Staff putting personal touches on the rigs...

[Tigger]

Two out of three places I work have the rigs stocked and set up identically. One place uses VSTs (we call them MMAs) and the other place we do it ourselves, though you will get a talking to if you screw with the layup. The third place is a free for all with a four ambulance and four layouts and not a single person accountable for where things go. I can get by, but it's tough to find stuff.

Every medic at my AMR op gets a tote that they put IV stuff and other common things in, and that's the only place with a personal touch. None of it contributes to the ambulances par list though.

 

[katgrl2003]

I disagree.

We run with the same three FDs and they know how our rigs are laid out. We give them inservices so they can help more efficiently if we take them as a rider. They shouldn't have to deal with different layouts either.

Wait, ffs get in your truck to help? Teach me your secrets!

 

[Handsome Robb]

Wait, ffs get in your truck to help? Teach me your secrets!

I have an excellent working relationship with all but a handful of firefighters that I run with.

I'm not a *** to them like some other crews, don't step on their assessments, don't stop them from doing skills that they're allowed to do because of my ego.

Had more than a few that are PRN with us consistently pick up shifts with me for that very reason.

As an agency, on the street level, we generally have good working relationships with them.

Also...I drink beer with some of them

 

[katgrl2003]

I'm not a *** to them like some other crews, don't step on their assessments, don't stop them from doing skills that they're allowed to do because of my ego.

Also...I drink beer with some of them

Ahhh, our ffs don't do assessments, or treatments, or usually even touch the patients. "That's the medic's job. " We recently had to teach the guys at our firehouse basic skills because they had not had any education since emt school.

I wonder if drinking worn them would help?

 

[Handsome Robb]

Ahhh, our ffs don't do assessments, or treatments, or usually even touch the patients. "That's the medic's job. " We recently had to teach the guys at our firehouse basic skills because they had not had any education since emt school.

I wonder if drinking worn them would help?

That sounds more like a culture issue than the individual FFs.

We have some crews that stand with their hands in their turnouts and all they'll give us is name and DOB while I've walked into other ILS engines bagging breathing treatments in through a ghetto-rigged inline neb setup with absolutely everything for me. Our county FPD is the only ALS fire organization here and they don't transport, we're the sole transport provider in the county sans for one tiny little corner and it's not uncommon for them to cancel us on AMAs or have the patient comfortable and packaged for transport with a complete assessment done. With that said I've worked with most of them on the box or at least they worked for my agency before they left. One was my preceptor before he went to fire and flight.

We also have a small pool of FDs, I used to know most by name, still know a majority, just forgot a few that I don't see or talk to since I've been out on my injury.

We have a pretty tight-knit emergency response community here. In the upper echelons they don't play nice but the boots on the ground are a totally different story.

 

[ZombieEMT]

I have a similar issue at my company, however sometimes its also not an issues. All of our ambulance up until recently, were purchased used and stock models. We have 30+ ambulance as we provide both IFT and 911. Many of the ambulances have different layouts, although all have the same stocking. It is very confusing and hard to remember where something might be in with an individual truck.

On a positive note, we purchased six new vans with identical layouts and stocking. Its a nice touch.

My volunteer squad pays the extra to have custom layouts within the truck. All seven of our ambulances are identical in layout. This is true for the oldest 2002 and the newest 2014.