uniform

[pacerman13170]

I have a bizarre question......Where I work, an ambulance service that runs about 4700 calls a year, will not let us wear an EMT badge because they say it looks too much like the police and that is dangerous, but half the time if you watch, trauma life in the ER, they all come in wearing badges, which i think is very professional, what are others peoples opinions? thanks, Dave

[Ghettomedic351]

I would remain badgeless with the exception of Class A uniform or PR events, Seems to me most people see a badge but cannot recognize the fact you are indeed an EMT/Paramedic, Just yesterday I had to attend a PR event and if you can imagine I had several people mistake me for law enforcement, in the hood this could be a problem. keep a low profile and dont give freddy the hood rat anything to shoot at, trust me and stick with badges for funerals and other such special events.

[Dustdevil]

I think people should choose their uniform based on more professional considerations than what idiots on television are doing.

And I think this topic has been discussed to DEATH, in a not so civil fashion, on this board, as well as every other EMS forum ever started. And I think I won't be the only one to suggest you use the search function to find the previous discussions to save a rematch of the previous fights.

Yeah, sure they look professional. Problem is, it's the wrong profession. You have no authority. You are supposed to be a MEDICAL professional. Nothing more. Concentrate on being that or choose a more appropriate profession.

[stream:0b233fd7eb]http://www.darryl.com/badges/bsbadges.wav[/stream:0b233fd7eb]

[EMT City Administrator]

Unless this is going to have a different spin to it, this has already been covered in

http://www.emtcity.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.ph...ighlight=badges

Admin

[Ridryder 911]

WOW !.. I haven't seen EMT badges in so long.. I thought they were extinct, if it was not for the forums. If you wore a badge around here, the cops would arrest you for impersonation. Not even the F.D. wear badges anymore.

Like Dust and so many others have stated.. wrong profession. I am medical, not public service. I have no authority over anyone .. so why would I need badge ? Let my actions & behavior demonstrate of what & whom I am ..

R/r 911

[csr]

Just yesterday I had to attend a PR event and if you can imagine I had several people mistake me for law enforcement, .

Proving once again just how clueless the average citizen is.

[Michael]

Proving once again just how clueless the average citizen is.

Unintentional impersonation can be accomplished even without a badge. I used to carry in my pocket a small pad of paper to jot down thoughts as they came to me, so as not to lose them. (Perhaps I was unconsciously preparing for this forum.) I would stop whatever I was doing, wherever I was, and jot, then pocket my pad and go on with life. Once in the city I happened to be wearing a mid-thigh-length navy-blue jacket when I thought of something I wanted to write down, so I stepped out of the pedestrian rush, and, standing at the curbside, started to scribble on my 3x5 pad. I was startled out of my reverie by a man who appeared literally in my face, pleading that I not give him a parking ticket! In my confusion I mistook his ingratiating smile as a sign that he was just playing, so I smiled back and nodded, whereupon, he thanked me profusely and disappeared before I could realize he had really taken me for a cop. We both left his car illegally parked... Two other times I was threatened with violence as a result of this habit of public journaling, by young men who saw me writing and were sure I must have been in some way recording something they were doing wrong, when in fact I hadn't noticed them until they started to curse me out. Funny old world.

[Ridryder 911]

Proving once again just how clueless the average citizen is.

Is it the citizen(s) clueless or EMS ?.. again, why should we be authorized to wear a badge ? Maybe, EMS should take a hint ... from the public, we are the ones that are clueless.

R/r 911

[Scaramedic]

Unless this is going to have a different spin to it, this has already been covered...

Admin

Should I wear my badge in the shower, and should I use the conditioner on my badge?

Hows that for a different spin?

Peace,

Marty

[ncmedic309]

The badge obviously looks more professional, but it gets you mistaken for law enforcement quite often. I can't tell you how many times I've been called an "officer"... I disagree with the comments about no authority, regardless if you wear a badge or not in EMS, you still have some degree of authority, and people still see you as a authortiy figure. You might not have the same authority as a law enforcement officer, but it's still there...think about it...how often do you use it on a daily basis to get the job done?