island emt

WOW : even when I worked for a tightwad private for profit service , we always had pillows on the trucks. Here we have at least six pillows on the truck in winter for splinting and padding the meme's when they fall and fracture a hip. All our linens are supplied by the hospitals on a one for one exchange at no cost. and most trucks have an ample supply of thermal blankets, towels washcloths, etc in stock they all end up at one hospital or another at some point when they get used.

That was the same thing we found when shopping for a new rig. One company called back to say that" If your really serious about buying one of our trucks , we can probably get a demo up for you to see" This was from the builder who's rig we had been running for 14 years and were very satisfied with. We didn't follow up with them as it felt like they couldn't be bothered to send a sales rep up with a demo to answer questions about their product. Granted they had been bought out by a major fire truck manufacturer who likes to deal with services buying in large numbers. The second company "H" sent a truck out that was nothing like we were interested in buying and it had the "problems" with the multiplexxing touch screens being so confusing that the rep couldn't even make it work reliably. They were also the high bidder , with much less warrantees offered. When I call the PL rep he asked me when we wanted a demo, and actually made several trips down to make sure everyone had a chance to learn all about their trucks features. Their motto is: Fanatical customer service everyday They mean it. I called them last week because the clock in the back had started running on Newfie time, running 15-20 minutes off even though we reset it. I asked if there was an adjustment that I could make to fix it. Two days later , we had a brand new clock delivered from the factory in NJ by UPS. This is on a two year old ambulance. Customer service is a big priority in making loyal customers.

As a breeder , trainer & handler of service dogs , I am a little biased in my views: However the Law is very clear on where service dogs must be allowed to go. That is anywhere that the partner may need their assistance. You should in all but the most life threatening cases take the service dog with you. They are trained in many different situations during their initial training period to go anywhere and if you don't feel comfortable with the service dog in the Pt compartment , then pit it up front with the driver. Service dogs are not just used for visually impaired people. They can be mobility dogs or seizure detection dogs or used for folks with brain injury to allow them to lead a reasonably normal lifestyle with a little assistance from their partner. Most of our service puppies are more educated and just plain smarter than many of the partners I've worked with over the years. :-}

To add to crotchity's comment: We have a notebook with a separate page of medical info for every member of our department, that contains name, DOB, preexisting medical conditions / treatments, medications prescribed, primary care physician's name and phone #, next of kin info and contact #' , preference of which hospital to be transported to if needed, Full set of monthly vitals at rest and quarterly after wearing SCBA while exercising. This gives us a baseline at rest and under stressful conditions to base our opinions of whether or not to allow them to return to interior service. Our airpack/cascade station is manned by EMT's who oversee rehab and have the authority to make a FF sit out for a break while need rehab. This is supported by SOG's and the safety officer & chief. While some might not being told to take a break , it is in the interest of avoiding stress/heat related injuries & heart attacks. We also use the RAD-57 to monitor all FF's when they come to rehab.

Multi-plexing can work well if it is set up properly. It operates by using the same wire to send impulses to "nodes" which operate multiple devices depending on the signal sent in impulses on that wire. The problem is getting it programmed to operate the way YOU want it to work, instead of how the factory engineer decides it should work. Unlike a hard wired system where a single wire goes from switch to device by way of a power relay, and only controlling a single device or sequence of devices such as warning lights. Instead of using a test light or multimeter to test a circuit , you need a laptop computer and the appropriate software program to troubleshoot the system. At this time multi-plexed systems are becoming compatible in price with hard wired systems.

Ugly: You can get the trucks without the touchscreen interface. That is called multiplexing. We had some of the same issues when we were shopping for a new truck. Tell the PL folks you want a "Ron Morin " type truck design. They will know what you are asking for :-} Ron is a 30+ year Paramedic and also a long time sales rep Manual switching with ALL LED's for warning lights, very user friendly in front & back compartments. The "H" rep brought a demo truck out to see and when the fire chief asked him to show him how the controls in the drivers compartment worked , it took the sales rep three tries to get all the emergency lights turned on. Needless to say that's not what most folks want. A lot of the problems with multi-plexing is in how it is programmed. A computer input down a node tells the light or piece of equipment to turn on or off. It can be programmed however you would want it to , BUT there are still issues with reliability. Ten years ago I had the use of a demo Braun Rig at a major racetrack venue. It was the first time I'd dealt with multi-plexing. It took three different screens to scroll through , every time we wanted to "light em up" to pull onto the race track. Not user friendly at all.

