Ever have a piece of equipment break on you (when you needed

[WANTYNU]

Ever have a piece of equipment break on you (when you needed it most)?

Over the years, I can recall the following pieces of equipment failing during use:

I had a life pack show a Brady rhythm, when the person was NSR at 80 (even after cleaning the electrodes and skin).

An O2 regulator thumb screw snap in my hand, (and of course the previous shift moved the spare) during a conscious intubation on a decompensating APE. (talk about fun times).

Stretcher lock (the one in the bus) handle literately blow off the locking bar (rivet failed). (shot at least 15 feet past the back of the bus).

Knife fall apart in my hand (handle rivets came undone, the whole thing fell apart).

O2 wrench snapped.

Radio knob fell off.

Flash light bulb on a new flashlight.

Anybody else? Any good stories?

Happy holidays,

Be Safe,

WANTYNU

[dahlio]

Took a drunk kid in once, and while letting go of the handle on the stretcher, I here a ping, something flies off, and the stretcher goes boom on the ground. The kid thought he was on some type of ride when this happened. I felt bad at first, but no longer do. It was a Ferno, so you get what you pay for.

[Chief1C]

What? Ferno is one of the oldest names in stretchers, the old ones last for decades, we still have a few that are more than thirty years old that work fine. However, older models use a spring to engage the wheel lock & drop mechanism. Sounds like you've had a spring break. Routine maintenance could prevent problems like that, but it could have been a defect. Even with all the technology they have came out with for ambulance stretchers, and how much prices on common items has come down.. No stretcher is cheap.. We just got an email asking to join into a pool of services to purchase Stryker Power stretchers for $11,850 each...for the cost, we could buy three or four new models to update our current Ferno 93's.

I've had a suction unit motor blow up, AED malfunction, curb side door fall open, cot buckles fall apart, medical bag fall apart, oxygen diaphragm blow up, and we cracked the steel on our Junkin Scoop.. But nothing too bad.

[dahlio]

Yeah, we're pretty good about the upkeep, but things happen. I personally like Strykers, which is mainly what I use. I guess as the other thread about ALS monitors says, you like what you're used to. Sorry about the spelling mistake in the last post, here should be hear. (Don't like that new edit rule)

[WANTYNU]

I can understand routine maintenance; ya gotta change the oil once in awhile, but that’s pretty much spelled out.

In our business catastrophic failure should not be an option; failures can be planned for in the design and testing stage and a backup should be configured into the final model.

For lack of a spring, a stretcher should not collapse, it should lock, and the user then should be able to manually release the part that needs to move.

I know some of the stuff we use is built this way, and not all is crap, but a lot is.

I started this thread to see what we in EMS have learned to put up with (and possibly why), I think we should start to demand better quality in the equipment we use, and (comfort?) safety in vehicles we drive. It’s all very feasible, but the vendors don’t think we’re worth it.

Micky-D’s has to have a warning label that their coffee can be hot enough to scald you. If all the manufactures had to put warning labels on the equipment that could potentially injure us (or the patient), I wonder what they would say or do, and if we knew what they know (how and when their products fail in testing), would we still use the product?

As always IMHO

Be Safe

WANTYNU

[Richard B the EMT]

I am 34+ years working, mostly with Ferno #30 T/C types. FDNY recently started using "roll-in" types, but still is Ferno brand.

[spenac]

Micky-D’s has to have a warning label that their coffee can be hot enough to scald you. If all the manufactures had to put warning labels on the equipment that could potentially injure us (or the patient), I wonder what they would say or do, and if we knew what they know (how and when their products fail in testing), would we still use the product?

As always IMHO

Be Safe

WANTYNU

So tell us the breaking point of the product you make and what automatic back up it has. :twisted:

Sorry just being mean, but do you replace it free? Do I have to wait to put my patient on oxygen till replacement shows up? :wink:

[WANTYNU]

So tell us the breaking point of the product you make and what automatic back up it has. :twisted:

Sorry just being mean, but do you replace it free? Do I have to wait to put my patient on oxygen till replacement shows up? :wink:

Where’s the other dog, and what have you done with him…

Seriously, are you dangling a hook? I won’t take the bait, you know I’ve answered those questions, not here, but I have answered them. Suffice to say I made it to suit my standards and I’m not an easy customer.

-w

[spenac]

Where’s the other dog, and what have you done with him…

Seriously, are you dangling a hook? I won’t take the bait, you know I’ve answered those questions, not here, but I have answered them. Suffice to say I made it to suit my standards and I’m not an easy customer.

-w

As long as you don't say good enough for government work . :wink:

I do like the look of your product and would buy because you don't seem to be a snake oil salesman to me.

As far as equipment breaking, just had radio fall apart. About to use some medical duct tape ( white duct tape ) to hold it together.

I've had other equipment break, but I've always been able to repair, improvise, or scream like a little girl in panic. Never lost a patient from failed equipment.

[MeekoBB]

A screw broke on the cot that helps hold the head up so it was a bit lopsided...

Side lights on ambulance froze while responding to diabetic emergency with ALS...

Same call as above...battery dies (I turned everything off so no excuse for it dying)...

Same company as previous incidents mentioned...siren shorts out responding to resp distress (was all highway to facility so miraculously worked okay for us)...

Stair chair collapses with patient (idiotic partner didn't know to push the bars at the feet sides down)...

Bag reeves zipper broke on combative diabetic...

Someone stole ambulance wiper blades...

Wiper blades motor dies in storm...

Plastic stretcher straps jammed requiring us to cut the patient out to transfer to bed...captain screamed at us but oh well, we did what we needed to...

There has been more...but I gots a headache now.