Pa. medic fired after man's snowstorm death

[tamaith]

thanks lone. wow why would you talk like that over the radio? we all complain from time to time about a job but, never over a radio/phone line. this day and age you never know who is listening.

[Just Plain Ruff]

thanks lone. wow why would you talk like that over the radio? we all complain from time to time about a job but, never over a radio/phone line. this day and age you never know who is listening.

If she truly said that on a recorded line then I don't want her working for me. IT's that toxic attitude that makes me sick. It's that toxic attitude that makes other people not want to work with them.

If you consider every patient a burden which I'm not saying she does but with an attitude like that then I can almost bet that every patient to her is a burden, then good riddance.

[uglyEMT]

I have a question about this. No tobogans(sp)? I worked the late Feb snow storm with my squad, we had drifts to 7 feet with a blanket 4 feet eveywhere here in Northern NJ. We were dispatched on several calls that day (plow was with us) we basically swam to peoples homes to get in. We used old fashioned wooden tobogans to get the people to the rigs. One emt was the puller and if needed one was a pusher. Not saying this is practice everywhere but in places that see large snowfalls couldn't it be done as well?

I agree the women making the riduclous on air comments was stupid for doing so. As for 10 calls and asking the patient to walk out, I cant belive it was even a thought.

I guess I am nieve as a newbie or jaded as to my local squad practices but I always thought we do what is necessary to provide patient care. Yes scene safty first and foremost but I would think getting to the patient is also a priority. As for the powerlines down (I believe I read that) isnt a phone call to the power company warranted same as in an MVA with down wires?

Sorry if I sound like a total probie or what-have-you but I guess in my heart I would have tried things to get to these folks. Even a backboard might have worked to slide him across the snow.

Pic below is from that storm....

Edited April 13, 2010 by UGLyEMT

[Don1977]

If she truly said that on a recorded line then I don't want her working for me. IT's that toxic attitude that makes me sick. It's that toxic attitude that makes other people not want to work with them.

If you consider every patient a burden which I'm not saying she does but with an attitude like that then I can almost bet that every patient to her is a burden, then good riddance.

She did not say that on the radio, she said that on the phone to the medic who helps run the dispatch center, none of this was said over the radio by her.

Lets face it, We have ALL grumbled and cussed patients out at certain times....NONE OF US are innocent. We might not have said it over recorded lines or to the patients face, but still.......

[Just Plain Ruff]

She did not say that on the radio, she said that on the phone to the medic who helps run the dispatch center, none of this was said over the radio by her.

Lets face it, We have ALL grumbled and cussed patients out at certain times....NONE OF US are innocent. We might not have said it over recorded lines or to the patients face, but still.......

Yeah that's right Don but how many of us have grumbled like that over a recorded line? I'd bet more than any of us knew but what she thought was an innocent comment to the dispatcher became her waterloo.

If you say it then you mean it. No matter how you want to whitewash this, she made some inappropriate comments on a recorded line, this story became international news headlines and it was naive of anyone to think that this would not become something HUGE.

Maybe she will learn by this and not speak like that again but I still stand by my original statements that this type of toxic attitude is exactly what any employer wants. She makes it sound like the patient was a burden to her and that's where I draw the line. ONe toxic attitude is enough to sour the entire bunch of grapes. And with a service with problems to begin with this attitude just festers until it is unleashed and very bad things happen.

Do I wish anyone to be fired, nope, she's now one of the 9 of 100 who doesn't have a job but that's life and you go on, you grow up a little and you move on. Thats what you have to do.

[Don1977]

Yeah that's right Don but how many of us have grumbled like that over a recorded line? I'd bet more than any of us knew but what she thought was an innocent comment to the dispatcher became her waterloo.

If you say it then you mean it. No matter how you want to whitewash this, she made some inappropriate comments on a recorded line, this story became international news headlines and it was naive of anyone to think that this would not become something HUGE.

Maybe she will learn by this and not speak like that again but I still stand by my original statements that this type of toxic attitude is exactly what any employer wants. She makes it sound like the patient was a burden to her and that's where I draw the line. ONe toxic attitude is enough to sour the entire bunch of grapes. And with a service with problems to begin with this attitude just festers until it is unleashed and very bad things happen.

Do I wish anyone to be fired, nope, she's now one of the 9 of 100 who doesn't have a job but that's life and you go on, you grow up a little and you move on. Thats what you have to do.

I knew this medic, she was mean and thought her shyt didnt stink, she always had an attitude about everything....so honestly this was just karma in my book.

[Just Plain Ruff]

I knew this medic, she was mean and thought her shyt didnt stink, she always had an attitude about everything....so honestly this was just karma in my book.

Don I apologize, I somehow thought you had been defending her all along. That was my mistake.

When you have an attitude like that then it truly is only a matter of time. Be it firing or getting your ass kicked, it's just a matter of time.

[Don1977]

Don I apologize, I somehow thought you had been defending her all along. That was my mistake.

When you have an attitude like that then it truly is only a matter of time. Be it firing or getting your ass kicked, it's just a matter of time.

Well Ruff, I dont just blame the EMS for what happened, I blaim the city as a whole and that family and dispatch, etc... I m not getting into it again.

I again feel, it wasnt right to fire her only because that was a phone conversation and not radio or face to face, HOWEVER.As stated previously, she was mean and I don't feel sorry for her.......she left her cell phone sitting in the medic room at one of our trauma centers, I found it and was looking at it, it had "Josie" written on it, so I left it sit by the computer I was using and when i was leaving I was going to turn it in, she came back to the hospital to retrieve it and saw that I moved it and had it next to me, she snatched it up, gave me a dirty ass look and said "dont touch my fuckin phone again" and stormed out.....was that called for?????? So inside myself Im laughing at her...cause all those times she was mean had just bit her in the ass!

So Ruff, Im defending her about being fired for the phone call thats it, just seems wrong to do when it was to a peer, you see what I mean? In general, this made my day! she needed a lesson taught........apology accepted ruff...lol

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