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I got this in an e-mail yesterday.......When will it ever sink in that work related discussions on "Facebook" and "MYSPACE" are just NOT a good idea? Facebook comments cost another officer his job From The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, December 9 SANDY SPRINGS, GA – An attorney for a Sandy Springs police officer who was fired for a Facebook posting says what happened to his client could happen to anyone. "Not only is it a censorship issue that everyone needs to know about," said Mike Puglise. "They are not only saying that you can't write it, but also that they can interpret what the content means." O.J. Concepcion, 33, of Morrow says he was fired from a job he held for nearly four years because of comments he posted on the social networking Web site Facebook. Some of those posts included details about his police work, he said, such as the fact he was working with the FBI on a drug case. One of the posts said, "I'm going to be working in plain clothes tonight," Puglise said. Another post mentioned that Concepcion was frustrated at work. But Concepcion said he was just excited about his job, and never released confidential information. He says other officers have posted racially insensitive information, but have not faced any disciplinary action. "Nothing was derogatory," said Concepcion, who spent seven years with the DeKalb County police force. "I posted that stuff for my friends and family to read, not for the public." The Sandy Springs police department cannot comment about the incident because it is a personnel issue, according to Lt. Steve Rose and Wendell Willard, the city attorney. The AJC has submitted an Open Records Request to obtain Concepcion's employment file. Concepcion's Facebook profile is private, meaning only those who are "friends" with him have access to his information. Most of those friends are fellow officers and relatives, he said. But it was one of the friends, someone Concepcion said he knew prior to working in Sandy Springs, that apparently thought the Facebook postings were not appropriate. That person complained to supervisors, Concepcion said. On Nov. 16, he was placed on administrative leave with pay. On Dec. 2, he was terminated. He was never given a warning about Facebook comments, Concepcion said. Concepcion will ask for a grievance hearing, according to Puglise, and will likely file an EEOC complaint. Puglise, who spent 16 years as an officer before becoming a lawyer, says Concepcion may also be a victim of racial discrimination, since he is Latino. Additionally, Puglise said the Sandy Springs police department currently does not have a policy in place addressing social media. Puglise and Concepcion contend the postings were misinterpreted. Many other metro Atlanta police departments also don't have policies about Facebook-type Web sites. But some are in the process of addressing the issue of social media. In Gwinnett County, members of the police department are prohibited from posting on a social media site anything that relates him or her to the department, according to Cpl. David Schiralli. The department implemented its policy before any major problems arose from employees using the sites. The Atlanta police department is currently working on a policy to address electronic communication, according to Sgt. Lisa Keyes. The Smyrna police department is also in the process of developing a social media policy, Officer Michael Smith said. Although there isn't a specific policy regarding Facebook for Marietta police, the release of sensitive information is not allowed, according to Officer Jenny Murphy. Joe Hernandez, Cobb County police spokesman, said the same is true for his force. But with more and more people relying on sites such as Facebook to share information, employers may have to institute specific policies regarding what individuals are allowed to post online. "Where do they draw the line?" Concepcion asked. "Everyone is using it."

Howdy, I was wondering if I could get a little advice from some BC medics regarding precepting in the current political climate? I'm starting a PCP course based out of Vancouver this January, and I'm scheduled to begin precepting in April, but I'm very worried about the potential for further job action putting a hold on my training. I'm wondering if anyone has any insight into what precepting for PCPs is going to look like in the new year, and how best I can move past the precepting stage while still supporting my future colleges in their job action? Thanks, Brandon

I'd love to see how long people wait in ED to be treated, like if we said on the phone "oh your condition is (immeadiate/urgent/non-urgent) the ambulance will be there within X" people freak out and say "oh but it's an emergency!". Well you go to ED and tell look at you and say, go sit in chairs the nurse will be out when they can. Nana who goes to ED with a good story, history of CHF and eh, sort of SOB but few crackles will probably wait what, 30 minutes? If that job comes down the pipe to ambo it's immediate priority one, lights and sirens off we go! See the disparity? My bet is that this "poor response time" blowup is to whip up a bit of fear and get some more money. Here's what I'd like to trial: Immeadiate life threat - Category red, ten minutes 90% from time of dispatch - Cardiac or respiratory arrest - Choking - Life threatning asthma or anaphylaxis - Undifferentiated chest pain with no cardiac history - All trauma that is not "obviously simple" - etc Potential life threat - Category yellow, fifteen minutes 90% from the time of dispatch - Chest pain with cardiac history - Uncomplicated known seizure patient with single seizure < 5 minutes now stopped - Known diabetic history that is altered but no recent history of non compliance - etc Unlikely life threat - Category green, thirty minutes 90% of the time - Isolated trauma - Flu - Controlled, minor bleeding - The "not sure you should be ringing us but we'll see what we can do for you anyway" crowd Five Key Questions - Address - Phone number - Is the patient conscious (NOT "is the patient completely awake?") - Is the patient having difficulty breathing (NOT "is the patient breathing normally?") - Has this happened before? The goal of the category green's would be to funnel them out of having to send the ambo's and having some sort of alternate referral pathway.

