STAT213

"Air Combat Command clears selected F-15s for flight" http://www.air-attack.com/news/news_articl...for-flight.html Back in the Air!!!

STAT for STAT Flight. 213 was my crew number. I would do xstat213 but you take the number with you when you leave.

I keep a stuff sack full of warm things with my gear. I clip it into a carabiner and then clip that into the pull straps of my turnout pants. Gives me a handle, and my mask bag and stuff sack don't do anywhere. Would work if I was a vollie, too and my gear was in my car. Depending if I am tailboarding or driving, I just toss it in an out of the way place on the pump. Works great.

Extra staffing...there's an idea. Right now, we are lucky to be at full staffing. I HATE politics. As for warmth...I keep the bag like a lot of the other guys. I sometime will take my glove off and open it over the exhaust. Warms the glove right up!! Spare hood in my turnouts. Extra T shirts. I am a little leary about under armour and polypro. The idea of being shrink wrapped makes me a little nervous. I guess if it gets that hot, its game over anyway...Anyone else have thoughts about poly long underwear? I went and bought silk. Best hand remedy I have found is Gold Bond Ultimate Healing. Stay warm out there.

If you look at my fire engine at work, you will find blue, green, red, white and yellow hose. It makes NO difference what color the hose is. It is really a nice idea to spec a new pump and new hose and lay things out based on color, until you actually begin to use the piece for work. You get back from a fire and need two lengths of green 1.75 hose, but you only bought enough for the crosslays, and no spare. Time for a multicolor hose lay, and at 3 in the morning, who cares what color it is. As a side note, we do use a red length of 4" hose to mark the second to last length in the lay. The way I look at it...its a nice idea in concept and on paper, but fails badly in practice. Its just not practical to have all sorts of extra hose in all sorts of colors at each station. Hey, if you're made of money and that kind of thing matters to you, go for it.

Its more common for them to utilize fixed wing as opposed to rotor wing aircraft, for they are usually heading long distances. Its not terribly time sensitive, there is a few hour window to get things done, so using rotor assets really isn't needed. While I was at STAT Flight, we did a few of them. We once flew down to Philly to pick up the team, flew them to WMC to harvest and back to Philly to use the organs. LONG night of flying. Good scenery, long night. We also did maintain a list of local folks on lists in the NE for transplant. We did pick a few up from home and bring them where they needed to go. If it was the city, it was usually a waste of time to use the a/c thanks to the draconian laws put in place by Mayor Guiliani's administration. But, medevac in and around NYC is a topic for another day.

I am curious if the MD was given a copy of 1582. Use of beta agonists like albuterol is an automatic failure of the physical, and if you are following 1582, ends your FF time. Key word in that phrase is IF, of course. I am by no means saying 1582 guarantees anything, but it is a start. ANd, being 304 pounds and having HTN and asthma should have been reg flags for a number of people. Sounds like a few links the chain done broke.

One of the things we do quite a bit is to just put up a hydraulics problem on the board. We also go out and draft a dry hydrant or pond/lake on a fairly regular basis. Very important skills like anything else we do on an infrequent basis. Once or twice a year we will do a multi company drill with water/tanker movement.

I think Chris is right on. NYC Emergency Services. If you look at the other cities with Fire Air Assets, what do they use them for? Mostly brush and transport. FDNY needs air assets for neither. So, what do they truly need them for? Aerial recon? Form a partnership with NYPD, or if you want be rogue about it...how 'bout Liberty Helicopters? As for using them for high rise firefighting...the logistics of trying to land an a/c on top of a burning building are HUGE. A You'd be lucky to be able to do it a company at a time, even with a light fuel load in the 412s. It is an opportunity for the NYPD and FDNY to work together for sure. Question is: Will they and can they?

I agree with this, and would love to have a low hosebed like Danburys. However, our hosebeds are not terribly accessible because we need to carry as much water as possible. Half of our town is without hydrants, so bringing enough water to make an attack until help arrives is a primary concern. To that end, we have modified our hosebeds for our needs with 1000' of 4", a 2 1/2 attack line and a 600' 2 1/2 flat load for our apartment complexes. All this sits on 1000 gallons of aqua. As a side note, all of our hydrant bags are quite accessible and each engine has a combi tool too!!!

