# Fell asleep and got caught.... oops



## Silverstone (Mar 27, 2009)

This is a video of me and my partner one night when we fell asleep in the ambulance.  We didn't hear that we got sent to refuel so we could go home, obviously cause we were sound asleep.  Our ambulances have G-Force cameras in them, and they hit the panic button to video tape themselves waking us up.... :glare:


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## trackmedic (Mar 27, 2009)

You don't have a seat belt rule?


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## firecoins (Mar 27, 2009)

they were parked.  WHy do you need a seat belt to sleep?


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## JPINFV (Mar 27, 2009)

I think Track was talking about the crew waking up the crew that was sleeping.


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## amberdt03 (Mar 27, 2009)

lmao that was freakin hilarious.


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## amberdt03 (Mar 27, 2009)

i'm glad we don't have those cameras, they might catch me picking my nose, or trying to sing. lol.


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## Silverstone (Mar 27, 2009)

amberdt03 said:


> i'm glad we don't have those cameras, they might catch me picking my nose, or trying to sing. lol.



They catch us doing all sorts of bad stuff.


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## flhtci01 (Mar 27, 2009)

I'd like to see what it looked like on their camera. :lol:


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## medic417 (Mar 27, 2009)

I am so ashamed that you would post this.  Does your service know you posted it?  What must the public think of us when they see people asleep in the ambulance.  If you must stage 1 person should stay up front awake.  Then the other person nap in the back out of sight.


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## phabib (Mar 27, 2009)

medic417 said:


> I am so ashamed that you would post this.  Does your service know you posted it?  What must the public think of us when they see people asleep in the ambulance.  If you must stage 1 person should stay up front awake.  Then the other person nap in the back out of sight.




uhm....fire get's to sleep all they want. They even have beds! This really isn't an issue as long as you get up when you hear the radio.


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## medic417 (Mar 27, 2009)

phabib said:


> uhm....fire get's to sleep all they want. They even have beds! This really isn't an issue as long as you get up when you hear the radio.



Fire is out of sight.  Notice I said they could sleep but in shifts.  Why, so they do not give public bad idea and also so they do not miss radio calls like they did in this case.


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## kymtgpro (Mar 27, 2009)

I understand getting some shut eye whenever possible, but one of them should have been awake... take turns.


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## Sasha (Mar 27, 2009)

medic417 said:


> Fire is out of sight.  Notice I said they could sleep but in shifts.  Why, so they do not give public bad idea and also so they do not miss radio calls like they did in this case.



That's why if you sleep you clip the pager right by your ear and set it on a really loud and annoying tone to wake you up, then go on pager!


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## lightsandsirens5 (Mar 27, 2009)

medic417 said:


> If you must stage 1 person should stay up front awake.



Isn't that what that loud annoing sound a pager makes is for?


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## vquintessence (Mar 28, 2009)

Sasha said:


> That's why if you sleep you clip the pager right by your ear and set it on a really loud and annoying tone to wake you up, then go on pager!



No, no, no.  You clip it to your _partners_ ear after they've dozed off. :excl:


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## medic417 (Mar 28, 2009)

Sasha said:


> That's why if you sleep you clip the pager right by your ear and set it on a really loud and annoying tone to wake you up, then go on pager!





Silverstone said:


> This is a video of me and my partner one night when we fell asleep in the ambulance.  We didn't hear that we got sent to refuel so we could go home, obviously cause we were sound asleep.  Our ambulances have G-Force cameras in them, and they hit the panic button to video tape themselves waking us up.... :glare:



Seems they didn't hear.  One person should always be awake.  Plus it looks bad, unprofessional to see an ambulance parked with two people asleep drooling on their shirts.


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## Sasha (Mar 28, 2009)

medic417 said:


> Seems they didn't hear.  One person should always be awake.  Plus it looks bad, unprofessional to see an ambulance parked with two people asleep drooling on their shirts.



Sounds like they just missed a radio call, The radio doesn't normally beep like crazy for that, at least at my old service it didn't. That's why you go "On Pager" meaning you will not be reachable by radio but will be reachable by pager, clip the pager which is set on an annoying as heck ringtone, clip it right by your ear. 

Worked for us. We also slept in the back, one on the bench seat, one on the stretcher. Not necessairly to be "out of sight" but waking up after sleeping in a chair always leaves you with a crick in your neck!


