Richard B the EMT

Having read that last posting, if I ever go near the block where the Mosque, if built, or the bar, if built, would be located, I've got to find a portable Faraday cage, and a Kevlar Vest, to protect myself, as the lightning will be flying!

Per all my Emergency Vehicle Operating Courses, emergency vehicles are at higher risk of being in an accident whenever they have the L&S on. Here in New York State, we have Vehicle and Traffic Law 1104, which states all vehicles will be operated with due regard to other vehicles, even when, per other VTL sections, allowing emergency vehicles to disregard traffic signals, traffic control devices, speed limits, etc. Also, the FDNY only allows our vehicles (including engines and truck companies) to travel no faster than 10 MPH above posted speeds, and never go faster than 50 MPH, which is also the fastest posted roadway speed in NYC.

I believe someone mentioned zippers that can be laced into non-zippered boots, for ease of donning, and as also mentioned, lowering the zippers for comfort at the station between assignments, re-zipping when the tones/bells/sirens go off.

I hope we can get back to that place without the death, destruction, and illnesses unleashed by, and during, the attack.

I thought I saw that at least one patient mentioned in this string was on an island with no psychiatric care facility on said island. Fixed wing or HEMS was the only option to move said patient to the appropriate care facility.

You, my friend, have just explained 90 % of the work we do. Sometimes "Hand holding" is all that they need, outside of the transportation itself. I lost track of how many families had come up to me, after I transported their friend or relative, on just how much better some patients felt, emotionally, even those on "final rides" to a hospital, because someone simply had a conversation with them, or listened to them.

I suggest any military style and quality "Combat" boot., as they give good ankle support. You might have some BBP issues, as FDNY EMS is going through, as what they have now, but will soon go away from, a forest wildfire type boot so damnably large, members are tripping over their own feet, sometimes when negotiating staircases. One member nearly lost his feet to diabetic conditions acerbated by these things. I'd suggest any boots with ankle support, which are impervious to oil (spilled by car crashes) or blood, and can maintain a decent shine, so you look good while "doing the deed". I do NOT recommend boot purchase based on low prices, as, you get what you pay for. Let the buyer beware!

I'm on the flight paths for both approach and departure at JFK. That is why the roar of that military fighter, unseen but very well heard, was so startling to my community neighbors.

In addition to the televised reading of the names of all those killed at Ground Zero, FDNY EMS Command held a ceremony at the EMS Academy in Fort Totten, in Bayside, Queens. We have two stone columns with waterfalls built in, next to a wall with the names of all the FDNY, NYPD and Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police Department personnel killed. At the "Moment of Silence" commemoration of the first plane hitting the Trade Center, one of the waterfalls was activated. Then, led by the top chiefs of the EMS Command, past and present, followed by Captains, Lieutenants, and regular EMTs and Paramedics, and the next class of student EMS personnel, with accompanying salutes to the Academy personnel acting as Honor Guards, 2 silver ladles were handed to the personnel to dip into the pond the waterfalls feed, and water the two Evergreen Firs on either side of the columns, return the ladle, then get a rose to place on the wall, or in front of it. At the time of the second plane hitting the trade center, the waterfall on the second column was started, and there was a second moment of silence. The moments of silence were repeated at the time the first, and then the second towers fell, the line of EMS personnel watering the trees and placing the flowers briefly halted for those moments of silence. Except when the FDNY Bagpipe Band was playing "Amazing Grace," somber music was piped over the area. Strange how the words of "Unchained Melody" were so appropriate: Following the ceremony, I went to a small park on a large traffic "triangle" in Astoria. This was for a wreath laying, honoring my EMS classmate, Carlos Lillo, for whom the park is now named, one of the two FDNY EMS Command Paramedics included in "The 343". Speeches by a regular school classmate, who is now retired from FDNY EMS, family members, and a few other colleagues who worked with him, at Astoria Volunteer Ambulance Corps, and in both NYC HHC EMS, and FDNY EMS, were made. Just before sunset, in Rockaway Park, I concluded my observances at "Tribute Park", a small park on the north side of Beach Channel Drive at Beach 116th Street, where 2 singers, accompanying themselves with a guitar, performed a few musical numbers, before the names of people from Rockaway were read. In an interesting touch, Fire Fighters' names were read by a Retired Fire Fighter, civilian names were read by the President of the Rockaway Chamber of Commerce (I think that is who that was, anyway), and Fire Department Lieutenants, Captains, and Chief's names were read by a retired Battalion 47 Chief. At this point of the ceremony, the US Flag, which had been flown over the White House, was raised to full staff, and then lowered, and folded, by the crews of FDNY Engine 268 and Ladder 137, under the command of the Battalion 47 Chief. This was followed by the playing of "Taps". As it got dark, in the distance, the New York skyline was seen, with the "Towers of Light" illuminating the clouds from the Ground Zero site.

