# Greets from Belgium!



## Belgian EMT/nurse (Jan 4, 2008)

Hey

Let me introduce myself.. I just found this forum today thanks to google..
I'm a 20year old nursing student (2nd year, out of 3) and I work as an EMT (my dad owns a private ambulance service, we perform emergency (911 calls actually 100 or 112 in Belgium),  and non-emergency calls, intensive care transports,...). If there are any questions about EMS in my country feel free to ask.

After I graduate as a nurse and did an extra year to earn my emergency and intensive care degree in nursing I would like to go to the USA and drive along with an EMS crew for a couple off weeks, I hope I can get some help and information here on this forum about that. I know my dad did this once back in the 90's at the former EMS in New York city.

Greetz
Thom


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## Belgian EMT/nurse (Jan 4, 2008)

*pictures*

Let me post some pictures here of the ambulances we drive in.. you'll see 3 of the 9 cars we have.. The rest are beeing used for non-emergency calls and some of them are smaller, I'll post them one day..

These are our 3 intensive care units..











Inside the Mercedes sprinter










Inside the Ford Transit


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## jordanfstop (Jan 4, 2008)

Velkommen! 

Those shears! Whoa! They're like portable Jaws of Life!


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## Onceamedic (Jan 4, 2008)

Welcome to the site... its supercool to get a look at how other countries do things...   I was born in Finland, raised in Canada and have lived in the US for 8 years.  I am starting my last semester of paramedic school next week.  Hopefully, I will be working in Arizona.  I will let you know and then if you want to do ride along time here I will help if I can.


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## Belgian EMT/nurse (Jan 5, 2008)

Kaisu said:


> Welcome to the site... its supercool to get a look at how other countries do things...   I was born in Finland, raised in Canada and have lived in the US for 8 years.  I am starting my last semester of paramedic school next week.  Hopefully, I will be working in Arizona.  I will let you know and then if you want to do ride along time here I will help if I can.



Thanks, I'll keep that in mind.. at least as we both are still at this forum by that time!

greetz


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## Airwaygoddess (Jan 6, 2008)

Welcome to the tribe!  How about some of those wonderful chocolates!  YUM!:wub:  p.s. beautiful ambulances!


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## Tincanfireman (Jan 6, 2008)

Great pix, and welcome!!


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## EMTMandy (Jan 7, 2008)

*Sweet rigs*

Oh my gosh...I think the best part of that whole series of pictures is the MERCEDES ambulance. That is SO cool! haha


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## Belgian EMT/nurse (Jan 7, 2008)

EMTMandy said:


> Oh my gosh...I think the best part of that whole series of pictures is the MERCEDES ambulance. That is SO cool! haha



It sure is our most beautiful, biggest and most expensive one.. But I think American type I en type III ambulances are so much cooler.. but I guess that is because I'm used too the European models..


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## jordanfstop (Jan 7, 2008)

EMTMandy said:


> Oh my gosh...I think the best part of that whole series of pictures is the MERCEDES ambulance. That is SO cool! haha



Hahaha, actually Mercedes isn't all that special in Europe. In Israel all of the tour buses and taxis were Mercedes; I thought that was amazing too!


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## jordanfstop (Jan 7, 2008)

I love the graphics on these ambulances. They're neon yellow, have a small decal, and the emergency number. No big 8" lettering of your company name plastered over the side. Those were the days, weren't they?


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## Belgian EMT/nurse (Jan 7, 2008)

**



jordanfstop said:


> I love the graphics on these ambulances. They're neon yellow, have a small decal, and the emergency number. No big 8" lettering of your company name plastered over the side. Those were the days, weren't they?



Yeah 'till about ten years ago you could choose what you did with the exterior off you ambulance.. Now there's a standard for all ambulances which provide emergency care through the number 100/112.. So the ambulances need to be that kind of yellow with a red line(nothing less, nothing more), only a small decal is allowed.
But I don't like this standard, cuz I have my own Idea off how I would make my ambulances look like.. Especially on the type III models like the mercedes.. there's so much space to fill with decals or lines. And now it looks pretty bald, that's why we made the decal a little bit bigger then allowed..

grtz
btw: For al those who are reading my threads keep in mind that English is not my mother language so please keep an eye closed for mistakes you'll find


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## Tincanfireman (Jan 7, 2008)

I'm guessing that your English is one heck of a lot better than our Belgian!!


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## EMTMandy (Jan 7, 2008)

I do have to say though..something that snappy would look really different en route on a road in America


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## John E (Jan 8, 2008)

*Greetings Thom...*

I've had the good fortune to travel to Belgium a few times, most recently was just last November. 

You've got some nice looking ambulances there.

Tell us more about how EMS works there. 

John E.


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## Belgian EMT/nurse (Jan 8, 2008)

Tincanfireman said:


> I'm guessing that your English is one heck of a lot better than our Belgian!!



Belgian is not a language.. It's Dutch or French and I live in the dutch part of the country..


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## Belgian EMT/nurse (Jan 8, 2008)

Yes let me tell something more about EMS in my country..

Becoming an emt takes about the same as in the us I believe, though it's not called EMT its a stupid word made af ambulance and that is "ambulancier" but okej.. We do not have paramedics.. When ALS is needed dispatch sends out or we call a medical intervention team that is an ER doc and an ER nurse (who has a special emergency and intensive care degree). 
My opinion and lots off others too is that EMS can be so much better.. EMT's should be educated much better. Because now that medical intervention team is send out so much for mostly nothing. Also because from almost every where in Flanders you can get to a hospital in less then 20 minutes, so when you're at a scene and the patiënt has the criteria to call ALS and the closest ALS team one is already out then you'll have to wait for ALS coming from another hospital further away.. Let's say a 20 minute drive for the ALS team while the hospital we have to take our patiënt too is only a 10 minute drive (OK sometimes we say to dispatch, we will drive to the hospital already or arrange a meeting point).. In Belgium people have someting like 'you are not a doctor or a nurse so you can't help me, so respect for EMT's is also far to be found, so trying to convince people here that you can educate an emt much better so they can provide better care so a doctor at the scene is not necessairy is very difficult. But I think it will al get better in the future, they are changing lots of things, let us hope..

Now the government has allowed that some hospitals try something new, because lots of ER physicians are getting annoyed that they always have to respond to things where they are actually not needed.. That are PIT's(paramedic intervention team) that is an EMT with an ER nurse having special standing orders, they can be send out when the call requires ALS but not necessary a physician.. But then again, there's already a way to little amount of nurses in Belgium so they can not possibly get a nurse on every ambulance.. So if they would just increase the skills and knowledge of emt's things would be so much more better!

That's why I'm studying to become a nurse and I will get my special degree in ER and intensive care.. so when I am on call I'll be able to provide ALS, start IV's, intubate when necessary.. (I'm probably not going to work on medical intervention team or pit.. I'll just stay at my dad's ambulance service and increase the quality!

Want to know something more specific just ask! Because I just can keep going, and I don't know if you guys are interested it what I'm all telling here...
Greetz
Thom


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## Belgian EMT/nurse (Jan 8, 2008)

John E said:


> I've had the good fortune to travel to Belgium a few times, most recently was just last November.
> 
> You've got some nice looking ambulances there.
> 
> ...



I hope I'll be able to travel to the US once again and I then I would go to california.. And went to florida last summer, one week at the keys an one week at miame beach.. And I just loved it! And as a real EMS freak I visited the miami beach fire rescue (Station 1) and had a great tour!


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## Tincanfireman (Jan 8, 2008)

Belgian EMT/nurse said:


> Belgian is not a language.. It's Dutch or French and I live in the dutch part of the country..


 
Well, now that I've exposed my ignorance of your country to the world, let me add that the parts I have seen (driving from the former West Germany to Zeebruge to catch the ferry to Felixstowe UK) were some of the most beautiful (and greenest) places I've ever seen.  The locals I came into contact with were exceedingly nice as well, and very forgiving of my horrible German.  Glad to have you aboard!!!


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## TheDoll (Jan 8, 2008)

fwiw, i think it is terribly cute that you said her english is better than our belgian. ...and i'm a linguist fanatic! 

also, welcome, emt/nurse! i think it is very interesting to hear about ems in other countries! thank you for sharing your information with us.


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## EMTMandy (Jan 8, 2008)

*?*

Do you guys have seatbelts in the back of your rigs?


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## Belgian EMT/nurse (Jan 9, 2008)

TheDoll said:


> fwiw, i think it is terribly cute that you said her english is better than our belgian. ...and i'm a linguist fanatic!
> 
> also, welcome, emt/nurse! i think it is very interesting to hear about ems in other countries! thank you for sharing your information with us.



Thanks.. BTW it's not a her but HIS..


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## Belgian EMT/nurse (Jan 9, 2008)

EMTMandy said:


> Do you guys have seatbelts in the back of your rigs?



yes, there has to be seatbelts.. As you can see on the pics, the seats next to the stretcher has to be in driving direction, so benches like in your ambulances aren't allowed anymore.


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## EMTMandy (Jan 9, 2008)

ahh cool cool


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## TheDoll (Jan 9, 2008)

Belgian EMT/nurse said:


> Thanks.. BTW it's not a her but HIS..


oh, my god, which is making us look like total idiots! sorry!


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