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## medic417 (Mar 28, 2009)

Sasha said:


> Sounds like they just missed a radio call, The radio doesn't normally beep like crazy for that, at least at my old service it didn't. That's why you go "On Pager" meaning you will not be reachable by radio but will be reachable by pager, clip the pager which is set on an annoying as heck ringtone, clip it right by your ear.
> 
> Worked for us. We also slept in the back, one on the bench seat, one on the stretcher. Not necessairly to be "out of sight" but waking up after sleeping in a chair always leaves you with a crick in your neck!



So missing a radio call is ok?  Actually it should have resulted in disciplinary action.  To hear the radio, to make sure sure staging area stays safe, etc are reasons to keep at least one of the two awake.


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## Sasha (Mar 28, 2009)

medic417 said:


> So missing a radio call is ok?  Actually it should have resulted in disciplinary action.  To hear the radio, to make sure sure staging area stays safe, etc are reasons to keep at least one of the two awake.



Does that mean you should never ever leave the truck? After all, if your company doesn't do portable radios, you might miss a radio call.

Oh wait, that's what the PAGER is for.


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## medic417 (Mar 28, 2009)

Sasha said:


> Does that mean you should never ever leave the truck? After all, if your company doesn't do portable radios, you might miss a radio call.
> 
> Oh wait, that's what the PAGER is for.



One person in the ambulance and hit siren partner can run back to ambulance problem solved.


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## Sasha (Mar 28, 2009)

medic417 said:


> One person in the ambulance and hit siren partner can run back to ambulance problem solved.



You sound like you'd be boring to work with. So, that person who is now alone in the ambulance, no one to talk to, what if he falls asleep out of boredom and little sleep the night before? How do you decide who gets to get outta the ambulance and walk around in the mall while you're holding for going on three hours?

And why can you not just go "on pager"? that's what the pager is for, afterall.


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## HotelCo (Mar 28, 2009)

Sasha said:


> How do you decide who gets to get outta the ambulance and walk around in the mall while you're holding for going on three hours?



Why would you be out of the ambulance walking around the mall? How fast can you get back to your ambulance in a crowded mall?


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## Sasha (Mar 28, 2009)

HotelCo said:


> Why would you be out of the ambulance walking around the mall? How fast can you get back to your ambulance in a crowded mall?



Because we were bored, and allowed by our service. Keep in mind, I did mainly IFT where there chance is extremely extremely limited that you would get an emergency call, especiallly on a BLS truck


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## medic417 (Mar 28, 2009)

Sasha said:


> Because we were bored, and allowed by our service. Keep in mind, I did mainly IFT where there chance is extremely extremely limited that you would get an emergency call, especiallly on a BLS truck



Thats the difference in 911 you have to rolling in 60-90 seconds in most services.  In the bath room, cut it off and run.  Hope you have hand cleaner in the ambulance.


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## AJ Hidell (Mar 28, 2009)

phabib said:


> uhm....fire get's to sleep all they want.


Uhm... no they don't.  They have to be up at a certain time and aren't allowed to retire until a certain time.  Not to mention that they are working a 24 hour shift, not an 8 or 12.  Regardless, we are not firemen, so the comparison is pointless.

I have no problem with sleeping in the ambulance, so long as it is both allowed and done in the back of the ambulance.  Personally, I never had a problem with sleeping through a pager or walkie talkie alert, so there was no need for anyone to stay awake to monitor.  If neither of you can handle that, then you don't need to be sleeping and should be fired when you miss the call.

But I agree that sleeping up front, in the public eye, is both unprofessional and dangerous.


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## SES4 (Mar 28, 2009)

*Thank you!*



AJ Hidell said:


> Uhm... no they don't.  They have to be up at a certain time and aren't allowed to retire until a certain time.  Not to mention that they are working a 24 hour shift, not an 8 or 12.  Regardless, we are not firemen, so the comparison is pointless.
> 
> I have no problem with sleeping in the ambulance, so long as it is both allowed and done in the back of the ambulance.  Personally, I never had a problem with sleeping through a pager or walkie talkie alert, so there was no need for anyone to stay awake to monitor.  If neither of you can handle that, then you don't need to be sleeping and should be fired when you miss the call.
> 
> But I agree that sleeping up front, in the public eye, is both unprofessional and dangerous.



