Do you have a strange affinity for strobes and sirens?

[Septimus]

I applaud all of you service-minded individuals.

I'm an actor.

Here in New York, though, just about everyone has been on Law and Order at one point or another. Does that count?

[JC Viper]

Ninja Geoff and Texfire,




I don't mind getting called for stupid things. Well, not much anyway. I mumble about it a lot especially if it's 3am on a 24hr shift. I'm of the firm belief that it's better to have too much help on the way than not enough.

Geoff, when in doubt call 'em out. You won't get in trouble having the medic come but, you will if you transport a patient and you should have had them.

We do a lot of Medic Assist calls out of my station. Meaning, the local volunteers have a BLS ambulance and call us for paramedics. So, we do get quite a few of the "Right arm pain calls". The only time I get seriously annoyed is when the BLS crews won't start the transport without me or wait for several minutes in a parking lot for me to arrive "because it's safer than parking along the road". Don't waste precious time. Get them loaded and started down the road towards me and the hospital. I'll meet up with ya.

Speaking of, we were busy on my 24 yesterday. Did 11 emergencies and 6 non-emergencies with 2 crews including 3 car wrecks and a motorcycle wreck. Wasted all day today catching up on my sleep.

Stay Safe Out There!

A motorcycle wreck eh? Single vehicle accident? Fatality? I'll probably go into accident investigation (accident my arse) once I get my degree in forensic science. Cops investigating motorcycle crashes half the time report it as speed being a factor and losing control meaning biker is at fault. I know because after I got hit by a drunk driver that's what was reported on my accident report. Some guy had an accident on the Cross Island Parkway (NYC) a while back, it was reported that he lost control. When I ride on that road I know how people just weave in and out and tailgate real close, there was probably more to the story than that.

[BuzZz]

Sirens and flashing red lights (not to mention those dam blue ones) are something to be run away from, not run off towards.

If I hear a siren and see a redlight flashing, it means H2S gas or explosive machinery run-away, and it's past time to beat feet the hell outta there. If you can hit an ESD on the way out, fine, but don't lose any time to do it, and head up-wind.

Still there seems to be a large portion of guys at work who get off on the volunteer fire department, in any smaller center I've ever lived in. They must like the Dalmatian Suits....

[Ninja Geoff]

JC, in MA, there are no longer accidents. They've finally come to terms and call them MVC's, motor vehicle crashes. Scout, it was the volly side that i was refering to about the "right arm pain". Though a BIG thing they pushed was med con. Call med con, he or she is your friend. I'm hoping to work for BHA, but if not, I'd want to volly in the town over (my town doesn't have a volly squad, we can practically spit on the BHA HQ in the next town over).

THOUGH one thing I had forgotten (tex fires post reminded me) was that the main ambulance company in this area (BHS, hospital runs it) has mainly ALS units. All the boxes and busses are staffed by a para, an I, and a B and the nature of the call determines who's teching the call. Simple transport, the basic or the I tech the call. MVC leading to failure to fly, the basic is probably driving. I don't know about your area, but ALL MVC's are instant ALS calls, though if a basic unit arives first, they are to transport unless ALS arrives on sene before they take off. It's a common occurance around here to see a BHS bus fly up Rt 2 into the hill towns and come back down following a 10 year old ambulance owned by some volly squad in the hills.

[Texfire]

Sounds like our system is a little different than those out East. Our emergency transport units are all run by Austin / Travis County EMS. They run two paramedics on a box to all priority calls. The private services are transfers only and aren't really part of the equation for emergency calls. All the FDs in the area are first response, primarily staffed with EMT-Bs with a sprinkling of Intermediates and Paramedics. The clearance process for Intermediate and Paramedic first responders is pretty long and have to be done under the supervision of an FTO on one of the County trucks, so the numbers are going to remain low until the process changes.

We run a fire truck to any medical call in our response area, except for attended patients at a doctor's office or medical facility. This gives us an average of 3-4 Basics and 2 Paramedics going to most medical calls. Collisions will have two engines and one box. We can cancel the ambulance if we are going to get a refusal, or downgrade them if the patient condition warrants a slower response. They can do the same if they arrive first. Given all the different agencies involved, it all works very smoothly with few exceptions, and we tend to have a rapport with the EMS crews we respond with often.

How did I end up talking about EMS on a site devoted to motorcycles?

Tex

[storysunfolding]

EMT-B here for three years. Of course it was a college so if I wasn't being puked on by college kids I was straining my back trying to lift fat locals. Anyone else ever have to move a guy on a flatbed?

[Ninja Geoff]

EMT-B here for three years. Of course it was a college so if I wasn't being puked on by college kids I was straining my back trying to lift fat locals. Anyone else ever have to move a guy on a flatbed?

not yet. but we have boxes in the area that have a winch and a heavy duty stretcher... yeah...

[storysunfolding]

EMT-B here for three years. Of course it was a college so if I wasn't being puked on by college kids I was straining my back trying to lift fat locals. Anyone else ever have to move a guy on a flatbed?

not yet. but we have boxes in the area that have a winch and a heavy duty stretcher... yeah...

Yeah- we ended up ordering a special sized bus and stretcher for this very purpose. Now we have one for everything including DAN... which never made much sense in Charlottesville Va

[Loonette]

Anyone else ever have to move a guy on a flatbed?

Not yet, but I'm still a newbie. From what I've heard, we would just remove the cot track from the medic and slide 'em on in. During my clinical runs, however, I did assist in getting a 500-pounder onto our cot. Now that was insane. The cot bowed when we lifted it. The man's body totally engulfed the cot - very sad indeed.

I was a late bloomer, joined the fire service at the ripe age of 26...

Not quite - try age 39! I've been an EMT-B for a couple of months, I'm Ropes Rescue certified, and in October I'll begin my fire training. When I receive my helmet, I'll be just a couple weeks shy of my 40th birthday. Next year I plan to be on the bike team as well. I belong to an awesome volunteer department in our village, just four blocks from my front door. So far the experience has been fabulous.

I'm actually not too keen on the idea of driving the medics. Don't get me wrong - I love driving and have had experience driving larger trucks - I just would hate to ever get into a crash. It's one of the biggest areas of lawsuits for EMS personnel. But we need drivers on our department, so I'll be doing that training in a few weeks (including the engines and tankers and our sweet little brush truck).

I've not seen any big traumas yet, but like I said, I'm still a newbie. My day is coming...

Cheers,
Loonette

[storysunfolding]

From what I've heard, we would just remove the cot track from the medic and slide 'em on in.

That was our policy too.... when they fit.

We supposedly now have a fat person bus to take care of those requests now. Wow, it's been 3 years since I've actually had a shift... I need to get re certified.