Need some questions answered...

FutureParamedic609

FutureParamedic609

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Okay, so none of you probably know this (probably because I never mentioned it in my intro post...) but I like to write short stories/novels...and well my latest idea has been to write a story about paramedics/firefighters...

The original idea was about a firefighter, but I decided to change it so now the main characters will be medics.

Anywho, seeing as how I am not an EMT/Medic yet & I want to get everything fairly realistic, I'm going to have lots of questions, lol. And what better place to ask them, then here?

So, my first questions:

1. What do you call newbies to the company? Rookies, probies? And...what does probie mean? (I looked it up, but not sure I got the correct definition in terms of an EMS probie...lol)
2. What are some realistic/dramatic ways of medic's getting injured on duty? (This is for a scene in the story, ;))

Okay..so that's probably all for right now; if I think of any more I will definitely post them here. And if any of ya'll want to the read the story, I will figure out some way for you too. I am gonna rewrite the summary and first couple pages that I have (in the FF plot) tomorrow so I can put the summary up here if you're interested ;)

Thanks!!

Emily
 
I'm a writer too. What a wonderful thing to see someone else doing it as well. Have you completed any stories? Is this your first? When I'm hired on someone, I'll be happy to answer some of those questions for you. :P
 
Well I can't tell you much about the actual EMS go because I am connected up with a fire service and rarely work with an EMS company. The last person we had injured on a medical call actually slammed their finger in the truck door. More realistically people will pull muscles moving heavy people. However once someone did get hurt trying to decend a steep slope at a nature preserve. A good majoritiy of injuries can be prevented by scene saftey and by knowing the signs and symptoms of cranial rectitis (that is keeping your head out of your :censored:)
 
Probie is a diminutive form of probationary and generally merits the same status as rookie. I've only heard police use the term rookie and firefighters use probie, but I'm sure there's some overlap somewhere.
 
Well I've got more stories than Mother Goose haha!! But probie is short for probationary which means you are not a full member of the orginization yet. usually 1 year until that time is up and you can be let go at anytime for any reason durring that time.. after proby time is up you are a full firefighter and it takes a board and more to terminate you and you are now expected to know your job and be able to train new people. " sit on the couch, use facebook, talk Exc.. Rookie is a term that is used in the fire service but is more towrds people that have NO experince in the job at all and its there first time, so they are rookies and probies at the same time , think of it like baseball a rookie is someone that has never played in th majors before and someone thats played ten years and goes to another team you wouldnt call them a rookie, but they are new. I hope I explained that so you can understand it
 
1. Probie and rookie are usually the same. Depends on your service/station's traditions, really. I'm known as a rookie at one place. At another, I'm a "probationary member" or "new kid"--nobody likes to say probie or rookie for reasons that remain unknown.

I do know of one place that draws a distinction, though. You're a probie for the first six months, then a rookie for the next year.

2. The usual ways people get hurt are boring. I'd suggest a car accident--either in the ambulance or having a car plow into the scene. If they're firemedics or working extrication, having a fire or extrication go wrong is always possible.
 
use these comments to start getting an idea about what to write, but i think you should wait until you've actually worked, that way you can draw from real life experience
 
Can't say it is a common term in strictly EMS system.

All the systems I have been in that were EMS only, I was usually introduced as this is our new employee "AK" and surprisingly enough, everyone called me by my proper first name.

I in turn, did the same thing for others who came after me.

The three fire departments I have worked for I did not encounter that either because the first two were EMS which was absorbed (taken over) by the FD, so even though I was a "new" FF, I was certainly no probie. The 3rd FD I worked for, my age kept most of the guys from addressing me as such since I was same age or older than most of the LTs.

As for injuries on the job, there can be anything and everything. You asked for the most common, which I would say most likely be back injuries due to improper lifting techniques. As someone else alluded to earlier, sound safety practices eliminate or reduce most of our hazards.
 
