Make my duty belt LIGHTER! (Please)

[Just Plain Ruff]

Ok let me rephrase some things.

First don't assume anything my friend. I've worked in both types of services, urban and rural. And no I don't volunteer.

the chair I was referring to was back on the previous posters comment about a sit down chair. Of course a stair chair is good to use.

Please don't pass your system off as better than everywhere else which I feel you are trying to do.

your original post said to lighten your belt and the way you put it was that you carried all that stuff on your belt but for those of us who know better but your post did make several people if you read their responses they thought the same thing.

Of course you take the oxygen in, you take the monitor in and whatever else you feel you need to take but let's be real here, you can't take the entire truck in withyou so you take what you think you need. I think that taking a cardiac monitor in for a ankle injury or hand injury is way over the top. Unless your dispatchers are numnutz and get the information wrong then there is no reason for you to have to take a cardiac monitor in for a isolated hand or leg or ankle injury.

I have taken someone down 30 flights of stairs with the power out. So yes I have done that.

You seem proud that you run 20 - 40 calls in a day but to me that is overworked.

New York City is a big city and sure you are going to take 3500 calls a day but the ratio of your calls versus my call volume is not much different if you take population into account.

The service area I'm currently working in has a population of 30000 and we run between 11 and 20 calls in a day. So we aren't much different in call volumes calls per population.

Let's see 22 million people in NYC with 3500 calls per day makes it about 1 call per every 6800 people.

My call volume of 20 calls a day for 30000 people makes our call volume of about 1 call for every 6000 people so the ratios are not that far off.

At times I am on the only ambulance in the entire county. So our volumes are not that far off from each other.

[spenac]

Since you do not like my solution to assisting your belt with a suspender system, have you considered putting some of the items in a vest instead of on your belt. Here is one from Galls.

[web:6f4168aa76]http://www.galls.com/style.html?assort=general_catalog&style=EV004[/web:6f4168aa76]

You asked in one of your posts how do you get patients out of the house? The answer is I have most walk to the ambulance. ABC. If it will do them no more harm they are walking. If they require more thats when we get the stretcher or stair chair.

Yes you have different circumstances so you may need to have items available based on distance from patient to ambulance. I have different circumstances as does each person who has tried to get more info from you or to offer advice to you. Read it, take the info, consider it, use it if you can, build on it, and if it don't work don't apply it. Someone else that reads this topic may find what others have said solves their problems even if did nothing for yours.

[spenac]

To add to ruffs comments to you. My main service we take 2 patients to the hospital each day. So I do not see many patients, but I probably have as much if not more patient contact time each day than you do. I am very rural and the minimum transport to the hospital is 90 miles, with no air support and nearest ground support is 60 miles from my station. I do not have to carry many people up or down many steps. But I do have to climb down into steep canyons that are covered in loose rocks, cactus, rattlesnakes, mountain lions, bears, spiders, etc in 110+ degree temps and package severe trauma patients then carry them back up. I have done this in the dark only different only about 90 degrees. Or if it's night time in the winter I maybe doing it in freezing temps with ice on the walls of the canyon. Wish I were in the comforts of a building even if only lit by a flashlight.

Again don't think you are better or have the most unique conditions. We are all here to learn from one another. We all face different things and we each have different ways of thinking. This site allows us to share from a huge combined experience and knowledge base and hopefully be better for it.

[NYCntg]

Ok let me rephrase some things.

Please don't pass your system off as better than everywhere else which I feel you are trying to do.

Let's see 22 million people in NYC with 3500 calls per day makes it about 1 call per every 6800 people.

My call volume of 20 calls a day for 30000 people makes our call volume of about 1 call for every 6000 people so the ratios are not that far off.

At times I am on the only ambulance in the entire county. So our volumes are not that far off from each other.

First, come on, how could anybody think a person would / could carry all that stuff on a belt, our business is all about common sense, use a little.

second, I am not Implying we have the best system, the busiest, but not the best, in fact, I'll say it here it ain't even close, and yes we are over worked (and under paid).

As far as call volume, using your math, we are still running 4 jobs per shift more (20%), no disrespect, you can't compare to that, and even more why would you want to? It just shows the population you serve, is smarter then the one I do... think about that.

As far as this whole belt thing, I was just looking for some good ideas lighting up even more, ever hear of ultralight backpacking, same concept, ounces are pounds at the end of the day.

Don't be a hater, very few respect us, or even understand what we do, we should be the last people fighting each other.

I mean that.

Be safe

NYCntg

[NYCntg]

Again don't think you are better or have the most unique conditions. We are all here to learn from one another. We all face different things and we each have different ways of thinking. This site allows us to share from a huge combined experience and knowledge base and hopefully be better for it.

