Paramedics sued for not entering house with o2

[chaz90]

Its not so bad the $$ is good the pension is well funded and the weather is great, all in all not a bad place to work.

I'm not arguing any of those points. Inefficiency, high costs, archaic protocols, fire based EMS (yes, I know this point is debatable) and ALS oversaturation would start my short list of problems with LA EMS. More people applying to a job doesn't help convince me of its quality.

I get that it can be a good place to work as a FF, but don't drink the Kool-Aid and fool yourself into thinking it's a well implemented EMS system.

 

[Tigger]

I'm not sure I get the your sourthern Cali thing, 25k people just applied to work where I work and we have a very high standard a tough probation.

I am sure you have lots of places to compare this to.

As the saying goes, when you've seen one system, you've seen one system. What works for yours might not somewhere else.

For what it's worth I don't bring O2 in on every call either.

 

[TransportJockey]

My O2 is on my gurney. It gets brought in on some dispatches, but not all. But then again we are far from a cookbook system out here.

 

[atropine]

I'm not arguing any of those points. Inefficiency, high costs, archaic protocols, fire based EMS (yes, I know this point is debatable) and ALS oversaturation would start my short list of problems with LA EMS. More people applying to a job doesn't help convince me of its quality.

I get that it can be a good place to work as a FF, but don't drink the Kool-Aid and fool yourself into thinking it's a well implemented EMS system.

Well if I could pull 130k somewhere else, I might think about it, but my whole point was that these two knuckle heads looked sloppy and presented their selves in a poor light, that reflects very badly on Philly FD. I take some pride were I work and iam glad I have a company officer to take some heat, which might have been helpful in this situation, from a clinical point I think as well as everyone else does the PE was going to do her in, but look like your working with some intent. The city pays me well to do my job and if they say I have to bring my drug box on every call then guess what on my 14th call at 0300 hrs I'm going to bring in my box for that toothache call. I guess I just think in a public view this thing could have gone way different that is all.

 

[STXmedic]

Well if I could pull 130k somewhere else, I might think about it

Oh, it's doable. I manage to just fine, and without the high cost and archaic protocols. They must put extra sugar in the Kool-aid for you, bud.

 

[atropine]

Oh, it's doable. I manage to just fine, and without the high cost and archaic protocols. They must put extra sugar in the Kool-aid for you, bud.

Where?, only thing is I have too many years vested in, and I do want 90% of my base salary for doing nothing.

 

[STXmedic]

Where?, only thing is I have too many years vested in, and I do want 90% of my base salary for doing nothing.

A large city in Texas.

To keep it in topic (and stay on Chimpie's good side), I rarely bring our O2 in for a fall. If the stretcher is with us, we do have O2 on the stretcher, but it's not a full oxygen bag (no cpap, no neb stuff, just the cylinder, a NC, and a NRB).

 

[Tigger]

No where does it say what PFD requires it's ambulance crews to bring into the house. At two of my jobs there is no written standard for what comes in the house and what does not. Does PFD send an engine to medical calls as well? If I arrive on scene and the fire department is there, I am not bringing my oxygen inside if fire has already done so.

 

[DrParasite]

I'm not sure I get the your sourthern Cali thing, 25k people just applied to work where I work and we have a very high standard a tough probation.

So does FDNY EMS.... so I guess maybe your agency is about as good as FDNY EMS?

 

[Jon]

So does FDNY EMS.... so I guess maybe your agency is about as good as FDNY EMS?

Hey... I want to bash SoCal too... But that's not the topic of this post.

So I'll use my admin privileges to get the last word, and that's simply this... Pay alone does not make a good EMS system. In fact, if the only reason you're in this industry is the paycheck, please retire. Or at least stay the hell off my ambulance and away from my family. People deserve competent providers.


Back on topic... This call was a ****show. The ambulance doors getting stuck is, I believe, why Philly will likely pay money and settle this. As for the providers actions... It's what happens in many fire-based EMS agencies where there's little clinical oversight and being a mediocre provider is an acceptable standard.

 

[samiam]

Lol this went way far off topic. I agree with Jon. The doors will ultimately get them. As far as not bringing in O2 that is not even a judgment call really, its like saying they should bring everything just in case but that makes no sense. As long as a medic competently determined someone needed O2 then went and got O2/put the patient on O2 in the truck then it really should not be a issue, we never know what we are getting into and there is only so much you can bring in with you.

 

[vcuemt]

As for the providers actions... It's what happens in many fire-based EMS agencies where there's little clinical oversight and being a mediocre provider is an acceptable standard.

Is your position that not entering the house with O2 makes one a mediocre provider?

(Apparently someone decided to use their admin privileges to let others have a say, too.)

 

[samiam]

Is your position that not entering the house with O2 makes one a mediocre provider?

(Apparently someone decided to use their admin privileges to let others have a say, too.)

It does seem that they ultimately were not appropriately treating the patient as she died.. I don't think Jon was saying that because they did not enter the house with O2 they were mediocre but actions after the fact that seemed less then desirable (As I am not him I cannot be sure but that is what is seems). If you read the whole article it shows that the paramedics were suspended for not following their established protocol. Also Jon did not lock the thread so others could not have their say, he just steered it back to the topic. If you read above it was going far from it.

 

[Jon]

Is your position that not entering the house with O2 makes one a mediocre provider?

(Apparently someone decided to use their admin privileges to let others have a say, too.)

No. I've responded to plenty of calls and not brought in the whole kit. I've also been burned a couple of times by not being as prepared as I should have been.

My comment regarding "mediocre providers" is that these providers apparently failed to realize just how sick this person was... Comments like "you've got to help us" are BS.

My "back on topic" was to stop bashing SoCal . And PS- what's the point of being an admin if I don't get to throw my weight around once in a while?

 

[usalsfyre]

Basic resus equipment (monitor, O2, airway stuff) should go bedside or at least close to on every 911 call. Even was the last time you saw an ED room without O2 and a BVM?

 

[DesertMedic66]

Basic resus equipment (monitor, O2, airway stuff) should go bedside or at least close to on every 911 call. Even was the last time you saw an ED room without O2 and a BVM?

I see that fairly often actually.

I've gotten burned by some medics who think since fire is already on scene we don't need to bring in any gear. The only gear that doesn't go in with us usually to calls is LSB, cardboard splints, and CPAP.

 

[Kevinf]

My take from the article is that it sounds like the providers felt they couldn't wait for a lift assist to arrive and the patient was too overweight for them to manage without her own assistance. So they told the patient to sit up and get into the stair chair and then they took her to the stretcher. And when it takes three people to load a stretcher the patient is definitely an overly large one. Two vehicles out of seventy-five sounds like a reasonable failure rate for equipment at any given time... however if the doors being stuck was a known issue the rig shouldn't have been in service.

 

[vcuemt]

It does seem that they ultimately were not appropriately treating the patient as she died..

I would venture to say that the tiniest of minorities of people that ever ride on an ambulance die because of what happens during those 15-30 minutes.

It doesn't effect my care, but I do understand that everything I do is delaying the inevitable - be it on a 16-year-old with a broken leg or a 98-year-old with an MI.