WAS967

CAPS LOCK IS CRUISE CONTROL FOR COOL. The main number for Phelps ELSP is 914-366-ELSP. Real easy to remember ain't it? Not sure if we have any classes in Northern Westchester but there is definitely classes to be held at the new super duper deluxe handy dandy HOCH Center for Emergency Education. If you haven't seen the place, call them up and ask for a tour. It's quite nice.

Hey now. Don't forget your favorite lab instructor. For those looking to get in on ON-SITE TESTING. Register ASAP. There are usually only a limited number of seats and they fill up faster than the Metro at rush.

I'd have to guess that the Hackley School fire will probably be close to the top of the list for Westchester, and the big fire up in Dutchess (name of the building slips my mind) takes the cake for them.

Just off Westbrook Drive in Cortlandt (Fawn Lane I believe) used to have a good number of houses (two in particular) that would put up a ton of Christmas decorations. The two mentioned houses used to seem to be in a competition to see who could put up more lights. I'm guessing one of the houses changed ownership or something because one year I drove by in anticipation and one wasn't even done up. One of the BEST neighborhoods I've EVER seen is over in New Jersey in the Franklin Lakes area. I forget the exact address but there are usually police running traffic control becuse so many cars go through there. For some reason we call it "Elvis' House".

It could be even worse: http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=bb5_1197533794

A co-worker shared a story with me recently that will make me never again go on a cruise without the traveller's insurance that they offer. Her father became Ill and had to be treated in some backwall hospital in mexico, then airlifted back to the US for Surgery. The bill was a whopping $30,000+. All covered by the inexpensive insurance they purchased before the cruise. Now THAT's a good deal.

The law is obviously a stupid one. You have to be killed or seriously injured for the driver to face any criminal penalties? Please. He may not be criminally negligent, but I hope he's prepared for a civil suit.

If there were three other patients and the EMS crew found the patient not breathing despite and airway maneuver, they could well have declared her dead under START triage and moved onto the other three patients that could be helped. There are dozens of scenarios in which this COULD happen. Without all the information one just doesn't know. And what do you need to confirm in three leads for? If you are dealing with a single patient scenario (albeit this one was not) and you need to put the monitor on the "confirm in three leads" then you clearly are unsure the patient is dead and should be working the code. Obvious death is just that. Obvious. If the patient has rigor, lividity, decapitation, or other injuries that are incompatible with life, they are DEAD. PS....please stop calling ALS for a "declaration" - EMTs are just as capable (or should be) of knowing that rigor/lividity = DOA.

FYI, such a policy has existed from the Westchester region since 2004. Wonder what took the Hudson Valley Region so long to catch up? BTw....found this on the WREMAC site. Interesting information that should be mandatory reading for all users:

Being shrimp shell based, what are the chances of a shellfish based Allergic Reaction to the hemostatic agents?

Enjoy the Wisdom of George Carlin:

Capnography/Capnometry are vastly UNDERutilized tools. I'd like to see more agencies using it. I've made believers of people in the past, and hopefully they will spread the word. ETCO2 readins will be your FIRST indiciator of ROSC (return of spontaneous circulation). It can also be very interesting to watch a capnograph change as you reverse bronchspasm with Albuterol treatments.

Passing along the following. Please pray for the member's family (both home and work), they have some tough times ahead.

Now wait. When you mean "Yorktown EMS" do you mean the entire town? Or are you just doing your project on YVAC? Don't forget 30% of the town (roughly) is covered by Mohegan VAC.

LOL. Now Phil, while I appreciate your fetish for unclean Frenchmen, I personally will pass on that above. NOW.....for the past two years NWH and PMH have sponsored a CME at Traveler's Rest for local EMS responders in appreciation for their hard work and dedication. Both have featured open bars. Shall we criticize those as well? OMG. I attended in uniform. I am going to go resign now.

