Richard B the EMT

May I suggest you contact the Office of Medical Affairs, of the Fire Department of New York (FDNY) Emergency Medical Services? Or, the EMS Operations Office, at the same location? The main hyperlink for the FDNY is http://www.nyc.gov/html/fdny/html/home2.shtml

Urban version: Pigeons

You know you are in an Urban EMS, when the supervisor yells at you for perceived delays on a call, by saying, "You're in the 'Big City', now, son, not in a slow moving Kansas 'One call a month' town!" (Please laugh along, I'm saying Kansas, as that's where the last posting was from. I've never even been to that state, and am just trying to be silly.)

SHOCKING! LOL

Currently in NYC, the firefighters union and the fire officer's union are battling the FD commissioner and the mayor, as it appears response times are going up. This follows a collision of a truck (ladder) company with a private car, with injuries. Are the firefighters driving being even more responsible for their driving tasks, or is it political, as there are contract negotiations connections involved? Both sides continue to argue it out.

Possibly, we are all just going for Braggin' Rights.

I AM in shape. Round is a shape. LOL

I feel likewise. If by the "fact" that a patient is incarcerated, they deserve what they get, there would never be any FDNY EMS responses to Rikers Island, where the NYC Department of Corrections maintains several large jails, excuse me, "Correctional Facilities". Supporting that, but from a different take, as reported in today's Newsday newspaper, a mentally deficient man, at Rikers for drug possession, talked back to the Corrections Officers, and for that, was given a "tune up" by the other inmates, who pushed away the COs. The beat down resulted in the man's death. The case is currently being heard in court, with 7 inmates being charged in the death, an unknown number of unindited other inmates, and the Corrections Department reviewing the behavior of the COs involved for possible improprieties or improper following of protocols. Per the family of the deceased, the COs should have also been charged in the death. For the record, the Medical Examiner's office has ruled the death a homicide. As for calling a person a client, why not, as when they are in your care on the ambulance, technically they are your client.

Who authorized the telling of my story? LOL, keep them coming.

Uniforms are so everyone in an agency can be recognized by their outfit, as they will all look alike. Having said that, I have responded, off duty, to calls wearing a stained t-shirt, cut off jeans, and beach sandals, started treatment on the scene, and assisted the on duty crews. I have also seen some of my friends in neighboring VFDs respond, wearing swimsuits and sandals under their firefighting safety coats! For safety when responding to calls in your emergency vehicle, no matter what agency, or type agency, remember not to depend totally on the lights and siren, as some damn civilian will still collide with your vehicle, and blame you for the collision, claiming you were not using the emergency lights and siren until after contact with their vehicle! No joke, I've responded as backup for a cop car collision, with the cop car being vehicle 3 of a 5 cop car convoy, all traveling in full emergency status (lights and sirens activated) when #3 was struck.

I echo Summit's request, as I hear some unit on a repeater "output" GMRS channel, identifying as a unit of possibly either Yonkers or Westchester County Red Cross Disaster Services, trying to "chase off" units I am unable to hear, who appear to be on the channel local to this guy. Besides, I'd just like to know what the "input" GMRS channels are, both to listen to them, and to avoid transmitting on them by accident with my little GMRS portables. Oh, by the way, my twin GMRS portables have a "scan" function, which will read out what transceive channels, of the 22, and privacy codes, of the 34, they are picking up.

I also now have General Mobile Radio Service portables, which include the FRS frequencies. Anybody have further info on GMRS, aside from needing a license from the FCC (I'm WQDC443) to use the frequencies? Also, I'm a "Scannest", meaning I use so-called Police Scanners, and "registered" as Short Wave Listening/Monitoring Station "KNY2SC." (Unless you have purchased from CRB Communications, don't bother looking up that "call sign.")

Let me clarify my question: Do you, or your agency, sanctioned by your agency or not, use any non agency 2-way radios for personal communications with your partner, or others on any particular call, while on the job? Also, do you, again, either placed by the agency or yourself, have a CB radio in the cab of your emergency vehicle?