HIGHLY UNLIKELY as the schools in Alberta are already hard pressed to find practicum locations, hospital and field. If you do not start until January is the agreement still set in stone ? With reciprocity agreements now in place one may be far further ahead to reevaluate your present situation and look for greener pastures ? like AB or SASK ? Ask yourself these question's: Do I want to work for BCAS where I will be treated as sub-human, paid poorly, forced to do OT, stuck in system that is subject to the governments every whim. If I wish to in a timely fashion move up to the ACP level do I wish to be held up buy "internal" problems ? With new negotiations set for April (your scheduled time to start practical)and highly likely this "Bill 21" will be contested and moved to the Supreme Court of Canada ? Just food for thought. cheers

I found some more information about this story. http://www.ajc.com/news/north-fulton/officer-facebook-postings-didn-235017.html Looks like an attempt at justification to me.

There should be places available. I am assuming that your friend is working in the Whistler area since he needs a place on the highway. Just tell VANOC that they can give your medic the place I was supposed to stay in since I told them to go F*** themselves last month after what they pulled. I was posted at the Whistler Sliding Centre....any chance he's my replacement? I wasn't posted in a medical capacity that would have scabbed BCAS either, but they can still go F*** themselves.

As a Alberta preceptor, I can tell you that I have seen quite a few BC people coming to Ab for school for just that reason.

Since they're claiming cancer after 20 years of walking around fire scenes without airpacks on as "LODD," it's hardly surprising to see a guy who gets a rash after a shift of EMS calls and dies get the full treatment.

Assuming they were just good Samaritans and perhaps were off duty with no gear, they did exactly what I would have done in that situation. I don't carry one piece of gear with me when I'm off duty. I also don't wear EMS or fire related clothing off duty, but that's another issue. What else could I do if someone was having an active seizure while I'm out slumming in my favorite fabric store except protect them from harming themselves and call 911? I can attempt to gather as much information as I can for the incoming EMS unit, but honestly my first priority is making sure the patient doesn't slam their head against the floor or other hard object during the event. Sounds to me that the good Samaritans, if they had no equipment accessible, did an appropriate job. As for the other people involved. I know how stories can be falsified or enhanced. From the information we have so far, they appear to be guilty as sin for negligence, but it's not for me to judge them, especially with such limited information from a newspaper. I'll be more interested to see how things pan our for them in the end. As for the lady involved, it was truly tragic. God Bless their family, and other child, during this time.

I was not selected as any type of Medical person, make a difference?

Al: I would like to also say that this communist move by the BC government as angered and set very dangerous precedent for all Paramedics across Canada, as a non union affiliated Paramedic I feel it is my professional obligation to my brothers and sisters working in BC to be steadfast in my refusal to support VANOC or Comrade Campbell's "intuitive's". I believe it is well overdue to form an IAPP (International Association of Paramedic Professionals) we should take a lesson from the IAFF. In solidarity of EMS.

Squint and Al have given you pretty well all of the pertinent information regarding the matter. If your friend/coworker has any desire to have any kind of cordial relationship with Canadian paramedics I would strongly recomend abandoning plans to work/volunteer at the 2010 games. Those of us in BC are currently engaged in a provincial labour dispute with national ramifications. At this point "Charter Rights" (similair in concept to US constitutional rights) have been violated by a provincial dictatorship.

