# good movies about EMS



## haywood415 (Feb 23, 2010)

any good movies out there about EMS crews? theres plenty about firefighters, most of them horribly inaccurate but what about EMS? feel free to add firefighting movies too, cause theyre still entertaining


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## medichopeful (Feb 23, 2010)

I can't really think of anything EMS based, but "Ladder 49" is pretty damn good.


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## medic417 (Feb 23, 2010)

Mother Jugs and Speed.


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## Lifeguards For Life (Feb 23, 2010)

bringing out the dead
broken vessels


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## MS Medic (Feb 23, 2010)

Bringing out the dead is a great one. While there are plenty of mediphoric liberties, the general depiction of someone going through a burn out phase is pretty good. Never heard of broken vessels, will have to check that one out


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## Nelg (Feb 23, 2010)

I have this movie called Skid marks on my netflix instant que. I'm curious but scared at the same time. 

otherwise, I can't think of any good ones other then "I now pronounce you Chuck and Larry", although it's not exactly even Fire fighting, but still the only one off the top of my head.


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## medic417 (Feb 24, 2010)

Nelg said:


> I have this movie called Skid marks on my netflix instant que. I'm curious but scared at the same time.
> 
> otherwise, I can't think of any good ones other then "I now pronounce you Chuck and Larry", although it's not exactly even Fire fighting, but still the only one off the top of my head.



Skid marks makes a complete mockery of EMS.  It was a spoof not anything like reality.  

Oh and to see how many services still run just watch the old TV series Emergency.


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## haywood415 (Feb 24, 2010)

good stuff guys. Ladder 49 is one of my favorites. i'll have to check out Bringing Out The Dead. 

isnt Netflix great?


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## haywood415 (Feb 24, 2010)

wow, so i just looked at Skid Marks on Netflix, it looks like a terrible National Lampoon movie. think i'll skip that one.


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## Nelg (Feb 24, 2010)

As I said, never seen it, but was both curious but scared to at the same time.

Worse comes to worse, I just wasted a que slot and my time from watching it. 

I'll find out later, might have to power up my 360 and stream it. 

I'll check into the other stuff myself as well


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## haywood415 (Feb 24, 2010)

medic417 said:


> Mother Jugs and Speed.



this is streaming on Netflix if anyone is wondering


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## firetender (Feb 24, 2010)

*There's this movie...*

that about 2,100 people have seen. It was the World Premiere, Opening Night Film of the 1994 Santa Barbara International Film Festival. (Yes, klieg lights, Limos, Studio Heads, emerging and half-dead movie stars, International Press, the whole nine yards!) It was called *Healer*; a story about a reluctant medic who must choose between becoming a Flesh Mechanic or being a human being in the back of an ambulance; a topic no one had covered before, and has not since. The movie was stillborn, bankrupted a couple of people and got buried somewhere.

I not only wrote it, but was part of every level of production. I trained the actors in it and I'll modestly say, were you to watch it, I'll betcha 20 bucks you wouldn't think these were actors trying to act like medics! On the strength of the script I involved a whole California town in backing the story, and that included being _given _a completely equipped paramedic unit for the shoot, taking over the ER of the local hospital for one full day, and getting to use one whole floor of the hospital as well as a whole Nursing Home -- all FREE!

The best and worst year of my life! And, no, I never got paid for it. I have a cap somewhere I think and a couple VHS copies. Exploring the subject never left me.

So...in a couple months I'll have published a non-fiction book *Moments in the Death of a Flesh Mechanic...a healer's rebirth* which takes the movie's themes even deeper. I'll make the formal announcement soon.

Why do I brag about something no one can get? Because the second I can, I'm going to transfer that movie to digital and get you guys access to it. Please keep on my butt!


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## nomofica (Feb 25, 2010)

firetender said:


> that about 2,100 people have seen. It was the World Premiere, Opening Night Film of the 1994 Santa Barbara International Film Festival. (Yes, klieg lights, Limos, Studio Heads, emerging and half-dead movie stars, International Press, the whole nine yards!) It was called *Healer*; a story about a reluctant medic who must choose between becoming a Flesh Mechanic or being a human being in the back of an ambulance; a topic no one had covered before, and has not since. The movie was stillborn, bankrupted a couple of people and got buried somewhere.
> 
> I not only wrote it, but was part of every level of production. I trained the actors in it and I'll modestly say, were you to watch it, I'll betcha 20 bucks you wouldn't think these were actors trying to act like medics! On the strength of the script I involved a whole California town in backing the story, and that included being _given _a completely equipped paramedic unit for the shoot, taking over the ER of the local hospital for one full day, and getting to use one whole floor of the hospital as well as a whole Nursing Home -- all FREE!
> 
> ...



I dibs first copy.


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## FLEMTP (Feb 25, 2010)

firetender said:


> that about 2,100 people have seen. It was the World Premiere, Opening Night Film of the 1994 Santa Barbara International Film Festival. (Yes, klieg lights, Limos, Studio Heads, emerging and half-dead movie stars, International Press, the whole nine yards!) It was called *Healer*; a story about a reluctant medic who must choose between becoming a Flesh Mechanic or being a human being in the back of an ambulance; a topic no one had covered before, and has not since. The movie was stillborn, bankrupted a couple of people and got buried somewhere.
> 
> I not only wrote it, but was part of every level of production. I trained the actors in it and I'll modestly say, were you to watch it, I'll betcha 20 bucks you wouldn't think these were actors trying to act like medics! On the strength of the script I involved a whole California town in backing the story, and that included being _given _a completely equipped paramedic unit for the shoot, taking over the ER of the local hospital for one full day, and getting to use one whole floor of the hospital as well as a whole Nursing Home -- all FREE!
> 
> ...



