Dumb things people do at emergencies

[mobey]

Just for fun, I thought we could share stories of stupid things people do/say at calls (not dispatch, for that has been covered previoustly).

At a call with a patient in metabolic acidosis, I asked a FF/EMT to "spike me a line", he opened the 2 bags, ran the "spike" through his mouth (to lubricate it) then stuck it in the bag of saline :roll:

I threw it out obvioustly.

[ERDoc]

I took care of a guy yesterday who cut the tip of his finger off with a dry wall knife. He was bleeding quite a bit so he took a friend's lighter to cauterize the site, put the tip back on and wrapped it up. He needed to finish the job before he came to get it taken care of. Gotta hand it too him though, most people in this area would have called 911 crying and screaming.

[Scaramedic]

I'm sorry I have really forgotten what an EMERGENCY is. I am too busy running on people who think a headache or a fever of 100F is an emergency.

[Richard B the EMT]

At the scene of an EDP in a SNF's cafeteria, I was standing next to one of the LEOs. He turned to me, the only person in the room:

1) wearing a baseball cap, and

2) wearing a baseball cap with an FDNY logo on it,

and asked ME if there was an ETA for EMS!

[mobey]

I'm sorry I have really forgotten what an EMERGENCY is. I am too busy running on people who think a headache or a fever of 100F is an emergency.

Ahhh, yes.... allow me to clarify the title.

Emergency in this document shall mean; a "for hire" responce by emergency services to a scene after being summond to do so by a dispatch centre or; an activity or person within an Emergency room setting.

[Arizonaffcep]

My wife asked a new EMT to hand her a 20g. He asked "which one?" She says "any 20g will do" (they have several different brands, depending on what hospital they restock at). So...he hands her a 20g needle (a fill needle). She says "no, I need a 20g IV cath." So, in a flash of brilliance, he pulls out a 20g cath, takes the catheter from the needle and hands it to her. Needless to say, she says that he is now "up north" (code for at a SLOW station).

[Arizonaffcep]

At the scene of an EDP in a SNF's cafeteria, I was standing next to one of the LEOs. He turned to me, the only person in the room:

1) wearing a baseball cap, and

2) wearing a baseball cap with an FDNY logo on it,

and asked ME if there was an ETA for EMS!

Wow. I thought the entrance exam requirement for FF's was low! :twisted:

[firedoc5]

This could be a loooong subject.

Had a call of a gal with a spider bite. When we got there a girl, 21 or so, said she thought she was bitten by a black widow spider. She had a string wrapped very tightly around one finger. She said, "See, it's turning black and blue and I can't feel nothing in it. She thought the string was a good tourniquet to "slow" the poison. Took me forever to get her to take the string off. When I finally did and her finger started to turn back to normal she said that I just killed her because the venom was now in her whole body.

BTW: No spider found, anywhere. But I'm not the one that looked "anywhere".

[mrmeaner]

I'm sorry I have really forgotten what an EMERGENCY is. I am too busy running on people who think a headache or a fever of 100F is an emergency.

Is that what you've been doing for the last couple months?

Glad to see you back.

[firedoc5]

Love the witness to a full arrest when they say "I pounded him on the chest just like they do on TV."