Medic trommashear has written her part of the co-post about sadness in EMS. It’s a story that one just can’t help but get choked up over…
Just read it:
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Medic Trommashear, who writes great stuff has offered to co-post with me on this. You can check it out at her blog: http://lookingthroughapairofpinkhandledtraumashears.com/
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This morning the wife came home from her night shift on the ambulance and told me a sad story. During the wee hours of the morning she handled a rather nasty fatality accident. The victim, a 20-something male was walking home from a party on a dark country road and tragically, a passing motorist didn’t see him in time and the accident ensured that he’d never make it. Pedestrian vs. car accidents at high speeds have a way of doing that.
Sad stories like this are getting more common for her as she’s immersed herself fully into paramedic school and professional EMS in general. She’s been seeing sad stuff multiple times per week it seems. I can see that it’s wearing on her and I feel her pain. I have experienced it quite a bit myself in my own career and I continue to do so on a regular basis. Jumping into full-time EMS exposes a person to sadness on a level that can’t easily be prepared for. A person just has to jump in with both feet and not be afraid to feel the range of emotions that they’re going to be exposed to. It’s hard, it’s tough, and it’s one of those things a person just has to learn how to overcome if they want to make EMS a part of their life.
That’s the part that most people don’t get, I think. The part where you have to “Learn How” to overcome the sadness and negative emotions we’re faced with as EMS people. A common statement that lay people make when they hear that I am a paramedic is “Oh, I could never do that job and see what you see. I just couldn’t handle it”. Perhaps they’re right, but I would guess that anyone can train themselves to handle almost anything. My pseudoscientific opinion is that we develop our tolerance and our healthy ways of dealing with being exposed to such negative emotions on a regular basis through experiencing it and learning ways to function and feel happy afterwards. It’s harder for some than others and I can’t imagine that there is a single roadmap for learning it. It’s individual. Friends help and so does an understanding family. Good coworkers are great to observe and learn from as long as they realize their own humanity and aren’t simply trying to fool themselves out of bravado. We’re all human and I can testify that we’re all affected, no matter how thick our skin may appear.
Back when I was a new medic I was working a ton of hours. I mean, I worked a lot. I worked TOO much. I worked for days on end without sleep for multiple jobs. At the time, I felt I had good reason. I was attempting college for the first time, taking care of my recently deceased father’s businesses, and trying to sock away money to help my mother. I worked a full-time EMS job, a full-time hospital job, ran the businesses, and volunteered for a separate fire department and EMS agency. It was nuts. I would literally go for days without sleep. During that time it seemed like I was getting slammed by horribly sad calls. I felt I was surrounded by suffering and death. I was working at least two codes a week on average. Mayhem and madness seemed to rule the day. I was getting deeper and deeper and…
I was going nuts.
I was horribly, deeply depressed.
I almost went insane.
I was at my darkest hour when I found myself angry at anything that was cute or fun. Literally things like jokes, teddy bears, and Hallmark cards made me angry. I just couldn’t see how people could stand to look at that kind of stuff when there was so much suffering in the world. How frivolous! What a waste of time! It made me angry to think of anything that didn’t acknowledge the pain I was bearing witness to on such a regular basis. I was depressed and angry. I just couldn’t understand anything other than feeling the pain that the people I was taking care of were feeling. It affected my life, my work, and my human interaction. It was horrible.
Then I had an epiphany that changed my personality and who I am to this day.
Those who meet me know that I like to joke around. A lot. There are things that I take seriously however I do not personally happen to be one of them. My epiphany was that the stuff that was cute, fun, loving, friendly, and/or happy was all that actually did matter in life. We combat the bad with the good, the yang with the yin. I chose to pay attention to the comedy of life and downplay the tragedy. After that revelation, my whole outlook on life and my personality changed for the better. I had found that comedy, friendship, and love were the ways to live my life. Come what may, I can make a joke about it and that makes it ok. I laugh at inappropriate times and seek out the good in life. My life and career ensure that I’ll still have an onslaught of human tragedy thrown at me whether I’m ready for it or not but If I can actively seek out the positive, I may just end up ahead of the game.
To my wife, I love you. Hopefully you don’t end up where I have been… but I’ll be here for you, come what may. I understand what you’re going through and I love you for this any many, many other reasons. Always.
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You may want to read one of my most popular posts. It’s an older post of mine where I explore what I call “Splashed Sadness”. It’s along these lines. We EMS people have to deal with a lot. Never be afraid to share it. Don’t hold it in. Get it out and learn how you can cope with it because there’s not a one of us ain’t human.
“Splashed Sadness – A look at Negative Emotions in EMS”
Or “Reflections on an Easter Morning” – another post about a bad call.
Also, don’t forget to check out Medic Trommashear’s co-post on this. You can check it out at her blog: http://lookingthroughapairofpinkhandledtraumashears.com/
(Note: I’ll link to the post directly when it’s up)
This is a coordinated post by our friends Greg Friese and Steve Whitehead.
- Greg’s post on this topic can be found at: http://www.everydayemstips.com/?p=3628
- Steve’s post on this topic can be found at: http://theemtspot.com/2010/08/25/too-much-information/
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“They Don’t Know What They Don’t Know”
It’s an established fact that 60% of fatalities within confined spaces are would-be rescuers. They see someone down in a confined space, enter the space, and are overcome by the conditions that took down the initial victim. The process sometimes repeats itself, with multiple would-be rescuers entering the space and falling victim themselves. It’s tragic really, but the cold, hard fact is that these people are victims of their own ignorance. They don’t know what they don’t know. They don’t know that there is a fatal set of conditions within the space, and they don’t know that whatever it is that killed the first victim, or subsequent victims, will kill them as well. It’s a well documented phenomenon that plays on the compassion of the would-be rescuers and ends up getting them killed.
They simply don’t know what they don’t know.
Hey Guys?? Guys?
So when I was approached by our friend Greg Friese from www.EveryDayEMStips.com the other day regarding a comment he received on one of his training articles, I was interested in doing a co-post with him. He also has contacted our friend Steve Whitehead from www.TheEMTspot.com and together we’re tri-posting on this issue. Their links will follow below and are just great as always.
The comment that followed this online training article was written presumably by a paramedic. It was a critique of the article that simply stated “too much information for a paramedic”. I read that, and immediately thought of confined space incidents, where ignorance can get a person killed. Lots of situations fit that scenario and it’s not always the rescuers who get killed. EMS providers who “don’t know what they don’t know” can and do kill patients. More often, they don’t provide the best possible care.
There’s this thing that we have made it our business to know how to repair. It’s called the “Human Body” and if you’re reading this article, the chances are good that you possess one. The human body is VASTLY complex. It’s the most complex machine we humans know about and we are still learning about it to this day. There are some amazingly smart people out there who have dedicated their lives to studying these meat machines that our brains pilot around and they still haven’t figured everything out yet. We can help set it back on course to heal itself in a lot of cases but we can’t construct a new one. We don’t know about all the minutia, the microscopic works inside of it that make it do all of the amazing things that it does. The levels of systems within systems that function seamlessly within still other systems are numerous and fascinating. I learn something new about it all the time, and still there are people who know vast amounts more about the inner workings of it and about the huge number of things that can affect it’s operating effectiveness than I do. The human body is remarkably complex yet elegant and perfect in its design.
C'mon... Don't be a wuss.
And we who call ourselves “medical professionals” are well advised to study every possible aspect of it. Consider it your “life’s work”. If your job is to fix and support the end users of the human body, you darn well better know everything you can about it.
“But”, you say, “There are people out there who are supposed to know much more about the human body than we are. They’re called Physicians, and they get paid a whole lot more than we do. We’re just paramedics. (or EMTs).” And you’d be right for saying that, of course. Physicians have the ultimate responsibility for knowing the human body. It’s their life’s work as well. Their patients live and die based upon their knowledge, skills, and talents they have for examining the human body and being able to figure out what’s going on. Their whole practice is based upon their knowledge, skill, and talent. The more they know when they’re working there, the better provider they are.
It’s that simple, and it’s exactly the same for us EMS people. The more we know, the better we are. Nobody is better served by dumbing us down. Nothing is gained by denying yourself knowledge. Not a single patient is better served by you not knowing everything you can know about what is going wrong with them and it’s your duty to learn as much as you can about what you’re supposed to know about.
What is the line for how much paramedics “need to know?” Is everything that we need to know covered by our initial training course? Is that everything we need to get out there in the world and start slinging IVs and Meds all willy nilly?
I look at the paramedic license as a “learner’s permit”. It’s the baseline knowledge level needed to function at that level under supervision. It’s a jumping off point from which the provider should immerse themselves in knowledge. I can certainly say that I’ve learned volumes past my initial certification and that the “extra” knowledge has saved lives. Did you know that Fentanyl can cause chest muscle tetany when administered too rapidly? Or how about that lasix, when pushed too rapidly can cause hearing loss? Do you know that ST depression in the high V leads can signify a posterior MI? What about differentiating an acetabulum fracture from a “pulled groin”? Can you reliably predict the patients whose blood pressure is going to crash after Nitroglycerine administration by reading a 12-lead EKG? What about the clinical presentation of a non-ST elevation MI? Do you know the MEND stroke screen? What about the different neurological exams to find an intracranial bleed?
Etcetera, etcetera… The point is, there isn’t a cut off. The final exam we take for our licensures prepares us with the baseline knowledge to get out there and learn what it takes to make us truly great EMS providers. The true professional will learn this, and constantly seek the knowledge he or she needs. The average to sub-average provider will comment that they “don’t need to know” something.
Get out there, get fascinated, and learn as much as you can. It will never be enough knowledge… but your mind is a sponge for a reason.
Study Hard. Know Your Stuff. No Excuses.
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This is a coordinated post by our friends Greg Friese and Steve Whitehead. Be sure to read their posts on this
Greg’s post on this topic can be found at: http://www.everydayemstips.com/?p=3628
Steve’s post on this topic can be found at: http://theemtspot.com/2010/08/25/too-much-information/
This just in from the City of Brotherly Love:
http://citypaper.net/articles/2010/08/19/blogging-business-privilege-tax-philadelphia
Apparently, they require all small businesses to pay for a $300 “privilege license” in order to operate. Apparently there are no exceptions… so bloggers?? Pony up the three Benjamins or be in some big trouble.
I am SO going to rush to Philly and start a business there now! I mean, if I had to choose a business friendly economy to start my small business in, I’m just so sure that I’d start it in Philly! This will do wonders for their economy, I’m sure.
<sigh>
Not too long ago I was reading an article in Entrepreneur Magazine when I came across an article speaking on negotiating tactics. I wish I could find it, but unfortunately it was long enough ago that I’ve disposed of the printed issue (I subscribe) and cannot find it on the web. It was a good article and it taught me some words that I’ve since used quite a bit in my own life:
“Is that the best you can do?”
From the time our parent’s first put us out there in the world most of us have probably been told to “Do our Best” when we try to do something. No matter if we win or lose, we’ve been told that it’s ok as long as we “do the best we can” while trying. We seem to feel better at the outcome of almost anything if we feel that we’ve “Given our best shot” when we try to accomplish what we’ve set out to do. We all like to do our “best” and we hope that our “best” will be good enough.
This begs the question… is what you’re doing today in EMS “the best you can do?” Career wise, operationally, with your service’s treatments, with your own personal training and education, and with your own attitude… is this really “the best you can do?”
I would like to think that I “try my best” in my own EMS career and paramedic practice. I would also like to think that I work for an EMS organization that is trying to do the best it can for its people and its collective patients. However, there are quite a few situations where I have felt that I have not done or have been prevented from doing my best for a number of reasons. Some are reasonable and others are not. I’d think that all of us would give the answer that we always want to provide every patient with our “best” possible care. However, I’d also guess that everyone reading this can think back to any number of situations where they feel that they didn’t give it. Sometimes this reason comes down to the skill set of the individual provider. This could be a situation where the provider didn’t have the best possible information or knowledge available to them. They may have provided an ineffective or even harmful treatment modality or might have failed to act upon a missed assessment finding, such as by giving a medication for which a patient has a documented allergy because the provider didn’t know or simply forgot that the patient had the allergy. Sometimes the actions of others in the organization can prevent a provider from rendering the best possible care. This could be by failing to check, clean, or restock a needed piece of equipment or by providing inadequate care prior to a provider assuming patient care such as in the case of a first-responder crew failing to place a patient in full c-spine precautions when indicated prior to moving a patient to the transporting ambulance and the transporting EMT not having enough manpower to safely immobilize the patient. Sometimes the organization can hinder an EMS provider from doing his or her best by doing things such as providing inadequate equipment or medical protocols, or by mandating that a provider regularly work past exhaustion-level hours.
People inherently want to do well at whatever they choose to do for their careers as well as at other tasks where they feel strongly about the outcome. I may have accepted that I’ll never be as good of a basketball player as Michael Jordan, nor the same-level of cartoonist as Scott Adams, nor the best noodler in the world… but I’m certainly going to try to be the best paramedic I can be.
THIS guy, however, may be The Best Noodler In the World
Sometimes our own personal biases prevent us from doing the best we can do and for this I’m not talking about bias regarding any protected classes or topic, rather I’m talking about our own version of the status quo. A personal example of this would be my ALS Quick Response Vehicle at work. We went a solid week without having the proper forms available for the daily equipment checks and I didn’t have the computer access to print more off. During that week, I got in the habit of not using the forms and simply checked the truck based upon my knowledge of what was supposed to be in there and what was supposed to be checked. The way it played out, I ended up continuing to not use the check sheets when checking the vehicle, even though the forms had been replenished. A few weeks later, someone found that there was equipment missing in the vehicle that had gone unnoticed for some time. At that point, I realized that I had developed my own bias against using the forms for a reason that is even unbeknownst to me. I had gotten in the rhythm of not using the forms, and that caused me to miss that the infrequently-used piece of equipment was missing. I had developed a personal mental bias that prevented me from “doing my best” and thoroughly checking the truck.
