scary scary

[Christopher.Collins]

I dunno guys. I mean the age if anything is the only big deal in my eyes. Responding to a call is responding to a call, period. How different can it be showing up on scene in your beat up Gremlin (remember thoes things?) backfiring and chugging smoke out the exhaust?

I personally think that anyone under the age of 18 should never be allowed to respond to a scene alone, or be on a scene alone. And by alone I mean without a senior member (not a parent or adult), or at the very least without the approval of a senior member. Furthermore, anyone under the age of 18 should not be allowed on major highway accidents. By highway I mean with exits and dividers, high speeds and everything (not one of thoes piddly "highways" that are just a major road).

Other than that, nothing wrong with a bicycle at all. Hell, I grew up in a small town (but big on tourism) and the beaches were always packed in the summer time. So with my chiefs approval I started a 1 man bike patrol. Every day (especially holidays) Id sign out a portable radio... and yes I had medical equipment in a bag too (no O2 or lights/siren though)... and patrol the beach areas and mall. It did great for PR no less. Alot of people thought that it was great for not being paid. I enjoyed it to, alot of exercise.

[firedoc5]

Maybe it's the location of the call. He might have had to pass by the scene to get to the ambulance building. We had a problem a long time ago with EMT's who were on call but didn't want to stay in town. They might have lived five miles out of town. Several times we'd get a call and I'd walk/run to the ambulance building on foot and beat the "out-of-towners" who had to drive. It was something really frowned upon, but at the time we were really hurting for any EMT's. And sometimes we got our butts burned because of that. We'd even get people on call that would risk going shopping somewhere, hoping to not get a call. Since we'd only get 15-20 calls a month, they'd risk it. And some of them got caught with their pants down. Eventually all that came to a screeching halt. Largely due to myself and one other being willing to be scheduled for about 80% of the time. Since we were right in town, and didn't worry about going other places while on call. The others were told that when on call they had to stay in town. If they didn't like it, tough. And were told to not complain if they thought they weren't getting enough ride time. And in some cases, they were dropped altogether.

[Harold1]

I remember my first ride-along being at age 13, with a volunteer ambulance service.

Today I don't think that it's appropriate nor responsible to put a 13-yo kid on an ambulance.

But it definetely contributed to my choice of persueing a carreer in EMS.

[Richard B the EMT]

How about, with case by case consideration, a 14 to 16 year old as a dispatcher, and WITH AN AGENCY QUALIFIED Crew chief/EMT in direct supervision, 16 to 19 for ride along (usually meaning doing nothing without a "Mother/Father may I" from the Crew Chief. Probably end up being an equipment "Pack Mule")?

[EMT Foose]

How about, with case by case consideration, a 14 to 16 year old as a dispatcher, and WITH AN AGENCY QUALIFIED Crew chief/EMT in direct supervision, 16 to 19 for ride along (usually meaning doing nothing without a "Mother/Father may I" from the Crew Chief. Probably end up being an equipment "Pack Mule")?

That's pretty much what they have around here as the explorer program with fire departments.

They sometimes take on too much of a role though, depending on the crew they're riding with.