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Posted: 3/8/2015 11:50:53 AM EDT
[#1]
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what kind of trucks do y'all use? How many trucks do y'all run? Do you go to the pt hospital of choice, or can you take them to the closet appropriate? Type III squads by Wheeled Coach either Ford or Chevy chassis. I want to say about 50 different squads. It's misleading to go by unit number bc by that we are around 90 but I know for a fact we have no squads in the 80s. On a busy day, if it runs, it's taking patients. If the patient is stable enough, we will go by patient choice (within reason). If they want to go outside the surrounding counties, it needs to be pre-planned. Otherwise, closest appropriate facility it is. Certain hospitals will take certain specialties even if they are on diversion. Like the Level 1 trauma center will always take major trauma even if diverted, another is sexual assault trained/certified, another is pediatrics only, and there is another OB specialty. |
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Posted: 3/8/2015 11:54:47 AM EDT
[#2]
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So what determines the type of ambulance that arrives - is it just luck or do you prioritize based on what the incident is as-reported, or both or what? Quote HistoryQuoted:
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How much of a quality difference is there between different types of ambulances/services in your area? I've heard others say stuff like, "some are almost fully stocked ER rooms, ready for anything, while others are little more than body delivery trucks with a siren." Between us and the competition, our supplies are about the same (or so I hear bc this is the only company I have worked for here). Our equipment & squads are much newer and in better shape. Inside the company (ALS vs BLS) big difference. As a paramedic running ALS, at carry the same medications an ER would use in cardiac arrest, pain management, and other assorted medications. Our BLS squads carry very minimal medications as they aren't licensed to carry much at all. They do serve as taxis to the ER (sadly). They also do discharges to nursing homes and dialysis appointments. Dispatch decides. When a call comes in they have a script that is supposed to send the appropriate resources. The problem lies in that the questions are a little leading and people are sometimes trying to make it sound more serious bc they think they will be seen quicker. Sometimes if all our BLS squads are busy the ALS squads will be sent to BLS calls. If a BLS squad has a patient that needs the next level of care, we will be called in. |
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Posted: 3/8/2015 11:58:11 AM EDT
[#3]
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Do you carry your weapon in a small bag marked "ventilation equipment"? No, company policy is no weapons or I get fired. I don't like it but I go with it bc I get paid well. We do carry Versed and if things get hairy, size D O2 tanks. Just document," O2 applied to pt faced due to pt becoming combative." 
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Posted: 3/8/2015 12:00:23 PM EDT
[#4]
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What types of navigation tools do y'all have available to help find the best route to calls? Our MDT shows the location of the call and where we are on a map. We figure it out from there. If we have no clue there is always Google Navigation. 
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Posted: 3/8/2015 12:05:33 PM EDT
[#5]
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Why did you start yet another gay "Ask me anything" thread? I like them. They're entertaining. |
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Posted: 3/8/2015 12:10:51 PM EDT
[#6]
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Our MDT shows the location of the call and where we are on a map. We figure it out from there. If we have no clue there is always Google Navigation. Quote HistoryQuoted:
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What types of navigation tools do y'all have available to help find the best route to calls? Our MDT shows the location of the call and where we are on a map. We figure it out from there. If we have no clue there is always Google Navigation. My phone is better than our MDTs half the time. |
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Posted: 3/8/2015 12:17:46 PM EDT
[#7]
Nothing like breaking a Stryker stretcher rated for 700 pounds.
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Posted: 3/8/2015 12:22:06 PM EDT
[#8]
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Nothing like breaking a Stryker stretcher rated for 700 pounds. The two phrases from dispatch that worry me the most are 'CPR in progress' and 'your lift assist is squad ###.' |
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Posted: 3/8/2015 12:27:51 PM EDT
[#9]
Wednesday K-day was my favorite,
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Posted: 3/8/2015 12:34:10 PM EDT
[#10]
Have u ever had to use a decompression needle for tension pneumothorax ?
