This was on our county forum......

[hfdff422]

Down right common sense way Save Money in Hendricks County

Municipalities need to stop buying these fancy ambulances/rescue units and to stop hiring paramedics to run the ambulance. We need to go back to the "good ole' days" when ambulances were basically souped up station wagons with a raised roof and an oxygen tank. Maybe, we could contract out to the funeral homes to provide this service again, if at all possible. I remember when Conkle Funeral home in Plainfield drove me to the hospital back in the 70s after my traffic accident. There was and is none better!

Funeral home attendants in white coats can wisk you away to the hospital after an accident or other emergency just as well as an fancy/schmancy paramedic unit with tens of thousands of dollars of uneeded equipment. This worked fine back in the day when I was a young man, and is an option to save us millions of dollars here and now by illiminating uneeded equipoment and personel. The sooner we revert back to the golden age of "classic" ambulance services; the better! The current system is proof positive that emergency equipment suppliers are driving the equipment purchases; not need or common sense. We could use the money for other much more imporatant and much needed activities such as training for factory jobs and GED courses.

Fun! Screw your fancy schmancy education and drugs, we needs a bunch of white coats to throw you into a big car all willy nilly and drive real fast.

If this doesn't tell us a thing or two about the publics knowledge and perception of what we do, then nothing will. In the process of better training our personnel, we also need to push for some better public education as to what we do, and why we do it.

[akflightmedic]

Please tell me that was a joke.

I like the part about putting more money towards factory jobs and GED courses. How about encouraging them to finish high school first instead of worrying about the GED and bringing higher level industry in...lol.

Do I need to move this to funny stuff?

[hfdff422]

I debated as to whether or not I should put it on the funny stuff board, but I think they are serious. This forum has had similar posts in the past that were very serious. In fact, our township trustee is of this mindset (although not quite as backwards- he just thinks medics are un-necessary).

[weasel 108]

hfdff, are you able to provide us with the form sight. I'd like to see this for myself. Sounds like it would be good reading.

[becksdad]

The ignorance of that article just leaves me speechless.

[Michael]

Simple solution to please everyone: a two-tiered system, option chosen by subscription. Better yet, eliminate the middleman, and just replace all white coats by black coats.

[paramedicmike]

First he said:

... by illiminating uneeded equipoment and personel.

Then he said:

We could use the money for other much more imporatant and much needed activities such as training for factory jobs and GED courses.

Illiminating? Equipoment? GED courses? Sounds like this guy is just a tad out of touch with the changes in today's economy overall. I wonder if he's a HS graduate himself?

I second the motion to like the site from where this quote was taken. I'd like to see it, too.

-be safe.

[AZCEP]

Does this really surprise anyone?

Attend any county governmental meeting with budgetary issues, and you will hear similar ideas thrown around. Only when there is a unified voice for the need will those setting policy back away from it.

Yep, paramedics should be "illiminated". Right until a supervisor's family member dies because there wasn't one around. Then they clamor for doctors to make house calls, like when they were growing up. :roll:

[nbsp]

Since I don't know the context, I'm assuming by the post itself that it's a joke.

Because hey, ever since NAFreeTA instead of NAFairTA got passed, how many factories have you seen in the U.S. of A.? And since when have GED courses been useful besides for a GPA boost?

Plus there's the obvious stupidity.

[Ridryder 911]

Unfortunately, I do believe this is not a joke as well, just ignorance gone wild.

I would respond not with venom, but with education. Remind him that there was a reason from change of funeral home to EMS research showed ..."that troops in war time activity, had a better expected survival rate than those that was in civilian life, related to trauma"... (White Paper research).

As well, noting the same delivery of medical care provided at home, such as treatment for heart and trauma, reduces mortality. Since he is as well is apparently older or elderly, one would assume that he would be more concern of chance of survival and treatment rather than nominal costs. Then yet again, how much price is a life really worth..... especially if it is your own or loved one?... Maybe a cheaper way would be to wait a little longer and have the funeral home, only have the need to respond only once?......Brain injuries (TBI) that occur within a few minutes of trauma that is hypoxic, can costs an average of over $300,000 year annually. This is much more costly than getting an "GED" and awaiting the great white hope of having a "industry" to save a community.... You might even ask if he even aware of the benefits or lack of now a days associated with "blue collar" employers?...

R/r 911