Professional courtesy is a broad spectrum as it relates to EMS providers. We are interacting with many different professions in the course of our daily lives. How you relate to Law enforcement,, dispatchers, Fire fighters, town administrators, Other medical professional ie doctors , nurses, all can have a strong bearing on the quality of your daily existence. Do you give the dispatcher crap when they send you on a call you don't want to do? Or do you get the job done and thank them for the assistance? It does make a difference in how they treat you in return. Remember they can steer all the crap calls your way if you piss them off with an attitude. Around here I don't believe that I could get a ticket for anything short of vehicular manslaughter as our relationship with the deputies is top shelf. We always have their back and they have ours, They know that no matter what we will do anything they need for assistance. They reciprocate by showing up on our calls in the middle of a blizzard to help us carry equipment or for another set of hands lifting or carrying a Pt out to the truck. When you call in a report to the ER do you act "almighty" when speaking to the nurse? Or are you part of the team approach to providing quality care for your customer the patient? How professionally you act and appear goes a long way towards earning the respect back from them. When speaking to the Doctors do you give an intelligible report , that helps them understand what care and treatment you have provided prior to the pt's arrival at his ER ? Can you ask them for info or guidance when you're not sure of how to deal with an unknown issue? Developing a good two way relationship with the Docs goes a long way towards earning Professional courtesy.

Thanks Herbie. It has been a long and very interesting ride over the years. When I started we were LAA's [licensed ambulance attendants] And the 1967 pontiac coach we used for an ambulance was owned by a family as part of their 5th generation funeral home service. I remember when they went big time and bought 2 way radios for the cars so they could actually dispatch us. Prior to that we would get a call and when we were clear find a pay phone and call in for our next assignment. Ah the good ole days :-} We've come a long way Baby !! As far as the longevity in marriage it's because we remain best friends to this day. It takes the hard work of both parties to make it work.

Some very good thoughts from the other posters above. Take it from someone who's been married for 36 years,[mostly happily ] and in EMS for 40. this job does bring undo stressors home with you no matter how hard you try to leave them behind. Whats important to your spouse might seen trivial to you after having a great , or really bad day on the job" BUT to them it needs your undivided attention! You mention that you mostly work overnights: Is it the sleeping separation that is triggering it ? Does she want you there at night to be the warmth next to her? Over the years my wife & I have both worked shifts and spent many a night sleeping alone. For some it works , for others not so much. Does she not sleep well when your not there , making her tired and angry about you being away at night? Relationships take lots of nurturing to make them work over the long haul. You and she need to decide what's causing the friction in your relationship and work together to remove some of the issues. My wife currently works second shift as an RN at the local hospital getting home around 1 AM. I try to be awake and able to have a conversation with her , so she can vent and release the stress from her shift even though I need to be up and of of the house at 7 AM. Sure I'll take a little cat nap on the couch while waiting for her to come home , but it makes her happy to be able to unwind with me before going to bed. It's a two way street that needs both of you you make it work. Good luck

boy , you sure cleaned that one up to be P.C..

I only stutter on Sundays :=}

Look in the Boundtree or EMP catalogs on line. Look in the Boundtree or EMP catalogs on line.

1. Call for a backhoe and dig his grave out in the dooryard . 2. Let him be successful. 3. roll the whale into the hole 4 write off another member of the can't cure stupid club

If there are no indications of foul play and the DNR is valid then you honor the wishes of the PT. Both husband and Her Father concur , so i doubt it's something they have schemed up to get rid of her. A patient's wishes trump all other medico-legal issues in my mindset. I dealt with this issue the other day. An elderly gentleman in failing health had filled out a DNR/POLST order and had called me to let me know of his exact wishes. As his health continued to decline , several family members became involved, and wanted to start making his healthcare decisions for him. I produced a copy of his orders and explained to them that these were his wishes when he was of sound mind and we would be following them. Well they wanted to override the POLST/DNR so I asked them to contact his physician. Low & behold the DR advised he had helped the PT to come to terms with his diseases and that the orders were truly the PT's wishes. The family members were not happy but at least they allowed him to have his final days his way.

Check with the state to see if they will recognize online CEH's. Many states don't or only allow a certain number of hrs to be done that way. Here they allow up to 10 hours online out of the 56 required for a basic to relicense.

We've had fentynal on our trucks now for 4 years replacing Morphine for pain control. Much less side effects and in most people it does a decent job. HOWEVER Now on to a personal experience. Last month I slipped on some ice , feet went out from under me, landed full force on my left shoulder. After laying there for a minute or so I did a head to toe survey and decided everything was in working condition except for my left shoulder and some serious rib pain from driving my elbow into the ribcage. I discovered a lateral dislocation and slowly applied traction to allow it to slide back into semi normal position. After the stars stopped spinning in my eyes , I got up and tucked my forearm into my coat and drove myself to the hospital. Yeah I know : why didn't I call for an ambulance. By the time they got the call and got to me , I could drive to town and the ER. Now you want to talk about getting abuse from the ER staff :-} The ambulance guy being the PT. Finally after dropping my insurance card at registration and walking into the triage cubicle, the nurse looked at me and decided I needed pain relief. As soon as they could, they got me a room and started an IV, pushed 50 mcg's of fentanyl ;;; 3 minutes go by nothing at all, 50 mcg's more ;;;; still absolutely zero effect on pain that's now at a solid 8/10. I'm not the squeamish type and have a very high pain tolerance, but 100 mic's wasn't cutting it. Rather increasing the dose the ER doc decided to go with 10 mg of morphine and a few minutes later after walking down the hall to get X-rays 2 vicoden PO. The doc , who is a good friend says: What do you mean you reduced it by yourself ?????? I told him it was that or I would have had to wait until I got all the way to the hospital for some relief. By now I'm getting the pain relief I needed. Then they made me call my wife who works upstairs as an RN on the surgical floor to come drive me home, guess i was getting a little goofy by the time the vicoden kicked in. What I'm trying to pass on here is that while Fentanyl is a good drug for pain relief in many Patients, It doesn't work for all. It's another tool in the box.

