firemoose827

I like it Seth! Makes my Irish blood boil! Everyone stay safe this St Patricks Day and dont take any video! McMoose

Well, my problem is everyone calls me Moose...or atleast I want them too. I usually sign my PM's with Brian a lot, and with a last name like Jones whos worried about stealing my identity!! If you can figure out which of the million Jones' I am you deserve all $2.19 I have in the bank!!! I would have to consider and agree with those who have posted their concerns about keeping with their usernames though. For some its there jobs, for others its an issue of their Departments constantly harrassing them about posts they made....whatever their concerns are I believe they are valid ones. So, I will join the crowd on the fence with this one...if you ask me my name I will tell you, I have nothing to hide nor do I feel I need to hide behind a fake name when I post. When I post I speek from my experiences, and If I have no experience in the topic I Learn from it and those who have experience. Anyone wishing to validate my knowledge on a topic I discuss, feel free to PM me and I will be glad to chat with you. Stay Safe Moose

I Hope whatever is ailing you gets better soon. Think Positive and keep your head up bro. Moose

So you are now an official "1000 Post Club" member!! Congrats! ( Ihave ohhh....a little over 300 more to go!!)

Copy that Jack, see you in a few minutes, Moose out. Hey Seth; .--..-...---.../ .---.--....--.---,....---.........ok?

Exactly!! Some people cant handle a position of authority and start to abuse it after a while. Eventually they dont see a joke, they see a reason to "Reprimand" someone and abuse the power given to them. If you condone your members from coming on this site to "Learn" something than theres a problem. Not only is it educational, you network yourself to people from across the Country and build friendships. Its the same as donning your FD uniform and attending a training seminar, Lecture, or class? Isnt it? Why then would the chiefs have a problem with their members getting 24 hour access to a site Loaded with peers and leaders and members sharing their knowledge about fire, EMS and police work? It makes no sense to me, because its happening to me also. I posted a topic about smoke containing the different spectrum of poisons now-adays and the LODD's that were caused by it and reminding everyone to wear their masks 100% of the time on the pin-up board in the station. Next thing I know Im being questioned about "This site your on" and "Do you share everything about the dept" and everything else. It was almost like an interrogation of sorts. Why cant people just be allowed to practise their 1st ammendment? It bothers me. Moose

Ladder55, I dont think anyone has taken a personal shot at the performance of the Dept, rather than question the need for a Police Commisioner for such a small dept. Whats your take on this being from the area? I think the general consensus here is the fact they have too many "Chiefs" and not enough "Indians"! Keep it clean gentlemen/ladies! Moose

Well, I know around me, especially in my old squad, we do have 24 hour schedules that we encourage people to sign up for. Some agencies have schedules for nights and weekends in 12 hour blocks. They dont always get filled but atleast the Officers know what times are covered and which ones are open. I have never seen the crews using the rig as personal vehicles around here, the gas is too expensive for any volunteer agency to afford its members cruising around picking up laundry or dropping the kids off at school. But the schedule does help plan ahead for timesf the day that may need auto mutual aid to cover, instead of waiting for the tones to go off and hope someone shows.

Thanks Seth, Thanks Everyone. I appreciate being selected as Moderator and was hoping I was doing my job correctly and doing everything I could to help the site. Thank You All! Moderator Moose!!

