Long Boards

[TTLWHKR]

My personal favorite are the ones that use the least amount of space. Four folding metal take the same space as two single piece boards. I used a folding wood board on a "Rescue Randy" once, and the hinges creeked just a second before the whole board broke in half. I was just think about this as I was helping my brother, an ambulance chief from Eastern PA shop for the most ecnomical boards.

Plastic may hold up better, but always good to have a wooden one on board for those patients who are being flown. Why spend alot on a board that you may never see again, I figure. What's your take?

 

[ffemt8978]

I agree with you. Around here, we use the single piece plastic boards unless we know the patient is going to be flown out, then we use the single piece wooden.

 

[shorthairedpunk]

We use the poly boards, but we are lucky enough that we do transfers to all the hospitals where the birds we utilize are based, so we just pick up our boards and anyone from our area when we go to any of them. The wooden boards are all supposed to be off the rigs in this state, because nobody was maintaining them and the biohazard risk was too great for the state to trust the services. I still see them in use though, but i figure thats just cause the state doesnt have time to check.

 

[vtemti]

Same in Vermont. Wooden boards are not 1st choice because of biohazard reasons. We do though, still have a few around for backup in case of an MCI.

 

[TTLWHKR]

Originally posted by vtemti@Jul 13 2005, 03:32 PM
Same in Vermont. Wooden boards are not 1st choice because of biohazard reasons. We do though, still have a few around for backup in case of an MCI.

That is why you buy laminated wooden boards. Our backboard cleaner used rolling sponges, steam and various cleaners that gave everything a good go over. If it wasn't capable of being cleaned, you'd know right away b/c non laminated boards buckle when steamed. In which case you cut them in half, sand it, laminate them yourself (the people at Lowes hardware Superstore can show you how), and you have a new short board...

 

[Jon]

I'm a big fan of the poly ones with embedded pins, and the embedded printing.

We fly them downtown often, and some hospitals are better about shipping them back than others... one runs a van with them out to the area when there is a "pile" One UPS's them out the next business day

Jon

 

[MMiz]

Around here each ambulance squad pays the county X for every ambulance they put into service, and the county medical control purchases X plastic long-boards boards for that ambulance. These are in constant rotation among squads, so if we're short, we simply stop by a hospital and pick a few up.

We don't own our long boards, but instead just keep two on our ambulance until we us 'em, then pick up some more at a hospital or our station. I think it's a great idea!

 

[TTLWHKR]

Originally posted by MMiz@Jul 14 2005, 05:22 AM
Around here each ambulance squad pays the county X for every ambulance they put into service, and the county medical control purchases X plastic long-boards boards for that ambulance. These are in constant rotation among squads, so if we're short, we simply stop by a hospital and pick a few up.

We don't own our long boards, but instead just keep two on our ambulance until we us 'em, then pick up some more at a hospital or our station. I think it's a great idea!

Same here. EXCEPT. The board we are provided are wooden, and made by a federal owned prison. What does our money go toward?

Who the hell knows, probably the annual EMS Banquet with 300.00 bottles of imported fruit wines. Just what we need I always say, get us all 100 miles from home and get us drunk. Job security?

 

[Stevo]

What does our money go toward?

in this case corporate welfare to produce goods at slave labor rates....

 

[TTLWHKR]

Originally posted by Stevo@Jul 14 2005, 03:31 PM

What does our money go toward?

in this case corporate welfare to produce goods at slave labor rates....

Well, since they are in prison; I hope they don't get paid for it at all. They aren't there to make money, they are there to pay for their crimes!

 

[shorthairedpunk]

Originally posted by TTLWHKR+Jul 14 2005, 08:01 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (TTLWHKR @ Jul 14 2005, 08:01 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-Stevo@Jul 14 2005, 03:31 PM

What does our money go toward?

in this case corporate welfare to produce goods at slave labor rates....

Well, since they are in prison; I hope they don't get paid for it at all. They aren't there to make money, they are there to pay for their crimes! [/b][/quote]
If its one of the few states that still has work programs they are actually there to be reformed and better prepared for reintegration into society as productive citizens. They work for peanuts, but the concept of working for a living is new to them and this gives them that experience, as well as teaching them a trade. Would you prefer that they sit in prison like most in this state and collect state shots for free, while practicing their drug dealing and gangbanging skills?

 

[TTLWHKR]

Originally posted by shorthairedpunk+Jul 14 2005, 11:22 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (shorthairedpunk @ Jul 14 2005, 11:22 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>

Originally posted by TTLWHKR@Jul 14 2005, 08:01 PM
<!--QuoteBegin-Stevo

@Jul 14 2005, 03:31 PM

What does our money go toward?

in this case corporate welfare to produce goods at slave labor rates....

Well, since they are in prison; I hope they don't get paid for it at all. They aren't there to make money, they are there to pay for their crimes!