Another preventer of best practices can be organizational politics, both internal and external. As a paramedic who regularly responds to other ambulance services to provide “ALS Intercepts”, I have observed that the politics between the services we work with can affect patient care for both the negative and the positive. While I am not saying that any of these arrangements result in inadequate patient care, I can say that the services with whom I interface most frequently and most pleasantly get a better provider out of me than do the services with whom my relations are less frequent or are strained due to political turmoil. When I respond to a request for an ALS intercept, I am being called to the “house” of another group of providers. While I am the highest level of care on the scene, I’m also a guest in their house. They have their own internal biases and I have mine. Sometimes the synergy in our working relationship can be strained, which results in a palpable difference in the flow of the scene and the teamwork exhibited at it. While I will ensure that I “do my best”, it’s easier to do it when I work well with the team I’m working with.
So how do we change things? We’re all human and we all have things that prevent our “best shot” from being the only thing that we “give it” in our EMS careers. This may be consciously, as in the case of internal politics; Subconsciously, as in the case of my not using the check sheet; or Involuntary, as in our service not providing us with needed equipment or our coworkers failing to replace an item in the ambulance that we did not have an opportunity to check. As in most things, the easiest thing for us to change is ourselves. Changing ourselves is a great place to start and will make serving as an example to others your main tool to use to try and get the best out of them.
Most situations can be made better and almost all of us can try harder. The secret is to attempt to do our “best” at all times and to try and ingrain our own best practices into our daily routines. This can be as simple as always trying to check the truck in the most thorough way possible or by making sure that you always check and recheck things to ensure that they’re done right. It helps to continuously seek out and recognize one’s own personal biases, (remember my check sheet?) to make sure that our own preferences and routines aren’t leading to suboptimal performance. Consistently ask yourself if what you’re doing is the “best you can do” and then ask yourself what you can do to make it your best. Mentally prepare yourself for your shifts with adequate rest when possible, manage your stress level so you can keep your thoughts focused on your care, and train hard. Ingrain your best efforts into the systematic way you do things and make your best way your normal way of doing things. We can’t change everyone around us in an instant, but our quiet positive efforts can pay large dividends in how people around us think, feel, and act. Our best may in turn get the best out of our partner, which may in turn get the best out of the next crew, and so forth. Soon enough… deciding to give our best may change your organization, our industry, or our profession.
And I assure you, doing your best will indeed make the difference in someone’s life. It’s just what we do, Folks.
“Is that the best you can do??
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For more on doing your best in EMS and in getting the best out of your EMS people read: “The Shine Factor”
There’s just no way to say this: I’m friggin excited!
There’s a chance… a chance that one of our long-lost-friends may be returning to our daily… ok, well twice or thrice weekly, lives..
Go read this: http://999medic.com/2010/08/18/there-is-a-chance/
(Woooooooooooo HOooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!)
http://www.facebook.com/CoEMSonDiscovery
See that link up there? That’s a link to a facebook page that’s been set up in support of our friends behind the “Chronicles of EMS”, which if you’ve been living in an EMS-less cave lately is the reality show being put out by our friends The Happy Medic, and Ted Setla.
They’re trying to get people to “like” them and write some reasons why the Discovery Health TV network should pick up the show.
Would you please? (http://www.facebook.com/CoEMSonDiscovery)
Yes, that’s an order.
What a week! You’ve been pulling at least a double shift a week at your full-time ambulance job and have been hitting it pretty hard at your part-time job as well. Both services can’t seem to keep their schedules filled and everyone’s been working lots of hours in order to keep the doors going up and the trucks going out. To top it all off, the citizens just can’t seem to be good lately and both services’ call volumes have been high.
You were tired when you got up this morning and were seriously considering a nap after your morning shower, but after a gallon or two of coffee you were bright and shiny in your uniform at your station, ready for another day of EMS greatness.
That was five hours ago though, and the early barrage of calls fired at you this morning has turned into an afternoon lull. Now you’re sitting at your main station, close to the brass, with the words in the educational article you’re reading fading in and out of your bleary, cross-eyed vision. Since the activity level has decreased, you’ve gotten yourself a case of the sleepies that you just can’t shake. Since you’ve been consuming the steaming bean juice religiously lately, your stomach just won’t let you think of having another cup of the acrid station coffee and there’s no shift chores left to do, since you did them an hour ago fighting the same lethargy.
Unfortunately, in three hours you can see a long distance transfer scheduled that you’re probably going to have to do. Four hours of monotonous highway driving and the radio in the truck doesn’t have that great of reception. You don’t have any idea how you’re going to stay awake enough to drive the truck and that’s not even considering the fact that if the tones went off right now for an emergency you probably wouldn’t remember how to put on a band-aid, let alone remember a drug calculation.
You’re tired, you’re fatigued, and your body’s telling you that you’ve been pushing it too hard. It wants to shut down for a while. Your brain won’t think. You’re mouth won’t talk. You can’t keep your eyes open and wake up with a startle when you’ve realized you’ve dozed off for a bit. This is torture.
Sleep deprivation is no stranger to EMS people. We’ve all fought the lethargy caused by long 24, 48, and more-hour shifts. A great number of us work more than one job to make ends meet and pack as much family time and recreation into our off time as we can. A lot of us are going for more education and all of us get woken up from our sleep a lot more often than is healthy to run on calls. I regularly miss full nights of sleep and rarely have a night when I can say I got a full night’s sleep. We get use to it some of the way, but our bodies just aren’t meant for chronic sleep deprivation. We need to reset and reorder our brains and let our bodies recharge once in a while.
Unfortunately, our communities need us and we have to be there for them. EMS is important and it’s easy to get sucked in.
That’s why in this situation, I have very little dispute with taking a “Safety Nap”.
"SSSS-AAAA-FFFF-EEEE...."
The “Safety Nap” is a quick power nap. A shut-down and reset period where a person who never knows when they may be called to be up all night without sleep can rest and relax for a while and ensure that they’ll be wide awake and alert for whatever they may be called to do. I took an hour last shift around 3pm as a matter of fact. I didn’t get to sleep until 1am afterwards and I was up at 5am for a call. EMS is like that, shift work is like that. We have to ensure that we’re well-rested enough to make quality decisions of the type we have to when they need to be made… and we can’t do them well when we’re drooling on ourselves from exhaustion. One of Murphy’s laws for EMS states that “You know you’re in EMS when your favorite hallucinogen is sheer exhaustion” and I have to tell you, I’ve done that while on duty before. It’s just not safe.
There are problems with this, I know. Some will say that we shouldn’t allow ourselves to be scheduled this many hours and that it’s irresponsible to do so. Well, then they can come talk to my bosses and pay my mortgage. Some people will sleep all day if they let them, and won’t put any effort into their shifts unless they have to. That has to be monitored. With that said, a balance has to be sought. I see nothing wrong with the occasional safety nap and I believe that EMS managers should allow it. They also should be unafraid to throw a cup of cold water on the Rip Van Winkles among us to ensure that they pull their weight with the non-call-response aspects of an EMS job.
What do you think? Does your employer allow “Safety Naps”? Do you take them?
I’d write more but Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Howdy Everyone!! It’s Ckemtp, your friendly neighborhood EMS and Fire blogger with a few things I’d like to bring to your attention. I’d like to talk to you today about politicians. Not the politicians that are doing such a great job at managing our collective money on the national level… I want to talk to you today about the local ones, the ones who do the important work of making sure our traffic lights aren’t burnt out, that our roads are pot-hole free, and that our sewer systems don’t back up and discharge raw sewage into lakes and rivers and stuff.
Specifically, I’d like to talk about Local Politicians and public art.
My favorite writer, the legendary Humorist Mr. Dave Barry, wrote a piece about public art a few years back that you just have to read before continuing on with this post. It’s actually one of many of his articles that include things about public art, which he defines as “Art that is purchased by experts who are not spending their own personal money” it also involves the phrase “a naked man the size of an oil derrick” and has references to nuclear weapons and alcohol. I love Dave Barry, I really do.
Read this: “Does Public Art Make Sense” – Then come back once you stop ROFL’ing
This is "Art" I think... Oh I know! It's a bus stop
Then, g’head and read THIS ARTICLE from Michigan Capitol Confidential which talks about the REALLY SMART city of Ann Arbor, Michigan… which is planning an $850,000 piece of public art. It’s really interesting to me that they’re planning this… and I really hope it isn’t made of flammable material because the city is “Facing a multimillion dollar budget deficit” and is planning on laying off firefighters to handle the budget crisis.
Here’s that article again: http://www.michigancapitolconfidential.com/13219
Yes, Ann Arbor, MI, the REALLY SMART city that it is, is laying off firefighters while spending $850,000 (That’s EIGHT HUNDRED FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS) on a “three piece public fountain”.
Oh, right… if it’s a fountain, it probably won’t burn down. That makes sense. Of course it might get filled with trash, since they’re laying off the city’s “Solid Waste Coordinator”. Y’know… the guy who oversees the trash pickup for the city. On the other hand though, they are hiring an “Art Coordinator” to, I don’t know… look at the art maybe? Maybe he’ll pick up the trash from the fountain.
Taxpayers, I’m talking to you here. Inefficiencies and, in this case, abject stupidity in local governments are killing us. If I was having trouble keeping up with the maintenance and mortgage in my own house, the first thing that I would do would not be to buy new paintings to hang on the walls. I certainly wouldn’t buy paintings at the expense of paying for trash pick-up, sewer service, or portable fire extinguishers. I think that I would pay for necessities first and niceties second. Responsible people take care of the whole Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs thing; Food, clothing, and Shelter first and buy pretty things after that. You do the things you HAVE to do well before the things you’d like to do.
At least responsible, SMART people do that… and apparently that’s not the kind of people that the voters in Ann Arbor, MI think would make good city council members.
Or do they?
Maybe they can call this "Art"
By now you’ve all heard of the flap that is happening in Mass. regarding the 200 or so EMTs and Paramedics that had their licenses suspended or revoked for running a non-existent training program or for falsely representing that they attended non-existent training classes. If you haven’t heard about it by now, you’re probably not following EMS news as much as you should.
Here is one of the articles on the subject from JEMS.com
The issue has been discussed quite a bit around the EMS blogosphere. Some big name bloggers have written on it, and I even discussed it a little bit on the EMS Educast the other day.
Here’s TOTWTYTR’s take on this: I’m Not Very Sympathetic
And here’s Rogue Medic’s take on it: (this is a part-2 that reiterates the first)
Here’s the episode of the EMS Educast where we discussed the issue briefly
Other than for speaking about the issue briefly, I’ve been avoiding writing on it. My job is usually to report positive things that are happening in the EMS world and this is definitely not a positive thing. In fact, it’s a disgrace to us all. Rogue Medic has it right when he asks the question “Why do we Encourage such apathy in EMS?”
And that’s what this is. It’s not just that it’s apathy for the boring destruction of brain cells that we call “Continuing Education” in most areas of EMS, it’s the apathy for the whole process. The apathy where we as a profession have let the standards get to this point.
I mean, really. How many of you feel that the continuing education you receive is anything more than something you have to do in order to keep your license up? How many of you feel that your regularly scheduled, mandatory, continuing education classes are of any quality? How many of you feel like they’re actually doing anything good for you?
And that’s the system in which we function. TOTWTYTR made the statement that he sits through boring traning classes all the time because those are the hoops he has to jump through in order to maintain his licensure. I do too, of course. I sit through probably as many or even more classes than anyone reading this article because I am a practicing paramedic with National Registry and licensure in three states. Sometimes the training from one state carries over into the next, and sometimes it doesn’t. At any rate, I get to listen to unmotivated speakers read flat material whilst sitting in an uncomfortable chair on a very regular basis. We all do.
However, I feel that I keep up my continuing education quite well on my own through other means such as extensive self study and non-credit medical education. Keeping my professional skills sharp is very important for me because not only am I proud of my professional skills, but I am well aware of the fact that the quality of my skills translates into the quality of life for my patients. If I keep myself sharp, I’m a better paramedic. If I let them get dull, well then I’m an apathetic paramedic who isn’t doing my duty. Duty is important to me. So are things like Pride, Professionalism, and Honor. In fact, those three words are more than just the slogan for my blog, they are how I think that I and other EMS professionals should live their lives and careers.
Others have been quick to demonize the 200 suspended EMTs. Others have been quick to defend them. The ones defending them have said that these people are apt to lose their incomes, their livelihoods, and that the punishment is unfair. Well, for that part I disagree. The punishment is indeed fair. You could have killed someone by being untrained oafs with lackluster skills. You never proved you were otherwise. However, if you were to ask me if I thought that a state EMS agency – ANY state EMS agency – was competent to manage such a program, I would laugh at you. Every state has made an attempt to regulate continuing education and I agree that there is a good reason for them to do so. I would also agree that the prospect of regulating a group of EMS people in their continuing education efforts is a daunting task. I would say that the perfect system has yet to be developed and that a good number of the 200 were simply “playing the game” and thought that since their states EMS continuing educational system was a joke that they could make a joke out of it as well.
Here’s the most biting apathy of all to me. If you believe that a system that you work under is a joke. If you believe that there is a better way to do something. If you believe that what you’re made to do is pointless and obsolete… then why the heck haven’t you done anything about it?
I’d like you to look at this issue from this perspective, folks. Sure, not everyone in that group of 200 were caring, competent professionals. I’m sure some of them were jackasses. (And yes, I said “Jackasses). However, I’m also sure that there is a percentage of them in that group that sincerely care about being the best they can be in EMS and they simply got caught up in the mob mentality. I’m sure that some of them had just given up. I’m sure some of them were good people who just became apathetic.
I hate apathy.
If what, say 50% of that group were of the caring kind, that leaves 100 people who thought that the system was broken. Did it not occur to any of those 100 people to try and change it? Did they not try and band together to improve the system? Could one person do it? Could 100 people do it?
If we are to be regulated and controlled by obsolete and ineffective bureaucratic systems, then it is our duty to rise up and change things. Sure, that sounds melodramatic… but how many times have you thought that your state regulations were stupid. One of the defining aspects of a Profession is Self-Regulation. Look at your states “Bar Association” for Lawyers, or the states “Medical Association” for physicians.
Is there any state out there that has a “Paramedic’s Association” that has any teeth to it?
No continuing education system or relicensure processes is even close to perfect. That’s because of a few reasons, not the least of which is because the government is the one running it. The other reason could be because it isn’t being policed by the paramedics who care about it the most.
I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again. It’s time for us to take ownership of our profession. Stand up and make this the profession it deserves to be. Stamp out apathy and band together to let your voices be heard. If you don’t start the process of meaningful change, who do you expect to do so?