I presume NVGs are Night Vision Goggles?

If running as a 16 year old EMT is allowed in your state (any state so allowing the practice), is it only as a 3rd, with an 18 Y/O+ EMT supervising? For this scenario, I am excluding the EMT driving, as they're up front, and the 16 Y/O would otherwise be alone with a patient in the back.

NY State standards is, 8-12 LPM via NRB if O2 is going to be administered. Cannula @ 2-5 LPM IF THE PATIENT CANNOT TOLERATE the NRB.

When I worked in the "Privates", we didn't do any 9-1-1 calls, in fact, most of what we did was prescheduled transfers to and from hospitals, facilities and clinics. At night, we would be doing more of them, but unscheduled. Day, night, or weekends, we'd get the occasional actual emergency call. I have to mention, when I was in the "Privates", none of these providers were a part of the NYC or Nassau/Suffolk counties 9-1-1 systems. The 9-1-1 systems were either the Health and Hospital Corporation EMS, "Voluntary" hospital EMS under 9-1-1 control (NYPD and NYC HHC EMS in New York City), and Police, Volunteer Fire Department, or community based Volunteer Ambulance Service providers under Dispatch control of the respective county PD command, or a countywide FD central command. NYC HHC EMS, and the NYC 9-1-1 system didn't do (and still do not do) any prescheduled transfers, although they might do prescheduled stand-bys for events like Times Square New Years, or the New York Marathon. Having a block party? Ask for an ambulance a month in advance, and you might get one dedicated to the event. On an aligned subject, the Midwood Ambulance Service, located in Brooklyn, provides stand-by coverage at Brooklyn Cyclones games at MCU Field (formerly Keyspan Park) in Coney Island.

Of what do you speak? This doesn't sound familiar.

Hold on there, pardner! That line is the opening of "A Tale of 2 Cities".

I was out on a back injury, but still was authorized to take vacation for an EMS related educational seminar. I was on the computer looking for instructions to Lake George, NY, when my buddy "Flipper" sent me an "Instant Message" asking if I was going to my station, and told me that 2 planes had hit the WTC. I went to the next room and turned on the TV, to see the almost endless repeats of the second plane hitting the second tower. I watched in horror, until the second tower fell. I then went to my EMS station, presuming, I couldn't lift, but I could use the "station van" to move personnel from where they might be, to where they could activate another station's spare vehicle. No joy! The tour 3 lieutenant had hijacked the van from the tour 2 Lieutenant, who had been operating on that idea, already. We had about 20 personnel, some from the station, most from the area, who were looking for ambulances. We ran 3 BLS and 2 ALS then, with 6 spare trucks, and all were either in the field somewhere, at the curb with idling engines, or in the building with teams throwing stock aboard. After an hour, I was sent "home" by the lieutenant, but went to both the area hospitals to donate blood. No joy! Both didn't have a dedicated Blood Donor Room. The ER crews directed me to go to a north Queens hospital to donate. Rockaway is served by 2 bridges going across Jamaica Bay. Their operating authority had closed them both to traffic, so all traffic was on "Interstate 878", sometimes known as the Nassau Expressway, to leave the peninsula. After a half hour, and only going 35 or so feet forward, I gave up, and did a "U" turn, back to Rockaway. When I got back into Rockaway, I saw the Far Rockaway High School kids in the streets, as they had been dismissed early. As Lady J, my girlfriend, worked for the NYC Department of Education, I figured her school had also been dismissed, so I floored it to her house. She was upset, but safe. Then I went to the office of a local politician, who was running for City Council (most outside of New York State are unaware that this was also "Primary Day". He was in tears, as the Treasurer of his campaign was missing. The Treasurer worked in the Towers, in an office above the first plane's impact zone. He did find out that the man who had just been promoted from my Captain to the Deputy Chief of Queens had been taken to one of our local hospitals. I arrived at the hospital just in time to see my Chief being escorted by his wife into the family car. I gave them "trailing escort" to their apartment building, where I met his son, then in the NYPD Academy. It was at this point we heard the sound of a Navy Hornet jet, which was being piloted by a Rockaway resident, "jazzing" his engine throttle to "tell the folks in Rockaway" that he was watching over them. He ended up scaring more than he calmed, as most thought the jet, invisible in the night sky, might be another hijacked jetliner looking for a target.

