Greetings And Salivations

[41 Duck]

Hi, all. Long-time lurker, here. Geoff Cooper, from York County, PA. I'm a B, running with this funky little department (not a huge call volume, but a disproportionally high ratio of WTF?! Calls to Garden-variety) as a volunteer. No, I don't have a christmas tree worth of lights on my car (I don't have a blue light nor will I willingly put one on my car), and no, I don't carry my pager when I'm not on duty crew. Currently in a paramedic course and doing well.

Guess that's about it.


Later!

--Coop

 

[EMTCop86]

Welcome! So can you give us an example of one of your WTF?! calls?

 

[41 Duck]

This week, the top WTF?! factor (so far) goes to the three MVAs at the same address...

...within 18 hours...


Later!

--Coop

 

[HeavyCrow]

Welcome from one vol to another!!!

 

[Airwaygoddess]

Welcome to the tribe!

 

[41 Duck]

Thanks, all!

Later!

--Coop

 

[Jon]

Hey Coop... welcome aboard. I'm a few counties over to the right on a map of the state... chester/delaware county, depending on day/time

 

[NJN]

Welcome to the Life Coop. I'm over a river and thought a lot of woods.

 

[Sasha]

Am I the only one who noticed he posted Salivations? Bwahahahah! I choked on my gatorade! A slobbery hello to you, good sir and welcome!

 

[KEVD18]

No, I don't have a christmas tree worth of lights on my car (I don't have a blue light nor will I willingly put one on my car), and no, I don't carry my pager when I'm not on duty crew.

i like you already.

Am I the only one who noticed he posted Salivations? Bwahahahah! I choked on my gatorade! A slobbery hello to you, good sir and welcome!

sweetheart, you need to learn how to drink fluids! every other post you make involves you having some sort of gatorade accident!

 

[Sasha]

i like you already.



sweetheart, you need to learn how to drink fluids! every other post you make involves you having some sort of gatorade accident!

Only because I make the mistake of drinking while reading this board! You guys are so darn hilarious sometimes!! <3

 

[Sasha]

No, I don't have a christmas tree worth of lights on my car (I don't have a blue light nor will I willingly put one on my car), and no, I don't carry my pager when I'm not on duty crew.

Gasp! Shock! Dismay! How could you call yourself a volunteer if you dont have a disturbing amount of lights and a pager AT ALL TIMES!? What are the volunteers coming to!? Yeesh!

Just kidding

 

[41 Duck]

Thanks, all!

Sorry about the keyboard, Sasha. I'll try to curb such outbursts of sly wit in the future.

(not really, but societal norms dictate apologies in this case, so I’m giving the appropriate lip-service)

Heya to the fellow Pennsyltuckians. I'm here going on seven years now, originally from NY, landed in PA by way of FL (Tampa and FT Myers), then WA (Seattle). Seven years and I can ALMOST stop thinking of anything north of Harrisburg as "Upstate," anything past Hanover as "Out West Somewhere," and anything east of Wrightsville as "On The Wrong Side of the River."

I call myself a volunteer despite not marring my vehicle with a whack pack, and carrying my Minitor V 24/7 because... well.. because to be honest, I think that's kinda silly. I know who I am--don't need to do that to be sure of it.

The choice to be a volunteer, for me, is simple mathematics. To run paid EMS at the EMT-B level here, I'd be spending more on babysitters than I was bringing home --or close enough to make the difference immeasurable. Might as well stay home with my kids while they're young and will tolerate their Old Man, and run shifts when my schedule permits. That said, I average around 6-10 PT contacts/week. No, it's not much, but unfortunately, that's all I can do right now.

I'll work as a medic once I finish school.


Later!

--Coop

 

[daedalus]

I keep my pager with me almost everywhere...in a pocket...

Im a paid EMT, but not paid enough. I keep the pager with me for overtime pages! I need OT badly. Not all pager carriers do it for the wrong reasons, for some, its a little box that beeps to signal more money

 

[karaya]

My cell phone is tied into the county's 911 dispatching center whereby I receive text messages on most of the major incidents. Since I make my living as an "ambulance chasing paparazzi", I find this a very valuable means of communication. Sure beats walking around with radios and scanners all the time.

Welcome duck!!

Ray Kemp

 

[Anomalous]

My cell phone is tied into the county's 911 dispatching center whereby I receive text messages on most of the major incidents....
Ray Kemp

How do you get them to do that and how does it work?

 

[apagea99]

Welcome!

I'm a.....well....student. The instructors tell me I'm not fit to tie an EMT's shoes and am lucky to get my own tied. I beg to differ though as the Velcro closures seem to be working just fine today!

Have fun and stay safe!

 

[karaya]

How do you get them to do that and how does it work?

It's something in their dispatch system whereby they can program automatic text messaging to different groups. They can also program it so that only certain types of calls get text messages to certain groups. Once they input your cell phone info into the system the rest is automatic.

Since I photograph for several emergency publications and since I photographed that very dispatch center for the cover of APCOs Public Safety Communications magazine last year, it didn't take a whole lot of talking to have them add me to the system.

Ray

 

[BossyCow]

Our SAR group uses the same system. We receive text messages for initial tone out. This is followed up by a phone call from the call out coordinator asking us if we are going, which rig, where from etc. Since our calls for SAR can last for days, we have less urgency involved in the on scene response.