paramedicmike

How would you reconcile that process with the group in Illinois (I'm pretty sure it was here...that or Indiana) that has determined that over 100 cases which they investigated (death row cases all) were found to have wrongly convicted the wrong person and sentenced them to death row? This is despite appeals processes and everthing.

Thank you for noting, too, that the costs to execute a con is more than what it would take to lock them up for the rest of their natural life.

-be safe.

i generally work my pt in the ambulance , but i do bring everything in just in case i need it. i like to do this way because in the ambulance were in our domain and if i need anything else i know were it is.

So are you saying you don't have (at least some of) everything you might need in your first in bag? Or are you saying that you don't know where things are in your first in bag?

I'm not being flippant or in your face about this. This is a serious question. I used to work with a woman who *NEVER* used the bag. Doesn't matter what the call was, she would put the patient on the stretcher, go to the truck and do everything there. Even codes. She had no idea what was even in the bag.

I really didn't like working with her.

-be safe.

That's all it took, dude. I'm not the only one who questioned your motives or reasons for posting. And when a simple question for clarification as to relevancy is raised you take it personally throw and tantrum.

If you don't feel you need to justify yourself, which you are completely free to do, don't post. If you feel you must, be ready for questions. Pretty simple.

Lastly, read because you want to. Not because you have to. It's usually much more enjoyable that way.

I'm done with this and won't justify any further response in kind.

A well thought out and presented argument puts forward not only the findings you wish to support but also potential detractions and how to work around them in support of your point.

So far, you've done nothing but cut and paste from pubmed.gov. Where's the original thought in that?

That's great you have all this time on your hands to cite all these studies. But if you're not going to present any information to put your "argument" into context (and help solidify your point) then why bother?

BTW, the thread deals with lights and sirens use. Your study makes no mention of L&S use. It only makes mention of accidents and where they have a higher frequency of occurance. The numbers used for comparison don't even jive. Further, the conclusion doesn't even address the topic at hand.

So, aside from not backing up the claim with comparative figures, how is this relevant?

And you rolled your eyes at me.

The link is in the first post to this thread.

ummmm...do a search..look it up....:roll:

You cited the study. How about some numbers in comparison instead of a bash against us?

-be safe.

How does this compare to other emergency vehicles? Police cruisers? Fire pieces?

-be safe.

There's a plant along the US/Mexico border that produces a latex that is completely hypo-allergenic. I think it's called guayule. The latex resulting from the harvest of this plant is completely and totally hypoallergenic. The hard part, however, is harvesting and processing the product. For some reason that escapes me at the moment it's a little more expensive to make the end product.

Last I read people were working on this project simply due to the expanding number of latex allergic people out there.

I have to agree with Rid, too, in that you do get a better feel with latex. The stretch associated with latex also allows for a better fit. With the nitrile you almost need to have custom gloves made just to ensure they fit.

Don't get me wrong. I like the nitrile but there are a lot of advantages to the latex gloves. We carry both and I'll usually start with the nitrile gloves until I find out if the Pt is allergic or not.

-be safe.

Hmmm...Seems that Boston EMS has an easily googled website.

www.bostonems.com

Looks like they're hiring, too. Don't know if it fits your time frame for moving.

-be safe.

1). Where in any of that did I instruct anyone to commit theft?

2). If you knew what Methylchloride (if you had indeed read the post, I'm not even sure if that's the chemical) did, it's nowhere near assault.....just turns the urine blue for a while. There is no physical harm in that....being that it's used for testing the urinary tract.

1) Snagging from the hospital? No. Not quite saying steal it. But do you honestly think they'll just hand it out to you?

2) As was previously mentioned, tampering with food, drink or intentionally slipping someone an unknown (to the recipient) substance can be, and has been held up in court as, assault. Even if it's supposed to be "harmless". How do you know that the person isn't allergic to it?

Further, you're talking about administering a drug and you don't even know what it's called. Through your ignorance, you can't be sure of what it can do, side effects, etc.... Would you do this on your ambulance? Would you let it happen to you if you were a patient?

And if you're going to stand by and defend those actions then you certainly don't belong in such a position of trust as is required by this job.

-be safe.

I don't know how easy this would be to accomplish, but here goes:

I've head that (I believe it to be) Methylchlorine can turn urine blue. After snagging some from a hospital or somewhere else.....an unsuspecting partner might just be the perfect target.

So on top of theft from the hospital you'll commit assault on your partner?

