Would you take it?

[DwayneEMTP]

Yeah, I get where Patton is coming from here. Some of the same people that are saying it's not unprofessional to take food or drink would never, ever consider using a person's bathroom, no matter the emergency, right? We've had some pretty involved threads on that subject too. One is necessary, the other not, yet the unecessary is professional and the necessary unprofessional?

Like ak, I used to run on a diabetic that took a long time after waking up before we could get him to eat. Neither he or his parents had any interest in transport as the reasons for his crashes were evident to all...They lived from hell to breakfast up in the mountains. While I waited for him to become clear headed enough to be able to follow instructions I'd sit on their couch with their dog and do my paperwork. They offered me a Soda once and I accepted and from then on one was just waiting when I got there.

But yeah, if there was still work to do and they stopped doing it to go and picnic, then I wouldn't like that either, it's impossible to tell from the pic...

But babe, even if there was still work to do, they are firemen, they weren't slacking, they were performing Community Outreach....Just sayin'...

And MY panties are just fine Island, you shithead...

:-)

[island emt]

-- That's why we have our own opinions, isn't it? I just find it unprofessional because first responders are supposed to look professional, not standing on the sideline eating. So what if there was nothing for them to be doing? They still have an image to hold. But that's just my opinion. Any more criticism?

As I stated before. I'm not trying to be argumentative of attacking you , just trying to figure out where your head is at on this " problem" .

The crash scene is secure with one vehicle out in a field

the cars have been torn apart,

the patients have been treated & transported

Kitty litter has been spread on spilled fluids

They are waiting for law to finish up or the wreckers to arrive.

Do you think they should be standing in the road watching the now deceased motor vehicle or just standing around looking official in the hot turnout gear?

Maybe the officer in charge should have them all line up and stand at attention by the side of the road in the sun.

Would that be professional in your eyes?

Please don't take this personal: But to me it sounds like a new supervisors fantasies of how things" should " be in utopia.

Edited : to add link to a lot more photos of the crash scene showing the FF's doing their jobs properly, dressed in their DOT required reflective gear doing traffic control around the scene. The large warwagon ambulance bus parked in the middle of the road and more.

Maybe if you worked for the evil empire you would find nirvana

Dwayne : you know that you really look funning in those fireman's boots over there in PNG ! :-}

but the sheep are smiling

Edited October 11, 2012 by island emt

[medicgirl05]

I agree with you Patton, I think this is a fine line. I have only accepted something twice that I can recall.

1. We were in a HOT welding shop on a HOT day with a deceased man waiting for the JP to come from BFE when a family member brought me a bottle of flavored water. We knew the family a little and she had gone all the way to the house to get the water which was quite a hike for her. She brought water for my partner and I and since she went to that much effort to get it I felt it would be rude to refuse. So I took it and drank it and it was disgusting.

2. We had just determined a patient to be DOA and when I talked to the man's wife and asked if I could do anything for her she asked me to drink coffee with her as she usually drank with her husband and didn't want to sit alone. I made a pot of coffee and sat with her while we waited for the funeral home and her family to arrive. It was more about the companionship but the coffee was her excuse to get that and I'm not sure how anyone could refuse an old lady grieving the loss of her husband.

I have been told by county officials that since we are paid we should not accept things from patients, however I think there are times when it actually benefits the patient or family and that is more important to me.

[island emt]

There is a big difference between accepting a drink or a snack and taking an envelop full of cash or gift cards , which is what the intent of most public policies are written for.

We are in the public service business and whether paid or not we are professionals.

The OP scene is very common in rural areas and the locals felt that it was their personal way of saying thank you to the entire crew involved . Many of them left their paying jobs to respond to this scene and the public knows it.

[medicgirl05]

Our policy is written that we do not accept gifts(water or food) from anyone for anything. Our response to the offer should be that the person offering can make a monetary donation that is a tax deduction so that it is clearly stated as to the purpose of the gift.

At one mans residence I fell down a flight of stairs while trying to carry a patient down, resulted in no detriment to the patient; and the family sent a rather nice gift basket to the office. Nobody bothered to return it.

If we are responding to a fire standby my partner and I often stop at a convenience store for a case of water and gatorade that I pay for out of my pocket. Our firefighters are volunteer and I think it is important for them to know they are taken care of. Plus I'd rather they keep themselves hydrated than me having to hydrate them.

[Just Plain Ruff]

Our policy is written that we do not accept gifts(water or food) from anyone for anything. Our response to the offer should be that the person offering can make a monetary donation that is a tax deduction so that it is clearly stated as to the purpose of the gift.

At one mans residence I fell down a flight of stairs while trying to carry a patient down, resulted in no detriment to the patient; and the family sent a rather nice gift basket to the office. Nobody bothered to return it.