AJ is quite correct.  In fire it is a 24 and you are basically assigned sleep time.  You better be ready to sleep then otherwise your SOL.


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## phabib (Mar 28, 2009)

Some EMS services do 24 hr shifts. It's not that outlandish. They can go back to a base to sleep or they can do it on the rig. I'd rather sleep in the rig at my post.

I don't see the problem with sleeping in the front. I'm guessing most of the issue is how we look to the public. The fact is we work long and strange hours so I don't believe we would be looked down on for catching a few Zs whenever we can.


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## emtfarva (Mar 28, 2009)

I have worked 24's for my company. Some times we are not allowed to go to a base and sleep. at points we are made to post in a parking lot for like hours. When I work a 24 I try to sleep when I get a chance. I also, can sleep heavier on a couch than in the truck. I have also trained myself to listen to the radio. when we do sleep we pick an out of sight place so no one will see us, maybe a cop here and there.


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## traumateam1 (Mar 29, 2009)

Haha that's pretty funny.


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## medic417 (Mar 29, 2009)

phabib said:


> Some EMS services do 24 hr shifts. It's not that outlandish. They can go back to a base to sleep or they can do it on the rig. I'd rather sleep in the rig at my post.
> 
> I don't see the problem with sleeping in the front. I'm guessing most of the issue is how we look to the public. The fact is we work long and strange hours so I don't believe we would be looked down on for catching a few Zs whenever we can.



We do 24's, 48's, 72's, 96's, 120's sometimes more.  The public does not understand our hours.  Heck the citys and countys don't understand our hours so how can we presume that the public would understand why we are asleep in public view?


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## Sasha (Mar 29, 2009)

medic417 said:


> We do 24's, 48's, 72's, 96's, 120's sometimes more.  The public does not understand our hours.  Heck the citys and countys don't understand our hours so how can we presume that the public would understand why we are asleep in public view?



Because the people on all the cool EMS shows work 24 hour shifts, so ALL EMTs/Medics must work 24 hour shifts.


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## Anomalous (Mar 29, 2009)

Here is my employers 'napping' policy.  If the railroads can work something out, EMS should be able also.    

1.11 Sleeping
Employees must not sleep while on duty, except as outlined under Rule 1.11.1 (Napping). Employees reclined with their eyes closed will be in violation of this rule.
1.11.1 Napping
Napping is permitted by train crews, except crews in passenger, commuter or yard service, under the following conditions:
• The crew is waiting for departure of their train.
or
• The train is stopped en route waiting to be met or passed by a train, waiting for track work, waiting for helper locomotive, or similar conditions.
Restrictions are as follows:
• A job briefing must be conducted, with agreement reached as to who will nap and who must remain awake. Each crew member has the right and responsibility to refuse to allow another crew member to take a nap if doing so could jeopardize the personal safety of employees, the train, or the public.
• One crew member must remain awake at all times.
• The nap period must not exceed 45 minutes, which includes the time needed to fall asleep.
The napping employee is relieved of all duties.
• Train must not be delayed for an employee to take a nap. When conditions allow the train to move, the employee who is to remain awake must immediately waken the napping employee.
• Before napping, while waiting for the arrival of their train, employees must ensure all duties have been completed. These duties include reviewing general orders and notices; securing and reviewing track warrants, track bulletins, and other paperwork, if available.
• Before napping is allowed en route, the employee in charge of the locomotive controls must:
1. Make at least ......
2. Place gen......
3. Center .......
• The employee who is to remain awake must remain on the locomotive while others on the locomotive are napping, except when inspecting passing trains.
• If waiting for the arrival of or make-up of train, one crew member must remain awake while waiting for their train’s arrival or make-up at their initial terminal unless arrangements have been made with a third party to wake up all crew members.
All crew members that are deadheading or otherwise relieved of duties may nap.


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## Medic506 (Apr 24, 2009)

I'd so be the one honking the horn!  That's awesome!

We're lucky enough to have 8 different buildings to post in that have full bedrooms, restrooms and living rooms. The lucky bast-ages get to sleep all night in nice beds while dispatch has to stay up...grr..lol.  Although one of the supervisors at night has offered us an egg timer so we can take turns with naps...

We have G-Force cameras as well, but they only activate after hitting so many G-Forces, such as an accident or slamming on the brakes (I set mine off all the time if I run over the curb...oops).


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