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Posted: 3/8/2015 12:37:14 PM EDT
[#11]
Do you think the show sirens is funny, my dad who is a retired emt-p find it hilarious
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Posted: 3/8/2015 12:40:04 PM EDT
[#12]
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Have u ever had to use a decompression needle for tension pneumothorax ? Not yet. I'd like to sometime but haven't yet. |
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Posted: 3/8/2015 12:43:54 PM EDT
[#13]
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Do you think the show sirens is funny, my dad who is a retired emt-p find it hilarious Yes. Overall I don't particularly care for how TV portrays medical/EMS. I believe law enforcement knows what I mean due to shows like Law & Order and Brooklyn 99. Sirens is entertaining though. |
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Posted: 3/8/2015 12:44:04 PM EDT
[#14]
Have you treated gsw if so what are your must have pieces of kit for them
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Posted: 3/8/2015 12:44:05 PM EDT
[#15]
Public or private EMS?
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Posted: 3/8/2015 12:57:02 PM EDT
[#16]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Sorry, I just threw up in my mouth a little about that. No. There's no chance in hell I would fuck anything or anyone in an ambulance. Why? In the last month I've had maybe 3-4 cases of C Diff transported and about 50% or more of our patients have MRSA. Not to mention a lot of them don't shower nearly as much as they should. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Did you ever get laid in the bus? I know lots of EMTs/Medics who did. Sorry, I just threw up in my mouth a little about that. No. There's no chance in hell I would fuck anything or anyone in an ambulance. Why? In the last month I've had maybe 3-4 cases of C Diff transported and about 50% or more of our patients have MRSA. Not to mention a lot of them don't shower nearly as much as they should. |
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Posted: 3/8/2015 1:12:26 PM EDT
[#17]
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Have you treated gsw if so what are your must have pieces of kit for them Nope. Usually that gets handled by the FD due to the odd EMS system here. I have gone through the Pre-Hospital Trauma Life Support class so I've picked up a thing or two. As far as GSW treatment, call for help. If you are help, have some dressing for the wound, tourniquet, 2 chest seals (in case it's a thoracic injury), a large bore IV needle, nasal pharyngeal airway, and transport. An IV set up would be nice but really, they need surgical intervention if it's more than just a grazing. The IV can buy time but delaying transport for it is a bad idea. Truthfully, nearly all our decent trauma calls end up with BLS level of care with maybe an ECG en route. Training would be the best piece of kit to have. I can improvise most of the stuff above but you really need to know what you need and when to use it. The rest is just cool toys. That said, I carry the ITS Tactical EDC Trauma kit off duty. Dark Angel Medical also has good kits. Those are the two I have seen that have what I listed above. Just whatever you do, don't go beyond your training. |
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Posted: 3/8/2015 1:14:17 PM EDT
[#18]
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Public or private EMS? FT job is private but we take the city's BLS calls and any calls that come in private. Believe it or not, we get a lot of people who do not want to call 9-1-1 for one reason or another. PT job is a fire department where I do fire and EMS. |
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Posted: 3/8/2015 1:16:31 PM EDT
[#19]
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What precipitated the C diff cases Quote HistoryQuoted:
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Did you ever get laid in the bus? I know lots of EMTs/Medics who did. Sorry, I just threw up in my mouth a little about that. No. There's no chance in hell I would fuck anything or anyone in an ambulance. Why? In the last month I've had maybe 3-4 cases of C Diff transported and about 50% or more of our patients have MRSA. Not to mention a lot of them don't shower nearly as much as they should. *shrug* Being in a nursing home? The staff never know bc it's not their patient, they don't usually work this wing, and they just come on. 