Lots of good points and I dont know where to start! Abaduck, brother I know where you are coming from! Im scottish too, and growing up I had a Full Blooded Scottish Great Grandmother who always allowed my brother and I to drink wine at family hollidays. Never bothered us as kids, and neither one of us had the crazy urge to drink and go nuts as high school students. Which brings me to one of my points, I believe that its the "Forbidden" things kids will want to do the most. If they are not allowed to drink as young teens in their house at family parties, which is where I was most intrigued to do so, than they will only try and do it illegally without supervision, and do stupid things just to show their defiance of authority. The more something is restricted to them, the more they will want to do it. Case in point being all of the posts about alcohol poisoning in college with freshmen. I respond to our SUNY college all the time and pick up kids who drank too much too fast, and when questioned its always the same grouping of answers..."I couldnt wait to see what its like"...."I'm at school and I'm an adult so I can do what I want when I want too."..."My parents weren't here to tell me not to so I did it." My other opinion here is todays movies and actors/actresses who are, scarily enough, role models to these kids. Its almost a gaurunteed that most kids will try and do whatever their "role models" do in the movies they watch. If they get ripped and go and steal cars.... Its gaurunteed our LE will be buisy with Grand Theft Auto cases and drunk driving. If the movie role models advertise smoking pot and doing crazy, dangerous things as a "Great High" than kids will be imitating this behavior. Sadly enough its true, but this brings me to my final point and what supports the other two points made,.....Parenting. Todays parenting isnt what it used to be. With all of the legalities, law suits, and CPS referrals because parents "Argue" with each other in front of the child its hard to be parents. Todays parents have to step up to the plate even more than my parents had to. But a lot of them fail to do so, and let their kids do as they please instead of try and "Talk" to them. Everything today is yelling, and violence. Its too much effort for a parent to sit with their child and talk anymore, today its an attempt to "Scare" their kids straight....but it just makes the kids want to do illegal stuff even more because of the "Mystery" of it all, because they were not properly educated by their parents as to WHY its dangerous to drink and drive, or do drugs. Parents today just say "Do drugs and I will disown you" instead of actually explaining why drugs are bad. Sorry, I ranted and raved there. Bottom line of what Im saying....Kids want to desperately be adults and do the things they cant or what they see on TV, and parents are failing to educate them that its all not what its cracked up to be.

I agree with Jack on this one. It wont kill you to take three seconds to type in a brief description of the video and maybe WHY you posted it in the first place. For all we know you just think its cool. Try and make some kind of learning experience from sharing videos... Like; "Saw this video today, had some great shots of hydraulic ventilation being used and thought it would be nice to share." Short, sweet, didnt take me long to type and atleast now the readers know what they are looking for in the video clip. Am I right or wrong?

Great Job Jack!! I know you have helped me ease into my roll as moderator and helped me numerous times, and I thank you for helping Seth and the group for making this site one of the best! Thanks Jack, and Congratulations brother! Moderator Moose

Just an opinion here, but if there is any cell phone communications to be made, shouldnt whoever is not driving at the time be the one to carry it out? I realise that if you are enroute to the hospital and your Partner is doing PT treatment its a little difficult, but for the remainder of the time someone other than the driver can be using the phone. Especially in fire trucks where you have a driver, officer, and crew. Police....well, there realy isnt any easy way for them unless they are doubled up with someone, but isnt cell phone talk the same as using a radio mic to talk with someone? And with the radio you have a wire dangling across the steering wheel as you talk/drive. Its a confusing thing, but what are you going to do?

Although I agree with you about it being free, and I have always supported Seth and the site, I was mainly looking for more ideas to be able to encourage all of the "Lurkers" to become more active and start making more posts. Thats all. I wasnt looking for more "Free" stuff, sorry, I should have clarified that better. We have the system, we might as well make good use of it to increase the post count and knowledge base. Moose

If I can remember correctly the idea behind the points was to donate so much per point to a charity at the end of the year, like a burn unit or something. Otherwise there is points lottery, and you can bribe other members by offering them points .... Maybe we should re-invent the whole point system and find something that works....Like PM service for so many points a month, or create forums that members have to spend points to view/post in...any other ideas let a group staff member know.

Oh I agree totally chris. We had a gentleman who didnt want to be an EMT but was a Manager at a local ARC home and had good people skills that offered to run for Captain to help run the squad while we were low on EMT's. He was quickly shot down, Nicely, and explained exactly what you said, we would not be able to allow someone without EMS skills and experience to boss around an EMT and tell them how to handle pt care. He understood. As far as toning out for an attendant, NO! LOL We dont do that, if they are not at the rig before it leaves than they lost out. The same for our EMS explorers. We leave when we get an EMT and a driver. Most of the time we are spoiled and get 2-3 attendants a call to help, which is great! Moose

