mountaineer48

Wow, I think we work for the same service! Our BLS coordinator recently asked why I've stopped running so much. I told him I'm tired of getting screamed at by at least one person every run. I was a EMT-I for several years back in 90's when I let my cert laspse. I was a D First Responder for a few and last year got back into EM as a Basic. Inevitably, someone will tell me I've done something wrong. Usually it's someone with less experience, who couldn't do it the way they want me to do it anyway. I'm thinking you and I are being told it's time to move on. There are understaffed services everywhere looking for people. Maybe we should look elsewhere.......

It's tough. Our county commissioners can't be bothered by petty things like road signs, so 75% of our roads aren't marked. Not always a problem unless you're out of your AO covering for another squad OR never been down that road before! Even if it's known road, unless it's for a frequent flyer, you may have trouble finding it. Less that 10-15% actually have the reflective address signs. Usually the best you can hope for is hardware store bought numbers stuck on the mailbox (never reflective) and the majority don't even have that. Dispatch is never 100%. More often than not they have you going the wrong way. Sad to say, our county pays so poorly we usually get the ones fired from other dispatch centers! :-0

We get nothing. Unless you count grief. We're all volunteer and evidently we don't rate uniforms. I've bought a couple of embroidered t-shirts, a polo, a 3 season jacket and a class B uniform. I get tired of the city/paid departments making fun of us and not taking us seriously when we show up in whatever we had on. The first time I wore my class B, the ED staff and other services were falling over themselves to be nice to me and help with whatever was needed. The day before, in shorts & t-shirt from mowing the yard, they wouldn't give me the time of day. Even if your squad doesn't provide you uniforms, get one. As I learned when I was a cop, if you want people to take you seriously- dress for respect.

We have a heavy rescue with backboards, scoop, stokes basket, AED, splints, KED, c-collars, O2, full jump bag, suction, etc. The biggest difference between our BLS non-transport trucks & the Ambulances is the AED. Plain jane AED (as a nod to first responders) as opposed to a Lifepack 12 (soon to be 15's!). Our FD also just bought a F250 to use as a First Responder truck and this will probably have a Lifepack on it now that we have a couple of EMT-B's, a EMT-I and a Medic running more often than not.