craig

Craig: KB & swan lager were the two that we had available to us out in Exmouth WA.

Back then very few folks even in Oz knew where it was. Now it's a world class diving resort

I did try many other wonderful brews when on holiday in Perth.

The bugs & spiders just became part of daily life when you got to know them. The flies however were quite tasty for 5 months a year. they were everywhere. couldn't get in a meal without eating a few.

flies are not that bad are they ........wouldn't be an aussie bbq if you didnt swallow a couple.........try playing cricket with them...

When I was stationed in Western Australia, the incoming staff were given two days of intro to OZ. The bugs spiders & snake lectures basically stated that all but a couple of the snakes were poisonous or deadly, many of the spiders have nasty venom and so did many of the bugs. Stay away from them.

Then there were the dangers of the different species in the ocean from great whites to sea snakes and pufferfish.

The second day was spent teaching us about the grate Aussie beers and how they were much stronger than we yanks were used to. there was a test on the beers

I preferred Swan lager or KB

bug, spiders and snakes..........day to day dealing....lol

and just goes to show the tastes you yanks are use to...Bloody KB........no self respecting aussie would..........same goes for fosters

and for the record we dont carry antivenom, not worth the hassell, has to be refridgerated etc...so many different kinds but you can get a multi spectrum one (not as effective, but good if you dont know what type of snake),,,,besides not that often us aussies get bitten.....

for the record we have a spider here, that you guys call a black widow (we call it a red back) that we just treat with an ice pack and watch the patient.....

hope this helps

An English man, a Scotsman and An Irishman walk in to a pub.............

oooopps wrong setting.........

Some thing similar......

earlier this year when my dad was hospitalise for chest pain and breathing difficulties, it want his heart, but they found shadows in both his lungs......late stage lung cancer...and not much time,,so we spent as much time with him that we could in hospital.

My second eldest son who was about to turn 17, realised that he would never get to have a beer with his grandfather (as the drinking age in Aus is 18) so we smuggled a few bottles of beer into the hospital ward (palative oncology ward) so we could have a drink with him...

we all poured a glass eacha nd I gave my boy a glass of beer so he could have his fisrt (and ultimately his last ) beer with his Pop. I said a few words, and then let my emotional boy say a few. we then went to drink when my Dad asked if he had a right of reply.........thought never crossed my mind.....

well he want to say a few words, but openend with tis classic....."I hope this bloody beer wont kill me........."

he was a joker to the end as he passed away about 3 days later.......miss him....

That's not offensive...

This is offensive.. I think EMS should be operated by the fire service, overseen by Law Enforcement and staffed by multilingual volunteers that were apprehended by INS while trying to illegally vote for Obama.

no keep the bloody hose jockey tossers away from ems.....dont do it..........

do letters to the editor reall count as being published?

artic.....lol , all the classified i have done, well then i must be on a best seller list...........

bushy....dont think MJ was the agitated one...maybe the little boys that were 'sleeping' over were......

we use Midaz and morphine mix here as well as midaz

I remember working with a partner one night when we attended a deceased person (male) in a house of ill repute (brothel).......

we did the checks and said the person was deceased....the investigating police officer came up to us a little later and said the guy die of an overdose.......

with out batting and eyelid, my partnet states...."Sh*t! You can overdose on horizontal dancing?....bet he died of crack then".........

bushy.....and your question is?

I keep forgetting BLS save EMT I butts and then the EMT I save the Paramedi one...........old sh*t that wears thin....been on both side of the argument, really dont care what people think...we are there for the PATIENT

lets drop this line now PLEASE..............

Well, if it's your only option you have no other choice. Not that I disagree with you though. As I stated earlier, we are moving away from full spinal immobilization unless it is absolutely necessary.

