Jump to content

exodus

Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    24

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Posts posted by exodus

    I've got brain freeze.....

    in Education and Training

    Posted

    Senior has a stroke while driving with her husband in the passenger seat, slams into guard rail, causing the vehicle to roll into a sport bike in the fast lane. How's that?

    Edit: Oh shit... Nice topic date >.< I really need to start checking the dates on the topics before replying! Stupid similar topics module xD

    Ventillation Rates

    in Patient Care

    Posted · Edited by exodus

    Assisting ventilations in a spontaneously breathing patient is a difficult task. If you increase the tidal volume of each spontaneous breath you will improve their ventilation and saturation although both may still be inadequate (low minute volume.) There is nothing wrong with overriding spontaneous respirations other than the patient may quit breathing altogether and you have to breath for them. That actually makes management easier and you can improve ventilation and saturation to optimal levels. I've always considered pulse oximetry to be a BLS skill with proper training although that may vary from state to state.

    Mask ventilation is a difficult skill to master under any circumstances. Good question.

    Live long and prosper.

    Spock

    I wishh, EMT's could monitor SPO2 and ETCO2 as well... It'd be nice. That IS something we can fix most of the time.

    EDIT: HOLY CRAP.... This is why I don't like the Similar Topics at the bottom of the page... Old thread =/

    San Diego EMS

    in General EMS Discussion

    Posted

    Exodus: Thanks. Which department do you work for?

    Thanks for the insights thus far. And as for City of San Diego are the ALS guys part of Rural/Metro or SDFD. I'm additionally curious as to what Rural/Metro's pay and benefits are like?

    I work for a private company, we hold backup 911 contract for Heartland Fire. And as far as pay for R/m they make minimum wage for EMTB.

    San Diego EMS

    in General EMS Discussion

    Posted

    When I was in San Diego it was Rural/Metro as the third party provider; that's the extent of my knowledge.

    Oh I lie, they have red ambulances.

    San Diego is an interesting city. 911 is handled ALS for every call. All City of San Diego fire is being handled by Rural/Metro. They are a third party company that are based out of fire departments, and run with FD. It's like a third party FD system. And then there are smaller cities like Santee, Lakeside, Oceanside, etc. where it is totally FD based, this grouping of FD based response in SD is called Heartland Fire. And yes kiwi, most of the rigs here are Red :P But Santee fire is white!

    Driver training

    in Education and Training

    Posted

    Good example of a basic 'evasive maneuver'. Have I used it? Yes. Do I reccomend it for every call? NO.

    I've never understood the need to run 'hot' to every call. It not only creates an 'insensitivity' to the lights and siren, but it also puts the general public (and the responding crews) at unnecessary risk.

    In MI (the only state I can quote with authority), there IS a requirement that if you're running lights you MUST operate the siren. Aside from that, there is nothing in that state's Motor Vehicle Code that REQUIRES the use of lights and siren when the vehicle is in motion to a call or from a call to the hospital. I've even seen a crew get ticketed for running lights and siren to the hospital for a possible broken tib/fib.

    I don't care if you ARE a 'newb' or not....there's an appropriate time and place for lights and siren, and that doesn't include EVERY call.

    When running lights and sirens...you must be even MORE careful than you are normally. (I love how people will say something like, "I'm the most careful/responsible driver I know!).

    Just because you have lights and siren operating, you DON'T have the 'right' to blow through stop lights/stop signs, you're not automatically granted the right of way and you do NOT have the 'right' to exceed the speed limits by 20 mph or more! Even with lights and siren activated, you MUST drive according to the weather conditions, traffic and with 'due regard' for the general public. You cause an accident in an emergency vehicle that's running 'hot'...you're AUTOMATICALLY 'at fault'!

    Ticket for running code for a tib fib? What vehicle code were they breaking?

    And I have a partner that loves driving hella fast when we're running code... To me, the time you save running code isn't made in the speed traveling, it's getting through intersections and not having to wait as much. I also slow done for green lights at intersections, people do stupid things. And when I get to a jammed intersection, I go to second primary, which is a steady red + opticom flasher (Which doesn't work on half our intersections for some reason :/ ) and back yellow / red strobes. So they people up front don't see hella flashing lights in their rear view mirror. But the people behind you know to stay pulled over or to not move in front of you. This also kills the siren. And soon as the green goes up and a few cars go through and are a little more spread out, back up to full code.

    A lot of firsts tonight

    in General EMS Discussion

    Posted

    So tonight I was half crew, so dispatch had me running around doing lift assists and errands. One of the errands was driving 30 miles or so north to our North Base to pickup paperwork and bring it back down. Sounds easy enough right?

    So I'm driving a long, just get off the North I15 and merge onto the W78 I was in the slow lane just cruising a long as usual, and I see a car with its back end sticking out a little bit into the slow lane. I figured they broke down and just couldn't get all the way over, so I slow down and move over some to avoid hitting the person, and while doing this I see someone else had pulled over and was running back to the car. I didn't look at the car on the shoulder that was sticking out too much because i had to deal with getting over in time safely. So noticing this person running back something seems pretty wrong so I flip on the Code 3 lights and pull onto the hard shoulder. Wait for a clear in traffic and step out. Start walking back, and this guy runs up to me and all he said was "He's hurt." So I ask him how many people are hurt, how many cars are involved. And then walk back to the rig and get on the radio (Unit # changed)

    388 Dispatch urgent

    Dispatch 388 Go

    388 I just rolled up on a single vehicle accident with injuries

    388 One known pt who is walking - vehicle is blocking the slow lane

    388 Standing by on scene until rescue arrives.

    Dispatch 388 Copy, Contacting CHP

    I backed the rig up a little closer to the scene. Since I was approx 150 feet down scene from stopping distance. Stopped again on the hard shoulder, check traffic, got out. Grabbed some gloves and a C-Collar from the back. And started walking towards the scene. The pt was on the freeway side of the guardrail and was completely alert and able to move around without any difficulty, just had lots of pain in his leg. So I get him with the help of another motorist that stopped before me, over the guard rail, and we move before the scene so we're out of the direction of traffic if another vehicle hits the car blocking the lane.

