The madness of idling?

[CBEMT]

re: staging fire apparatus

OMG, I'd love to see that! Can you imagine the uproar?

My hometown is fire-based EMS. From the station near my parents to the other end of town could be 15 minutes or more if that unit happens to be the only one left not on a run (out of the 4 they have).

But they won't be staged anywhere or even moved up to another station. Nope, can't ask them to do that. Heaven forbid.

[jsadin]

On another note, how many of our calls REALLY hinge on our getting there in 2 minutes or 5 minutes? Unless it's full blown anaphylaxis or a rapidly evolving MI, a couple minutes either way doesn't really mean squat. I stopped running for the truck after the first few years of EMS work.

[akroeze]

On another note, how many of our calls REALLY hinge on our getting there in 2 minutes or 5 minutes? Unless it's full blown anaphylaxis or a rapidly evolving MI, a couple minutes either way doesn't really mean squat. I stopped running for the truck after the first few years of EMS work.

And what about that anaphylaxis that one day does come in and disptach didn't get that that was what it was so you took your time getting to the truck?

[Capman]

And what about that anaphylaxis that one day does come in and disptach didn't get that that was what it was so you took your time getting to the truck?

That's what I'm thinking! I can't count the times that I've been paged out for "somebody not feeling well" only to discover upon arrival that they were in respiratory distress or "not feeling well" because of that pesky MI. Let's all stroll to the rig... It sounds like a BS call! :roll:

[ECC]

What an interesting discussion going on here. Please allow me to 'weigh in'

Regarding SSM and Dynamic Deployment models: I worked for FDNY EMS and NYC EMS from 1988-2002. I was there when they tried Battalion Based Dispatching which is a fancy name for: pretend this is where a station would be...I will post a boss here, (An APRU with a Paramedic Lieutenant or Paramedic Captain and a Paramedic partner in a Bronco or Suburban) with 3-5 ALS/BLS Ambulances. The available truck with the lowest number (ie A111 would get stuck with a call before A112-all things being equal) We learned that this 'Battalion based model' did not work for NYC very well and returned to SSM. It may work elsewhere where you are not attempting to squeeze blood from the proverbial Rock.

As for idling your rig...for $13/hr I would tell them to pound sand. There is no way I am roasting on a street corner for that amount of $$$. There must be some sort of OSHA reg about that. In fact IIRC, Local 2507 (the EMT/Paramedics union of the FDNY) fought a regulation that mandated keeping rigs in service with no front A/C as long as the rear A/C worked. Look into it! Furthermore...I do not care what is carried on the rig...including Ativan...the providers are much more important than ANY patient.

Lastly...there is no way Fire is going to SSM.

Have a great day!

[medicmike247]

I don't get into the "green" thing nor do I get into the crap about global warming. So, that being said, my engine will idle whether I'm checking the truck, posting, or if I just plain feel like it.

[ECC]

Exactly!

[Amhet1]

You have to love the global warming cultists. Man is causing the earth to warm... in the last 100 years, the AVERAGE global temperture has risen 0.5 degrees celcius. Though I havent seen it, almost every "fact" in Algores movie has been disproven, or was outright fraudulent. Even better is the well known fact that scientists use computer models to come up with the results they want.... leaving out any calculation that interferes with the answer they're looking for.

Common sense says that even the climate is too complex to model, and there is not enough historical data to project the future. 30 years ago, Time Magazine was SURE that we were entering another ice age. 5 years ago it was "common knowledge" that we were suffering from global warming. Since both have been proven wrong, they decided that "Climate Change" is the politically correct term.

Funny thing is that the climate is ALWAYS changing (but dont tell Algore).

[mrmeaner]

100 years ago, indoor urinating was a luxury. Forgive me if I don't take their meteorlogical records as gospel.

[Lucky~13]

Can we get back on topic please?