# Hi



## emtff376 (Jan 4, 2006)

Hi folks,

I'm Janette.  I'm an EMT/Firefighter at a small company in West Virginia.  I've been an EMT for 10 years and a firefighter for 3.

I'm the webmaster of our company's webpage www.canaanvalleyvfd.org.  I would sure appreciate suggestions to spruce up our site.

I'd like to say in advance, nice to meet all of you.

JB


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## FFEMT1764 (Jan 4, 2006)

Welcome to our family, I am sure that everyone here will be happy to offer ideas for your website...please feel free to ask questions and make yourself at home here...we are a great group of people and hopefully you will bring some of your own insights to our little corner of the world.  Oh yea, and don't feed Jon!


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## FFEMT1764 (Jan 4, 2006)

Ok I looked at your website and its actually pretty good...but I am curious why you have only 3 trucks...how big is your FSA? Population? ISO rating? Number of vollies?


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## emtff376 (Jan 4, 2006)

Lets see.  We have have a mini-pumper, utility truck, engine and pumper tanker.  The ambulance in the third bay.  

We serve approximately 1/3 of our county, which has a total population of around 7000 and declining.  The majority of our first due is National Forest/Wilderness Area/State Park/Wildlife Refuge/etc. The rest of it is pretty much resort type area. 

Not sure what our ISO rating is.  I know our chief is working on getting it changed right now.  

I think our currently roster has 28 volunteers on it.  However it's the same 5 people that show up for every call.

We have 2 downhill ski resorts in our first due, so trauma is abundant during the winter months, as well as MVCs.  In the summer and fall, we get a lot of lost calls, i.e. hunters/hikers lost in the woods with the occasional trauma (usually mountain bike related).


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## FFEMT1764 (Jan 4, 2006)

WOW. My FD covers 7 Square miles, population roughly the same...motly residential, though new industrial park has moved into our area. We have 2 Class A pumpers, a service/rescue truck, a tanker, and 2 brush trucks..with a second tanker coming in the next 6-9 months.  We also are aiming for at least 1 if not 2 more stations, 3 more pumpers and a ladder truck. EMS (which is my FT job) runs 4 ambulances countywide, with 4 QRV's to back up and assist FD with 1st response.


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## emtff376 (Jan 4, 2006)

We don't have any buildings in our first due that require a ladder truck.  Is that pathetic? 

We have 4 companies and 3 EMS stations in our county.  With several companies and stations in neighboring counties that called out for most calls for mutual assist.  We rarely get a paramedic from our county, since I think we only have 4 active or something like that.  They usually come from the next county over or Maryland.

I wish I could say EMS or fire was my FTJ.  I'm a desk jockey, kind of like Lumberg from Office Space.


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## emtff376 (Jan 4, 2006)

oh yeah, first due area is a little less than 100 square miles.


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## FFEMT1764 (Jan 4, 2006)

Um wow, ok...I know where you are too, i used to live in Garrett County, MD for about 3 years...was a CRT there...so yes I know the area fairly well...if you are looking for a full time EMS job you should move down here...we have a statewide shortage of EMS people and most of the pay is pretty good...I know ours will be getting better soon!


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## emtff376 (Jan 4, 2006)

Sweet! Did you run with SGCRS?

Where is down here?  I kind of like my little corner of heaven up here.


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## FFEMT1764 (Jan 4, 2006)

I ran with northern...then with southern...then came back here (SC). Its nice here, 2 hours to the beach, and hour to the smokey mountain...an hour to carowinds, 7 hours to the big mouse, plus great cost of living!


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## emtff376 (Jan 4, 2006)

Nice.  Never been there, except to Myrtle.  Not much of a beach gal.

How about skiing?  It is close to skiing?


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## FFEMT1764 (Jan 4, 2006)

About an hour and a half from sugarloaf,nc...3 hours from snowshoe, so not too shabby if ya ask me..but I dont ski...weak ankles...


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## emtff376 (Jan 4, 2006)

Haven't skiied sugarloaf before, although I've heard a lot about it.

I don't get out much living up here in the woods.


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## FFEMT1764 (Jan 4, 2006)

The woods huh...yea...um...yea...anyways if you are looking for an EMS job down this way let me know...we have plenty of FD's to volly at too!


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## emtff376 (Jan 4, 2006)

Seriously!

House with lots of trees and wildlife around it, right around 70 acres.  The woods!  

If I hadn't just built a house, I would be all over it.


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## FFEMT1764 (Jan 4, 2006)

Well that could be your um winter home...yea...winter home...we have wildlife too...deer everywhere...especially in front of cars!


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## emtff376 (Jan 4, 2006)

No kidding!  I worked three motorcycle vs. deer this summer.  Gross!  Had to fly one of them.  The deer didn't do to well either.


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## FFEMT1764 (Jan 4, 2006)

I hit a deer the day after turkey day...the deer fled the scene...he must not have had insurance...$2200 in damages to my crown vic...thank goodness for insurance! We fly the helo's in our county alot...loads of trauma and the closest level 1 is 30-40 minutes away running code...so we see them almost daily...and we have 3 within 15-25 minutes flying time...and that to the far reaches of the county...the shortest flight time is like 7 minutes.


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## emtff376 (Jan 4, 2006)

dirty punk.  Fleeing the scene like that.

I've had significant damage done to the subaru on four separate occasions, but my truck has remained deer free.  (knock on wood, or whatever this crap my desk is made out of).


