MerlinMedic

E Eat M More S Snacks

Are we doing this for free? Depends where in the State you live. The Hudson Valley up thru Saratoga has many 'volunteer' agencies that bill, plus receive tax dollars. Start heading West, and it is another story. Some agencies bill, few tax and call the comercial gency & you are likely to see the same faces, just in a blue shirt. My own volly squad runs a 13 year old rig; our monitor is a monophasic Life Pac 12 that we have been trying to replace for 2 years. Our budget is 45K, with pancake breafasts, chicken bar-b-q's and 2 weekends a year where we mug anyone going thru our one stop light for spare change. We pass the hat once a month to pay for flowers or some building improvement. We have to cover the State prision -- there is no Alamo to call. This is true from the Adirondacks to the Southern Teir up to Tug Hill out to Buffollo. So, do we do it for free, yup. Just not here !

From the old NYS EMT-D card: Every Medic's Driver

Wow. What an article. Too bad the conclusion that only a total system collapse will force any changes is the correct differential diagnoisis.

To the best of my knowedge there are no MOUs with any of the townships. Our County Board of Supervisors is the Executive & Legislative body in this county. It is made up of each town supervisor with a weighted vote based on population. No supervisor is full time. I believe they will try to bill the patient when there is no direct billing by the transporting agency. Currently, only my vollie squad bills out of 13 in the county. We use CAGs, who told the County that they would bill the ALS for them thru us & send them their portion. I was not impressed as they didn't ask us, nor offer any sort of a contract. We have summoned them to explain & have several other billing agencies waiting. I have no problem with the County billing. I just don't want them taking my vollie squads cash. This was done so fast with no one looking too deep into the matter I think that they were sold a Bridge.

Don't know if this is true, but the EMTs spokesperson stated the nurse took the kid but refussed to sign the PCR/ACR. If it is true ... .

Obviously, this needs to be tracked. Reading the posts shows this. Common sense dictates with shrinking tax dollars and resouces (both paid & volunteer) we would be our best advocates to keep the resouces where needed. As was posted earlier, as a commercial paramedic we often state "may cancel at their discretion". Saves hurt feelings. A lot of agnst out there by some posters towards EMS, especally commercial EMS. Moose, this area ... has issues between EMS & fire in some jurisdicitions that make those we went thru years ago look like amateur hour. To those that feel: "It is MY sandbox!", if you want to come & pick up the local drunk for the 3rd time today, be my guest. You can also transport him to Saints and explain why he is back.

Hey, I am looking for several drill ideas/scenerios that I can use with my vollies for an in-door drill on scene safety. I will use the one with the vic of domestic violance with a gun in their hoodie, but I'd like to try/see a few more out. We are a rural squad with more guns than cows/sheep. Thanx for your help in advance.

I postponed the follow up due to the shooting death of EMT Marc Davis. The only connection between EMT Davis and so many of us is that it could happen to us. I ran 4 scenerios. The first was an accidental chemical incident. Mixing of bleach & ammonia. Pt. down, gaging/coughing. First person rushed in w/o checking scene safety. He went down. Second & third crew members went in w/o SCBA to rescue frist crew member. Only the fourth person was not afflicted. Of course a junior member hardly knows what to do except stay out. Second was a simple laundry detergent spill creating a basic un safe scene. Well handles by liberal application of kitty litter. No injuries except the original FDGB. Third was man down. Pt. found with electrical outlet half out, laying over the sink. One person grabbed the victim. We thought he would at least be redered unconcious, if not a code also. Remaining crew found main breaker & pulled it. Last was the infamus damisal in distress who has a Glock under he sweater. It was ugly. Multiple fatalities. The take home message that I saw was that a pretty face and semi-plausable story could lead us into a dnagerus setting. How many times have we (me, myself & I) watched passively as a patient goes to get a coat in another room? Could one of these times could that personcome back with a gun or other weapon? A kniveor bolt from a cross-bow will kill me deader than dirt just as easy as a gun. I noticed that now I am more cautus on scene. Keeping the extra personal,PD, fire etc. more for a CYA (MINE) than for the need of extra hands. Be safe.

FOIA Get your politicians to open up the bids to the public. Most likely, Alamo told Fishkill what the Town wanted in services ran about $900,000. Sounds like 2 dedicated ALS units day & 1 at night. MLSS for $42,000 sounds like 1 rig when available, not dedicated. Responding from: Village, Newburg or Wappingers. W/O seeing the bids, speculation only. BVAC & ALS. Once upon a time I heard that BVAC had an ALS cert. Don't know how easy it is to reactivate one.

Several thoughts here. One, degrees. NY has to many of 'em. BUT, there is a State wide push for paramedics to get/be an AS. The Army recognises this. A paramedic goes into the National Guard as a WO-1. Next. I LIKE my job. Yes, the management this, the towns that, yada yada yada, but the reality is I CHOOSE to do this. It paid for my graduate work so many years ago, and now, after I find that career less than thrilling, I am glad to be back full time. Long hours. Yup. Even teachers if they are doing their jobs correctly, are putting in long hours in prep, staying upto date etc. Rewards? I still blush when I think about the hug (alas -- no kiss ) I got from some girl baby sitting her terminally ill brother who had a seizure & all went right. Paying the bills is nice, and I am doing that, but how do you top a great big hug from some kid in the middle of Vassar's ER? Sorry, I think of this as the BEST career. I am too old to go running into burning buildings. Never wanted law enforcement -- something about Jonny Rotten having rights. Office work -- YUCK! So, it depends on your point of view. The other good points, I will pass on. I have said too much lately.

