Skooter92

And yes, I work for WEMS. Let's get that right out. And if somebody came up with a better, less expensive system, I'd be all for it. But fragmenting a regional system that works for less money per community in favor of fiefdoms that may cost more and provide less service due to a personal vendetta. That sucks butt.

And a few more points: 1) If New Castle opts out, and hires 1 medic FT, when that medic goes out, who covers? WEMS has another car repost to cover, and also has a Medic 4 bus/car as-available as well as the occaisional supervisor with a set of gear. New Castle's second medic will be mutual aid from where? 2) If CVAC, which wholeheartedly supports the system, can't get a crew, under the new system, would the medic have to ride it in? If so, is this really an improvement/ 3) Money-wise, the system is a bargain. Let Janet inform the taxpayers how much more it will cost for dedicated service-they will NOT be happy. 4) Dick Wells works for Transcare. Janet has come out in favor of TC since Dickie didn't get a job at WEMS. You CANNOT tell me this isn't personal. And I am NOT privy to confidential info, because Dick himself ran all over crying about the inequity of it all, even after his wife made phone calls on his behalf to WEMS urging them to hire him. WEMS declined to hire him, per Dick, due to his lack of experience. So why punish the towns in the consortium. Maturity.......get some today.

Unfortunately, this situation seems to be based on the fact that Dick Wells, Janet Wells' husband, is a paramedic who was not hired by WEMS in the past. This seems to be a big sticking point for her, as she has had a bee in her bonnet since then. Facts are facts, and Janet is pressing this for personal reasons.

No big secret. Two new 06 Expeditions, awaiting conversions, radios and striping. Soon to make an appearance in a flycar system near you.

WEM's EMT starting is lower than other outfits, but the benefit package is way better than any other company in the region. Once you figure your total compensation (wage + company's contribution to benefits), your total package is far higher.

If anyone noticed, the ambulances are all older Ford gas rigs. A friend o' mine explained that this is because of the horrendous noise diesel rigs make and how this complicates sound recording in and around the units.

I do wear a "buff belt"....with my cell, my portable, a Strion light (damn bright little sucker), the issued pager in a little case, and the narcs in one of those neat leather cases. I carry a baggie of gloves in one thigh pocket (so no one on scene has a good excuse not to help), and in the other thigh pocket a broselow tape, a copy of the WestCo protocols, and a little spiral notebook for info on turfed calls. I don't always think having a buff belt with stuff on it relates inversely to knowledge, ability, longevity.....but I agree WHAT you carry does relate to your comfort and knowledge of what you really need vs. what you can possibly fit. I've been doing EMS for about 19 years....you tend to whittle it down to what YOU need....others need more or less, but try not to judge too harshly cause I know some fantastic medics and EMTs who wear 10 tons o' crap around their waists...and conversely, some sucky ones who stroll in with nothing but their atttude. it's the whole book/cover/don't judge thing, aight? Personally, I think the little snap loops on buff pants are useless...the scissors, etc, always get in the way or fall out. Putting a scissor sheath inside the thigh pocket, where it's covered and won't snag.....that might be an idea.

Time to dump your KFC stock, boys. Turkey wings, anyone?

Plectron- Is this system going to be mounted on your PERV (Personal Emergency Response Vehicle)?

Off-Duty Dining-this thread is for all the places we love to go but aren't really on-duty dining material. Whether due to location, cost or other factors, this is where we put the places that when we walk in we most likely: 1) Wear civilian clothing; 2) Either turn off or, *gasp*, leave at home our pagers/radios; 3) Don't tend to tell our war stories. In other words, nice places for normal people. List those here!

Outstanding!

Mazel Tov!!!!!! On behalf of the Westchester Jewish Paramedics Association, welcome to the club!

Oh yeah.....this too.

Pick one.....

