ambodriver

Just who do you think you are negotiating against?

Collective bargaining in a public sector, you are negotiating against yourselves as well as every person in the county because who is paying your salary? The county which equates to the taxpayer base which is yourself and everyone in your service.

It's not like you are negotiating against a employer who has a select demographic that they sell to and you negotiate against them, you are negotiating against the county or the city which you are getting your wages and pensions and all that paid for by the tax payers therefore you ARE negotiating against yourselves.

See how that works?

I'm not knocking you on your benefits and your wages.

Have you ever been upset with the county or city government paying high salaries to other city workers? Like the 30 per hour that the street cleaners make, or the 25.00 per hour that the guys holding signs up directing traffic around construction zones?

I see where you are going with this. Those jedi mind tricks won't work on me. No, I don't get mad at what others make. I am obviously not bitter and jealous like you. Those union bargained wages have created the middle class in Chicago. Without them, a good chunk of this cities middle class would disappear. I guess people deserve low wages for hard work. I guess people shouldn't be financially secure. Lets just exploit all our workers right?

Are you saying that Paramedics deserve to work for crummy privates that pay just above minimum wage, horrible benefits and being able to be fired at a whim? You enjoy raising your family in a poor area of Chicago where they can get shot on the way to school?

Sorry my friend, I started in the privates, and struggled. You sound like a politican--lets take away the pay! They don't deserve it!

I am an EMS professional---and I get paid professional wages.

Without a union on our side to bargain we would be contracted EMS like the Chicago 'burbs, making poverty level wages at the whim of some irate resident.

You anti-union ranting is illogical and counter productive to the livelihood of most EMS professionals.

Low pay and benefits is the reason we lose our brightest medics.

We should have a career forum. For people to post job vacancies, FD lists, etc etc.

Thanks!

If transporting grandma back and forth for 5 years messes you up this much you really should find a different line of work.

I'm a 911 veteran, and as any 911 medic will tell ya....it's mostly bullshit. How are you gonna handle that?

You are having nightmares...you should find a nice office job bro!

I understand how much IFTs suck, I was just very lucky to get hired at a FD soon after I got my medic. I did IFT the 1 year as an EMT before I got my medic.

I never understood the people who waste way on the IFT rigs. Best to go test at FD's and do 911 ALS imo

Here we go, the forum regulars crucifying a new person who comes to post here. Don't let a lot of these people get you down. It is a cult.

To the OP:

Stay clam, remember you aren't the one dying. You are an EMT, and realistically there isn't much you are going to do to hurt this person. Board/Collar 'em up and get 'em on the way to the ER. Your assessment can be done in route. You'll be fine kid, just take a deep breather and stay level headed. It will fall into place soon enough.

I'm paid to respond to 911 calls. If there are none, then why should I not be able to sleep? I mean seriously, EMS is hit or miss, we may be busy, or we may be slow. Does it matter what I do in between calls? People don't care what we do, as long as we are there when they call and handle their emergency. If we don't have calls or department work to do it hardly matters what we do.

When you start your shift you can run around and do whatever you'd like. I'll catch some Z's just in case we get the big one tonight, mmmmmmk?

I've never heard of ems people bitching about sleeping on the job, thats a new one. Wow.

In my opinion, if you come to work and need to sleep, find a new job or a different shift. If you feel differently, you can paypal me $15/hr tonight while I am sleeping.

I'm not getting paid to sleep. I'm getting paid to sit at this firehouse, away from my family, and to be always ready to respond. You call, and I'm there to handle it without fail or question. That's what I get paid for. Sometimes you need us, sometimes you don't. I am compensated for being there. Whatever I do at the firehouse between calls is my business. I suppose you think we should throw a free car wash for the citizens of Chicago every shift day to earn our money huh?

I work 24 on and 72 off, with a large municpal FD that has single role medics

We have a full firehouse with an ambulance, engine and truck company.

After rig checkout and house duties (medics don't really do house duties because we do all the calls) the day is ours, unless there is some training to do.

We have a workout room, tv room, kitchen, bunk room.

dinner club is $15 bucks a person.

I work part time at a private ambo company for shits n grins. I work 12 hours shifts there, no quarters, sit in a small van ambulance like a bitch all day. Not even sure why I do that job to be honest, guess I like to stay busy. The pay is horrid.

Unions are great huh? Sounds like they got you more money but less freedoms.

you are running ridiculously short of medics but the company won't pay for education. A good union would work on that one too.

