Securing your narcotic keys

[emt757]

That is kinda strange though being able to carry narc on your person. We have the double lock system like they were talking about previously. We have a master lock they added in addition to the regular lock that was on the door whenever the ambulance was made. I dont know how everyone else does it but our medics have to sign off all narcs before starting the shift also. But as for like our lasix and stuff along those lines they are just in a drug box with a regular snap off lock. I dont understand that one. O well....

[Dustdevil]

That is kinda strange though being able to carry narc on your person.

Any system that does not allow this sucks.

Patients should not have to wait to get back to the ambulance to get relief. And medics should not have to walk back to their ambulance to get it.

[mrmeaner]

But as for like our lasix and stuff along those lines they are just in a drug box with a regular snap off lock. I dont understand that one. O well....

Supposedly the snap off seals can be considered one of the locks in a two lock system, at least for our requirements.

Interesting that Knox talks about a "federal D.E.A. two-lock rule" in their literature. Unless things have changed, there is no such rule. It's just a loosely agreed upon standard that exists in the field, not an actual rule of law that exists on the D.E.A. books. I wonder if Knox knows this and is intentionally misleading people in their literature, or if they are just ignorant.

Who would have rules or regs on this other than the service and the state?

[Richard B the EMT]

Remember I am BLS, and do not handle ALS narcs, when considering this response.

FDNY EMS Paramedics have, on a "by the tour" basis, an assigned belt pouch with specific narcotics in it. At the start of the tour, they remove said pouch from a specific 2 key safe, and sign out this filled pouch, generating paperwork showing they got their narcotics. If the items are not used, they put the unused narcotics into another specific 2 key locked safe, and generate paperwork as to how much was used.

At specific intervals, which I am not aware of, a Paramedic assigned to the FDNY EMS pharmacy responds to each EMS station, picks up the unopened and unused narcotics from safe #2, places full ones into safe #1, and, with the station supervisor and the pharmacy paramedic countersigning each other's record books, generate more paperwork, but it is now in multiple places how much narcotics, what type narcotics placed in the safe, and same returned.

Obviously, any narcotics used on calls, or destroyed unused portions of the narcotics (witnessed by a nurse, or someone else of higher medical authority at the hospital) will be documented (including the Higher Medical Authority's name) will be in the count.

At regular intervals during a day (at least once per 8 hour tour?) either a station supervisor, or a paramedic so requested to do so by the station supervisor, will take a count of each type narcotic not in the belt holder, and generate paperwork as to how much of each type narcotics are in stock, how many belt pouches are available and/or used, and, if short, due to busy paramedic teams, and request the station supervisor make formal request for an early restock.

As a somewhat typical New York City agency, we kill a lot of trees for our paperwork.

I wonder if we are like the Department of Defense, that nothing written on paper can be discarded without making 3 copies first?

Suffice to say, paperwork is going to be generated when narcotics are delivered to a station, when it is assigned to a Paramedic personnel, or their ambulance, when "leftovers" get returned to the stations, and when what is left is returned to the pharmacy.

Presumably, they have similar at the department pharmacy.

[CBEMT]

That is kinda strange though being able to carry narc on your person.

Perfectly within DEA regs.

As for our keys, at my FT job, our key ring is so huge that I use a carabiner they provide and hook the 'biner onto my hip pocket and put all the keys into my BDU pocket with the inner button undone. Not a lot of jingling at all, and while it's a little annoying to get the keys out (a leather ID holder for our access card is attached too, always sticks) , the chances of losing the keys is extremely small.

If the 'biner comes off my hip pocket (unlikely), the weight of the keys will pull the whole pile into my BDU pocket. If the keys come out of the BDU pocket, there's no way I won't feel it and hear it.

At my part-time, we each have our own key. Mine is on my car keys so I don't leave it at home accidentally (it's a decent drive). Once I'm at the station, they go in a BDU pocket with both buttons sealed The station couches and chairs seem to have figured out how to get keys out of my hip pocket without me noticing. :oops: