Arkymedic

ICS does not require specific ranks for any position. ICS is initiated by the first person on scene. Once someone of a higher "rank" arrives that person can choose to take command or to let the original IC remain in command. There is nothing that says I must be a LT. Capt, Chief, Supervisor, Director/Owner, or EM coordinator or director to run an incident. Granted, the incident may be better managed by those with more experience; however, it is not required. I know of several responders that given a chance, would run an incident much more effective than leadership. A perfect example is usually SAR incidents. Most significant incidents require an unified command. Too often, most forget to check their badge and ego at staging/check in so this often does not go smoothly.

What are you talking about?, ICS requires specific ranks for specific assignments in the higher command post.

Just about everybody in Arkansas goes to a community college based program. We also do it for less than 12/hr.

Who's going to go to school for to years and work for $12.00 an hour?

Amen. Glad someone else feels the same way as I do about this question that has been asked numerous times, numerous forums.

ICS FAIL!

ICS does not designate an agency, or even an individual or a rank, as Command for any particular incident or type of incident. Local protocol will usually determine that, but asking what the Incident Command System says about auto accidents is a major failure to grasp ICS 100 concepts.

There is no way to make trailer lights look like strobe lights. A few guys on former depts here in AR used them as "deck lights" in the back window and a slow alternating look like the really old halogen lights are the best you are going to get out of them.

So far I've received very little assistance with my question. Do I need to know the laws for my state? No. I've worked in/with law enforcement and know the regs. Neither did I ask for input on how to drive an emergency vehicle, POV or not.

My question was a technical question. Not a legal inquiry on how to drive an emergency vehicle and follow the law.

Also, my vehicle is clearly marked on both sides stating "Fire Dept" with red reflective tape fully surrounding the vehicle and reflective bumpers, as well as a light bar. My vehicle is a police model from an auction, so it resembles the local police units, and also gives me an advantage when requesting the right of way. People believe it is a police car until they are able to read the side of the vehicle.

So, please answer the technical side of my question as it is truly my only concern as of now.

LMAO thats hilarious.

I am not endorsed by Laerdal, I am saying this of my own free will, the MRX will not only shock, pace, sync, 12 lead, sp02 and bp your patient, if you order now, you will get the deluxe model, that will think for you, act for you and even tell you where to have lunch.

THanks Laerdal, you saved my ass

Laerdal MRX, because more cables = more fun for you as a crew.

Scotty

So there is a whole shitload of even more cords to roll? lol

GO LAERDAL MRX

Hehehehehehehe

Sorry Dust I did not mean to hijack the thread just got a little upset for a minute.

Love the Oh brother where art thou cd. I play the mandolin and there is a lot of inspiration there. If you have never listened to it, you ought to also listen to the sound track for Cold Mountain. There are a lot of good songs on there cm.

forgot about peter framptom comes alive, saturday night fever soundtrack, grease soundtrack, sticky fingers, and the soundtrack to oh brother where art thou

We do it here all the time. They are patients that deserve the same care as any other patient and that should be ALS. Sorry but to say that dialysis and transport are below medics is just shit. As a basic transporting a dialysis patient home, what do you do when that patient crashes? I also would love to be somewhere where 20 plus is a normal thing bc the most I have ever made was 17/hr and that was in an oil refinery in the middle of a flood in the middle of nowhere. 9-15/hr is the usual with 10/hr being the average for most medics in the area.

lets face it basics will not go away. no private company is going to pay 20 plus an hour to do transports to and from dialysis. would you or any of your medic co - workers want to dialysis or 911 calls?

I worked the dual medic model and it was absolutely wonderful. Two trained ALS providers that could get stuff done together quickly was truely remarkable. We could take turns running calls and when it was your turn for a call, you drove to your own call that way the other medic could finish all the paperwork from the last call. It worked very nicely. It also helped having a person who was thinking like I was and that could help if there was any trouble. We were a busy truck and ran avg of 10-20 calls/12 hr shift. It was one of the best experiences I could have had. I also have worked in several services with B and I partners as well and the right partner can be a reward but, I would rather have medic/medic.

i take it that youre one of the people with the opinion that a dual medic truck is the way to go?

