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

[Richard B the EMT]

This my Point yes uncle Murphy can and will show his ugly head, but there are so many other places he can play, emergency equipment shouldn’t be one of them.

Italics on the quote are mine. You are making my point, stuff that is supposed to work, should work, no questions asked!

[WANTYNU]

LP12 broke during defib attempt. It turned out that the wires for defib were bad. Passed daily test but during the day the connector was damaged. We now have the base retrofit protection case.

LP should provide a tester, that you can shock (little black box), just plug in, charge up, press shock, we do it before every tour.

Richard B, I know you and I are almost saying the same thing, I think the difference in what I am saying is, as an example, what we accept, like the wires on the defib cable not working, as "well it happens", is not acceptable. Instead the wires should come with an expiration date, and be tested before they leave the factory, and be designed with redundancy with a test circuit so they do not pass unless 100% OK, and still work even when damaged in the field.

This is possible, and would not cost the Moon to do, we just need to demand it. I learned the hard way, that in manufacturing, there are processes and procedures that cost pennies, but add TONS of security, pennies add up, so is the temptation to skimp and save, but in doing so you get an inferior product. I made the opposite choice, it costs me more to make, and because of the market demand I make less profit per unit, but when I’m in the field I know it will not fail me. Priceless!

Like I said, a few pennies in additional work and quality, provides the security of dependability. In my book well worth the cost.

A simple analog would be using a seatbelt, takes a second to do, but that second can possibly save a life.

Be Safe,

WANTYNU

[coolparamedic]

Two weeks after we get our new rig the turn signals stopped working. Spent two days in the shop. The electrical load was making the computer shut off the turn signals. Our new rig has 2,000 miles on it and the air ride is already leaking.

[celticcare]

Station checks - 0700, start the trucks and leave them to warm up in the cool winter morning, fleet consisted of ALS, ILS and BLS trucks and PTS truck also.

Everything fine, defib works, truck works, oxygen full, all the drugs present, suction works and so on and so forth.... lets go have cofee.....

Tones drop 0730. Priority one for Respiratory Arrest. Go to the truck, open the doors, turn the key whiiiiiir whiiiiiiir, what? Whiiiiiiir whiiiiiiir. Engine would not turn over. ILS unit was out, BLS unit was out, only truck left was the patient transfer service *PTS* unit. So swap the gear fast, start up the unit and bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz to the scene.

Had other things like stollenwerger stretcher collapse once and crunch on my foot. Thank god for steel caps but when you got big ol bubba on one of them, it aint fun. Had the pin holding the scoop give way during class once and boy that guy wasnt impressed landing on the ground.

Had a Stiffneck snap once, bodox seal on a cylinder disapear and no seal on the cylinder *luckily there was spare seals and regs* but thankfully, for me personally, nothing that has been hugely detremental to individuals.

[krumel]

Well...A few weeks ago we had that call to the "best hotel in the hole city". As an arrest was reported we stopped directly in front of the main entrance, the place where normally only the limos are allowed to stop.

Well... Patient wasn't that sick (mainly hyperventilation) and waked with us to the rig... And then...Well... When I tried starting the engine all it did was a long and loud "BLLLLLOOOONNNGG". Afterwards everything (including lights in the patient compartment, the radio: EVERYTHING).

But to make this even better: When the tow truck arrived the first thing we discovered was that we need to repark some limos...Well. The first one was the limo of the president of the state of bavaria. Who is well known to normally drive it hisself...Well...

Due to the snow storm we only went to the door and then saw the snow and decided that his bodyguard might drive it away.

BTW: An LP12 had an "system failure" (blank screen and need to reboot" while an arrest... We were pretty glad that the emergency physican unit brought theirs with them, too.

[brentoli]

Holy Bump Batman!

I seem to always find only large adult or thigh BP cuffs when I have a 100 lb person.

[njmedic1485]

My department tried to save a little money one year and switched to plastic disposable laryngoscope blades. They tended to get soft and bend in the heat and got brittle and snap in the cold. I snapped one trying to intubate a little kid who got ejected from her mom's car on the overpass and landed on the road bed below.

[brentoli]

My department tried to save a little money one year and switched to plastic disposable laryngoscope blades. They tended to get soft and bend in the heat and got brittle and snap in the cold. I snapped one trying to intubate a little kid who got ejected from her mom's car on the overpass and landed on the road bed below.

Is that one of those situations where you wish a cave was forthcoming to hide in?

[WANTYNU]

I love this thread, wouldn't be nice to get pretested / regularly serviced / never fail equipment, or at least a say in the stuff we do get?

Himmmm, Maybe I'll add this to the wish tread.

Well my 2009 additions:

Stair chair (sorry don't know the make, the NYC EMS special), bolts popped out, thankfully before using it!

Motorola 3500 radio, will no longer change frequencies (hope thats the spelling), but Mgt won't change out since it still works on our primary area's 3 channels.

Girrrrrrrr.

-w

Edited April 12, 2009 by WANTYNU

[brentoli]

Motorola 3500 radio, will no longer change frequencies (hope thats the spelling), but Mgt won't change out since it still works on our primary area's 3 channels.

What if it just happens to get dropped in a deep puddle.