So just what did the union do for you guys?

So do you have collective bargaining at your shop?

If you do, aren't you just negotiating against yourselves?

Yes we have collective bargaining, and no we don't negotiate against ourselves, we negotiate a high wage and the maintaining of our benefits. There are no non-union FDs/Private ambo companies making near the money/benefits we do as represented by the IAFF.

It's not all about the money, but would you rather feel good about being a non-union service making 32k/year or be union making 80k/yr and get a pension, job security and a safer workplace??

Hard to raise a family in Chicago on 32k/year.

Without a union to bargain for you, you will not make that kind of money around here at all.

Most of this board is anti union. I'm not sure why.

Unions have helped me obtain good pay, pensions, and job security. I am municipal.

Private ambo companies with no unions make shit pay and have lousy benefits.

Just the way it works around here. I'm telling it how it is.

I've seen a doc use it when I use to moonlight in an ER as a tech.

I asked the doc about it, he told me that sometimes treating the wheezing/bronconstriction with albuterol will allow the pt. to breathe a bit easier, therefore lowering O2 demand on the heart and all the associated benefits that brings. The CPAP was hooked up to a neb.

This is all what a doc told me in the ER, so it is not a study etc.

For the bad CHF'ers CPAP/NTG/Lasix seems to work great in the field.

CPAP has taken away a LOT of our tubes, and that is a good thing for the patients.

Every Man Suspect...

Its a whatever topic. We can't get along; we can't trust one another; what is this field becoming?

A bunch of Pre-Madonnas. A self-centered bunch of people. Its my way or the highway attitude. People who have a little bit of knowledge: think they're experts. Glory hounds. Skells. Poor Technicians. Also late; never checks the Ambulance or Equipment. Air and chair is the routine. Bringing a laptop is part of the Checklist. Waits for food before responding. Falsification of paperwork. Liar. IV pokemon; missing a"l the time. The best Esophageal Intubator. Identifies all ECG as Sinus. Nasal Cannula all patients. Drives 2MPH so everybody sees them. Always goes out of service for anything. Drama bringer. Hits the skirt. Inappropriate always. Never offers. Thinks the work fu#k is French. Insubordinate. Never restocks. Cruising for chicks. Can't splint. Thinks they're hot sh#t. Invincible. Cocky. Sleeps at CME Letures. No call, no show. Bangs out last minute. Doesn't flush. Doesn't know the Protocol; makes it up as he goes along. Takes the credit. Can't lift. Blames other.

WTF!

hahahaha. We've have all seen that in one form or the other LOL, good post +1

Just curious .. on a 911 call what and how does a Fire Department charge for Crash Rescue or a Pumper with Medic ?

my department does not charge for this, nor for refusal even if we use drugs (i.e. d50)

Is your primary motivation a paycheck, or do you desire to advance within your organization?

What is the career ladder like?

Does your service provide you with the latest in equipment, protocols, and training?

Does your service have enough ambos on the street, or are they more interested in keeping FSR jobs- ie outfitting fire apparatus as medical response units?

Do single role providers-especially chief officers- get the same respect and consideration as suppression members of similar ranks?

Are your run numbers constantly increasing, yet they will not provide additional EMS units?

Do you have 2 paramedic providers, and are they threatening to reduce that to one EMT and one medic?

Are department rules and regulations enforced equally between the 2 entities, or is one more likely to receive punishment?

1) career ladder involves many different positions in the EMS 'career' ladder. We have a position for the attendant which is ultimately responsible for the crew and writes reports. We have a paramedic commander who runs the shifts on there particular firehouse, and then regional EMS chiefs who supervise a region. We also have the option to cross over if one would like to be a medic on the engine (i have no interest in this)

2) We lag behind with some of the cutting edge equipment but we have what we need. Training is plentiful and required...we also get paid to do it.

3) We have lots of ambos on the street--some are super busy. They should be adding some more. We also have ALS engines.

4) EMS chiefs and officers get respect from the fire side. They are integral to each other.

5) Runs are increasing but we get the job done. They will have to add more units in the near future. Why not? EMS is a cash cow.

6) We have 2 medics....no threats of going 1 on 1. It's something we fight for in the contract and always will get.

7) Rules and regs are about the same.

Money cannot buy happiness--you are right. But all medics should get what they deserve and be able to live comfortably and not have to work 90 hours weeks and have 2 jobs in orders to raise a family.