I was checking out a local guy's website who does Fire Photography, and came across shots of crews using a yellow (I assume fiberglass) ladder for ventilation. I am not trying to flame them, but last I remember, the only ladders that NFPA approved were wood or aluminum. I have the pics bookmarked but wanted opinions first. I have never seen anyone using this kind of ladder on a fireground before.

Thanks for the info. Never knew. RA

The problem with our cardiac arrest treatments is that there is NO good evidence to suggest that they work. Sure bicarb may fix the acidosis, and in theory that's a good idea, but can you tell me WITH RESEARCH that it works? You can't, because up until now, no one has done the research. We give the drugs we do because IN THEORY they should help. There is no EVIDENCE that epi helps at all. And, what matters most is not ROSC, but discharge to home. That is the outcome we need to look at. An arrest save is not a viable patient to the ED, but the guy/gal that goes back home to their life. In reality, we may be doing a lot of harm. The post arrest body is NOT the pre arrest body. There is some evidence that oxygen may actually harm the body. It sounds crazy, but it just may be true. There is evidence that CPR only for the arrest patient may be the way to go. I know, it feels wrong, but it may be right. We are finally looking at CPR research with an objective eye towards outcomes. Should the waters not rise and the world slip into global choas, there may just be some exciting things coming for resus care!!

I have no issue talking about this now. Its not like we are holding up signs at Mr. Lamb's funeral, or standing outside someone's door accusing them. It is the web, and it is what it is. That being said, I guess I'll offer my thoughts. Commercial EMS overnights blow. I am lucky to be alive right now, having either woken up just in time, or stopping somewhere to catch those ZZZs. I feel for the kid who was driving. Seth, your points about mandating sleep quarters are interesting. If we were CDL drivers, we would have to log our driving and rest periods. Might be a place to start. Unfortunately, the calls have to be done and in the cut throat world we operate in now, someone will pick up the transport. Management could usually care less how tired you are, or the hours you have to put in to make ends meet. (In saying this, I am not accusing Empire management - just stating corporate reality.) I have done the polyester shuffle all too much myself, praying to have an easy night or day shift somewhere so the back half of a 24 would be merciful on my system. I know we're supposed to be rested, but it doesn't work out that way, does it? I can remember shifts where I don't know how I got home. I think the cars I have had knew the way. I don't think there are any easy answers other than what each of us can do ourselves. Wear your seat belts - even if sleeping on the rack/cot. Know the signs of being exhausted and unable to keep driving. Stop, walk around the rig. Have (another) coffee. Watch out for each other, be good to each other. It is a sad day for the EMS world, for sure. To the EMT who was driving...keep your chin up, it could have been me.

File this one under either (1) wasted taxpayer dollars or (2) people with too much time on their hands or (3) both.

Not sure if this should be under apparatus, but I want the EMSers to see it. My department is buying a new ambulance, and we are considering the Chevy 4500 series Chassis. Any of you out there using it, what do you think? Thanks in advance!! If any of you have a contact @ Boston EMS that would be awesome, too. They are quite close, and we would love to talk to someone who does their own maintenance. Rob Atwater Derry Fire

Let me chime in about this transport. You should have never left the sending facility. I am assuming that it was some form of a hospital. The danger in taking care of a female with NO prenatal care by yourself in an ambulance is insanely high. Again, assuming here no OB staff went with you because you didn't mention any. And, by you stating that she delivered almost immediately after your arrival makes this even clearer. The physician is nervous because he wants you out of his ED. He THINKS that his responsibility is over once you leave. He is wrong. EMTALA is quite clear that the sending physician carries the liability of the transport. Once you explain to them ALL of the things that can go wrong and that they own the patient until arrival. We don't have to do all these transports. The places where I have done CCT, we flat out told the sending facilities that anyone actively laboring would deliver - unless there were some mitigating circumstances. That patient is not stable and should not leave the facility. Additionally, any female who was contracting more than every five and was dilated more than 3cm would not be a candidate for transport. The risks are just too great. Thankfully, the agency I work for stands behind me when we are called to perform these types of transports. There was just a great document on IFT published by nhtsa. It outlines what we should and should not do, and the law. If you want a copy, email me, and I'll send it to you electronically. RA