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For more positive discussion on EMS, check out the comments section in “Negativity? You Won’t Find That Here” or for a description of two real-world moral and ethical dilemmas in EMS, check out “Two Cases, one letter. From one paramedic’s struggles, change can come”
If you would think back a few months ago, you might faintly remember a controversial streak that I had where I posted a few hotly debated topics. One of those posts: Saved By the Bell? High School Student EMS gathered a LOT of responses, both in my commentssection and on the JEMS Facebook Fan Page.
The post looked at whether or not it was a good idea to begin Emergency Medical Technician (EMT-B) training in High Schools and also whether it was a good idea to have high school students actually responding to emergencies. My take was that while I support the idea of first-aid, CPR, and even First-Responder training in high schools, I think that holding EMT-Basic level training there is a bad idea. My thoughts were also that having high-school students responding to 911 medical emergencies was absolutely coo-coo insane.
Depending on your views, I was either a mean and grumpy old man who doesn’t understand just how special these kids are or I was taking a stand to save the profession from the further watering down of our educational standards, professional competency, and pay scale.
Regardless of your opinion, please jump on with Greg Friese and I tonight on the EMS Educast, a LIVE and long-running popular podcast. The show starts at 9pm Eastern, which so I don’t forget is 8pm Central and 6pm PDT. The show is live and I would love to have anyone join us in the chat room and even call in.
Here’s the link: http://www.emseducast.com/live
Here’s the link to the article again: Saved By the Bell? High School Student EMS
The show starts at 9pm Eastern – Join us in the Chat Room and Call In to speak with Greg or myself.
Love my stance or hate it, it’s sure to be a great show.
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Also, if you’re reading this after the show, the EMS Educast and all previous episodes can always be found at www.EMSEducast.com
Look at the pictures below and see if you can identify the three occupations represented by the people in the pictures.
What are their jobs?
What are their areas of expertise?
What would you expect them to be responsible for?
Yep, pretty much everyone reading this and almost every lay person you can think of should probably be able to answer the above questions. The Police Car Driver chases bad guys; The Fire Truck Driver squirts water at things; and the Paramedic takes care of people who are sick and hurt, right? Sure, their jobs sometimes overlap and so does some of their training, but the jobs and the requisite education and responsibilities are different and separate for a reason. The different roles up there are different, specialized, and require expertise in order to be effectively performed… right?
And before you think that I’m opening the Fire Based EMS can of worms, I want to direct you to this news story I just read on EMS1.com – Kentucky EMTs not called for 5 hours until coroner ruled woman was alive. Go read this and then come back please. It got me all riled up and I’m sure it will you as well.
The moral of the story, is that police officers were called for a dead body found in some bushes some where. They started doing their cop stuff and didn’t call EMS to evaluate the body because their cop training told them that the woman was obviously dead. Unfortunately for all involved, when the coroner arrived he told them that their police-issued medical training wasn’t adequate and that the woman was indeed alive.
And yes, I am 100% sure that nobody intended for that to be the tragic result.. people make mistakes, I know… but:
How many times have you been called out in your ambulance to a potential medical emergency and then cancelled while en route? Have you ever wondered who is cancelling you and for what reason? When we arrive on scene, we evaluate the patient and determine their need for transport. We have extensive training to help us do this and we function within a complex set of laws and regulations to help ensure that bad outcomes like this happen as infrequently as possible. Unfortunately, however, things like this do happen, even to experienced paramedics. How many times have you heard news stories about paramedics calling someone dead only to have them be found alive later on? How many times have you heard about occult neck fractures and other severe injuries being found later even after a patient was evaluated by a physician? It happens, folks… and it happens to us medical people too. Even with the training, knowledge, skills, and experience we have that is specifically geared to emergency medical care that is again enhanced by the fancy tools that we carry with us, we sometimes still make mistakes…
So why in the heck would a police officer, who as stated above chases bad guys and does other kinds of “cop stuff”, want to make the decision that someone was dead or not? It simply doesn’t make any sense to me. I have always been leery of having police officers call us off of medical scenes. Even when I know the officer and trust his or her judgment, I know that my medical training and tools are superior to theirs. That’s the way the system is designed, we do medical stuff and they do cop stuff.
I think that there’s a pervasive trend out there that causes dispatchers to send police units first to things like auto accidents and possible crimes in progress and then potentially forget to send EMS. Most of the time, it’s perfectly ok and turns out just fine. Other times, incidents like the above happen. How many times, also, has a police officer determined an auto accident to not require medical response and an occult injury been found later? I don’t know and haven’t seen any statistics… but I’ll bet it happens a lot more than is ever reported.
My advice? I promise to let the cops to their cop stuff. They just need to always remember to call me out to do my stuff. I don’t mind doing the report if I’m not needed or I get a refusal, I just don’t want anyone to suffer needlessly.
Be careful out there.
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Want more of my thoughts on Fire Based EMS? See: “Fiddling While Rome Burns… The ambulance “industry”
Rural EMS has it’s challenges, not the least of which are the low pay and long hours. I believe that the lives of those in the sticks are just as important as the lives of those in the city and that rural folk need paramedics too. This is a fictional letter with a very real message. It could be written by a lot of paramedics and EMTs to a lot of people who live out in the sticks and I could have written this letter once when I left my small town EMS service to seek my EMS fame and fortune out there in the Big City. Now that I’ve come full circle and I’m once again working rural EMS I’m starting to wonder when I might have to write this letter again.
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Mr. and Mrs. Penry
1212 Gravel Road
SmallTown, USA.
Dear Mr. and Mrs. Penry,
My name is Chris and I am a paramedic working for your local EMS service. I live here on Mulberry St. in SmallTown and my parents and grandparents live out here as well. I’ve seen you on the street, at the local café, and pretty much anywhere in town for most of my life. I went to high school with your son, Johnny and thought about dating your daughter once but could never work up the courage to ask her out. I wanted to take her to the prom but I ended up taking Mary Buckrop instead. We sure got us in some trouble with the Sheriff when he caught us out by the lake, but he ended up letting us go. Thank goodness that he turned out to be so nice. He was one of the people that helped me through Paramedic school. He kept telling me that we needed good people for the ambulance out here in SmallTown and I’ve found out that he was right. We do.
That’s why I’m having trouble writing this letter to you, Mr. and Mrs. Penry. I’ve taken it upon myself to write a personalized letter to everyone in the SmallTown EMS district because I’m facing a hard decision that I’d like you all to know about. I’ve been a paramedic now for the last ten years. I became an EMT and started volunteering with the SmallTown EMS District right out of high school and did that while I worked down at the Grain Elevator and put myself through college over in MidSizeTown. It was there that I decided that I wanted to be a paramedic and I completed my paramedic training at St. MidSize Hospital. I immediately fell in love with the work and I knew that it was something that I always wanted to be a part of. I continued volunteering with SmallTown EMS while I worked a full-time job for MidSizeTown Ambulance Service. I worked there for seven years and got a good bit of experience. I also worked part-time at St. MidSize’s Emergency Room. I still do.
Three years ago when the voters approved SmallTown EMS District’s referendum to hire full-time paramedics, I jumped at the chance to come on board. This is my home. As cheesy as it may sound, I feel a connection with the people here in SmallTown and I feel that it’s my duty and my calling to protect them with my Paramedic skills. I’ve always studied and trained hard throughout my career to be the best paramedic I could be because I’ve felt it was my duty to be my best. I felt very good about coming on board with SmallTown EMS to protect my Neighbors, family, and Friends here in my hometown.
Rural EMS is different than is EMS in the city. Sure, we may not be as busy out here in SmallTown as we could be if we were a bigger city, but that doesn’t make it easier on us. People out here don’t have access to primary care since Doc. Walters closed up his shop. While they can drive out to see the clinic in MidSizeTown, that’s thirty miles away. Most people don’t make the drive as often as they should and since people aren’t getting regular checkups and primary medical care they tend to let their minor and chronic conditions get so bad that when they finally call us, it’s because they don’t have anything else they can do. A lot of the time, their minor condition has become life threatening because it got out of hand. We can take them to St. MidSize ER, but they don’t have the capability to do things like perform cardiac catheterization surgeries to fix heart attacks, or to take care of trauma patients that need surgery right away, or to handle complicated patients in their inpatient wards. Their “ICU” is staffed by some dedicated people, but it only has two beds. This means that we have to bypass St. MidSize ER for the bigger hospitals in BigTown and that’s an hour away for us running Lights and Sirens. Because we have such long transport times and because our patients tend to be pretty sick when they call for us, we have to provide critical care level interventions. We carry more medications with us than do the big city ambulances and we can do more things than they can. That’s because ambulances in the city don’t have to be with their patients for as long as we do. They have a hospital within ten to fifteen minutes transport time of anywhere they may be. We have one within thirty minutes to an hour away. The fact that we’re so far away from hospital care forces us to be on our game all the time. We also have to be on call a lot to cover the duty ambulance when it’s away transporting a patient to the Big City. A normal call can take two hours. A critical call can take three or four. If we didn’t listen up, the calls that happen while the duty ambulance is away wouldn’t get a paramedic. I try not to let that happen.
Here’s the deal, Mr. and Mrs. Penry, I’m not complaining about my job. I love it. I love the work and I really don’t mind all of the hours that I have to put in. While it’s hard on my family to have me gone so often, they have always understood. My wife Mary supports me in my desire to cover the town we grew up in. She has since Prom night. She’s been great. However, we’ve got our new little boy that just turned three this last month and he doesn’t understand why Daddy has to be gone so often. He also is starting to get very expensive, as kids do, and the meager salary I get working in town isn’t covering all of my bills. I took a pretty hard pay cut to come here. I wanted to and thought that I could keep my part-time job at St. MidSize to make ends meet. Unfortunately, since I’m always on call for SmallTown, I can’t hardly work any hours at St. Midsize. We don’t get paid to be on call, only for when we’re on duty and I’d say no to covering… but then someone in town might die because I’m not here to take the second call. I answer the second call all the time, like I did the night of Johnny’s car accident. I’ve heard he’s doing better but I can tell you that he probably wouldn’t be had I not decided to stay home and cover that night. Mary had plans to go to dinner in MidSizeTown but I just wanted to stick around for an hour to make sure the duty truck was back in town. I’m sure glad I did.
I’m going to come right out and say it. There’s a job opening in BigCity EMS that would pay me twenty-thousand dollars a year more than I make here in SmallTown. I’d be able to work one job and wouldn’t have to put in so many hours away from my family. We wouldn’t have to skimp and save to pay the bills nearly as hard as we do now. I’d love to stay here and take care of my home town but the pay is just too low to survive on. A lot of good people have left since we went full time when they realized they couldn’t survive on the pay. I’ve been doing my best to train the kids that they hired to replace them, but they only seem to be coming here to use it as a stepping stone to a better job in the big city. I think that our town deserves better but I can see why the people would leave. I didn’t become a paramedic to get rich but I don’t think that I deserve to live in poverty because I choose to help my home town. People out here need experienced paramedics just as much as the people do in the big city. The lives of the people in the city aren’t any more important than the lives of the people out here. I feel strongly about rural EMS and I feel strongly about my home town… I just can’t make it anymore. The bank might come take the house and my family doesn’t deserve to suffer because I choose to help those that can’t pay me back.
So, Mr. and Mrs. Penry, I’m asking you what you think I should do. One day the unthinkable is going to happen to someone and I want to make sure that there are good people to take care of them when it does, but I can’t have my family suffer financially anymore. My kid needs his daddy and my wife needs her husband. The bank needs the mortgage and my student loans need paying off. It’s a tough decision I’m facing and I’m asking the community what they think I should do.
If you need me, just call 911. I’ll come like I always do. If I’m not on the duty truck you can just stop by the house. You know how to get ahold of me. Say Hi to Johnny for me.
Sincerely,
Chris NREMT-P
Every now and then (Ok, a lot) I read something and say “Man, I wish I’d written that”. This isn’t one of those. This is one of those things that far exceeds my writing prowess. This is an open Paramedic Class Commencement speech written by David J. Givot, a Paramedic and Attorney. It is an absolute must read.
And that’s an order.
While there’s a deeper meaning to this piece, it also made me LOL. I had my wife, who is graduating Paramedic school tomorrow, read it too. Well done, Mr. Givot.
http://thelegalguardian.blogspot.com/2010/06/open-commencement-address-for-every-new.html
Enjoy.
I wrote this post for publishing in my community’s local newspaper. You may wish to send it to yours as well. It’s a generic “EMS Needs Your Support” piece. It might work for any time of the year, but it’s customized for EMS week 2010.
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“Anytime. Anywhere. We’ll Be There” National EMS Week 2010
National Emergency Medical Services Week or “EMS Week” 2010 is coming up this year on May 16th through May 22nd. It is a time to think about the people whom our communities rely on to help us when the unthinkable happens. Every day in our community and in communities like ours throughout the nation, emergencies happen to people just like you and I. These local emergencies may not get the press coverage that the big disasters happening thousands of miles away receive, but to our friends and neighbors these day-to-day emergencies can be just as dangerous and deadly. We rely upon Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) and Paramedics to respond and make a difference in our lives. No matter the need, no matter the call, EMS stands ready to serve you.
Logo for EMS Week 2010 - from ACEP
EMS is at once the most iconic and visible part of the emergency healthcare system. It is also probably the most misunderstood. Almost everyone can recognize an ambulance and most people have an idea of its purpose. However people rarely give thought to the capabilities and education of the people working inside of it. EMTs and Paramedics have long since evolved from their humble beginnings as simply a fast ride to the hospital. Today’s ambulances are highly specialized mobile intensive care units and today’s EMT attends hundreds of hours of classroom education for their initial certification. Paramedics, the highest level of field medical providers, attend thousands of hours of initial education and internship time and must be masters of acute care. Not only that, but EMTs and Paramedics alike must recertify their license every few years and must attend hundreds more hours of continuing education to achieve their recertification. This training covers all aspects of acute emergency care and is quite intense and rigorous.