Everyone is nuts with this comparing thing, We all do a tough job, that not many can do, much less even imagine and we all work with our own challenges, and I'm not referring to some of our partners...

but just as an fyi to 110 degree canyon story, add to that roaches and rats with human waste on the floors while working an arrest by flashlight, and you begin to get an idea of what the projects are like. (not comparing just sharing).

Be safe,

NYCntg

[NYCntg]

BTY to all my fellow EMS brothers and sisters out there with long or extended transport times, MY hat is off to you all, I don't want to imagine "pumping and blowing" for 40, 50, or 60, minutes, while running a code down a bumpy dirt road.

I can't imagine anything more frustrating then being on the edge of a save, a losing it because it took too long to get to the hospital, or relief.

Best and be safe,

NYCntg

[Ridryder 911]

First welcome to the site, I was not trying to belittle, rather to educate you. Since I thought you were a newbie into EMS I attempted to advise you not to carry excess equipment that most have learned over the years that is never needed. It is called using your personal resources wisely. Saving footsteps and backs, helps promote longevity. As well, you are quite aware of the usual standing of new personal always wanting to have everything on them.

A couple of other things to answer to your reply and question: Yes, I know, what the correct legal definition of "Standard of Care" is according to the legal and litigation definition, rather than a SOP's definition; may I might suggest many should really look that up. As well, although I did not receive my CPR card in '77 rather in 76; but I did receive my Paramedic in the spring of '77 to only figure out by the summer of '77 not to carry so much stuff on my own person. I had bought one of those "Boston" Paramedic pouches, with the buck knife, window punch, tourniquet and 2 hemostats, to only figure out they were only good for developing a hernia.

This is something one usually figures out within time, what equipment they really needed and what can be left behind. I as well have worked in large metropolitan areas to the frontier areas. Where a fence puller is the biggest piece of extrication equipment and there is no FD to perform extrication and you are to far out for even a helicopter to fly out to you. So yes, I to have been around and personally realize that larger services and especially metro areas usually have more than ample amount of responding parties, to assist and that will either go get the needed equipment or have it on them already, so I personally do not need to carry excess and cause drainage on me.

I have yet seen very few scenes where fire or a LEO did not have a flashlight if needed, and a F/F did not have some form of a tool on them. So why should I have to lug around something else? The tools should be in the toolbox, and the oxygen key (which should be checked on every shift change) should be chained to the regulator. One might keep an extra one in the pack, so in case you do need one and it's not there, you will have it.

Yet in my 30+ years as a Paramedic, I yet to have seen the need of a utility belt. Again, this includes working in a areas that might have farm machinery extrication, bailing wire, wire fence, and again metro areas, to climbing up flights of stairs, to skid row. Again, I guess it is up to personal preference, if one wants to carry baggage or not.

Yes, it would be nice to have lighter equipment, that we all can agree upon. However; I have to admit, things have became a lot lighter than the 60 pound Datascope and Lifepak 3; Dynamed and Plano 747 boxes, along with all the other stuff we used to have to carry. I have seen the vests, and if that is what is needed, so be it. They should be able to hold enough equipment and supplies to last several calls.

My main point was to address; why make it harder on one self?

Personally, I am not impressed with any one EMS service or if a person works for a certain service, rather those individuals that serve their patients well. Most of those type choose services to work for wisely, or improves and stir changes upon the services to allow them to think and use common sense.

R/r 911

[NYCntg]

RidRyder, Emmm Ok, do you feel better now? :roll: ntg

[letmesleep]

BLAH, BLAH.....YAWN, I'm bored within 2 pages and only 1 post!

[Timmy]

I agree, who cares… really…. It’s up to you if you wana wear a belt. If you have to wear one but don’t want to then that’s something you’ll have to take up with the powers at be.

For me. 02 wrench is in the 02 bags and there’s even a spare, sheers can be located in pretty much every kit-glove box of truck-cupboards, the only knife we have would be in the welfare bag, radio either stays in the truck or sits in my back pocket, I have a pair of gloves in my pocket-gloves are also in every kit-several boxes in the truck and even a box up front with us, multi tool-we have a full tool box in the truck, keys in the pocket or glove box, phone in the pocket or glove box, pager in the pocket or glove box.

In Australia I have never seen anyone in the EMS or medical field wear a belt. I’m not even sure if we sell them here. The only time I have a Maglight with me is when we do standbys at rave parties and its more for clobbering drugged up psychos in the head when your responding though the bush at 2am… Everything I’ll ever need is in the kits.

Some of the sports trainers I work with at football wear bum bags that have tapes, scissors, oils, blood treatment gear, asthma meds, cold spray ect… Its easier to carry a little bag than running out there seeing what’s wrong then running back to the bench then running back out there.