How many lights is too many?

never had a patient know i was there because i had a small green light on my car... lol...

wow... after reading the pages of posts, and some of the, let's call them interesting, reasons vollies have for POV's with lights, i am seriously considering removing mine!

please, someone, give me a valid reason to keep it....
but alas... there won't be one...
 
skyemt said:
never had a patient know i was there because i had a small green light on my car... lol...

wow... after reading the pages of posts, and some of the, let's call them interesting, reasons vollies have for POV's with lights, i am seriously considering removing mine!

please, someone, give me a valid reason to keep it....
but alas... there won't be one...
Click to expand...

*grins* that may be true, but it helps the family thats looking out the window wondering why we are not there yet... Time seems to go slow when you are waiting. 8 minutes is an eternity.
 
Thank God morgan doesn't offer that for volunteer fireman otherwise i'd have to lock my husband up or break the lights!! I honsetly hope he wouldn't do it but.......you never know!
 
TgerFoxMark said:
*grins* that may be true, but it helps the family thats looking out the window wondering why we are not there yet... Time seems to go slow when you are waiting. 8 minutes is an eternity.
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True, but I've found that when I knock on the door, they generally know I'm there. It's legal for me to have lights, but I don't and won't. They are totally useless and encourage us to drive like idiots.
 
Lights are tools just like anything else. The responsibility falls with the person behind the wheel to use them properly. Even in areas that do not have enough traffic to make them usefull while responding they can still be very usefull to protect you and your vehicle from traffic on scene.
 
I do wonder how many people would actually volunteer of there were no ability to use l/s on either POV or emergency trucks? The same even as a paid professional?

I would imaging it would be high, which is shameful that there is such a thing as whakerism.

R/r 911
 
I've got no lights on my POV... my service doesn't allow them, because we run FROM STATION. I've got no need to have them.

I've got an amber teardrop that I found at a yardsale that lives in my trunk... I've pulled it out to use on rental vehicles at work... but never needed it on my own car.

I've occasionally gone into the squad when they are busy, so that I can get out the 4th or 5th truck if needed... it takes me about 10 minutes, and I don't speed excessively.


As for using warning lights. Here is something my one Lt. taught me a long time ago:
If you drive like an a**hole with blue lights, someone is going to call the fire chief and he'll give you a hard time. If you just drive like an a**hole.... you are just driving like an idiot... you only have to worry about having to explain your actions to the PD (and our blue lights don't give us any legal rights, anyway). - seemed like a good way to look at it.
 
My SAR team has 3 trucks with lights and sirens. Lights on POVs are prohibited.

We don't even really need the lights and sirens on the trucks. I've only seen them run code 3 once, because it was for a rescue off a curvy mountain road and the FD was waiting for us to provide them with a ATV so they could get a paramedic into this guy with a bad femur fx. We didn't drive any faster than normal... the only reason we ran with lights and sirens was because of the curviness.... we were hoping drivers would at least hear us coming.

The only other situation in which I've seen the lights used was during an assist at a traffic accident that we happened to drive by while coming home from a training. Parked and ran the lights for protection.

Really, from what I've seen people drive even more like jackasses when you run code 3. They just panic and half of them don't even pull over to the right. They just aren't justifiable in most situations and the risk of running code is usually much greater than any possible benefits, especially in a POV.
 
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Let's lighten this up by laughing at some POV's that people have posted on Ye Olde Noob-Tube...

EDIT: I apologise if any of these are actual dept. units, I just grabbed whichever ones looked most likely to be daily drivers / daily over-compensators... (oops, did I say that out loud? *cough*STUPIDHUGEPICKUP*cough*).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYW6xGAePdA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21gGfKZiu_c

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhIBb7tycz4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-sImJzE1oaM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nw2CiRM4ZpU

... christ, this goes on forever!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YevvqKBUtB4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvUMfNcm58o (a lexus? come on...)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6fyJZMvb7Y (a MINIVAN!? k, you're killing me!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uvo6wCFkh2Q (another minivan...)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nw2CiRM4ZpU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MP3dcBWZF2Y (This last one kills me! Check out the strips of LEDs in the grill... also, minivan.)

I think I know what r/r meant by "he can tell a whacker coming from a mile away..."

And seriously, I think you could PROBABLY get someone to move out of your way with your flashing high-beams, or 4-ways, and your horn, if you REALLY had to. Just make sure you've got a nice fire / EMS sticker on the back for him to see when you pass him, and there probably won't be hard feelings.
 
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Do those that have lights on POV check that their insurance covers them responding?
 
Medical miracles are done in the back of the ambulance by the people that can make it to the scene and to the hospital with the patient.

We had tooooooo many issues with our members responding TO the station utilizing green lights and driving irrationally. I was having complaints from citizens who would see these poor habits who also listen to the scanners. (as well as the local LEOs)

I then prohibited the use of the lights about five years ago. Our volunteers HAVE to stay at the station period. On call personnel at home drive to station to man an ambulance when the other one is on a call.

Ambulances are prohibited from driving with lights and sirens to a BLS call.
Call requiring lights and sirens TO the hospital must meet Unsatable or Critical criteria and require a written L&S screen when they do.

