Kimberly Robinson's Blog

Every now and then you have to light a candle

You work codes and unfold sheets. You put your arm around onlookers and family members and guide them away. You listen to them in the hallways of the ER. Wiping their eyes roughly with the heel of a grimy hand, going over and over the last thing they said, yesterday morning when they fussed at him for getting into the sugar.

Whether we want to admit it or not every death takes its little dig out of us. Every shattered helmet and flat green line and 'unknown downtime' puts a little… Continue

Added by Kimberly Robinson on August 23, 2009 at 7:50pm — 1 Comment

Conversations I Hope You Never Have

Note: This is my most recent blogpost from my everyday blog. I figure turnabout is fair play; if I can get humor out of patients' situations its only fair that I tell on myself.

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I drive for a living, and one of the annual annoyances of driving for a living for a trucking company is the ‘random’ drug test. ‘Random’ earns ‘quotes’ because I usually am ‘told’ when its going to… Continue

Added by Kimberly Robinson on August 21, 2009 at 1:25pm — No Comments

You know you are in trouble when the nurses are apologizing

Kids, kids, kids. Where has the time gone?

Without boring you with details, its 'peak season' in my paying job, which means that most weeks I'm driving hundreds of miles through the New York and Pennsylvania countryside, keeping my own company, practicing show tunes, and deepening my affinity for Jack Link beef jerky while I studiously adhere to the speed limit and handsfree cell phone laws because you can only talk your way out of a cell phone ticket in New York State on account of… Continue

Added by Kimberly Robinson on August 7, 2009 at 4:29pm — 2 Comments

Band On The Run

Aside from the wildfires that keep seeming to happen when I'm not home, I've had a quiet couple of weeks and not a lot of time 'on the bus'. I'm sure that this week will take care of that, but in the meantime here's a story from my pre-certification days when I wore a different uniform and rode a different kind of bus. And wore glasses roughly the size of the Hubble telescope lens.

Clicky clicky...don't be… Continue

Added by Kimberly Robinson on April 29, 2009 at 12:31pm — 2 Comments

Psych Transport

Well I’ve had this damn sinus infection for three weeks now and I was downtown and thought I’d go to the hospital but I couldn’t hardly stand up and I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to get out of the car at the hospital so I drove home and came back up the ramp and I was just sitting here and all of a sudden I couldn’t hold my head up (dog barks) SHUT THE F**K UP! (dog stops) so right I should give him any more cigarettes? F**k him. He smokes his and mine too and I have to buy him more and he… Continue

Added by Kimberly Robinson on April 20, 2009 at 9:30am — 5 Comments

Overheard at ITLS

Overheard at ITLS

I took this excellent course last weekend, after a feverish three days of reading as much of the textbook as I could in 72 hours while still sleeping and giving a full time job due diligence. It was a great weekend, having practical time alongside Paramedics and RNs as well as EMTs from other stations was an excellent opportunity to sharpen skills, learn new things, and share what works with people from other departments.… Continue

Added by Kimberly Robinson on March 25, 2009 at 3:43pm — 5 Comments

Its paid for, but please.....

I finally got to ride in our sweet new ambulance Tuesday night. After countless bone jarring ambulance transfers in a 4WD vehicle that would have eventually resulted in breasts I could kneel on, we got a 2WD that offered a smooth ride and steps you can negotiate with a wide butt and short legs without looking like you just fell off a Mardi Gras float. Yaay for me!

It still has that 'new ambulance' smell, which is kind of like the 'new car' smell, if new cars came with extrication… Continue

Added by Kimberly Robinson on March 12, 2009 at 2:01pm — 9 Comments

Simple Gifts

It is the day after Christmas. Our house is decorated with enthusiasm if not style, the living room cluttered with wrapping paper. We came home from Christmas with the in-laws to find a large package on our porch, and after quick work with a pocketknife on the many layers of tape, we opened more gifts.

Its quiet. Just the hiss and swish of iron on fabric.

Getting the pleats just right takes skill. First, I take off the badge, take off the nametag, take off the tack pin… Continue

Added by Kimberly Robinson on December 26, 2008 at 11:23pm — 1 Comment

Not just a Job, but an adventure.......

Latest from the Back of the Bus....adventures in plumbing management.....

http://backothebus.blogspot.com/2008/11/not-just-job-but-adventure.html

Added by Kimberly Robinson on December 2, 2008 at 12:23pm — 9 Comments

Explaining it to the Others

The following is an excerpt from my everyday blog that doesn't normally deal with fire/rescue stuff. A couple of my readers asked me to talk about that side of things so I did. Not sure if they are glad or sorry, but it was kind of a dark weekend to do it.