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Posted: 3/8/2015 1:20:44 PM EDT
[#20]
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I moved 680 3 days ago. Quote HistoryQuoted:
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how much did the heaviest person weigh you had to transport? Ummm highest confirmed was 472. Our cot & PowerLoad is rated to 700. that's barely a keeper around here...  725 was my biggest........two hours of cutting just to get the doorways accessible. |
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Posted: 3/8/2015 1:22:05 PM EDT
[#21]
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725 was my biggest........two hours of cutting just to get the doorways accessible. Quote HistoryQuoted:
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how much did the heaviest person weigh you had to transport? Ummm highest confirmed was 472. Our cot & PowerLoad is rated to 700. that's barely a keeper around here... 725 was my biggest........two hours of cutting just to get the doorways accessible. 980 was my biggest.  we had to transport her on the floor of out biggest ambulance, and she was still squeezed tight.
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Posted: 3/8/2015 1:33:00 PM EDT
[#22]
Who annoys you most?
A. ER staff that are upset you did not start an IV on a abdominal pain patient you transported from 3 blocks away from the hospital. B. Nursing home staff that vanish like a ninja in a cloud of smoke when you and your 120 pound partner arrive to transport a 400 lbs pt. to dialysis. C. Home health aides that talk to you like they are Dr. House when you are called for nausea/vomiting. D. Patients that call 911 reporting potentially serious symptoms and upon arrival become upset at the sight/sound of flashing red lights and sirens then demand they "just wanted checked out". |
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Posted: 3/8/2015 1:35:27 PM EDT
[#23]
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The two phrases from dispatch that worry me the most are 'CPR in progress' and 'your lift assist is squad ###.' Quote HistoryQuoted:
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Nothing like breaking a Stryker stretcher rated for 700 pounds. The two phrases from dispatch that worry me the most are 'CPR in progress' and 'your lift assist is squad ###.' Having been on the other side of the "CPR in Progress", let me tell ya, I was just as worried. You guys could not have gotten there quick enough. 5 mins of Single Rescuer was the longest 5 minutes of my life. |
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Posted: 3/8/2015 1:37:28 PM EDT
[#24]
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Did you ever get laid in the bus? I know lots of EMTs/Medics who did. With MRSA and VRE crawling all over the bench seat? Ewwww |
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Posted: 3/8/2015 1:39:44 PM EDT
[#25]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Sorry, I just threw up in my mouth a little about that. No. There's no chance in hell I would fuck anything or anyone in an ambulance. Why? In the last month I've had maybe 3-4 cases of C Diff transported and about 50% or more of our patients have MRSA. Not to mention a lot of them don't shower nearly as much as they should. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Did you ever get laid in the bus? I know lots of EMTs/Medics who did. Sorry, I just threw up in my mouth a little about that. No. There's no chance in hell I would fuck anything or anyone in an ambulance. Why? In the last month I've had maybe 3-4 cases of C Diff transported and about 50% or more of our patients have MRSA. Not to mention a lot of them don't shower nearly as much as they should. little c-diff mrsa cocktail on your crank won't hurt anything... live a little ... |
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Posted: 3/8/2015 1:45:24 PM EDT
[#26]
how long did you stare at priaprism?
