What Is Level 4 Emt Care? Chattanooga Firefighters

[spenac]

Besides another way to take over EMS what is it?

Chattanooga Firefighters to Begin Level-4 EMT Care

February 24, 2009 - 12:43 PM

Sarah Jennings

Chattanooga firefighters will soon be better prepared to take care of you in a medical emergency. And, that means a better chance for you to survive.

Starting later this week, Chattanooga firefighters will begin giving level four, E.M.T. care at emergency scenes. Right now they are just taking care of first responder needs. Details of the enhanced care will be released at a news conference later this afternoon.

http://www.newschannel9.com/news/care_9759...refighters.html

[WolfmanHarris]

I did a quick hope over to the Tennessee EMS board website and looked up reciprocity. I'm not sure I followed all the details but it looks like EMT-IV = EMT-I. Couldn't find any clear information on levels in the state on their site though, so I had to read between the lines. Makes sense I suppose; all the skills of a Paramedic with none of the pesky knowledge, education or increased CME.

[brentoli]

Is it EMT-I.V. and the newsies thought it was a roman numeral?

[CBEMT]

Dopes. Sounds like something the college paper here would do.

[spenac]

Is it EMT-I.V. and the newsies thought it was a roman numeral?

LOL. Idiots.

Here is a bigger article. OH bOy they get to start IV's now they're real life savers.

http://www.newschannel9.com/news/level_975...l/emt_fire.html

[WolfmanHarris]

I'm going to assume that the information is wrong or incomplete, but the only training mentioned is 8 hrs by Hamilton County EMS. I hope that's on top of the couple of weeks they spent going to that level.

[spenac]

I'm going to assume that the information is wrong or incomplete, but the only training mentioned is 8 hrs by Hamilton County EMS. I hope that's on top of the couple of weeks they spent going to that level.

Probably only 8 hours. IV's are a monkey skill in their mind and they do not care that they do not know any thing besides how to stick a needle in the arm and they will just tell them to push the new drugs despite them having no real clue why or what they do.

[JPINFV]

LOL. Idiots.

Here is a bigger article. OH bOy they get to start IV's now they're real life savers.

http://www.newschannel9.com/news/level_975...l/emt_fire.html

EMT-IV skills exceed what a First Responder can do in a variety of ways. Here is a quick summary:

EMT-IV Care

Chest Pain Patients

- Start IV

- Administer Nitroglycerin and aspirin

- Continue to monitor vital signs

Diabetic Patients

- Check blood glucose levels

- Start IV

- Administer D-50

- Continue to monitor vital signs

Anaphylaxis Patients (food allergies, bee stings, etc.)

- Administer Epinephrine

- Continue to monitor vital signs

Asthma/COPD Patients

- Administer Albuterol treatments

- Continue to monitor vital signs

Trauma Patients

- Hold direct pressure on bleeding

- Bandage, splint fractures

- Monitor vital signs

- Start IV

- Administer fluids to keep patient alive

I'm not too familiar with first responder training, but are they not taught how to monitor vital signs (and the difference between monitor and take, is what, again?), splint, bandage, and apply direct pressure?

[WolfmanHarris]

I can't speak for First Responder in the USA but the course I teach for the Canadian Red Cross was based off of the American Red Cross course. It's 40 hours long and does include all of those skills highlighted except the monitoring fluids one. I still think I'm missing something though. There's no way someone can jump from a 40hr Advanced First Aid course to a level that includes IV starts and drugs with just 8 hours. I've been actively fighting this crap among the campus first aid teams that have found unscrupulous Doctors to sign the standing order for them. And they're adding at least double digit hours to their training.

[Rant]

It drives me nuts when skills are used to define competency. I lost my s**t on the director of a campus team last week when he had to gaul to suggest in a proposal that his team was comparable to PCP's because they carry epi, salbutamol, NTG and ASA. It got messy when I asked him to explain the difference between alpha and beta receptors or to explain to me with more than the words "chest pain" why he'd give someone nitro.

Maybe EMS is beyond saving in the USA. Here's what we do, let the vollies and FD's have EMS is its current form. They can have a million different titles and call themselves all Paramedics. Then take all the competent people and have them form a new profession entirely and start responding to EMS calls in SUV's or something. Then after awhile start arguing we should just take over the transport side as we end up riding to hospital anyways as EMS can't handle the complex calls... I don't even know if I'm joking on this one. How do you guys not run screaming into the night?

[/Rant]

[JPINFV]

Who is John Galt?