Goose

For EMS, PD and Fire to band together the planets would need to align and there would need to be some sort of divine intervention. But honestly, for the vast majority of Westchester i don't see this as a huge issue. The majority of agencies rarely, if ever, call for a chopper. Money talks, BS walks.

With what money? Besides, there are bigger fish to fry...like getting ambulances out the door with a full crew in less than 45 minutes.

I would just like to quarterback this by saying it is a well known reality that response times are a problem county wide, particularly in the northern parts of the county. I've heard this consistently from ALS providers & firefighters who have/do work in the area and VAC leadership themselves. It's not like this is some sort of military secret...i'm sure DES is aware of it, but naturally have no authority to mitigate.

I always found this ironic when i worked up in the hudson valley region. Years of hard evidence and probably cubic yards worth of paperwork that proves that CPAP works yet they still needed to conduct their own study. And then they touted it in the news paper as some new fangeled god send....when the reality was they were years behind the eight ball. I guess it all boils down to the type of doctors and committee members sitting on the REMAC. Generally speaking it's hard not to stop and think about medvacs. I can't tell you how many individuals i've run into that love to bang their chests and exclaim "when in doubt we fly em' out!"

Someone correct me if i'm wrong, but don't the flight crew have their own set of protocols & standing orders?

Prayers to all those involved.

Like CPAGE said, go in with a fresh mind and soak up everything. My understanding is that they add in a bit more anatomy and physiology as well as pathophysiology. Don't be intimidated, while that stuff is challenging it's no worse than A&P 1/2 in college - take good notes, read and complete your assignments. Other than that, enjoy learning how to be an FDNY EMT.

I really don't think anyone is questioning any ones judgement. I think the core issue is that given all westchester departments proximity to a level 1 trauma center and the nature of calls in westchester, very, very few patients fit the narrow criteria for air evacuation. I'm not a medic so i can't really speak to any of the clinical issues, but i've been on jobs where patients were combative and had horrendously compromised airways due to nasty accidents and even without RSI capabilities the patient was effectively treated and had a positive overall outcome - all without the helicopter.

Great reply ALS. All very valid questions. Sounds as though maybe this was an RSI issue? And...whats with transporting unstable patients at 4am on back roads? I do it all the time. In fact i would rather do it at 4am as appose to 4pm. Lately, as these threads pop up, i've been thinking it would be interesting to get the stat crew's opinion on these matters.

What sucks even more is having to go code 3 to these jobs (because the callers up-triage themselves after years of experience) only to find out it's the same guy that another one of your crews took to the ER 6 hours ago and was released 4 hours prior. Then you have to deal with the flak from the hospital, as if we have some choice in this whole matter. This is an instance where i would not be oppose to seeing society turn their backs on these types of bottom feeders. Maybe then they would get the idea?

I really hope that this doesn't spur an increase in the number of medics being churned out of "paramedic mills" for the sake of jumping on an FD. That would be a net loss for everyone. I would hope they would specify some minimum experience as a paramedic and look favorably on applicants who went for the paramedic degree.

Pretty sure that the REMAC pushed the mandatory date back to sometime in September due to the fact that when they first put the protocols out they gave only 30 days for a roll out. I think, however, if you;re agencies choses they cant implement the new protocols once every one has had the appropriate updates and taken the update exam. Just what i've heard, could be wrong.

What exactly does that mean?

What is presidential material? Thats a pretty subjective thing. I mean, i don't consider blowing coke, smoking Marlboros or being able to dunk presidential.

Very saddened to hear this occurred - especially during something that i assume is supposed to be positive/fun event. I also am confused as to why you did not contact law enforcement immediately - you do what you have to do and feel comfortable with, but thats what the police are there for. At the very least, there would be a written record of what occurred. Glad that you are OK.

There have been tons of rumors floating around and you may find some Verizon reps trying to pass that too as a way to get you to sign he dotted line. Fact is, AT&T has (at least reported) an exclusive agreement until the end of 09. Additionally, i am not sure Verizon is ready to give up the control Apple wants when it comes to distribution and technical support. Besides, it's cheaper for Apple to create 1 GSM phone and lock it to carriers than it is to make a GSM version for AT&T and the rest of the world and a CDMA version for Verizon. Maybe in a few years when LTE (4G data tech) is up and running but i highly doubt before.

