Woody76559

Yeah, tried that. I think I'm just gonna have her draw something custom for me. Not sure, but she's purty dadgum good, so I may just do that. As for the leg, well, that's getting better. The guy who shot me plead guilty and he's now in for 20 years. Still have a limp, and every now and then some pain, but I am doing well. I'm gonna try and hang out here a little more now. We'll see what happens and how good the chicks are now.

First off, I am back once again for those that remember me. May not be many of y'all, though. Who knows? Secondly, I am trying to find pictures of firefighter pinup girls for my next tattoo by the one and only Kat Von D of "Miami Ink" fame. Anyone know where I may be able to find a pic? She can draw one, but I want some ideas.

I would love to get hold of the director for her service.

We already solved that on my department. We are completely latex-free. Nothing on our truck contacins latex. Not even the band-aids. And my FD is the same as well. I have an severe latex allergy. Not worth the anaphylaxis.

I'm just wondering what people think about a nationwide ban on Latex gloves. More and more people are developing allergies to Latex since so much is made with it. In the world of EMS it seems like more of us are allergic. What do y'all think?

EVerything is going nicely. Go in tomorrow to get the fistures removed.

Coming out on DVD on the 23rd of August! I got mine reserved already. LOL EVERYTHING I NEEDED TO KNOW I LEARNED FROM EMERGENCY! There are days when people just seem to freak-out all over the place. Never question the captain’s integrity & always trust his judgment. Never insult the wife of a man who's had 50 professional fights. A man who does not extend himself does not know how to live. Don’t be subtle if he’s not the type. There are people who march to the sound of their own drum…and then again, there are people who have their own fife and bugle corps. You never know until you try. People, even your friends, can be so irritating sometimes. We learn something new everyday. When a problem is unavoidable, the best thing you can do is learn to live with it. Admit nothing. Don’t pose logical questions when it comes to bureaucracy. You're never too old. Some people just have no contact with reality. Know who your friends are. Some days are just worse than others. Drinking soda pop cures the hiccups Just because you're not working together any more, doesn't mean you can't remain friends. A promise is a promise. Every day is a school day. There's always a rattle that refuses to be fixed.

Just wanted to let y'all know that I have gone back to work as of today. No ambulance riding just yet. I'm doing admin only, so I won't mess myself up again like I did a couple weeks ago. I appreciate everyone's kind words and compassion. Sorry that I kind of dropped off the face of the earth for a while. Please forgive me. I am back to my old jovial self now and I will be soon terrorizing the chat room again!

Just wanted to let y'all know that I have gone back to work as of today. No ambulance riding just yet. I'm doing admin only, so I won't mess myself up again like I did a couple weeks ago. I appreciate everyone's kind words and compassion. Sorry that I kind of dropped off the face of the earth for a while. Please forgive me. I am back to my old jovial self now and I will be soon terrorizing the chat room again!

Fort Worth area pays halfway decent. They are switching services, however, so be careful where you go. As soon as you get to Texas, apply for reciprocity and they will grant it through your National Registry cert. If you have any questions, just shoot me an e-mail. I can hook ya up! h.woody.williamson@nolanvillefd.org

I have to go with TDSHS with this one. Sorry, but there are rules and regulations that must be followed. If they let one service go, then no one should have to license. Any ambulance in the State of Texas MUST be licensed. This is for your protection as well as the patient's. Sorry, but you were in the wrong.

Maybe I'm too nice to my crews. As soon as all duties are done, they can sleep all day if they want. As long as they're available for calls or walk ins, they're fine.

Should we beg and plead for the Admins to allow webcams in chat?

All this time I thought we released carbon DIoxide instead of carbon MONoxide. Big difference. As far as the 50:2, you will still circulate some oxygen throughout the circulatory system even without continuous ventilations or with the current standards. Just remember this, folks: This is an ever changing field. As a result, we must adjust, adapt and overcome all that is presented. It's not gospel yet, so don't let it worry you too much. We just have to adjust and be aware.

We only have one truck so we don't have to worry about someone jumping calls or the conflict with dispatching a BLS and a MICU unit. As far as the scene safety aspect goes, I tell my crews that if you can see the residence or where the patient is supposed to be at then you are too close. If we are waiting for PD to clear a scene, then we wait. No ifs ands or buts about it. It all boils down to line-of-sight. Basically, if you can see them, they can see you. And if they can see you then you can be shot at. Too many of our brothers and sisters in EMS and Fire have lost their lives simply by not adhering to this standard. There is no patient that is worth the lives of another EMS provider.