Today’s EMS system, with Paramedics and EMTs working in tandem, brings the first hour of Emergency Room care to the patient’s side no matter where the patient may be. EMS focuses upon providing immediate stabilizing care that stops or slows the progression of the acute disease process or damage from any injury, protects the patient from further aggravation of the condition, and impacts their long-term continuity of care. This care reduces Mortality, or loss of life, as well as Morbidity, or future quality of life. Calling 911 during a medical emergency produces better outcomes than does simply driving a seriously ill or injured person to a hospital. Early intervention in cases such as a heart attack or stroke can mean the difference between those conditions leading to long-term disability or a full recovery.
Every community in our region has emergency ambulance services available at a moment’s notice that are simply a 911 call away. Some communities provide Basic Life Support ambulances, with EMT level personnel. These ambulances are supported by Advanced Life Support ambulances and units staffed by Paramedics that can respond with the Basic ambulances to provide advanced level Paramedic care. It is important for people within our community to ask questions and get to know the people responding to their calls for help. Learn about their capabilities and their needs. Pitch in and help where you can. EMS people have always been the absolute masters of doing anything with nothing but we are desperately in need of the support and attention of the communities we serve. It is common for community members to not think about their local ambulance services until the time that they need their services however, EMS needs your support. Americans have always been massively charitable towards disasters happening thousands of miles away when images from them flood our television screens and newspapers, but rarely does that same charity flow to their local emergency responders who are taking care of our friends and neighbors. Your local EMS service needs your support to maintain high-levels of lifesaving service in your own communities. You can directly impact the service that your local EMS can give to your friends, your neighbors, your loved-ones, and even yourself.
Get informed, get involved, pitch in, and help us help you.
The official theme for EMS week 2010 is “Anytime. Anywhere. We’ll Be There.” EMS has made the commitment to be there for you. This week, please think about how you can be there for EMS. The impact of your support for EMS translates directly back into improving the lives of the people in our communities. As the saying goes, the life you save may be your own.
Respectfully,
Chris Kaiser NREMT-P
So I’m going to be in Chicago on May 16th at Fado Irish Pub (100 W. Grand Ave, Chicago, IL) at 7pm for this. You REALLY HAVE TO BE THERE. If you’re in the Midwest, come on down and have a pint or two with EMS friends to celebrate EMS Week 2010. There’s gonna be a couple of movies screened, fellowship, food, and beverages.
The information is all contained on this Flyer:
Chronicles of EMS/FireStorm Flyer
Oh, do you see the times for Philadelphia and San Francisco? If you live around there, you should go there and hang out. Chicago’s gonna be cooler, but you know 
Please, if you’re coming shoot me an e-mail at Proems1@yahoo.com or @ckemtp me on twitter. I’d love to see ya there
So, what are you doing this next Friday night? You know, Friday the 23rd of April… Are you going to be in Indianapolis? I’m going to be hanging out with some of my blogger buddies down at FDIC this year and I wanted to know if you w
ere interested in coming to hang out with us.
The Happy Medic‘s going to be there, @GinaKaiser’s going to be there too. I’ll be hanging out with them and some other really cool guys and gals at the Rock Bottom Restaurant and Brewery around 8pm (ish), which is just a block or two away from the Convention Center in downtown Indianapolis. The address of the place is 10 West Washington St. I’ve been there before with a buddy of mine the last time I was in Indy on business and it’s a good time (Ask about the Snake. It’s a cute story, actually).
So, you can just show up if you wanna. Or you could “@” me on Twitter (It’s @ckemtp if you didn’t know) and get directions. We’ll be kicking back, shooting the breeze, and talking about the stuff we’re talking about online and elsewhere. That, and fishing, and whatnot. It’s a guaranteed good time. If you’re there (and you really should get yourself there, because it’s going to be a hoot) definitely come up and say “Howdy!” I’d love to meet you.
Be there or be abberantly conducted.
Easter is a family time in the Kaiser household. Everybody gathers together, does the church thing, and as is the tradition here in the Midwest, we eat a lot as well. This Easter was no different. My wife Gina’s mother was there, my parents were in town, and a lot of other miscellaneous relatives came over to the LUTL compound for family time. The weather was beautiful and the coffee was hot.
In the morning, even though I had my own stuff to cook, I became the go-fer for my wife and her mother for groceries. They gave me their list and sent me off to the store for their last minute sundry items. The traffic was light but the after-church crowds were starting to clog the roadways on their way to wherever they were going for their own Easter family time. I was happy to be out though. It simply was a beautiful Spring day in the Midwest. The Sun was shining, the breeze was warm, and it was one of the first days nice enough so that I could finally open up the windows and let the fresh breeze sweep out the air in the car a bit. It was idyllic… all until I saw this:
A grieving family had placed that beautiful memorial in the very corner where a year or so ago I had responded to and worked one of the worst motor vehicle accidents of my career. A car, driven by an elderly couple had pulled out in front of a van, which T-boned them into the spot where the memorial now stands. It ended up killing both of the elderly occupants, the Husband on scene and the wife a few days later at the trauma center. I worked the husband… and I mean I really worked him hard. Altogether, we had two ambulances and two helicopters on scene. Even though I arrived on the Engine Company, I took charge of the Husband, performed an emergency extrication, and worked him as a trauma code. An EMT-Basic who I trust very much was first on scene and stated that the patient was responsive just after the incident. He told me that the patient began breathing after the EMT repositioned his airway. I worked him in the second ambulance to arrive on scene. We had the helicopter on the ground and the flight crew ready to take him when we decided to cease our efforts. Intubation, bilateral IVs, and all of our tricks couldn’t reverse the massive thoracic and anterior neck trauma this poor guy had received. We decided it was futile and called it.
I’m inside the ambulance in the foreground. I’m working hard in there.
So today, on this beautiful Easter morning, I’m reminded of that dark day from which I really wonder if there was something that I could have done differently to change the outcome. Yes, I know that there were three other paramedics there with good experience. Yes, I know that we all did our best and no, we didn’t make any mistakes. I am sure, in all rationality, that there was nothing I could have done differently that would have made any difference in the patient’s outcome… but that’s what I thought when I saw the family’s new memorial.
And it’s a beautiful memorial, really.
It’s times like these when I reflect on the gifts and the burdens that all EMS people receive in their jobs that they carry on to their daily lives. I have always said that I can give nothing back to EMS that would ever compare to what it has given me. I cherish the successes and know that the failures make me stronger. It’s made me the person that I am today and I thought that I’d share some of that with you on this Easter. I’m sure you have your own stories and I would love to have you share them as well.
Happy Easter, y’all.
Pain is endemic within Emergency Medical Services, whether it’s the pain from a grotesque traumatic injury, the chest pain from a heart attack, or the emotional pain suffered by the local teenage drama queen in response to a minor texting-while-driving incident. EMTs and Paramedics must become better at overall pain management and in conscious sedation. Luckily, there are researchers and pioneers working on new and innovative strategies for just that end.
Researchers at the Plover, WI Polytechnic Institute of Cosmetology and Cheese Making (PPICCM) have been bringing some cutting edge research to the forefront of Prehospital Pain Management and Prehospital Conscious Sedation and have released some new technologies for use in the field. They have field tested these devices in the dive bars in and around Plover on Friday and Saturday nights and even once or twice on the infamous “TwoFer Tuesdays” down at MoeLarry’s Curly Fries and Cheese Bar. They have come up with compelling data that your agency should consider for your own use.
Tradtionally, EMS providers have had a few choices for use in prehospital analgesia and conscious sedation. Advanced providers and paramedics have injectable medications for use, and basic level providers and EMTs have basic splinting and positioning for use in controlling severe pain and the secret weapon for use in putting people to sleep. These medications, including Morphine, Fentanyl, Toradol, Aspirin, and sometimes Nitronox have proven to be very effective, but all of them carry with them side effects and the risk of allergic reactions that can prove fatal in some patients. So can the medications used in Drug Assisted or Rapid Sequence Intubation Techniques: Etomidate, Succynocholine, and the like. To reduce the risk of poor outcomes from these medications, the researchers at PPICCM have developed the following tools:
- The Open Handed Slap – This is effective as a calming technique for persons who have become hysterical due to superficial trauma to their fingers as well as for family members overcome with emotion due to their loved-one’s bout of indigestion. An example is included below:
- The Mallet Method of Anesthesia Induction – Pioneered by the indomitable Drs Moe, Larry, and Curly (and previously by Dr. Shemp), the use of mallets in induction of conscious sedation is well documented. Simple, yet elegant in it’s use, cranial contact by the fast-moving business end of a mallet is highly effective in reducing any complaints of pain from a patient. In fact, just the visual feedback recieved from opening the case the mallet is stored in and showing the patient that you are preparing to use said mallet is effective in reducing complaints from most alert patients. However, if needed for use, one or two blows in rapid succession is shown to be quite effective in the literature. An example is included below:
- Transcutaneous Oxygen Therapy (TOT-WTYTR) - This method involves pressing the external wall of a “D” sized oxygen cylinder against a bony prominence of a patient in the throws of a violent reaction towards EMS providers. Use of TOT can be handled by both Basic and Advanced providers and it’s effects are determined by the speed and location of the bony prominence that the side wall of the oxygen cylinder is applied to. Lower extremities can be calming while the head and cranium can induce anesthesia and facilitate Rapid Sequence Intubation in most patients. Unfortunately, there is no accompanying video literature for this particular therapy, however it is a simple technique to learn.
Thanks to the brilliant scientists at the PPICCM, prehospital anesthesia and analgesia is in good hands. These simple yet powerful techniques are scheduled to be released for use by my agencies on April Fools Day and should NEVER EVER be used by yours. Ta’ Y’all. Happy Spring.
- @caduceusmedic @glennbeck Actually, I've written on that a few times. At http://www.lifeunderthelights.com in reply to caduceusmedic #
- Wow, I haven't tweeted in like 48hrs. #
- @jeramedic @tbchick @ssgjbroyles Thank ya. I've got a ton of work lately and I've been swamped as heck. If ya had a search party, bring beer #
- @MsParamedic @myrtlife I just been busy as all get out. in reply to MsParamedic #
- RT @TherealJillK: @Ckemtp So, you were like, having a life? ^Meh, not all that much #
- @myrtlife Who knows. Turmoil in the life right now. I haven't even posted an article for like two weeks in reply to myrtlife #
- Hey @ginakaiser , you still asleep? Yes? Ok, cool #
- Just about to give my 90 min airway management lecture. Have you checked the blog for all the vids? http://www.lifeunderthelights.com #
- RT @FireCritic: anyone heard from @Ckemtp recently? ^Nope, ain't seen him. There's beer missing though.. Hmmm #
- @FireCritic Oh crap! Um.. When's the deadline? I have been busy as heck lately and have let some things slide in reply to FireCritic #
- @shell1972 whoa, shell's mad. in reply to shell1972 #
- Ok, I think that break time for this blogger is over. Back at it today with a vengeance. I want to do something big.. But I dunno what yet #
- @sh0rtc1rcu1t I thought about ending war & violent crime. Does that count? I also care about access 2 clean water. Hey, worked 4 the POTUS in reply to sh0rtc1rcu1t #
- @sh0rtc1rcu1t new unemployment figures came out for my locale… 20% here in my part of IL. Good thing the Feds are gonna pay 4 everything in reply to sh0rtc1rcu1t #
- @sh0rtc1rcu1t It sucks. How are we going to get better pay when it's like this? Oh yea, by competing for business & offering more services in reply to sh0rtc1rcu1t #
- RT @mack505: RT @FireCritic First Due Blog Carnival Episode 1 “I Am A Firefighter Because…” http://www.firecritic.com #
- RT @chebert13: RT @FireCritic First Due Blog Carnival Episode 1 “I Am A Firefighter Because…” http://tinyurl.com/y959hd5 – Great Job Rhett!! #
- RT @seaneddy: Been busy moving this week. I promise to have a blog post this week! ^I'm waiting… #
- RT @PGSilva: Could one of you please shoot me? just DM me. Ta muchly. ^Me too #
- RT @patrickjscott If you want to know what its like to be fat, retired, and happy, follow @cnboss. He's a decent guy. ^I 2nd that #
- RT @verydemotivated Very Demotivational: Demotivational Posters That Demotivate » Please Be Careful http://bit.ly/4MKLGM #
- Aaaargh!! Twas my day on shift at the fd today and @ginakaiser got to run tonight. Three meds and a house fire she gets. Me? Nada #
- @EngineMedic @myrtlife @shell1972 @ssgjbroyles @genmedshow @msparamedic @medic61 @scottthemedic @Ckemtp ??? I missed, sup? in reply to EngineMedic #
- RT @TherealJillK: @ckemtp nontwittery. What up? ^Been on a "be a good hubby and father non-online break" #
- RT @RethinkingEMS I'm having a hard time w/the tiny text on your latest post ^Sry It did that and I couldn't get it fixed in time @chebert13 #
- @chebert13 thanks buddy! I appreciate it in reply to chebert13 #
- RT @RetFireman: Quaaaaaaaaaaaaaiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiid…. RT @wilw: http://twitpic.com/1axd78 – Probably the best geekffiti I've ever seen. #
- Oh treadmill machine. Why dost thou vex me so #
- @NJDiveMedic I can operate it.. I just can't figure out how to stay on it for more than 3mi in reply to NJDiveMedic #
- @p_e_naylor @patrickjscott @cnboss @bwils @ginakaiser – ok, just put in a solid hour at the gym. After last night I think I should done 2 #
- @zoll_rescuenet I'm working on a post for just that very purpose buddy it'll be up tonight with linky stuff in reply to zoll_rescuenet #
- @myrtlife @theHappyMedic Pulse Pounding Excitement!! And easy chairs in reply to myrtlife #
- @sh0rtc1rcu1t I got a post coming tonight on that very subject. I'm fer it.. But I'm also agin it in reply to sh0rtc1rcu1t #
- @p_e_naylor followin in yer footsteps there buddy in reply to p_e_naylor #
- Yay! Today brings another awesome 24hrs on the ambulance #
- @Medic_2_2 be safe
hope it's calm in reply to Medic_2_2 # - @Medic_2_2 I'm planning on no calls all day. I got stuff ta do. in reply to Medic_2_2 #
- RT @MadMedic1 I know it's hard to miss but pls mr Pt, look @my face not my chest when I'm talking to you.. Ta muchly! #boobs (and it begins) #
- @MsParamedic @MadMedic1 Hey!! No fair!! #boobs are good for patient care! in reply to MsParamedic #
- RT @Epi_Junky: Dear A Shifters and 'lette drivers. I'm dispatching solo today with no backup in the office. Go easy on a girl, kay? ^nope #
- @MadMedic1 @MsParamedic good plan in reply to MadMedic1 #
- RT @Laura_Karas Work out like a supermodel? Check out the Brazil Butt Lift system and you can. http://bit.ly/aX9whS ^should I try this? #
- RT @Epi_Junky: @Ckemtp I'll save all the good runs for you.
