cowboy_medic

extrication here is handled by our Rescue Crew who also do rope rescues. The rescue crew is a fourteen member crew who train extensively with the ambulance service since 3/4's of the rescue crew are EMT's they know what needs to be done to insure pt. safety. If a Fire Department is on scene they refer to the transporting unit, but the nice thing is that all the local fire departments train with us so communication is high

Nurse: Lube? Doc: There is no time for lubricant. Pt.: There's always time for lube!!

I am new to this forum and am an EMT My service is rural and only ILS in the most advanced members. Our response times range anywhere from 5min. to an hour depending on were the pt is located we even have to borrow snowmobiles and quads at times to get to the pt. or just hike with what we can carry. Being a professional is not a certificate but a way of life. Though my service only has EMT's we still save lives. No we cant give advanced drugs but we can be there for the pt. and provide care that goes beyond just driving fast with them strapped to a gurney. If an EMS service has both EMT's and Paramedics great EMT's can take calls that dont fully need ALS and allow the ALS crew free for the call that they are actually needed on. The nearest Paramedic in my service area is a twenty minute Medstar flight if they can even launch, so we can and do do what needs to be done to save lives and help the one thing that is the most important in all our lives and that is the Patient. Besides if I am not mistaken isn't a Paramedic really an EMT-P? So if being only a Basic makes me less than anybody who devotes sleep time to help a perfect stranger who dials 911 expecting a compassionate person doing a job they love then I guess I am but I am not going to lose to much sleep over it.