Age requirements for FR, and EMT-B

emt.dan said:
Um... tell that to the Israeli First Responders at 15 or 16! Many work on an ambulance (under the supervision of an EMT) 4 or 5 afternoons a week, until they are 17, when they become EMTs, only to go on to the army and become paramedics.

Something like 30% of the Israeli population is trained to the First responder level, 18% to the EMT level, 8 or 10% to the paramedic level, and 3-4% to the MD level.
Their biggest problem on MCI scenes is having too many practitioners.

For the record, only those 18+ are allowed on to the scene of a terror attack. If an ambulance recieves a call for an attack, they drop of the high school students wherever they are and head to the call.
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In the USA we do not have luxury of dropping off those high schoolers we are baby sitting. So off they go and see the crap we see.
 
n7lxi said:
Really? Maybe over in your neck of the woods...not so in King County. To sign up for an EMT-B class here, one must take the entrance "pre-test", a basic first aid test based on the ARC 'Emergency Response" text. If you pass the test and you have one of the top 40 scores, you're invited to enroll in the class.

So, the bottom line is... you DO NOT need to be affiliated with an agency or department to take the class, you must to be affiliated to GET YOUR CARD.
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Wow... very different from the counties in which I've lived! If you can't prove you can get your card, you aren't allowed into the class.
 
medic417 said:
In the USA we do not have luxury of dropping off those high schoolers we are baby sitting. So off they go and see the crap we see.
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Riiiight, because the broken pinky finger in the US is so much more traumatic than the suicide bus bombing in Israel. Great logic.
 
bstone said:
Riiiight, because the broken pinky finger in the US is so much more traumatic than the suicide bus bombing in Israel. Great logic.
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Children in the US aren't exposed to bombings and war as much as children in Israel are. They grow up with it, they get used to it. Kids over here aren't exposed to graphic, horrifying images. So what are you gonna do with the kid when you roll up on a suicide/homicide? Car Vs. Tree with an unrestrained passenger splayed out over the ground? Or a little kid who was playing with Daddy's gun and got shot in the face?
 
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Sasha said:
Children in the US aren't exposed to bombings and war as much as children in Israel are. They grow up with it, they get used to it. Kids over here aren't exposed to graphic, horrifying images.
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Sure they are. Movies, tv, video games, internet. How often they see it in person? Certainly less than the average Israeli. But that by no means they have virgin eyes.

So what are you gonna do with the kid when you roll up on a suicide/homicide? Car Vs. Tree with an unrestrained passenger splayed out over the ground?
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The US military is aggressively advertising for kids to sign up, go to Iraq and get blown to bits. I think it'll be a lot better for them to work on an ambulance. Don't you agree?
 
Movies, tv, video games, internet
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Quite a bit differnt from seeing the real thing, don't you agree?
 
Sasha said:
Quite a bit differnt from seeing the real thing, don't you agree?
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Yes, I plainly and clearly stated that in the very next sentence in my post. Don't you agree?
 
bstone said:
Yes, I plainly and clearly stated that in the very next sentence in my post. Don't you agree?
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I don't get how video games justifies exposing children to very real, vulgar, graphic scenes.
 
Sasha said:
I don't get how video games justifies exposing children to very real, vulgar, graphic scenes.
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Yeah, those broken pinky fingers are super vulgar and graphic.

As long as an 18 year old can be drafted into the US army and sent off to go kill and bunch of people I will maintain that 18 year olds can work on an ambulance. Don't you agree?
 
bstone said:
Yeah, those broken pinky fingers are super vulgar and graphic.

As long as an 18 year old can be drafted into the US army and sent off to go kill and bunch of people I will maintain that 18 year olds can work on an ambulance. Don't you agree?
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An 18 year old? Certainly. Even though there's no draft. A 14, 15, 16 year old? Certainly not.

Gee. I wish I lived in an area where broken fingers were the worst calls you get.
 
Sasha said:
An 18 year old? Certainly. Even though there's no draft. A 14, 15, 16 year old? Certainly not.

Gee. I wish I lived in an area where broken fingers were the worst calls you get.
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On that logic, no one under the age of 18 should be a lifeguard. Afterall, finding a dead baby floating in the deep end would be just about the most vulgar and horrifying thing a person could imagine. Don't you agree?
 
bstone said:
On that logic, no one under the age of 18 should be a lifeguard. Afterall, finding a dead baby floating in the deep end would be just about the most vulgar and horrifying thing a person could imagine. Don't you agree?
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Actually, I agree there should be an 18+ age requirement on lifeguards.
 
Sasha said:
Actually, I agree there should be an 18+ age requirement on lifeguards.
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At least you're being consistent. I have to respect that.
 
Sasha said:
An 18 year old? Certainly. Even though there's no draft. A 14, 15, 16 year old? Certainly not.

Gee. I wish I lived in an area where broken fingers were the worst calls you get.
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What about 17? 17 year olds can, and do, join the military. Are they eligible to be EMT's?
 
Military EMT's are required to take the NREMT. NREMT requires one to 18 years old.

R/r911
 
Wow. Age does not matter. As long as one is professional, caring, and a hard worker, you can be in EMS. Age is portrayed different by everyone. Maybe when you were a teen, you couldnt handle what is seen in EMS. Actually, younger people learn quicker and retain information more easily and for longer. EMS as a teen is a great way to open the gates for a medical career in a young ones future. It teaches respect, hard work, dealing with difficult situations, etc. Dont be hating on us young ems providers. A teen first responder or emt can provide the same standard of care as an adult first responder or emt and has the same training
 
frdude1000 said:
Wow. Age does not matter. As long as one is professional, caring, and a hard worker, you can be in EMS. Age is portrayed different by everyone. Maybe when you were a teen, you couldnt handle what is seen in EMS. Actually, younger people learn quicker and retain information more easily and for longer. EMS as a teen is a great way to open the gates for a medical career in a young ones future. It teaches respect, hard work, dealing with difficult situations, etc. Dont be hating on us young ems providers. A teen first responder or emt can provide the same standard of care as an adult first responder or emt and has the same training
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They may be able to perform the skill but they lack many things that only come with age.
 
One also has to take into consideration various state regulations that do not allow minors under the age of 18 to be around dangerous equipment which some of even the simplest rescue tools could qualify and definitely those on a fire truck. Nor can they be involved near a site where these rescue tools may be in use or other dangerous situations. Handling medications is definitely a no-no for minors in most states. Oxygen is controversial as a medication but it is allowed to be handled by unlicensed providers as part of an emergency.

The other factor of age involves signing and witnessing legal documents. This can include anything from your PCR to refusal forms. If you still need your parents' signature for your own medical care, you probably shouldn't be taking consents or refusals from others.
 
VentMedic said:
The other factor of age involves signing and witnessing legal documents. This can include anything from your PCR to refusal forms. If you still need your parents' signature for your own medical care, you probably shouldn't be taking consents or refusals from others.
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WOW. I had not ever added that into my arguement against youth in EMS. Good point. I could see the childs refusal PCR in court. LOL
 
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