Do you help off duty?

[MSDeltaFlt]

I have stopped more times than I have helped. Usually I'm not needed, and I go my merry way. Twice I was used, and only one of those times I was actually needed. I had to ride in with the first medic on scene. Luckily it was in my county, I worked for this service, and the EMS supervisors and manager all knew me. This was on my way home from my fulltime job. This was before I was flying, incognitogirl.

[unknown]

I have stopped more times than I have helped. Usually I'm not needed, and I go my merry way. Twice I was used, and only one of those times I was actually needed. I had to ride in with the first medic on scene. Luckily it was in my county, I worked for this service, and the EMS supervisors and manager all knew me. This was on my way home from my fulltime job. This was before I was flying, incognitogirl.

You wouldn't pass anything by you trauma junkie-- Go on your merry way--- AFTER you take in all the beauty of the MOI.... and hey WE own you now-- your in Neck Deep! And we don't plan on letting you go either!!

[MSDeltaFlt]

Own me?!? Neck deep?!?

Low blow, sweet, but I love ya anyways.

[LisaO925]

Cool.

Check your account. I have refunded your five points. :wink:

Hahahaha

[captainstandup]

First evaluate all risks. Traffic flow, hazmat, fire, criminal event, power lines or other hazards. If you have children or other people in the car with you, you have a responsibility to keep them safe. The roadside at at accident scene is hardly a safe place for loved ones to wait on you. (I've had two law enforcement friends killed while on duty by being run over on the side of the highway, and they weren't out in the travel lanes)

If you have small children then you aren't a paramedic or an EMT you are simply a mom or dad and your responsibility to them certainly supersedes any ethical requirement to assist. Would you ask a stranger to watch your two year old while you assist? Perhaps that really nice pedophile would be happy to assist, he would be thrilled to take little Johnny for ice cream while you assist at the accident.

Emergency services work, even life in general comes with risk. All of us that have been in this business for very long have likely stopped to help in this type situation. By our nature we want to help those in need.

A good friend always used this phrase when teaching: "When much is to be gained, much is to be risked; when little is to be gained, little is to be risked" On the surface this may seem self-evident but, the point is to give pause and consider all of the risks in any situation, then make an educated decision regarding risk/ benefit. Make sure you, your family and anyone involved can live with the results of a bad outcome.

In situations on or near highways the risk is so variable and unpredictable due to sleepy, stupid, intoxicated or enraged drivers with no concern for anyone other than themselves I often find it too high to stop outside my home jurisdiction.

This isnt to say you should allow fear to rule your decision making, actually the contrary is true. If you are making good decisions based on educated analysis of the risk versus benefit you need not fear anything and will be an asset to your family, patients and community.

[unknown]

Own me?!? Neck deep?!?

Low blow, sweet, but I love ya anyways.

Oh Scrappy!! Just check'in, making sure you still care!!

No really-- I didn't stop and think about the "neck deep" part! My most sincer applogies!

I was refering to Neck Deep the Book Ken Barnett wrote? Look it up- I purchased mine on line at Amazon.com..... yep he is our lead medic at ae 22.........

And for the record I will always love you no matter what! NOW YOU stood me up last year on my birthday---- It's 3 weeks and 2 days until I turn 33...... So you still gonna sing Brown Eyed girl for me?! Or am I gonna be sad for a whole nother year?????

[Dustdevil]

I had 2 RN's at the scene and they were basically worthless, I asked one of them to get me a pulse so that I have something to tell the medic when it arrived and she just stared at me like I was from Mars. :?

Ummm... okay, it sounds to me like you were doing the one and only thing that any bystander might have needed to do for this kid. Your pulse taking was the equivalent of sending dad to boil some water. Busy work to make you feel important, but not really of any value. Don't get too full of yourself because you have some cookbook checklist memorised.

The second time I stopped was when I was at the beach and a few cars in front of me, someone had t-boned a motorcyclist and he flipped over the handle bars. Once again I just told him to lay still, I left his helmet on, had my buddy hold c-spine and I got a set of vitals and did a quick trauma assessment as the medic rolled up.

Congratulations. You saved the arriving medics from having to do anything but transport! I'm sure they appreciated that. Heck, they didn't even have to do a patient assessment, thanks to you! Made their paperwork real easy, I'm sure! :roll:

[xselerate]

I don't really get excited about stoping to help off duty... I mostly feel like I don't belong... like some rookie buff... cause that's what I think of people that stop to help me when I'm working.

[dahlio]

Ummm... okay, it sounds to me like you were doing the one and only thing that any bystander might have needed to do for this kid. Your pulse taking was the equivalent of sending dad to boil some water. Busy work to make you feel important, but not really of any value. Don't get too full of yourself because you have some cookbook checklist memorised.

Don't you need that boiled water for the baby? Reminds me of this time where I was at a

motor vehicle collision, and the guy had a broken leg. A motorist stopped, and said he was an emt (this happening prior to our arrival). He gave his report as, "Male, involved in MVA. Initial Pulse was 70, now is 64."

That's great and all, but did you get anything useful? I mean even tell me he has a distal pulse or something, even though I'll be checking myself.

Which makes me react when seeing collisions to, call 911, and keep driving. There's no way I'm risking my a** to get a pulse rate.

[Dustdevil]

Which makes me react when seeing collisions to, call 911, and keep driving. There's no way I'm risking my a** to get a pulse rate.

:thumbright: