# "NY EMTs Gone Wild" 2 FDNY Medics fired.



## SwissEMT (May 7, 2007)

NY EMTs Gone Wild

MEDICS' XXX OUTRAGE
VID OF NUDE GAL & PRANKS ON HOMELESS
By SUSAN EDELMAN, GINGER ADAMS OTIS and JAMES FANELLI

May 6, 2007 -- They were supposed to be saving lives, not mocking them. 

Two medics made an outrageous 50-minute tape on the job that shows their crude interactions with hookers and bums - and a nasty running commentary making fun of patients, neighborhoods and the FDNY, The Post has learned. 

The pair was forced to resign last week, but the public had no idea just how badly they betrayed their badges. 

The footage included: 

* A shocking sequence in which a prostitute bares her breasts. 

* A nasty prank in which a medic taps a drunk on the shoulder before he tips over. 

* A mean-spirited verbal poke at a homeless woman frequently picked up for public drunkenness. 

* A medic - one of the amateur filmmakers - asleep in the cab of the ambulance in broad daylight. He's then shaken awake by the other medic as a supervisor approaches. 

* An intoxicated couple in their home filmed during an emergency call. 

The X-rated tape, spliced together and depicting patients and street people, some of whom were apparently unaware they were being filmed, is described as a crude mix of "Girls Gone Wild" - the risqué Joe Francis films of co-eds flashing their breasts - and Don Imus-style ridicule. 

Read more here
http://www.nypost.com/seven/0506200...inger_adams_otis_and_james_fanelli.htm?page=0


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## bstone (May 7, 2007)

Smart enough to pass medic school and get on the FDNY. Dumb enough to do something like this. Gives us a bad name.


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## Guardian (May 7, 2007)

i'd love to see the video and make up my own mind.

where do you go to school bstone


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## VentMedic (May 7, 2007)

A similar incident happened with police officers in San Francisco last year with very different outcomes in the end. 

*Part 1*
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/12/08/MNGQIG4PLD1.DTL

*Part 2*
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/08/11/BAGRGKGKUK1.DTL

*Part 3*
http://www.nbc11.com/news/6910795/detail.html?rss=bay&psp=news


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## Airwaygoddess (May 7, 2007)

Once again, this is what gives EMS a poor and unprofessional image.  Dam it it makes me mad!:glare:


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## ECC (May 9, 2007)

bstone said:


> Smart enough to pass medic school and get on the FDNY. Dumb enough to do something like this. Gives us a bad name.


 
Neither were Paramedics.

Which is not to say that they have successfully figured how to instill common sense into recruits @ Fort Totten.

God, there are some days I am relieved I am no longer a boss on that job.


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## Canadian_EMT (May 9, 2007)

What is the difference if they were paramedics or EMT's?


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## bstone (May 9, 2007)

Canadian_EMT said:


> What is the difference if they were paramedics or EMT's?



Some people become EMTs just for the fun of it and aren't all that serious about the profession.

Medics, however, have made a major commitment in education and are supposed to be committed professionals. So, it kind of disturbs me more that they were medics.


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## Canadian_EMT (May 9, 2007)

ECC said:


> Neither were Paramedics.
> 
> Which is not to say that they have successfully figured how to instill common sense into recruits @ Fort Totten.
> 
> God, there are some days I am relieved I am no longer a boss on that job.



It says here that you said neither were paramedics??


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## firecoins (May 9, 2007)

Canadian_EMT said:


> It says here that you said neither were paramedics??



paramedic and EMT are 2 different levels of training here in NY.

These guys were idiots.


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## Tincanfireman (May 9, 2007)

firecoins said:


> These guys were idiots.


 
Now THAT is something I think we can all agree with!!  Sheeeeeesh...


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## CrazyCanuck (May 9, 2007)

Don't matter if they're EMT's or Medics!  They make the rest of us honourable, hard working members of the EMS family look bad!  We don't need that kinda publicity.


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## ECC (May 10, 2007)

Canadian_EMT said:


> It says here that you said neither were paramedics??


 
I was not the one responding to you. I was correcting someone else who said they were smart enough to pass Medic school. That was not the case, and that is why it matters. I went through Medic Basic 90-02, and it was one of the toughest things I have ever done. Medic Basic 89-02 was a blood bath with only 13 graduates out of 50 students on day one.

 It is apparant though that you missed my other point about instilling common sense while @ the Academy...hint: it is based @ Fort Totten, Queens 

Let us not drag this out into a ALS vs BLS discussion, as this was not my intent when I answered the thread.


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## StrokedOut (May 17, 2007)

Interesting read ...

No it doesn't matter what level of training these guys had, we're all supposed to have a common goal which is patient care. They should have gotten out a long time ago.

Sure we talk with each other about those crappy, messy, DOA, funny calls etc etc. Some involve 'urban outdoorsmen' and others in that field, whatever ... It's what we should do to deal.

It is another thing however, to offer indignities to other human beings as they did.


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## firetender (May 17, 2007)

A couple things come up for me.

1st: the article did not specify if the video was made two years ago and then stashed, or made and then has been circulating around until the Brass got hold of it. I'd like to hear from a medic in the neighborhood who saw it (if anyone) to get their take on it. With an audience, this incident takes on more significance (and I am the last person to assume it's either black or white!).

2nd: isolated, dumb-*** incidents like this happen to every profession. I really picked up a lot of sensitivity to how people would judge EMS because of this. That made me wonder, does anyone think something like this could set back the profession because you feel that EMS gets more than its share of bad publicity and is more vulnerable to it than, let's say, the Police?


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## Ridryder911 (May 17, 2007)

Part of the problem in EMS is we do NOT teach or expect professionalism. I asked in another EMS forum on how much was taught about professionalism, professional organizations and the participation was required, and then how involved was the educational facility in enforcing such behavior. The responses was that very little to none was ever discussed in their curriculum. Therefore, they were never formally taught. Now, even ask yourself how much are you involved in setting and promoting professional standards? 

Sad, but true we cannot expect much professionalism from EMT students when it is taught and endorsed as a "class" rather than a career from the beginning. There is little to no screening involved in enrolling into majority of EMS classes and definitely no long term expectations from those that do leave or exit the "class". Again, this is the reason the "EMT" level is now became considered in comparison to a first-aid class by medical professionals. 

Anyone can attend an EMT class as long as they have money, spend a few hours in a night time class and now in some cases, never even have to do a clinical! Then wham their an EMT! Now, we ask why we get treated like we do?... 

Sorry, I disagree incidences like this does not happen in every profession (or at least excused as such). If a medical school or even nursing was to do such, I can assure you the license and livelyhood of the individual as well as the training education would be damaged or be beyond repair. Even, in my state in comparrision from the rules of EMS (which is very strict in comparrision to other states) to nursing is amazing. I know for a fact that the nursing board monitors behavior and incidences that "could potentially, produce unfavorable professional image and trust to the public" hence; act like a fool get treated like one. 

Sorry, I have been a professional medic now close to thirty years, and it still amazes me the idiocy that we allow! We want to be treated like a professional? Then one has to act and demonstrate your actions as one both on duty and off. This even goes as far as how well our masses dress, talk (vocalubary) and actions that one perform off duty, that reflects the type of people "make up" our so called profession.

Once, we start taking actions against those that demonstrate unprofessional conduct and enforcing and monitoring such incidences, then we can start to even to consider ourselves as a profession. 

R/r 911


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## Onceamedic (May 29, 2007)

Well...  at least they weren't politically correct....


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