paramedicmike

Why are you guys harping on the cop who failed to adequately deal with this situation? Shouldn't your attention be more pointed at the moron who blew the "stop sight" at 40 kph over the posted limit? Yes. The cop was derelict in his duty. However, the problem in this case doesn't really lie with the cop. It lies with the bonehead who blew the traffic signal with no regard for himself or those around him (no matter the time of day). The cop's response is an ancillary issue. Whoever posted that should have his license suspended and his membership in his local volly squad terminated. Catch me on a good day and I'd even suggest going after his certifications. -be safe

Finally! A celebrity (such as being considered the "most trusted man in America" can be) worthy of some respect! Sad, though, to hear of his passing. RIP.

Since we talked about this earlier I thought it would be worth a follow up. (Click to view this embedded page in a new window)

Yeah. But Ed wasn't middle aged.

That's on my summer reading list. Don't spoil it for me, though. I want to see how it ends. -be safe

They can dig his grave with the Awesome Auger!

No. Seriously! Read it here! Not a good time to be a middle aged celebrity lately. Farrah, Wacko Jacko and now Billy "Please buy something" Mays.

Click on the Pringles ad found here. I'm sure Admin could find a way to work something like that into the site. -be safe

McCullough is an excellent writer. He did an superb job with John Adams. If you haven't read Truman yet I highly recommend that, too. In fact, pretty much everything he's written has been good. I especially liked The Johnstown Flood. I both read that and listened to it as a book on mp3. -be safe

I've gotta agree with chbare. When presented with clinical rotations like this you need to go after him/her and figure out on your own what you can learn. Ask as many questions as you can think of and then ask some more. Even if there aren't many patients, or sick patients, in the unit there are still a wide variety of learning points available to you. Ask to go back. -be safe

<sigh> Check your sources. Again. The above quote was never uttered by Jefferson. With regards to the rest of the quotes listed, some are legitimately attributed to Jefferson. Others are inconclusive. While this site isn't as reputable as Snopes, it certainly casts enough doubt on a good number of the quotes listed...especially the ones taken out of context or deliberately misquoted. While I'm sure this was probably just a email forwarded on like a bad piece of spam, checking the sources is usually prudent before sharing and attempting to pass it (the original email) off as accurate information. But I think we've had this discussion before. -be safe

I do this all the time. -be safe

Perhaps this misinformed source was referring to combitubes? -be safe

Gotta agree with it depending on what EPCR program you're using. Some require a narrative. Others don't. So more info from the OP is needed. -be safe

If you cost any employer $125K because of a stupid, willful choice (like failing to lock the doors of your ambulance) then you will get fired. This isn't something limited to EMS. I don't know any industry that would keep an employee who, through willful disregard, cost them that much money. What's more, not only did they leave the doors unlocked, the left the keys inside. Knowing how a lot of EMS-ers work, they probably left the keys in the ignition. You wouldn't leave your POV unlocked with they keys in the ignition. So why would you leave an ambulance that costs better than $100,000, not counting all the equipment inside (like a $20,000+ monitor, drugs, narcotics and more) unlocked with they keys in the ignition? You're practically begging someone to steal it! I agree with Dust. They should be fired. They're lucky the meth-head looking guy who stole the ambulance didn't kill anyone. That would have opened an entirely new can of worms. -be safe

I find it interesting that they chose to include, as part of what they released, the part where the suspect tries to run over the cop throwing the stop sticks. While they should've been fired over the beating, I can certainly understand how and why their emotions wound up showing through. It's not easy being a cop these days. -be safe

How many times does it need to be said? Lock your ambulance!!!! Two seconds of time could have saved greater than $125K. That's an expensive two seconds. Lock it up!

Fix your link.

All of which contain comments from people who don't know any better stating that you need tons of BLS experience before starting something completely new and beyond the understanding of those who haven't been through paramedic school yet. Or, you could listen to the people who have been there, who have a real college education on which to build (much like the OP) and who realize that getting into a real paramedic program requires little more than being smart and driven enough to do the work...NOT any set amount of time as a BLS provider. If you really want to beat that dead horse...AGAIN...then please be my guest. But let's just try to help this guy without citing unsubstantiated rumor and cliche, shall we? To the OP: Find yourself a degree awarding, accredited program in which to enroll. I think you'll find you'll have much better luck. A real paramedic program, including prerequisites, can be completed in two to three years (depending on what classes you've already taken and summer classes once accepted). Or, you can put your GI Bill funds to better use and go to either nursing school or physician assistant school. Hell, you could even shoot for medical school and be our boss at some point. Even if you were in the Navy. Just kidding. Good luck! -be safe

Then several of your coworkers were seriously mislead, misinformed, and outright lied to by those who run the academy. Who'd would've guessed that coming from the FD? Sure, they may take an initial reduction in pay when moving from EMS to suppression. But that disparity in pay is corrected fairly quickly. Further, when they cross over to suppression they are then taken seriously by the other FFs in the house and not looked down on or ridiculed like they were as medics on the ambulance. Rumors mean nothing. There are always rumors about something. Says who? And that 15 open spots is from what day of last month? With the changes administration is going to enforce as retribution for the recent lawsuit there's going to be a bunch of guys leaving. I know several who've already jumped ship and they're just the beginning. Oh! And please define "on the upswing". It's not about skills. It's not about how many tubes you have. It's not about how many codes you've run. Experience is not gained when you have a 10 minute BLS run to the ER. Glad you enjoy working there. But it's tough to see how broken it is from the inside. -be safe