I am in no way excusing the actions of these providers. It is my firm belief that the only way to mitigate these types of incidents is to try and gain some sort of lesson from it. This story immediately brings to mind the mid-level provider minimization of symptoms syndrome. I truly believe that if these EMTs had been cognizant of the seriousness of this woman's condition, they would have acted. Once the newbie excitement has been ground out of EMS personnel, and before the true wisdom of seasoned veterans begins to take hold, there is a "been there done that it's nothing" mentality that causes providers to make serious mistakes. It is something that we need to be aware of and guard against. My personal experience is that seizures are one of the most "faked" symptoms I come across. Of all the seizure calls I have responded on, perhaps 1 in 5 have been true seizures and non have been life threatening. (self limiting, requiring supportive care and a trip to the hospital). I actually studied the phenomena of pseudo seizures in my efforts to be of some use to these patients, to try and understand why they do it so that I would not just dismiss these patients as "nuts". In this particular case, the pregnancy was a great big red flag and should have warned these EMTs that this had the potential to go very bad very fast. I would hate to be them, and not just because of the public censure and loss of job, but I don't know that I could carry the burden of the deaths of a young mother and her child.

Personally, I cant see how it is a LODD from the info given. There is no time line to indicate when the call was to onset of symptoms. No mention of the patient(s) he attended. There is also no mention of a possible lack of Personal Protective Equipment used (or not more likley) for infection control. More information is needed, but regardless, 42 is too young to leave a young family behind. The family has my condolenses. This web site seems to have trouble relaying the full details of a story, just in case someone looks bad. (?) this one for example FATAL FDNY EMS CRASH

Greetings, As a member of the BC Ambulance Service and The Ambulance Paramedics of British Columbia CUPE Local 873 I think it is my place to provide some friendly guidance in this matter. If you have been offered the chance to come to Vancouver/Whistler for the 2010 Winter Olympics to work as a medic either paid or volunteer, please be aware that you are coming into a labour dispute between the Paramedic Union, the Government of British Columbia and the Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee (VANOC_ (and as such the IOC). We were involved in a legal strike with our employer the BC Government and in the midst of voting on a contract offer when the Government imposed legislation ending our strike. This legislation was pushed through a marathon session of the Legislature by a majority government that refused to hear arguments from the opposition party. In fact the minister of Health who tabled the bill actually put earplugs in while members of the opposition read arguments against the bill. Further more it was brought to light that the reason this piece of law was forced was because VANOC asked the government to end the strike before the Olympics to save international embarrassment. As such the Paramedics of BC have chosen to not volunteer to work at any Olympic Venue either paid or unpaid. The only Paramedic involvement will be that of EMS Venue Commanders who were hired prior to our strike commencing on April 1 2009. They could not resign due to threat of dismissal. Our refusal to work the games is due to the fact that our service currently is not capable of meeting standard operational levels because of mismanagement and lack of adequate staffing levels. To staff the games while duty ambulances go unmanned is unethical and unrealistic. VANOC has stated that they will revert to Plan B which is not exactly known but if medics from outside are being recruited to come and work it's obvious what the plan may be. Please in the spirit of solidarity and better judgment DO NOT COME TO BC TO WORK THE OLYMPICS AS A MEDIC!!!! It is safe to say you will not be welcomed and won't be treated well by our membership. Paramedic Unions from across Canada and the US have publicly stated that they will not endorse any of their members coming here to work for the games. Please come to BC for any other reason you like but respect our fight and not work.

Would you be feeling any different about their deaths if you were the towns garbage man ? When friends die, it hurts, no matter what profession you are in. But you have defined some of the problems of working where you live. I always cringed when they toned out an accident with entrapment when i knew my teens were out on dates. But there is also some benefit to working where you live: no commute, close to home if something happens, you are usually more dedicated when you work where you live, and I dont know that not knowing the patients makes their death any easier. But with that being said, if you have developed an ulcer, you need to make some changes. See a counselor or change employers. I know someone who lost 40lbs and was diagnosed with MS, he retired from EMS and all his symptoms disappeared within two weeks, he didnt have MS, he was just too stressed by his job.

51 views and only 7 survey responses... However the responses so far are interesting!

I'm not asking about specific EMS degrees, but about any higher education. My point goes more to the idea that some think higher education is too much of a burden for EMS. I hope to illustrate that many in the field already have higher education and so the leap may not be so far as some think.

Agendas are not easily pushed on vapor. If you want to win a political fight, begin the fray with as much ammunition as you can.

I figured this would be interesting in light of recent education debates.