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## FFEMT1764 (Jan 4, 2006)

First time I ever hit a deer..and funny thing was if I would have been in my Suburban the deer would have lost...I have a 12" step bumper on the front with a 16000# warn winch on the front...I love my 4x4


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## emtff376 (Jan 4, 2006)

nice!

Don't know how my truck will do.  Just got a new one end of Nov.  I want a guard for the front, but still poor.  I have an xterra.


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## FFEMT1764 (Jan 4, 2006)

I bought my burban used...state auction...used to belong to the state EMS office....now i know why those guys love their jobs...big trucks!


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## emtff376 (Jan 4, 2006)

Absolutely!

I have an 83 F350 superduty with a flatbed, plowblade, etc with about 400K miles on it.  Great truck.  Needs a new clutch right now though.


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## FFEMT1764 (Jan 4, 2006)

Well, if it were a ligth tranny I could help ya, but that sucker is heavy...I miss my plow...sold it before I moved back south...had it on an 85 ranger 2x4...and I never got that truck stuck!!


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## emtff376 (Jan 4, 2006)

Nice!

Also, wasps took up residency in my truck this past summer, so as soon as spring hits, there will be major work done on the truck.

I've only had one bad experience up here so far.  It wasn't snow, it was sheet ice.  Slid down the hill sideways into a ditch.  Had to crawl on my hands and knees across the road with a 7 month pregnant woman hanging on to me.  That was about a 8.5 on the suck-o-meter.


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## FFEMT1764 (Jan 4, 2006)

I dunno the wasps in the truck are like a 9.3 on the suck o meter for me...Im allergic!  I dont do pregnant women...they are the limb of hell!


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## emtff376 (Jan 4, 2006)

Well, I would have looked the other way, but she's a friend and neighbor.

Yikes! Allergic?  Epi-Pen?  I'm not way allergic, but my reactions keep getting worse each time I get stung.  My dad keeps pushing for me to go to the MD and get an epi-pen.  He's a medic in NoVA.


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## FFEMT1764 (Jan 4, 2006)

No epi-pen...serious fear of needles in me...last time I was sick and went to the ER and had to have labs and a line I proceded to projectile vomit on the nurse then passed out...not a pretty sight from what I was told when I came around 4 hours later(IV of NS with 10 of MS in it).  I keep diphenhydramine with me...and a BIG can of the foaming wasp spray!


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## CaptainPanic (Jan 4, 2006)

Wasps, needles, and stuff like that really doesnt bother me all that much. Actualy I havnet found anything yet that really bothers me, just found alot of stuff that hurts like hell. I have been swarmed by an entire nest of yellow jackets before while mowing. Not a pleasant feeling with 10,000 or so of the little buggers poking you at the same time. It hurt enough for me to say a few choice words, but I went into the garage stripped down and swatted em all off and killed them with bug spray then went into the house and took a warm shower and put aloe vera on, had a beer and called it a day.


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## Chimpie (Jan 4, 2006)

Welcome to the group Janette.  

30 posts in your first day.  Interesting.  At least you're not shy.

Again, welcome!


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## emtff376 (Jan 4, 2006)

I just got home from mountain biking, taking my bike into the garage and a swarm flew out from the side of the house, and stung the living crap outta me, mostly on the back.  Loss feeling in my face, arms and legs and had difficulty breathing.  Kinda sucked.


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## Chimpie (Jan 4, 2006)

You are not coming to the EMTLife Gathering.  Too much of a liability.  LOL

j/k


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## emtff376 (Jan 4, 2006)

Amen to that!

Everytime I go to the Ortho., she takes a vacation when she's done with me!


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## Jon (Jan 4, 2006)

Hi!


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## FFEMT1764 (Jan 4, 2006)

I bet your ortho went out and bought a new beemer after she finished with ya too!


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## emtff376 (Jan 4, 2006)

Hi Jon!

Yeah, I don't think she has to worry about money for a while, thanks to me.

Thanks for the warm welcome everyone!


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## MedicPrincess (Jan 4, 2006)

Hello!!!


HEY...I think I found someone that can out talk me   B) 


Welcome.


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## coloradoemt (Jan 4, 2006)

EMTPrincess said:
			
		

> Hello!!!
> 
> 
> HEY...I think I found someone that can out talk me   B)
> ...


 
Imagine that!!! 

Welcome!


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## emtff376 (Jan 4, 2006)

had to look busy at the job since the big boss was there today and I live in the middle of nowhere with not a whole lot of human contact, so I tend to be a bit chatty.


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## emtff376 (Jan 4, 2006)

oh, sorry.  Thanks again to all for the welcome wishes!


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## FFEMT1764 (Jan 4, 2006)

Well I know w few docs who make way too much money for all the more work they do...like the MH docs here...their drug of choice for psych pt's is LORTAB...I know I'm not a doc but you dont give narco pain killers to a depressed person!


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## ffemt8978 (Jan 5, 2006)

Welcome to our own little corner of dysfunction.


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## emtff376 (Jan 5, 2006)

Thanks.  I will definitely add to y'all and your dysfunction.


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## BarryEMT (Jan 5, 2006)

HI there I'm an EMT in Berks County, PA. (Southeastern PA). Been an EMT for 13 yrs now.


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## MedicPrincess (Jan 5, 2006)

*HIIIIIIII!!!! BARRY!!!!*


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## emtff376 (Jan 6, 2006)

Hi Barry.  Nice to have you on board.


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## CaptainPanic (Jan 6, 2006)

Hello and welcome


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## FFEMT1764 (Jan 6, 2006)

Welcome to the club barry, and I hope that you find things on here very useful!


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## Wingnut (Jan 6, 2006)

Welcome!!!


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