Goose

It's beyond EMD. EMD doesn't stop an ambulance from being dispatched, it just prioritizes and differentiates a BLS emergency from an ALS emergency and allows for over-the phone instructions to try and mitigate prior to EMS/FR arrival. There are a number of agencies that go a step further - Wake County EMS, for example. They have Advanced Practice Paramedics that will make wellness checks, change dressings and administer wound care, suture lacs, and the like. All things that probably would have required 911 to be called out for a shuck to the ER to be addressed - clogging the ER and tying up an EMS ambulance. Good stuff if you ask me, as long as it is implemented properly.

There is nothing that is crazy about this idea. In fact, there is no reason why Westchester shouldn't have a County PD - with the exception of the cities. Nassau and Suffolk do it. Just like having a County FD or EMS system - it would probably would end up providing a lot more bang for the tax payer's buck. Moving away from home rule and moving toward resource consolidation is the kind of forward thinking we need.

Given this got pushed to the wayside. Congratulations to all the award recipients.

http://www.health.state.ny.us/nysdoh/ems/training.htm That should give you all the information you need.

Correct.

Found this article through another forum, i have never seen a better written, honest and spot on accurate account of what is wrong with EMS in this country. I know i will be printing highlighting and mailing this out to all of those politicians that represent me. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28368691// I implore everyone that is bothered by the current state of EMS start sending this article to their elected representatives, i think enough is enough.

Forget I, just get your medic. Honestly, its a waste of time and money around here. The mechanical skills I introduces are just that, mechanical skills that you could probably teach a chimp. A solid EMT-B does the job just fine. The medic program is just more well rounded - mechanical skills, anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology, pharmacology, cardiology, pediatrics, etc, etc, etc.

Take it a step further, a county wide EMS system is what is needed. Period. The elected officials know it's needed, i am convinced of that but they don't want to tackle the issue - maybe because it would cost too much or maybe because its a political hot potato (remember, volunteers vote too). The point is, and i appreciate Tom starting this thread, is that the "line" that INIT95 is referring to has been crossed over and exceeded by a few hundred miles. People are just not getting out for anything, not even hot jobs. I am confident people have died or have suffered because of this. But, nothing is going to change. Not until the residents of Westchester who are paying out the rear end in taxes realize or are brutally educated as to the reality on the ground. I had a volunteer once tell me that a particular community (happens to be an affluent neighborhood in Westchester) could never afford career EMS - i called them on the BS immediately. I said forgo a few cups of starbucks a year and you've paid for a potential ambulance tax. Add 2 or 3 bucks onto tickets (parking, speeding, etc) and you can lower it even more. I've never been in the situation you've been in, Tom, i frankly hope i never have to (but i know you can hold it down and that patient probably owes their life/well being to you). However, i can recall one job i did during a snow storm where i was dispatched (in a system where it was me and the ambulance only) for a fall. Got on scene, made an assessment - it was an uncomplicated ankle fracture, no significant trauma, no complicating factors. BLS job straight from the text book. I waited through an hour and half of paging, called up the dispatch center and told them to just send the medic. I had to take the medic out of service to drive me to the hospital because no one was coming out. It is a horrible feeling, even with a stable patient, to have to explain to them why they had to wait an hour and a half before we could leave. Point is, the system is a total failure and a failed system is simply dangerous. Eventually someone "important" is going to be on the receiving end - thats when your going to see a whole lot of change real quick.

Soon.

Solid responses by everyone. Also, great post Chris, thanks for taking the time to find those articles. Crcocr1 - thanks for post that article, i found it last night through another forum and actually made an entirely new topic on it. But, like you said it speaks to some central issues. - EMS is not considered an essential service by most state constitutions (primarily due to the fact that they are so old, but the fact is that the people consider us an essential service and we are being utilized as one) - We have no national representation (Judicial Systems represents Law Enforcement, and U.S. Fire Admin. reps fire suppression). There needs to be an office of EMS at DHHS. No back room @ the transportation department and NO office at fire protection. Period. Great discussion so far. I've gotta run to the post office and mail a few copies of that article out to some political talking heads

