Upton4785

No ones mentioned it yet, but the whole reason the city went with AMR over rock was that AMR was willing to pay about $100k or so more per year than rock. It was all about money, nothing else. I work for rock and i was at the alderman meeting. It was disgraceful. A few months have gone by and ive heard AMR took over 30 minutes to get to the mall for a 911 call. Wonder how the city likes their new provider...

I know I'm gonna get some hate thrown my way for this... It makes no sense to claim that African Americans are doing poorly in today's society because their ancestors were enslaved and they weren't allowed to attend formal schools until the 1950's. Go into any school at any level (elementary, middle/junior high, high school, or college) and see what the requirements are to attend. Aside from college, you really just need a pulse and a pencil, and the desire to learn. If someone doesn't take full advantage of the educational system that has been in place and open to all races for the past 50 years, then there is no one to blame but themselves. If you're poor, there's government systems in place to help you pay. If you have a learning disability, there's dedicated teachers and faculties willing to put in endless hours to help you understand. Hell, with a little effort, ANYONE of ANY color can attend college for free, courtesy of the government! The only thing you have to put in is effort. That being said, I have no pity for anyone, regardless of color, who couldn't pass the test they had ample (and EQUAL) time to study for. You shouldn't be given what you personally haven't earned. If you make poor choices, the blame lands squarely on your shoulders, no matter what race you are. Besides, it'd be damn hard to earn respect from your colleagues when the only reason you were able to advance yourself is because you had it all handed to you. And yes, respect has to be EARNED. Affirmative action can't bend that. When an injustice truly occurs, it should be immediately rectified, but only when it is a true injustice. Being denied a promotion because of skin color is an injustice. Being denied a promotion because you don't have the knowledge required for the position is not. Keep in mind, when I say "you" in any form in this entry, I am not pointing the finger at a certain race. I know that word gets a lot of people in trouble. Again, "you" in any form of the word, implies the reader, not a specific racial group.

Congratulations! Your wish has been granted and everyone who is employed works just hard enough to feel like they really earned their paychecks but not hard enough to tire themselves out. Unfortunately, what with the economy being the way it is, that paycheck amounts to a grand sum of $38.92, and that's every OTHER week. I wish the guy that broke into my car the other night and stole/broke everything inside gets hit by some harsh (and preferably painful) karma.

"End of the World" by Cold

These threads tend to be the most fun to read, in my opinion... that said, here's my take on volunteerism. Volunteering is fine. Giving back to the community is great, but EMS/Fire is not the ONLY way to do it. As others have mentioned, you can pick up trash, adopt a highway, teach the community about the EMS system or get involved in programs that advocate safe sex, clean needles and overall healthy lifestyles. I think what draws people to EMS is that it's the closest to the iconic hero tale; a nameless hero flies through the night to rescue those in distress, only to take off back into the darkness with nary a glimpse back. The idea is great and works IN THEORY. I am a volunteer EMT. I don't do it because it makes me feel good, I don't do it because I like to wear my shirt everywhere I go expecting people to pat me on the back for a job well done. I do it because it is almost impossible to get a paid EMS job in the state of NH and volunteering is my only means of getting experience to throw down on my resume. I am currently in my Intermediate class, which in no way increases my chances of getting a job on an ambulance in this damn state. So if after my class I am still unable to work on an ambulance, I will try to become an ER Tech... and I'll probably still volunteer. I'm aware that in many people's eyes, I'm only fanning the flames that are engulfing the profession and forcing it to become an ill-educated, ego-stroker's dreamland. To them I can only say "Come to New Hampshire and try getting on one of the crews and tell me it's easy, I f-ing dare you." So I guess vollying has that one pro. If it's impossible to get a paid job, but you still want to work in the field, you can always volly. But the problem that I think we all have with most vollies (and it is a startlingly high percentage of them) are not just whackers, but sufferers of what I like to call hyperwhackerism with a touch of "I don't need no book learnin's". I personally don't have a problem with volunteers, but I seriously dislike anyone who enters this field with the intention of becoming a basic and feeling like that's the end of the educational path for them, because they know all they'll need to know to "save someone's life". That's just stupid. Education is the key to any career, especially in medicine. There's always new drugs, new procedures, new protocols and new illnesses to learn about. And always remember who you're doing it for. This isn't for you, it's not so you can expand your wardrobe with spiffy new clothes, it's not to get respect from your friends and family, it's for the poor bastard who had a stroke (no pun intended) of bad luck and wound up in the back of an ambulance and now he's counting on you to keep him alive just long enough to get him to the hospital. We're not saving lives or postponing death, we're just treating patients. And at the end of the day the only thing you should have gotten from the night was maybe a lesson or two from the other people on your squad, a paycheck if you're lucky and the satisfaction of just getting home alive.

In addition to the end of Lone Star's post, they explained a similar trick in the very, very excellent movie "The Prestige". Christian Bale's character "catches" a bullet with his hand.

"Pork and Beans" - Weezer

And the Earth is just a tiny, miniscule pebble compared to our solar system, which is a speck of dust on the rim of the galaxy, which is a microscopic entity floating around in the gulf of the Universe, made up of billions and billions of planets, stars and galaxies, and a whole lot of empty space. And as far as we know, we're the only ones getting to look at it all.