Two outstanding qualities to have in an EMS professional.

-be safe.

Well if you are at the station there probably shouldn't be members of the public watching....

It depends. Many of us out here (not all, I know) work for municpal agencies. I work for a municipal EMS only organization. The station out of which I work is a public building. That means the public can, and has, shown up for a variety of reasons (e.g. tours, billing issues, even simple stuff like asking directions etc...)

And that's not to say any private organization can't have people show up for the very same reasons.

Try and sell my house (or car or anything else) while I'm away on vacation and you're still fired. Then, at the very least, you and the realtor will be pursued for trespassing (and I wouldn't push hard for charges against the realtor simply because he/she was probably working in good faith ).

At work, regardless of the industry, there is no place for childish behaviour such as this. You want to blow off steam? Get your buddies together on your days off and go play paintball. Have a poker night. Host a pit barbeque. Continue it at work and you open yourself for a hostile work environment charge or worse. Not to mention any of the potential safety issues created by whatever prank you're attempting.

Again, it comes back to if you want to be treated like professionals then act like it. Otherwise, please try not to drag the rest of us down with you.

-be safe.

I honestly hope people don't find any of these funny. If it's not an out and out assault (as mentioned by Rich), it could be construed as hostile work environment/sexual harrassment and would open you and your organization up to a whole laundry list of problems.

If any of my staff tried anything mentioned here they'd be terminated on the spot.

I realize that, as this is a high stress job, some stress relief is important. On the job, at the station, in the truck is not the place to do it. Relieve the stress at home. You want to be considered a professional? Act as a professional because you never know who's looking.

-be safe.

We've just suggested this (again) to the bosses. We'll see what happens.

-be safe.

With the source not remembered, I recall reading somewhere, that the swastika with the arms reversed was supposed to be a Native American emblem. It was actually used by the Boy Scouts of America, as the "Order of the White Swastika" but with the advent of the use by the Nazi Party, was changed to the current "Order of the Arrow.

Further, there is a post office in Philadelphia (I think, that's where I was when I saw it on the news anyway) that has that same symbol (swastika with the arms reversed) inlaid in tile in the floor. They, too, traced it back to a local native symbol.

Actually, Moussaoui is a French citizen. He's not a citizen of the US. He can't have committed treason against the US as he's not a US citizen.

As far as his beliefs having no place in our country...

He has the same right to believe what he wants as do you. Does he have the right to kill people over it? Not any more than you do. But he can still believe it.

Lastly, our troops went to fight because they were ordered to do so. I'm sure that many in the aftermath of 9/11 wanted to go. Many others, unsure of the motives, didn't want to. But they went because they ordered to do so. Sweeping generalizations don't do any of us any good.

Other than that, Steve has voiced a logical, well thought and presented argument. Gonna have to stand behind and support what he said.

Be safe.

Richard B and Kilted make a good point. This guy, and the others who planned and participated in the attacks want(ed) to die. Part of their goal was to kill the "infidel americans" and become martyrs in eyes of allah and their fellow muslims. If we kill him, we simply play into their sick, twisted interpretation of Islam. Why not let him die a natural death at some old age? He would die, in his eyes and the eyes of his co-conspirators, dishonored and as a failure.

No, don't kill him. Throw him in jail. Tell the general population who he is and why he's there. And then let it slip that he molests little children. If there's anyone cons hate it's child molesters.

Just MHO.

Be safe.

I'm with the majority here. While I'll acknowledge Ridrider's mention of no scientific support to the theory, there are some things that just can't be explained by science.

This is one of them.

Depending on your point of view, full moons can be fun and exciting or a dreaded event. Either way, chances are it won't be dull.

I like the "pulling on my lithium" comment. I may have to try that sometime.

Be safe.

Indeed, merely an attempt at humor. Nothing more.

And along those lines...

Bravo, USAF! Very well said. I agree completely.

Be safe.

Not to hijack the thread, but how's this for a twist...

Osama bin Laden is stuck in the burning building. There's a ladder within reach next to a charged hose line. You only have time to do one thing.

So...

do you reach for your telephoto lens to record the event?

Or...

do you throw that five gallon can of gasoline in the window?

Decisions, decisions, decisions.

Be safe.

Please define "heritage".

Not the dictionary definition. What's your definition?

And yes, it is different from an Aussie or a Brit displaying their national flags. Theirs are independent and recognized nations (of which they would be citizens). In the example you provided, your displaying the American flag would be no different. Displaying the battle flag of a nation that no longer exists doesn't count as you were never a citizen of the CSA.

