Required Reading: EMS Dirty Secret

[brentoli]

http://tinyurl.com/2ovepb

Try that. Click on tab that goes to Current Issue.

Type in page 74.

[akflightmedic]

?? I suggest maybe going to EMS responder then magazines (EMS) then article?

R/r 911

Fark...I did what you said but can not find it.

This is all I got...http://www.emsresponder.com/publication/pub.jsp?pubId=1

oh well......

[JakeEMTP]

I glanced at the article on Friday and couldn't get back to it. I will read it tomorrow and post something.

[Dustdevil]

It worked for me, albeit very slowly. And I had to cut and paste the entire link from the original post, because not all of it autolinked. Then, when I got there, the print is so microscopic that it is almost impossible to read. And, unlike a pdf, there is no easy way to magnify it and still navigate. Not to mention the hassle it took to get to page 74 from the cover. They definitely need to come up with a better way to post this.

The runner up for best part of the article is this quote:

Imagine you're the only CPA in your little town. You don't get rich financially, but you do a good job for people and you have enough business to support your family. Now imagine somebody moves into a home across the steet from you and puts up a sign that says CPA: Accounting Services, Free. Would that hurt you? Of course it would. It would put you right out of business.

Think about it. Diesel mechanics don't do what they do for free. Architects don't, and neither do plumbers or airline pilots. Nor do the people who drive those truckloads of oranges from Florida to Minnesota. Members of Congress wouldn't even dream of it. Why do we?

Thom is good people, and I truly love him to death. He has some great points here, but it appears as if he had half a dozen unrelated points in his head, and attempted to pack them all together into one article. The result was a bit disjointed and missed the intended mark. I think maybe he was a little afraid of attacking the fire service and volunteer issues by themselves for fear of the inevitable backlash, so he slipped them under the banner of provider wellness to test the waters. Good for him for even daring to attack a sacred cow. I just feel that the time has come, after thirty five years, to dispense with the tap dancing and call a spade a spade.

[Michael]

print is so microscopic

Above the micro-text is a toolbar.

On the toolbar, to the right of the page-number field where you've entered "74" (without the quote-marks) there is a row of three buttons.

To enlarge the type, click on the rightmost of those three buttons, which is a circle enclosing a +-sign.

[JPINFV]

Alternatively clicking on the text also zooms in, and then you can click and drag to move the page around.

[CC64]

Another way to enlarge the text is to simply click on the page where you want to start reading. The page can be enlarged to fit a 17- or 19-inch monitor, so if you're using a small laptop, there will be a lot of scrolling. Haven't been able to try that on a computer that isn't a laptop, so I don't know if a regular monitor eliminates the scrolling (click and drag) aspect.

Really don't know what to think about the article; it seemed a bit disjointed to me.

[Eydawn]

I think it is a very well written article, but I think it killed itself at the end. It's supposed to be a call to action to improve our lot as EMS folk... and at the end, we get advice on surviving in the field as it currently exists.

So either we WANT to change it so we don't have to deal with all the downfalls of modern EMS, or we don't CARE if it's changed and just want to survive as individuals.

It brought up some very important points about EMS culture, the volunteer system, the disadvantages of being fire based and 24 hour shifts... and it's great to know that the issues we speak about here are finally being illuminated in press. BUT, he didn't spend nearly as much time emphasizing that education and funding education are 2 of our largest problems (although he did touch briefly on the differences between AUS and USA EMS education).

I think the reason the article seems disjointed is because our profession is disjointed. Hence, anything analyzing what's wrong with us will naturally jump around, especially if the author has a limit on how long the article must be. Better to hit most of the big problems, rather than focusing on one singular problem as "the problem" with EMS.

Just my take on it...

Wendy

CO EMT-B

[Dustdevil]

I think the reason the article seems disjointed is because our profession is disjointed. Hence, anything analyzing what's wrong with us will naturally jump around, especially if the author has a limit on how long the article must be. Better to hit most of the big problems, rather than focusing on one singular problem as "the problem" with EMS.

=D>

[mrmeaner]

I had to give up trying to read it online and just print the article. I agree that the article died at the end. The entire "Keeping Your Balance" aka "Fight Your Inner Wacker" section distracted from the rest of the article and should have been removed. The rest of the article discussed topics not exactly new to this site. It didn't make a strong opinion, but did hint at one. Fairly good article overall.