    Once moved out of the way I tell him I'm going to put this on his shoulders and neck to help stabilize his neck and spine in case there's any injuries there from things like whiplash, etc. And he says, "I don't want a big deal or anything like this at all." So I say back, "Do you want me to help you then and start treatment?" And he says he doesn't want anything done and just wants to go home. So I do a verbal assessment and ask orientation questions to confirm that he's able to refuse, ask his age, get a quick history, ask if he lost consciousness, ask if he does have any neck or head pain, pain anywhere else, if he knew why he crashed, etc. By the time I was finishing up with that CHP rolled up and shut down the highway.

    There were two officers in the unit, they came up and I let them know, he weas the only passenger in the vehicle and was the driver and no apparent life threatening injures and he is refusing treatment. They so okay, one comes over and talks to the pt for a few seconds to figure out what was going on while the other officer gets into the vehicle and looks around for a few seconds and tries to turn the steering wheel (anyone know why)? And then got out and told his partner that the car isn't moving. At this point fire rescue (paramedics) are showing up with their engine and ambulance. The ambulance pulls behind mine and the engine in front. I give the medics a quick rundown of what's happening, let them know he refused treatment from me. And they come over talk to the pt for a few moments, and then he tells the pt they're gonna move into the ambulance where it's safer and he's just going to look him over and get an AMA.

    While that was going on, the CHP officer got into his car, and pushed the car the rest of the way off onto the shoulder, then opened the freeway back up. A few minutes later, the AMA was complete and signed, and the CHP took the pt and started getting a full interview done with him, and checking for alcohol.

    Medics said Thanks, have a good night to me, as I was walking back to the rig, and helped me get back onto the highway behind the engine. Then I contacted dispatch, let them know what was going on, and then got cleared to our north base.... All this in a matter of 10 minutes or so.

    This was a lot of firsts for me, and really made me more confident and confirmed a lot more that this is what I want to do, and I want to keep going as a medic, and eventually RN. It was my first trauma, first mvc, first time rolling up onto a call (So no time to think about it and prep, just GO), and I was totally running the show for the first few minutes or so until medics arrived.

    All in all, I think it went pretty well. I do know that my voice sounded a little shakey on the radio when reporting it, but I didn't miss out on any details, and our dispatcher was able to understand me without making me repeat myself. Talking to the person that initially stopped to help and the pt. I did not notice any shakiness in my voice.

    So next time this happens. I'm pretty sure I'll be able to do it a lot smoother and more efficiently.

    Oh yeah, ONE person stopped. If this person didn't stop, I would not have noticed something going on, traffic was moving as normal. After being on scene a few minutes, a security officer driving by pulled up behind the scene and put his lights on to warn people of the obstructed lane. But really, only 2 people stopped which surprised me.

    I think this is my longest post ever here! ;)

    Lights and sirens

    in General EMS Discussion

    Posted

    We're a BLS only private company (Other than our CCTRN's) but we still rune Code 3 to certain calls where dispatch tells us to. Usually these Code3 calls are for ALOC or Unresponsive.

    My first two code 3 calls I was patient person because I was new, and both of those I had our transport run Code 3 to the hospital. After looking back on the two calls I've realized Code3 wasn't needed for transport. Why did I think Code 3 was needed? Because in school we were never taught much on how to decide or the reasoning needed to figure out if we need to go Code 3 to the hospital. They taught us to pretty much just do a check list.

    My EMT school sucked I'm figuring out as I go through real experience... Which is why I'm planning on going through a 2 year Associates Degree program for medic :)

    Remember, if you're not doing anything wrong

    in Archives

    Posted

    What about where they put it on your car? Do they come onto your property? What if I find it.. can I throw it away or put it in a semi truck headed cross country?

    Haha, I would totally do that, but I'm thinking of a bunch of charges they could be brought up on:

    Trespassing, Harassment, Vandalism, Conspiracy... I'm sure there's more lol

    If this gets passed, I want to put a GPS device on a police car because it would be the same thing :)

    Defib design - What's the problem?

    in Equiqment and Apparatus

    Posted

    All I use are AED's, and not 12 lead integrateds, but what about a wireless transmitter for the 12 electrode pads so you can't have the wires coming out of the pt, and have to keep the box within the wires range. With this, you don't have to lug heavy box right next to the patient. You can carry it around and monitor it like it's not even hooked up!

    you know you're in urban ems if...

    in General EMS Discussion

    Posted

    Wow. What does that mean when you have, in a row, Church's, Kennedy's, Kansas, Popeye's, and KFC chicken places? None of them a drive through, either.

    We have a few up in Harlem, quite close by the world famous Apollo Theater.

    Clarify also: Chicken and waffles, as one offering on the menu, or just available from the menu, near each other?

    He's referring to roscoes! Roscoes chicken and waffles! It is literally, chicken and waffles together, with a butt load of gravy (yes gravy, not syrup)... There's one in East LA that I know of...

×
×
  • Create New...