Any VACS Missing Equiptment?

[KelliPVAC 32]

Lately it seems we are missing equiptment such as backboards, headblocks, straps, etc. We are at the same hospitals so often, that our equiptment should still be there when we go back to get it. I was just wondering if anyone else is having the same problem.

[Guest]

yup, i was told by some people i know who work FDNY EMS that they have seen PVAC, VVAC and HFD equipment in the city. its the paid guys who take our stuff. its gets annoying and expensive.

Edited August 24, 2007 by vacguy

[Jybehofd 85]

we have been good lately for the past 2 years but for some reason or another in the last two months our backboard have just disapeared the straps and head block are inexpensive its the board that cost a lot We label the board does any one number them to track them or have any method to track them?

[Guest]

we have been good lately for the past 2 years but for some reason or another in the last two months our backboard have just disapeared the straps and head block are inexpensive its the board that cost a lot We label the board does any one number them to track them or have any method to track them?

you got a utility?? take a trip to the city, you'll find 'em!

[KelliPVAC 32]

you got a utility?? take a trip to the city, you'll find 'em!

VACS should not have to go to other agencies looking to get their equiptment back.

All equiptment costs money. Personally we have Ferno headbeds / blocks which are not cheap. All of our straps are from Bio-Plastics that have our name printed on them. So as far as our straps there should be no confussion on who they belong to.

[Guest]

VACS should not have to go to other agencies looking to get their equiptment back.

All equiptment costs money. Personally we have Ferno headbeds / blocks which are not cheap. All of our straps are from Bio-Plastics that have our name printed on them. So as far as our straps there should be no confussion on who they belong to.

relax there, it was a joke.

but you are right, its wrong to do. i know VVAC, PVAC and HFD EMS, along w/ most other agencies have their names and phone # on the equipment, so if someone takes it my mistake, they would have the decency to be professionally courteous and let that agency know that there equipment is not where they left it.

A few years ago I would bring equipment I saw at hospitals to the other agencies as a courtesy, but w/ the political junk going on and other agency vs. agency junk, the word COURTEOUS has left my vocabulary

[ONEEYEDMIC 68]

There is no confusion, they belong to FDNY or other AGENCIES. LOL

There has to be a better system to getting your equipment back or you can just find out who took them and have them arrested.

[Guest]

There is no confusion, they belong to FDNY or other AGENCIES. LOL

There has to be a better system to getting your equipment back or you can just find out who took them and have them arrested.

well, WMC has those cages for the agencies w/ close proximity to the hospital, which they don’t use.

A friend from an orange county agency asked if I could pick up a backboard for him at WMC and keep it at VVAC cuz the pt was flown in. I looked at WMC, of course the board wasn’t there. that same day another friend from HFD said he found the board in white plains hospital!!

oneeyed…if we did things your way, every transcare employee would be locked up!!

[ny10570 745]

FDNY has more than enough boards and we're actually prohibited from using boards belonging to other agencies, so I'm willing to bet its not them. A few years ago while working for WEMS I actually found a PVAC board down at Lawrence (I'm pretty sure PVAC wasn't making a run down there). Some of it also falls to the agency. There's been a playland board sitting outside Jacobi for probably a week now that will eventually find its way to the dumpster if its not picked up.

[efd184 59]

FDNY has more than enough boards and we're actually prohibited from using boards belonging to other agencies, so I'm willing to bet its not them. A few years ago while working for WEMS I actually found a PVAC board down at Lawrence (I'm pretty sure PVAC wasn't making a run down there). Some of it also falls to the agency. There's been a playland board sitting outside Jacobi for probably a week now that will eventually find its way to the dumpster if its not picked up.

playland will come pick up the board!

can you call them @914 755 4591

im just relaying a message from the head of EMS overthere

[MPACE2-299 0]

Our hair traction splint was left at WMC about a month ago; when we went down there about a week ago on another run we went to go look for it. We were told that if it wasn't in the locker by the door, it may be in the basement. After about 10 minutes of wandering around the basement because no one we asked had any idea what it was or some didn't even speak English, we stumbled into a room that no joke had over 200 backboards. If we had more time we would of went through them, because we bet at least 10 are probably ours. If any one has any more info on this room, or if we are even allowed to go though them it probably would be worth wild to get a couple of vacs/fd together to go down one day to sort them out. Also we still haven't found that splint.