^Boooooo runs. Yaaay working on The Handover # - RT @MadMedic1: @Ckemtp morning!! #boobtherapy. It could catch on… ^It worked on #scrubs #
- @MsParamedic @madmedic1 I should probably get to writing a #prehospital #boobtherapy protocol in reply to MsParamedic #
- @iMedicFF I think that was Carla.. Probably both though. @ginakaiser would know in reply to iMedicFF #
- @MsParamedic @Ckemtp @madmedic1 I guess I'm headed to La today, huh? in reply to MsParamedic #
- @Laura_Karas aww, come on. I like lifting supermodels' butts I have indeed been working out lately though. So has @ginakaiser in reply to Laura_Karas #
- @MadMedic1 @imedicff I will do. And research must be conducted to get the evidence. Hook me to an EKG and flash me in reply to MadMedic1 #
- @iMedicFF it was the episode where everyone was imaging being married to Elliott. Turk's fantasy involved Carla, or "Lupita" as the maid in reply to iMedicFF #
- @MsParamedic @madmedic1 @imedicff @pgsilva I smell a conference coming on… in reply to MsParamedic #
- RT @MsParamedic: @Ckemtp haha! Bring @ginakaiser with ya!! ^we've honestly been seriously been discussing a NOLA trip for poss. After Easter #
- @UKMedic999 always worth it buddy. G'head, try and sleep. (Let's all call him in 20min, mmm kay?) in reply to UKMedic999 #
- @MsParamedic @Ckemtp @ginakaiser @Jeramedic ^sweet, will do. It's a remote chance, but G and I need us a crazy weekend together in reply to MsParamedic #
- @MsParamedic @Ckemtp @ginakaiser @jeramedic I love NOLA. We should have a tweetup. And the #boobtherapy conference in reply to MsParamedic #
- @Laura_Karas No, I am always looking for innovative workout strategies. Really. Anything that makes it interesting helps motivate me in reply to Laura_Karas #
- @Anna_n_Chicago Hiiiiiiiiiieeeey!!!! in reply to Anna_n_Chicago #
- RT @Cynical_Nurse: Any patient who insists on hollering continuously shall be required to carry a tune while doing so. ^I 2nd that #
- @Anna_n_Chicago The fam's ok. @ginakaiser is starting to remember my name with the time away from the blog.. And the bubble? Tis a mystery in reply to Anna_n_Chicago #
- RT @Mrs999: @UKMedic999 unplug it then! Have you sorted tomorrow out for josh?? ^Well!? Have you?? #
- @Laura_Karas Supermodels would help with that motivation. It's why I work out with @ginakaiser I need to find an on duty work-out routine in reply to Laura_Karas #
- @Medic_2_2 we had breakfast at a local greasy spoon, now chores, then blogging, then to the hardware store for bathrrom remodeling tips in reply to Medic_2_2 #
- RT @jedifire11: Guess whose a NREMT-Paramedic now? This dude, that's who!!!!!!!! #fb ^Congrats!! You've got yer learners' permit!! #
- Drug inventory. Eight!! Eight Amiodarone!! Ah ah ah… http://tweetphoto.com/16035859 #
- RT @jedifire11: Thanks everyone! Ready to kick learning into overdrive. CK:) ^it's a journey.. a fun one, remember that. This is so much fun #
- RT @AmboDriver U sound like the Count from Sesame St!^I do a killer EMS Count impression. My boy eats it up. Seven! Seven infarcts! Ah ah ah #
- RT @chiefdoc: @Ckemtp planning on working a few codes??? ^Noooo… Just doing the stock drug locker inventory! Although I'm due for 1 #
- @rescue_monkey I need that much cuz I HATE V-fib.. I HATE it SO MUCH. V-tach I'm ok with in reply to rescue_monkey #
- RT @kristlynngirl: Oh well, gonna get my act together then go torture my boyfriend. ^Proof!! Women torture us on purpose!! #
- @MadMedic1 we needed @PGSilva in for #EMSboobTherapy 2010. We need @theroaddoctor as well in reply to MadMedic1 #
- RT @AmboDriver: @Ckemtp You'll get one now. Openly talking about it angers the EMS Gods. ^www.CallAndPump.org – I've saved my last two #
- @rescue_monkey @ssgjbroyles @ambodriver or just an extremely good code prevention program, like fire codes for cardiac arrest in reply to rescue_monkey #
- @Laura_Karas some friends of mine on the FD do P90x. They seem to like it. I like the experience of goin to the gym in reply to Laura_Karas #
- @murphquake That would be awesome. #theCount in reply to murphquake #
- RT @MadMedic1: @Ckemtp good point. He won't say no… @pgsilva and @theroaddoctor are indeed both #easy.. But so am I #
- @MsParamedic @madmedic1 @pgsilva @theroaddoctor ^I'll be in R&D for the evidenced based protocol in reply to MsParamedic #
- @Boshbrand @MsParamedic @Ckemtp @madmedic1 @pgsilva @theroaddoctor #EMSboobTherapy Board positions. http://www.MsParamedic.com in reply to Boshbrand #
- @AmboDriver @MsParamedic I should come down and do a fully-paid internship. It'd beat what I get paid up here in reply to AmboDriver #
- @AmboDriver I get that, but they get more hours I'm sure, and we work 48hr weeks, but get paid for 32… Grrrrrrrrrr in reply to AmboDriver #
- RT @kristlynngirl @Ckemtp I don't mean actually torture….lol! ^too late!! You can't backpedal.. Unless u were talking about wierd SM stuff #
- RT @murphquake Ck I hear him do #TheCount sumtimes still: 46xray ah central we are ten ah eighty four, ah 1 ah 2 there are 2 patients ahahah #
- RT @PGSilva: @ckemtp @madmedic1 @ginakaiser I smell spin off…#boobsofEMS wonder if @theroaddoctor would be interested? ^I'm IN! #
- @rescue_monkey we drop to half rate + $1. It doesn't count for OT. The medics get paid 16 up hrs and 8 call hrs, the EMTs get 12 and 12 in reply to rescue_monkey #
- RT @AmboDriver @Ckemtp Come 2 the dark side, we have cookies! Once taken into the HiveMind, you'll make + $40k for 1/2the hrs! @ginakaiser #
- @MadMedic1 @pgsilva @theroaddoctor Well, when you carry the burden of the attractiveness level I have ya gotta be. Thank God for @ginakaiser in reply to MadMedic1 #
- @rescue_monkey @MsParamedic @ambodriver Me too #AlmostMadeTheMoneyBack.. Ten more years in reply to rescue_monkey #
- @rescue_monkey @AmboDriver Ok I am SO not doing any more shift chores here today in reply to rescue_monkey #
- RT @AmboDriver: @Ckemtp Can we feature my man boobs, er… pecs? ^ wanna be on the R&D team? We'll hook ourselves to EKGs and go to #Hooters #
- @rescue_monkey in reply to rescue_monkey #
- RT @AmboDriver: @Ckemtp 520 more payments, and this patch is MINE, baby! ^Plus we'll be the proud owners of bad backs and ulcers #
- @Laura_Karas You too. I'll be on the ambo all day… in reply to Laura_Karas #
- @AmboDriver "Remember the time I stopped you from drilling a hole in yer head?" "That would have worked" #ghostbusters and #boobs in reply to AmboDriver #
- @PGSilva @ambodriver Oh hell yea ya can. Absolutely. #EMsexpo anyone? in reply to PGSilva #
- @AmboDriver Is this true?? Yes, It's true, your honor… This man has no penis in reply to AmboDriver #
- @AmboDriver If I can make it out there, I will. This time I'm bringing @ginakaiser She's more fun than a wounded cat and turpentine in reply to AmboDriver #
- @AmboDriver Where do these stairs go?? They go up in reply to AmboDriver #
- @AmboDriver Is it in Dallas? And when is it again? in reply to AmboDriver #
- RT @MsParamedic: @AmboDriver Ck hey! You can't steal em. I want them to stay with me so I can cuddle @ginakaiser ^Well, my day's complete #
- @AmboDriver I can believe that.. I really can. Oh and "Remind me when we get to the 22nd floor. I wanna throw up" in reply to AmboDriver #
- RT @MsParamedic: @Ckemtp @ambodriver @ginakaiser I'm in yer expo-stealing yer wife!! Hahaha!!! ^ um.. well.. um.. ok #
- @rescue_monkey @msparamedic @ambodriver @ginakaiser @setla I just told @ginakaiser to check her twitter. She's been um, oddly quet since in reply to rescue_monkey #
- @rescue_monkey @MsParamedic @ambodriver @ginakaiser Um, it might be. Depends on if I go too and who yer stealing from in reply to rescue_monkey #
- @rescue_monkey Um, actually I'm an optimist and I share yer opinion in reply to rescue_monkey #
- RT @rescue_monkey: @Ckemtp @ambodriver @ginakaiser ^ @msparamedic will return her when it's over ^Standard Fees Will Apply #
- RT @MsParamedic: @Ckemtp @rescue_monkey @ambodriver @ginakaiser she won't want to go back ^MUCH more expensive that way #
- RT @geekymedic: Well we have been off a while. EMS Leadership new episode now up. http://www.emsleadership.com #
- @AmboDriver B4 @ginakaiser & I got hitched, the preacher told us it'd be "until death do you part" she looked @me and asked "mine or his?" in reply to AmboDriver #
- @rescue_monkey @jodfie @ckemtp @ambodriver @ginakaiser @msparamedic Good plan, the boy'd miss her in reply to rescue_monkey #
- How does one bring positive change about in a woefully underperforming neighboring EMS jurisdiction without being labelled an ass? #
- I mean, really.. Their citizens suffer and die for ego and interpersonal politics. How can one change that? #
- @SteveWhitehead I try Steve, I really do. I am just tired of seeing innocents suffer at the hands of incompetents in reply to SteveWhitehead #
- @TheFireTracker2 It's someone's job to let the citizens know that there's MUCH better out there in reply to TheFireTracker2 #
- @PGSilva I'd start a PR campaign, but they'd hold their positions and I'd be labelled "an Outsider" in reply to PGSilva #
- RT @gfriese: @Ckemtp go to work for the other service. ^They're volunteer & I live 40miles away. I have a full plate w/my own FT and vollie #
- RT @SteveWhitehead: @Ckemtp I hear you. "Lord grant me the" … ^yes.. But I'm tired seeing of death from preventable causes #
- @un_ojo @gfriese I would. God help me if I didn't have my own family and my own too-full-already plate, I would in reply to un_ojo #
- @PGSilva Perhaps. Honesty is my policy, but it's not always the easiest way. It's an uphill battle at great pers. peril for no pers. reward in reply to PGSilva #
- RT @un_ojo: @Ckemtp or you can find an ally inside the other organization, and work it that way.^I've got a few. They think it's hopeless #
- @un_ojo I have been. LOTS of my ranting posts are about things I see, with them and others. More than 50 in reply to un_ojo #
- @hoplessromantic I agree. My service needs help.. But we give darn good patient care above all else. They're.. Well, the opposite in reply to hoplessromantic #
- RT @PGSilva: @Ckemtp Also don't be afraid to point out anything that would have a positive fin impact. $$ make people listen…that & #boobs #
- @TheFireTracker2 There's four neighboring services that are like this, honestly. Even a natnl consultanrt hired by the county agrees. in reply to TheFireTracker2 #
- @TheFireTracker2 I wish, but it'll never happen in reply to TheFireTracker2 #
- @un_ojo Except for the fact that I interface with them everytime in reply to un_ojo #
- @un_ojo Nope, i've built a blogging empire (http://bit.ly/4of9tT) by not revealing where it is I exactly work. Both, actually. in reply to un_ojo #
- @un_ojo Although I'm happy to point out folly on a national scale, my kid, wife, & I like to eat.. it does give me plenty to write about tho in reply to un_ojo #
- RT @failbooking Failbooking – Funny Facebook Status Messages ( Failbook )The Moment of Penetration « http://bit.ly/cE1yrL #
- @TheFireTracker2 yep.. I will find a way. I just don't want to ruin my career in the process in reply to TheFireTracker2 #
- Attantion coworker: YES it is indeed Saturday… and YES all of the chores are done. I don't mind you napping but FOR GOSH SAKES don't snore #
- @AmboDriver I just sent him on an interfacility transfer. That oughta fix it in reply to AmboDriver #
- That's it, it's now official. I need a vacation with @ginakaiser. Anyone want to pay for our all-expenses paid trip? We'll staff an ambo #
- @medic61 (comment redacted for some reason) in reply to medic61 #
- @medic61 Now now, you have no idea what I was going to say. It had something to do with farting and hispanic cuisine. Women.. #eightaway in reply to medic61 #
- @medic61 Oh, um… you know if you get mad for real I'll back down… but speaking of #eightaway, you know that #minerva stuck @annaforsica in reply to medic61 #
- @medic61 You never can be too sure with you wimmenfolk. Hot then cold then hot then cold. And it's not @anniforscia , it's Minerva in reply to medic61 #
- @Brandy_Williams Hi Lobster Arms in reply to Brandy_Williams #
- @NateEMT Awww! now I have to come up with a new nickname for you!! I LIKED calling you "_" in reply to NateEMT #
- RT @tinastullracing: When buying and selling are controlled by legislation, the first things to be bought and sold are legislators. #
- @ginakaiser just made pizza with the boy at home while I'm on duty. This. Is. AWESOME http://tweetphoto.com/16112093 #
- RT @NateEMT: @Ckemtp Am I allowed to come up with my own nickname? I would like to be called Iron Man ^Flatly, no. To both questions #
- RT @Brandy_Williams: @Ckemtp Hello!! It was a gorgeous day to paint the house just underestimated the sun ^I'm a redhead, I understand #
- RT @EMS_ER_RN: @Ckemtp can I sell my legislators ^You can sell anything.. If anybody'd buy em #
- RT @TheRoadDoctor: @NateEMT Nope. Do you know the kind of people that give themselves their own nickname? ^Slacker people, that's who! #
- @NateEMT I wanna be called "Mother" a la "Mother, Juggs, and Speed".. Whaddid I get?? "Christina"… Meh in reply to NateEMT #
- @NateEMT So's "Twinkles"… Don't push it, my nicknames stick in reply to NateEMT #
- @FireCritic Tis allright there, Hooptie.. Oh, and I have a new website plan that you should jump in with in reply to FireCritic #
- @NateEMT Hmmm… Lemme ponder this. I still think "_" is appropriate (it stands for "underscore") in reply to NateEMT #
- RT @TheRoadDoctor: @Ckemtp Twinkles, he is! (@NateEMT) ^Ya know, "twinkles" does underscore his personality quite nicely #
- RT @NJDiveMedic When the Kansas City FD takes over MAST next month, the "clusterfudge" won't include any top http://bit.ly/cY2HKl ^#IfixedIt #
- RT @TonyOlivero: 13 minutes left in #EarthHour. Here's hoping I can get the nuclear powered CFC cannon operational in time. ^ In awe of you! #
- Just kicked anaphylaptic shock squarely in the teeth. Grrr! Take THAT, HIstamine! #
- RT @FireCritic: @Ckemtp what is it? ^You are SUCH a fire guy #
- @chiefdoc clooose to that here.. But no pumpin, just ALSsy goodness in reply to chiefdoc #
- @in_the_city I'll show it who's boss. Darn anaphylaxis in reply to in_the_city #
- @FireCritic lol, I thought u was askin what anaphylaxis was. I need 6 or 8 grown-up bloggers who can do 1 to 2 500 to 1000wrd posts a week in reply to FireCritic #
- @gfriese Thanks buddy, it should be up by tomorrow morning. Could you e-mail it to me? in reply to gfriese #
- I'm gonna be in Chicago most of the day with @ginakaiser and the boy. Hope I don't need the services of @in_the_city. #
- @in_the_city Naw man, naw. I was just hoping that I didn't need the services of a CCEMTP ambo, that's all. in reply to in_the_city #
- @in_the_city don't think yer alone in that. Frankly, I suck too. I'm thinking about going into food service. I'd deliver a darn good pizza in reply to in_the_city #
- @Anna_n_Chicago @ginakaiser and I are at Science and Industry with the boy. It's interesting that we're both "_n_Chicago now too in reply to Anna_n_Chicago #
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Howdy Everyone! This post is a bunch of embedded videos I put up here for use on an airway management lecture I’m giving. Feel free to watch them and use them in any training you would like. If you’d like more info on my airway management class, e-mail me at ProEMS1@yahoo.com
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Peter Canning, the guy who writes the blog: “Street Watch – Notes of a Paramedic” has been just kicking blog butt lately with his series on prehospital medications. I read a lotta blog posts, but I’ve been thoroughly enjoying Peter’s stuff lately. I’d love for you to get on over there and enjoy it as much as I have been. I’m pleased as heck that he came to the www.FireEMSblogs.com network because I’ve been a huge fan of his writings for a long time.