Been there done that! Thats why the ER at one hospital has a special " FOR EMS ONLY" bathroom, It even has a hazmat enter at your own risk sign on the door. :-} Serves him right for using his phone in the crapper

Back in the day the LP300 was cutting edge technology ! strip recorder, cassette event recording , semi auto AED , manual over-ride control for ALS and lighter than the LP-5. I still have one sitting in my office that we took out of service 10 years ago when physio stopped supporting them. It still works and we use it with the simulator for cpr training classes. As long as the batteries take a charge it will get used as a training tool.

Again young Jedi : i applaud your desire to be the best you can. If I was young and starting over in this profession again, I would get a degree in Paramedicine followed, by a degree in either nursing or go on to be a PA/ NP. As aN RN or NP you get better hours, better benefits and much better pay scales.. On a critical care truck the RN would probably be making up to 50% more than the CCEMTP, ding the same work. There is not a big difference in pay scale for a CCEMTP , at least not in the northeast. Less than a couple $$ an hour. If you want to stay in the street and want to make a comfortable living you will need to look at a third service such as Boston EMS. Privates don't pay nor do the biggies such as the empire or mural retro, who are known for hiring warm bodies with a ticket until they use them up and toss them aside. Don't give up your dream, but stay in school. I see that Mike & I were typing many of the same thoughts at the same time. Take it from a couple of old dogs , keep at your education and don't stagnate in EMS

Be very careful insulting us old farts young Jedi. We are the ones making the schedules , that could find you spending your day & nights doing the granny shuttle or the dialysis two step. Besides : I have boots older than you young whippersnapper! :-}

Unfortunately Very few "single role fire services exist in this country. Yes it can work and there are many fire departments that do EMS well. On the other hand there are many that do it extremely BAD. EMS is the illegitimate stepchild of many Fire Departments and they are only doing it to bring in revenue and save IAFF jobs as the number of working fires decreases every year. The IAFF is only interested in EMS as a means to saving union career jobs , so they can collect dues. Just so you know I am a fire in a fire based EMS system that understands that EMS is our PRIMARY job and occasionally we need to run the big red trucks out the door on real fire calls.

So Like Totally you should take some English classes and learn proper grammar. So like I totally say No!

Thats why one should join a union?? To have thugs and enforcers out breaking kneecaps ???? In this country unions protect the morons and penalize the quality employees, they lock you in to a set wage no matter how good or bad a provider you might be. A CBA does make it harder for a supervisor to harass an individual employee, but if you even think about stepping outside the rules you will receive written reprimands and these will be used against you in successive incidents. Unions protect the whiners and slackers that learn how to use the system.

Bieber: I give you credit for your enthusiasm young Jedi. You are correct that the Iaff has a much better propaganda machine than EMS. The Fire service has been in existence since the 1800's and has long been looked upon as Hero's. Along came 9-11 and the hero worship got bigger. It became all about the 343 FF's that gave their all that day, Yes they made the ultimate sacrifice on that fateful day, doing the job they loved. What about the thousands of others who lost their lives that day? Yet here we are just a short ten years later , with the economy in the toilet , & many large cities and towns are laying off those same previously untouchable hero's. Fire stations are being closed across the country , many departments have been cut by as much as 50% of their former staffing levels and the union is desperate to paint a picture to the politicians that they are the best bang for the buck. They can do it all. Just today the SAFER program announced a 13.7 million $ grant to the city of Trenton NJ to rehire 61 firefighters for two years. Do the math. It works out to about $112,500 per man per year for salary & benefits. I don't know of anyone in EMS thats making that outside of the fire service. You are correct in thinking that EMS needs the same kind of political clout and recognition as the fire service. However when a FF save a life , it's headline news for doing what we do every day, and we can't talk about it because of privacy/confidentiality laws. EMS has an image issue , in the fact that unless someone needs our services they don't generally think about us at all. Keep up the good fight.

You have to remember that in this economy with job cuts going on weekly , Schitberger and his union minions are trying to come up with any excuse or propaganda campaign to save the dues paying union jobs. If they loose dues paying members then the slush fund goes down. There are fire departments that do top quality Emergency prehospital care that is patient centric and is their primary mission. They do EMS because they want to provide the best care to their community, & hose work is a much smaller % of what they do. Then there are others that have undertaken the EMS mission as a justification to keeping the big red trucks staffed. Just so you know I am currently in a fire based EMS system , so i'm not taking cheap shots .