STAT213

Three guys per pump. Officer - mandatory by contract. Paramedic, also mandatory by contract. Firefighter. Driver and tailboarder are sorted out either month by month or morning by morning. All depends on the crews and Lt/Capt. preference. Everyone (with the exception of probationary members) has to become a driver/operator. Hope that's clear enough. RA

Battery disconnection is the best way to disable these things. They do still hold a charge, so be careful operating around them. Assume they are everywhere. As for the covers you can put on the steering wheel, they should not be used b/c they become a projectile and can make the situation worse. All of this information comes from the class: The Scene of the Accident.

I would like to see the EMT class be longer, but with more focus on assessment skills and A and P. It is the knowledge of the disease processess and the ability to apply the information to each patient that makes the difference in the provider. More classroom time cannot hurt. As far as skills go, I'd love to see CPAP, 12 Lead ECGs with fax capability. These are things off the top of my head, but they are things that make a difference. They also require a greater understanding of pathology, so you have to expand the class. But, I think that's a good thing!! EMTs up here are way too medic dependent. It is refreshing to come across the ones who know how to do an assessment, and what to do with the information once they have it.

Yes, yes more laws. That will fix all our problems.

Yes, yes...just what we need. More laws, more cops, bigger government. Not. When I get in the accident, write it as my fault for distracted driving. That'll do.

Just curious why you think on duty jakes shouldn't plow?

We are RFPing the vests right now to be compliant for the start date. Funny thing is we just bought day glo jackets for everyone, and now we'll have to wear vests on top of them!! One of our BC's was mentioning the exception for fire suppression as well. I don't have it, but its not the first I've heard of it.

Nice pics. Always love the Euro style rigs!!! Thanks for sharing. One comment, it always seems like the Euro style rigs carry a whole lot less supply hose than the US style rigs. I don't see a lot on your pump, how much supply line do you carry?

Yup. Pics were posted on Firepics. No equipment on it, so its likely borrowed by the dealer. I agree with you guys. Horrendous waste of money. I tell ya, if any piece from MY town was there and couldn't help cut my wife out of a car, or open my roof in a timely manner, they'd be painting MY name on the trucks shortly thereafter. Trucks that were paid for with MY tax dollars belong in MY town - or on mutual aid calls. Not at some waste of time like this. You cannot tell me otherwise. You want pride in your trucks, wash 'em, hang out at your firehouse on the apron.

Self defense starts with good situational awareness. We can get very comfortable on the same ol' drive to work each day. Always leave room in front of you to maneuver around and away (if you can) and be aware of who is around you at all times. This is a great reminder of the need for situational awareness at all times. Hope the brother is doing ok!

Now that's just good clean fun!!

Yeah, I was wondering that too. Sounds like a good gig, being able to go down there and play some. I am asking from the standpoint of being somewhat jealous, not trying to say they are doing anything wrong.

First...awesome pics. Sure nice to see a new Air 2. N202HN/N118NY was tired. As for the whole trauma center discussion...Does St. Francis have neurosurgical coverage? If not, there is NO reason to go there to stabilize the patient unless they need an airway. The whole stabilization idea only leads to delays that can last hours. Remember, that ED doc now has to call WMC and get the patient accepted, do a CT, etc etc. Tick tock. In my opinion, it is best to set up your camp and wait for that a/c.

Cheap? Cheap? Wow. I'd hate to see how much taxpayer money you get to waste. BM's pump is a nice looking truck. You want to see some cheap pumps, come to my town.

You know WAS, I was almost gonna say it, but decided to stay with the EMS career advice. WAS is right though. You'll have more fun as a first and second year medic, but life is SOOO much better as a nurse than a medic. Way better pay...WAY. It's insane what some of my nurse friends can make an hour. Up to 45 (up here) plus perks and diffs. If I had it to do over...I would have gotten into the fire service MUCH sooner, and obtained my RN. Still might we'll see. Whatever you do, get into a system that does not do system status management. Sitting in a ambulance for 12 hours at a time ruins your back. RNs don't have to deal with that.

I'd wager that there are a number of us dead because of bunkers. Interesting article in Fire Engineering offering the same hypothesis. Too hot, we get too deep. They are all I've ever worn, but I sure would like something lighter and cooler.

