maverick56

Very well said. Have fun with that drunk ;-)

Haha, nice clip. As for my take on the whole topic, I agree with armymedic571 and chbare. The role of the TACOPS medic revolves around pre-op planning, SOPs, and cross training (on both sides). Coming from a military background myself, I'll always stand by the truth of fire superiority as the best tactical medicine, but realize that "fire superiority" is not simply more bullets (which is where your collateral damage comes in). It's about well-placed bullets and tactical advantage. Personally, I'm not going anywhere with a TACOPs team without my .45 in a thigh holster and a K-bar on my shoulder. I may never have to use either, hopefully not, but I'll sure feel a hell of lot better knowing they're there.

Strangest place I've spent New Years would have to be the roof of a burnt out apartment building in an Najef, Iraq. Watching distant mortar fire and trucks burning, it was our own little fireworks show. Second strangest would have to be wandering the woods of Porcupine Mountains State Park searching for a couple idiot winter campers lost in a blizzard.

I'm dissappointed - I thought Chuck Norris had higher standards.

Dear Santa, I want a G.I. Joe Medic with a helicopter and new snowboard boots. And if you can manage, my buddies in Iraq would love some snow for Christmas!

I agree 100%. The great words of Edmund Burke still speak undeniable truth: “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”

So... the moral of the story here, at least from what I'm seeing, is keep my politics and bluntness in the Army forums and stick to EMS around here. ;-)

I'd have to say yes and no to that. Yes, youth definitely has an impact, but remember that pride and professionalism have to be taught as well. As a chalk leader in the Army, I had 9 medics under me, 6 of whom were under 20 and green as grass. Basic military bearing and pride in the uniform was drilled into them in Basic and AIT, but it was up to me and my team leaders to show them what it really meant to be medics in a line company, to be professional and cool-headed under pressure, and to know that every man in the unit was counting on them to be the best when the heat was on. It was my job to give them a reason to be proud to be a "Red Rider", both by demanding excellence in training and encouraging outside socializing. They became a team, a family, and showed pride because of it. Constant training, often with a competitice twist, promoted confidence and professionalism, which translated outwardly in how they handled and carried themselves. There is no reason why the same type of approach shouldn't be used in civilian EMS. The whole mentor thing is right on - some one has to take that position of team leader, squad leader etc - call in the NCOs!

O&P is an interesting field - as few people as there are going into it, getting a job is really difficult. And as far as lucrative goes - only after you have a master's degree, license and 5yrs experience. Starting out with a B.S. I was only making $13-16/hr and kept getting wait-listed for school. I loved the technology, the possibilities, the problem-solving, and making a difference in people's lives. But hated the realities of paperwork, bargaining with insurance companies, shopping around for parts, and non-compliant patients. Basicially, I found out that what I like, and what my strenths are, I could find and use in other fields too, like EMS, without banging my head against the wall with grad school and the other stuff. I have ADHD and the atmosphere in EMS fits me much better, same reason I excelled in and loved the military. I keep my up with my weird gear-head fix though by teaching adaptive skiing and snowboarding and designing/modifying equipment. It's awesome.

Ok, forgive this very newbie question, but I can't help it. I just got an interview with a private EMS company in Flint, MI and was wondering what the main differences are between them and the county system. I'm from small-town Northern Michigan with no civilian working experience yet, just ride-alongs up here.

I got my first EMT-B thru the Army, but didn't keep up CEUs in prepping for and then deploying. Second time around was thru the local EMS, but I also have a B.S. in Biomechanics & Engineering Design. Just decided I didn't actually like the orthotics & prosthetics field as much as I thought I would - I love EMS.

M*A*S*H = greatest show ever. Don't even mention it in the same breath as this garbage - blasphemy!