Hmmm, lots of food for thought here. I am not a lawyer type, so I will stay away from those answers, but the problem is all over. In my neck of the woods it is a paid person who will not ALS any call unless it is God awful. As he is the boss, and QA/QI guru, there is no paper trail. His med director is in the dark. I am not sure if he chooses to remain so or what. Due to local politics, no one reports him. But this is an issue that needs an official response. Many vollies get burned out on BS calls. So do many profesionals. I am sure most of us have gone to a cardiac arest with CPR in progress to find the victim alive and well. When I was in the classroom as a teacher, I use to work with the kids on when to call 9-1-1. Did that with the Scouts too. My vollie squad has reached out to the local schools with free classes for health class & driver's ed. They were turned down after the school found out we are mandated reporters & not beholden to following the school's illeagal policies on suspected child abuse. THAT is another issue. Soo, in my long winded way I gues I am saying we need to better police ourselves. We need help from the State to protect wistle blowers. Until that happens, the only resolution will be an ugly lawsuit.

Po'Town for Alamo 06.00 - 22.00. Merry Christmas to All, and to all, be safe out there!

I have noticed an interesting problem with my NavCom 3100 after factory updates: it can not find one town in Dutches County. Whenever I put 123 XYZ street for anytown, it gives me the choices for that street in Lansing, Lockport and a few other towns even farther away. So, I break the glass & dig out my tired and worn county map, find the street & go & get. Once I get there, the GPS sees the street, knows the name and such, but STILL wont give me directions there! I have spken & emailed the company and their solution is to pay another $100.00 for updates. Since I'll be damned if I will throw good money after bad, I am wondering if anyone else has had an issue like this with any GPS, or if this is just a NavCom issue. If you have had this problem, how was it fixed?

It is the whole town that the GPS has issues with. Does not matter what postal (zip) code the road is in; the bloody thing wont give me directions to the roads. When I am on the roads, it recognizes 'em, correctly lables them, but wont tell me how to get there. I think it is a software issue. The town has only been around since the 1700s, and some of the roads feel like they have been too!

No real info as of yet. Just a bland announcement that the 2 sides could not come to an agreement. If it weren't an official anoucment, I would think that they will kiss & make up in a month or so. But, since it is an offical anouncement, either someone is playing hardball with the negotiations, or this is truely dead. Only time will tell.

Don't believe this is dead until they ask us to turn in our NDP shirts.

We also need to advocate for ourselves. This includes self policing. The background checks that FDs have to do are for arson only. EMS does not have a law that mandates any sort of background check. We need to check for those with lite fingers, Roamin' hands, DWI, and I am sure that there are other areas that my cafine depraved brain has forgotten.

Ultimetly, it comes down to you get what you pay for. Fishkill contracts (or so I have been told) & pys for one (1) ALS rig. If that is all you purchase, and you put no stipulation on mutual aid on your contract, if that rig is out you know that it will take some time for a back fill. Remeber, trasnsports pay the bills, so Alamo, HVPS, MLSS, NDP et. al. are going to be looking to send you a back fill unit that is droping off a patient in your neck of the woods rather than sending an empty unit. Which brings up a ticklish question: county mutual aid. Many municipalities feel they can opt out of some of the mutual aid, prisions, VA facilities, mental health housing and neighboring communities covered by commercial agencies yet get full ALS mutual aid services at the drop of a hat. With the economy sinking faster than the Titanic the comercials are going to hurt themselves laughing at municpalities how want top self service for nothing. The county leaders need to step up & set some rules, ... and I need to stop smokin' whatever I am. :angry:

If there are other things more more important to you then the patient, then you need to rethink your being involved in EMS. EERRRRRRRRGGGGGG! You are so right. I once got into a pretty good pissing match with a volly who said her Fire Chief ordered them to go L & S anytime the medic was on board. I ended that argument in my typical, kind, professional manor: "What a great Nazi you would have been, that argument got a lot of folks hung in Nuremburg 1945!" Now, with hind sight, I can safely say that I have told people who use that logic to get an opinion, in writing, form their insurance carrier; to bring the matter to the floor at a regular meeting & make it a formal request WITH A VOTE. That has made a few tone down their L & S response. And Moose, GET YOUR BLOODY ALS BACK!!!!!!!! Did I say it clearly enough for you?

Moose, you are preaching to the choir here. There isn't a whole lot you or I can do about it. The ReMac wont do anything about it, SCARSA wont either. Nor will the Docs. Until someone brings a lawsuit, we are SoL. The answer is for YOU to get your ALS back & take your patients where they need to be. I do that. Bassett Mothership (Cooperstown for all you non-AAREMS folk) has been very surprised to me several times over ths last few months, but extreemly happy with presentation & care. Of course, I want narcs & 12 lead, but we are a poor rural volly squad who can't get our driveway paved 'casue we be too poor.

It is a nice idea to have clergy available to crews if they feel the need. It is better if the clergy have clue what we do. But what happens if the clergy becomes a statisic? Having been there, done that call, I feel like crap evedry time I see that clergy; I see the PTSD symtoms: the shakes, the tremor in the voice & the down casrt eyes. Not everyone is called to EMS/PD/Fire service, perhaps the Padre should be left in the ambulance bay unless they feel they can handle it. Even then, who knows. This one thought he could ... .

Too bad this law does not apply to other faccets of health care -- then insurance companies will have total control over health costs. :angry: BTW, this is not a coment on the billing, or anything else, just the law as reported in the paper.

As with others, poor reporting. They say priest & we assume Catholic; other faiths use the term priest for their leader of worship. Was there an incidnet with a fly car or other unit? Always ther during 'prime time'? Also, who dimed out the church? Is there an other ax to grind here?

I dont know how many calls they get per year, but a little over 30 calls answered per year indicates a low volume. Where & how he forged the documents is more interesting to me now. Smaller agencies often don't check on-line, they look for a copy of it. Sometimes they dont eveninsist on seeing the original.