Just some of the late night host humour going around. "d*** Cheney accidentally shot a fellow hunter, a 78-year-old lawyer. In fact, when people found out he shot a lawyer, his popularity is now at 92 percent." --Jay Leno Good news, ladies and gentlemen, we have finally located weapons of mass destruction: It's d*** Cheney." --David Letterman, on Cheney's shooting accident "But here is the sad part -- before the trip Donald Rumsfeld had denied the guy's request for body armor." --David Letterman "We can't get bin Laden, but we nailed a 78-year-old attorney." --David Letterman "But all kidding aside, and in fairness to d*** Cheney, every five years he has to shed innocent blood or he violates his deal with the devil." --Jimmy Kimmel "The guy who got gunned down, he is a Republican lawyer and a big Republican donor and fortunately the buck shot was deflected by wads of laundered cash. So he's fine. He took a little in the wallet." --David Letterman "Cheney's defense is that he was aiming at a quail when he shot the guy. Which means that Cheney now has the worst aim of anyone in the White House since Bill Clinton." --Jay Leno "I think Cheney is starting to lose it. After he shot the guy he screamed, 'Anyone else want to call domestic wiretapping illegal?'" --Jay Leno "When the ambulance got there, out of force of habit they put Cheney on the stretcher. No, the other guy!" --Jay Leno "d*** Cheney is capitalizing on this for Valentine's Day. It's the new d*** Cheney cologne. It's called Duck!" --Jay Leno "Something I just found out today about the incident. Do you know that d*** Cheney tortured the guy for a half hour before he shot him?" --Jay Leno "Vice President d*** Cheney accidentally shot a man during a quail hunt ... making 78-year-old Harry Whittington the first person shot by a sitting veep since Alexander Hamilton. Hamilton, of course, (was) shot in a duel with Aaron Burr over issues of honor, integrity and political maneuvering. Whittington? Mistaken for a bird." --Jon Stewart "Now, this story certainly has its humorous aspects. ... But it also raises a serious issue, one which I feel very strongly about. ... moms, dads, if you're watching right now, I can't emphasize this enough: Do not let your kids go on hunting trips with the vice president. I don't care what kind of lucrative contracts they're trying to land, or energy regulations they're trying to get lifted -- it's just not worth it." --Jon Stewart "The Vice President is standing by his decision to shoot Harry Whittington. Now, according to the best intelligence available, there were quail hidden in the brush. Everyone believed at the time there were quail in the brush. And while the quail turned out to be a 78- year-old man, even knowing that today, Mr. Cheney insists he still would have shot Mr. Whittington in the face. He believes the world is a better place for his spreading buckshot throughout the entire region of Mr. Wittington's face." --"Daily Show" correspondent Rob Corddry "He is a lawyer and he got shot in the face. But he's a lawyer, he can use his other face. He'll be all right." --Craig Ferguson "You can understand why this lawyer fellow let his guard down, because if you're out hunting with a politician, you think, 'If I'm going to get it, it's going to be in the back.'" --Craig Ferguson "The big scandal apparently is that they didn't release the news for 18 hours. I don't think that's a scandal at all. I'm quite pleased about that. Finally there's a secret the vice president's office can keep." --Craig Ferguson "Apparently the reason they didn't release the information right away is they said we had to get the facts right. That's never stopped them in the past." --Craig Ferguson "You know what they say, if d*** Cheney comes out of his hole and shoots an old man in the face, six more weeks of winter." --Jimmy Kimmel "The Vice President says that it was an accident. He claims the guy got in his line of fire, but the good news was he was delicious. Eat what you shoot!" --Jimmy Kimmel "This is a great story. You've got the Vice President, a shotgun, a bunch of rich guys hunting tiny little birds. The only thing that could possibly make this story better is if he shot Michael Jackson." --Jimmy Kimmel "The man who was shot is named Harry Whittington. He's a high powered Republican lawyer, he was very lucky. They say the only reason that he wasn't killed is he was wearing the body armor that never got shipped to our troops." --Jimmy Kimmel "So in summary, the Vice President of the United States shot a 78-year-old man in the face. Congratulations Mister Vice President, you are now a Crip." --Jimmy Kimmel I didn't realize Big Brother would react so poorly to VP Cheney's first name, but that's pretty damn funny too. Dick Cheney. Hee hee. Snicker. Can you imagine if he had accidentally shot the Prez? "Dick Nails Bush in the Panhandle" Dear lord, I need therapy.