Good topic, and Im sure a lot of people will jump on me for saying it but I believe every dept should have strict physical fitness policies in place. There are too many LODD out there attributed to cardiovascular incidents and its because we as firefighters fail to continue a physical fitness program on a weekly basis. If my dept had a Physical Fitness program once a month that would definately help me out. Im overweight and have a family history of cardiac problems, but I keep procrastinating. My dept provides us with a full gym in the firehouse with treadmill, bike, nautilus machine and tons of free weights, but I never get my but down there. If they had it set up where each member had to be a certain weight, and pass a Physical agility test annually I think it would help us all out....is it going to happen? Probably not. Why? Because there are a bunch of guys out there who will do everything in their power to make sure it doesnt happen, its already too much for them to get their annual OSHA training and attend drills and meetings, now you want to regulate their fitness? Sadly, isnt going to happen. But maybe someday it will become reality after too many of us loose brothers to heart attacks. I try every week to get down to the firehouse and use the free stuff provided for members but Im always so tired after working 2 FT jobs.....*sigh* I was thinking of asking our dept to set aside one drill a month for physical fitness training; whether it be walking/running, weightlifting, cardiovascular stuff, or even a football or softball game between members or depts in our area. Anything to be active. Good topic brother. Stay Safe

I find it interesting to read how different people from different areas feel on different topics, this being one of them. I would like to add to a few things already mentioned. Chris192, I see where you are coming from with the vaccinations and what not, but you also have to try and look beyond youre area of the world to see where some of us are coming from. There are a lot of people out there who just plain want to help someone....but for various reasons dont want to be an EMT. There are some that just cant handle the responsibility or they are scared...but when they ride the ambulance and watch a few calls they usually end up moving on; either leaving the squad, or even better, Becoming an EMT. Some are just not capable of Learning the EMT curriculum, like one guy in our squad who has taken the EMT class 3 times so far and failed...even with a dozen of us helping him and studying with him, he just couldnt comprehend the material, but he wanted so desperately to help people. So now he is just an attendant. Even with a guy like him sitting next to the patient holding their hands and talking with them helps out tremendously. It takes their minds off the pain, and allows us ( EMT's) to treat them without fighting them. I could go on and on about some of the volunteer personalities I have run into over the years as captain and Lt, but those are the major ones. It also helps people feel good about themselves and strengthens the community by allowing people to join as attendants. There are some squads in our area that have tremendous pride, and have set crews for 12 hour blocks nights and weekends and they have compititions to see how many calls each crew has. And when I say crew I mean a driver, EMT, 1 or 2 attendants, and sometimes an ALS provider depending on their work schedules. Theres one crew that has 6 people and they are all close and work very well together. So, even the lowly attendant has pride in helping people and therefore should get atleast a Jacket with the squad name on it. Around here we are all clearly designated with CFR, EMT, and Paramedic patches. The drivers have thei CEVO patches on their coats and the attendants get their CPR, and some have Ha-Mat 1st Responder patches. Just something to show their pride in what they do for their community. Stay Safe Moose

Yes, we have "Attendants" that help with Equipment and lifting, some even act as scribe and write down notes for the EMT. Some yes. After they receive training and are OK'd by the officers. Some who Were EMT's are classic examples. No. They are only there for assistance and an extra pair of hands. They are required to get and maintain their CPR cards. Other than that they are expected to know the location of all equipment and the operation of the stretcher, stair chair, ect. We do this primarily because it allows the people who are not sure yet if they want to be an EMT to "Test the Waters" and find out if its what they want. Than, when they do go on for their EMT cards they have some experience, and continued hands on training in the field during their class time. Some of our attendants even receive a basic training class from the county medics on how to spike a bag of fluids, and set up NS Locks and prepare the meds for the medic ( Like D50, pop the tops and screw the two parts together and clear the air) The only problem I have seen is with the Ex-EMT's that let their cards drop due to lack of time to recert, or they just didnt want the responsibility any more. They sometimes get the old spark back and want to jump in and lead the call, but with a gentle reminder they always resume their functions as attendant. The attendants are also good for driving the ALS fly-cars to the ER for the County Medics so we dont have to drop them back off at the scene. They realy are great to have, extra hands go a long way in a code situation where you need gophers, chest compressions, lifting assistance, or someone to hold the IV bag.

I would like to bring up another story I heard about c-spine injury. (Without getting smacked...PLEASE!LOL) When I took my EMT-CC class the instructor told us of a call he did a month ago. Hes a county EMS Coordinator/Paramedic, he responded to an accident, 1 car rollover. The responding ambulance was advised that the PT had exited the vehicle and was seated on the tire. Upon the Medics arrival the crew were doing a standing backboard take down anyway, and when asked they said "As a precaution" simply. As it turned out, when the PT went for x-rays they found a fractured vertabrae in his neck that hadnt displaced or moved. If he had turned his head fast or sneezed or any kind of violent movement he would have either been paralyzed or been killed. Just wanted to share that after seeing your post. Very well put and you have good points. The longboard realy doesnt do a complete job of immobilization, but yet everyone treats them as "Divine Intervention" and if the pt is in one they cant get hurt. More advancements in C-spine injury detection and care in the field need to be addressed and implemented.

