Teenage EMTs - YouTube Video

[Dustdevil]

In the video it shows the girl changin into her uniform after getting that 'emergency call for that "suspected" heart attack :roll: '.

Whoa! It actually shows that? Is she hott?

This might be worth watching after all!

[spenac]

Whoa! It actually shows that? Is she hott?

This might be worth watching after all!

Hey Vivi....................................................................... :twisted:

[Asysin2leads]

1. In the video it shows the girl changin into her uniform after getting that 'emergency call for that "suspected" heart attack :roll: '. I dont like that idea. What if its a cardiac arrest? They jsut going to stand there and change and THEN respond? stupid. thats wasting time.

See, echo, I see it a different way. What if it is a heart attack? Hang on, I gotta get out of stupid lay public land, ahem, what if it is a true myocardial infarction? What exactly are these wunderkids going to do? Take a blood pressure? Apply oxygen? They're basics, they can't even do an EKG on the person. Except for the ride to the hospital, and maybe saving the triage nurse two to three seconds by having name, DOB, med list, and allergies, rushing out of class to go to this call neither benefits the patient, the provider, nor the community, in fact, it does a disservice by convincing the community they are getting proper care for emergencies.

And if its an arrest, by the time they're done changing the window for AED use will have gone the way of Britney Spear's hair.

[spenac]

i think i'll throw in my 2 cents.

1. I dont think that there is anything wrong with letting 16 year olds taking calls. Like the 'broacaster' said in the video...that kid is going to retake that biology quiz or whatever. they are not missing out on assignments. they still have the same 'homework' and 'workload' as other students do

2. These 16 year olds are EMT-B. Like the girl said in the video...they have the same amount of training. no more no less than others. they have took the course, they have passed their exams. they are EMT's.

3. In the video it shows that the male and the female leaving to take a call...the ambulance appears to be parked outside. I dont think that there 'service' area is very high . i dont thnk that they serve a huge community or anything...so its not that bad.

Cons:

1. In the video it shows the girl changin into her uniform after getting that 'emergency call for that "suspected" heart attack :roll: '. I dont like that idea. What if its a cardiac arrest? They jsut going to stand there and change and THEN respond? stupid. thats wasting time.

think of it this way: if you suffered a full arrest...do you want some 16 year old EMT's grabbing thei stuff...running down the halls... :roll: changing into their 'uniform' :roll: then responding? heck no. if they are going to wear uniforms (which they should) they should just wear them the whole day and deal with other kids making fun of them

*note* and if you say: "Well if its a cardiac arrest then they will just grab their clothes and change inside the ambulance while repsonding"....why dont they do that on every call to help improve their response times?

And a sidenote...it says that they always respond with an EMT that is of an older age. Does he/she just wait inside the ambulance for a call? Is it a EMT-Chase-Unit?

....just my two cents.

Echo thanks for your opinion. I think young people should be able to third ride. I do not think they should be one of the two primarys. Also they should never be allowed to drive, we see how idiotic the adults are when they play with lights and sirens.

[Echoburger]

What exactly are these wunderkids going to do? Take a blood pressure? Apply oxygen? They're basics, they can't even do an EKG on the person.

Of course they cant do an ECG on the pt. Can other EMT-B's do ECG? nope. they are doing all that they can within their SOP.

They are basics. Thats all they can do. What happens if it was a 35 year old EMT-B? S/He would do the same things. Getting a BP and administering o2 are important things espicially in a heart attack pt.

[Dustdevil]

Nine times out of ten, their patients would be better off with nothing but a ride to the hospital, with absolutely no medically trained personnel, and a driver with professional training and experience way beyond that of an EMT (of any age).

These kids are kidding themselves if they think they are really making any difference in their community beyond saving tax dollars to be used on mowing the grass at parks and emptying the trash at city hall. They're not. They're screwing themselves and their community, and are too stupid to even realise it.

[Kiwiology]

See, echo, I see it a different way. What if it is a heart attack? Hang on, I gotta get out of stupid lay public land, ahem, what if it is a true myocardial infarction? What exactly are these wunderkids going to do? Take a blood pressure? Apply oxygen? They're basics, they can't even do an EKG on the person. Except for the ride to the hospital, and maybe saving the triage nurse two to three seconds by having name, DOB, med list, and allergies, rushing out of class to go to this call neither benefits the patient, the provider, nor the community, in fact, it does a disservice by convincing the community they are getting proper care for emergencies.

And if its an arrest, by the time they're done changing the window for AED use will have gone the way of Britney Spear's hair.

Interesting, and I agree with your point there Asys but let me look at this another way. I'm at the 14 St subway station at rush hour, my Metcard won't work and my train is leaving. I have a heart attack, er, myocardial infarction. The good people at the FDNY will dispatch an ambulance to me.

The closest BLS unit is 06 Adam (CSL: 14th & 2nd Ave) so they kick off the bums who are hassling them for medical care having been annexed from the firehouse and light up the LED and speed to my locale.

