WAS967

It does indeed suck when you medical control sux. I was actually surprised tho when our medical control doctor actually AGREED with my use of Labetalol recently, so much so that he even felt we (myself and the hospital) were OBLIGATED to use it given the patient's condition. I was speechless actually. Now if only we could convince him that 4mg of Versed just isn't enough. ](*,)

It might be a part of Alamo's contract that they bill for services rendered and then they collect from the County what they cannot recoup from revenue recovery. That is how the Tri-Village (OVAC) flycar system started out. They got 50k seed money from each of the three villages to buy the equipment and start paying the medics. OVAC then bills to recoup costs. Any money they don't recoup is/was reimbursed by the villages. Back in the first few years they were well on thier way to self sufficiency. You'd have to ask someone more in the know (Gumby-Damn-It) if they still collect any monies from the villages. As for $60 a mile in Syracuse. Thats either a typo or highway robbery. My Full Time job bills $7/mile. 9x that is a little over the top.

These news agencies really needs to learn the difference between an ambulance and an ambulette.

If I were the one in pain, I'd make sure you felt it. Seriously tho, it's not that much paperwork. And added line or two, a doctor signature isn't my idea of a lot of paper work. People just don't want to walk thier fat asses down to the pharmacy for restock.

I'd like to know how you can go TWO WEEKS without knowing you have a 2inch live BOOGER up your nose. Come on people.

No spoilers! PErhaps by PM if people want to know. And the series was kinda lagging of late so It's no surprise it got cancelled. Now if they would only take the Axe to ER finallty. That show is just getting dreadful.

But does saving 10-15 minutes justify the L&S siren use/risks? I personally don't think so. You have 3 rigs in Mohegan. If one is out on a call, then you have two others to use. Can't staff the other two? Still doesn't justify the L&S use in my mind. Even if a second call is holding. You aren't in service until the pateitn is offloaded at the ER and report is given. It's not fair to the patient you asre currently careing for to risk his life in effort to get to another call. Not for nothing, if a patient is in that much pain, maybe they shouldn't be BLS. I know it doesn't apply to many Paramedics, but in both ALS district I work in we are Hospital based. As such we are OBLIGATED to treat a patient's pain if they so desire. Got a patient in 10/10 pain from a kidney stone? It shouldn't be BLS. We carry Morphine for a reason. Medics just seem too freaking lazy to use it.

I HATE MORNINGS! Why Am I up at 7am? Oh right. I was off last night.

Don't be so sure. Was it last year or the year before that we got several inches of snow in the first week of MAY. My shovels will stay out ....for now. Tho I am optomistic that spring is here. I love Spring (allergies aside).

Did they get an RMA on the deer? :roll:

PErsonally, I think she's full of chili. Cases like this in the past usually turn out to be fraud. I don't care how convincing they look on TV. Remember the chick who claimed to have that winning lotto ticket some months back? Fraud.

You're not the only Munson around. :L Maybe he's a distant cousin. ;->

You both need to come back from the dark side. Boston in general makes me nauseated.

OH my god in heaven. He really hs lost it! He's gone to red! ](*,)

There are only two things I can't stand in this world. People who are intolerant of other people's cultures... and the Dutch.

sounds kinky

Freud would be proud.

I smell a scrubs quote coming on. "I suppose I could riff a list of things that I care as little about as our last week together. Lemme see, uhh.... Low-carb diets. Michael Moore. The Republican National Convention. Kabbalah and all Kabbalah-related products. Hi-def TV, the Bush daughters, wireless hot spots, 'The O.C.', the U.N., recycling, getting Punk'd, Danny Gans, the Latin Grammys, the real Grammys. Jeff, that Wiggle who sleeps too darn much! The Yankees payroll, all the red states, all the blue states, every hybrid car, every talk show host! Everything on the planet, everything in the solar system, everything everything everything everything everything everything, everything that exists, past, present and future, in all discovered and undiscovered dimensions....Oh! And Hugh Jackman."