There's no perfect answer to that other than "it depends", haha. Long or short op? Distance/time from evac, transport and definitive care? Method of ingress - foot, mounted (vehicle), or air insertion? In or outside the hot zone? Expected opposition - weapons, numbers, weather conditions, etc. There are a lot of variables, not to mention state/regional regulations. For example, here in Michigan, hemostatic agents aren't approved for use. I've not done anything (yet) in the way of civilan TEMS, but I do have operational experience as a combat medic and have posted my preferences for both dismounted and light patrols. For dismounted work (i.e. unsuitable LZ for evac, remote areas, unknown time to further care/evac): I prefer a smaller aid bag, suplemented with several MOLLE pouches on my IBA(or MOLLE vest). I have even resorted to carrying a CLS bag along with the before mentioned MOLLE pouches. I can fit any quick reach items(Gloves, CAT, Bandages, Skittles, etc) in my Molle Pouches, and a few extra items in the aid bag/CLS bag. In my opinion, any bag is useless if you don't first know where everything is, you should be capable of telling people where any item is over the phone and they be able to find it without any confusion. Second off, seems to me a lot of medics pack way to much shit in their bags to begin with, or at least the bag they carry with them at all times. Pass the buck somewhat, make your soldiers carry their own fluids, along with a few cravats. This will lighten your load considerably and allow you to move less impeded by the weight of a case of LR(plus you can fit more fun stuff in the bag like combi tube and skittles). You can always have your main(or drop bag) in the vehicle to resupply from, but carry that smaller aid bag while your a foot. I have a Black Hawk STOMP II aid bag, with 2 random MOLLE pouches strapped to the outside. It's pretty awesome being set-up like that, because then you have 4 pouches that you can get to quick for rapid treatment. In the 2 MOLLE pouches I use one for extremity wounds and one for abdominal/chest/head wounds. In the extremities pouch, I keep 3 HemCon's. 3 of the old one handed tourniquets, 2 CAT's, 3 rolls of Kerlix and 3 Ace wraps, plus a couple Bundeswehr dressings that I traded for some crappy Israeli dressings. In the other pouch, I keep 2 medium abdominal dressings, 1 more Kerlix, 2 Vasogauzes, 2 ACS's and some good old Duck tape. Then there are 2 large pouches on the "outside" of the bag. I use one for airway, and one for my BVM/O2 accessories. In the airway pouch, I keep 1 King LT, 2 ET tubes, Laryngyscope with the big Mac blade and the big Miller blade, my fancy Littman stethoscope, one small Onin pulse-oximeter, 3 Naso's with individual surgilube packets taped to them, 6 j-tubes (varying sizes), a couple 60cc syringes, 4 or 5 10ga catheters and some extra tape, vasogauze and ACS's. In the other pouch, I have an extra O2 regulator, spark free wrenches, a BVM from NARP and some O2 tubing. I kept oxygen in one of the platoon's Bradleys, so in a worst case scenario all of that shit was there for me. Then in my main compartment, it breaks down into 5 1/2 pouches. There is one zip-up pouch, I use that to keep injectables and sharps, evac tools, burngel, some random sick-call meds and my fancy paramedic reference book. Then there is a small pouch on the outside of that zip-pouch where I keep all of my cravats. Then there are 2 large mesh pouches, one I keep a bunch of kerlix and ace wraps in, and the other I use to hold all of my fluid. I usually carry 3 500's of NS, 3 500's of LR and one 500 Hetastarch. Then there are 2 small mesh pouches, where I keep all of my infusion stuff. I have one FAST-1, 6 saline lock kits, 8 sets of tubing and a handful of 14, 16 and 18 ga catheters for extra. The "1/2" pouch I mentioned is actually where the hydration bladder is supposed to go, but I use it for all of my splints and C-collars. I keep 3 SAM splints, 3 padded wood splints and 1 adjustable C-Collar. After all of that, there is still one big-ass mesh pouch with 2 internal pouches. I keep a poleless litter in there, plus a VS-17 panel, a thermal blanket, some Field Medical Cards and reference guide, a digital thermometer and my BP cuff. I only carry that on missions where I know that we're going to be dismounted for a long period of time. It's a bit heavy, but not too bad. I carried it through Samara and Fallujah without any serious issues. Now, for shorter, hit-it and done missions: Keep the heavy shit on the trucks! Keep my fully stocked M-5 issue aid bag plus my STOMP II on the medic trac, but I only carry a small Condor patrol pack by Maxpedition. It's designed for CLS, but the design of the bag doesn't change the contents. I usually carry 2-3 cat's on the outside in MOLLE pouches, with Kerlix and some ace bandage. The main pocket has two 500's of NS, one 500 hextend, and two more 500's LR. I keep all the fluids in ziplock bags with the catheter and IV kit rubber banded together, also two SAM splints, and eye wash solution. The second part has three divided open mesh pockets with an ass load of 4x4's and 2x2's with some butterfly stitches and other assorted baby boo boo bandages, some different sick call meds and topical creams of different types. Then in the rest of the pouch is some more Kerlix, ETB's, a shit load of cravats, 6 inch ace wraps, two combitubes, ACS's and tegaderms and my field reference guide. The small pocket in the front looks like a divider for school bags, but I keep two J tubes, and three NPA's in it, with surgilube, some tweezers, hemostats, a scalpel, trauma sheers, some assorted sharps (14-18 gauge catheters and needles) and FMC's. The outside has plenty of MOLLE straps and equipment straps at the bottom where I keep a poleless litter. The rest of the stuff like space blankets and hemcons and a couple other cats, I keep in IFAKS on my chest rig. The rest of my soldiers carried IFAKS and they all knew how to apply hemcons, and cats and ACS's and one CLS carried a sked, and the other carried a TALON II. All in all the bag doesn't weigh much at all, and it's a little less wide than the standard M-5 or the STOMP II, so it never gets in the way. Yeah, so.... Hope I didn't overwhelm you and was somewhat helpful. That's what worked for me, but hey, no medic is the same, we all have different methods and different equipment. Like I said, there are a lot of variables and you have to figure out the system that works for you, meaning trial-and-error and making it part of your training. The main thing is knowing your system, developing SOPs and making sure every member of the team is on board. Have fun!