There's always going to be a debate on tattoos because there's the spectrum of opinions on them. To one far end, people see them as works of the devil, they're disgusting, useless, tasteless wastes of perfectly beautiful human skin. To the opposite end, they're works of art, a modification that must be done, a means of standing out from the hordes of bland, boring flesh. Then there's the two middle factions. One thinks they're not professional if able to be seen outside of the uniform and doesn't like them. The other also thinks they're not professional if able to be seen outside the uniform but does like them. I belong to that latter category. I love tattoos, I like the expression and the individuality, but I don't like it when someone I'm supposed to be viewing as a professional has them sticking out from the sleeves, or onto the neck or calves (if wearing shorts). There's some people this can be tolerated from (my opinion), like UPS delivery guys, pizza delivery guys, or people who work in phone centers and have no face to face contact with their customers. I like my job to be simple when I'm trying to help them, and no harm can come from the patient not SEEING the tattoos. Sure, you may get 100 patients that have no problem with tattoos, as long as you're professional and competent then everything will go swimmingly. But it'll be that one patient that offers up even the slightest bit of hesitation in accepting my help that will make me want to take a cheese grater to my own skin. My opinion: Tattoos are great. I would just keep them tucked away.

"Dude, I'm totally sorry, this was completely my bad, but I dropped a piece of my sandwich into your... well I guess that's your abdomen... yeah, but it's roast beef so it's good."

Never, ever be satisfied with the amount of education you've received. There's always more to learn, and just when you think you've learned all there is to know, there will be new protocols, new drugs, new diseases, new equipment and technology. Don't get stale. Try to avoid sticking around as a Basic. If you can't afford going to Paramedic school but still want to advance, you can pay the money for the Intermediate class, although there's a lot of people that would say that's a waste of time and money (but I'm still doing it!!!) Avoid the Medic Mills at all costs. If a program says it can get you to be a Paramedic in any time less than 2 years of school, it's not the best education for you, which means you're not giving the best care to your patients. Take any and all classes you can. If you find out that you'll never use it at your job as a Paramedic (or maybe even a doctor), at least you'll have more interesting stuff to talk about. Maybe you can use it to distract a patient from their pain, or stop an annoying colleague from talking. Keep the profession in mind. Remember that your actions reflect positively or negatively on an entire group, not just yourself. We're a big family. It's not saying that if you make a mistake, you're solely responsible for bringing the profession down, but if you conduct yourself like a jerk, then we all become jerks in the eyes of the public. Try your best, be courteous and honest, and the family will take care of you. And like the others have said, don't be afraid to mess up at this time. Ask plenty of questions, even if you're worried about them being dumb questions. Now is the time to make mistakes, because the worst that can happen is you'll have to do the whole scenario over again. Don't sweat it. You'll do fine. Just keep breathing. You gotta make sure those ABC's are functioning on you, too! One last edit: Keep coming here to the City. There's some of the best and brightest on this site, and they're always willing to give advice.

I'm confused about the OP's post. I'm not sure if he's looking for public education about local EMS systems or if he's looking to get a pat on the back whenever he meets John and Jane Q. Public. If education is your goal, I'm right behind you. I agree completely that the public should be aware of their EMS system, how it works and what it's capable of. They should also showcase their employees as outstanding, educated professionals. But if your goal is to get everyone in the town to personally thank and congratulate you on a job well done, then your heart may not be in the right place. You may be too inwardly focused, which can actually do more harm than good (just look at what ego has done to the reputation of Police Officers). I understand, the uniform is sexy and chicks love the Hero type, but the ego places being an EMT in front of being yourself. Like VentMedic said, stick to impressing them with your knowledge. Education is the key to saving lives, not equipment, uniforms or titles.

I remember hearing one where someone didn't know that 9-1-1 is not 4-1-1, so he called in looking to get the number of a pizza place. Another one that's priceless is the one where a lady called 9-1-1 to get the cops to come to her location because the manager of a burger place wouldn't give her a refund.

Anyone who's read my first few posts and anyone that knows me also knows that I have very, very little experience in what all of you would refer to as "normal EMT experience". Hell, just take a look at my information to the left, I'm a corporate security representative/EMT. I work in a corporate office and on 90% of the medical calls I take, I'm backed up by more experienced, confident, and competent EMT's on Merrimack FD before I finish getting a patient history. With that in mind, take what I'm about to say as the ignorant blabbering it's probably going to become. If you just want to be a firefighter with as little medical knowledge as possible, so be it. Go for the bare minimum and become stagnant, it only goes to help those of us willing to educate ourselves further, as the demand for competent providers will only increase with the lack of them you're creating. Furthermore, when implying that it's a mistake to make Firefighters become EMT's if they don't want to, it's equally preposterous to imply that it's ok that EMT's have to become firefighters, which is the way the system works right now, for the most part. You can't blame the departments for wanting their employees to be able to provide the best possible care in the least possible time, and asking more from their employees is attempting to do exactly that. Besides, the Basic course is very short and easy, and if that's all your employer requires and as far as you want to go, that's all you have to do. It's your choice how far you want to go with the medical portion of your job. All I am trying to say is you're not doing anyone any favors by choosing to remain stuck at one education level. You're not helping the patients, your employers, and even yourself. And for someone I'm assuming feels he/she has "great pride" in "serving" your community, not wishing to advance yourself to the highest level of medical education seems against your own beliefs. But it's not for everyone, and if your heart's not in it, you're also not helping us. Lastly, to choose a forum in a place called EMT City seems a very unlikely place to get any kind of validation for the "Firefighters are too good to have to get EMS education" argument. In the end, your quality of care depends on your level of education, and if you're content with being the bare minimum, that's fine. Like me, you'll always have better trained, more competent providers available to bruise your ego.

Maybe we should just send some of our pack-a-day guys from New York over to Beijing. The air there might be a little fresher. And Rich, I'm the same way with guitar.