Also, The Handover Blog Carnival (last seen over at Notes from Mosquito Hill) is being hosted right here on my little blog here. The theme is “Respect”. It will be posted on TUESDAY MARCH 30th and Submissions are to be accepted up until Sunday the 28th. Here’s a hint: GET YOUR SUBMISSIONS IN EARLY BECAUSE I HAVE ME A SURPRISE!! Yes, you really want to pay attention to this here Handover edition. So get it in early.
- @TheRoadDoctor @chebert13 The room decorations were all carefully constructed props to make it look that way.. & @geekymedic is short-ish in reply to TheRoadDoctor #
- @myrtlife http://bit.ly/alKlra #EMSToday in Retrospect (Great post via @FireCritic) ^Oh. Wow. #squee I now have MY OWN TAG on firecritic.com #
- Made it home to IL. Tonight's all about @ginakaiser and the boy. See ya tomorrow Twitter tweeps! Great meeting y'all who I met #
- RT @medic61: @NateEMT_B PER SE!!!!! ^ "_" #
- RT @chebert13 @FireCritic: R u following @chebert13 ? U should B! "Thanks Critic for the love" ^Ummmm, @firedaily 's gonna B sooo jealous! #
- Should I change my avatar to this? Is it too self serving? Do I have something in my teeth? http://tweetphoto.com/13648984 #
- RT @FireCap5: Heading out to do my rounds here at the mill! Fun days! ^A friend rarely heard from! Hi buddy! #
- @medic61 I am CK EMT-P, not "Christina Kemtp" in reply to medic61 #
- RT @tbernemtp @medic61 maybe I should make an attempt at a less confusing twitter name – I'm taking suggestions @nateemt_b It can't be "_" #
- @anniforscia I followed ya! I followed ya! in reply to anniforscia #
- RT @NJDiveMedic Thx 2 @setla @theHappyMedic @medic61 @UKMedic999 @FireCritic @FireDaily @NateEMT_B @myrtlife @slayd @sebwong 4a gr8 time #
- RT @medic61: http://tweetphoto.com/13648984 @Ckemtp This is CLEARLY not you, c. kemtp ^LOL I actually posted the wrong pic #
- @NJDiveMedic @medic61 Im not "Christina Kemtp"^U were more like a Christina last ni.. I mean, u wre a prfect gntlemn ^Hey! U got dinner 1st! #
- RT @anniforscia: @Ckemtp Oh hi thar darling! ^You should follow @ginakaiser too that's my baby #
- RT @NJDiveMedic @Ckemtp I'll be nice and won't let @ginakaiser know what _really_ happened after the lights went out^U snoring like a train? #
- Ok, ok.. Howsabout THIS for my new avatar? Is THIS over the top? http://tweetphoto.com/13657339 #
- RT @NJDiveMedic I stole the covers because you refused to cuddle afterwards.
^See?? You admit it! #CoverStealer! # - @medic61 @NJDiveMedic He doesn't put out (much) on the first date in reply to medic61 #
- RT @NJDiveMedic @PGSilva: @ckemtp @njdivemedic So which one of you two was the big spoon?^ Nobody will EVER know! (#Wait4theAutobiography) #
- RT @FireCritic: EMS Today in Retrospect…Thanks for the Memories and Meeting Everyone in Person! http://tinyurl.com/yacd6fa #
- RT @PGSilva: @MadMedic1 Um you spelled it wrong. It's COLOR! There is no "u" in color. #frumpydumplespellingiswrong #
- RT @Epi_Junky: Well crap. Looks like the blog might be coming down. ^ Why? #
- RT @EMS_ER_RN: Prayers go out to the Family of the EMT who died in Bucks County responding to a call #
- RT @jemsconnect Paramedic Dies After Being Attacked by Reported Suicidal Patient, Latest at http://bit.ly/cAzzZB ^Our prayers are with y'all #
- RT @KinetiCycle: @tbouthillet life is serious enough, I prefer the #nonsense, bring it on and turn it up! ^I 2nd that #
- RT @jodfie: i was referring to this! lol @NJDiveMedic: @ckemtp didn't snuggle like he promised me last night. Bastard! ^I'm a #crocktease #
- RT @ginakaiser @NJDiveMedic Don't think I want to know. What happened between U 2 in Balt can stay in Balt : ) I feel bad for the catcher! #
- RT @jedifire11: Thoughts and prayers to the family of the PA paramedic that died in the line of duty tonite #EMS #LODD #
- RT @NJDiveMedic: @jodfie It's OK – he made up for it this morning ^I did letcha sleep in a little #HeLookedSoPeaceful #
- RT @ginakaiser: @NJDiveMedic I know Chris seems to be walking alright. http://myloc.me/4yNuV ^ #FartedSideways #
- RT @chebert13: @Epi_Junky Uhmm, this is not good timing..LOL What's up? ^She's on #fireEMSblogs???? #
- RT @jemsconnect: Latest on Bensalem, PA medic reportedly killed by patient http://connect.jems.com/forum/topics/pennsylvania-paramedic #
- RT @NJDiveMedic: @Ckemtp @ginakaiser he drank all the damn coffee while he "let me sleep". Bastard! ^U snooze, U lose buddy. Literally #
- @jodfie I said #cRockTease!! CRock!! in reply to jodfie #
- @Epi_Junky Well ya should be (@chebert13) but.. Wow, that might suck in reply to Epi_Junky #
- @chebert13 @Ckemtp Not yet, but we did some recruiting in hope of having her aboard. http://www.PinkWarmDry.com is a good fit?^Oh goodness yes #
- @NJDiveMedic Likewise buddy, @ginakaiser and hope to make it up your way sometime this year in reply to NJDiveMedic #
- @NateEMT_B now now, nobody likes an uppity underscore in reply to NateEMT_B #
- RT @myrtlife: Well, I'm a year older today. Not sure I'm any wiser but hey. Lol ^I saw you learn some things in Balt. So you are a bit wiser #
- @TheRoadDoctor @PGSilva Has anybody ever tried #javamedic http://www.JavaMedic.com ? in reply to TheRoadDoctor #
- RT @SteveWhitehead: Good morning all. I hope everyone is ramping up for an awesome week. ^I sure am. Lots ta do here #
- RT @scoolgirl101: @NateEMT_B dude, you crack me up. ^ Um, his name is "_" Thank you. I re-christened him #
- Attention everyone – My avatar has Changed! Whattaya think? #
- @ukmedic999 hey buddy, how was DC? #
- RT @UKMedic999: RT @Mrs999: @UKMedic999 @Ckemtp why?? Did you really have to inflict that on us???^ #IsawThePictureFirstAndThoughtItWasPorn #
- Ok, ok.. I changed my profile pic again. Just so everyone knows tis me #
- Support #EMS, add a #twibbon to your avatar now! – http://bit.ly/3VeG7G #
- So the vollie pager goes off 4 a Gas tanker vs car MVC needin heavy extrication w/mult Pts.. I go pick up the boy from school. #FamilyFirst #
- RT @TherealJillK: @ckemtp new photo is the ultimate study in self-pimpery. ^have you heard what I learned at #EMStoday? I can has groupies #
- RT @davidkonig: @Ckemtp Kudos for that. #FamilyFirst ^It DID sound fun tho! #
- RT @TBChick: @Ckemtp Awww, of course you can have groupies, but will @GinaKaiser let you? ^She's the president of the "Meh" club #
- @NeilMcD Yes, they are.. As far as the department is concerned.. But not as far as the family is. And the family is more important in reply to NeilMcD #
- @NeilMcD I'll agree with that. That's what I did. And it helps that @ginakaiser 's a FF/stb medic on the same dept in reply to NeilMcD #
- @NeilMcD nope yer good buddy I was playin daddy and having kitty-cat wash night in reply to NeilMcD #
- @NJDiveMedic ha! Yea. The rumors of my androgenous nature were highly exagerated. Testicles? I has them.. Well @ginakaiser does… in reply to NJDiveMedic #
- @slayd Is it about Bread? It could be about bread. in reply to slayd #
- @NJDiveMedic we alternate calls! She says I like to be fair. in reply to NJDiveMedic #
- @NeilMcD I ran TONS a calls be4 being married w/a kid. Now I've scaled back lots.. I really miss being that active, but I miss the fam more in reply to NeilMcD #
- RT @in_the_city: @TheRoadDoctor lol my wife says i look like balo the bear from tail spin… ^Um, it's spelled "Balou" #Tailspin rocked #
- RT @Chrismedic @Jeramedic Indeed! next time I'm in the Bay, lets hit one with @Setla @thedridge @theHappyMedic and @SamBradley11 ^I'm in? #
- @jedifire11 I'm still bummed I didn't get to meet ya in reply to jedifire11 #
- RT @Jeramedic: @Chrismedic Perhaps boose is the last thing @setla wants to think about. JK #whereissetla #EMSToday ^@Setla is good boy! Lol #
- RT @cabrown911: RT @funnyoneliners: It’s about time we make sleeping dogs tell the truth. RT @k2bf #
- @patrickjscott We could go into business together. I can be a surgeon and you cold be an effeminate doctor #JD in reply to patrickjscott #
- RT @NJDiveMedic: @Bella_Medic welcome http://chroniclesofems.com/purchase-a-chronicles-of-ems-t-shirt/ #CoEMS #EMSToday #EMS2.0 #
- RT @OrderOfMen: I love the smell of #cigars! #
- RT @tbouthillet: @EMS12Lead is a member of Chronicles of EMS http://chroniclesofems.ning.com/profile/TomBouthillet #CoEMS #
- RT @NJDiveMedic we alternate calls! She says I like 2 be fair.^ Translation: #ShesStillMadAtMeForLeavingForTheWeekend ^and 4 sharing my bed! #
- RT @FireCap5: @Ckemtp wanna meet up in Indy at FDIC??? ^yes! If I can I will. @ginakaiser and I have been talkin about it? #
- @in_the_city It would be forgivable if it wasn't a defamation of such an awesome show #Tailspin in reply to in_the_city #
- @Jeramedic comin to FDIC? in reply to Jeramedic #
- RT @Jeramedic: @Ckemtp I down for the this idea of a "phoenex from the ashes cyborg medic" internship ^You sure? I kick yer buttocks #
- RT @in_the_city: Wife just pulled a cork out of a bottle of wine with her teeth. Thats hot. ^That is hot #
- @Jeramedic Remember, I got two FT medic jobs in reply to Jeramedic #
- RT @patrickjscott Ck you'll always be my brown bear, you Ginger bastard ^I'm tryin to think of a good #scrubs quote.. But therez just 2 many #
- RT @EMSWeek: Outrage at rape of paramedic: Times LIVE The horrific rape of a paramedic who was treating a toddler http://bit.ly/bKisOa #
- RT @podmedic: Come to "MedicCast Live – Looking at EMS Professional Groups" Tomorrow from 10:00 pm to 11:00 pm. http://bit.ly/darppd #
- RT @Tiger15032: New blog post: LIVE: Casting a Net over Recruitment and Retention Challenges http://bit.ly/cq0jJz #
- @Epi_Junky Blah Blah Blah… You ARE one of the cool kids in reply to Epi_Junky #
- RT @davidkonig: RE: Yeah, it was a tad bit wordy… but that's a sure sign of a memorable experience! http://disq.us/dk04b ^great post buddy #
- RT @heartbrokenpara @Epi_Junky & @Ckemtp How did u get the star of life on yer profile pic?^It's a twibbon, & requires sacrificing a unicorn #
- @PGSilva But think of how much revenue they're making in tickets. They'll make it up. in reply to PGSilva #
- RT @PGSilva: @ckemtp nah this guys job is to sit in the car and chat text surf web whatever. No enforecement action at all. ^Kinda like EMS #
- RT @medicTHREE – http://disq.us/dk0v7 – I can't jump into this from my BB, but expect me in later. Studies are great, but experience is gold #
- I been busy today. Only steady with calls but lotsa chores gettin done. Gonna write a hellraisin article later. Then take a nap #
- Dang it! I can't get on a compter yet to comment on @medicthree and @stevewhitehead 's stuff. But I wanna. #
- @RethinkingEMS @medicTHREE Tim's opinion is that of an interested outsider. That doesn't invalidate it. It's what all of our politicians are in reply to RethinkingEMS #
- RT @medicTHREE: @Ckemtp well hurry up! ^I can't spend all of my time talking about EMS because I'm too busy doing EMS (sigh) #
- @Bella_Medic True.. But look at how much our job is affected by interested and (not always) well-meaning outsiders. We have to engage them in reply to Bella_Medic #
- @RethinkingEMS I disagree with that. Yes we should. A medic on every ambulance. I support medic/basic crews in reply to RethinkingEMS #
- @RethinkingEMS My mayor is an interested outsider, so are all of the city council members and county boar members. So is the media. That's y in reply to RethinkingEMS #
- @MsParamedic @rethinkingems If I were 2 design t'best system I could think of, every ambo would b medic/basic or basic/EMT-I w/ALS 1st resp in reply to MsParamedic #
- RT @MsParamedic @in_the_city maybe we r! *looks in front of truck* oh. No. Darn, got excited for a second! ^Duz yer partner look like Balou? #
- @bellamedic @njdivemedic – as much as I would like to jump in, I ask that you look @rethinkingems like a community member & answer questions #