Bro, you're entitled to your opinion. No one is downplaying the threat of an Iran with nuclear weapons - hence why they should not be allowed to having any processing technology. However, the more pressing problem today is North Korea as they are starting to move away from posturing to something a bit more tangible (ie: 2 nuclear tests, hundreds of missile launches, etc.). Additionally, no one is obliterating anyone. Clinton had the chance (that is take out north korean missiles on their launch pads) back in 1994 and it was even recommended by then defense secretary Perry. But, it didn't happen. If Clinton didn't do it, i can't see Obama not doing it. Hell, Bush should haven taken out the Taepodong's when they were on the launch pad in 2006 - but even he didn't. Why? Who the hell knows. All our administrations have been doing is talking, talking and giving carrots and more carrots. Trust me, Obama is going to be the last one caught dropping bombs in a preemptive attack.

Iran's biggest problem are it's own citizens. Thy are in no position to do anything what so ever - the "leaders" of Iran have their hands full with the whirlwind they created with the "election." North Korea, on the other hand, is rather unpredictable. They detonated 2 nuclear devices with little care or regard for what anyone had to say about it.

AT&T and Verizon give you a 30 day trial period to evaluate their service and phone. Cancel within the 30 days and you're prorated the service and incur no ETF.

Recieved this email yesterday from Advocates for EMS: Please, i urge you to write your member of congress and demand their support for this long over-due legislation.

I don't see it as a valid point. You have a paramedic or EMT that works for a commercial or other third service that provides contracted 9-1-1 EMS response to a municipality. That paramedic or EMT is essentially providing the same service as neighboring town and essentially putting themselves at the same risk - only difference is the neighboring town runs a municipal EMS system. Do hospital based Paramedics and EMTs face a different danger than say FDNY EMTs/Parmedics (i assume they get city LODD benefits) - they are providing essentially the same service and they should be equally or near equally protected in the event of a death. Something is better than nothing. Maybe it's me but doesn't it bother some people that the Federal Government had to make an exception for the non-municipal city EMS workers that gave their lives in the very same way that everyone else did? Ha..commercial/third services providing LODD benefits? Right... I'm not saying we should cover every single EMT and Paramedic, i just don't think it's fare that if they are delivering 9-1-1 service to a contracted municipality there is no reason why they should not be covered.

Depends what your needs/desires are. I had the iPhone 3G - it was a great phone, very fun but it lacked some very basic features at the time. MMS, copy/paste, multi-tasking (still lacks this) and the like. The biggest problem, however, is that the iPhone is backed up by one of the worst carriers, AT&T. The GSM technology is nice if you want to swap phones (SIM card), but AT&T is just downright horrid, and i live in the NY metro area (so there is really no excuse, in my mind). Dropped calls, spotty network coverage and lack of nationwide 3G services are were my biggest complaints. I think one time i dropped a call 9 times in a row when my service indicator (i know, these things are not really always accurate) was telling me i had full 3G service. AT&Ts network is just not as robust or resilient as Verizon's. Now, blackberry. Right now im rocking the 8330 (CDMA) Curve on Verizon. Right off the bat, GSM carriers (more so AT&T than T-Mobile) have a much larger selection of blackberries - particularly because most of the world's cellular networks are GSM. On AT&T you have the 8900 Curve and the 9000 Bold - great devices, but backed up by, again in my opinion, a horrid network. So, you will still be plagued by dropped calls, failure to connect and slow connectivity (also, the Bold 9000 has pretty meh battery life...has something to do with 3G on AT&T sucking power, don't know the details). Right now the Verizon has the 8330 Curve, the 9530 Storm (garbage, don't waste your time) and the 8830 Worldphone (it's got global GSM radios and no camera - mostly a business/corporate device). Next moth they are rumored to be releasing the replacement to the 8830 worldphone, the 9630 Tour (www.verizonwireless.com/bbtour) all reports are saying that it is thus far one of the best blackberries. Blackberry is a great phone, its reliable and it does what it says it will very well. Email, Text, and BBM are all solid. Probably second to none. However, it does fall short in web browsing, media and application possibilities (though they do have their own app store called app world and they having been making improvements in the media and html browser). They are capable of multi tasking - meaning you can run multiple applications at once so facebook can be running all day while your receiving sending email, texts, etc and you still get your facebook notifications and can go and comment on peoples walls/status. So, you really have to ask yourself two questions: 1) What network am i going to go with? I would do some research on this, check the coverage maps and browse the internet to see who has the most solid and reliable footprint in your area. If you travel a lot, also take this into consideration you dont want to be stuck without service when you're on vacation or visiting family and friends. 2) What are you looking for/ what do you want? This is something no one can answer but yourself. Do you like the novelty of the iphone and the simplicity of use and don't mind being restrained to some extent by Apple (relax, i am an apple fan - had the iphone and have a macbook, but lets put all the cards on the table they often rule like stalin) or are you more interested in a productivity power house? Are you looking to get email, respond, text, use MMS and the like or are you more concerned about applications, games and things of this nature? Sorry that was a bit long winded! Good luck!

Doubtful.

Please, by all means, don't hold back.

RIP.