If we are responding to a fire standby my partner and I often stop at a convenience store for a case of water and gatorade that I pay for out of my pocket. Our firefighters are volunteer and I think it is important for them to know they are taken care of. Plus I'd rather they keep themselves hydrated than me having to hydrate them.

Then your policy needs to be rewritten. IT sucks and is a stupid policy. When a policy states you cannot even accept a glass of water that's a STUPID policy. If I offered you a glass of water and you told me you couldn't accept it but you could accept a monetary gift but it has to be sent to the department I'd be offended and PISSED Off.

Your policy writer needs a lesson in diplomacy.

And your department should have returned the gift basket because it broke your said policy of not being able to accept food or "anything" but of course they didn't return it.

Edited October 11, 2012 by Captain ToHellWithItAll

[medicgirl05]

I'm not saying that I agree with the policy. The supervisor that tries to enfore the policy is the same one that signed for delivery of the gift basket.

It was initially written that we could not accept anything worth more than $20. Some people screwed that up by asking if you accepted a $1 soda 21 times would you be breaking policy?

[Just Plain Ruff]

so you have a bunch of wiseacres who ruined it for all of you. I may have worked for your company at one time or at least a replica of your company.

I'll bet your supervisor got so frustrated with those dumbasses making fun of the policy that he said to himself "Screw them, they don't get anything now" That'll teach em.

I'm glad I don't work there anymore.

[Guest ~~~]

As I stated before. I'm not trying to be argumentative of attacking you , just trying to figure out where your head is at on this " problem" .

The crash scene is secure with one vehicle out in a field

the cars have been torn apart,

the patients have been treated & transported

Kitty litter has been spread on spilled fluids

They are waiting for law to finish up or the wreckers to arrive.

Do you think they should be standing in the road watching the now deceased motor vehicle or just standing around looking official in the hot turnout gear?

Maybe the officer in charge should have them all line up and stand at attention by the side of the road in the sun.

Would that be professional in your eyes?

Please don't take this personal: But to me it sounds like a new supervisors fantasies of how things" should " be in utopia.

Edited : to add link to a lot more photos of the crash scene showing the FF's doing their jobs properly, dressed in their DOT required reflective gear doing traffic control around the scene. The large warwagon ambulance bus parked in the middle of the road and more. http://bridgeville72...lery.cfm?id=102

Maybe if you worked for the evil empire you would find nirvana

Dwayne : you know that you really look funning in those fireman's boots over there in PNG ! :-}

but the sheep are smiling

I understand where you are coming from, and I have explained my point and where my "problem" is at. I am not in charge of the firefighters, that's why the chief is there. Would I make them all line up in their hot bunker gear? No, actually a lot of them had their jackets off. ( might be able to see it in the picture gallery ) There were a lot of cars driving past as well, which sundays and mondays are busy days on that road due to people going back home from the beaches. With these cars driving past and people looking out their window for those brief two or three seconds and not fully understanding what's going on at the scene and all they see is a bunch of first responders on the sideline eating while their is a car in someones yard all dented up and another sitting in the lane of traffic they're supposed to be in. Would you think that's the best impression they have of the first responders, if you put yourself in their shoes?

Also never said the firefighters won't ever doing their jobs..

[MikeEMT]

So this is a story about a event not too long ago and a question. I didn't believed this belong in the scenario section.

So not too long ago there was a decent MVA at the intersection of a two lane road that I suppose you could call major. Its where all the traffic comes down to go to our beach town. Anyway, one car was t-boned pulling out of the back road onto the major road. A couple victims went to the hospital with minor injuries, others were just slightly hurt and received on scene treatment and walked away.

On the corner of the back road and the major road sits a house and these people decided to bring out a couple coolers full of drinks and snacks, they just felt like doing something nice. I thought it was kind and didn't really think anything of it till all of the firefighters made their way over to the coolers and left both vehicles unattended (although patients have been removed) and had a deadline to get the cars off the road and to clean the scene, which was not met due to stalling and eating.

I will not lie and I will say I took a water bottle right before I left, which I don't really accept food or drinks in those situations.

Have you ever accepted food or a drink from a patients home, patients workplace, or from a bystander?

Yes I have. When I was a cop we would frequently have bystanders bring us food and drink. If it was sealed I would accept it, if not then I politely declined. It can be draining working a scene for hours. Once patient care is handled nothing says you can't take a few minutes to rehydrate or replenish your blood sugars. I mean seriously how long does it take to drink a bottle of water or eat a snickers bar?

We had an agreement with our McDonalds that if we had a SWAT callout or major fire they would provide free cheeseburgers and orange drink. Worked out good.

The FD and rescue squads should not have the responsibility of clearing the road - unless a hazard such as powerlines or hazmat is present. Additionally, how effective are you going to be if you haven't had anything to eat or drink in a few hours and you just had the adrenalin rush of treating patients in a MVA?

When working fatalities or crime scenes we couldn't touch the body. Sometimes it would take hours to get the Coroner out there. Thats a lot of standing around.