Let me ask some questions now.

1) Would you rather have those ranger glidescopes and be living at the poverty line, or live comfortably and have the traditional tools?

2) Would you rather have have a unmatched 401k, work a private ambulance until you re 60 doing pysch. x-fers, or retire at 50-55 with a pension and be able to live out your old age with dignity?

3) Would you rather be at the whim of some owner of a private ambulance who cares about nothing but profits, or a municipal union gig that will give you representation and have your back to investigate issues?

Is my primary motivation a paycheck? No. No one gets into this job to get paid. I make decent money but I'm sure I could have made a lot more doing something else non-related. However it is important to make a decent living, have good benefits and a retirement plan. Why not? We wade around in the $hit....impossible rescues, BS calls, dirty frustrating work. We are subjected to gruesome sights, we have to wrestle that crazy drunk, resuscitate babies in someones home with families tugging at you sleeves. The stress of this job is crazy and we deserve to do it for a livable wage. Is that a liberal and self serving viewpoint? Damn right, but I won't back down from it. Unions negotiate the contracts that allow us to get what we deserve. It's democratic process, we vote on our leadres in the union. IS it perfect???? OF COURSE not....but it is 100000000000000000000X better then the alternative.

fired based, single role paramedics are the way to go imo.

I think there goal would be to eliminate those services in order to make them union jobs and increase the number of people in it.

Honestly I can not see a drawback for me being in the IAFF, it should be noted that I am a single role paramedic. If I was not in the IAFF I would be making about 34k/year with lousy benefits and no pension. This year I grossed roughly 78k. I work 24 on and 72 off.

So please tell me what the drawbacks are for me to be in the union?

I don't want this to turn ugly so I mean no disrespect in my posts! I am interested to see what people are negotiating and getting paid while being a paramedic without unions and their fancy lawyers to sit down and make bargains.

Thanks in advance for any info.

This board is mostly anti-union. So let he flames begin.

I am part of the IAFF, and with that I get a very livable wage, proper safety equipment, a steady and predictable wage increases, and protection against unfair firings.

I also work for a municipality and they are usually all union.

When I worked for the privates I took all sorts of abuse from "owners" with no medical experience and hot tempers. There was was nothing I could do. I felt powerless even though their claims that I was rude to some RN in a NH were false. I was fired without any investigation into the matter. I will tell you one thing: a union would never stand for that. Why should we have to play politics with some no nothing private ambulance company owner who scams medicare and pay employees wage equivlant to mcdonalds

Private ambulance companies could gain a lot from unionizing, but most of the employees don't know about it or are scared of being fired if they go pro union.

I'm sure there could be some downsides, but I believe the benefit would outweigh the negatives.

There is no way that any private ambulance employees are making 80-100k or the equivalent in there area. If there are it is rare. All privates i nthe chicago land area pay paramedics about 10-16 bucks an hour. Which is an INSULT. Municipal positions pay 60-90k a year (without being an officer), excellent health coverage, pensions, paid holiday time etc.

Private companies in the area pay 10-16$/hour. Horrible healthcare benefits, no retirment plan...or maybe a 401k with NO matching. Why? Because they do not have anyone standing up for them. Collective bargaining has it's place and allows appropriate pay. Should a paramedic live in the poverty level? I think not

I doubt there was enough air for SCBAs for the entire operation. Sounds like another armchair loser trolling.

I have a question for y'all about giving albuterol to a patient. I know that the indication for albuterol is wheezes. I also heard that CHF is a contraindication for albuterol because the broncodialators in the med will allow more fluids into the lungs, increasing the difficulty breathing (Someone correct me if this explication is wrong). So what do you do for the patient who has a hx of both asthma/ COPD and CHF and has diminished lung sounds? Would you give the albuterol/ duoneb until you can hear better lung sounds, and base your further treatment off of that? What if the cause of the SOB is CHF and you have now made it worse? CPAP?

Sorry if the question above is convoluted, I was wondering because I had a pt recently who had hx of CHF, but no other lung hx, and was diminished on the L side, and my partner gave her a duo neb treatment, even though she was stating at 98% RA, because her RR was about 30 (no other signs of SOB)

When I was initially certified to give neb albuterol, I never learned that CHF was a contraindication for it, and it scares me that I didn't learn all the information about a drug I was certified to give. If y'all have any good resources for this info, that would be great, but I would also like to discuss it here, I always learned best from class discussions

I think giving the neb to better hear lung sounds is bad practice for medicine. You shoud be looking at the whole clinical picture. CHF'er are usually easy to spot....edema...rales....positional SOB. BP can sometimes be high due to the feedback systems fighting each other.