Be safe.

What I can't understand is that that wasn't even the official flag of the confederacy...Most of the confederate soldiers didn't even own slaves, they were just fighting for their states rights, and the union fought for nations rights its too complex to say in one sentence......

Finally, someone has a grasp on the history!

The battle flag of the confederacy represents for many the fight for State rights. Among the issues the States believe they had a right to decide upon was whether slavery should be allowed. So, in a sense, it could be argued that the display of the CSA's battle flag could represent the fight for slavery.

And for many people, that's what the flag represents.

However, there were more issues involved that just the issue of deciding if slavery should be legal. There were trade issues, manufacturing issues, legal issues. It's not so simple as to say it's "heritage". That's just the uninformed justifying something about which they have little or no knowledge.

The decision to display this particular battle flag seems to be fairly personal. However, the biggest problem I have with it is that the CSA lost the war. The CSA is a nation that no longer exists. Before and after it's existence was the United States of America. The USA in and of itself embodies the very fight that many in the south considered important enough to fight for in the 1860s. There are liberties, rights and freedoms that the south fought for that were and are still inherent to our day to day life.

If people want to display the flag of a nation that was defeated in war they are well within their rights to do so. But they're certainly saying several things about their lack of historical knowledge and where their loyalties lie. I'd argue that there little or no difference between those who wave the CSA battle flag and those who display the flag of Nazi Germany, or of the Soviet Union.

The "heritage" of the vast majority of those in this country is that of the United States. It is that heritage that has us fighting in several countries abroad. If you feel compelled to display anything, try Old Glory. It says more about your heritage and your fight for rights than that of a nation defeated in battle.

Be safe.

Good for you! Stand your ground and don't let another provider push you into doing something you don't feel comfortable or can't do. That is outstanding that you were able to tell that person no.

And you should NOT feel like a "tard" for telling him no. You know your bounds, limits and restrictions. The fact that he doesn't seem to know makes him more the idiot. You came out of that looking better than that paramedic.

As for protocols...

your protocols are there for a reason. Protocols are guidelines for treatment but are not the end all and be all of patient care decisions (and my local protocols say as much). Stick to what the protocols tell you to do, but don't let them limit you. If you feel the need to operate on the edge (or just beyond) of what your protocols suggest then you need to call the doc. That is why s/he is there. Couple that with proper and thorough documentation and you'll be fine.

Don't feel stupid for standing up to that guy. Feel strong and know that you did the right thing.

Be safe.

So how does this affect the hospice patient's choice to stop eating or drinking? The passage you cited has no bearing on a patient's choice. A hospice patient can't be forced to eat (unless in the Terry Schiavo case where's she's a veggie and can't decide on her own in which case they're probably in a long term care facility and not necessarily under hospice care.). Hospice neither hastens nor postpones death. That's right. The *PATIENT* decides to stop eating to hasten death.

I have seen it before. A friend of mine had ALS. She decided that she was tired of fighting and stopped food or water. She was dead two days later.

I've seen terminal cancer and AIDS patients make this decision. Hospice care has nothing to do with the decision to stop eating.

EMSgirl's comments deal specifically with a hospice patient's right to chose. And she's right. Many patients who are under hospice care do decide to stop eating. It's not a comment on the care provided by hospice. It's not indicative of policies or procedures of the hospice care system. It's a personal choice by someone who is terminally ill, who has made peace with the fact that they're going to die, and who has decided that they're ready to go.

Be safe.

The husband's position from day one of this was that his wife did not want to be maintained on such devices. He has not deviated from that. He has continued to insist that this is not for him but for her...carrying out her wishes.

The downside to all of this is that it's become his word against the insistence of the parents. Legally, it's his decision (as it should be). Do we really want to open this can of worms that would allow anyone to declare an interest in a similar case and stop the removal of life support from someone? Do we really want/need the government meddling in these type decisions like the Florida and Federal governments have been doing? Think long and hard about that before you answer. I don't believe it's their place to do so.

The lesson we should all learn from this is that we need to have this discussion with our loved ones (i.e. spouses, parents, siblings, partners). Make your wishes clear to them. THEN WRITE IT DOWN IN AN ADVANCE DIRECTIVE!!!!! I don't care if you're 25 and in prime health or 99 circling the drain. Write it down and make sure that those who could be in a position to make this decision are aware of your wishes and where they can find your paperwork.

Do it today!

Be safe.