Warning Lights @ Sirens use in EMS

[Phoenix_Pixie697]

Please. The nationwide ambulance safety record is terrible.

Stephan

In comparison to what?? What it should be?? The nationwide record for people in EMS receiving lift related injury is also horrid, and the nationwide record for exposures to possible bio-hazards isn't that great either, but that doesn't make EMS or any other medical professional a complete moron, totally inept, or a profession of back lifters. That would be like saying that because you are an EMS professional, or if you are a medical professional that just drives EMS equipment, you are completely inept both medically and as a driver. Judging by your credentials you're neither, so saying EMS personnel are the worst drivers in America doesn't really fit either, you're drawing corollaries without a way to inversely make them.

PP [/font:194eb6fdd6]

[Stephan Wilkinson]

This is getting tiresome, so let's drop it. I never said that EMS drivers were the worst drivers in the country or anything remotely like that. Off and clear...

Stephan

[ptemt]

This is getting tiresome, so let's drop it. I never said that EMS drivers were the worst drivers in the country or anything remotely like that. Off and clear...

Stephan

This is copied from your first post;

"EMS drivers are no better than the rank-and-file of American drivers, and we're the worst drivers in the world. "

[Dustdevil]

I'm curious: do people often post on this site about stuff they have no experience in????

Yes. Constantly.

Some do it while admitting up front that they are speculating, which isn't a particularly bad thing. But others do it with an air of authority as if they are an expert on the topic, when in fact they know little to nothing about the subject at hand.

[Dustdevil]

Being as though you have such EMS experience, then you should know that most of the people in EMS have to have a very good driving record, and thus are not the worst drivers in America...

How many EMS systems have you worked in? How many states? How many towns or counties? How many years? From what experiential perspective do you assert that "most" people in EMS are great drivers? I contend that you are mistaken.

Is a drunk driver who has never been caught still a "great" driver? Of course not. Their driving records are not reflective of their competence. Stephan is right. The great majority of partners I have had, I have had to completely retrain in order for their driving to be acceptable, both emergency and non-emergency. While I am sure that things have improved in the last decade since I have been out, I see that we are still recruiting from the same ranks of lazy, unemployable kids with minimal education, whose only draw to the business is the adrenalin factor. Oh, and the spiffy uniform and badge. :roll:

[Phoenix_Pixie697]

How many EMS systems have you worked in? How many states? How many towns or counties? How many years? From what experiential perspective do you assert that "most" people in EMS are great drivers? I contend that you are mistaken.

I should have made that a lot more specific to my state.. I forget that other states have different standards. At the places in my state, of MI, that I have looked into (which are many) to work at and at the three that I have worked at (as well as others I have either applied at or checked out) there are very strict guidelines, including no DUI's etc, for EMS personnel who will be on the road. If it's not like that in most states that does scare me a bit.

PP

[Nate]

Strict and DUI...most states take your license away if you have a DUI. I've had my fair share of traffic court dates, a few for street racing on closed off roads back when I was in high school; but that shows nothing about my ability to drive. You can look a driving record and see nothing and think they are a great driver; you can look at another person and see a lot of tickets and think they are a bad driver.

I don't know about everyone here, but how I drive my cars and trucks outside of work is little more "free" then how I drive my ambulance. If I'm on an open road with a banked curve and no traffic I'll take full advantage of it (gotta love a tuned suspension), but if I'm in the ambulance...no way.

[Ace844]

Come on guys.....This post was viewed over 1,000 X's and there was ONLY 33 VOTES!!!???? :roll: :!: Let's increase the sample abit and see if in our own little group of "working" providers if we as a "group" actually resemble the #'s or not.....

[Just Plain Ruff]

guys guys guys, what do you expect with someone who only currently has 8 posts. . Stephen comes in saying these statements, never once saying he has driven an ambulance. Let's look at the safety record or road record of the high performance racing.

you have a bunch of guys driving around a track and i don't watch car racing very much but I know for a fact that there are lots of crashes. If we take the number of crashes and the number of races run, multiply that by the miles or whatever formula you want to take, I am sure that in terms of miles driven that the high performance racing industry has more of a poor driving record than the EMS industry. Consider millions of miles driven by ems in their daily routine and a lot less than that in the high performance racing.

But then again I don't know how many miles they actually drive but I'd think it's a lot less than that.

I'd put my emergency driving skills up against this guys anyday.

But I'd defer to him on the driving of the death highways of other countries. no desire to do that.

[Guest]

I agree ruff he did not say the he has driven an ambulance. However he did say that he was the drivers training guy for his service. So in that respect it can be infer'd that he has in fact, driven an ambulance. outside of that i have no other comments .... good day all.

and Ace, it is possible that people are not voting because the selections are not worded to the way they feel about the subject. or two selections may more accuratly cover their feelings than just one. so it is possible that they are not voting to try and keep your poll accurate as possible. or we just don't want to!!!