- @MsParamedic @SteveWhitehead @bella_medic What if @rethinkingems was in your city council meeting, what would u say 2him in frnt o t'public in reply to MsParamedic #
- @mack505 "the fat rat's white ass vibrates in the moonlight" in reply to mack505 #
- @scottthemedic @RethinkingEMS but ALS is the only answer 4 "gonna code" and "after rosc" care. The studies don't take that in2 consideration in reply to scottthemedic #
- @jodfie @njdivemedic @msparamedic @rethinkingems I agree. I know Tim isn't an EMT, but we have to talk 2 the public who do read occasionally in reply to jodfie #
- @medicTHREE @MedicSBK we have close to a 60% discharge rate in witnessed V-fib arrest. 40ish in all witnessed. http://www.callandpump.org #CCRworks in reply to medicTHREE #
- @RethinkingEMS early intubation? Meh.. 8% drop for us (we study everything) although I'd like to see it w/ a res-q-pod in reply to RethinkingEMS #
- RT @MedicSBK: @CKEMTP Witnessed by EMS I assume? ^By bystander with CPR #
- @Jeramedic @MedicSBK @medicTHREE @Ckemtp @jodfie @njdivemedic @msparamedic @rethinkingems ^5 units of obecalp and protecanol STAT in reply to Jeramedic #
- @IngridOliphant ?? Which tweet #SingingBrawnyMan Ohh, you mean my espionage-speak with @mack505 ? in reply to IngridOliphant #
- @MedicSBK It's published in the Annals of Emerg Med, and in JEMS. 5 to 8min ALS with 3min PD (Cont. Comp CPR). No hypotherm till Summer in reply to MedicSBK #
- @NJDiveMedic "misc physical" damage? What about metaphysical? It could be psychic interference… in reply to NJDiveMedic #
- @NJDiveMedic I agree.. But my city attorney is the same way that @rethinkingems is in reply to NJDiveMedic #
- RT @RethinkingEMS: @MedicSBK 58% (2004) 38% (2005) 44% (2006) for bystander & EMS witnessed shockable for @CKEMTP 's area ^stats are ongoing #
- RT @Jeramedic: @Ckemtp :-/ <— facial droop! ahhh, *slurring speech and drooling* they think I'm drunk and I'm being shipped BLS. ^Lol #
- <– headin onna call. Be back later #
- @EMT_Tim @jodfie @njdivemedic @rethinkingems @msparamedic ^ By rights, therez no research 2support Adv Prac Medics.. But still's a good idea in reply to EMT_Tim #
- Actually, @conanobrian this is the perfect time for you to come run on an ambulance with the Chronicles of EMS – #CoEMS please #RT #
- OOps, I typo'd the name. I think that now is the time 4 @ConanObrien 2 try his hand @ #EMS w/the Chronicles of EMS #CoEMS #paramedic RT in reply to ConanOBrien #
- RT @aascharf: Wow, for once I managed to drop something in the bathroom that did *not* end up in the toilet. ^ME TOO!! This very phone! #
- Anybody out there work for Polk Co EMS in Florida? #
- RT @Epi_Junky: @RethinkingEMS I think it's a little more than that. You are SERIOUSLY overstepping. ^Epi, see my previous, he's ok.. #
- RT @tinastullracing I used 2 look @ people with exciting lives & want to meet them, then I decided I wanted 2 become like them instead.- CMS #
- Listen live to @EMSEduCast Tonight 2000 CST discuss of ereaders and other classroom tech http://bit.ly/bmAhvr ^I thought it was 2100cst #
- RT @FireDaily: Follow @chebert13. Trust me. ^Me too #
- RT @kriskaull: Showing the Chronicles of EMS to my EMT class. #coems They are stone silent. ^Props to ya! Good job #
- RT @theHappyMedic @kriskaull Showing the #CoEMS to my EMT class. #coems They are stone silent.^but are they laughing at my jokes? See above #
- @theHappyMedic @Paramedic_Fla Not necessarily. Some medical issues present like that. Med clearance w/PD trans maybe? PD is overloaded 2 tho in reply to theHappyMedic #
- RT @Boshbrand Do u guys trans inter-facility Pts? ie. NH to hosp, hosp to hosp? @rescue_monkey @theHappyMedic ^I do that and 911 #
- I just cooked an ACTUAL HEALTHY MEAL for my crews and I on shift tonight. This is it http://tweetphoto.com/13858525 #
- @Epi_Junky I even brought out the grill. I made everything from scratch in reply to Epi_Junky #
- RT @Boshbrand: @Ckemtp I bet that keeps you busy. ^If I'm cooking, I'm not managing… And that can only help #
- RT @ssgjbroyles: @Ckemtp looks better than pizza ^It was. They liked it. Now if they'll only keep their trucks clean #
- @KinetiCycle @Epi_Junky ^always worth it in reply to KinetiCycle #
- @MedicSBK I take care of my guys in reply to MedicSBK #
- RT @ckemtp A Little Quantum Physics for EMS http://bit.ly/7mLZI #
- RT @patrickjscott: @Ckemtp http://tweetphoto.com/13858525^ what part of that is healthy? ^The veggies, grilled chicken, and baked potatos #
- RT @MedicSBK @Ckemtp I wish I could do that its tough when yr ppl R mobile posting! ^Yea, that wld B. This job has 1sta, 3 @the other #
- RT @ruralemtb: Anyone want to suggest a blog for my blog roll? Yes, you can even suggest your own @ or DM me ^ I think I'm already there #
- RT @MsParamedic: LOSER alert. Just sayin. ^ I missed something #
- RT @EMTDani: " I will speak ill of no man …and speak all the good I know of everbody" – Benjamin Franklin #
- @MsParamedic awww, hey… I may be a loser, geek, nerd, and probably worst of all.. An EMS supervisor… But @ginakaiser married me #luckyme in reply to MsParamedic #
- RT @NJDiveMedic: *whew* I thought I did something wrong while I was out at a meeting ^You snore and steal the covers #
- Attention Powers That B: when I'm the duty sup if U expect me to be the 1 that scans all 5 channels whilst I'm sleeping Ima miss every call #
- So I ain't gnna do it. I ain't gonna scan 5 channels (& listen for the non-emerg pager) #ThatsWhatDispatchersAreFor #
- RT @MsParamedic @Ckemtp u R lucky. i'd give my L nut 2 marry @ginakaiser wait, what? ^aaaand that deserves an RT #IdidAlready wait, wut? #
- @thehappymedic @ginakaiser Oh, I don't know if #redheadsget*ALL*theladies http://tweetphoto.com/13873057 #
- @NJDiveMedic #planesTrains&automobiles "Those aren't pillows!!" #
- RT @medic61: @NJDiveMedic @Ckemtp You two and your catty bromance… ^I just want to feel sometimes like I'm more than just a pretty face #
- RT @wvmedicgirl wht wud I do 4 fun @ work if I dnt have twttr conv 2 follow? Least I cn put a few faces 2 names now #CoEMS ^I So 2nd that #
- RT @NJDiveMedic: @Ckemtp you non-cuddling bastard ^ Ahem, just WHO was it that bought dinner? #UwasSposeTaBeTheCatcher #
- RT @theHappyMedic: @Ckemtp you go girl! ^ahem, my last name is NOT "Kemtp" #
- @in_the_city apparently I'm a guy who doesn't cuddle but also doesn't steal the covers. Thx for the leave tho imaging JEMS rejected that in reply to in_the_city #
- @MedicSBK at peak? Um.. 5 trucks at this job. Yer bigger in reply to MedicSBK #
- RT @theHappyMedic: @Ckemtp not what i heard… @medic61 see what you did? #
- @NJDiveMedic @theHappyMedic Notice the changed avatar? Who knew that #extrication wasn't manly in reply to NJDiveMedic #
- RT @NJDiveMedic: @Ckemtp Nekkid Jumpin' Jacks. Just sayin' ^Ohhhh… I told that story, huh? (@dogfishbeer) #
- How's about this one? This happened too. @firedaily @ukmedic999 @thehappymedic http://tweetphoto.com/13873982 #
- RT @in_the_city: @Ckemtp real men just want to be held. tell @njdivemedic he's been remiss in holding you ever so softly ^2nd that #
- RT @medic61 @Ckemtp Not MY fault your picture/tweets made you seem like a girl. Also not my fault that your twitter handle is an #emtpfail! #
- RT @Ckemtp: @NJDiveMedic @theHappyMedic Notice the changed avatar? Who knew that #extrication wasn't manly (RT'd for @medic61) #
- @NJDiveMedic @in_the_city I've said it before "You Snooze, you get drawn on with a sharpie" in reply to NJDiveMedic #
- @medic61 @NJDiveMedic Oh! Tis so on now. Yep, tis on, good lass… Tis on in reply to medic61 #
- @medic61 @NJDiveMedic I would like to say that I had nothing to do with that. Nothing at all in reply to medic61 #
- @medic61 I meant to @ ya on that one, but I figgured you'd see it in reply to medic61 #
- RT @theHappyMedic: @Ckemtp new facebook fan group, check HM's page ^I'm at it now #
- @theHappyMedic I can't find it.. Am I daft? in reply to theHappyMedic #
- @wvmedicgirl I got it and joined thanks in reply to wvmedicgirl #
- @Jentz24 yea, but I'd like for them to listen to all 5 frequencies while I sleep! in reply to Jentz24 #
- RT @NJDiveMedic: RT @medic61 Whoa…I just remembered a whole conversation we had regarding 4chan. Memory fail x2! ^I know nothing ^2nd?? #
- Ok everyone, I gotta go night night. I'm startin ta get narcoleptic. Night all! #
- @medic_2_2 @ukmedic999 You mean THIS guy? The guy who invented the KED? @thehappymedic @setla #CoEMS http://tweetphoto.com/13907629 #
- RT @Kalshassan Buggy shoogling 2 simulate walking over Edinburgh cobbles, which R clearly more restful than lying still in a warm coffeeshop #
- @Kalshassan I need a #frumpydumple translator for what ya just said in reply to Kalshassan #
- RT @TonyOlivero Dear paragraph that was all but written in my head. plz come back. U had an important contribution 2 make 2 this report^2nd! #
- This also would make an AWESOME #whereisSetla @setla – I FOUND HIM! http://tweetphoto.com/13910634 #
- RT @in_the_city @ckemtp b4 i go back 2 sleep. We R both wrong. its Baloo the bear 2 Os. its been bothering me and my ocd ^My apologies, Sir #
- Wondering how far south I'd have to drive this weekend to escape the cold.. Kentucky? TEnnesee? #
- RT @NorthwestFire: Hosp Official Slams D.C. FD Response http://bit.ly/cUtrhH^Did everyone know that Chief Rubin came to the EMS 2.0 tweetup? #
- @Kalshassan Transport is deadly in reply to Kalshassan #
- @slayd 40something here. The sun's out tho in reply to slayd #
- @jonathantullos Good point. I could escape to see my chums in Biloxi in reply to jonathantullos #
- @PGSilva gonna donate for the trip? in reply to PGSilva #
- @wvmedicgirl tis gotta be w/in a 4 to 5hr drive from Chicago in reply to wvmedicgirl #
- @wvmedicgirl but I was just on the East Coast last weekend http://myloc.me/4EREO in reply to wvmedicgirl #
- @PGSilva I'll tweet pictures suitable for framing.. C'mon, you'll love hanging them on yer cubicle walls somewhere in reply to PGSilva #
- @theHappyMedic Wrong. Chuck Norris cried one time… Because he wanted to see what it was like to be a mere mortal in reply to theHappyMedic #
- Chuck Norris isn't afraid of the Dark, the dak is afraid of #ChuckNorris #
- @AmboDriver Kinda like choosing to have a career as a Nurse rather than being forged into a paramedic in reply to AmboDriver #
- Hey @ginakaiser, @PGSilva is paying us to go to Cozumel! All we gotta do is donate blood! All of it… in reply to PGSilva #
- @PGSilva but they have Monty Python in reply to PGSilva #
- @Kalshassan @ one job, I only transport after ROSC w/some discretion. @ the other, we always transport.. Markedly higher saves @the 1st job in reply to Kalshassan #
- RT @FirstDueMedic: After such a pretty day, I really don't want to go to work… ^same here. Lucky I'm off today #
- @Squirrel325 You do sometimes send that vibe (@MsParamedic) in reply to Squirrel325 #
- RT @anniforscia: http://twitpic.com/17spzz – Artichokes for dinner! =D They are the tastiest plant ever ^The Minerva special #
- RT @twnstar2: #TORNADO WARNING N GREENE COUNTY; SE WAYNE CNTY #MISSISSIPPI UNTIL 600 PM CST #SEVERE #WEATHER #MS #
- RT @FireDaily Tiger Schmittendorf – authority on recruitment & retention of volunteer FFs – http://bit.ly/aIx6W0 tonight 9pm ET^I'm so there #
- RT @jedifire11: Jack Bauer > Chuck Norris, that is all… #justsayin #24 ^Oh no.. Chuck Norris could do it in 12 #
- RT @FireCritic: RT @TheRoadDoctor: View of Spring '10 from 100' in the air… http://twitpic.com/17swyc ^ very nice!!! ^aww, I miss my tower #
- RT @FFNetcast: Live Netcast with @FireCritic and @FireDaily featuring @Tiger15032 at 9pmest http://bit.ly/5BIClp Be there!!^OK, ok.. I will #
- @jedifire11 Now, Jack Bauer is indeed the man.. But Chuck Norris could simply fart out any nuclear blasts.. Thereby making CTU irrelevant in reply to jedifire11 #
