Question for all EMTs, old and new

[JakeEMTP]

thank you everyone... I think the Boots are a great Idea... my EMT friend told me that Danner boots are great...so I will look into those

No question they are good boots..Like anything else though, it would be better for your brother to try them on. Footwear in EMS is a very personal thing. If a provider boots are uncomfortable, it makes for a really crappy shift. Yeah, they mean that much! I like the 6" "Original SWAT" boot with the side zip, others may not.

Good on you for wanting to do something for your brother. All good suggestions from the other members who joined this thread. I really like the gift certificate idea. However, if that's not exactly what you had in mind, you might just have to include your brother in the gift purchase. Suggest you go looking for boots, stethoscopes etc, and then just say "I got this bro. Proud of you and I want to do this". or something like that.

[DwayneEMTP]

Good thing you are asking for advice! I was almost stupid to buy all this EMT stuff that would have been nice to have but not needed. Instead I bought books. apps, and a good stethoscope. Good thing for EMT city being around they made me realize that such things are not worth the money. Gift certificate is the best thing or a good good stethoscope. You can never go wrong with those two. Congratulation to you brother!!

Denny

This made me think....A sponsorship to EMTCity wouldn't go far wrong as part of the package you want to give him.

There are more good resources available than he could ever possibly explore, but here he will have the advantage of a gazillion years of experience (some of our members are that old!), all in one place.

I too think that it's cool as hell that that you are doing this. Perhaps along with the other things that you get him you could include the schedule for the Paramedic program from the local college? :-)

[DFIB]

Every medic needs a cool pair of sunglasses so they can post their picture on the net.

Also there are some really cool cargo pants with lots of pockets that are bad to the bone. You could build a kit with one really good present and some smaller more inexpensive items like trauma shears, pens, lip balm, toilet paper and other do-dads that could be useful and make for a meaningful gift.

[tonynoriega]

Thanks guys/gals... I live in Idaho and he lives in CA, so this will be a bit tricky for getting Boots...I do think a person needs to try them on before purchasing... good point. Thanks for all the input. Much appreciated.

[CPhT]

Just my humble opinion here... if it's not something that he has physically attached to him during his shift, in regards to gear, I'd stay away from it. That includes any form of "kit", or a fancy stetho, or "big shears". Stuff like that tends to walk away, even if you think you know your partner, and it stings even more when it was a gift from someone. This is coming from a guy who's parents bought me a Littman Master Cariology 3 for Christmas/ graduation, and I'm scared to death to take it on the rig with me.

I'd get him "Life and Death: Tales of a Paramedic" by Kelly Grayson. It's an entertaining book that shows some of the good/bad/ugly/fun of EMT work. I'd probably also get him a decent watch that has either a second hand or digital seconds. Something waterproof with a synthetic band, like a G-shock or a Timex Ironman. I can't remember who makes it, but there's a watch that automatically turns on the backlight when you move it into "viewing position", which would be really handy for taking pulse and resps. You might want to consider getting him a softsided lunch cooler (a decent one) to help encourage him to pack a lunch rather than hitting fast food for his road meals. Along those lines, a good water bottle or even a thermos for coffee. You can also get him a membership/sponsorship for this site. Maybe a gift cert for Galls.

Last but not least, you can get him something that has nothing at all to do with EMT. Trust me, he'll have EMT on his mind enough as-is once he gets into the job field. You can always get him a gift cert for a dinner and movie, or a netflix gift account. Anything that will take his mind off the job for a bit so he can hold on to that precious bit of sanity.

[Richard B the EMT]

Nice, purchasing someting for your brother, now that he's an EMT.

Not to be a wet blanket, but there have been many strings on this site re "wankers", those who feel looking the part is more important than doing the actions of being an EMT or Paramedic. The Army used to call them "Garritroopers", wearing paratrooper boots and aviator sunglasses, too far back from the front lines to get shot at, and too far forward to need uniform ties.

Many strings mention that the more equipment, gift or not, that a "Newbie" carries on their belt, the more obvious it is that he IS a Newbie. The Galls catalog counts somewhat on this, and I say this as having been a customer for some uniform pieces.

I, personally, have yelled a lot about great looking boots that don't fit properly causing foot pain ("breaking in" shoes and boots really means the foot adjusting to the footwear, not the reverse).

A bit dumb, perhaps, but ASK your brother what he might want you to buy him as celebration of his becoming an EMT. If nothing else, it lowers the chance of gift duplication (gee, how many pairs of cut-all scissors can a guy get as gifts at one shot? In my case, for my birthday, 5, all with blue handles).

Wish him well from me, and relay my congrats, will ya?

[tonynoriega]

You guys/gals are awesome... so much good information to mash into my head. A lot of great ideas... I plan on taking a trip back to CA this summer, so maybe by then, he will have a better idea of what he needs and I can drop some bills on him them... maybe a stripper wearing nothing but some boots and an EMT hat!!!

[Chief1C]

Good boots... Slip resistant. With wide treads. The tiny treads pick stuff up, and harbor snow. So, when you step into a house with a wood floor.. You slip. Of step out of the ambulance on a painted floor, like a station may have, you fall on your ass. Just sayin.