[mfc2257 464]

When I was in Gettysburg we used to run to York, Hershey, Chambersburg, Shock Trauma in Baltimore, and Hopkins.... 100+ miles between them... We used to put a pre printed FEDEX sticker with our account number on the board and they were professionally stenciled with instructions that if the board wasn't at Gettysburg hospital ER, to place it with the outgoing next day's FEDEX shipment. The boards used to come back in the mail.

[Guest EFFP411]

so far EFFD is missing a ton of backboards, headlocks, etc. we get the ones from WMC back in the mail, but there are still more dissappearing, and its getting a bit out of hand. Not to mention that somehow we've lost 3 reeves stretchers already. If anybody sees some of our stuff, toss me a PM and tell me where you saw it, so it can be retrieved, Thanks!

Edited August 25, 2007 by EFFP411

[Guest]

Our hair traction splint was left at WMC about a month ago; when we went down there about a week ago on another run we went to go look for it. We were told that if it wasn't in the locker by the door, it may be in the basement. After about 10 minutes of wandering around the basement because no one we asked had any idea what it was or some didn't even speak English, we stumbled into a room that no joke had over 200 backboards. If we had more time we would of went through them, because we bet at least 10 are probably ours. If any one has any more info on this room, or if we are even allowed to go though them it probably would be worth wild to get a couple of vacs/fd together to go down one day to sort them out. Also we still haven't found that splint.

yea you're allowed to go in that room unofficially titles "The Dungeon!"

just make sure you bring a lot of gloves, nothing in The Dungeon is clean.

[Guest]

so far EFFD is missing a ton of backboards, headlocks, etc. we get the ones from WMC back in the mail, but there are still more dissappearing, and its getting a bit out of hand. Not to mention that somehow we've lost 3 reeves stretchers already. If anybody sees some of our stuff, toss me a PM and tell me where you saw it, so it can be retrieved, Thanks!

do you pay for the shipping??? WMC used to mail us our boards, but they no longer do...i was told the WMC BOD did away w/ cleaning and mailing backboards...

[NYMedic37 22]

yup, i was told by some people i know who work FDNY EMS that they have seen PVAC, VVAC and HFD equipment in the city. its the paid guys who take our stuff. its gets annoying and expensive.

===================== "Its the paid guys who take our stuff". Well, vacguy, I'm a "paid guy", also know as a career professional, and I work both in Westchester County as well as NY City. In NY City there is a rotation of backboards amongst all NY City EMS agencies and I have never seen nor taken a backboard that is not in the rotation of NY City agencies. In Westchester, if I leave equiptment at a certain hospital, I only take the equiptment that is labeled by the agency that I work for being that this is the practice in Westchester County. I recommend that you take your foot out of your mouth because it is obstructing your airway thus restricting oxygenation to your brain as demonstrated by your stupid remarks about "paid guys".

[Guest partyrock]

sorry NYMedic, but many of your co-workers are not so scrupulous. Where I work there just aren't a lot boards available at our facility so we usually have to make do with whats left at the hospital. A lot of guys will just take whats clean no matter who it belongs to.

Why do you guys let your stuff sit for so long? Especially patient transfer devices, once they're at the ER, get them off it and get it back. Does WMC manually clear c-spine or do you guys have to wait to get your board back?

[Remember585 815]

oneeyed…if we did things your way, every transcare employee would be locked up!!

And the problem is?!

JUST KIDDING!

Those cages at WMC are a disgusting mess! We've lost boards down there as well as straps and head blocks too. It's so nasty in there perhaps the boards and other equipment just dissolve?!

[RWC130 594]

YARD SALE

This Saturday:

-Backboards

-Collars

-KED's

-Straps

-Splints

JUST KIDDING!

[Guest WCDES636]

I think all the missing equipment is in the back of Jim's (Sounds like PUNTER) car!!!!!

[Guest]

Last I checked, it's not the hospital's responsibility to secure and send back to us the equipment we left behind. That responsibility falls of the CREW THAT LAST USED THAT PIECE OF EQUIPMENT!!!!! Does it suck that a backboard or traction splint of yours got swiped at the ER's? Sure it does. But unless someone comes up with a fool proof way of this not happening, SUCK IT UP!!!! Bite the bullet, take the hit, lessons learned, MOVE ON!!!! Buy cheaper backboards and blocks, paint your equipment pink if you must. Everyone does it (sadly) paid and vollie alike. So lets stop pointing fingers and Lo Jack your S$#T.

[Guest EFFP411]

looks like i'll be taking a trip to WMC in the district pickup to go looking. thanks for the info!!

[ex-commish 490]

its the paid guys who take our stuff. its gets annoying and expensive.

