minivac

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Posts posted by minivac

  4. Posted

    As a highschooler, this stuff is everywhere. I don't drink so I have never had one, but I have heard many stories about people when they drink them. Four Loko's are so bad that New Jersey has a plan to ban them from being sold in their state. Teenagers believe that since Alcohol is a depressant, that the caffine will balance the alcohol out and nothing will happen. Just another Stupid teenage myth.

  6. Posted

    First, one of the things I love about sites like this is that anyone of any age or background can get us up and talking about stuff. I think this is great and this is not a bad question. We should all be able to answer it. To rephrase it a bit, why put them on in the first place ?

    Any call for aid probably trumps what the majority of citizens are out doing in their cars on a given morning. The ability to cross the yellow line, to use the oncoming lane, to not wait for 6 cars waiting for a light to change and then turn left,.....well, lights or sirens help us do that. Abiding by every traffic control device and waiting for every driver in front of us is using a lot of time that most drivers will gladly give us if they know we have someplace to go. Lights and sirens let other drivers know a vehicle may not be where they expect it to be and that that vehicle would like a little courtesy.

    Lights and sirens are like any other tool, useful if used wisely and for an intended purpose. Light functions in a straight line. It is very useful for signaling oncoming traffic and moderately useful for signaling same direction traffic ahead [if the driver is using his rear view mirror for more than hanging fuzzy dice]. Lights have no effect on traffic that is not direct line of sight.

    Sound MAY--and that's a huge 'may'--- signal drivers not in line of sight. Physics here is key and I will skip the details unless people really want me to dig it up, but given sight lines in intersections, sound proofing in cars, reaction time of sober adults, and speed through intersections------- 10 to 15 miles an hour is as fast as a vehicle RLS can enter an intersection against a stop sign or red light. And that is if no one is texting.

    So for me, lights [and much less often, sirens] is a way to say, "Excuse me." and move to the head of the line , but it doesn't mean one has to significantly increase speed. And if one does increase speed to the point that one outruns the usefulness of the lights and sirens, then that person is begging to have a collision for which that person will be responsible,and which will significantly increase response time for that call.

    So, yes light and sirens are an essential part of the conversation that emergency vehicles have with other vehicles out on the road. But that conversation is a dialogue, not a monologue. Lights and sirens in no way give us the right to be aggressive with or disrespectful to other drivers.

    I agree 100% Thank you for better phrasing my question!

  7. Posted

    I just have to. First every cardiac arrest is usually predisposed by some other form of event or illness...even "sudden cardiac arrest" is usually preluded by an underlying arrythmia so that's your first weak argument. Secondly give me a percentage wise of how often you can "never rely on dispatch information." My agency does over 3000 ALSFR and BLSFR responses a year and I bet 99% of the dispatch information is correct. So that's your second weak argument. If your agency is having an issue..you need to address it with your dispatching agency. But spoken well like what I hear from most uninformed, more opinion then fact buffs, but based on your age category I can't hold you over responsible for your comments.

    Fact is you only save seconds with an emergency response. Or lights and sirens. Maybe you can give me a good excuse as to why when I TOT a job to BLS they opt to go lights and sirens to the hospital? Is there any BLS level issue that a medic turns the patient over to BLS that's a true emergency? I haven't figured that one out yet. Lets hurry up and get there..only for a good aggressive ALS provider to get good care underway...then if that provider is worth his/her salt...take a nice easy ride to the ER. So does that make sense? I don't use lights and sirens to transport cardiac arrests to the hospital. Problem there? I think not. On average...20 seconds quicker. Not worth my life for the one with less then 1/2% chance of survival and even less at that point as we do all of the same stuff they're going to do in the ED and often pronounce less then 5 minutes when we come through the door.

    Knock off the excuses. Lights and Sirens are over used and sooner or later luck runs out. They should be used for True Emergencies and that we all know is less then 1% of what we're doing.