This is what is referred to as a "teachable moment." Someone has either done something, or said something that has afforded you the opportunity to educate them. You have a choice on how to teach this particular person. Clearly, something needs to be done. Access to hydrants needs to be open and easy. So, what path will make a friend? What path will make an enemy? What path will make you feel better? Who exactly took the time to beautify this plug. Clearly there was some effort made. We may think that hydrants are mannah from heaven, but I can assure you that the general public doesn't think so as a rule. How much more effort would it be to knock on their door, professionally dressed, and talk to the person who did this? Thank them for their efforts for the community and explain how seconds can count if theirs or their neighbors house was on fire and water was needed. Explain that your pumps/wagons/engines on hold enough water for 3-5 minutes of firefighting and you need that water, badly. What do you think the outcome will be bewteen these different paths? Anyone who knows me knows I am usually as subtle as a chainsaw. I always thought that going to work for the fire service would mean complete job security and the ability to tell even more people to f^*$ off. As you may have guessed, I am changing my tune slightly. And, I am not saying I would be that noble, but its an option and I am trying...

I bet there is A LOT more to this one...

Another perspective with the whole free thing... When someone offers me something free, I turn it down politely and ask to pay for it. I used to be the guy who would take anything on the arm, but I changed my tune. Here's why. I am paid by the taxpayers, that is a simple fact. I do not want anyone to have the impression that I am TAKING anything from anyone. Taking stuff for free can have the implication that we will at some point return that favor. It is not good to be beholden to anyone as a public servant. In my mind, its just a bad idea. In addition, we recently had our top wage earners in the department published. We make pretty damn good money, and I want each and every taxpayer and voter thinking only good thoughts about my fire department when its time to elect the select board. If the wrong person sees us getting stuff for free, they can easily form the wrong opinion. (WTF, those damn firemen made over $100k last year, why are they getting their coffee for free???!!!) I don't want that. It is all about perception. You never know who is behind you in line, or who you are talking to. If I can make small changes in my behavior that could keep our staffing at decent levels, sign me up. In this line of work, our jobs are NEVER secure.

Yep, these things suck. But, criminals will be criminals. Making more gun laws will not stop people like this. Just because someone kills someone with a car, do we even consider making it harder for everyone to buy a car? Wait, no one has died as a result of violence and cars, have they?

One Eye... I hear you about the whole free thing. For that matter, why do any of us feel that we should get something for free? Because we supposedly risk our lives every day. C'mon, so do coal miners and crab fisherman. I bet they pay for their movies. Get over yourselves, all you types who feel you are owed something. Incognito leads to a simpler life BTW...585 is right on.

What I want to know is... Who belongs to the bent up, shattered buggy in the background of the rear view, OUCH!

See, I am of the opinion that paramedics on every bus and fly car are the way to go. Its not that EMT's are adequate, they certainly are. Its that things change. You turf off a borderline patient to BLS because its a strong crew, or whatever reason and things go south. Now what? The patient who was supposed to have ALS now doesn't. There is a reason that companies like Eastern Paramedics (sadly sold to R/M in the 90's) and Fire Departments staff only at the paramedic level. (And, I am a union FF, so the whole job justification doesn't work on me. if that were true, we would use basics and have the same arguement.) Now, I understand that there are shortages of medics around. Ever notice that the fire departments aren't short medics and EMTs? Regardless...EMS costs money. Plain and simple. So does plowing the roads. I hate taxes as much as the next guy. So...Let those who won't pay for it go without for a while. That is an ok choice in my book. NYS Law requires municipalities to provide FD and PD, but not EMS ( I am pretty sure about this one, but as always might be wrong.) Let them find their own way to the hospital for a week. You don't want to pay for it, you vote it down, great. No more services. Somehow I bet the schools will remain open and the roads will be plowed. The priorities of the public are fascinating, aren't they?

Yes, it has and for the better. I am no longer brainwashed by small minds like Bloomberg. And, if memory serves, you introduced me to the concept...