helicopper

I'm surprised that this video didn't generate more responses... It's interesting. One of the things that I find most interesting is the President's response to the problem is to provide more grants for firefighters. Hmmm... let's tax everyone to provide a city the opportunity to hire a few firefighters for a few years and then it's up to them to sustain them. Why not cut taxes and reduce stupid federal programs that do nothing but support lobbyists and their benefactors. This would enable local municipalities to hire the numbers of emergency services workers that they need for the long term instead of these little stop-gap band-aid measures.

Why only your agency? Why can't medics in all agencies provide this service; the efficacy is well documented, the trials should certainly have produced data supporting it so why is it just two agencies in our region? As for the QA/QI programs, my question is do they review the appropriateness of medevac decisions? Do they specifically address this aspect of EMS? As has been said, air ambulances are far more costly and far more dangerous than calling you from the next town over for RSI when needed so I'd like to know if our QI programs provide any feedback on these cases? Some of the people you're calling the EMTBravo QA/QI committee are among the best and the brightest in EMS; they are instructors and field providers with a wealth of hands-on experience. To say that they are not qualified to discuss an issue such as this and do so intelligently and based upon science is downright insulting.

Follow-up questions (thanks for the responses by the way)... What is the best option for high resolution, low noise, and low light performance that will permit zooming in to pick up fine detail in an image during printing - say making an enlargement from a small section of the original photo. Do you shoot in raw format or jpeg (or other) and what do you use to process the raw images if that's how you do it? Thanks again!

Nobody is disputing your points. This is just a discussion about the usefulness of a helicopter in close proximity to a trauma center and we're all (I think) in agreement that there are times when it is appropriate and other times when it is not. I'd like to know why a medic in a flightsuit is qualified to perform RSI and a medic in a uniform is not? Train the ground medics to perform RSI and the need for airway management won't necessitate a helicopter to provide it. Good discussion.

The off-topic discussion about the medevac decision making process has been moved to the EMS forum. This is the photo forum so please limit the discussion here to photo questions. Thank you to those who pointed this out! Chris192

That's pathetic and if it's one medic you should talk to him or her. If it's an agency problem you should talk to your boss and have him/her talk to their boss. There's no excuse for anyone dumping on anyone in the system. If the medic can't or is too lazy to carry his/her own equipment, leave it there. Let him go back for it - it's not your job! This is supposed to be about teamwork and collaboration but that's just abusive and they're the one's that give all others a bad name.

If I didn't know better I'd swear you were trying to get a rise out of me Don't misunderstand me - I am a staunch advocate of air ambulance service. I just think the judgment that is used in requesting them or not requesting them can be better - in some cases. There are places that call air ambulances too often for reasons other than the patients condition or ohter appropriate criteria and there are areas that don't call them often enough! You do bring up another good point, what if the nearest medevac is tied up because someone wanted to get back in service faster and someone who is in dire straits does without or waits longer for the resource. My main issue is when you're closer by ground than by air and people still wait around for the helicopter. When someone errs on the side of caution and uses the helicopter on a borderline call, no problem. But when an agency's motto is to use the helicopter whenever the EMT feels like it (as evidenced by some people's T-shirts), that's inappropriate. I don't think there is/should be a number or ratio but I'd like our quality assurance/improvement programs to be just that and provide feedback when someone is discharged the same day as the flight so EMT's and medics can improve their decision making skills.

Thanks, Doc! I'm glad there are those kinds of cases. Unfortunately, as ALS indicated there are entirely too many cases where the patient is discharged the very same day so it begs to have the questions asked. I've also seen the requests where the start-up and shutdown of the helicopter is longer than the flight - it simply defies logic! Also along the lines of what ALS was talking about, I think too many providers perceive call audits and QA/QI programs as obstacles they have to negotiate during the year and not as the learning experiences they're supposed to be. I've learned TONS at call audits and through QA/QI programs and have learned a lot about how to be a good provider. But this is for another thread... What do we do when the weather is bad or the helicopter is committed to another call? We do our job and we transport by ground! That's the point.

I'd also be interested in learning more about the dispositions of patients flown to a trauma center when, arguably, they could arrive in the same amount of time by ground. Unfortunately, the QA/QI programs don't seem to address this and I don't think we'll ever get an official answer from LifeNet as their jobs depend on call volume. Combative and in weeds does not a trauma patient make. Could it have been alchohol or drugs that caused the combativness. He self extricated from the car so he obviously had use of all his appendages. Are you saying that the ground medic couldn't intubate him or that the flight crew paralyzed him to do it? Doesn't make a compelling argument for flying but it does make a compelling argument for the re-evaluation of protocols for ground medics. What road was this on? How far from any of the major thoroughfares in Somers was this? If it is a 20 minute trip to the medical center, only a fraction of that time would be on back roads. Finally, does it bother anyone else that the helicopter and ambulance had the same response time? About 15 minutes give or take. What about that issue? This is not about Somers - it's about the pathetic inconsistencies in EMS in general. You could apply these questions to many incidents in many places so don't take this as criticism of Somers FD or EMS.

What is the rationale for a more discreet appearance?

Any member who posts the name, address, or other identifying information of a patient in this (or any other) thread will immediately be suspended. Divulging personal information is not the role of an EMT or medic. Thank you.

License plates (in NYS) have always been the property of the DMV and not the registrant of the vehicle to which they are assigned. I'm not sure about your information about insurance either, in the '80's insurance was required in NY. NYS retains ownership of the plates so if the registration is suspended or revoked, or if a vehicle is removed from the road, they can require their return. Of course that is not always successful but imagine if the plates didn't belong to them?

