Bus question

[cscboulder11]

Searched around, but I couldn't find anything. If there is something, please point me to it.

When you're going out on a call, how do you decide who drives? This is assuming that the entire crew is (legally) able to operate a bus. On a related note, how big is a typical crew that goes? I've always thought it was two, but I've seen some videos where there were 3 or 4 people.

[Eydawn]

Whoa. Hello broad question! There's as many answers as there are agencies. Is someone not trading off patient care vs. driving fairly with you? And where you from that you call it a bus, lol? That's mostly the East coast folks that use that one... never heard a Springs person use it before.

Crews come in all sorts of numbers and arrangements. Some areas have a medic, basic and a driver. Some use medic/medic crews. Some have a medic/medic/trainee, medic/basic/trainee arrangement... it all depends on where you are...

I've seen crews take turns, decide someone drives all day/attends all day depending on acuity of call... etc... why do you ask is my question??

Wendy

CO EMT-B

[tcripp]

I doubt you will find some magical website with that information as it will vary system to system. What I can tell you is that to work in my system, everyone is a qualified driver. We also have an EMT/Paramedic squad where, usually, the EMT does the driving. If the patient care is determined to be a basic or intermediate patient, then I drive to the hospital. Otherwise, my parter continues to drive and I continue patient care. It is in our books that the paramedic delivers about 98% of the care, so you see...I don't drive much.

But, there isn't anything saying that I can't drive to the calls...it just usually doesn't happen that way.

[JakeEMTP]

We alternate drivers. We ride double medic so whoever provided pt. care on the last call, drives the next call. Not to sure how many operators are on the bus, but last time I took the bus there was only one.

We ride two crew members, but I have seen 3 on a ambulance also.

[Just Plain Ruff]

Whoever is most awake after running for 12 hours straight

[cscboulder11]

Whoa. Hello broad question! There's as many answers as there are agencies. Is someone not trading off patient care vs. driving fairly with you? And where you from that you call it a bus, lol? That's mostly the East coast folks that use that one... never heard a Springs person use it before.

I've seen crews take turns, decide someone drives all day/attends all day depending on acuity of call... etc... why do you ask is my question??

Wendy

CO EMT-B

I was wondering what a call would involve and if there was any standardization that would be involved.

As for calling it a bus, that's what I've picked up on 2 other people in my family who work healthcare (both are RNs, one's in Colorado and the other one is in Kentucky).

Edited February 14, 2012 by cscboulder11

[DFIB]

In our service drivers are not EMT's so they always drive.

edit. and carry our gear.

Edited February 14, 2012 by DFIB

[paramedicmike]

How many you carry, I imagine, would depend on how many seats your bus has. Are you driving a school bus? Or a public transit bus? Or even a Greyhound or Trailways bus? No matter which bus, I believe a bus requires a CDL so only drivers with a valid CDL can drive.

[Happiness]

We are a on call station. We take turns but there are times when it is the first one there is the one that takes out the car so they drive. We also have a 2 man crew but can call others in if needed

[Richard B the EMT]

In my volunteer service, optimum crew was all EMT: Crew Chief (designated by medical training officer), Motor Vehicle Operator (designated by driver training officer), Dispatcher (for safety of crew, next position needed to be fulfilled, by designation of the dispatch training officer, and, obviously, stayed at the base), and 2 attendants. Some Crew Chiefs and Drivers would alternate weeks.

All positions assigned as per the scheduling officer. All personnel were trained as dispatchers before they were allowed to ride the ambulance, if only to make sure they knew the radio codes, so they could fill that 3rd position as I just posted.

FDNY EMS Command runs with either 2 EMT-Bs or 2 EMT-Ps. Due to scheduling work week of 5 days on, 2 days off, 5 days on, 3 days off, each station developed their own policy of whoever came back from their days off (3 platoons, one always off), drove, then teched the next day, then drove, teched, and drove, following week drove, teched, teched, drove, teched. Other stations would do the reverse, where returning crewpersons teched, then drove, but to the same "rythem".

Official policy was, whoever drove the first 4 hours of the 8 hour shift, teched the last 4 hours. I don't recall anyone actually adhering to that

Some personnel liked driving, and ended up working with others who preferred teching. I had that deal with one of my long time partners.

As for the reference "Bus" for an ambulance, per information I am currently unable to document, in the 1880s, when Bellevue Hospital, NY NY, started the first organized ambulance service in the US, the ambulances followed regular routes around the city, like an "Omnibus" conveyance, but would leave the route they'd otherwise follow if the "Ambulance Surgeon" (Intern Doctor) determined the case to be emergent. Then the Teamster driving the horses would start clanging the ambulance's warning bell, and head to their base hospital.

Long as I've been on the ambulances, NO, I never crewed a horse-drawn or steam powered one. I'm "olde", but I ain't that old!

Incidently, the LEOs of the NYPD have been asked for at least the last 3 decades NOT to call an ambulance a "Bus". Some of us still slip and use the phrase, ourselves.