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Comment by Ryann Hanford on March 13, 2009 at 12:33am

Why get the training if going is a waste of time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Comment by Ryann Hanford on March 13, 2009 at 12:28am

I am talking about an exsisting problem. Well I think that it is a problem! I have heard many times from the members that "its a waste of there time" This same dept gave our local ambulance corp slack for toning them for lifting assistance. My mother rides for this corp and is GREAT at what she does. If she needs help picking up a pt whether its because of the size of the pt or just because of how the pt is positioned in the surroundings. Someone needs to help her because without her or community is down one more great ALS to serve it large coverage area. We cant afford to lose any of them let alone any of the good ones. I could go on forever!!! this dept gets me going. Do EMS or dont. Dont bounce around in the middle and complain about it. I think that it is great that some dept are spreading their wing to EMS. We live in an area where it takes 20min to get to the Hosp just because it is that far away, not because of traffic. We have a few vol ambulance corp that are holding on by a string and a few paid corps. (only one good one! HAHA) We loose our volunteers. There goes the love of having a loving familiar face that you know and trust taking you to the hosp. We all need to stick together!! If you are ever refering to something to do with you corp/dept as "a waste of time" GET OUT you are wasting everyone elses time. Being there for my community is never a waste of my time.

Comment by Reap on March 11, 2009 at 9:58pm

Ok, so we've already established that calls can go the other way as well. Standing position falls can turn into trauma's, GSW's to shot in the buttocks, thank you Forrest Gump. In a department of mine, we ran over 4500 EMS calls in 2007. Not sure on 08's Number yet. But if you can't triage calls and expect me to send the cavalry on any call that has "potential", then that is 4500 pomp and circumstance parades until the first due arrives and recalls for the stubbed toe which could be amputated because we just don't know what we could wind up with . 4500 instances of sending a BLS ambulance, ALS chase car, 1 engine or tower ladder depending on response area, and however many cops were bored that day. Not only putting other potential patients or victims out of valuable resources, but also risking the lives of 9+ responders!?!?!?

Lets use our training, education, and common sense dictate who and what we send here. Don't be a jackass!

Comment by Chad Furr on March 11, 2009 at 8:15pm

If we get toned for a hang nail we treat it the same as some one who just took multiple GSW's. If THEY feel they need to call 911 then it is our JOB and DUTY to respond with the utmost urgency and treat all calls the same.

Comment by Art "ChiefReason" Goodrich on March 11, 2009 at 12:09pm

Ryann:
For starters, it sounds like you are talking about a specific situation that you know to exist?
There is a department that you know of that doesn't want to be toned out unless it is life threatening?
To answer the second question first, I would say that, if I am the 911 Coordinator, I just took this department off the grid for medical calls. I would not tone them for ANY med calls.
Next:
Many departments are NOT firefighter/EMT. Some are. Some respond when the ambulance is called. Some departments have a fire department ambulance. It depends on the community and the fire department.
Still, there are many more who do NOT do any type of EMS. Manpower, money, insurance are all reasons for not doing it.
When I was chief of our fire department, I wanted some of us to be trained in emergency medicine, in case we needed to assist a downed firefighter. The ambulance service is separate of the fire department, so they did not have turnout gear or SCBAs or any training in that arena.
So, I had several, including myself, who became EMT-First Responders. As an added plus, we run with the ambulance. We usually get there first. And when there is a med call, the first responders are covered under the ambulance insurance.
As I said earlier, every department has their reasons for doing it or not doing it. Some are legitimate reasons and other reasons are lip service. But to cherry pick calls is flat out wrong.
Tones drop; you go!
If you have to think about it, it's time to get off the department.
IMHO.
TCSS.
Art

Comment by T.J. on March 11, 2009 at 10:37am

I here you Ryann, we all have radios so if we here somebody close check enroute than you can stand down if you want to, or listen to here what the first arriving has to say.

Comment by jonathan on March 11, 2009 at 10:12am

when we are paged we go rather its life threating or not a call is a call in my opion all calls that come in
they shoul d be treated as a life threating call unless its a call about cats in trees or some thing like that

Comment by Dustin J. Millis on March 11, 2009 at 3:34am

My dept. is certified for BLS non transport so we run the same kind of deal. The county medics get a call and we run with them in case extra help is needed. We dont get called to assist for everything, county dispatch pages us out under certain conditions depending on the type of call. When we first started these medic assists, it was pretty much difficulty breathing, full arrests, and lift assists that we got called for. Over the past few years however; the medics are starting to really like having us around and we get called for just about everything now. Our call numbers have increased by the hundreds over just a few years due to the high increase of EMS assists... Thats cool with me... I dont mind stayin busy

Comment by Palmyra Chief Donaghey on March 11, 2009 at 1:43am

Our station has a first responder program to compliment our ALS units. Because we are rural my FRs all carry a ALS trama bag in their POVs . WE are paged with EMS and often care for the PT until EMS arrives. You are right, we are here for the community and sometimes a reassuring voice or holding a hand can make the PT feel much better. NOT answering a page is criminal and inhumane, even when its a bandaid call.

Comment by Ryann Hanford on March 11, 2009 at 12:32am

If we get to a call and we need more equip/people we radio in and we get more. If we need less we radio in and let other responders to stand down! I dont think that is very hard to do! If my life is on the line. I want someone there. Even if its to just hold my hand.

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