We have not had any vehicle incident or "near misses" in five years and guess what - No Complaints.

I think everyone gets the big picture with this now.

I have also been able to reduce our insurance rates by 7% by also teaching CEVO and EVOC that is also required by everyone who gets behind the wheel of a rig.

The best outcome - 96% < 1 minute out of chute / 8 min average time to call -- 60% save rate in our cardic arrests.

hmmmmmmmm

Canoeman
 
Canoeman said:
Medical miracles are done in the back of the ambulance by the people that can make it to the scene and to the hospital with the patient.

We had tooooooo many issues with our members responding TO the station utilizing green lights and driving irrationally. I was having complaints from citizens who would see these poor habits who also listen to the scanners. (as well as the local LEOs)

I then prohibited the use of the lights about five years ago. Our volunteers HAVE to stay at the station period. On call personnel at home drive to station to man an ambulance when the other one is on a call.

Ambulances are prohibited from driving with lights and sirens to a BLS call.
Call requiring lights and sirens TO the hospital must meet Unsatable or Critical criteria and require a written L&S screen when they do.

We have not had any vehicle incident or "near misses" in five years and guess what - No Complaints.

I think everyone gets the big picture with this now.

I have also been able to reduce our insurance rates by 7% by also teaching CEVO and EVOC that is also required by everyone who gets behind the wheel of a rig.

The best outcome - 96% < 1 minute out of chute / 8 min average time to call -- 60% save rate in our cardic arrests.

hmmmmmmmm

Canoeman
Click to expand...

if you are averaging 8 minutes to an arrest, you are only two minutes shy of the time when almost no one is resuscitated...

how are you getting a "60%" save rate, which is well above any study ever done for that time frame?
 
Canoeman said:
Ambulances are prohibited from driving with lights and sirens to a BLS call.
Call requiring lights and sirens TO the hospital must meet Unsatable or Critical criteria and require a written L&S screen when they do.
Click to expand...
Do your providers have any discretion (perhaps required QA/QI for the call) for patients who don't meet the cook book?

The best outcome - 96% < 1 minute out of chute / 8 min average time to call -- 60% save rate in our cardic arrests.
Click to expand...

Please define a "cardiac arrest save?" Simple ROSC?
 
mattulance said:
Lights are tools just like anything else. The responsibility falls with the person behind the wheel to use them properly. Even in areas that do not have enough traffic to make them usefull while responding they can still be very usefull to protect you and your vehicle from traffic on scene.
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thank-you, I agree, it all depends on the person behind the wheel, and they do add to scene safety..
 
Ridryder911 said:
There are several studies that have been performed that have demonstrated the individuals while going with l/s automatically/impulsively sped up the speed, as well as heart rate increased, respiratory rate increased (basically sympathetic overdrive).

Basically, the studies describe that we actually have to be taught and control ourselves to be more careful and to actually force ourselves to slow down.

Sorry, I do not have the studies name-one can Google to obtain.

R/r 911
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Rid... I see this, especially since I'm spending more and more time behind the wheel. I'll look at my speed and realize I'm WAY above the speed limit.

The 3rd Rule of The House Of God:
When arriving at a cardiac arrest, the first procedure is to take your own pulse.
 
While I have a little blue rotor, I don't use it. Here in PA, blue lights are a "courtesy light" aka a joke. I don't even have it on my car. I figure that if a call was THAT bad, I'd just use the 4-way flashers and the horn.
 
Webster said:
While I have a little blue rotor, I don't use it. Here in PA, blue lights are a "courtesy light" aka a joke. I don't even have it on my car. I figure that if a call was THAT bad, I'd just use the 4-way flashers and the horn.
Click to expand...

4 ways and horn are illegal in most states for going to calls..
 
Ever wonder if speed was that essential why surgeons, physicians, etc. do not have them mounted on their Porsche's?

Really, who would not need them more than them? Yet, we do not see this .. wonder why?









...hint: safety and professionalism

R/r 911
 
Ridryder911 said:
Ever wonder if speed was that essential why surgeons, physicians, etc. do not have them mounted on their Porsche's?

Really, who would not need them more than them? Yet, we do not see this .. wonder why?

...hint: safety and professionalism

R/r 911
Click to expand...

The reason that they dont have L+S IS because its OUR job to take the PT. TO Them!

Just an opinion tho. EMS Is a Service Industry.
 
TgerFoxMark said:
The reason that they dont have L+S IS because its OUR job to take the PT. TO Them!

Just an opinion tho. EMS Is a Service Industry.
Click to expand...

What does that have to do with that? Since they are the ultmost authority, and without them no surgery will occur, hence no definitive treatment. See my point? ....

Point being, it is an ego issue. Even though, I would describe many surgeons having the biggest and over inflated ones, only some others would even compare... hmm maybe ones with l/s on their vehicles and carrying their own equipment. Amazing, you don't find very many ER Doc's that carry a jump kit, or surgeons that carry a portable surgical equipment (and they are definitely higher licensed and trained), yet we have those that will own an ambulance? C'mon.. do we not see a problem?

R/r 911
 
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