If its one of the few states that still has work programs they are actually there to be reformed and better prepared for reintegration into society as productive citizens. They work for peanuts, but the concept of working for a living is new to them and this gives them that experience, as well as teaching them a trade. Would you prefer that they sit in prison like most in this state and collect state shots for free, while practicing their drug dealing and gangbanging skills? [/b][/quote]
I really don't care what they do in prison, we pay taxes anyway, as long as they are out of society. The only idea I liked for Gee-Dubbya was the prison camps where they lived in tents and only ate bologna sandwiches every day. Sure some can be reformed, and I'm all for that. But people who kill, who continue to commit crimes after they were "put through the system". Lock em up and throw away the key. Free Labor, if ya want, clean roads, hell put em on a chain gang for all I care, as long as they aren't out in the world making it a worse place to live.


Anyway.. The thread is about backboards. I was just telling you where they came from and my opinion on it. They make sturdy boards, but not that great. It would cost less to buy them from a reputable catalog for 75 bucks, than to hand the cash off to the region to send someone on a Hawaiian Cruise to study the necessity of having Quick Response agencies in areas that are 30 miles or greater from an EMS unit.

 

[shorthairedpunk]

"Preach to us, Short, tell us why it's good that people die from mistakes. We all make mistakes in life, some people pay for it immediately, and some people pay for it for the rest of their short lives. If someone could reverse that mistake, sure to never make it again, why prevent that?"

from another post you made in the HIV thread, isnt that a direct contradiction in attitude? most people will repeat a "mistake".



anyhow back to the board issue.

Most wooden backboard are laminated, the problems in this state arose in the fact that when there was damage to the lamination, exposing the wood, it was not being repaired. Thats why they were to be pulled.

 

[Wingnut]

I like wood

 

[MedicPrincess]

Originally posted by Wingnut@Jul 15 2005, 11:47 AM
I like wood

Girl...You so silly....

Round here, we only have plastic. If the units use one on a call or run out, they just stop by a hospital and get restocked.

Works out nice.

Same for the fire departments. If they need them for their Trucks, they send someone to the hospitals to get what they need.

 

[KEVD18]

we mostly use the plastic speed slip boards in my area. after a pt is cleared off the board, they just pile the ems equip near the ambulance entrance. before we leave, we take a board. sometimes its one of our, sometime it belongs to another service. oh well......thants how that game is played

 

[Ridryder911]

WOW ! I didn't know wooden backboards are still allowed... I know they can't not be absorable & must have no knicks or cuts.. as per OSHA.. I know of one service that was fined per OSHA on a hospital survey for blood borne .. because the handle groove had became worn down..

Be safe,
ridrder 911

 

[TTLWHKR]

Our wooden boards are laminated in such a way that you cannot tell that it is actually wood. It's almost like it had been dipped in plastic. There is at least 1/16" of thick plastic over the wood. The ones that are only covered in a clear coat were made for mass-casualty. But they get used more often than they should. Better to use them every now and then and know their strength, then to let them set for ten years and go to use them and have it break. When we can no longer use them, they go to a funeral home in town. They burn them after so many uses, but they also put them in a vinyl bag, then put the body on top of the vinyl bag. Not a bad idea, but I think that would be an accident waiting to happen, wet vinyl gets awfully slippery.

 

[Jon]

Originally posted by Ridryder911@Jul 15 2005, 10:51 PM
WOW ! I didn't know wooden backboards are still allowed... I know they can't not be absorable & must have no knicks or cuts.. as per OSHA.. I know of one service that was fined per OSHA on a hospital survey for blood borne .. because the handle groove had became worn down..

Be safe,
ridrder 911

Yeah.. I was thinking the same thing.... I'll check my coursebook when I get a chance...

 

[Jon]

Originally posted by KEVD18@Jul 15 2005, 07:09 PM
we mostly use the plastic speed slip boards in my area. after a pt is cleared off the board, they just pile the ems equip near the ambulance entrance. before we leave, we take a board. sometimes its one of our, sometime it belongs to another service. oh well......thants how that game is played

That is how the City of Philadelphia treats out of town boards left at ED's

When I work transport, I routinely find boards at hospitals 45 miles from the squad, that aren't trauma centers, because Fire/Rescue and most priviate EMTs/Medics don't care who's board it is, so long as they have a board.

It is really funny seeing the same backboard from a local squad (to me 35+ miles from the city) showing up at various non-trauma ED's because Philly Fire steals any board they can. I've taken boards off of other co's transport trucks that belong to one of my vollie squads.... that was a fun one explaining to the supervisor of the old co. I worked for...why I was carring backboards home occasionally after a midnight shift.... Poor Dabo....

The county-owned idea is nice, but they would have to be "high end" boards... like BackStrap, BackPak, or similar... with pins... that way eveyone would USE them.

Jon