buddha

Get real, people! The whole idea of a jump kit is not to be able to treat an entire MCI, but to hold you until duty units arrive. Jump kits should be small and lite - some of yours must take three men and a boy to carry. Why not focus on the items you need to deal with life threats and leave it at that?? Airway - OPA kit, pocket mask, D tank with 1 NRB and 1 tubing (for the pocket mask). Breathing - asherman chest seal, items listed in airway. Circulation - dressings, kling wrap, triangulars, tape. Stethoscope, BP cuff, penlite, shears, forceps. You can add a sam splint set for frac mgt (takes up very little room), and an oral glucose. Treat the life threats and everything else can wait until the bus arrives. Keep it simple, lightweight, and portable.

Mullets forever!!!! The mullet should be the official "do" of EMS agencies everywhere.

I live fro the day when the mullet will be in fashion again!!

Paddles are for WHACKERS! When posing this question to my ACLS students, they usually offer many lame arguments as to why they think paddles are superior (better current, better control, safer?, etc.). When all these arguments are dismissed by the facts, students are left to realize that the only reason they like paddles is a "control issue", or more correctly put, an "ego issue". We use the Zoll M-series with pads, exclusively. There is not a finer machine built. Apply the pads anterior/posterior with a rolling motion and you can defib or pace with the push of a button. Incidentally, research has shown anterior/posterior placement to be somewhere around 10% more effective for defib than anterior/lateral. To improve efficiency, we have encouraged most of the first response agencies in our area to switch to the Zoll AED+. We train them in anterior/posterior placement and the AED+ pads will plug directly into the M-series. To encourage this, we provide replacement pads to agencies that do this for us (about $30 per set). All we have to do when we arrive on scene is to plug in and go. Should also note that our M-series default start in AED mode - we're not proud. The initial AED start-up allows us a couple minutes to get everything else going without having to play with the machine, and we switch to manual after the first 3 shocks or when no shock is indicated (whichever comes first).

i have a '93 ford explorer, but I'm a teamster at heart. the rolling stock in my fleet currently stands at: 1. 1994 Freightliner with 46 ft cattle trailer, 2. 1988 Dodge 4*4 with plow for the winter months, 3. 1988 Ford 4*4 for the landfill trips, and 5. 1954 GMC 18 ft flatbed for hauling machinery. Currently looking to update and downsize the fleet.

I worked for many years as a volunteer, and as an EMT Instructor. A local volunteer agency elected to try a new concept for meeting the community EMS needs, and I became their first full time ALS tech. I saw this as an opportunity to have the best of both worlds - making a career out of EMS and staying close to my volunteer roots. The project has worked well and grown steadily, albeit with some rough spots along the way. Today, many agencies are moving in this direction. Incidentally, I still volunteer in my own community as both a medic and a firefighter.