Wait a minute... Adam is a BLS unit, same as the 16 year old Superkids in CT. They can only pull out the AED and await an ALS unit. Closest FDNY ALS is 6 Xray at E 23rd & 2nd Ave by the FDR. Too bad 6X only works from 6am until 2pm. If I code at 3pm well ALS looks like it'll be 7 Robert from W 34th and Avenue of the Ameircas which is even further uptown.

I don't see how the 16 year olds being BLS and relying on Paramedics from county mutual aid is any different than your FDNY BLS unit being BLS are relying on FDNY EMS or perhaps somebody from Bellevue or one of the other providers I've seen around the city.

Nine times out of ten, their patients would be better off with nothing but a ride to the hospital, with absolutely no medically trained personnel, and a driver with professional training and experience way beyond that of an EMT (of any age).

These kids are kidding themselves if they think they are really making any difference in their community beyond saving tax dollars to be used on mowing the grass at parks and emptying the trash at city hall. They're not. They're screwing themselves and their community, and are too stupid to even realise it.

I understand that and I can see where you are coming from. Something is wrong at City Hall if they think providing first running EMS to medical emergencies with teenagers is acceptable. Is it better than nothing? Yes, is it as good as a professionally run, career orentaited EMS service? No.

But, what differentiates them from the many other volunteer EMS (be they BLS or ALS) agencies around the world apart from thier age? Now I may be wrong, but, given that many small communities rely on the good nature of volunteer firefighters and EMTs to provide a "first running" response to fire and medical emergencies I just don't see the problem.

In leiu of a professionally run and funded EMS system which may not be financially viable or practical given a low workload what else can we offer? Nothing. That sounds good! Whoops too bad if you're dying, I mean really dying, from lets say massive hypovalemic shock while blood gushes from a severed artery.

Well you can wait for county ALS or a fly car to turn up but hmm that might take a while, in the meantime we could have had some volunteer EMTs turn up and apply bleeding control, O2 and those blow up MAST pants I have noticed we don't carry anymore.

I know which I would rather have.

[Dustdevil]

I don't see how the 16 year olds being BLS and relying on Paramedics from county mutual aid is any different than your FDNY BLS unit being BLS are relying on FDNY EMS or perhaps somebody from Bellevue or one of the other providers I've seen around the city.

Well, the difference is both obvious and significant. Maturity necessary to facilitate intelligent clinical judgment is the difference.

But otherwise, your observation is spot-on. Both suck. BLS units provide a false sense of security, the illusion of EMS coverage where none really exists, because to the general public, and ambulance is an ambulance. And, so long as one of them keeps showing up, they all figure they've got what they need. Consequently, growth is extremely slow in coming because no problem is perceived. Now, give them that false sense of security for FREE (i.e. no salaries paid to keep that box rolling down the street), and you erect an even stronger barrier to professional growth of EMS in your community. MUCH stronger. And that is why those kids is worse than a BLS FDNY unit, although you are correct. Both suck.

[Kiwiology]

Well, the difference is both obvious and significant. Maturity necessary to facilitate intelligent clinical judgment is the difference.

But otherwise, your observation is spot-on. Both suck. BLS units provide a false sense of security, the illusion of EMS coverage where none really exists, because to the general public, and ambulance is an ambulance. And, so long as one of them keeps showing up, they all figure they've got what they need. Consequently, growth is extremely slow in coming because no problem is perceived. Now, give them that false sense of security for FREE (i.e. no salaries paid to keep that box rolling down the street), and you erect an even stronger barrier to professional growth of EMS in your community. MUCH stronger. And that is why those kids is worse than a BLS FDNY unit, although you are correct. Both suck.

I couldn't agree more. Sorry I'll clarify what I said a few pages back - I am not in favor of 16 year olf EMTs to provide first running cover for exactly those reasons you said there Dust. They don't have the maturity and clinical experience.

I also couldn't agree more that BLS sucks!. We have the same problem here in our smaller areas that rely on BLS by way of total volunteer crews and maybe a paid Paramedic during the day who is also on call at night.

Our union takes the same approach - to Joe Layman an ambulance is an ambulance, it doesn't matter what the guys in it have the ability to do. They expect every ambulance to be able to provide what they see on TV which is ALS invariably.

I am of the personal belief that BLS is an effective stopgap between ALS for true medical or trauma emergencies as I said before. They can try to keep me alive until the Paramedics arrive, I'd rather have them doing that than waiting for ALS to turn up.

For example here in good ole Kiwi Land only 19% of our stations can provide ALS 24x7 while 30% capable of providing ILS 24x7 and the rest, its BLS. We are working to get an EMT-I (ILS) on every ambulance which does not have ILS or ALS already.

I'd love to see a Paramedic on every ambulance, but, in the meantime if I am dying, I'd rather a BLS truck turn up first than a longer wait for ALS.

[mrt2113]

Actually, maybe this town would be kinda neat to live in. Apparently, they are retro 70's letting kids run the EMS and wearing total white with black belts and mega patches. Wow! I bet they still have visibars and Q-2 sirens! Maybe they still carry the old Gould monitors and use telemetry and glass IV bottles. A real living EMS museum!

I do wonder about how many responses a year they do and as well what happens when they turn 18 or graduate from high school.. do they get banned?

R/r 911

Yea tey probably till ride around in the old hearses with the engine driven sirens lol