EMS and meal "breaks"

[audreyj]

I thought you would all get a kick out of this arguement I had with my husband last nite.

He was telling me all about his CDL and log book requirements, I didn't really care but played the good wife and listened. Then he started spewing on and on about how if we're entitled to meal breaks in our shift. I laughed and told him he was quite wrong. I said the first time you tell a dispatcher you're eating and not taking the call you better start clearing out whatever is yours because you won't have a job.

He still insists he's right. After trying to explain duty to act, he still didn't get it. *sigh* if only it worked that way right?

 

[Sasha]

I get a 30 minute paid meal break....

 

[bunkie]

Don't they schedule you time to eat?

 

[Epi-do]

Don't they schedule you time to eat?

Ummm, no. You eat when you can. If you have something really good for your meal, you can pretty much count on catching a run sometime in the first half of the meal. After a while, cold food isn't really all that bad....

 

[Jon]

What I think is funny is that the guy driving a commercial truck full of medical supplies is held to a VERY high standard... mandatory limits on hours driving, mandatory breaks, etc. And they must log it and keep track of it.

We can work 24-hour shifts with no downtime. That's not healthy. Or safe.

Sasha - Your company is a small minority.

 

[bunkie]

Ummm, no. You eat when you can. If you have something really good for your meal, you can pretty much count on catching a run sometime in the first half of the meal. After a while, cold food isn't really all that bad....

*shrugs* Well as a mother, I'm used to cold foods and stuffing it down when I have a minute to breathe. So this idea doesn't really bother me.

 

[JPINFV]

Don't they schedule you time to eat?

Neither company I've worked for had scheduled down time, but we generally always had time (or made time) to eat.

 

[rescue99]

I thought you would all get a kick out of this arguement I had with my husband last nite.

He was telling me all about his CDL and log book requirements, I didn't really care but played the good wife and listened. Then he started spewing on and on about how if we're entitled to meal breaks in our shift. I laughed and told him he was quite wrong. I said the first time you tell a dispatcher you're eating and not taking the call you better start clearing out whatever is yours because you won't have a job.

He still insists he's right. After trying to explain duty to act, he still didn't get it. *sigh* if only it worked that way right?

He is right..the question is...will anyone challenge it and risk not eating at all?

 

[46Young]

When I worked at NSLIJ we were paid 7.5 hours on every 8. This resulted in a 40 hour workweek compensated at 37.5 hours. If we were on an IFT shift, and we were worked straight through, we would get paid time and a half for our "meal break". 0.5 on 8, 0.75 on 12, or one hour on 16. In the 911 division you're SOL.

 

[rescue99]

When I worked at NSLIJ we were paid 7.5 hours on every 8. This resulted in a 40 hour workweek compensated at 37.5 hours. If we were on an IFT shift, and we were worked straight through, we would get paid time and a half for our "meal break". 0.5 on 8, 0.75 on 12, or one hour on 16. In the 911 division you're SOL.

Ahhh, 911. Entitled does not equate to finishing, or when we'll even see that meal does it?

On day 3 of a particularly high call volume week, my glucose dropped to 47 and I am not a diabetic! Had a rookie with me and not even dispatch could get me to a call just 2 miles down the road from our station. Finally arrived after 18 minutes. FD, very good friends of mine, noticed I wasn't my usual self and checked my glucose. Apparently, I, nor my rookie partner had the good sense to do so. :wacko:

For this reason, dispatchers need to make every reasonable effort to see to it that all crews have an opportunity to eat properly. I had attempted to get a half hour earlier in the evening. A supervisor promptly said, nope, need ya out there. Son of a gun actually had the nerve to write me up!

 

[audreyj]

Ahhh, 911. Entitled does not equate to finishing, or when we'll even see that meal does it?

On day 3 of a particularly high call volume week, my glucose dropped to 47 and I am not a diabetic! Had a rookie with me and not even dispatch could get me to a call just 2 miles down the road from our station. Finally arrived after 18 minutes. FD, very good friends of mine, noticed I wasn't my usual self and checked my glucose. Apparently, I, nor my rookie partner had the good sense to do so. :wacko:

For this reason, dispatchers need to make every reasonable effort to see to it that all crews have an opportunity to eat properly. I had attempted to get a half hour earlier in the evening. A supervisor promptly said, nope, need ya out there. Son of a gun actually had the nerve to write me up!

That's no good! I know some people carry snacks on the rig but not a lot of people do, probably a wise idea to do so. It never fails, the time you say eat or quiet or variations of those words, you're gonna get a call.

 

[46Young]

Ahhh, 911. Entitled does not equate to finishing, or when we'll even see that meal does it?