    Experienced providers know there is a major difference in driving skill for a driver when using lights/sirens vs. not. With them on..braking and acceleration control often gives causing a jerky ride. Don't think so..pay attention next time when you take off with a trauma or severe medical emergency. If you were gonna use them..have them leave them off...then after a minute tell them to turn them on and see how your ride changes. Your brain processes about 400 items of information/decisions a minute when operating a vehicle with lights and sirens engaged...something has to give. Keep in mind you might not get into an accident..but you can cause significant numbers and severity of rebound accidents of other vehicles.

    Bob Faugh always said it best in his lectures...saving seconds...costing lives.

    As I said, we do NOT have a problem with out dispatch angency, they tell us what info they gather, which is very useful. But if lights and sirens do not help, why not take them off all fire apperatus, ems rigs, and police cars?

  8. Posted

    While I understand that every call we go on may not be a life or death situation, they are always emergencies, otherwise it wouldn't be called EMERGENCY medical services... While the ultimate topic of this thread is about lights and sirens, I believe this is more a conversation about the individual drivers and how they drive on each call. You must always use common sense on a call and do whatever nessicary to keep the crew and the patient safe. So lights and sirens or not, just get the job done and stay safe.

  9. Posted

    In My Corps, We Go Lights and sirens to every call (unless specified by the patient that they do not want to have a lights and sirens approach to their house). I like this policy becuase you can never rely on the dipatch information (not criticizing dispachers, I really apprechiate all you guys do) but it has been my experiance that what we get called out for is very different than what we have to deal with on scene, and you never know when a "diabetic emergancy" will turn into a cardiac arrest. (yes this has happened) We have lights and sirens for a reason, so use them, just not excessively

  14. Posted

    "VALHALLA - Westchester Medical Center is losing its STAT Flight helicopter in a cost-cutting move that will shift patient air transports to upstate medical evacuation choppers - raising concerns among some local officials."

    this is a terrible idea... that copter went on many calls and saved many lives. They do not realize that by taking the copter away. It is not only worrying local officials but it is worrying many civilians also

  18. Posted

    Alert

    Meteorological - Meterological - Not Otherwise Categorized

    THIS IS AN ACTUAL EVENT

    Issued By: New York State Emergency Management Office Affected Jurisdictions: Bronx, Kings, Nassau, New York, Orange, Putnam, Queens, Richmond, Rockland, Suffolk, Westchester Counties

    Headline: RED FLAG (FIRE CONDITIONS) WARNING FOR ORANGE, PUTNAM, WESTCHESTER, ROCKLAND, NASSAU AND SUFFOLK COUNTIES AND NEW YORK CITY UNTIL 8 P.M. THIS EVENING

    THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN UPTON HAS ISSUED A RED FLAGWARNING...WHICH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM EDT THIS EVENING.NORTHWEST WINDS OF 15 TO 20 MPH WITH FREQUENT GUSTS UP TO 25 MPH WERE ALREADY OCCURRING IN SPOTS OVER EASTERN LONG ISLAND LATE THIS MORNING...AND WILL BE WIDESPREAD THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING...ALONG WITH MINIMUM RELATIVE HUMIDITIES OF 15 TO 20 PERCENT. IF IGNITION OCCURS...THESE WEATHER CONDITIONS IN COMBINATION WITH DRY FINE FUELS DUE TO LACK OF RECENT WETTING RAINS AND LACK OF GREENUP WOULD PROMOTE RAPID FIRE GROWTH THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING.

    A RED FLAG WARNING MEANS THAT CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE OCCURRING OR IMMINENT. A COMBINATION OF STRONG WINDS...LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY...AND DRY FUELS WILL PROMOTE RAPID FIRE GROWTH.

    THIS IS AN ACTUAL EVENT

    NYS Alerts? haha

  19. Posted

    Monday, May 25th Bedford Hills Memorial Day

    Briarcliff Manor Memorial Day leaving from Bedford Hills

    May 29th Mount Kisco Memorial Day

    Wednesday, June 3rd Katonah

    Saturday, June 13th Goldens Bridge

    Saturday, June 27th Yorktown

    Wednesday, July 1st Mamaroneck

    Friday, July 10th Mount Kisco

    Friday, July 31st Bedford Village