# How do you know if someone is a volunteer EMT?



## ExpatMedic0 (Jun 26, 2013)

Don't worry, they will tell you.


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## m0nster986 (Jun 26, 2013)

ha...ha...ha...


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## NYMedic828 (Jun 26, 2013)

If they don't, their car certainly will.


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## NomadicMedic (Jun 26, 2013)

Or their self congratulatory meme will...


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## Epi-do (Jun 26, 2013)

Don't forget the belt, complete with CPR shield, gloves, trauma shears, pen light, 4 pagers, and 6 radios.


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## Fire51 (Jun 26, 2013)

That pic of the car is funny but at the same time a little ridiculous, why would you need all of that!


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## NomadicMedic (Jun 26, 2013)

It's funny, but prior to radio consolidation, the medic units used to have 3 radios... VHF, low band for fire, and UHF for C-MED. And we had three portables. :/

It was a whacker's dream job.


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## abckidsmom (Jun 26, 2013)

And now all we need is an iPhone and a toughbook.


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## Tigger (Jun 26, 2013)

DEmedic said:


> It's funny, but prior to radio consolidation, the medic units used to have 3 radios... VHF, low band for fire, and UHF for C-MED. And we had three portables. :/
> 
> It was a whacker's dream job.



My part time place has an 800, VHF digital, and low band in the cab, along with portables for each. It is a disaster. Such is life covering parts of four counties. 

Rest assured that we tar and feather whackers however.


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## abckidsmom (Jun 26, 2013)

Tigger said:


> My part time place has an 800, VHF digital, and low band in the cab, along with portables for each. It is a disaster. Such is life covering parts of four counties.
> 
> Rest assured that we tar and feather whackers however.



We have a thing called a RIOS patch that lets our dispatchers make a patch between us and the neighboring jurisdictions. It's pretty cool.


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## NomadicMedic (Jun 26, 2013)

In Delaware, we have a state wide 800 system. It's pretty nice, over 90% of the state is portable coverage. We never even have to use the radio in the truck. 

Of course, people in Texas have bigger backyards than the state of Delaware…


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## Akulahawk (Jun 27, 2013)

Where I work (not EMS unfortunately), we use a trunked 800 MHz system. It works REALLY well... We have great coverage throughout the county. The Sheriff's Department and all the Fire Departments use this system. The 911 system is primarily fire-based, so they need that system. The CHP uses their own comm system. The county's system can be tied into any of the systems throughout the region, so there's a LOT of flexibility there. 

Personally, I very much prefer lower band VHF for certain applications, primarily backup, for county-wide communications. 

Of course, I'm also a HAM and have LOTS of frequencies on tap... and I have quite a decent little radio that works really well for listening to _some_ systems. I don't have a scanner that can pick up the re-banded TRS here now, but that's not a big deal to me. VHF/UHF works well for those applications that I need it for. And it doesn't look like I have a big radio pack on when I'm wearing my little radio. 

No, I'm not a volunteer, but I would just so that I can keep my skills up in the prehospital arena.


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## exodus (Jun 27, 2013)

abckidsmom said:


> We have a thing called a RIOS patch that lets our dispatchers make a patch between us and the neighboring jurisdictions. It's pretty cool.



We had something like that at my old company that we enabled every night. We used to to link our OC and SD units together.


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## Martyn (Jun 29, 2013)

NYMedic828 said:


> If they don't, their car certainly will.


 
Sorry but am I missing something here? I can't see why having a doll hanging from your mirror makes you a whacker :wacko:


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## Akulahawk (Jun 29, 2013)

Martyn said:


> Sorry but am I missing something here? I can't see why having a doll hanging from your mirror makes you a whacker :wacko:


I think it's the doll that's hanging by a NOOSE that causes the whacker status... :rofl:


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## DesertMedic66 (Jun 29, 2013)

Is that a radar dector on the windshield?


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## Akulahawk (Jun 29, 2013)

Radar Detector? Why, yes it is...


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## DesertMedic66 (Jun 29, 2013)

Akulahawk said:


> Radar Detector? Why, yes it is...



Wow. That was my first and last time trying to use the speak to text on my phone.