Trouble with that is a company that has that as "their ONLY choice" really isnt putting the best interest of the patient first now is it?....

it's a bloody extrication device....not really made to carry a patient.thats what scoops are for...then basket litters........

vaccum mattress or similar to transport with....never transport on a back board....

gee it's not rocket science people

A case in point : high speed motor vehicle crash. When I arrived on scene there were folks trying to do CPR on the driver. I made everyone stop and look at the scene. The drivers brain matter was all over the house into which he had crash landed.

edit to add

Injuries incompatible with life is a term that needs to be thought about..

and where is this an intra cardiac penetration? if there was brain matter "all ove the house" I would not have started CPR either........

However, if the patient was being treated and had a penetrating traume and went in to an arrest situation, my role would not stop, as there could be a chance i could reverse it................why bother with intracardiac adrenaline if the penetration of the needle to the pericarium punctures the heart (as it is suppose to do) and the pateint is in an arrest..........goes against what you are saying.

incompatable to life injuries, no argument there on whether to start.......

^{Craig: Not picking on you personally.}

^{But in a traumatic arrest with penetrating or impaled through the heart, unless you happen to be in the trauma center parking lot and the thoracic surgical team is waiting & ready to go, then the odds of survivability are not going to be good .}

^{Survivability from traumatic arrest is very low.}

^{Yes we can replace fluids, but how many services carry whole blood ? Packed cells Ever tried to do chest compressions on a GSW to the heart? All you get is a fountain of blood with every compression.replacing all that lost blood with colloids is not going to change the inevitable outcome.}

^{yes we can pack the wound, but you still need to fix the penetration and thats one thing thats not in anyones protocol to my knowledge.}

^{all true, but does not the patient deserve the best chance of survival? do we attempt to sustain life or just do nothing?...... what happens if the patient has been stabbed in the heart and the object is the thing plugging the wound before they goe in to CA...they were alive when you started treatment on them, do you just now stop?}

^{What to do you tell the parents of a 12 yo shooting victim, that their child was only seconds ago alive but now they have arrested,,stiff luck they are now dead......makes a mockery of everything we attempt to teach the public about early access defib and CPR then dont it....}

^{I agree, unless i in in the corridore outside the OT, the outcome is not high, but that is not a reason for NOT attempting some sort of resusitation.}

Now the question begs to be asked: If you have a traumatic arrest due to penetrating trauma to the heart, WHY would you even try resuscitation ?????

the Question could also be "Why WOULDN'T you?".................isnt hypovolaemia a reversible casue of death? can we amend that is some way, until definitve care is given (surgery) that is why it is an URGENT transport situation.......beside, how often will this happen.............

I can not see the points that anyone is making with regards to the question that started this post.

is this a bash kiwi exercise (I in for that......lol) but in reality what he can say at time is correct

the first post with the bracketed comment about A/NZ evidence based practice was a little out of line, thats how things progress

we all know of things we do that work but have NEVER been proven. so evedence based practice covers this abnomile.

I fail to see why a person that has been shot/ stabbed/ poked/ slapped/ prodded/ stuck required to be immobolised to a hard board with straps and head boxed if there is no evedence of spinal involvment

for the record, our protocol for penetrating trauma is as follows;

PENETRATING TRAUMA PROTOCOL T8

1. PROTOCOL F2 - including primary assessment (ABCDE)

2. ARREST HAEMORRHAGE

3. DO NOT REMOVE AN IMPALED OBJECT

* transport the patient with the object in situ. Occasionally, the protruding end of the object has to be cut off to allow easier transportation

* The only exception is an intra-cardiac object in a patient with cardiac arrest requiring external cardiac compressions if ressustation is commenced

4. Treat HYPOVOLAEMIA if present to the presence of a radial pulse

5. PAIN MANAGEMENT

6. TREAT SPECIFIC INJURIES

7. URGENT TRANSPORT is essential for all penetrating trauma excluding injuries to the hands and feet

8. Regular repeat and documnet ABCD physical examinations and physiological observations in order to identify trends in clinical deterioration