What people seem to forget (or just plain don't know) is that there are two types of contraindication: Relative and Absolute. Nasal intubation of a patient with r/o Head Injury is a RELATIVE contraindication. Unlike a contraindication that is absolute like giving ASA to a patient with a known severe allergy to it. As demonstrated by the comments above, it's obvious that people's opinions on the subject vary, and in the end it comes down to following local protocol. Personally, I love nasal intubation. My very first field tube was a nasal. One of my most recent tubes was a nasal. In fact if I went back and reviewed all the tubes I've done, I'd say close to 20% of em were nasals. Would I nasal the above mentioned patient? Probably. Would I be careful about it? Hell yeah. But the fact of the matter is, they have a TBI and most likely need aggressive airway control. Both systems I work in do NOT have RSI. My only alternative? Versed. Needless to say, I have not seen very good results with Versed alone in putting down a combative head injury patient. (And one system all we carry is 4mg on hand ). And as for the jumping in medic, yeah, it's a bit uncool to just drop in and start taking over. Sounds more like a turf issue than anything. Or maybe someone was just overzealous.

LOL http://www.spikedhumor.com/articles/122333...aises_Cash.html

Putnam's Legislature has approved funds to extend the contract to the end of the year. They are still seeking a long term solution and should be seeking bids for next years contract imminently.

Ex-2114 speaks the truth and I was going to say the exact same thing. Go buy the keyboard on ebay then hit me up on IM and we'll get it installed for you. Clean a keyboard is futile. Don't bother.

No offense but you really need to do some research on these so called "pension plans" before you call them the guiding light for volunteerism. How much money will these pensions pay out at retirement? 100 dollars a month? Yay. That MIGHT buy you a burger and fries when you're 80 (which will likely be the retirement age by then). There is no one solution. There is no easy solution. Ever agency has the same problem with root causes that can come from different problems. Solving those problems isn't easy and I don't envy the people who face them. Sure, we can all say, go paid. But as we can see from the Putnam situation, that isn't always a viable solution.

If someone offered you a job that paid less than your cost of living, would you take it? The problem with a lot of these municipalities is that they just don't seem to comprehend the sheer expense of running an ALS service of ANY kind. Emergency vehicle insurance rates TRIPLED after 9/11. Malpractice insurance rates are pricey because it's the United States of Litigation. Salaries are high because of the medic shortage, so you have to pay well to get quality medics, and/or pay out a ton of overtime to cover shifts. Equipment costs (both acquisition and maintenance) is anything but cheap. Putnam (the taxpayers that is) needs to step up and make this system Municipal. Make the medics and the vehicles Putnam operated. Putnam (being a municpial agency) would be eligible to purchase the vehicles and equipment tax free AND off state bid (at least the vehicles). The vehicles could be maintained by the county motor pool and fueled from the county refueling system. The medics could be county employees with county benefits and a PENSION, making it an attractive job that would attract quality medics thus offering quality care to the patient. The medics would be accountable to the county and the county would be able to control the system in a way they see fit, not have to go through a third party for disciplinary actions and system changes. The list goes on and on. Putting the system back out to bid is a waste of time. Any company that bids less than what Empire is being paid now is either 1) Stupid or 2) Trying to lowball to get the contract so they can put putnam in the same position they are in now and force them into a price increase. Our options are Transcare, Empire, MLSS, or Alamo. Not too man options. What Putnam needs to do in the interim is get a Certificate of Need for ALS Ambulance service for the county and open up bids to other agencies to operate under that CON as a third party. At least then they would have more options available to them.

I love the ic502 I got from work. I now have cell coverage in my house (and better than Verizon which surprised me). Albiet I'm upgrading from an i1000.

Damn. Nice idea. Looks a bit like the bunks in a submarine. Just you aren't sleeping on 5 tons of torpedo.

Agreed. If they are so worried about the safe operation of the vehicle, they should be nowhere near it. If they want to check for stuff like dirt and dust, it should be done while in PARK. One day someone's foot is going to get run over and who are they going to sue?

ICE was developed by a "medic" over in Europe I believe. If it is implemented here it isn't widely used. I personally have no need for phone number of people to call in the field, I have enough to do without jockeying a cell phone. I'd rather have a card in the wallet with medication information, etc on it.