Free and Discounted Meals

[paramedicmike]

eb1040: Just to clear up any confusion that may be developing, I am not in favor of accepting gifts, discounts, freebies or the like as either a municiple or private EMS employee. As I indicated earlier in this thread when a discount is offered the price difference goes into the gratuity after the fact. Sometimes businesses insist. It would be a larger act of unprofessionalism to turn it into a scene. I will protest to a point. If I lose the protest the difference is donated as part of the tip.

All that being said I think there is some murky legal positioning at play here. Governmental employees are bound by local law. Private employees are bound by different local law. ALL employees are bound by the code of conduct mandated by their employer. If the boss says don't then you'd better not. The legal repurcussions at play for the two different groups could be argued in a giant circle forever. While I think we agree on the final point, I think we're starting that circular argument.

Most broadly, The Human Rights Act. That is the impression my classmates and I was under secondary to my professor's lecture.

That's the *impression* you were under? You didn't ask for clarification?

Sad, dude. Class failure.

The arguement is that EMS and/or Firefighter's "could" be more likely to go to the place where they receive a discount or freebies before going to the place where they do not receive, such that two places catch on fire simultaneously. I'm not saying that they would or would not. In fact, i doubt it.....i'm providing insight from a lecture I had in college to this thread.

A lecture during which you admit you failed to follow up on the main premise of the lecturer's argument. Specfically, you failed to follow up and clarify the issue of the law that was being violated. So just how much insight did you get from the lecture in question?

Your moral/ethical argument does have some merit on its surface, though. There have been cases in the past where hospitals offered freebies to EMS crews for whatever reason. This led some EMS crews to bypass closer, more appropriate facilities in favor of the more distant facility with the better swag. I'm sure you can imagine what happened.

If you want to argue that local protocol is legally binding as an enforceable law that would be another tangent entirely. But that's not what you're doing.

The Human Rights Act: ‘Your Right to Equality’, the whole Act itself is written to promote fairness and equal civil rights under the law. The Act as a whole prohibits discrimination on any grounds. Every human being has the benefit of the civil rights imposed by the Act and every human being can take action if any of their rights are breached.

To follow up on ArcticKat's post, what US Human Rights Act is this?

[island emt]

Have I accepted a free coffee or other cold drink ? Hell YES.

I've even come home and found a peck of freshly dug clams or some lobsters sitting in a cooler with a thank you note from a family member of my patients that we took care of.

I neither asked for or expected them .

At a former job we saved a gent from the Lions club who arrested whie he was working their food booth at a large venue.

We usually bought meals from them .

After the call we came back to work and found the other Lions club members very greatfull of our work in saving their member.

For the next several days we could not stop them from suppling the entire crew of 40 with food. MMMMM fresh barbecue.

They called it" leftovers" when they walked into the care center with a big tray full of sandwiches.

Was it wrong to accept it from them as thanks? Or would it have seemed to be obnoxious to deny their wishes?

[DFIB]

The only time I use the EMS title for a discount is when crossing military checkpoints and when LE try to shake me down. Being an EMT is really useful and will usually get me a free pass. I just make sure that some company ID is visible. I don't know if that is in any way related to this thread, but in that sense it does save me money.

I have had people make gifts kinda like Island EMT. It is usually something simple but very sincere and always appreciated.

Edited October 9, 2012 by DFIB

[dstevens58]

Sheesh, I even shopped at a local gas station, getting not only gas, but pop and other items for over two years. Not to long ago, I was on my way home from a clinical rotation and was wearing my uniform. They offered no charge for the fountain drink and pointed out a small sign on the counter that said, "free fountain drinks for fire/ems". I told them that I had been going there for two years and never realized that advertisement there on the counter.

Again, I don't go in expecting it, however, when offered (as stated earlier) affects my gratuity and I adjust accordingly. And, if I go in three days from now and have to pay, no big deal....I pay. I would never go there without money in my pocket (or debit card in hand) and expect to walk out with a free drink.

Edited October 9, 2012 by dstevens58

[Arctickat]

While I appreciate your desire to partake in the conversation and add to intelligent debate, I must point out that if you are going to attempt to support your position you need to provide your facts in context, both linguistically and geographically.