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Posted: 3/8/2015 1:47:23 PM EDT
[#27]
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Not the OP, bit when I was in EMS, A LOT. Those nursing home elderly don't drive themselves. Most of them didn't come back out either. Quote HistoryQuoted:
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How many people do you take to the hospital who actually just have the Flu? Not the OP, bit when I was in EMS, A LOT. Those nursing home elderly don't drive themselves. Most of them didn't come back out either. We had what we called day cars for grunt runs. They were type II units normally staffed by two EMT I-A's (rather than en EMT I or II and a paramedic). All of our type III's were MICU's and weren't generally assigned grunt runs (although it happened occasionally on slow shifts). |
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Posted: 3/8/2015 1:56:07 PM EDT
[#28]
Quote HistoryQuoted: 725 was my biggest........two hours of cutting just to get the doorways accessible. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: how much did the heaviest person weigh you had to transport? Ummm highest confirmed was 472. Our cot & PowerLoad is rated to 700. that's barely a keeper around here... 725 was my biggest........two hours of cutting just to get the doorways accessible. http://www.beariatrics.com/ |
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Posted: 3/8/2015 2:06:16 PM EDT
[#29]
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Who annoys you most? A. ER staff that are upset you did not start an IV on a abdominal pain patient you transported from 3 blocks away from the hospital. B. Nursing home staff that vanish like a ninja in a cloud of smoke when you and your 120 pound partner arrive to transport a 400 lbs pt. to dialysis. C. Home health aides that talk to you like they are Dr. House when you are called for nausea/vomiting. D. Patients that call 911 reporting potentially serious symptoms and upon arrival become upset at the sight/sound of flashing red lights and sirens then demand they "just wanted checked out". Of those, A annoys me the most. After asking what the problem is and if they are a DNR, I kind of ignore home health and assisted living staff. If they take too long we cut them off bc if it's serious we can't be fucking around on scene ruling out fucking lupus. If it isn't serious, they won't tell me that bc they just want the patient gone. For the dialysis patients we get a lift assist so screw the nursing home. The 'just want to get checked out' types get basic vitals, where do you want to go, and I just do paperwork en route so we can clear after hitting on nurses for 15 min. That or we do an assessment and then they don't want to go bc they just wanted to get checked out. Cool, sign here, you're fine. If it gets worse call back. I have yet to have ER staff give me the 3rd degree on not having an IV. Either we didn't get one due to poor veins or they didn't need it for the time we had them. Besides, intranasal Fentanyl is easier if they are having abdominal pain 3 blocks out.
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Posted: 3/8/2015 2:08:33 PM EDT
[#30]
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how long did you stare at priaprism? I until they make eye contact. Then I need to make up a reason. 'Is it hard in here or is it just you?' |
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Posted: 3/8/2015 2:40:05 PM EDT
[#31]
In my last 3 24 hour shifts I've had exactly one call and that was a stable transfer. We have two ambulances covering an entire county for ALS and BLS 911.
You guys working in the city have it all wrong, rural EMS is where it's at. I literally get paid for watching COPS marathons and sleeping 9 hours a night. We do have a frequent flyer in the county who supposedly weighs 640 pounds, I haven't run him yet but I hear he smells wonderful. |
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Posted: 3/8/2015 2:46:08 PM EDT
[#32]
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In my last 3 24 hour shifts I've had exactly one call and that was a stable transfer. We have two ambulances covering an entire county for ALS and BLS 911. You guys working in the city have it all wrong, rural EMS is where it's at. I literally get paid for watching COPS marathons and sleeping 9 hours a night. We do have a frequent flyer in the county who supposedly weighs 640 pounds, I haven't run him yet but I hear he smells wonderful. I like living where snackbars are not a part of life. I am attempting to get to a less-busy system. We average 200-ish calls a day with a record somewhere near 250-ish transports. We broke the previous records week after week this winter. That said, my busiest day was about 12 calls. I know, I'm spoiled. |
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Posted: 3/8/2015 3:02:27 PM EDT
[#33]
I'm familiar (in passing) the system in which you operate. Another member here may have worked for you or one of your competitors back in the day.
On duty down here in the flatlands myself. Stay safe today brother. 
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Posted: 3/8/2015 3:05:39 PM EDT
[#34]
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The two phrases from dispatch that worry me the most are 'CPR in progress' and 'your lift assist is squad ###.' Quote HistoryQuoted:
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Nothing like breaking a Stryker stretcher rated for 700 pounds. The two phrases from dispatch that worry me the most are 'CPR in progress' and 'your lift assist is squad ###.' I know at least one service I work for asks for weight of patients. if over 200 they normally send a fire truck with us. |
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Posted: 3/8/2015 4:19:02 PM EDT
[#35]
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I'm familiar (in passing) the system in which you operate. Another member here may have worked for you or one of your competitors back in the day. On duty down here in the flatlands myself. Stay safe today brother. Indeed. I chatted with another member that has gone to the blue side. We'll welcome him back when he comes to his senses. Keep safe as well. As much as I hate getting pulled over by cops (I usually deserved it) y'all don't hesitate to help when we need you.
