs to our original poster.

A day? Probably. We have folks from both sides of the international date line.

I cannot check the veracity of the statements. I do, however, comment that it sounds a bit like the Angelina Jolie movie, "Salt".

Kind of like my "Life Member" status in my Volunteer Ambulance Corps. They "went under" 2 years later.

It brings to mind the old question of "How did we keep our feet on the ground, before the Laws Of Gravity were passed?"

If I was persevered as saying you didn't have any first aid training, oops, I did not say anything along those lines, as I was referring to my own training back 1973-1974. The instructors I have had, at this point of the skills testing, would either have you state " I now pass the application of pressure to the pressure point to my assistant...", and continue the testing with the bandaging and shock treatment, or they will say, "OK, you pass the application of pressure to the pressure point to your assistant...", and continue the testing. You'll know which, as the way they teach the skill is the way they test. The actual wording will be at the discretion of the class Instructor/Coordinator.

While I hope RuffEMS' associate fully recovered, I have to say in all my 37 years on the ambulances, and even having seen clumsy co-workers drive type one ambulances over them, I have never heard of a backboard breaking, let alone under the weight of a person. Wood boards needing sanding down for splinters, yes, but breaking?

Showing how times have changed, in 1974, the prerequisite for my NY State EMT class was the American Red Cross First Aid and ARC Advanced First Aid courses. Again, taking local protocols into account (NYS DoH and FDNY EMS) the pressure point and/or Tourniquet ARE what is controlling the bleeding. Remove them, and the bleeding usually starts up again, hence, the need for a Trauma Center ER or OR. The biggest problem I see with the application of pressure points is, in a multiple casualty Incident (MCI), it goes against the theory of using the few (EMS responders, all levels of training) for the best benefit of the many (all them injured folks laying on the ground). While my phrasing may be a bit tongue in cheek, the message is clear, I hope.

If you're in Flushing, there's the Flushing Community Volunteer Ambulance Corps, web page http://www.freewebs.com/fcvac/ Nobody gets paid, so don't count on any volunteer ambulance giving you anything except experience. As for going for the FDNY EMS Command, remember that they're looking more for Fire Fighters, even if they take you on as an EMT or Paramedic. Look up possible employment (getting paid!) at http://www.nyc.gov/html/fdny/html/home2.shtml

1) What is your age? 2) When did you get your drivers license? 3) Do you have a yellow pages to look up private ambulance services phone numbers to ask if they are hiring anyone without experience? 4) Don't restrict yourself to Queens, try Brooklyn or Manhattan. 5) Regrettably, you're going to run into my old mantra, of "Don't go in the water until you learn how to swim". 6) If you are able to, if only for the field experience, try an unpaid Volunteer Ambulance Service. PM me with your area of Queens, and I'll give you a couple of VAS names, possibly including one where you live. Welcome aboard, both to EMT City, and the ranks of NY State EMT-Bs living in NYC.

My nephew just sent me this via Face Book. Felt it needed inclusion into this string, as I went for it, hook line and sinker (view the tape, it's self explanitory for that mention)

"What does a dog do on it's day off? It can't lay around, that's it's JOB!" (George Carlin)

A "Stair Chair" is required equipment on any ambulance operating in the state of New York. FDNY EMS is in the process of field testing several brands of these chairs, as the current manufacturer is no longer making the model we've been using. All of the models being tested are with "tractor treads" to assist on staircases. I think we in NYC area started calling the carry chair a "stair chair", because the original name I learned was scaring the patients too much: a "Cardiac Chair"! Rules, as you know, are always changing. When I started 37 years ago, we were allowed to transport in the stair chairs. There were several types of devices to fasten an occupied chair to the floor. Now, the patients must either be laying on the stretcher, or seated on the "crew bench", seat belted in, in an appropriate manner. A bit more labor intensive, but I remember how the chairs swayed just during regular driving.

In the circles I travel in, the part of a BP Cuff that wraps around and inflates, is sometimes actually referred to as a tourniquet. As ER Doc infers, the use of any tourniquet is discouraged for treating epitaxis (nosebleeds).

Herbie, as you said, Dentists ARE included as part of the NIMS response, and things like identifying bodies via dental records is vital- albeit a secondary action in terms of mitigating a disaster. Dispatched secondary to NIMS is a mortuary unit, only I forget their agency "name". Could you, or anybody else, refresh my memory on that name or acronym?

I tried to make an appointment with my dentist, but he deferred, saying he had 18 cavities to fill. Then he picked up his golf bag and left. When I had the appointment, he had me in the chair, and he said "that's the biggest cavity I've ever seen, ever seen" "Doctor, why are you repeating yourself?" "I didn't. That was the echo from that cavity!"