While google researching my post I stumbled across this little tidbit...

http://www.abouthumanrights.co.uk/equal-rights-right-be-treated-equally.html

The Human Rights Act is by far the most far-reaching piece of legislation to legitimize the equal rights movement. Whilst no articles specifically refer to a definitive right for equality, there is for instance no section headed ‘Your Right to Equality’, the whole Act itself is written to promote fairness and equal civil rights under the law. The Act as a whole prohibits discrimination on any grounds. Every human being has the benefit of the civil rights imposed by the Act and every human being can take action if any of their rights are breached.

When you cut and paste that section of paragraph into your post you should have:

1. Copied the entire paragraph so that the context remained.
   
   
2. Cited your reference
   
   
3. Verified that it was a comment applicable to your situation. You are in the United States; this website is from the United Kingdom. UK law has not been applicable in Kentucky for almost 250 years.
   

Edited October 9, 2012 by Arctickat

[Chief1C]

Holy shit... Yanno what? I feel entitled all of a sudden, or maybe I'm overly stressed, burned out and slightly depressed. Hard to say. I feel entitled to my moderately sized white - white because I'm abnormally pale today - but normally pinkish ass being kissed by John Q. Public. I feel that someone out there literally needs to kiss my ass. Why? I used to enjoy a violent, bloody car crash; as much as I did holding some old ladies hand, or hearing their life story during the hour long transport. Today. I took someone for a fucking finger rash. A FINGER RASH. ONE FINGER. Doctor says you should be seen. So what do they do? THEY CALL AN AMBULANCE. With three cars, upscale home, hard workers... and two vehicles following along to taxi them home.. they need a goddamn ambulance, lifted into and out of, for a finger rash. Pardon me, if I feel that it was a waste of my skills and time. I'm young enough that the pain in my chest, is probably not cardiac. Stressy tension, but not cardiac.. My day just went down hill from there.. So, I was bored, and then the patient needed the heat on. Well, I'm wearing a uniform pull over, and a sweater under it.. because it was cold. OUTSIDE. Comfy inside.. So I get the sweaty nausea thing going on.. And that shit doesn't go away, if I get sick feeling in the ambulance, I feel that way all day, unless I vomit. Then it goes away.. and I already had an ear ache, which I hadn't had for like 20+ years.. so my world is rocking to the left and every little noise is just driving into my brain.. so I'm not on top of my game. So, we go into the Cafe for a pop.. and pop is free for EMS workers. But I usually pay for it.. and the guys in front of me, not in uniform, just wearing pagers get theirs free.. and I get up, say what you're supposed to say.. and she says to us $4.50..

Now $4.50 wasn't the point... Except that's 2.25 for a 16oz bottle of Mountain Dew. That's highway robbery, it's only 1.29 in a store for christ sakes. It was the point that one of their physicians specifically requested the patient with absolutely not one goddamn thing wrong with them, to call 9-1-1 for an emergency ambulance service, to transport their lazy ass 50 miles for what amounted to probably an hour in the ER. B/c I seen the person about 3hrs later walking down the street. So, anyhoo... I flipped my lid, and we went somewhere else.

Therefore, today, right at this moment.. I feel entitled that someone KISS MY ASS.

JUST SAYING.

Wow, that feel so much better.

[Just Plain Ruff]

This is the best one I could find for you C1.

http://www.google.com/imgres?num=10&hl=en&biw=1152&bih=696&tbm=isch&tbnid=e41rzTviLl0E_M:&imgrefurl=http://www.kayfabenews.com/mcmahon-unveils-even-more-humiliating-kiss-my-face-club/&docid=zJ5M_1b461Y8zM&imgurl=http://www.kayfabenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/vince-mcmahon.jpg&w=406&h=313&ei=8jV0UO6QNOrDyQG9-YDQDw&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=347&vpy=371&dur=5275&hovh=197&hovw=256&tx=173&ty=113&sig=114199016925210059354&page=2&tbnh=142&tbnw=184&start=15&ndsp=23&ved=1t:429,r:1,s:15,i:131

[Richard B the EMT]

I got a discount today on my lunch from a local BBQ place.

Too bad the food wasn't as good as the discount.

Sounds like a kind of trade-off.

[DwayneEMTP]

There's one bar that my partner and I like to hang out in because they give free tequila to those in uniform...

In fact, I'm sometimes disappointed when my shift is over and they try to make me start paying 'cause then I have to go outside and change into my nursing uniform, which, of course means I get to drink all night for free...

I love medicine...

[paramedicmike]

It's the nursing hat, isn't it?