On day 3 of a particularly high call volume week, my glucose dropped to 47 and I am not a diabetic! Had a rookie with me and not even dispatch could get me to a call just 2 miles down the road from our station. Finally arrived after 18 minutes. FD, very good friends of mine, noticed I wasn't my usual self and checked my glucose. Apparently, I, nor my rookie partner had the good sense to do so. :wacko:

For this reason, dispatchers need to make every reasonable effort to see to it that all crews have an opportunity to eat properly. I had attempted to get a half hour earlier in the evening. A supervisor promptly said, nope, need ya out there. Son of a gun actually had the nerve to write me up!

Good, tell your supervisor that you insist on having a copy of the write up so that when you get into an accident while on duty the agency will be at fault, since they choose to ignore potential hazards (such as this one) caused by forcing employees to work extended hours with no breaks.

 

[exodus]

We can request a meal break if we want, but 99% of the time, we're always able to get a snack if we absolutely have to. Eat before you come in, right before. And bring a snack, a healthy person (non-diabetic) should be able to go 24 hours without eating and without compensation for it before problems start showing. Other than stomache pain, etc. I've done several 12's and not eaten anything. But you can easily eat on the way to calls if you have to. Have your partner drive.

While what I just said isn't safe. It is possible if you plan for it and are prepared for not being able to eat.

 

[MrBrown]

We have required downtime and limits on driving hours (both are set by law); 2x 15 minute paid breaks and a 30 minute unpaid meal break are required for per 12 hour watch.

As to when we take the breaks is obviously subject to workload (some stations have a very low workload for example) and it is decided by the EACC (dispatch) as they have a "whole" view of who is where, what jobs are waiting etc.

There are requirements but I don't know them off the top of my head - e.g. breaks must be between X and Y hours from start / end of shift.

 

[Jon]

When I worked Security as an EMT / medical responder, we were paid straight time thoughout our shift, as we were always on call (even on breaks, and in the bathroom... been there, done that). Some of the regular posts had the officer sign out for a 30-minute meal break. Some complained that we got paid to eat... and it was a semi-regular occurrence where I didn't eat until hour 6 or 7 of my 8-hour shift, or didn't bother to eat at all.

And I can't count the number of meals I've started and finished an hour or more later because of a call.

 

[spisco85]

We have no guarantee for breaks or eating. The only break they can't stop you from is a bathroom break.

 

[Sasha]

We can request a meal break if we want, but 99% of the time, we're always able to get a snack if we absolutely have to. Eat before you come in, right before. And bring a snack, a healthy person (non-diabetic) should be able to go 24 hours without eating and without compensation for it before problems start showing. Other than stomache pain, etc. I've done several 12's and not eaten anything. But you can easily eat on the way to calls if you have to. Have your partner drive.

While what I just said isn't safe. It is possible if you plan for it and are prepared for not being able to eat.

Sorry, but just because a service is busy does not mean someone should endure being hungry. Bring in another truck, get them a break. It is NOT safe to go without eating for extended periods of time.

 

[Aerin-Sol]

Hmm, KY has a law that states

"Employers, except those subject to the Federal Railway Labor Act, shall grant their employees a reasonable period for lunch, and such time shall be as close to the middle of the employee's scheduled work shift as possible. In no case shall an employee be required to take a lunch period sooner than three (3) hours after the work shift commences, nor more than five (5) hours from the time the work shift commences. "

are EMTs not covered by this law or are we just a weird state?

 

[Hal9000]

Sorry, but just because a service is busy does not mean someone should endure being hungry. Bring in another truck, get them a break. It is NOT safe to go without eating for extended periods of time.

I agree with that. I've gone out of service for "needed supplies" after having a thousand calls back to back. Luckily, I've had good supervisors that have put our units OOS for breaks when things get going for too long and will even send texts asking if we're doing OK on food or if we need a break.

 

[WolfmanHarris]

We get two 30 min paid breaks during a 12 hour shift. These breaks can fall anywhere within a 2 hour period during the first and third, thirds of the shift. Most days there's enough downtime that it's a non-issue, but if it's busy we request dispatch to place us on break during which time they will attempt to deploy other trucks to cover minor calls during this time. If a Code 4 (Urgent) comes in during our break we respond as normal and receive another break as soon as possible. The time on the break restarts. We must be allowed to return to a base during this break, but there is no requirement to return to our home station.

If due to deployment demands we are not given one or both of our breaks without interruption, the employer pays $15.00 per missed break.

That being said, on a busy day, we're busy and I since I almost always pack my lunch it comes with me in the truck. In a pinch I also keep a couple granola bars and some caramels in the side pocket on my PPE bag so I can grab a bite on the run.