I for one wouldnt trade my basic partner for ANY medic. She gets the experience of running calls and managing, within her scope, her patients. I OTOH get all the ALS calls. works fine for us. what i DO have issues with is a dual BLS 911 truck. regardless if theres some medic guy chasing them, i just think its stupid, but if it works...

I would honestly say that most Basics do. I did wait a few years but looking back I do not know what I really gained. Sure I had a bunch of good calls, had stories, did CPR on numerous codes, but what did I really take from that? I did pay attention to my partner and asked a million questions. I eventually got frustrated and realized as a basic that I did not do shit for my patient and felt helpless in my role. Had I realized it earlier it probably would have helped more than my time as a basic did. What amazes me is the # of basics and students coming out of school that have not been taught ALS "assist" skills like spiking an IV bag, placing electrodes for the monitor, etc.

Hopefully you would have been paying attention to your medic and learned non-emt skills such as lead positions for the monitor, setting up IV equipment, why we draw blood, what 'x' drug does and when is it required, how to operate IV pumps/monitors, signs when someone is actually 'sick', how to do a patient assessment beyond "Does that hurt?" and most importantly, how to TALK to your patients. and yeah, you learn all this in medic school but you could have had a head start if you paid attention.

It seems to me like you wasted your time as a basic.

Here in Arkansas all a Basic can do is drive. During EMT school EVOC is not taught and that is basically all they are allowed to do to other than assisting an Intermediate or Medic. As assbackward as this state is, almost all of it is covered with ALS. In OK a Basic can work with a NR 1st Responder and be the lead, or work with an Intermediate or Medic assisting. Truthfully during that year of waiting, what all have you learned driving that will continue over to medic school? I am not discounting Basics, but I would rather see ALS Medic/Medic. I also commend anyone that can work EMS and go to school because I could not. I worked my ass off with 4 part time jobs to make ends meet and to pay the bills to make my goal come true. I also wanted it bad enough to drive 60+ miles 3 days a week and over 100+ miles one way for the majority of most of school for my clinicals. It is very possible and you just have to want it bad enough to do whatever it takes to make it happen.

i was under the impression that in medic school they don't go over anything you've learned in basic school. so what the first couple of days is a review or something?er

and jpifnv if you go back to what was said by spenec " learning the basics has no real benifit " and go to what you said learning how to use a stretcher should take no more than 4 pt.s aren't you learning the basics if physicians and rn's know how to give an oral report or use o2 thats because the learned the basics or were they born with that knowledge. im still confused on how i can hurt the pt if i follow protocol. i think if you don't know the basics yes you can hurt the pt. the person who had the question in the beging is going to do what they feel like regardless of what anyone on here says they should trust their gut. and what about tuition? some places charge 10,000 or 25000 depending on where you are? as said before yes you can work while in school but the ones i know that work while in school can only work maybe 2 days the rest of the time they are studing or doing clincal. you cant survive by just working 2 days/ wk. loans? what if you get denied? or just don't want a loan? again this is just how i feel my OPINION . i rather work in the field for a year make sure this is what i want to do for the rest of my life than pay 25,000 and then decide i hate this type of work.

Damn, I am having a hard one with this one...I love all music except for rap so its a pretty hard choice for me. I really prefer "classic" rock when you actually wrote a song as to the shit we have on the radio now days. I am 25 but know what 45s,33s,78s are, so not everyone in my generation is musically retarded (for lack of a better word) 8) . My choices are:

1. Lynyrd Skynryd- Greatest Hits

2. George Strait- Strait Out of the Box

3. Anton Bruckner- Complete Works and Symphonies of

Maybe defined your life is abit strong, but I heard this question posed: If you could only take 3 record albums or CDs to the deserted island you would be stranded on, which three would you choose ?

Mine would be:

AC/DC Back in Black

Journey Escape

REO Speedwagon Hi Infidelity or Foreigner 4

I think it is suppose to be the ejection fraction (EF) but I could be wrong.

What's EJF?

Yep especially since medicare and medicaid do not pay...was not one of my favorite policies either.

