Stretcher to the House?

[Beagle189]

I have always taken my equipment in and left the cot in the ambulance till later. "Ace" I was trying to get more than one side for my -coworkers who insist they take the cot in first. I am sometimes considered an A** at my service because I want things done my way (NOW!) w/o considering others opinions. Big Honking Deal. I was searching on a small item to see if I could be wrong, and so far it seems I am right once again. Anyway your opinions are helping me.

[VillageEMT]

The only time we take the cot in on arrival is when we know the patient and that they will be going to the hospital. One of the nice things about a small town is that you get to know your patients and their houses. With all of these old Victorians, houses not people, the stair chair gets a lot of use. Sometimes a "disembodied voice" (usually "the voice of experience") will come on the radio and ask dispatch to retone for lifting assistance even before we get to the scene. :shock: Once "the voice" asked for the Rescue truck! Cot hell, we needed a chain saw to get the patient out of the house. :shock: :shock:

[strippel]

If we are going to a residence, the litter does not leave the truck, until the patient is ready, and willing to go. No use creating more work for yourself, partner, cop, hose monkey.

The litter ONLY leaves the ambulance (was going to say BUS) with equipment on it, if we have been to the building before, and know the layout, and if there is room. High-rise apartments, ECFs, large office complexes, put the stuff on the litter, and drag it along. Same if it is a serious crash. All other times, it stays back in the truck until we are ready for it.

It is usually just my partner and I, maybe a student, volunteer, or observer. If we are lucky, a cop might show up. We don't hose monkeys very often. Why create more work.

We have one medic who likes everything on the litter, and to take it along. Luckily, she does not do that with me. I don't want to chase it down the block, because the the Kwality Ferno brakes failed.

[firefighter523]

"We have one medic who likes everything on the litter, and to take it along. Luckily, she does not do that with me."

Don't want to be rude in saying this, but if the Paramedic wants to take everything in, there is probably a good reason for this. Correct me if I am wrong, but we DO work for the patient at a time of need. If there is any doubts about what is going on, I surely hope the medic will error on the side of the patient. It isn't hard work to take everything in. I am sure we have all been caught with our pants down once or twice in our careers. We learn from our own mistakes!

[Dustdevil]

Don't want to be rude in saying this, but if the Paramedic wants to take everything in, there is probably a good reason for this.

Funny. I have yet to hear it. And there aren't too many medics out there I trust enough to just accept their silly ideas without questioning them first.

Correct me if I am wrong, but we DO work for the patient at a time of need. If there is any doubts about what is going on, I surely hope the medic will error on the side of the patient.

That is exactly why you don't take the stretcher. It delays you from getting to your patient's side, which is NOT erring on the side of the patient.

It isn't hard work to take everything in. I am sure we have all been caught with our pants down once or twice in our careers. We learn from our own mistakes!

Yep. It's how most of us learned a long time ago that taking the cot with us was stupid.

[chazmedic]

Beagle,

We don't consider you an A$$. We consider you more like that big, lovable, sage of all knowledge.

And the Keeper of the Dance of the Naughty Alpine Boy.

Me on the other hand, my bonus check is directly proportional to the number of EMT's I make cry within a quarter.

And remember, you're wrong! Wrong wrong wrong! How dare you with your 17 plus years of experience even think of giving advice to those medics with less than 2 years total experience about getting in there and treating the patient. It's not about the patient. It's about sleeping all day. And getting the No Pick Up signed. And not doing anything you don't have to. And not having to carry any equipment. Because, one time, in band camp...

:wink:

[bandaidpatrol]

After we got rid of the cots that didn't have multiple level adjustments, we had one-man cots that also folded into a chair (knee bangers). We usually just went in with the monitor, oxygen and IV/airway box. That was enough, the IV box was made of plastic that was folded at the edges and the corners were brass, stood about two feet high, really heavy. If it was on the top floor, we took a the real stair chair, same as the ground. We didn't dare leave the cot outside, or have the ambulance open.. Otherwise, it would be stripped by the time we got back out.They would steal the cot, then some mob team would try to sell it back to a service. It was a lucky day if you were able to buy it back.

Do you know why they call the selfloaders, "one man"? Because the other guy got killed using it.

[Nate]

Some of us "Idiots" do it in the high-crime Urban areas because the back of the bus is the only safe haven we have. It's not fun working on a patient in the house when you have high/drunk/pissed family members, and PD is too busy to come and help. At least in the back of the bus, you can control who comes in and out, and if it the outside gets too hostile, take off a couple of blocks, then pull over and do your work if needed.[/quote

1. I don't enter a scene that has a danger like that unless PD is there. We have some ares of town we don't even enter with out a cop. It is simple, we wait.

2. I wouldn't say the back of the ambulance is the best place to be, I've had more then one pissed off person open the doors and try to come in. Although it was kind of interesting to look up from intubating and see some cop kick someone in the chest because they wanted to beat the patient up. (I love the city I work in though.)

Sorry, I had to be a smart a*s. :wink: 8)

Back on topic...

Yeah I hate the cot, not to mention that the minute you take the cot in your going to get some people who are going to go no matter how minor it their "problem" is. The nature of the call tells me what to bring, granted your dispatch isn't always right (we are getting pretty close though by changing up the scene questions they ask prior to our being dispatch or arrival). At the most I take in the LP12, airway/jump bag, and drug bag. There are also three of us (the ambulance + me).

The only time I'll take the cot to the door is when I know I'm going into a code and I'll park it at the front door and drag the board, bags, and LP12 in with me.

I have seen a few back into the driveway, I usually laugh at them. Now when a crew I'm with tries to do that I will tell them no and they usually never do it again. I also tell them to park in the middle of the residential street if the street is sloped (makes loading so much easier). People can wait or drive around (via another street).

Nate

[akroeze]

Everyone backs into the driveway here... it's the exception, not the rule, to park on the road.

[1aCe3]

One of my jobs is at a transfer service that also takes emergencies... 911 around here never takes the cot.. for good reason. The only time I ever had some "trouble" with this was this one time I was at an apt with my stair chair and what not. The family member that called started yelling at us and telling me that he had "specifically" requested for a stretcher... maybe thats why he called a private instead of 911? :? The apartment's hallway had so many scratches at the turns.. from previous stretcher's I'd assume..