Pearl will be holding a VE test on April 23 2005 from 9:00am to 10:30am. Check the PEARL site for more info.

Anyone can become a licensed amateur radio operator (HAM as they are commonly called). IT doesn't take much. Years ago you needed to pass a basic morse code test (5 WPM I think) but they even eliminated that part in the new Technician No-Code License that was passed a few years back. Good starting point is to pick up the book "Now You're Talking!". It's available from the ARRL (American Radio Relay League). I think Radio Shack might still carry them, but not sure. They did when I worked there but that was over a decade ago. The test is basically knowledge of radio theory, regulations, basic electronics knowledge and the like. I took the test cold once and missed but 5 points on one section and 6 on another. Study the book and take the prectice tests and it should be a breeze. Tests are offered faily frequently in the area. WECA (Westchester Emergency Communication Association) would be a good contact to find out when the next test is (http://www.weca.org. PEARL (Putnam Emergency & Amatuer Repeater League) is good if you are up in Putnam (http://www.k2put.org/). Any questions, feel free to ask. If there are a lot, we'll branch off to a new thread.

But is that medic COMMITTED to that scene? OVAC's ALS setup is no different from WEMS or CRP. Resources are limited. Typically you have two medics - one on the ambulance in the Town and one on the flycar in the Villages. If you are lucky and have a third medic around they can stop by and grab the second truck (do they still have the spare flycar or does that get used as an officer car now?). OVAC is busy and it's not uncommon for that medic in the flycar who is now sitting committed on your scene to be needed for something else. LET HIM GO and have another medic shuffle down/up/sideways to fill in the gap.

Yeah. I thinks the Yankees' glory is waning and they should let someone else grab the spotlight. I feel the Mets goint at least to the Playoffs if not further. Maybe the yankees will, but after last year's disaster, they should just take the season off.

Frankly, Rehab is neither our job nor our responsibility. It is up to the individual FDs to draw up a rehab sector plan and make it a part of thier SOPs. I know of NOT A SINGLE FD that has a definitive Rehab plan in this area. (And don't try to tell me that having your guys sit out for 10 minutes with a cup of gatorade is definitive rehab). I personally agree that ALS should be on the scene to be ready to assist, but in both flycar systems that I work, where resources are limited and spread out geographically, the ALS should be available for other calls if needed. Most of the times we are dispatched to standby, we are considered committed to the scene and at the will of the Fire Chief (i.e....i keep hearing units asking the chief if it's okay for them to go 10-8 ). It's fine if they want to have a BLS unit there standing by. Great. In fact I say they should be standing next to the FAST team with a Stetcher/Longboard, and gear all ready to go - rapid deployment style. The ALS can be nearby but should remain available for another call - emphasis on not getting yourself blocked in by apparatus. (If siting on the next block is what you have to do, then so be it). As for Rehab - You want definitive rehab? Get a trailer/RV/whatever that is atmospherically controlled - someplace where your guys/gals can go and cooldown/warmup on an exteme weather day. Have them be evaluated by EMTs (You shouldn't need a medic to do a basic physical). Record vitals. Have preestablished medical cards for each member. If thier vitals are out of preestablished range - they are grounded. (When was the last time you saw a medical provider around here able to tell a FD guy that they can't go back in cause thier pulse is too high? Without SOPs, you CAN'T). Have refreshments IMMEDIATLY available - gatorade/sports drinks, granola bars/nutragrain bars, soups, etc. (HELL, I Say park a bloody ice cream truck outside the damn thing on a hot day). Have MANDATORY rest periods for the crews. (I can't stand seeing these reports of people dropping dead from excertion, etc). Somewhere there is a good place for medics on the fireground. Committed to the scene is not it. Sitting back at the station watching TV ain't it either. (Edited for glaring spelling/grammar errors - I'm sure there is more but I'm too lazy to check dictionary.com)