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## Akulahawk (Jun 29, 2013)

DesertEMT66 said:


> Wow. That was my first and last time trying to use the speak to text on my phone.


I can only imagine the hilarity of incomphensibility that ensued...


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## 74restore (Jun 30, 2013)

NYMedic828 said:


> If they don't, their car certainly will.



Does anyone else notice the Spotlight style light in the far upper left corner? Or how about the cigarette lighter hanging on the ground to the right of the radios to make room for them?
Holy whacker....


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## exodus (Jun 30, 2013)

74restore said:


> Does anyone else notice the Spotlight style light in the far upper left corner? Or how about the cigarette lighter hanging on the ground to the right of the radios to make room for them?
> Holy whacker....



The spotlight is because it's a crownvic probably an old PI.  And the cigarette lighter thing is just a 12 volt power strip.


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## NomadicMedic (Jun 30, 2013)

It's a Chevy Caprice.


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## TheLocalMedic (Jun 30, 2013)

How can you spot a volunteer?  Anyone who wears EMS or fire anything outside of work.


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## JPINFV (Jun 30, 2013)

Martyn said:


> Sorry but am I missing something here? I can't see why having a doll hanging from your mirror makes you a whacker :wacko:




Depending on the type of doll, it can make you a wet whacker.


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## exodus (Jun 30, 2013)

DEmedic said:


> It's a Chevy Caprice.



You know.... The big 'ole CAPRICE in the middle of the console might have given that away...<_<


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## Achilles (Jun 30, 2013)

Akulahawk said:


> Radar Detector? Why, yes it is...



That's not a radar detector, it's a visor light


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## DesertMedic66 (Jun 30, 2013)

Achilles said:


> That's not a radar detector, it's a visor light



Looks exactly like a radar detector and it is in the exact place where they are placed in cars.


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## Tigger (Jun 30, 2013)

That is definitely a radar detector. I have mine more hidden, but barely worth using these days.


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## Wheel (Jun 30, 2013)

DesertEMT66 said:


> Looks exactly like a radar detector and it is in the exact place where they are placed in cars.



Almost positive it is...


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## Achilles (Jun 30, 2013)

DesertEMT66 said:


> Looks exactly like a radar detector and it is in the exact place where they are placed in cars.





Tigger said:


> That is definitely a radar detector. I have mine more hidden, but barely worth using these days.



I have never seen a radar detector with 8 feet of extra cord so you can place it in other locations in the vehicle. :unsure:


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## Tigger (Jun 30, 2013)

Achilles said:


> I have never seen a radar detector with 8 feet of extra cord so you can place it in other locations in the vehicle. :unsure:



Pretty common.


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## DesertMedic66 (Jun 30, 2013)

Achilles said:


> I have never seen a radar detector with 8 feet of extra cord so you can place it in other locations in the vehicle. :unsure:



The ones that I have seen have a decent length of power cable


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## Achilles (Jun 30, 2013)

DesertEMT66 said:


> The ones that I have seen have a decent length of power cable



I've only seen the coil ones. 
I guess people do some pretty weird things, like have four radios in their car


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## DesertMedic66 (Jun 30, 2013)

Achilles said:


> I've only seen the coil ones.
> I guess people do some pretty weird things, like have four radios in their car



5 radios


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## Akulahawk (Jul 1, 2013)

Something that I have yet to see in the automotive world is a radar detection system that also does direction finding… Sure, I'd like to know that a radar threat is out there, but I'd also like to know where it is. After all, a signal coming from your left or right isn't actually a threat, but one directly ahead or behind is... and if you even know exactly what frequency it's on, you might even be able to figure out if the signal generator belongs to a threat or the local automatic door opener... with a very good signal processing system, you could even possibly be able to  differentiate individual transmitters.

However, because radar detectors are very common these days, police departments seem to be going to the use of LIDAR  to detect speed instead of radar because it is a lot more specific and a lot more difficult to detect until it's too late.


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## JPINFV (Jul 1, 2013)

I was under the impression that radar detectors were almost useless nowadays due to instant on radar.