Thanks for all the replies, guys! :D

You all definitely made sense with explaining the difference between probie and rookie. :D

As for my question about injuries, it didn't have to be the most common. Actually in my story I was thinking of something quite more dangerous...but I dont want to give it away lol. Still up for tips though ;)

Guardian - Well, I would love to wait until I had personal experience, except that's not going to be for a couple more years, and I'd really like to just to write the story now.

Bunkie - I have completed one story (a fanfiction) and have started several others that just died down (working on trying to finish one original story though), so I definitely do have experience with writing! lol.

Emily
 
Seaglass said:
2. The usual ways people get hurt are boring. I'd suggest a car accident--either in the ambulance or having a car plow into the scene. If they're firemedics or working extrication, having a fire or extrication go wrong is always possible.
Click to expand...

When I was still in training I was told by my instructor that this has actually killed FFs:
[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1Qj75pbl8o[/YOUTUBE]
 
Now that It got you started...

I started writing the story of my 12 year experience in EMS in 1985, pretty much the day I left the field.

I wrote about it because I had to, not because I wanted to. I'm just about finished and you'll get to see it soon! Not bad, that's only 24 years! I would've had it out sooner but I had to eat! Along the way, I had a movie made and blah, blah, blah...

You may never see your work published or on screen and it really doesn't matter. It's all about the discovery.

#1 A writer must write, so no matter what, keep writing...about anything and everything. It doesn't matter the genre because right now it's all about learning how to spin the tale.

#2 Keep notes which you're doing but here's a tip -- especially for this field: Keep one set of notes for the technical and another set for the human observations you make; "what is living inside their patients AND themselves that the medics must save? (Almost NONE of the portrayals of EMS go there.)

#3 Make it very personal and specific Journal, Journal, Journal. It'll pay off later. You'll learn the more specific and personal the story, the more Universal it becomes.

#4 Never Give up! If you actually want to SELL something, remember;
No Matter What You Got, Someone's Looking For It!

Best of luck! As for me, I won't tell you any details. You go out and live them.
 
Thanks for the great tips, FireTender! :D

And I actually have another question:

Is there a lieutenant status for paramedics? Or is that just for firefighters?

In my story, they're based in New York - so I was think they would be part of the New York Fire Department, and they'd have the fire and medic in that same location. Is that correct? Or does NYFD work differently on the whole paramedic thing?

Emily
 
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Okay I have another question...

What is the difference between all of these?

Battalion
Ladder
Squad
Truck
Engine
Rescue
Safety Battalion

And what exactly do the numbers mean after each of these?

Thanks!

Emily
 
RuralEMT said:
When I was still in training I was told by my instructor that this has actually killed FFs:
Click to expand...

That and loaded bumpers and big things to watch out for onscene. Your fire class will probably cover those... or at least I hope it will.

Don't have time to define the stuff you asked, but (at least in my area) the numbers are usually county/station designations. The first number is the county, the second and third are the station, and any after are the vehicle's number within the station. So, if I was in a county with the number one, at station 25, riding ALS ambulance #3, we'd be Medic 125-3. If other ambulances from station 25 weren't out that night, we'd just be Medic 125. If we were an engine with all the same numbers, we'd be Engine 125 instead.
 
Emily, what fanfic did you complete? How many words was it?
What's the premise of your novel you are working on now? What is the genera? Are you looking to be published?

I can't answer those definitions for fire. Only know the military definitions of a few of those.
 
bunkie said:
Emily, what fanfic did you complete? How many words was it?
What's the premise of your novel you are working on now? What is the genera? Are you looking to be published?

I can't answer those definitions for fire. Only know the military definitions of a few of those.
Click to expand...

I completed a fanfic called "He Could Be The One" about a teen rockstar meeting a girl on a cruise ship...it was 38,226 words.

Premise? What's that? lol.

The genre is probably mainly going to be action...with some romance/comedy.

I would love to get it published, but right now just writing it for fun. ;)

Emily
 
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