A reminder: Under local protocols, which vary by country, state, Provence, county or town, ambulance crews either have to get permission to do anything, or can do a lot of stuff, either without having to call it in, or before they have to call it in. Just be sure of what is required of you, where you work, under those local protocols

A non-United States member of the EMT City board questioned me on living under Medical Control or Telemetry Control "Rule", saying that the service the member was with, had what I may be incorrect in describing as "Free Reign" on protocols and practices. Hence, my question and poll: Do you: 1) Have Medical/Telemetry control, wouldn't have it any other way 2) Have Medical/Telemetry control, want to trade them in 3) No Medical/Telemetry control, like it that way 4) No Medical/Telemetry control, want some

What follows is from a received E-mail from Sara B, the EMT's Mom. She is a retired NYC Board of Education teacher, who worked with "special needs" students, including Down's Syndrome kids. I had asked her to look at the string and comment. Now, her comments: Yes, I did. By the way, we are referring to this as under New York State and City policies.

I also carry 25 of them. I also have heard of that triage method, but (of course) under a different name.

As an EMT, I don't know enough of a paramedic's training to write an EMS Paramedic instructional book. By that line of thought, someone of higher level of training and education than whatever level should write the books, but with input from those in the level that the writer is attempting to reach.

Thinking out loud, here: Does anyone who is willing to stop at a roadside incident and use their issued kit or personal kit while off duty, carry any triage tags, if it turns out to be "the big one?"

Good luck with your quest, "Grasshopper."

Not an attack on your agency, but, can I be in the pool for when the first person is going to be busted for misuse of the light on their POV? Human nature says someone is going to mess it up for every one else. It's probably a subroutine on "Murphy's Laws."

Someone (Steve) isn't reading the previous postings. To say again, New York City, New York, with over 8 million residents, and another approximately 2 million transient folks during any given 24 hour period, has over 3,000 calls each 24 hour period, handled by something over 250 ambulances each 8 hour tour, at both the BLS and ALS levels, assisted by Certified First Responder-Defibrillator Fire Engine companies, controlled by the FDNY EMS Emergency Medical Dispatch office, under the 9-1-1 system. Steve, despite my yelling at you here, I do really welcome you aboard! Richard B, the EMT (with FDNY EMS 20 years, on an ambulance of some kind for 31 years overall.)

"Make Love, Not War. Be Prepared For Both" (Bumper sticker for Edelman's, a large sporting/camping/hunting supply store in Suffolk County, New York)

As a sort of parallel to the "Radio Frequencies Used" string, I open a discussion as to other radios used. By this, I don't mean Motorola, Johnson, Bendix/King, or Samsung. On some scenes where I know my partner and I can be separated, like a fire scene, I carry 2 Family Radio Service "walkie talkies"(*), so my partner and I can remain in touch, without interfering with any on scene communications between all the EMS units on scene with the on scene supervisor, or units on scene and the (in my case) Queens East FDNY EMS dispatcher ("Yo! Joe! Where did you disappear to?"). In my radio-as-hobby magazines, the editors at "Popular Communications" say that using FRS is using a group of frequencies that is too crowded, and lacking any security of what is transmitted. However, Editor A. J. Heightman, of JEMS feels that FRS is a viable option for multiple agency responses to an incident, because (using NYC's emergency services as a model here) FD will be on VHF, PD will be on UHF, EMS will be on UHF, UHF-T, and 800-900 MHz "Trunked" and Direct, and the Medical Examiner's Morgue wagons are on HF. The independent VAC and VFDs are on an assortment of all of these, plus some are only using Cellphones and Nextel type "Walkie Talkie" features on the Cellphones. The FRS portables are inexpensive, and on scene agency commanders can have prearranged FRS channels for inter-agency ops. I also know that the FDNYs "Haz-Mat 1" has a CB radio, as they might get further information over the air from civilians on "Truckers' 19" while enroute to a job. HOWEVER, NYS DoH regulations, without quoting specific chapter and verse, does specifically say that all ambulances must have some 2 way communications radio, and specifies that the radio will not be a Citizen's Band radio (nothing said about having a CB in addition). And, as to inter-agency communications on FRS, considering how many of these radios are in the hands of children: If you were a 9 year old, at the scene of a Multi Casualty Incident, and talking with your friends about what you see, on your portable 2 way radio, you would listen to an official sounding voice over the air, telling you to "get off the air?" Simply put, as a former 9 year old, "It ain't gonna happen!" So, in addition to your agency issued two-way radio, which might or might not have capability to talk to another agency, do you carry any other means of 2 way radio communications, either on your emergency vehicle, or on your person, for personal use on a scene? (Please exclude from your answer any scanner type radios) (*) Trying to verify that the term "Walkie Talkie" might be copyright property of some radio manufacturer, hence most of us talk about portable 2 way radios as "Handi-Talkies".

I remember one election day: the woman in the voting machine was throwing the voting levers with some vehemence, saying, as she did so, "Take that! And that! And you take that!"