That would be making sense, and bureaucracies are well known for NOT making sense, in fact, it probably would be against their rules, regulations, or laws.

On Saturday, September 11, 2010, from 8 AM local until at least noon, there is going to be coverage of the reading of the names of those killed on the 2 aircraft and in the "Twin Towers" of the World Trade Center, at the "Ground Zero" site. This will be broadcast on CBS, NBC, ABC, Fox, CNN, MSNBC, and I honestly don't know how many other TV, cable, or Satellite news outlets. Most of the usual Saturday morning "Kid-Vid" will be pre-empted for this broadcast. While I do not know specifics, as I am in New York, there will also be coverage in the field in Pennsylvania (the "Let's Roll" plane crash site), and at the Pentagon in Washington, DC. The "Muslim World" will be "upset" with us if we do not let the Mosque open in downtown NY? I have over 3,000 reasons of being more than a bit "upset", just in the New York City area, not to mention their families they left behind. Due to the actions of "a few", there is a lot of distrust of the overall Muslim world. It won't matter if they have anything to do with the planning and implementation of the 9-11-01 Attack or not: witness how many uninvolved Japanese in the US were put into Internment camps like Manzanar (spelling?) in the days and months after Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941? It took way longer for that "wound" to heal, even after the Second World War ended, than the time that has elapsed from this century's new "Date that will live in infamy". Let me sum it up: No new Mosque near "Ground Zero", let's rebuild the Greek Orthodox Church to it's original size, and let's NOT have a bonfire of ANYONE'S religious books or artifacts. While I am a member of the FDNY, the views expressed are strictly mine, and might not reflect the viewpoints of the FDNY, or EMT City.

I have no idea how long BeachRescue has been an EMT. Let's use that as a jump-off point, and I'll try to not make it look like an attack. Someone not in our line of work might think of it as a bad joke, like some LEOs (Law enforcement Officers) might make light of a bad guy getting shot in the butt. I am guessing BeachRescue is a new EMT, as the profile posted states (s)he wants to become a Paramedic and/or LEO, which makes me suspect BeachRescue is a "newbie" in the field, hence, feels it to be a funny story. If that is the case, BeachRescue will eventually become "seasoned", and know when to make jokes, and, obviously, when not to. Sort of a case in point, is the old joke, the long time EMT and Paramedic having a discussion of a particulary gory call they did, in detail, not realizing they are grossing out everyone else at the Burger Barn restaurant where they are having the discussion (mea culpa, I actually did that). As for the NICU/PICU nurse not taking action with the baby having convulsions and turning blue, I would have probably been loud and vulgar in telling her to get the f*** off the phone and do her job, or I'd see to it someone else more deserving had her job tomorrow. Side note: an old girlfriend (former EMT) who had cancer (was a heavy smoker) has been emergency hospitalized for difficulty breathing, and a colleague from FDNY (mentored me when I came into the NYC Municipal 9-1-1/EMS system) was recently told her cancer had reocurred after more than 5 years in remission. Cancer, sure as hell, is NOT funny.

I guess not everyone has a color copier/printer, like some of us do (part of my Dell system).

My brother has more TV air time. He's one of the "Talking Heads" on 3 and a half hours of the Public Broadcasting System's "The American Experience", the 2 episodes on John D. Rockefeller, and the Rockefeller family. The show aired originally in 1997 or 1998.

Yup. How else, when not actively monitoring EMT City, do I get notified that someone has added a posting to a string I started, or am watching?

From a discussion here on EMT City on DNR orders out of hospital or facility... While a bit off topic, I like the idea of having it on a presumably easily locatable paper, due to the color. I do not know if New Yorks State or City have a color coding (pun unintended) for such paperwork; if they do not, they should.

While a bit off topic, I like the idea of having it on a presumably easily locatable paper, due to the color. I do not know if New Yorks State or City have a color coding (pun unintended) for such paperwork; if they do not, they should.

I'm an EMT-B who doesn't have Cancer, and I agree with you on this one. Malpractice for the nurses involved for allowing this, and a call to the child welfare board for the parents for allowing it, an act of mental cruelty.