StarTarveler649

In 20 years, I have luckily only been in two. One was a fender bender, the other was pretty serious, but no injuries, was a hit and run, never found, dislodged the box from the frame. I was driving for both and was hit on both, luckily neither my fault. However, over the course of my carreer, I have had 3 good friends die in helicopter crashes, 2 pilots and a medic, and 2 killed in ambulance accidents. Also had a friend put forever in a nursing home from massive injuries received when they hit a train. 2 other friends went head on into a cadillac who pulled out to pass a school bus, they survived, killed the other driver. Had a buddy in Denver go chest first into the radio box in a head on, cracked the ceramic sternum plate on his body armour. He would not have survived that one without it. This is serious business. I have had many conversations with new guys who do not know the dangers of driving lights and sirens. It is one of the most dangerous things we do, especially considering we do it in a 4-5 ton truck. In my area, there are way too many calls that go lights and sirens to the hospital. Also way too many calls that the unit is sent as an emergency when it is not. All of these put the medics and public in undo danger. When I was working the streets, I had many, many close calls, many of which we should not have been lit up anyway for the call we were being sent on. It is an over use of lights and sirens that permeates our industry. And a way of thinking that is hard to change.

Not being there, I know each case is different. Like I said, I was not trying to knock your treatment, was just curious. BTW, did he make it ?

"While running emergent with an acute MI to the hospital" As a paramedic, you were running lights and sirens with an acute MI ? I know every service and an area is different, but here you would never run MIs lit up. too much anxiety for the patient, increased HR, BP, etc which are all counter productive to the patient's outcome. Not trying to knock yourcare, just showing how things are different in different places.

True, making profits is what keeps everyone in business...I don't think anyone would have a problem with that...it is the means to the end that is circumspect.

Having work for the big green machine for 7 years before being paroled, it is defintniely a better company looking in then looking out. The main goal of is to keep competition out and profits rolling in. They have been caught for illegal billing practices fines to the tune of $4 mil + to Blue Cross and $2 mil + to Medicare. They adjust patient care reports to make them easier to bill Medicare, this is after the medic has signed it, they do not alllow their medics to use certain terms regardless of the patient's condition, so as not to be denied billing by Medicare. First thing they try do in a new parish is to have the parish / city gov't change the law to prevent another provider from coming into the parish. They also usually require a monetry guarantee from the parish to assure that a profit is made. There are several parishes that would give an operating license at the drop of a hat to get some compeition to come in. And guess what ? Where there is competition, the response times are shorter, there are more units in the parish and routine transfer times are decreased considerably. Acadian fed my family for over 7 years, but don't paint them as God's gift to EMS. They are responsible for may EMS problems in this state. They are responsible for many a paramedic giving up their career due to being fed up with the Acadian way of life. You would be hard pressed to find a paramedic who has left and regretted it !

EBR protocol test = way for EBR to make money off of Acadian Took the test way back, was pretty much a joke. Lots of tension back then between Acadian and EBR. Acadian was not allowed to run ALS in the parish other then Air Med. When they were allowed to run ALS, there were many stumbling blocks put up, the so called "protocol test" being one of them. Just another exampl of of politics creeping into EMS.

Ever thought of working offshore ? I can start you at around $15.85/hr which works out to about $43,800 / year Ps start at $16.51 / hr which is $45,625 / year you make most of your money on OT

They have very deep pockets and are able to generate a LOT of political clout from on high. They are a political machine. They can usually go as far as they want to go if they set their mind to it. My guess is they will go north first as it borders their other operational areas.

I believe they started in Orange County 6/5

In the offshore and international remote paramedic arena, medics are trained to do skills above the "street level" paramedic due to the remote location and lack of immediate medical evacuation. As an example: our US offshore medics are able to do simple suturing, antibiotic therapy, advanced pharmacology, etc. Our overseas medics can do layered suturing, simple casting of fractures, central lines, chest tubes, venous cut-downs, etc. We have some medics that are 8+ hours from the nearest real hospital (usually in another country) and they can only travel during the day. Something happens at 7PM + and you have to wait until morning to travel to air strip then flight to hospital, usually by fixed wing. Many of the local hospitals are a step down in care from what you can provide on your location.