Switching Non Rebreathers

[ltjay157 10]

One of the Police Officers at work was telling me this story. He went to a medical call for a female, unconcious outside of a resteraunt. The patient was awake upon PD arrival and the officer put the patient on O2 w/non rebreather (the officer is also an EMT). The first EMT for the FD arrived in their POV and took off the non rebreather and put a new one on from their bag with their O2. The ambulance arrived and took off that non rebreather mask & put a new one on the patient. My questio is, why would someone keep replacing a non rebreather with new ones? There was nothing wrong with the one the PD used. Isn't that a complete waste of resources? 3 non rebreathers for 1 patient? Talk about money going down the toilet. All of the police Officers in my dept are either MRT or EMT certified. Just wanted some thoughts on the matter since the officer was kind of stumped by their actions also.

[nycemt728 49]

Agreed, I see no point to switching the NRBs unless there is a malfunction. It does waste resources and time and is just plain unnecessary.

[Danger 160]

At work, if the FD or BLS agency already has a mask on the pt, we simply give the other party one from our bag and go on our way, no reason to switch, a mask is a mask.

[firemoose827 324]

At work, if the FD or BLS agency already has a mask on the pt, we simply give the other party one from our bag and go on our way, no reason to switch, a mask is a mask.

Same here, at my PT job we always work with the SUNY Med Resp team, and police and we just throw them a new mask and take theirs. It must be some kind of obsessive thing...like making sure its put on a certain way to cover their a@#es, almost like they dont trust other agencies. Waste of supplies... Try asking them the next time you see it happen, maybe its just force of habbit.

[DOC22 1]

We have a supply of non rebreathers in the firehouse. So if we don't get a replacement, we have plenty anyhow. If we olace one on a patient, it generally stays on unless, for some reason something different is necessary.

[DR104 141]

I agree. Maybe they are just CYA.(Cover Your a**) Just incase it was a bad mask.( billing too!! Cannot 4get about the $ ) It is like when you do your frist day check, you want to do it yourself. Not have somebody else do it and take there word that everthing is ok.

[Goose 188]

Just switch from their O2 to yours, switching NRFMs is silly unless its broken

[RescueKujo 130]

It's all about the Washingtons. No other reason.

[Guest WolfEMT]

I can see switching O2 bottles so that it frees up the PD's supply, but rebreathers? That doesn't sound right...

[Guest partyrock]

Anytime I've done it its because the patient wasn't in respiratory distress and its a pain in the a** to talk to someone through them. I love it, on a nebulizer people want to talk their face off, but once you thrown an NRB on they clam up. After I take it off, I usually don't pay attention to it so it invariably lands on the floor. People who change it just for the sake of changing it are just being silly.

[shac 7313 0]

i find i t just plain dumb ??. and too costly in the long run.

[Guest Orpi442]

That is dumb. What the EMT or FD should of done was give the on out of his bag & give it to the officer so he is restocked. But to keep replacing a mask without it being broken is just out right somebody is not thinking.