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## MMiz (Jul 1, 2013)

Akulahawk said:


> Something that I have yet to see in the automotive world is a radar detection system that also does direction finding… Sure, I'd like to know that a radar threat is out there, but I'd also like to know where it is. After all, a signal coming from your left or right isn't actually a threat, but one directly ahead or behind is... and if you even know exactly what frequency it's on, you might even be able to figure out if the signal generator belongs to a threat or the local automatic door opener... with a very good signal processing system, you could even possibly be able to  differentiate individual transmitters.
> 
> However, because radar detectors are very common these days, police departments seem to be going to the use of LIDAR  to detect speed instead of radar because it is a lot more specific and a lot more difficult to detect until it's too late.


The Valentine One radar detector has been providing directional information for 20+ years.  I haven't used a radar detector in about a decade.  When I did use one, only for driving my long commute on the interstate, it was surprisingly effective.  Now back to your regularly scheduled topic.


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## Tigger (Jul 1, 2013)

JPINFV said:


> I was under the impression that radar detectors were almost useless nowadays due to instant on radar.



If lidar or some other form of instant on radar is used a mile in front of me on a different vehicle mine is supposed to light up and give me plenty o warning. Unfortunately it does not do that as well as it used to. If the cop hits me with lidar, I'm done even if it goes off, too late.


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## J B (Jul 1, 2013)

Tigger said:


> If the cop hits me with lidar, I'm done even if it goes off, too late.



I suppose driving a reasonable speed is out of the question?


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## CritterNurse (Jul 1, 2013)

I don't bother with a radar detector because if by chance I end up speeding without one, I may get off with a warning. With many of the local officers, if they pull you over and they see a radar detector, they WILL give you a ticket since you had already purchased your warning.


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## Akulahawk (Jul 1, 2013)

JPINFV said:


> I was under the impression that radar detectors were almost useless nowadays due to instant on radar.


Instant on radar may not be all that accurate initially as the transmitter may require time to stabilize, but after a very short period of transmit time, it's very accurate. "Pop" mode is very problematic... Most radar detectors can't even detect it because the burst is too quick. These all have the problem of beam width, even at a relatively close distance. 


MMiz said:


> The Valentine One radar detector has been providing directional information for 20+ years.  I haven't used a radar detector in about a decade.  When I did use one, only for driving my long commute on the interstate, it was surprisingly effective.  Now back to your regularly scheduled topic.


The Valentine One does a rudimentary version of DF. Using other DF techniques, you can also see exactly the direction the signal is coming from. The V-one also has other tricks up it's sleeve too... 

Of course, if you're sophisticated enough to build your own DF equipment that's capable DF and frequency determination... you're also likely knowledgeable enough to build your own EW suite for your car... which is not exactly legal if you use it. 

Best way to avoid tickets is not driving stupid...


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## Ruamkatanyu (Jul 1, 2013)

NYMedic828 said:


> If they don't, their car certainly will.



Looks like the front of one of those thai  pick up truck ambulances


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## JPINFV (Jul 1, 2013)

Ruamkatanyu said:


> Looks like the front of one of those thai  pick up truck ambulances




No... it's the front of a LA based IFT ambulance.


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## UndeadEMT (Aug 2, 2013)

**

I'm loving the jury rigged 12V adaptor just kind of hanging out


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## esmcdowell (Aug 2, 2013)

I can usually tell by the fact that the volunteers I work with are more passionate about EMS than many paid people. They're more compassionate, knowledgable, and usually all around better providers than many other paid people I know. They wear their department logo clothing because (a.) they are actually proud of the organization, and (b.) they may need to go on a call at anytime, regardless of whether they are "on shift" or not. They also don't spend time ridiculing paid providers.

And, maybe the person in that picture is a chief. Many of the smaller EMS and Fire services in my area cannot afford to have vehicles like command or chase rigs. Most can't even afford even a radio for the chief to install in his/her personal vehicle. Many of the volunteer chiefs/leaders have to purchase their own equipment just so they can communicate during incidents. Those that do, do so with a smile on their faces, because whatever anyone says about their level of service, when someone in their community needs help, they can say that they are there to help.

