Stupid EMS Rules, Regulations, or Practices ................

[emtashelyb]

For cpr, en route its just the time it takes to get to the hospital because again we are out in bumfuck nowhere. I can see where we wouldnt pick up someone who is baltenly dead but if they begin to crash and it has to be performed I dont want to be doing cpr for an hour to the closest hospital. As I learned last night we go to the end of the county to pick people up and they can decide where they want to go from there to the next county over or in the county we are in.

And for the no restraining thing that came straight from the captian of my squad. I do agree that it is better to be tried by 12 than carried by 6. This weekend I hooked up with a few of the emts there and they told me some of the ways of getting around it hopefully when our new protocols come out it will change. Dont get me wrong I love the cops so far here they have been great to ems I (secrectly of course) like them better than baltimore cops. They have been to all but 1 calls I went to this weekend and impressed me greatly with the amount of help they provided on scene and actually gave a shit about our saftey too. I have never yet had to restrain someone and hope that I never do, Im just still getting used to the new system. Apparently here you can call 911 for a non emergency and ems will still come get you. Again different states different rules

[crotchitymedic1986]

How about this one --- Sir, we need to immobilize your neck, so please come lay down on this board we placed on our stretcher. Cmon guys, if you are going to walk them to the stretcher, dont immobilize them.

[JPINFV]

How about this one --- Sir, we need to immobilize your neck, so please come lay down on this board we placed on our stretcher. Cmon guys, if you are going to walk them to the stretcher, dont immobilize them.

Welcome to Southern California. I've heard the fire medics call for a "cosmetic backboard."

[Arizonaffcep]

How about this one --- Sir, we need to immobilize your neck, so please come lay down on this board we placed on our stretcher. Cmon guys, if you are going to walk them to the stretcher, dont immobilize them.

Or...you could do it right...immobilize the patient and BRING THEM to got cot.

[spenac]

Or...you could do it right...immobilize the patient and BRING THEM to got cot.

But thats like work dude.

[JPINFV]

Or...you could do it right...immobilize the patient and BRING THEM to got cot.

Pfft, that violates the first rule of EMS, check for ABCs. You know, Ambulate Before Carry.

[firedoc5]

How about this one --- Sir, we need to immobilize your neck, so please come lay down on this board we placed on our stretcher. Cmon guys, if you are going to walk them to the stretcher, dont immobilize them.

With us, if the pt. doesn't want to lay on a board, then document "pt. refused a flat lay". Of course, especially if they are rubbing their back or neck or complaining of pain we'd do everything in our power to encourage them to lay flat and allow a c-collar, immobilize -type of thing.

We had that one night. Single car MVA. A guy and a gal (not each other's spouse), big time ETOH. We had her all immobilized and I believe the ETOH was keeping him from feeling much pain (always take that into consideration). He just complained of neck stiffness He just wanted to sit on the bench. But after about ten minutes, or as long as it took for the Trooper to get some info, he decided his neck was really starting to hurt and his mid-lumbar. Said "it felt like his head was falling off." We did finally get him fully packaged.

To shorten the story, he had two c-spine fx. (C2-complex almost detached and C-5) and compression fx. L-4-L7. Just think if we gave in and just let him sit on the squad bench?

As for CPR. If in the city we had a max of three minutes to either hospital no matter where we were. But being such good guys, we'd help in the cardiac room mainly doing compressions and whatever needed to be done. Besides, we got clinical time for it. But if you really want to bulk up those abs, 30-45 mins. of compressions is one way of doing it.

[Arctickat]

we are out in bumfuck nowhere.

Nice, profanity, the last thing I'd have expected from an intelligent, literate and well educated individual.

[Richard B the EMT]

I believe that location is just south of East Cupcake.

(Don't ask, it's a Long Island thing for any town east of State Route 110)

[crotchitymedic1986]

OK, this may be the dumbest, and you probably will not believe it, but I swear it is true. I can remember in the 80's when our EMS Director had to put out a policy and a memo forcing us to use PPE. We argued you cant start an IV with gloves on, you cant intubate with one of those shields over your face. I mean medics were threatening to quit, got their blood pressure up, and fought tooth and nail. Now how dumb is that ?