Are you really part of EMS - Part 2

[NREMT-Basic]

I think I have found the fatal flaw in the "if you dont transport, you arent EMS" argument. I also think it can be summarized in the following scenario:

Im sitting in the post with my paramedic partner. We get toned out for a motor vehicle collision. We arrive and are the only medical unit on scene except for the firefighters who got there about two minutes before we did. I dont know how they do it but they always do. Anyway. We assume care of the sole occupant of the vehicle as the fire department works feverishly at disentanglement. The patient is pulled from the vehicle and placed onto the long board from my rig. My paramedic partner starts an IV, I do my assessment, and report my findings to my partner. By this time, the patient is screaming "oh my god, my leg, my leg" which corresponds with the fact that I told my partner that her femur was fx mid-shaft. Being the compassionate soul that he is, he gives our patient 5mg of MS. Oh I forgot to mention that extrication time was in excess of 20 minutes. The head fire fighter on the scene has called for med-evac helo which we can here making its approach over our heads. By this time, I have packaged our patient, a patent line is established in the left a/c, c-spine is controlled and per my partners instructions I have pillow splinted our patients leg. A fire fighter has gone to assist in landing the helo and it is now on the ground. As I pick our gear up off the roadway, my partner goes to the helo with the flight crew and gives them his report on our patient. She is placed on the helo which promptly takes off, circles over our heads and disappears into the distance. As I am finished putting our equipment back on the truck, my partner walks up to me and as he is stripping off his gloves says "Boy. Im sure glad we arent EMS or we would have had to transport her ourselves."

Have I encapsulated your argument. If not, here is the short version:" No Transport=No EMS." Do I understand your position correctly?

As for sitting or standing by at a sporting event: In the process of sliding into homeplate, little Tommy gets a face full of gravel, because his coach didnt teach him the proper way to slide. His eyes are unaffected because his over achieving parents have bought him a $200 pair of Oakley shades to wear while he sits on the bench most of the time, however he has abrasions and some minor cuts to his cheeks and chins and has split his lip. He is brought to you by the coach and you clean his wounds, many of which exhibit only capillary oozing. You clean him up, establish that no foreign matter is in the wounds, staunch the bleeding on his lip and tell his parents that he can probably get back into the game if he wants to or you can transport him to be examined. They refuse transport, you have them sign a refusal and little Tommy resumes his rightful place on the bench where he sits with a bag of frozen peas on his lip for the remainder of the game. Do you turn to your partner and say "Boy, I am sure glad that kid didnt want transport...we would have had to call EMS?"

Whether a patient is transported to a hospital or not makes no difference in whether you are EMS or not. I think it was a faulty argument when it was made in the last thread, and it still is. The medical control physician on duty does not transport, but I think we can agree that while he is on duty he is part of the EMS system. The medical director does not transport, but...well you get the idea.

[dahlio]

I see the flaw in my argument, and how do I say this, You're Right. If you look at my previous post (Soccer Stand-by), thats where I think a provider is not EMS. So it really does depend on the situation. I guess I was kind of short sided when answering the question.

[unknown]

oohh kkaayyy I gotta put my 2 cents in here. Just random....

Nashville Motor Speedway in Lebonon, Tn. National Sporting event...... Memphis Motor Speedway... another National Sporting event... Any body watch those drag races this past year in Texas when John Force wrecked and broke both legs?? National sporting event..... Special Events they all are..... Our company provides standby's for them. We fly in we sit most often we don't provide any care cause nothing happens. Its a good day when nothing goes wrong. We are still EMS! HEMS to be exact.....

However- that one fateful day John Force had a terrible accident our crew was there to quickly transport him to the Trauma center--- The big beautiful Red White and Blue Helicopter lifting him off to saftey...... Now Why would you not call Special Events EMS? So some places have there own private service in house--- bottom line they are licensed they are EMS.........

[CBEMT]

I'm not particularly fond of collegiate EMS, but it is EMS, unless we're just talking about EMR trained security guards with AEDs or something.

Lol, no not that. Though several other colleges in the area have their Public Safety/Security people that are EMTs with service licenses, medical directors, and equipment. One even has their cruisers licensed as BLS non-transporting with the DOH.