Me and the woman have been dining out at Precious Garden on Main Street in Peekskill. The food is far superior to anything in the area, and they have some Szechuan dishes that really rock in a clear-your-sinuses kind of way. Prices are decent, and they have some really hysterical liquor choices. PRECIOUS GARDEN (914) 737-8611 990 MAIN ST PEEKSKILL, NY 10566

If you are willing to render care to others, I find that commendable. Don't worry about risk or liability-New York state has strong Good Samaritan legislation in place-as long as you act within your training. If your department will give you equipment, great. If not, there is nothing silly/stupid/whacker about throwing together some essentials and having them on hand. What I think is ridiculous is having to stand there with your hands in your pockets doing nothing for want of a few items. OK, time to hop off of my soapbox. Buy something inexpensive-there are bags at WalMart that will hold what you need at a fraction of the price of a buff bag. Alternatively, there are auctions on eBay for inexpensive buff bags. Don't spend over $25-30 for a bag. Fill it with: -A ziplock bag of disposable medical gloves in your size. -A disposable facemask or two. -A pair of disposable goggles or other protective eyewear. -Buy a small bottle of alcohol handwash at CVS/WalMart. -A pocket CPR facemask with a one-way valve. -Some 4x4 gauze sponges, individually wrapped. -Some ABD pads. -Medical tape, 2 inch being pretty handy. -A roll or two of 3" gauze -A pair of medic shears-don't pay more than $2-3 bucks for these at a flea market, or steal 66Alpha1's. -Finally, a disposable space blanket at WalMart from the camping goods section. I think it's great that you're willing to lay out your own $ for stuff. The disposable stuff, though-PM me. I'll get you stuff, because you seem sincere. Good luck, and have fun. And yes, I carry a buff bag in my truck. And I've been doing EMS for almost 20 years. And I still stop to help people out. Call me what you will, but don't stomp all over some kid who has his heart in the right place.

Documenting your observations regarding the presence of alcohol on the patient's breath or person is tough. Technically, stating you "smell alcohol on the the patient's breath/body" is legally imprecise, since you aren't really differentiating (nor are you able to) between the various alcohols (isopropyl, ethanol, methyl, propyl, etc) and substances that can smell like alcohol when on the breath or body and have similar effects on the patient (such as ethylene glycol). Your best bet is to concisely document physical findings such as dilated pupils, slurred speech, mental status and response to commands, and gait. Document as well any statements made by the patient (if not too sloshed to speak!) relevant to their presentation, as well as observations of their surroundings which help to create the overall picture you're trying to paint WITHOUT making the overt statement that the patient is "drunk/intoxicated". Both are assumptions made without specific training and/or an Intoxilyzer. You CAN document on the PCR that you "smelled an odor similar to an alcoholic beverage" on the patient' breath/body-that's a direct observation based on your senses, not an assumption.

I am IN LOVE with pastrami.....have been since I was but a wee lad. Personal favorite is Katz's on Houston Street in Manhattan. Anywhere else we should be looking? (Bloom's and Epstein's don't seem to do it for me anymore.)

Yeah, and it's morons like that that will keep EMS in business for years to come, not to mention their local interventional cardiology lab.

I enjoy a nice bagel in the morning....and I have my favorite spots... New York Bagel in Kisco (not a plug for jybeho's parental unit...the bagels ARE good) Somers Hot Bagel H&H Bagel in NYC. Anybody got any other good places to round up a bagel in the AM?

Gotta agree with the anomalyman tho......towel rolls were the bomb. we used the back at Empress for years, and besides ticking off the hospitals for using all their towels, they used to work great. Plus, they're pretty handy as footballs between calls.

Sandbags used to work well........but had some attendant issues. Damn cervical displacement. I like foam headblocks as they are pretty adaptable. The cardboard devices are pretty flimsy, and don't provide support along the length of the patient's head while they are supine.

Actually, they don't use Nextel. They have their own private iDen network.

What kind of wine would you serve with freshly severed p****?