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Posted: 3/8/2015 9:40:37 PM EDT
[#36]
The night rolls on and the calls keep coming.
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Posted: 3/8/2015 9:48:41 PM EDT
[#37]
How do you get along with the nurses at the hospital?
Have any special stories about nursing home nurses? |
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Posted: 3/8/2015 10:04:25 PM EDT
[#38]
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How do you get along with the nurses at the hospital? Have any special stories about nursing home nurses? We get along with most nurses. I apologize for crappy patients and joke around with them. There are some there are some that are just smug bitches though. We give a full report and all through it they keep cutting us off asking irrelevant questions then act like they're doing me a favor by signing for taking report. This just makes me want to give less through reports and bring crap calls to you. No special stories really. They just suck at histories and being helpful. |
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Posted: 3/8/2015 10:09:58 PM EDT
[#39]
What's the worst smell you've encountered?
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Posted: 3/8/2015 10:15:01 PM EDT
[#40]
LOL. I know where you work... worked there before. How much do you love Zoll?
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Posted: 3/8/2015 10:33:51 PM EDT
[#41]
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LOL. I know where you work... worked there before. How much do you love Zoll? I don't know what you're talking about. Zoll is amaze-balls  Where did you end up?
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Posted: 3/8/2015 10:36:43 PM EDT
[#42]
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What's the worst smell you've encountered? Worst is a relative thing. Rotting bodies are pretty bad but the smell of vomit makes me wretch too. I hate the smell of stale piss that accompanies almost all nursing homes. It just reminds me that people are sitting in their own urine and that's sad. |
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Posted: 3/8/2015 10:46:25 PM EDT
[#43]
I am grateful for all the work u guys do.
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Posted: 3/9/2015 12:10:00 AM EDT
[#44]
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I am grateful for all the work u guys do. Thanks. We do our best with what we're given. A good amount of what we see is preventable if not BS. Take care of your body, exercise and eat kind of right (do as I say, not as I do), see your Dr, and make end of life plans. I for one do not want to be in a nursing home. Just let me die if that is the prognosis. I love legit 911 calls where we make a difference but most times we are just enabling. It's depressing sometimes but the good calls make it worthwhile. Sorry if that was kind of depressing. |
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Posted: 3/9/2015 12:20:45 AM EDT
[#45]
Have you ever given yourself an IV after a long night of hard drinking?
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Posted: 3/9/2015 12:29:22 AM EDT
[#46]
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Have you ever given yourself an IV after a long night of hard drinking? Me? No. I stopped drinking before I became a medic. I lost a dear friend to depression and drinking so that helped me kick it. Now if I feel like crap, sure. I've done it while working a big 4th of July thing one year. I was in my turnout gear most of the day doing public education and live burns. By the time the fireworks display happened I was not doing so well. Took a liter, on of the EMTs that was with me, and jumped in the back of a squad. It was her first IV attempt. I talked her through it and it went well. |
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Posted: 3/9/2015 12:32:43 AM EDT
[#47]
Mac or miller?
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Posted: 3/9/2015 12:36:30 AM EDT
[#48]
And with that, it's Paramedic Bedtime. Still on duty, I'll be up at least twice tonight and another 10 hrs at the PT job tomorrow. No rest for the wicked. Keep asking questions if you want.
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Posted: 3/9/2015 12:40:56 AM EDT
[#49]
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Mac or miller? Mac for adults, Miller for babies, and VMAC for the Mallampatti 4/people with crappy LEMON. |
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Posted: 3/9/2015 12:43:42 AM EDT
[#50]
Bougie or King Vision? or both?
How long you been a medic? |
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