License plates are actually the property of the Department of Motor Vehicles so it is illegal to sell them. Yes, you can re-register historical plates on historical vehicles but that is subject to the rules and regulations of DMV. I've seen license plates for sale in other states also and it always struck me as strange that they could/would be sold as it is a great way to cover criminal activity.

All true but until the entire social services system gets an overhaul and people are actually accountable for their actions (or inactions) this is what we've got and the healthcare industry shoulders the load. There have been system abusers for as long as there has been a system. Sadly, nobody seems to want to fix the problem.

Most police departments have restrictions on what you're allowed to do while out sick or injured. If a person has an injury preventing them from operating in the field they may, subject again to the rules of the department, be allowed to work at headquarters or another non-field assignment. The job has the right to prevent the misuse of sick leave and confining an employee to his residence is not unreasonable. I agree that there are differences between jobs, union contracts, and the like but the bottom line is it's hard to claim you're out "sick" while you're playing college football. If he sat home watching football instead of playing it we wouldn't even be having this argument.

I agree with all of the above remarks. Please read the criteria for an IA and above all make sure the incident is confirmed before you post. "Reported" or "Possible" incident IA's are inappropriate. Thanks again for everyone's contributions to the site.

Given the amount of traffic on the sites and the number of members, it only stands to reason that we would eventually be the target of a hacker. Happily, the security features worked to minimize the intrusion and the site administrators were able to limit the "damage" to one day of posts/messages. All in all, that's a pretty good response. Thank you to the tech side of the staff. Nobody should have any future problems but as discussed, if you see something, say something. Oops, wrong security message. Seriously though, if you have any problems e-mail Seth or another administrator. Thanks!

The below IA made me wonder about medevac operations in our area. So a few questions for those in the know... Doesn't STAT-Flight have three medevacs in our immediate area? (Westchester, Orange, Sullivan) Why call NorthStar if we have all these aircraft available locally? Who is "Atlantic 1" and where do they operate from? This is more of a philosophical question than an operational one but I'll throw it out here anyway. Does it make sense to take all four critical traumas (assuming that they're critical and that's why they're going by air) to the same hospital? Doesn't that just relocate the disaster from the highway to the hallway? I mean WMC may be very good but to handle four simultaneous traumas is a stretch for any hospital. It also required that some of the medevacs fly back from whence they came empty. Could have cut a flight leg out by flying back to "home base", no? This is not a bash or a dig or anything other than an inquiry!!! I'm sure that everyone on the scene did everything perfectly and waist straps were fastened and reflective vests were worn!

It is very important when using a public/shared computer that you LOG OFF when you complete your visit. It is also recommended that you DO NOT store/save your log-in information on such a computer. If you're using a computer at the firehouse, PD, EMS station, school, library, etc. be sure to log off before you go. This is true of any site requiring log-in information but we're reminding our members because on several occasions members have posted using other members credentials. BE CAREFUL! Without compelling proof that your log-in was used fraudulently, you can/will be held responsible for posts from your member account! Take a few minutes to be sure your identity is safe (whether EMTBravo or any other private information) before you leave a public computer! Thanks for your understanding and cooperation. Chris192 EMTBravo web team

Please re-read this and be mindful of this when using shared computers. We are all adults and we must take responsibility for ourselves. If you log into a computer to access EMTBravo (or anything else for that matter), be sure to log off when you're done. Thank you!

I'm curious about how many of his 47 years were spent incarcerated especially given his recent release from State prison. Figure he didn't start his one-man crime wave until he was about 13 years old so he's managed to be arrested 1.5 times per year since then. That's probably far higher if you factor in the time he was in jail. Can anyone say habitual offender status and life without parole??? Kudos to the rookie who made the grab - that has to be some kind of record! Graduation to Central Booking in 15 minutes!

It does to a limited extent (only for emergencies or official duties). emphasis added

Anyone working on a 211 waiver has to do this every two years and the waivers are becoming harder and harder to come by (at least at the State level). A whole bunch of NYS employees who were working on these waivers were just told that they will not be renewed and they are all losing their State jobs. While this may be good from a budgetary standpoint, it will result in a tremendous "brain drain" in some organizations and some very talented people who did the lion's share of the work are being let go. Tough times, now and ahead!

It's all about quality over quantity. I've worked with people who could, in a matter of just a few words, convey an entire story and I've worked with people who would talk for an hour and leave you more confused than when you started. I catch myself sometimes and remind myself that less is more! Of course there are times that the situation dictates that you transmit a long message but we all have to remember that other people use the frequency and they may have something equally important to say (just 'cause you're the IC doesn't mean you're the only one with an important message!) Get the message out, then shut up and LISTEN! Remember, to be truly effective communications is TWO WAY!

Today I was accused of censoring members on this site. I've previously expressed my belief that objectivity is important for the staff and I always try to promote that - here and behind the scenes with other staff members. The focal point of the issue today is the below described forum rules. In a passionate discussion, one member could not seem to post without specifically bashing certain members who disagreed with him in violation of the foregoing policy. As a result, the statements in violation were redacted, leaving the members remaining comments (the non-inflammatory ones) intact. This is not censorship, this is adherence to policy. Another site policy prohibits the tired old paid vs. volunteer arguments. At least one recent thread brings this back to the forefront. We don't all have to hold hands and sing Kumbya but we should be able to agree to disagree and to respect each ohter's viewpoints without resorting to mud slinging. None of the staff on this site wants to edit or delete any posts but without the forum rules and moderation there would be few, if any, real discussions on substantive topics. Asking the members to abide by a few simple rules really shouldn't be that big a deal. Let's try to remember that the next time someone cries censorship. We've been down this road before and I suspect things have been much better since the last time the subject came up.