Thad

HAPPY NEW YEAR!! May it be a safe and productive one.

Welcome aboard....I also think there's no such thing as too much education.

I still believe in the legal axiom of "It is better that ten guilty men should go free than for one innocent man to be convicted." It goes hand in hand with the assumption that ALL men are considered innocent until PROVEN guilty. As far as this guy having to prove his innocence, it "SHOULD" be a moot point. The Prosecutors have to prove his guilt.

Just to stick my two cents worth in........I have always felt that the most important "treatment" we (whether BLS, ALS, or whatever) provide for our patients is simply to be there. Yes, there are illnesses and injuries that we can directly treat or at least begin to treat in the field, but, whatever the pt's complaint, the fact that they are calling 9-1-1 indicates that their particular situation is something they can't handle themselves. That is where true EMS comes in, in my opinion. Most callers are relieved just to have someone do SOMETHING. I have seen O2 @ 2lpm via nc bring more relief to a pt than 4mg morphine just because someone is listening to them and taking some kind of action on their behalf. Bear in mind that I'm speaking in generalities as we all know of the "frequent flyers", and "bs" calls. But, even in those situations, the fact that someone is taking ACTION on behalf of the caller seems to bring most patients a sense of order and peace. In short......step up, step aside or step back, either way, get to stepping.

"People aren't candy, lady. You know what they are? Bastards. Bastard coated bastards with bastard filling." -- Dr. Perry Cox

I can still remember Lee Majors as the Six Million Dollar Man and as the Fall Guy

I spent my entire vacation last week at............work...all vacations and time off were cancelled.....today is my first day off in a while and what do I do? Come to the comforting world of emt city......

Why is it that we chose from fifty for Miss America but only two for President?

Glad to have ya back, woody!!

The gauntlet has been cast before me. The only honorable recourse is to accept the challenge and emerge victorious!!!

Naturally, it has to be for the fame, glory and great pay!! (Can you feel the sarcasm?) Actually, I kinda fell into it by accident....I had started volunteering at my local VFD when I got laid off. There was a ff rookie school coming up at the same time and I figured....what the heck, I got the time now.....as part of rookie school, we received EMT training and I loved it, now I work full time for a paid service and have about two semesters left to get paramedic....I only wish I had found this line of work fifteen years ago!!

As a bystander with emt training, you are still required (usually by law) to report all accidents to the proper authority. In this case, a call to the local 911 or comm center should get things rolling. Don't forget, there are other reasons than alcohol for a person to act "drunk". You may have had a diabetic emergency on your hands, or the person could have had a head injury from the mvc or any other number of problems. The main thing is...CYA...if you are not on duty or responding as a member of the community response team (fire, pd, ems). I know etoh has a distinctive odor, but as a paralegal, I can tell you that if you can't prove to the layperson that you KNOW alcohol when you smell it, you're opening yourself up to civil liability if you tell an authority that you smelled alcohol. By all means relay your observations but not your suspicions. In short, activate 911, be able to give them a more detailed sit rep than the layperson and assist where you can.