Just my 2-cents worth of knowledge - Be aware that, aside from what the others have stated concerning extreme differences in protocols, tempo and risk, hiring qualifications for most positions are very specific for all companies. I've looked at numerous positions and with 6-yrs experience as line medic with an infantry outfit with a tour under my belt, including a CMB and EFMB, I don't qualify for almost any position. They are looking for serious operational experience such as SpecOps medics. I've been blown-up, shot at and have fired back, but a straight-up 91/68W doesn't cut it. If you're really interested, Comprehensive Health Services seems to have the liberal requirements, with more positions behind the wire. At the very least, requirement or not, a good TEMS course would most definitely be in your best interest. Providing care in those conditions is an entirely different ball game. Good luck!

Uh yeah, to say the least. Been there, done that and at that close range, he would've most likely been knocked out cold, had serious soft tissue damage, busted ribs and with the softflex DargonSkin type armor he supposed had on, he would probably have had either cardiac or respiratory compromise from blunt trauma, especially since it showed a high left hit. I honestly think the Tac/SWAT snafus piss me off more than the medical stuff. At least with EMS they can claim something of an excuse of being uneducated, but the tactical stuff is pretty damn Hollywood standard anymore. Except maybe the amazingly crappy CPR - that's irritating. I mean, normal people all over know proper CPR, I don't think that's anything too taxing to expect.

So I just watched it - and wow, agreed. That's just pathetic honestly, with all the friggin' cop & military shows, movies etc anymore, simple breaching and room clearing SOPs should be Hollywood stunt 101. Don't even get me started on the TacMed farse - why even bother stretching there? Just, ah WTF?! I swear I'm doomed to never be able to enjoy action drama entertainment again. I'm already cursed with over-analyzing modern military portrayals and now this? Damn!

Thanks for the welcome all. And I have actually been taken for a Canuk pretty regularly when I leave the state, lol. Only 70miles or so short right now.

Hmmm, I missed it tonight, had to catch up on 1&2 online, but it sounds like the absurdity continued. SWAT and the Rabbit shot huh? What are we supposed to give it? 6 episodes? Could get ugly.

I know, it was just a little late is all. We all knew she was gone. Thanks though.

Ok, so I guess I should go ahead and introduce myself since I'm actually poking around here. I'm Becky, an EMT-B in small-town Northern Michigan. I've been a member for awhile but never really got into the forums much for lack of a computer this last year. But tonight I have access and I'm bored and sick of job hunting so... Let's see, I'm currently looking for work in the worst economic area of the state with the highest unemployment rate and waiting to start up a medic course in Jan. I'm a mostly noob to civilian EMS, have some backcountry search/rescue experience, but served over 6yrs as a Army field medic with an air assault unit. Want to know anything else, just ask.

Nope, not just you. Did CPR on a 6-yo drowning victim for almost 2hrs a couple months ago (calling TOD was complicated) and I can still see her eyes, bright blue. A nurse finally taped them shut, she said to keep them from getting dry, but I think it was bothering her even more than me.