Wanker

[SEMS_SFD_344]

Am I a "wanker" because I carry a pair of hemostats in my side pocket?

[JakeEMTP]

If your not working, in a word, yes. lol. It smacks of wankerism.

[hfdff422]

Or a pothead.

[Dustdevil]

Or a pothead.

LMAO!!

It depends. Are you talking on duty, or off?

[_radar]

I guess you people have to have the true meaning of a word spelled out for you don't you? :roll:

Wanker is a pejorative term of British origin, also common in Australia and New Zealand, literally meaning one who wanks (masturbates). It is particularly used of someone (usually male) who is self-obsessed and/or a show-off. It has the similar meanings and overtones to American pejorative terms such as "jerk", "jerk-off", or "prick".

Although masturbation is now seen as a widespread and acceptable practice, the insulting properties of these terms still remain. The idea is not to draw attention to the fact that a male masturbates; rather, it is to emphasise that (because of his very poor social skills) he has so little sexual interaction with others that his only remaining option is to masturbate. As with many profanities, it is considered much less shocking today than before, but is nevertheless an insult.

[hfdff422]

Uhhhhhhhhhhh...... :roll: :roll: . In the EMS and the fire service the term "wanker" or "whacker" refers to a person who is obsessed with the emergency services. They have no ability to put it in perspective with other parts of their life. Think volunteer who is undertrained but has 2 pagers, a scanner, a two way, a leatherman, a pouch with gloves, scissors, window punch, tape, and a pen all on his regular belt.

Mabye you were being facetious, if you were sorry.

[irish_emt_in_tx]

He was not being sarcastic. He is my soon to be former roommate who so over qualifies to be a wanker/whacker. He is way too serious for this line of work if you ask me. Dustdevil and I have had too many run-ins with him. And to the original poster, yes, if you carry hemostats in a side pocket when off duty, you might just be a wanker/whacker.

[SEMS_SFD_344]

I never said anything about carrying off-duty. And yes, I was being sarcastic and looking for a quick laugh. Thank you all.

[Ridryder 911]

I used to carry hemostats to clamp off the those arterial bleeds......... just joking. seriously, I used to carry some, then found some "bulldog" clamps, which I wish I could find another pair. they were excellent for clamping off tubes, hanging I.V. on odd things, etc.

I personally clamp off the foley bag tubing to prevent re-drainage back into the bladder (nasty stuff)....

R/r 911

[Dustdevil]

Hæmos are good to have around. I probably use them most often for hanging IV's. They also come in handy for removing over-tightened needles from Luer-Loc syringes. Yes, they are stereotypically wankerish, and I did not carry them for years. But once you discover that they have several really useful functions in the field, you can get past the fear of the stereotype and start carrying them again.

Basically, if you can explain and demonstrate why you would commonly need them, you're safe. If you can't, you're a wanker.

And please... one pair per medic is fine. You don't need three to five pair in your EMS pant pockets. Those pockets are there in case you need them. It is not mandatory that you fill them all.