I would love to read it when you get it published. Its great when people are able to share their experiences like that, with the general public, and provide a completely different view of what we really do for people who dont know.

On a side note, you wont see very many accurate good portrayals of EMS providers in Hollywood. If they were to do a movie or a show about what we really do, it would flop... face it.. taking a nursing home patient to the ER who fell a week ago for a hip fracture or picking up a lady who calls for a cough x 1 week and her doctor is closed because its sunday... doesnt exactly ooze excitement and drama...

It usually ends up being something along the lines of the tv show Trauma, which is excitement, guts, glory and sex. Thats what gets people's attention these days..

Same thing goes with firefighting movies, you dont ever see a movie featuring firefighters doing station duties and running a few medical calls, cooking dinner, watching tv and then going to bed.. its all explosions and crazy housefires and insane rescues.


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## exodus (Feb 26, 2010)

haywood415 said:


> wow, so i just looked at Skid Marks on Netflix, it looks like a terrible National Lampoon movie. think i'll skip that one.



Watch it! It's funny! And it's a pretty accurate portrayal of how most EMT-Basic's are!!! And they make fun of us!

"So what can you do?" "Uhm,? Have some O2!"


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## bkelly (Mar 3, 2010)

Skidmarks is stupid. Don't waste your time. I think the 20th american pie would probably be better than skidmarks. Bringing out the dead is awesome!


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## haywood415 (Mar 4, 2010)

i got Bringing Out The Dead and Broken Vessels in my Netflix queue. Ill post back after I watch 'em.


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## RescueYou (Mar 5, 2010)

Smoke Jumpers and Fireproof


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## Michael Sykes (Mar 5, 2010)

medic417 said:


> Mother Jugs and Speed.



 Mother, Jugs, and Speed should be a mandatory part of EMT-B training. Jugs could ride (with?) me anytime.


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## 46Young (Mar 5, 2010)

RescueYou said:


> Smoke Jumpers and Fireproof



I can't believe I forgot about fireproof! My wife an I enjoyed it very much.


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## RescueYou (Mar 5, 2010)

46Young said:


> I can't believe I forgot about fireproof! My wife an I enjoyed it very much.



I LOVE that movie. I've seen it idk how many times. Great morals.


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## haywood415 (Mar 13, 2010)

i got 'Bringing Out The Dead' from Netflix, and have to say, it was a waste of 2 hours. very disappointing. 

i love how he never takes any BSI precautions and constantly smokes in the ambulance....(joking of course)

stupid Nicolas Cage


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## haywood415 (Mar 13, 2010)

the sheer amount of things wrong with this movie is absurd.


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## SanDiegoEmt7 (Mar 14, 2010)

It's not a movie, but you should check out this television show called: Trauma


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## Sasha (Mar 14, 2010)

SanDiegoEmt7 said:


> It's not a movie, but you should check out this television show called: Trauma



Off with your head.


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## reaper (Mar 14, 2010)

haywood415 said:


> i got 'Bringing Out The Dead' from Netflix, and have to say, it was a waste of 2 hours. very disappointing.
> 
> *i love how he never takes any BSI precautions and constantly smokes in the ambulance....(joking of course)*stupid Nicolas Cage



20 years ago, there was no BSI and smoking in the ambulance was common!


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## DSemt54 (Mar 14, 2010)

SanDiegoEmt7 said:


> It's not a movie, but you should check out this television show called: Trauma



Yeah, the Discovery Health channel is very entertaining^^


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## haywood415 (Mar 14, 2010)

reaper said:


> 20 years ago, there was no BSI and smoking in the ambulance was common!



this movie came out in 1999, and apparantly takes place in the early 1990's. now i may be new to EMS, but i have a hard time believing there were no BSI precautions in the early 1990's. i would imagine that research had proven how blood borne pathogens travel from pt to medic by then.


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## piranah (Mar 14, 2010)

you would be surprised...all of my partners have been in EMS since god and creation...and thats the way it was in the 80's and Im guessing old habits...


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## reaper (Mar 14, 2010)

haywood415 said:


> this movie came out in 1999, and apparantly takes place in the early 1990's. now i may be new to EMS, but i have a hard time believing there were no BSI precautions in the early 1990's. i would imagine that research had proven how blood borne pathogens travel from pt to medic by then.



As late as 94'-95' I can remember running major traumas with no gloves. We did not give a lot of thought to that back then. Being covered in blood was nothing new.


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## imurphy (Mar 14, 2010)

Also, if you notice, other medics use gloves on patients. 

I'd say it's more a device used by Scorcase to highlight his emotional turmoil and decent into burnout.


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## TransportJockey (Mar 14, 2010)

I enjoyed Skid Marks, as it does portray a lot of EMT-Bs accurately. Mother Juggs and Speed is required pretty much. Ladder 49 is ok, hated Fireproof (no one told me it was a xtian film before they made me watch it), Bringing out the dead is pretty good too.


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