Hey guys, need a little assistance here.

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Pujo

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Hey guys,
First visit, first post, great site.

Back in the 80's I was an EMT-I. But I left the field after about a year or so to pursue my passion in another field. I am working for a company for away from civilization which has no medical team here at this station. I am trying to convince the powers that be to either train one of us as an EMT, not a first responder, or hire an EMT.

The management has been saying (for over a year now) that they were going to train one of us as a first responder (never happened). Well I have been a first responder at my local VFD for a few years and I don’t feel that a first responder is the correct choice here. Not to degrade the first responder, but only that a first responder has limitations. I also know that an EMT has limitations as well.

I work in the industrial field, and injuries do occur.

Example: Man falls 30 foot from a scaffold. Nothing to stabilize the guy, no c-collar just a metal basket. Cannot get the personnel basket in a helicopter. Had to wait approx 2.5 hours for a med-flight from an ambulance company. You can play out other scenarios all day long. Nothing to work with and no training other than what is mandatory by the federal government. First-Aid & CPR with AED. Just not enough in my book. Do you guys think I am over reacting?

We do have an AED, and a first-aid kit, but that’s about it. This just doesn’t cover it if you ask me. I know we cannot be prepared for everything, but I think this company can do better than that.

What I need from you guys, if you will is help me put together a presentation that would express the need of an EMT on site at all times.

I do put together safety meetings, and I would like to make this one of my presentations using power point. I am trying to collect data from the web and individuals in the EMS field. Any and all help will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance,
Pujo
 
Anything more than BLS requires a medical director. Well even BLS requires a medical director.

Probably need a paramedic or RN that can work in isolated areas.
 
You said you are working for an industrial company, so a chemical company? Lots of industrial sites such as steel mills have their own FD and I'm sure they have medics on those, and some companies have there own designated people that will are trained in Haz Mat, emergency medicine, Fire ops, etc. When they get a page or here an alarm they meet at central command or where designated to go.
Which route were you planning on showing?
 
I work in the gulf (oil rig).
Other than the P.A.S.S. for extinguishers, there is no fire training. However, we do have foam (tripple F) and no one here has been trained on the proper use of it. I am FF2 certified and I have had the training, no one else has.

We have HAZWOPER training but thats about it.
I am just wanting to put together a power point to express the need for further training in all aspects mostly medical.

Just looking for guidence on what to do.
 
Training someone as an EMT really serves no purpose if the usage is for someone on an offshore location.

Half of an EMT program is based on how to move and carry people into and out of an ambulance. The other half is smoke and mirrors to make it seem like we actually did something other than use common sense to put on a bandage.


You need a staffed nurse.
 
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Pujo said:
I work in the gulf (oil rig).
Other than the P.A.S.S. for extinguishers, there is no fire training. However, we do have foam (tripple F) and no one here has been trained on the proper use of it. I am FF2 certified and I have had the training, no one else has.

We have HAZWOPER training but thats about it.
I am just wanting to put together a power point to express the need for further training in all aspects mostly medical.

Just looking for guidence on what to do.
Click to expand...

There are multiple companies that provide medical coverage to oil rigs. Research them and provide your company with that info. Trying to do it in house will be much more complicated than you think.
 
Well I do agree.
At this point anything is better than what we have now.
Our safety guy is or was an EMP-P and very arrogant.
Look guys. I can't seem to get it thru their heads that we need a medic.
All they see is $$$$ but when someone gets killed out here then it will be a different story. I dont want it to get to that point. Before a medic is placed out here.
What I want to do is have a power point at our next meeting that shows several scenerios of an injury that cannot be treated due to no training and no equipment with this causing a fatality. A few of these with some good graphic images may just jog their brains into seeing my point.
So material if what I need for the scenerios that I want to play.
Can anyone provide a good scenerio that I can put in the presentation?
You guys think I'm going about this the right way?
Thanks again,
Pujo
Sorry for misspelling, iPhone isn't my best friend.
 
2.5+ hour response times? Seems like a wilderness context to me. As opposed to urban environment based training, I think something that emphasizes delayed response times such as a WEMT may be more inline with your needs.
 
This sounds like a lawsuit waiting to happen. If you have a union rep, maybe go through him/her? Other than that, I'm surprised the company's lawyers haven't suggested that they do something to mitigate the risk you and your coworkers face.
 
I have never heard of an industrial company not have at least advanced first aid responders.(I guess the standards are quite different down in the us) Are there guidelines/ laws that dictate if there needs to be first aid/Medic coverage for different types of companies /number of employees? This might be something to look into.
 
It is a lawsuit waiting to happen but I just don't want it to get that far.
We have no union, wish we did. I just don't know where to turn with this.

Where do I go from here?
If someone falls from a ladder and gets impaled with an object that cannot me moved what are we to do? If someone has an allergic reaction and goes into anaphylaxis shock and the airway closes, what are we to do?
The list can go on for days, the managers say its a what if game that hasn't happen. Well as we all know, it's a matter of when, not if.
I've been on this rig over 5 years and have only seen out safety guy once.
That just isn't right.

Do I go forward with this or just leave it alone?
Thanks,
Pujo
 
Call OSHA anonymously and tell them you feel your safety at work is at risk due to on the job dangers and lack of medical care within any acceptable range.

You do not have to give them a name and they are required to come investigate.
 
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