I hate that policy. It is just a way to bill more because many refuse transport once awake. So services now want you to wait till in the ambulance and enroute before pushing D-50.

Arkansas and Oklahoma do not require anything other than a normal DL. Most services do not require EVOC or CEVO but many take it when offered. My last service required everyone to maintain CEVO II or EVOC.

Wow...this will certainly stir up some shit storms...

[web:138bb643bc]http://www.telegraph.co.uk/family/4365171/Social-services-remove-young-children-from-grandparents-and-arrange-adoption-by-gay-couple.html[/web:138bb643bc]

A few services I have worked for required us to be in the ambulance before giving D50 and a couple of others did not carry glucagon.

What! Never heard of glucagon being lethal with extended transport times. Crikey what do they teach you? Give the patient IM glucagon and follow it up with oral sugars and carbs. It's rare that some one wont wake after glucagen. Please don't tell me you rush around like a headless chicken initiating transport becuase your patient is unconscious due to hypoglycemia. Do you not wait for the meds (whether it be glucagon or IV D50/glucose 10%) to take effect first before coming up with a differential diagnosis. Don't you treat these patients at home?

It also relaxes smooth muscle and can help with a FBAO.

It's also got chronotropic properties as well...and works well for counteracting beta blocker OD's

Same here. I worked for one of the bigger cities in AR but it was nowhere near like what the cities of PA, NJ, NY are. We have a level II trauma locally, but the nearest level one is Dallas,TX, Oklahoma City, Memphis, or Springfield, MO. All of which are greater than 3 hrs by ground.

Yep, very familiar with finding the Meth lab after you are on scene. We worked a fire call last week that was discovered to be a meth lab explosion after we'd started treatment on the patient.

I just wouldn't want to work in the big urban areas due to the traffic, concentration of idiots, high rise buildings, etc. etc. Anyone who does has my respect, but for a country boy like me, Oh Hell No.

Rather deal with farm accidents, drunk rednecks smashing their trucks into oak trees, falling out of deer stands way back in the woods, or the 3 am shooting at the local watering hole.

We treat in the house if neccessary, try to move them to the unit as fast as we can do it without endangering the patient, and transport. Our transport times to the nearest trauma center is appx. 30 minutes, same for definitive cardiac care, so delay on scene isn't a good thing.

Anyway, hats off to those who work urban, it just isn't my cup of tea.

Any of that can happen just as quick in rural areas as well. I have had large family fights, weapons pulled on me, threats, and some of the same safety issues as well. Add in the joy of discovering a meth lab during a call and you have a party. Granted it does not happen on the frequency that it does in urban, but it happens. It does not matter where you work it can go bad anytime and NO one should or can afford get complacent.

All this just affirms my choice to stay in Rural EMS.

As Hank Williams said, Send me to Hell or New York City, it'd be about the same to me.

Depends on the patient and the situation, too many varibles to make a blanket statement.

Is their takbir Allahu Quakbar?

The taligeese have issued a fatwah and declared fowl jihad against all infidel commercial airliners....story at 6, film at 11.......

Federal made a G-1 model that was hand cranked. They also made a few that sat on a metal stand that were portable.

My old FD where I got my origins from has a 1921 Ford Model T, the departments first apparatus when it incorporated. I dont know when that model siren came about but Im sure its made by Federal. It looks like a modern Q siren but a little smaller and in the back instead of a cone it has a hand crank on it. Aside from being quieter it sounds almost exactly the same as its younger electro/mechanical version.

lol Doc

How about bubble wrap placed on the conventional board. Not only will it provide good cushioning but it will also give you and the pt something to do on those long transports.

We use a SKED and OSS for SAR team and I absolutely love the device.

Have used Vacume Spinal Imobilizers ... but they are NOT inexpensive and cant even remember who makes them, I think like 10 G a piece ???? One can fall asleep in one of those, like an old bean bag chair concept with the air pumped out ... very sweet kit.

In the boonies I pack a SKED and OSS an only 24 pounds, raises, lowers the works.

I like this idea DocHarris got a picture ?