I'm just a little white cloud. Nothing ever happens when I'm on shift.

It may seem to you that it's not worth all the time and effort for what comes out of it. What do you mean? Try talking with him and finding out why he does it. Is it for the money? Or does he enjoy helping the people? I'm willing to bet that if you asked him how his day was or ask him about what's going on at work, his eyes would light up and you'd never be able to get him to stop talking about it. The pay sucks, the hours are long, there is always a call coming out when you're trying to eat. I could list all the common reasons that my wife has listed. But then she decided to find out what goes on. She got involved and found out that this is not a job. It's a calling from somewhere deep inside. Not everyone can do this job and it takes a really special person to succeed. What is my point in this rant? Ask HIM why he does it. Ask HIM if it's worth it all. More important of all just ask HIM anything at all. His eyes will light up and you'll never get him to stop talking about it.

We're a little bit smaller than your service. We average about 400 calls per year. For FY '04, our expenses were approximately $180K. This includes salary and supplies. Our income generated from call volume was only $85K. My council was wondering why we cost more than we bring in and what could we do to increase our revenue. The only thing that we can do is to do our own in-house billing which will cost around $10K initially. Then we have to hire a couple new people just for billing and train them. I think all EMS services have this problem an, unfortunately, there is not really a way to increase revenue. Medicare has a cap on how much we can charge for services, so we're stuck with those rates. If you can think of any ways to increase the revenue, let me know because I am curious as well.

First of all, relax. It'll all be okay. There are some gender bias that is based on the fact that traditionally women can not lift as much as men. Usually there is someone around that can help lift the heavier folks. And if for some reason you have a patient that is too heavy, call the FD in to help!. Pay rates are low, but the rewards are high. I love this line of work and just happen to get paid for it. If you think you need more time in the field, just let your instructors know. Any instructor that is worth a darn (yes, folks, Woody said darn) will help you get more field time before setting you loose. I'm not sure where you are from, but I try to hire folks fresh out of school whenever I can. Makes it easier for them to get experience and that way I can mold them just the way I want 'em! Just keep in mind that for the most part EMS'ers are a fun loving group of people. If you get offended easily, just be aware that you'll be offended. There are a lot of times you will laugh over a call, but other times it will break your heart. If this is what you want to do, then welcome to the field. We encourage everyone to join us. Just keep one thing in mind: When you begin to lose your compassion and caring that has brought you to this field, it i time to take a break. There is never a maximum age to begin in this field. As long as you can do the job, all are welcome. Welcome, HalfPint, to your new life. It'll never be the same again. For some it is even better. Mine is. Stop by the Chat Room sometime and get to know us. We're a great bunch!

Our EMT-B's are allowed to administer albuterol/atrovent nebulized. We can not, however administer epi. We can assist with the pt's epi-pen, but can not give epi.

We conduct an EMT-B class here at my service. We have class on Monday from 6-10 and Saturday from 8-5. Mondays are reserved for lecture and if there is time remaining we do skills. Saturdays we do skills. The first half is spent explaining and demonstrating the skill. The second half is actual hands on practice. This is four hours worth. Sure, some of the folks complain, but they'll be happy when they can do it without any hesitation. Bottom line for hands on is this: If you're doing the skills while you're dreaming, then it's working.

My wife has gotten jealous at times over the years as well. Sometimes I have given her reason to, but not every situation is as it seems. When you're in this career, you spend a lot of time with your partner and a few things can happen. 1) You and your partner hate each other and never talk while off duty and sometimes not even on duty. 2) You and your partner become very close. This due to stress creating a common bond. 3) You and your partner become intimate. This happens. It's a reality, but not the only option. A lot of partners share inside jokes. Jokes that may seem like something totally different. Also, it all depends on perspective. If you are concerned, then the best thing to do is address the issue. Letting it fester and boil will only make things worse. Talk with your spouse today. Not tomorrow or next week, but today. That way you will both be able to get it over and done with. I know I have always appreciated my wife letting me know what she thinks. May not always like it, but it makes things better and you can correct things before they get out of hand.

I just go to the range and go shooting. And I go hunting and sometimes I just throw things if it's really bad. But I throw a pillow so I don't break anything

I worked for a company that did the electronic patient thing. They lost over $250K when the computer system crashed. We'll stick to paper as long as I can.

Can't believe y'all haven't had the stripper twisting her ankle on the 8 inch stiletto heels while she was giving a lap dance. That was fun night!