Question is...do you want a career or a job? If you want a career in EMS, my advice is to become a paramedic and get on board with an agency that has retirement. Most of these are FDs. There is Colonie EMS up by Albany, which is a well respected service. If you're looking to get your medic, find a service that will pay your way through paramedic school. There are plenty of them out there, some do low interest loans, some will just pay your way with a request that you work for them for a couple of years. Ask around, find a deal. Keep taking classes, keep pushing. The best experience will come from a busy system like Empress that will have you doing tons of calls. Staring out as a basic is fun and frustrating. Keep asking good questions of the people on here. Most of us want to help, and aren't usually too cranky.

Seth, The State of Maine's newest protocol (starting July 2008) has eliminated MS completely from their protocols. I've seen a couple of the studies you're referring to, and it all sounds legit. One of the things my paramedic instructor always taught us: Half of what I will teach you is wrong. I just don't know which half. - Richard Cherry We use mostly Fent up here, but still have MS. We also have CPAP. Good stuff! Rob

Chris, No problem. It's a tough issue for sure. My info about the trooper came right from this guy's mouth. Nice dude, was PIC of a 407 at the time. We talked a number of times when they flew in. Maybe he was busting my stones about the time he had, but it didn't seem like it. Fly safe!

Ok, so here is what led me to post what I did on this subject. A little background. I worked as a Flight Medic for two programs in NY State for 6 years, both of which competed with the NY State Police. This clearly led me to a certain opinion. I interacted with both the medical crews and the pilots of these organizations many times and was never a fan. Well, I take that back, I did have some positive interactions with the pilots. The medical crews I met were generally in over their heads and their patients suffered for it. Now, some of the ones I met were nice and professional in their demeanor. Some. My grandmother was a nice woman, doesn't mean she belongs in a medivac ship. Chris said it best when he wrote about air medicine being a specialty. It is. You cannot jump from a ground ambulance into a helicopter and provide the level of care provided by a trained air medical team. This is what the State Police does in the majority of their coverage areas. I would have no issue with them providing transport services IF they contracted with an organization or organizations who committed to training their medical crews to the national standards for air medical crews. It is a specialty, plain and simple. And yes, there are nurses and medics who have no place doing air medical transport. Its not a medic thing, not a nurse thing. Its a training thing. Ace84 mentioned that I would likely have a problem with cops being medics on a SWAT team. Nope, not at all. As long as they are actively practicing paramedics who can provide the BEST possible care for their fallen comrades. Take a cop, throw 'em through medic school and CONTOMS and pretend that they will be able to provide the best care; that I would be against. Chris also mentioned that the NY State Police has highly trained and experienced pilots flying their aircraft. Chris, back in 2002 when I met one of the LG 17 pilots on the pad @ WMC, he told me had had in neighborhood of 200 hours of flight time. Yikes. You can't get an EMS job with less than 1500 hours most places. Some of them are ex-military, many are not. They're just troopers who thought it would be cool to fly. They're right, it is cool to fly. But, its not cool to put someone with a few hundred hours at the stick of a Bell 407 or 430 and have them land it in tight night LZ. Chris, you even state that you want anyone doing the job to conform to the highest possible standards. Well, I can tell you that unless something has drastically changed, the NY State Police medivac program does not do this. They do not provide the highest level of care at one of their bases. Nor have they tried in their many years of existence. Yes, they were here before Aeromed/STAT/Life Net. They provided a service when no one else could or would. But when the times, tempo and service of air medicine changed, they just kept on with the same song. A couple of verses changed, but still the same song. Single medic, limited equipment, street protocols. So, that's where my slight comes from. Its not from left field, its from years of experience in the field.

Yeah Dave, I was a little shocked to see you post that. Should've seen through it. I bit though....

Huh? Maybe the cops should leave the medivacs to the professionals. I never interacted with the Colonie program, but I did have a number of interactions with the single medic program from Newburgh. Not a fan. Hopefully, the state police will also choose to focus their efforts on law enforcement.

I've used all sorts of expensive Littmans, and ultimately settled on the Classic II. That being said, I found that the nicer the scope the more background noise I would hear in the back of the truck. The expensive Littman's pick up all sorts of noise. The cheap ola Sprauge seemed to hear BP's the best. I also hated having the thing around my neck for a number of reasons...got in the way of the helmet, was something for someone to grab. I usually kept mine in a pocket or in the bag I was using for the day. Rob

http://www.nh.gov/safety/divisions/fstems/...protocolsV3.pdf look in here under spinal immobilization. It makes life so much easier!! You guys will love having this option!

Diesel Hybrids for large diesel engines already exist. Wal Mart has placed an order for a ton of them. The primary use will be idling, not driving, so the hybrid system will be in addition to the diesel system. Look for them in fire apparatus soon.