- @gruntdoc I don't even know how to comment on that.. But I wonder if her spleen has chronic fatigue syndrome as well in reply to gruntdoc #
- RT @jedifire11 @jackbauerfacts: When Chuck Norris and Superman have sleep overs, they argue over who has the cooler Jack Bauer Pajamas #24 #
- I'm listening 2 Episode 4- Volunteer Recruitment an show by FirefighterNetCast on #BlogTalkRadio – http://tobtr.com/s/929532 – RIGHT NOW! #
- @aascharf is my follow recommendation for the morning, by the way in reply to aascharf #
- @wtrachim So I just realized I wasn't following you. For shame, me #
- @scottthemedic because I happen to like theatre (I do musicals in community shows) and I like naking fun of people's personal lives in reply to scottthemedic #
- @MsParamedic what happened to Thib? in reply to MsParamedic #
- @MsParamedic
awww, sorry dear in reply to MsParamedic # - RT @MsParamedic: @Ckemtp awww it's ok. Met the new potential roomate. Quiet guy. Let's see how long it lasts ^ "quiet"? Oh that poor guy #
- Did anybody here right now listen to the @FFnetcast from last night yet?(I know ya all will soon) I need to get into a debate on that stuff #
- RT @MsParamedic: @Ckemtp hahaha yup. Poor poor guy. ^I never met Thib and I'm already gonna miss her #
- @NJDiveMedic @podmedic I've got some pics! Oh wait, those were supposed to be private in reply to NJDiveMedic #
- RT @FireMom: Well holy snot, guys! I GOT SYNDICATED! ^Congratulations! Wow, that's great! #
- RT @rescue_monkey: @Ckemtp what's the topic of debate? ^The show was with Tiger Schmittendorf about vollie recruitment & retention #
- RT @patrickjscott: Ah, the waiting game. What would I do without my phone, ipod, and internet?! ^ I'd probably get a lot more work done #
- @PGSilva Eff yea we do in reply to PGSilva #
- RT @zollemsfire: Video from Toronto #EMS ePCR project Merit and Diamond Award ceremony http://bit.ly/djfC72 #
- RT @EMTDani: Btw, just wanted to menion #boobs. ^me too #boobs #
- RT @fireengineering: Fire attorney John K. Murphy asks: Does your department have a social networking policy? http://bit.ly/cQJrSL #
- RT @insomniacmedic1 Quote of the day so far: "Fight for excellence. Respect ourselves" RT @ckemtp Any Random Person http://is.gd/aerVA ^Thx #
- RT @aascharf: @scottthemedic Stryker Stair-PRO Model 6252. The ones with the treads ^I LOVE #Stryker EMS products. They should pay me to rep #
- RT @NJDiveMedic @podmedic I've got some pics! Oh wait, those were supposed to be private ^whaddya mean 'supposed to be'? ^TMZ.com and Extra? #
- RT @insomniacmedic1: @Ckemtp Any time, sir! ^Hey, will @ginakaiser and I see you on our upcoming trip to Frumpydumple land? #
- RT @setla Have to take time to give back I always say! @mack505 You rock, Ted. I'm off to Kindergarten myself in about an hour ^Hey, me 2 #
- RT @mommy_doctor: Listening to the 2 secretaries outside RIP into the one who is not here… unbelievable. ^are they female? That's why #
- RT @chimoose: "Don't drive traffic to the web site. Drive traffic to the information people need." @lostonroute66 #sxsh #
- @JBL_EMS and I as well although I've got to be a tad more serious I guess. Have you been to my blog @ http://www.LifeUnderTheLights.com ? in reply to JBL_EMS #
- RT @mommy_doctor @tlczek Yeah, I know, they are female ^ Yep, guys would have already come to blows, had a pint, and become best buds #
- @mommy_doctor You'd be a good one to ask this. Have you ever heard of the res-q-pod Impetence Threshold device that attaches to an ET tube? #
- RT @Harwetopa: It's lonely when I Tweet and nobody answers…and this has been going on for three days. ^Hi! What does your name mean? #
- RT @thedridge Ambo just raced by sirens blaring & medic in passenger seat wiping off the meal that he prob didnt finish from his face #CoEMS #
- @thedridge Hey buddy, watch it with #CoEMS &w/EMS in general. Once you get this in yer blood, you can't get it out. Ya get addicted quickly in reply to thedridge #
- RT @TherealJillK I think that Progresso soup used 2be better than it is now. Or I could be getting old & less likely 2 appreciate mediocrity #
- RT @theHappyMedic: RT @Paramedic_Fla: EMS 2.0: The Logistics of Change http://bit.ly/bseSL7 another homerun from @ambodriver #
- @kriskaull @ems1 – @Ambodriver makes good points as always, but he forgot the BIGGEST THING THAT happened to him. He met @Epi_Junky in reply to kriskaull #
- RT @Boshbrand What is EMS 2.0" ^The maturation of EMS out of the adolescent trade phase and into a grown up profession #
- RT @anniforscia RT @slayd To be a little more cultured, I just went on a book buying binge^ I approve! ^Finally! Cultured bread is better #
- RT @thedridge @Ckemtp I like2 think that it works both ways: while #CoEMS is now in my blood, my blood (& sweat) are all over #CoEMS ^that 2 #
- RT @piosmtraining I (@gfriese) am going 2 be on the @doctoranonymous show @2000 CT tonight. PLease join the conversation http://bit.ly/Z4Fdg #
- @MsParamedic @thedridge LOL, you know that you'd love to be.. Um, yes.. Very unsanitary in reply to MsParamedic #
- RT @crazywtf Dutch man thinks his health care shld include sexual gratification from his nurses #wtf http://bit.ly/bgEHd2 ^So does a US man #
- RT @jedifire11: Any Random Person http://is.gd/aerVA <–Awesome post by the awesome @ckemtp ^awww shucks, my wife sez you'll swell my ego #
- @theHappyMedic LOL Yer covered with the fluids of @thedridge. Bwaaaa haaaa ha ha ha haaaa in reply to theHappyMedic #
- RT @shell1972: RT @Architekt010: RT @ISOgems: 6.9 earthquake just hit Chile again moments ago! Pray for all those in Chile… #
- Catching up with @ukmedic999 's blog (www.999medic.com) His stuff is always good, but his last post is just plain ol' inspirational #
- @jedifire11 I'm still kicking myself that I didn't get a chance to sit down and chat witcha. But I've said that like ten times already in reply to jedifire11 #
- @jedifire11 I'm the same way, mostly. I can occasionally turn "it" on & do the social thing, but I'm much better when @ginakaiser is there in reply to jedifire11 #
- Note to Self (and Twitter): Eating a bite of chocolate, and then taking a sip of port without an intervening sip of coffee tastes funny #
- It begins (@ukmedic999) Call for submissions 4 this month's version of TheHandover BlogCarnival Topic: "Respect" YOU WANT 2 BE IN THIS 1 #RT #
- RT @ckemtp EMS 2.0 ndash; Momentum Building http://bit.ly/EMQ3e #
- RT @ckemtp EMS 2.0 & EMS Ethics – How far would you go? – Life Under the Lights http://retwt.me/18XWA #
- @ginakaiser Hey!! Amber had her baby!! It's a boy!! #
- Heh, NatGeo channel is hooking an EKG to a guy who's about to get tazed. I did that first!! and I have it on video! #
- RT @nick_911: Dealt with some pretty bitchy nurses today. ^ Oh, I'm pretty sure we both do that every day #
- RT @ckemtp Oh no you didn’t… http://retwt.me/1fXnH #
- RT @anniforscia @nick_911 Good thing @medic61 is coming 2 be a nurse that is competent and nice ^the forced lobotomy @graduation'll fix that #
- @UKMedic999 @thinknuts I'm callin for submissions on the theme of "Respect". This Handover is going to be huge in reply to UKMedic999 #
- I'm reading @EMSchick9 's blog, which has my favorite title EVAR "That's BLS, Not BS" – http://emschick9.blogspot.com/ Good stuff lately #
- @medic61 @FireCritic I'll vouch, he said it.. But I'll also vouch for him, he's a good guy in reply to medic61 #
- RT @FireCritic: u guys wouldn't know what to do if I changed my avatar to an actual photo of me. ^Vomit? #
- RT @FireCritic @Ckemtp: @medic61 @FireCritic I'll vouch, he said it^see he looks at photos too! ^Why put em up if ya don't want ppl 2 look #
- RT @mommy_doctor: New blog post: Friday Haiku http://goo.gl/fb/Zz6d #
- So what's been happenin, tweeps? I been busy all day and couldn't pay attention. Sup? #
- RT @myrtlife @Ckemtp How are you, Christina? ^just had a steak dinner at the Elks club fish fry (what? I don't like fish) now goin on a call #
- @slayd Tis good! 24 into a 12 tomorrow in reply to slayd #
- @EMTDani congrats. Study hard! in reply to EMTDani #
- RT @shell1972: @Ckemtp lil fire/ems talk and lots of #boobs lol ^and I missed it?! Awww #
- RT @SteveWhitehead: @myrtlife @Ckemtp How are you, Christina? ^ ooohh burn. ^I was simply appealing to muliple demographics #
- @FirstDueMedic it's only steady here in reply to FirstDueMedic #
- Whew! What a call that one was. Glad that's over #
- @MsParamedic @myrtlife – awww shucks… And I can RSI too in reply to MsParamedic #
- RT @UKMedic999: New blog post: Sometimes its just…… http://999medic.com/2010/03/12/sometimes-its-just/ #
- http://bit.ly/dpMPOS #
- http://bit.ly/a3TqlT – Just go watch this video right now, it's SFW and it's awesome. You'll feel better all day #
- RT @imagemedic: Teaching ITLS…scenarios from hell comimg soon muhahahahaha gag choke cough ^Bring it! #
- RT @SteveWhitehead: Good Morning all. What can I do for you today? ^I'm kinda tired.. Wanna take my shift for me? It's only a 12 #
- @Medicthoughts That's good work. One day I might teach you my bag o' big league medic pranks in reply to Medicthoughts #
- @Mrs999 Hey, is yer hubby awake? I was going to DM him but by my calculations heaks sleepin in reply to Mrs999 #
- @SteveWhitehead Wow. Firing torpedos awful early this morning, huh? Hmmm, ok. I can play this game good luck in reply to SteveWhitehead #
- @PGSilva @theroaddoctor – I'm a blackjack and craps guy myself. Maybe one day we'll flip us some cards together in reply to PGSilva #
- RT @seaneddy: Just posted: And that's why I do this job http://bit.ly/cOn1uS ^Good post Sean, nice work #
- @SteveWhitehead aww Do you really think that I get offended easily? Naw. I grew up in the firehouse. Good 2 know that yer a softy tho in reply to SteveWhitehead #
- @PGSilva @Mrs999 @ukmedic999 @theroaddoctor @ckemtp Megan Fox? She pales in comparison to @ginakaiser … Pish in reply to PGSilva #
- I would just like to take this opportunity to say: I love you @ginakaiser – I'm starry-eyed fer ya baby #
- RT @PGSilva @Mrs999 @ukmedic999 @theroaddoctor Megan Fox? She pales in comparison to @ginakaiser Pish^SuckUp^he's up to somethin' ^^Maybe… #
- Re-Stocking the Drug Box Brings Arrest http://tinyurl.com/y8ouenf #
- RT @ckemtp Remembering Earl http://retwt.me/1ADHE #
- @theHappyMedic @NeilMcD @ukmedic999 Yea, he's all 4in to macho! Wait, what were we talking about? I was temp blinded by ruggedly hansome in reply to theHappyMedic #
- Come on Partner of Mine!! Get yer narrative done!! I gots me a hot date tonight! #
- RT @theHappyMedic I dare u2 read this great Capt Schmoe post ¬ do the voices http://bit.ly/bOmTK9 Try it. UK peeps, sorry it's a US thing #
- Crisis averted, @dogfishbeer. They had a bottle of yer @alo Santo Marron. http://tweetphoto.com/14332390 #
- @dogfishbeer Tradgedy! The one place in my general vicinity that sells your stuff is out! http://tweetphoto.com/14326294 #
- @rlovelacecap HIIIIiiiiiiey! #
- @bwils @p_e_naylor @patrickjscott @gfriese Ok guys, now I can tweet just like y'all: 1hr at the gym, 3mi on the treadmill and weights. Grrr #
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One of the best Blog Carnivals out there is The Grand Rounds Blog carnival. I had the honor of being included in it this go’ round. It has been adeptly hosted by Dr. Anonymous over at his blog – Http://www.DrAnonymous.com – Head on over for some of the best in blog-type medical content.
Oh, and if you haven’t checked out this Month’s version of The Handover Blog Carnival, it was hosted by our buddy Mack505 over at his EMS blog, http://www.NotesFromMosquitoHill.com – Check it out. It’s the foremost EMS blog carnival out there.
http://notesfrommosquitohill.com/2010/02/the-handover-passion-edition.html
Head on over and read em’. Lotsa good stuff over there.
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