Do you have proof of that??? I can only imagine who is feeding you this information. Pitiful !!!

[Remember585 815]

I think all the missing equipment is in the back of Jim's (Sounds like PUNTER) car!!!!!

LMAO - I mean, LMBO!!!!

[Guest alsfirefighter]

One thing I can say is....feces happens. Sorry I'm not allowed to use the time honored "profane" version of feces that is on millions of t-shirts and apparantly was invented by Forrest Gump.

Couple of things to remember. Some of you need to label your equipment better.

There is more then one "PVAC" around. Phillipstown, Peekskill, Pleasantville, just as examples.

"its the paid guys who take our stuff"

LOL. Isn't it great to have staffing to answer calls immediately and to blame stuff on. Great statement dude...great statement. What else do they do...probably actually check the ambulances and equipment out...etc. Or is that someone else's fault as well?

[Remember585 815]

"its the paid guys who take our stuff"

LOL. Isn't it great to have staffing to answer calls immediately and to blame stuff on. Great statement dude...great statement. What else do they do...probably actually check the ambulances and equipment out...etc. Or is that someone else's fault as well?

I can say from personal experience that I have not only worked, but volunteered places where I was TOLD that taking equipment that wasn't ours was fine because others took ours.

Bottom line, have a little respect for each other - we all have to pay for this stuff and money doesn't grow on trees!!!!

Tommy, there's one thing I have learned - never trust a medic in shorts!!!! (Who loves ya baby?! LOL)

[Guest alsfirefighter]

I can say from personal experience that I have not only worked, but volunteered places where I was TOLD that taking equipment that wasn't ours was fine because others took ours.

Gotta say...been there too. Can't say I haven't even done it...now...if I'm missing a piece of equipment and can't replace it right away and its a necessity...I think...lunch break!

Tommy, there's one thing I have learned - never trust a medic in shorts!!!! (Who loves ya baby?! LOL)

You know you want this....lol.

ROTFLMAO....

[Guest EFFP411]

You know what, it shouldn't matter if its "paid guys" or vollies who are taking stuff, all that matters is that the stuff is not where its supposed to be. We've spent quite a bit of time checking around looking for it. And, the cracks at vollie corps that dont get out are not very nice. Its tough to get guys to go get the ambulance. I have made the phone calls to roster our ambulance whe the rescue LT. wasn't around, and its a pain in the butt. There are a few that go above and beyond to make sure its ALWAYS staffed in my town. The are alot of others less fortunate that just don't have the manpower.

P.S. A Part 800 checklist is a good idea. We fill one out for each shift.

[Guest alsfirefighter]

And, the cracks at vollie corps that dont get out are not very nice.

With all due respect to you being I have no clue who you are...or if this was even directed to me or in general, the way I see it...that wasn't a crack...where I operate its often the flat out truth. I spent several years volunteering in a high volume system and I know its not easy to get people out to get an ambulance. The agency I was a member of did something about it by contracting an EMT during the high volume times. The problem is that too many can't either face the truth or see the problem of not getting out the way they should. Its like its an acceptable practice because "we're a VAC, it happens," or when someone makes a comment about them not getting out, its referred to as "bashing" or a "crack." When its nothing more then the simple truth.

[Guest EFFP411]

With all due respect to you being I have no clue who you are...or if this was even directed to me or in general, the way I see it...that wasn't a crack...where I operate its often the flat out truth. I spent several years volunteering in a high volume system and I know its not easy to get people out to get an ambulance. The agency I was a member of did something about it by contracting an EMT during the high volume times. The problem is that too many can't either face the truth or see the problem of not getting out the way they should. Its like its an acceptable practice because "we're a VAC, it happens," or when someone makes a comment about them not getting out, its referred to as "bashing" or a "crack." When its nothing more then the simple truth.

I did not mean this to be directed towards you ALS, and your right, there are alot of areas that need to take a serious look at how things are going and if they need to consider hiring staff. What i don't appreciate is the idea that all VACs, Rescue Squads, etc. slack, because its not the case. There are still a few places that manage to pull off a professional act, with a 24/7/365 rostered ambulance, required checklists and uniforms, etc. Just the thought of people that say, "well we're volunteer, it happens" makes my blood boil. Just because its volunteer, doesn't mean that you don't have to do your job, or someone's life may be at risk. But, in any case what do I know, I'm just the guy without a life, that can't tell his rescue Liutenants NO when they ask for 20+ hours a week in the ambulance...