Edmonton city councilor FAIL

[thrutheashes]

All I can say is WOW.

http://www.edmontonsun.com/news/edmonton/2010/06/10/14338911.html

Some people have noooooo clue. Do they think we run sirens 24hrs a day just for the fun of it??

[emtannie]

This councillor obviously needs to be educated on when and why ambulances run with sirens....

I love the comment "the wee hours between midnight and six a.m."... obviously has never had to respond to the multi-vihicle mvc caused by the drunk after the bars close, after the playoff hockey game, when the streets are packed.

I hope that whoever the PR people are for Edmonton EMS are, that they take this councillor for a day, so that the councillor can be educated about what we do. Part of that ride-along should be a night shift on Whyte Avenue, in the area of Cook County Saloon (is that still ther, or am I dating myself?)

Sometimes you just wanna say "Here, I will hold out my hand, and you slam your forehead against it, so I don't have to hit you.."

[Just Plain Ruff]

He won't learn until something happens to him. Until then, he'll want you to run no sirens and no lights but when it comes to his family, he'll want you to run l&s.

It's a constant thing with these diptards, they demand something but when it isn't to their liking during their emergency then they won't learn.

It's like my old service, it's ok to work short until the crap hits the fan and then administration goes and asks why you were working short and they are looking for someones head to roll.

[WolfmanHarris]

While I think the councillor is being ignorant, let's not freak out here folks.

First, for him to get any traction on this he has to first get past the relevant legislation that requires siren use. In fact, I bet if he thinks it's bad right now, the crews can start following the letter of the law and using their siren constantly rather than intermittently, as needed to clear traffic and intersections. Second, EMS in Alberta is (and specifically Edmonton) is provincial. I don't see them changing their policies jurisdiction by jurisdiction to placate local politicians.

But finally, what does it matter if he gets his way? L&S is psychological and PR more then it's good medicine. Let the service and the politicians hash out the effects on response times, all the crews should worry about is arriving safely and providing competent care. If that means that do to no, or quiet sirens they have to inch through every intersection and drive slower, with due regard to conditions, then great. They should be doing that anyways. Sure in heavy traffic this may make a bigger difference and if so, report the delay to dispatch, continue to respond safely and once again, let management and the politicians hash this out.

[thrutheashes]

While I think the councillor is being ignorant, let's not freak out here folks.

First, for him to get any traction on this he has to first get past the relevant legislation that requires siren use. In fact, I bet if he thinks it's bad right now, the crews can start following the letter of the law and using their siren constantly rather than intermittently, as needed to clear traffic and intersections. Second, EMS in Alberta is (and specifically Edmonton) is provincial. I don't see them changing their policies jurisdiction by jurisdiction to placate local politicians.

But finally, what does it matter if he gets his way? L&S is psychological and PR more then it's good medicine. Let the service and the politicians hash out the effects on response times, all the crews should worry about is arriving safely and providing competent care. If that means that do to no, or quiet sirens they have to inch through every intersection and drive slower, with due regard to conditions, then great. They should be doing that anyways. Sure in heavy traffic this may make a bigger difference and if so, report the delay to dispatch, continue to respond safely and once again, let management and the politicians hash this out.

I think you are completely correct doc. And yeah, I find it difficut to believe that AHS will change thier policies for a few bone head politicians. However, what really gets me here is the complete and total lack of thought behind the purpose of the sirens, as well as the comparison to loud motorcycles. Som people just have no thought process behind ideas they have.

[jonas salk]

I hate driving with the siren on, particularly when it has to be on for extended periods due to congestion.

I can't speak for Edmonton, for where I work and where I live (both large cities) it's fire who goes around at all hours of the day with their sirens blaring. I'm pretty sure their check list for calls goes something like this, get paged out, saunter out to the truck, grab bunker gear, climb into truck, turn on ignition, turn on lights, turn on siren, wait for garage door to open, pull out, look at map, pull on to road, ignore red lights, arrive scene, turn off siren only after you piss of medics.....

At night, if the road is empty I only hit the siren box if it's a blind intersection or if there are cars about.

Personally i'd rather see the amount of calls we go to L&S drop significantly.

[emtannie]

Doc, I agree with your comments - AHS will not change protocols for one municipality.

And Jonas, you make a very valid point. Where I work, the fire department responds to all calls L&S the entire way, day or night.

I notice that this councillor did not mention the fire department, which would be under municipal regulations, but only ambulance... maybe that should be mentioned as well. I think I should email Edmonton city council and mention that...

[Quakefire]

Is it just me or does this councilor seem to have a very low opinion of EMS? We were specifically targeted, being grouped in with noisy motorcycles, and yet there is no mention of Fire or Police, saying that if we use a siren there must be no reason for it, yet when they do there must be lives at stake. They also chose the one service outside of their realm of control.

I dont know how many times people have not seen the ambulance till im staring at them through their passenger window, lights, sirens, air horns it doesnt matter to some people they still wont see us, so using quieter sirens makes sense how? If we have to be less "noisy" than the motorcycles then how is anyone going to hear us over the motorcycles?