Philly Fire handles all 911 EMS responses for the city. There is no other agency that contributes to 911 coverage in the city. It's not like NYC where there are a multitude of private ambulance companies to supplement the FD. The surrounding counties, however, have a variety of squads that provide 911 services to their respective communities. I wouldn't recommend Philly Fire, either. First, their system is broken (just as bad, if not worse, than NJ). Second, they're not currently hiring (as far as I know). Third, the city just lost a lawsuit regarding unpaid overtime and it sounds like FD administration is trying to screw with the EMS providers in terms of schedule changes and more. I don't have a lot of details on this last point yet. I'll post more as I find out more. If you're still looking because your wife insists on moving down that way, consider looking in the counties surrounding Philly (on the PA side of the river). It may be a bit of a drive. But if you can convince her to move a little closer to Philly (instead of being so close to whatever amusement park you previously mentioned), it may be worth your while. It would certainly be more worth it than getting involved in anything in NJ. -be safe

Did you bother to read the OP? The question was whether or not an EMT would also have to be a FF. If you work for Philly fire, if you want to be little more than an EMT, then the answer is an unequivocal yes. You have to be a FF to be an EMT (or be an EMT to be a FF). You said it yourself. Go through the fire academy and you spend the first six weeks in EMT class. If you want to be a Philly Fire Medic you still go through fire training in the academy. Your primary role may be EMS but there is always an off chance that you may be called upon to fight fire. If you just want to do transports you don't have to be a FF. Those are private companies. In the counties surrounding the City you don't have to be a FF to run 911. If she's really an RN then why waste time going through to paramedic when she can do the PHRN program and run as an ALS provider outside the city? And "your" city is a dump. I said I'm glad I didn't have to live there. I never said I'd never lived there before.

No, you don't know this. Why don't you know this? Because it doesn't happen in NJ. You call a doc in a box who, chances are, you may never see no matter how many times you bring a patient into that hospital. They won't care if you have a clue or not. You will call the doc on *every* patient with whom you come into contact. They will not care what you have to say. They will half heartedly listen to your mindless report then they will give you orders of what to do regardless of what you think is appropriate. It doesn't matter what you know about overzealous volly squads in NY. They can't hold a candle to the ridiculousness that is NJ. Volly squads in NJ run NJEMS. The reason that NJEMS is the dysfunctional, and, at times, dangerous mess that it is can be traced directly back to volly EMS in NJ. You'd have better chances of winning the lottery and getting struck by lightning on the same day than you would being able to change anything about NJEMS or any one system in particular. The system is broken beyond repair. The vollies will not allow change. The state has no power, or will, or money to stand up to them. Change has been attempted by people far better than you or I. And it has failed and failed miserably. The joke for a long time was that something would have to happen to a VIP for NJEMS to change. Well, the governor was almost killed when his State Trooper driver wrecked the vehicle in which he (the gov) was riding. There was a lot of fallout from that accident. Despite the fallout, nothing has changed. So bad things happening to even VIPs can't change anything. I don't mean to burst your bubble. But you seriously have no idea just what you're getting yourself into. You're sitting there thinking, "It can't be *that* bad." And you're partially right. It's not that bad. It's so much worse than what you're thinking. Your wife wants to move to NJ. I get it. Your trying to keep a positive attitude is admirable. But you really, honestly have no clue what kind of mess you're getting into. If you insist on moving down there, I must caution you (aside from what's already been said). Another responder to this thread mentioned MONOC. YOU DO NOT, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, WANT TO WORK FOR MONOC!!! The joke is that you can't spell MONOC without "O NO". There is a reason for this and unfortunately it's not a joke. And like I said earlier. Pennsylvania's just a quick hop on the AC Expressway. -be safe

Going through the Philly FD EMS academy does include fire training and there is an expectation, no matter how infrequently it may happen, that the guys on the ambulance may be pulled to drag hose. There are airpacks on the ambulances. And a good number of the medic staff is simply biding their time until they get their "promotion" to the suppression side. Your primary job, by sheer volume, may be EMS. But you are expected to be a FF in the off chance you may be called for it. I know enough people who've been through the process and are either still employed there or have recently left. I am familiar with what material the academy covers. Fighting fire is covered. That being said, and hiring freeze aside, it's easier to get hired onto the EMS side simply because no one wants to be an EMS provider in Philly. You run your arse off. There is no such thing as a slow squad. Fifteen to twenty calls or more per shift is not only uncommon, but the norm. Most of it is crap. People looking for tylenol for their headache or similar. It is not uncommon to hear on the local news that someone, who might have lived in any other city in the country, has died because they had to wait 40 minutes or more for an ambulance to become available. The suppression side does have a lengthy list. But the EMS side has to beg people to even apply. That should be an indication of a broken, dysfunctional department that anyone with any intelligence should run from without looking back. The City of Philadelphia is a dump. New Jersey's armpit (which is saying something). The city is broken, broke, corrupt and there is little hope, short of burning it to the ground and starting over, of fixing it. And I'm glad I don't have to live there. -be safe