whats the best volunteer ambulance in nyc?

[Vorenus]

well in my company we try to beat FDNY to the call. they all know us so sometimes they'll show up but let us transport. we also listen to police radio and we'll get to call before FDNY. but like i said some of the crew are just playing games so i need a more serious company.

Can`t really comment on local procedures, but that seems kinda wrong...?!

[Kiwiology]

Sounds pretty fucked up bro

[Richard B the EMT]

FDNY is trying to keep the VACs and VASs out of the 9-1-1 system.

All VAC and VAS agencies have direct dial numbers, that individuals in the communities they serve can call. Many of them monitor Police "Scanner" radios, to keep abreast of anything happening in the community (fires, shootings, lost children), and a few respond, unsolicited, to the monitored calls.

FYI, I am a "registered" monitoring "station", using vanity "call signs" KNY2SC, and (courtesy Popular Communications magazine) WPC2SC. These call signs have no legal bearing in the international radio communities, but look nice when telling a station someone heard their transmissions.

[Kiwiology]

FDNY is trying to keep the VACs and VASs out of the 9-1-1 system.

They need to try harder

[Richard B the EMT]

Careful, brother! I used to be one of those volunteers! Great bunch of dedicated personnel.

[Kiwiology]

Yes but when you were a volunteer the FDNY got around by horse and the Engineer thought in gallops per bale [of hay] not miles per gallon

Is there a reason why there is not a stronger push by the FDNY and the hospitals that provide official 911 cover to eliminate these groups or to actually work with them?

If I remember correctly I think there might be one or two volunteer organisations who are e.g. Jewish and exist because that is who the community would prefer come to them in a time of need as they are the same ethnicity or faith?

[student medic]

It seems like you guys arent that fond of VAC's. Rookies got to get experience from somewhere.

[chbare]

However, do large numbers of rookie nurses volunteer? What about rookie respiratory therapists, radio -graphic technologists, physician assistants, physicians or perfusionists? Unfortunately, it's an issue that is highly isolated to a specific group. Also, what kind of structure and clinical enhancement process is in place to ensure rookies are able to transition into seasoned providers at these services? Do they have strong continuing education requirements, proper preceptor programmes in place, robust QA/QI processes that function, dedicated mentoring and highly involved medical directors?

Unfortunately, it's my intuition that many paid services don't have these in place let alone many volley services.

[Kiwiology]

gad zukes man you know that nurses need an actual edewmeukashin that makes them more likely to be employed than a 120 hour minimum wonder who as 3 dozen a nickel

if the FDNY and 911 sponsor hospitals dont want to work with them then they should be removed entirely; if there is a particular sub-set of the community who have a particularly strong preference to the volunteers from that community because of faith or ethnicity then thats fine but the FDNY/NYC EMS needs to bring them up to the same standard as the paid service (not that I hear FDNY EMS is all that good ....)

cant we go back to the old days when everybody rolled around with big afros n' staches and a lifepak 10 dressed in a white shirt and green pants driving in a ford carrying a big box full of lidocaine? ... central six xray be 94

Edited February 21, 2012 by kiwimedic

[Richard B the EMT]

Is there a reason why there is not a stronger push by the FDNY and the hospitals that provide official 911 cover to eliminate these groups or to actually work with them?

Some of it is union politics.

If I remember correctly I think there might be one or two volunteer organisations who are e.g. Jewish and exist because that is who the community would prefer come to them in a time of need as they are the same ethnicity or faith?

You're thinking of the Hatzoloh Chevra VAC, the biggest VAC in the world, with INTERNATIONAL headquarters in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY.

If my information is correct, while I am Jewish, I'm not observant enough to ride with them. I wonder if the fact that my girlfriend, "Lady J", is a Roman Catholic 3rd generation Sicilian-American might have something to do with that?

On a side note, one of Peninsula Volunteer Ambulance Corps (1973-1996) founding members was in "Jacobi One", the first class of Paramedics trained by the NYC Health and Hospitals Corporation EMS, at Jacobi/Bronx Municipal Hospital, the Bronx, NY.

On a second side note, FDNY EMS is represented by Civil Service unions, the 9-1-1 providers supplied by hospitals are members of a hospital workers union, or, if subcontracted to private providers by the hospitals, might or might not be represented by a union. Non 9-1-1 proprietary (read as "Inter Facility Transfer") services mostly have no union representation,especially after International Brotherhood of Teamsters local 531 shut down. The VAC and VAS units operating within NYC are all "member-squads" (with optional individual memberships available) of either Districts 4 or 18, of the New York State Volunteer Ambulance and Rescue Association. NYSVARA recently became affiliated with the National Association of EMTs. I've an individual membership in both, and am awaiting information from them on combining the dues.

On a third and final note (for now), ALL EMT-Bs in NY State must make the NYS Department of Health, Bureau of EMS, minimum standards of EMT, for the certification, to work or volunteer as an EMT, no matter where in NY they work or volunteer, or for whom they work or volunteer. No matter if they work or live in Montauk, Suffolk County in the south of the state, or Black River (so far north, if they sneeze, someone in Canada says "bless you"), that minimum training is the same.THEN, agency in house additional training can be added.