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I took a couple of extra duty sections this week, I'm ten calls away from 100 in a year and grabbing a… Continue

Added by Kimberly Robinson on September 29, 2008 at 8:40am — 4 Comments

The Day After

I have been running this week and not in the office much, today I spent my lunch hour hunched over a bowl of ramen and a magazine wishing away a sinus headache, with lots of bloggy-bits whirling around my head, nothing cohesive. I wanted to write a 9/11 post, in fact, I composed one in my head, and all the images of that day so overwhelmed me that I never got it written.

Every time I go to tell the story it starts out "I remember that it was a perfect day". Perfect, blue sky, no… Continue

Added by Kimberly Robinson on September 12, 2008 at 11:13pm — No Comments

Training

Cross posted to my blog.

(There's pictures, and I am too lazy to import it all. Just click for the fun!)

Added by Kimberly Robinson on September 4, 2008 at 4:05pm — 4 Comments

Binge

Fourth of July weekend, I volunteered to cover an extra duty section. The husband and wife who faithfully cover our Friday nights went on vacation and since I wasn't going anywhere, I figured, what the heck. I imagined all sorts of holiday emergencies to which I might fly, ready to render comfort and aid to citizenry impaled by bottle rockets or pinned in spectacularly mangled vehicles. I sat reading a book on my couch, listening to the distant pop of firecrackers, waiting for the inevitable… Continue

Added by Kimberly Robinson on July 9, 2008 at 4:46pm — 7 Comments

Better Living Through Chemistry

I don't want this third cup of coffee. But I'm going to drink it anyway.

Besides, I need something to take the pill with. I hold it in my fingers, wondering whether my feeling better has more to do with feeling like I'm doing something than the actual medical action of this particular drug. I decide it doesn't really matter, that improvement is improvement and whatever dispels the dark is welcome.

I see skinny, tanned, shirtless country boys everywhere, ones like the one… Continue

Added by Kimberly Robinson on July 1, 2008 at 1:23pm — 2 Comments

Contempt

It was bound to happen eventually.

Saturday, the latest in a string of early risings, only this time for no reason. Last year I watched dozens of racing bikes hum down an ill-advised hill at an even more ill-advised speed. There were no crashes. But we were there. This time there were no crashes (as far as I know), but we were not there since the rest of the crew didn't show. My powers of invisibility were great yesterday, my questions met with shrugs and blank stares, turning away… Continue

Added by Kimberly Robinson on June 15, 2008 at 4:05pm — 1 Comment

Overheard on the Bus

Its only May, and my collection of DUI humans grows by the week. I had considered waiting until the end of the summer and doing a wrap up of all of the fun conversations I've had with alcohol-fueled drivers but I can't wait until August or I will forget them all.

First, I'm glad they had a mock DUI at the high school. They should have made parental attendance a condition of graduation. So far this summer every single one of my drunk-wrecked has been between 45-55 years old.… Continue

Added by Kimberly Robinson on May 27, 2008 at 10:00am — 4 Comments

Department of Vehicular Awesomeness

Lemme tell you a story, chilluns.

I grew up in New Jersey. You can get your learner's permit at 16 1/2 there, (at least, you could in 1986...no need to correct me if its changed.....16.5 is waay in my rearview mirror) and you could have your full driver's license, no Cinderella 12am curfew nonsense, at 17.

I took Driver's Ed in 10th grade just like everybody else. I learned to drive in a brand-new dual control Chevette with less than 200 miles on it. It still smelled new… Continue

Added by Kimberly Robinson on May 19, 2008 at 3:19pm — 1 Comment

Policy

Brand new blog post here!

Added by Kimberly Robinson on January 18, 2008 at 10:44am — No Comments

Breakdown

Wednesday night. Second duty section of the week.

I'd hoped to get to the ambulance building, execute my little side job cleaning it, and whip out some tripsheets before any tones dropped. That is, after I had a leisurely supper that I'd pick up on the way in.

What is the saying, man schemes, and God laughs?

As I was making my final approach to town from work at about 17:25, tones. Patient to be transported directly from a Dr.'s office to a hospital 65 miles away. I step on it…

Continue

Added by Kimberly Robinson on December 6, 2007 at 12:26pm — No Comments

Kimberly Robinson's Blog (19)