Does any other department out there get calls for lift assist only? We have a couple people that think the 911 system is set up for them to call when they need to get their out of shape Butt up and take them to the bathroom, or pick them up off the floor cause they cant get up when they roll out of bed. If you do have people that do this, what is your protocall for people that abuse the system?
Do you call your Dept of Human Services or just let it go. If i have to go one more time to help someone change their diaper i am going to scream. We are not butt wipers/diaper changers and i need to find out what everyone else does.

Thanks

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Yeah we do to. Kinda funny actually cause we ask them the same dang thing and come to find out the person rolls out of the bed and hits there medical alarm that goes straight to 911 so off we go.
Trust me, i have worked everycall from a broken toe nail to amputations. I do not mind going to help someone that falls and needs help. That is not the issue here. What my problem is that we have 1 person that thinks we are her care takers and is able to (For the most part) take care of herself. It goes back to the story Never Cry Wolf. One day she really is going to need someone and the whole dept is going to be thinking "Oh she needs a diaper change again" and reduce the response to maybe a Code 1 time. Now keep in mind that all calls are treated equal and i do not think that would happen but there is that one time when it may happen.
Yes call APS and tell them what your department does and it does not include changing adult diapers!
Allen, have every thought that maybe, just maybe this poor woman is all alone and lonely and just wants to have some company? Is what she is doing right? No it isn't. But you maybe the only contact that she has and that is what she needs. Instead of getting mad, maybe you guys could take some time out once a week or whatever and stop in and just say hi and I bet that would change a lot of that. I am not saying to take yourselves out of service to do this. You can stop in and still be on duty and if a call drops then go to the call. This may help with the excessive calls to 911. It is just a thought.
I understand your frustration, but the reality is that the job is not all glory. When we choose public service as our career we have to taek the highs and lows. I hate those calls too, but at that time whoever called us knows that we can and will help. The public calling us when no one else can help them is as big a part of our history as leather helmets and dalmations. Now, we should notify the proper people and agencies when it becomes obvious that the person can no longer take care of themsleves and is in danger of accident, injury, or worse. But, when granny calls us at 2 am to help her off of the floor, then we are bound by our traditions and our history to help. Anywhere,Anytime.
I also can relate to the frustrations of calls like this..My EMS service gets them daily, and yes we hate them, but it is all apart of our job. Help, Protect, and Serve..no matter what, thats what we signed on for..the good and the bad, and the ugly!!! As far as the diaper changing..don't do it..call a family member for her, and plain out tell her that you all are not doing it anymore..it is sad that she does this, and it probably is a cry for help..maybe have your local EMS tx her to the ED and get the ball rolling for proper care of the pt. And as far as the nursing home situation..TURN THEM IN!! Nursing homes have gotten so lazy anymore and it has got to stop. No matter what the situation is..just remember..be kind, and considerate..we all will be there someday, some of us sooner then others. None of us know who will be there to help us in our time of need, so set the bar high buddy for those that will follow you...that next call might be one of us!!! Take care, Cat
Ah yes, the always popular SERVICE CALL! Just about every department in the country has them. It doesn't matter if you are a combination service(fire and EMS) or one or the other. That is why the greater percentage of the country loves and adores firefighters. How often do you see or comrades in badges, LE, go do these kind of service calls? Hell, I have responded to service calls and had deputies on scene when we got there. I ask them " Why didn't you guys do it?" The greater time the response is, "well, that's your job isn't it?" Hmmm? yea I guess that's why peeps love us, the buck stops here in the fire service. We just do the job. That is what makes us the best service in the world! Now yes there are people out there that perhaps abuse the system. In fact it isn't perhaps there are. We have 1 or 2 also, but that doesn't change the fact. Tell who you need to tell. Report what you need to report, but do the job. If these other agencies like APC, DSHS, etc. don't do theirs that isn't a reason for us to not do ours. Every call has the potential of a "crying wolf" syndrome. Treat like is the real thing everytime. Use due regard and be a good community protector. I'll finish up with a couple of comments from our old friend "NozzleHead"- #22 Let your skills and actions speak for you; you will be judged by your actions, abilities, and enthusiasm. And- #49 Smile and remember how great this job is! Be safe and learn something new today.
only lift assist callls we have gotten have been to assist ambulance with heavy patients. That said, do you run all your lift assist calls with lights and siren? when we get lift assists, the dispatcher lets us know if we need code 1 or code three. that really helps
We had this guy that weighed 800 pounds and whenever he would fall he would call us. It was ugly because he never wore clothes....And then when you tried to move him and pushed to hard he would pee all over the place. One call we had an ambulance, van, utility truck and rescue with 15 FF total.
Oh we did get a call while on the road which was right next to our nieghboring fire company. The ambulance requested assitance. We got there and it was this lady old lady that weighed a good 130 with duzzy slippers on. I told the EMT's that if I was the IC of the engine I would leave them.
my department does occasionally... the only ones i know for sure are my neighbors up the road. together they weigh over 1700 pounds and i always see the nearby dpt. (i don't live in the district i am involved with) come out. they usually want to move from couch to chair and can't pick themselves up. they also have about 45 cats thats have free range over the house. i don't think anyone has been called about the issue...
why do they have a medical alarm in the nursing home?.... if they do it should be a local alarm only?

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