It's poor medicine practive to throw around drugs for the hell of it. It's all about assessments.....assess assess and assess. There are some medics who cold do a lot better if they got better at assessing.

Hope I helped.

I have never seen it, but I know of paramedics that have had to bag a patient that where a foamy substance is coming out of the patient's mouth due to the overload of fluid in the lungs. Our objective is to bag this patient and attempt to push the foamy substance and the fluid out of the lungs and back into the circulatory system, so that the patient will be able to have better oxygen exchange, which then increase their respiratory efforts, hopefully keep them from going into respiratory arrest.

Providing positive pressure ventialions pushes the "fluid" aside so the alveoli can maximize its usefulness.

I am pretty sure the fluid does not return to the cirulatory system with cpap or ppostive pressure vents.

I could be wrong though

We use it with versed for drug assisted intubation....they work well together, good enough for us. However one time it did not relax a head injury pt. His jaw would not relax.

Overall I find it a useful tool.

That is hard to watch....from my home state. I will share this with my department tomorrow on shift so we can all learn from it.

Scene safety, indeed.

Be safe out there folks.

The only question I have to this is "What was her respiratory rate?"

"Unresponsive" does not say much. What was her Glasgow? What were her vitals? What about her pulse ox? If her O2 sats were lousy, breathing at 2/minute, and she was cyanotic, then I would have no problem with an IO- perfectly appropriate.

As for heroin users having poor veins- I disagree. Of the hundreds of OD's I have seen, I would say about 80+% or more who use this stuff actually snort it- only the hard core users shoot it up, thus a person won't necessarily have lousy peripheral veins. IM is a perfectly acceptable route for someone who has stable vitals and O2 sats. Yes, it takes a bit longer to work, but in an otherwise stable patient, there is no urgent need to drop an IO.

The IO route is for a person who is in extremis, not someone who is simply just "unresponsive".

I also won't bash the provider who did the IO here without knowing more details about the patient.

I agree---lots of heroin where I am and it is most often snorted. I usually can find something on the venous users where they can't reach. An IO is a bit of a stretch, then again I was not there so I do not know the details and cannot comment!

Well said, you must be able to take off those rose colored glasses that reflect your beliefs as truth, and look for the truth you may not know. I know plenty of agencies that will not respond into a housing project for any call without PD. Funny, I have heard about all these ambulances that get shot at, but I have yet to see one in person. To DELAY Care to a patient based solely on the neighborhood they live in (WHEN A VIOLENT CRIME IS NOT INVOLVED), should be criminal. If I said I wouldn't give care to a white woman who had an abortion because of my religous principles, you would all raise hell. But if I say that minority who lives in the housing project will have to wait an extra 20 minutes on an ambulance, because the neighborhood looks spooky, then that is OK.

As far as poor white people in trailor parks, I have yet to meet a rich white person living in a trailor park. Nor have I met a rich minority in a housing project. Its not racism, its acknowledgement that poor people live in poor neighborhoods.

I don't respond into the projects unless we have PD. Have you been to cabrini green in its heyday? My ambo was never shot at, but they threw rocks and mobbed the back of it quite a few times over there.

I'd love to see you trotting in there...maybe the look outs will let you in as EMS, maybe they will think you are a cop. Is it worth that risk to ya?

I have looked a *few* times but never found it in a phone. I have gone through wallets to get billing info an drunks and druggies though.

haha

i really dislike the vans. my part time is at a private company that uses these. they are small and cramped. then again that job is a private and we dont do 911 so it doesnt matter much.

that do however, drive very well. Better then my box at my real job.

It is not about securing firefighter's role/job but taking care of our patients and offering them the best care possible.

It's also about securing proper pay and benefits that we deserve. I don't want to sound greedy, but we should be getting paid a livable wage for this work. AMR doesn't do that. The FD does...I will repeat my statement....single role medics are the way to go. It works great for me. I get to focus on pt. care, and have the perks of the union, pension and proper pay that we all deserve.

"Are you bleeding?" DO I see massive blood loss? Is a baby popping out? If I don't i'm not going in

I'm not looking unless both of those questions are 100% affirmative.

Who wants to be up in someones nasty junk?

Hahaha