You know, you talk about Ego here for the firefighters and yet the officer finds it necessary to arrest the Captain while carrying out his duties, why? Ddi he get desperate and just want to flaunt his power in front of everyone cause I didnt see anything wrong with this scene UNTILL the Police arrested him. The using the truck as a buffer is what ALL FIREFIGHTERS do everywhere cause we are tired of almost getting run over by speading rubberneckers. You officers should feel the same way when you make a stop and the cars are whizzing by only inches behind you, dont you? Well, in our training we use trucks to slow them down. And in this case, the captain was probably moving fast so that he could get the patient out of the road and than remove his truck from traffic. I know thats always a thought in my officers heads, clearing the roadway and not causing traffic hazards. As far as jumping from the cab while moving....yah, its wrong and shouldnt happen, but what was the pt's injuries? What level of care was the captain? BLS? ALS? Again, as is always the case with the members here, you are all making Assumptions that cant be backed up with fact. The point being made here...Was the arrest necessary? Could the officer and Captain have had a chat after the pt was cleared? Bottom line, I think Police, EMS, and fire should all train together more often, so we know the others procedures for different things, than needles stuff like this will be avoided. I find it rediculous that the members of this group are bickering back and forth, especially when the sweater I wear quite often says "Work Together Win Together". And yes, I think that what Eng265 said was NOT called for. Brother, do not come on this site and say you "Hate" police, you embarrass the rest of us and make us look bad.

Your absolutely right, AND wrong brother. Its given that every dept has their rebels that absolutely refuse to follow the rules, and not everyone is perfect. But that shouldnt stop us from preaching safety to everyone to ensure that we all Start to use all of the gear provided for us. Take me for example. Over the summer I responded to a Dumpster fire at one of our small strip malls in the village. When the Engine pulled in I was the only one fully buttoned up in gear, WITH the SCBA on, with the mask flowing air. I grabbed the nozzle and approached the area, while waiting for water I was surrounded by several officers, ALL without gear. The chief, an assistant, and two captains. The guy who rode the engine with me had no pack and he was a new member, yet he stood right by the officers and no one said anything.....to him. They all looked at me and one capt finaly said, "You packed up???" I looked at him head to toe and said calmly " Do YOU know whats burning in here? Can you confirm theres no Haz-mat or other dangerous stuff?" He nodded slowly in agreement and 2 minutes later was standing back by the truck. Its called complacency and its the most dangerous thing for us to start. Lets change that brother.

That picture brings up another personal favorite of mine...the Helmet Strap around the brim of the helmet. That may seem stupid to most, but while we are talking about having safety features in place and not using them, this is just as important. I cant stand seeing the strap around the brim. Its designed to keep the helmet on the head. This guy goes into a structure fire (hopefully Without the loafers) and gets stuck in a ceiling collapse, or falls...the first piece of debris knocks his helmet off the second makes him a vegetable or the next job for the coroner....stupid things like that, probably only because "Its annoying", are what keeps the LODD statistics so high.........*SIGH* (shakes head back and forth slowly) Please stay safe and use your gear...PROPERLY. Moose

Yah, my favorite, and winner of the "Boner of the Month" award goes to the chief with limited PPE using the Halmatro tool standing in front of the bumper...way to lead by example! I hope this only pounds it in to everyones heads to always wear full PPE and never end up the brunt of this sites membership tearing you apart!!!! Stay Safe....® Moose

You are a very well spoken gentleman, proven by using words I cant even pronounce!!! "colloquialism", can you help an older fart out by defining that term please?!! LOL Very well put, and I agree that the cop shouldnt have pushed that kid. He was too violent and if the video wasnt shot than no one would have believed him...sadly. But, we do need more facts for this, like feralden said, and I have said earlier, we cant get many facts from a 3 minute video. Who called the cop? Why did they call? What were the kids doing other than skateboarding? Was another civilian involved or harrassed by the kids? GM911, if you could please PM me with that definition I would APPRECIATE it!! Thanks bro. Moose