Mininise scene time and treat en-route. Do not give fliuds for penetrating trauma to the torso if the total times from call booked to arrival at hospital is likely to be less than 30 minutes

approved by Medical Director

maintained by Clinical Services

Revised Janurary 2012

Crazy little things that roger ramjet sticks thorugh a pill press and eats... better than borocca

borocca dont give the pwer of 10 atom bombs for 10 seconds,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,they just fizz up and go orange

Better than working for your lot, and they were much better in their HR management - at least im not stuck out at ardlethan or lake cargellico or cobar or some other god forsaken town trying to get back east

And your right, i normally wouldn't repeat whatever your dribbling anyway

IM flat out getting to wanaka for the airshow let alone anything else

you want to get to WANKA,.....doesnt surprise me.....LOL

No heroes here, but apparently they trust us more than other other profession so ill take that instead

Besides, a hero is is some type of weird sandwich

***EDIT***

Ok ok, i know, i should have read page two, craig has already posted this stuff.....

not like you to be late and repeat what i have said bushy....but you do work for the mexicans....

My profession dictates my lifestyle. I wish it didn't, but it does........my sense of duty prevents me from relaxing off duty because I'm worried I'll miss a call that requires a paramedic and the patient will suffer for it...... Long story short, I work 24/7 almost every day of the year.........My whole life and that of my family revolves around and is dictated by my career, therefore, in our case at least, it is my profession and my lifestyle.

trouble with all that is that your family are not paramedics and they then suffer from this lifestyle.......A lifestyle is one of chioce,,,it is never dictated....you choose to be a paramedic, you choose to own the company, you choose to whether you pay a temp to work for you so you get time off and you choose to whether you relax and have time to yourself and your family.

It is all up to YOU.........our patients realise that at times they danot get the optimum level atending due to certain reasons....that is not your fault....work yourself into the ground who will be there to attend the person that does need you after that and you off in hospital with a cardiac condition.....

there is a old saying here..............

I work to LIVE...not live to WORK...........

my two bobs worth..........

Yeah, well I still like Darrel Waltrip and Daytona is my Disney World.

Daytona is fine if you only turn one way..............try turning RIGHT...

How did yours work out Kiwi? I've heard a few horror stories.

of course there would be it is New Zealand after all...........

in real life, couldn't be any worse than some of the things thay have here in Aus..........the VW/ sprinter hybrid van...nowhere as tidy and to s higher standard as the mercedes sprinter style......just plain poverty pack vehicle...

Hey shut up all things going well this time next week I will be living in Australia

a Kiwi tha has emmigrated to Oz..........that would be something different..............welcome over brother, but gee you talk funny...

Does anyone recall the cartoon, after the 9-11 attack, showing Spiderman, Wonder Woman, and Superman asking a small group of FD, EMS and LEOs for their autograph?

no, glad i didnt see it ....would have made me puke.............

I know Craig, I was just messing with Kiwi. I can't stand the hero thing. A hero is someone who does something great when it is not expected of them, not when they get paid for it or volunteer to do it (though I don't think those requirements apply to the military).

I realise that Doc........and with kiwi it would normally be deserved, but i had to side with my ANZAC mate on that one..............

Don't be jealous. Just because you southern hemisphereers can't get hero status, don't know us up here for being able to do it.

Not jealous.............us good guys below the equator (God's favorite end of the world) dont need to be assured a hero's status....we know where we stand in the eyes of the population.......to be able to go out and get the "best ambulance crew in the world" tag and "Hero's" title just goes to overinflate egos and self worth.......humbleness and humility will always be a better trait that brashness and hero worship..........BTW paramedics in Aust have just been voted the most trusted profession for the 8th year running...........not heros but the most trusted....BIG difference

just checked the site out.....very boring....nothing funny on it at all...........

put in what you like,

specs to the standard that you would want in an ambulance, however with all this work comes cost

more things you put in the specs, the more the outlay on the finished article

also specs have to fit all the vehicle and safety standards for vehicles of this type in your area.

some times better to look around and see whats on offer already