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No, actually there's a pretty big difference, moreso between Islam and the other two you listed. Crap, I actually helped distract the thread... Living out in the bible belt, I have no problem being supportive of the patient and their beliefs, but I've never actually prayed for someone...

Oh dang, I spent nearly 200 on mine....this is depressing.

minus the damage, I can do you one slightly better. I hit a bat one night running emergent. Got stuck on the windshield wiper all the way to scene...

I paid the big bucks and got some of the Haix EMS boots. They take a bit longer to break in than other boots, but one they do they're remarkable comfortable for steel toed boots. They get really warm if you just sit around though, apparently they ventilate when you walk. Overall, I've...

I work in a rural area. I understand this. Sadly it's not a legislative priority, probably because the constituents in these areas don't realize they are getting the shortest end of the stick by combining BLS with geographical separation from definitive care.

We wouldn't need them if paid ALS was considered the national standard of care. Ah, if only...

I think I follow what you're asking, but I can't honestly say. I think it's more the nature of the forum. By overcomplicating or oversimplifying the issue at hand, one can elevate their perceived status in the discussion.

NPAs weren't an option? Ouch, glad I'm not working there.

I might be wrong, but I'm 99% percent sure most departments run a combination of first responders and EMTs. The state might require all volunteers to be first responder certified though. Not sure.

Ha! The departments themselves might be required to be certified for BLS Non-transport, which would require that a least a few of the members be basics, but not all members are, that's for sure. That could have been a local rule though, which I'd readily support. The scary part about...

I'd say if you're actually interested in the fire courses, go for it. If not, check and see if the department has EMS only members. A few of our outlying townships do this, it's sort of nice knowing you're headed out to a scene where there's at least 1 Basic on scene already.

Dang, makes my 483 square miles, population 36,700, with a small central hospital and hospitals in three of the neighboring counties seem small. Density is about 75 persons per square mile. 2 ALS units, 1 BLS/ALS unit depending on the day. Hour and a half by ground to a level 1, or cath lab.

We carry Calcium chloride for known or suspected hyperkalemia. I'm assuming excess potassium would bond more readily with cl2 than HCO3, actually changing the electrolyte balance rather than simply treating the pH issues in these patients. I've worked codes where once we've made it through...

Book looks interesting. And yes, every true Midwesterner has at least one good meth story.

Your tax dollars pay for medicare and medicaid as well. Do you want access to their health records? You want a list of patients treated every shift as well? I mean, your tax dollars partially supported the EMS provider. When it comes to medical 911 calls, I'm erring on the side of privacy...

Third service doesn't necessarily equal private. The best solution, I think we're agreeing here, is making EMS it's own entity, seperate from the FDs, many of whom use EMS as yet another way to get tax dollars.

In terms of scope of practice, I was referring to advanced EMTs in my state. And it takes less than a minute to get a BGL reading. Trust me, I'm all for expanding the scope, but with all other factors remaining the same, adding BGL for basics wouldn't change a whole lot in terms of patient care.

You're right, my statement applies more to certain municipalities in my region. I'm not against FD ALS first response by any means, however in some cases it could be delivered in a more efficient manner.

I do have a problem with a $500k engine or worse a ladder being used as a first response vehicle to EMS runs. These EMS runs are recorded the same as fire runs, and this "run volume" is used to justify the purchase of new engines and ladders. It would seem far more cost efficient to send a SUV...

Let's approach this from another angle. How can EMS advance as a profession if it's always seen as the :censored::censored::censored::censored::censored::censored::censored: stepchild of the fire service?