I caught wind of this on Glenn Beck two days ago and it made me sick to my stomach. Apparently these guys were out killing dogs for fun. I urge everyone to go to the below link and watch the youtube video about this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJLO_JI9Pns...player_embedded For those of you that don't know, Marcus Luttrell wrote the book Lone Survivor and former member of Seal Team 10. The book is about Operation Redwing in which his team was tasked with observing and capturing/killing a high-ranking Taliban operative. They were subsequently ambushed and SEALs Danny Dietz, Matt Axelson and Michael Murphy (native of Long Island and carried FDNY L43/E53 patch with him on all deployments) lost their life. Marcus survived and was rescued.

There is a lot of talk about Unions and representation. I've thought that some day this may be part of the solution, but i have never heard good things about EMS unions - and that is coming from men and women who work union EMS. It's not like we have an equivalent to the IAFF or PBA that has any sort of political leverage in DC/locally and authority at the bargaining table.

Amazing tale of heroism and selflessness. God bless his soul. We need more people like Ed Freeman in this world...

All of that is all well and true but it doesn't address anything for EMS. It does prove the point, however, that even after essentially the same education there is a disturbing disparity in compensation. I've never worked with a Medic who was making 28 bucks an hour, and we are talking about men and women who have 6 - 20+ years on. Thats a major problem. But, like many have said there is no single be all, end all solution to this. The first step, in my mind, is to educate the public and the politicians as to what the truth on the ground is. Show them the cold hard facts, that may stir things up a bit.

I'm not sure there is a reason not to be ready. There are countless well-run County systems out there, why can't we pull knowledge from them? It's not like we are re-inventing the wheel here, if anything we are catching up to the 21st century. I guess my the bottom line is that no one cares, period.

Solid comments by ALS, Moose and 50-65, all well appreciated. So what do we do to change all of this? Do we write our political representation? I know i've tried the latter - wrote Nita Lowey a 3 page letter about dismal state of EMS and why we need more funding and advocacy in DC and got nothing, absolutely N O T H I N G in response. I'm not sure what it's going to take, will all the smoke and mirrors ever fade and the truth be revealed?

I think once you leave the NYC metro-area things tend to improve exponentially. The reason i created this thread was to see if i was the only one that was bothered by the way things are. I mean, it just doesn't make any sense to me.

This is the story as far as i have been told, unofficially, by that answered the phone at APD: They were looking to cancel all of 2009 academies but a deal for was worked out ~ 300 cadets for Jan and July. The city has gotten some money from the stimulus for putting cops on the street - don't know the figures but its in the millions. The most recent i had heard was that there is a possibility for an additional ~250 cadets for the July class. As far as 2010 is concerned there are no academies scheduled at this time as far as my limited knowledge. At a city council meeting the other day it was made known that the NYPD is well below 2001 staffing levels and that the desire to start hiring in larger numbers was expressed. If that happens is anyone's guess. So, everything is up in the air....despite being high on my exam list, i'm thinking about filing for this exam just to cover myself if things get any worse. It sucks any way you cut it.

Oh you are so funny Chris. Nice April Fools joke! Totally forget what today was!

x2 Chris...but this has an upside - no more BSing the courses which, in theory, would lead to better knowledge and working understanding of NIMS AND agencies who rightfully train their employees/members will rightfully have access to federal monies.

He's definitely not alone....

Sounds pretty dumb if you ask me.

Mark, Any way you could snail mail a shirt for a fellow marist grad? Let me know. If not, i'll make a special trip.

Reminds me of some of the shots the father-in-law has shown me from Harlem. Cool.

You know, it's both sad and astonishing that in 2009 there are still individuals who are ultra-resistant to ALS. It's the standard of care. Period. As far as the BLS/ALS integration - awesome idea. EMTs need to start growing a set and be able to hold their own. That may mean canceling the medic on a stubbed toe or being able to bag with a ET tube in place so the Medic can move on to something else. It just sickens me that this sorta garbage continues today...and people wonder why EMS is the butt crack of the emergency services...