ReD

since we dont carry locks, all we can do is hang a bag, or no IV. i think having a saline lock would be very helpful and useful, to have access on Pts that dont need a bolus.

what about throwing COPD pt's into this mix? ive heard alot of people argue about giving COPD pts O2. "they will stop breathing if you give them O2!"......well, with no oxygen....you will die.

im only a basic, and fairly new (been doin this for a year), but im a firm believer that if someone does need O2, GIVE IT TO THEM!

well if they dont have uniforms, a fund raiser wouldent hurt. silk screened t-shirts arent expensive and you could make 2 runs, one for the members and make something else to sell to the public. it would raise money, and increase awareness at the same time.

i live in NE ft. worth. medstar is a good place to work, they run their assess off but you get alot of good experience, also the hospitals hire EMTs, pay about 10-11 an hour.

as far as tarrant county, the choices are limited, as medstar has an exclusive contract with 90% of the area here, and the rest is covered my FDs. dallas has alot of options, TLC, lifeguard, dallas ambulance, and a TON others (including the company i work for, we alot of nifty stand-bys).

if you get your I and are NR, you can work for AMR arlington, they are a good system. i dunno about I's, but i know they have a pretty hefty sign on bonus for medics.

I work for a company and we do stand-by events. all of our ambulances are MICU capable and registered. we havent had any problems.

yes we should. webcams only add fun to the mixture.

I set up my jumpbag after I received my first responder certification (with the usual BLS stuff 4X4s, Kling, etc). I pulled it out of my trunk the other day to use it and realized that I haven't used it in a long time. I found saline and water that expired in 1993. The 4X4s crumbled when I tried to fold them. I was getting some stuff out for my son who tried to catch a baseball with his teeth. He just looked at me like I was crazy.

lol, thats why ya keep it with you & use it or at leats go through it often. thats also why i keep all my OTC meds in there, so im always in there and so i have them with me.

I would have called the police had I of smelled alcohol. You are right, the next time it could have been a person,not a bush.

me 2. i would have said i think i have a number in my truck, ill be right back, and called 911 and reported the accident and told them i thought they should be supecious of alcohol.

no youre not the police and no he didnt ask you to stop, but who cares. if the dude was drunk he should go to jail, if he is just an idiot and hadent showered in a couple days, the the police will be there to direct traffic around the scene while the tow truck driver pulls the van out.

drunk or not, callin the police on an accident is a win/win situation.

here's more detailed inventory list of my bag (WITH PICS! YAY, everyone loves PICS!! )

http://www.emtcity.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.ph...&highlight=

it also depends on who it is. there are ppl at work that dont drink so if they came in after a night of drinkin, somethin else would have to be goin on, whereas the ppl i party with on weekends, id prolly just say ok bud, slap em on the shoulder and wish em a slow day.

I have a pacific A500 (well, i will in a week or so, i have a simular bag until then) with the following(from the top of my head):

adult BVM

4X4s

kling

bandaids

antibiotic ointment

hydrocortisone cream

eye drops

military field trauma dressings(got a box of 50 off of ebay for DIRT cheap)

abd pads

tape

oral glucose

glucometer (with strips and lancets of course)

oral & nasal airways

sharps container (labeled coke bottle)

APAP, ibuprofen, benadryl, tums

ACE bandages

SAM splint

OB kit

large trauma dressing

light sticks

flash light

pen light

trauma shears

bandage shears

forceps

scalpel handle and 10 blades

ice packs

bottles of drinking water

iodone solution

alcohol preps

iodine preps

BZK preps

emergency blanket

lots of gloves (latex & non)

i dont think im forgetting anything.

[soapbox]

Ive read all the comments about carrying soooo much and why would you do it with liability and all that. I'd like to say that I thought about all that and really looked into what i would need and where/when i would use it. i put together my kit for mainly my own use and for use on friends and family(i travel and camp alot and someone always gets hurt). I would use my kit on an MVC that i rolled up on in my POV but i wouldnt do much more than hold C-spine and bandage a few wounds.

For those of you who are wanting to make a jump kit or arent happy with yours, or already have one, i suggest reading this article:

http://www.avweb.com/news/aeromed/181890-1.html

and another thing, i despise the "pre-built" bags, the ones that you buy off the shelf with the contents in them. Thats dumb, most all come with things that you dont need and without things you WOULD need. The best thing is to check out e-bay for a bag and buy supplies from ebay or http://www.buyemp.com EMP has some nice and inexpensive bags by their own company, L.A. Rescue.

[/soapbox]

[edit]

well i forgot a cpl things.

field surgical kit (has suture removal shears, all kinds of forceps and more shears)

ammonia inhalents

burn dressings

[/edit]