So, next time you point and laugh at a volunteer for being a "whacker" or "sparky," remember, they do everything you do for free(or at most, a t-shirt)


*This came from a paid member of a combination department*


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## STXmedic (Aug 2, 2013)




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## chaz90 (Aug 2, 2013)

I was looking for the perfect response to that. It appears you beat me to it Poetic!


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## Btalon (Aug 2, 2013)

PoeticInjustice
That is awesome!


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## JPINFV (Aug 3, 2013)

I've always found it funny how most of the physicians I know would go out of the way to let people think they weren't a physician.


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## NomadicMedic (Aug 3, 2013)

People that aren't in Public Safety for a profession, but volunteer, want to let everybody know.

Most public safety professionals, that is people who do it for a living, try to hide it as much as possible.

I was a volunteer firefighter here for about a year, then one day I woke up and said, "tell me again why I do this for free when I do it 48 hours a week and get paid?" I turned in my pager and turnout gear shortly after.


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## Handsome Robb (Aug 3, 2013)

Those damn paid EMS workers are awful. They definitely never know what they're doing and don't care about their patients at all. 



If I had a nickel for every time I had to fix something a Volly did or pick something up during my assessment that they missed or didn't think was pertinent I'd have a fair share of nickels, and we only have 4 Volly stations that I can think of so we don't run with them very often. 

I have a lot of respect for people who volunteer their time but saying that they're "more knowledgeable" or that they're better at their jobs than the paid providers do is asinine.


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## Fortion (Aug 26, 2013)

by seeing their car!!


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## neoclassicaljazz (Aug 26, 2013)

I can't tell if paid EMS workers really think volunteers are so bad or if they just need someone to make fun of. I'm JUST a volunteer (for now) so maybe I'd see things differently if I had more experience on the other side. 
I'd say about 75% of the people on my department have or currently do run with a paid service. Most of them in the past but there are a few that still do it for a living. 
There is no way I would say that volunteers are more skilled or knowledgeable than paid EMS workers. Typically, the more you do something, the better you'll be at it. So I would hope that the paid services would be more skilled and knowledgeable than most volunteer services since they deal with so many more calls. 
There are a few EMTs I run with that might take a little too much pride in what they do but for the most part they are all pretty humble and don't go out of their way to make everyone think they are superheroes that save lives on a daily basis. I've found that the ones that are on the paid services are the ones that seem to expect praise. They are the ones that will make sure their facebook includes their EMS employer and work history, have the word "medic" and then their name as their e-mails. Other paid EMS guys will post stuff on social media letting everyone know they worked a code that day or how they are so tired from their 24 hr shifts. I honestly don't care either way. If you want to make sure everyone knows that kind of info, that's your business but I don't assume people care so I keep that stuff to myself. Point is, I think you have the "Look at me I'm an EMT/Medic" thing going on at both levels. 
I rode with a paid service when I was a student for the ride along hours and I thought those medics were badass. They knew their stuff and seemed like the kind of people that weren't phased by anything. Other things I noticed were that they weren't very friendly to their patients and didn't seem as compassionate. I'm sure running these calls so often can get old so I can see why but one of the good things about our volunteer service is that they will treat you like you were part of their family and that goes for every patient. 
Another thing that I noticed about the paid service compared to our volunteer service was how the inside of the ambulance looked. Again, with their call volume, I'm sure its hard to have time to keep the inside of the truck looking tidy at all times and once you clean it you'll probably have someone vomit all over your floors or something. Luckily we have time to clean up after every run and you'll never get in and see gloves and tourniquets in the corners or anything like that. 
I like to think we're all a part of a team but didn't realize us "vollies" are so looked down on. I definitely respect you paid guys and would like to go that route sometime. Glad I'm able to get the experience I get with my volunteer service too though.


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## Btalon (Aug 26, 2013)

I work for both, being paid is great, but volunteering is also a good thing.  My home agency is a first response only, we don't have an ambulance or rescue, we respond in our private vehicles with a jump kit.  The ambulance that transports is one of the ones I work on.  I work on 2 ambulance services and do 12-24 hour shifts as do many providers in my area to make a decent living.  When I'm home it's volunteer status unless I get called for a transfer or backup coverage at my main job.  

Just today I was praised by a local teller at the bank who was part of a group of vehicles and the lead one was involved in a crash just down the street from my house with a moose.  I was first on scene and did what I needed to do until the ambulance arrived.  She let me know how great it was and how relieved everyone felt once I had arrived and started patient care.  She had nothing but good things to say and it makes you feel good no matter what your status when you hear good things.

I've had patients that I was on a paid shift do the same after the fact and I've had some that don't acknowledge your existence if you see them again, it's all good.

The main reason I sought out a paid position is that it will only help my skills to use them on a frequent basis.  I do ski patrol and see how rusty people are in patient care after a long summer off and I have always advocated running with an ambulance to help you refine your skills and keep current.

The occasional thank you is better than a pay check, but of course it doesn't pay the bills.


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## NomadicMedic (Aug 27, 2013)

Btalon said:


> The occasional thank you is better than a pay check...



No it's not. Not by a long shot.


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## Ace 227 (Aug 28, 2013)

I volunteer fire(don't have a choice in western PA) but work full time in EMS. The difference between paid and volly is astounding.  I'd rather show up on scene and beat the Volly QRS than have them be first on scene simply because they very rarely accomplish anything.


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## unleashedfury (Aug 29, 2013)

A lot of volunteers around my ways are always looking for a freebie of some sort an atta boy pat on the back, the cop who says oh :censored::censored::censored::censored: I know him can't burn him for a ticket or the local diners and the such to give them a free lunch, or discounted whatever. 

OTOH the company I work for the management section of it is Volunteer only paid employees are the guys/gals on the rigs. 

I still kind of volunteer with my home squad I started there when I was 16 and never left, But if you look at my car my house my everything theres not a damn thing around here that says EMT plastered all over the place. My wife bought me a liscense plate for my car and it just sits in the garage. It was a nice gesture but just as much as I enjoy my job I don't need to advertise my profession, My chat names don't have medic or EMT or nothing in them. I don't got a ton of FIRE or EMS swag hanging about and most of the time when I'm off shift you wouldn't know what I do for a living unless you know me personally or I've ran into you on shift. I work almost an hour away from my home to avoid the whole conflicting situation. I want my personal life to be personal, and my work career to be my work. Not to go to lunch on Sunday with my family and say oh I know you!! You took Grandpa in the ambulance on Friday. It has happened to me before its like dude? I'm must trying to put ketchup on my kids fries here. 

For most green EMT's the only way they get any experience is by being a Volly for a bit. before they can move on to a paid job. Which is great but some people take thing ways over board. Like the posted photo of 5 radios. and a old spotlight which was probably a police interceptor at one point in time. The guy whos got more equipment on his belt than in his rig, the one whos got a light bar whos bigger than his car, and 5 different pagers


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## unleashedfury (Aug 29, 2013)

A lot of volunteers around my ways are always looking for a freebie of some sort an atta boy pat on the back, the cop who says oh I know him can't burn him for a ticket or the local diners and the such to give them a free lunch, or discounted whatever. 

OTOH the company I work for the management section of it is Volunteer only paid employees are the guys/gals on the rigs. 

I still kind of volunteer with my home squad I started there when I was 16 and never left, But if you look at my car my house my everything theres not a damn thing around here that says EMT plastered all over the place. My wife bought me a liscense plate for my car and it just sits in the garage. It was a nice gesture but just as much as I enjoy my job I don't need to advertise my profession, My chat names don't have medic or EMT or nothing in them. I don't got a ton of FIRE or EMS swag hanging about and most of the time when I'm off shift you wouldn't know what I do for a living unless you know me personally or I've ran into you on shift. I work almost an hour away from my home to avoid the whole conflicting situation. I want my personal life to be personal, and my work career to be my work. Not to go to lunch on Sunday with my family and say oh I know you!! You took Grandpa in the ambulance on Friday. It has happened to me before its like dude? I'm must trying to put ketchup on my kids fries here. 

For most green EMT's the only way they get any experience is by being a Volly for a bit. before they can move on to a paid job. Which is great but some people take thing ways over board. Like the posted photo of 5 radios. and a old spotlight which was probably a police interceptor at one point in time. The guy whos got more equipment on his belt than in his rig, the one whos got a light bar whos bigger than his car, and 5 different pagers


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