Responding Alone

squid

Forum Lieutenant
104
0
0
Oh, don't ask! We're not even running blue lights or anything right now, and the department can't afford to kit anyone out with actual medical supplies... We're just a bunch of yokels in our POVs and grubby Carharrts :) Luckily that doesn't make us look too weird around here!

With all that space, we are still fewer than 3,000 people, and the vast majority live within a 5-mile circle of the station. We just have a long stretch of sparsely populated highway. It's also easier and safer for me to respond POV than for some because my sweetie is also with the VFD, and so we're often responding together. That's not most people's situation.

Our official policy is simply, don't drive past the station to go to the scene, and usually don't drive past a scene to go to the station. The way our district is long and skinny means that usually half the people live on one side of the station or the other, so it works out pretty well for getting apparatus and responders there quickly.

I'm not suggesting everyone get a jump bag or anything, but it would be nice if we could outfit some of the mroe advanced medics who live outside of town with some equipment. We get so few calls that it would be hard to justify giving people an AED or anything, but it certainly could make a difference to that one person who ends up needing it.

Part of the year, I work out of town and go down the highway a couple times a week. That's when I'm most likely to be on scene way before anyone else, if I stumble across an MVA or something. I'm just glad it's never happened to me except when I was already in the ambulance returning from another call. I think I would go mad on scnee alone for forty minutes with nothing but, oh, a penlight and a stethoscope and a CPR mask or whatever's in my car today. :)
 

hfdff422

Forum Lieutenant
231
0
0
Originally posted by squid@Nov 9 2005, 05:22 PM




I think I would go mad on scnee alone for forty minutes with nothing but, oh, a penlight and a stethoscope and a CPR mask or whatever's in my car today. :)
Sometimes the big red truck and the short bus are comforting to more than just the patient.
 
OP
OP
Jon

Jon

Administrator
Community Leader
8,009
58
48
you could always see if your department would do what mine does.... issue full trauma bags (O2 and Ambulance in a bag) to the 3 EMS officers, have AED's and trauma bags in both chief's cars, and the unwritten rule is that if you ask the EMS capt. to help you fill the bag you buy from Galls, you get whatever you want, within reason

Jon
 

TTLWHKR

Forum Deputy Chief
3,142
4
0
I always responded alone with WHKR8 (license plate #)...
That was my SUV that I just creamed, luckily there was no equipment on it...

I did buy a LifePak 500 on eBay.. Just need pads for it.

I'm going back to the original plan now. I bet they would license one of my units as a QRS rig...

"Whacker EMS" B)
icon4.gif
 

ResTech

Forum Asst. Chief
888
1
0
I got a really good deal at work.. we had LP300's that were replaced with LP500's and they were throwing the LP300's out in the dumpster so needless to say I aquired a LP300 from my supervisor. I just bought the electrode cable from e-bay and need some electrodes and the cable for the 3-lead monitoring.
 
OP
OP
Jon

Jon

Administrator
Community Leader
8,009
58
48
Originally posted by ResTech@Nov 10 2005, 02:26 PM
I got a really good deal at work.. we had LP300's that were replaced with LP500's and they were throwing the LP300's out in the dumpster so needless to say I aquired a LP300 from my supervisor. I just bought the electrode cable from e-bay and need some electrodes and the cable for the 3-lead monitoring.
Nice.


Oh, and TTLWHKR.... do you are if the pads ar a little out of date??? I might have a friend who knows someone who can hook you up with some recently exprieed ones :lol: :rolleyes:


Jon
 

hfdff422

Forum Lieutenant
231
0
0
Originally posted by MedicStudentJon+Nov 10 2005, 03:11 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (MedicStudentJon @ Nov 10 2005, 03:11 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-ResTech@Nov 10 2005, 02:26 PM
I got a really good deal at work.. we had LP300's that were replaced with LP500's and they were throwing the LP300's out in the dumpster so needless to say I aquired a LP300 from my supervisor. I just bought the electrode cable from e-bay and need some electrodes and the cable for the 3-lead monitoring.
Nice.


Oh, and TTLWHKR.... do you are if the pads ar a little out of date??? I might have a friend who knows someone who can hook you up with some recently exprieed ones :lol: :rolleyes:


Jon [/b][/quote]
You could open yourself up for lawsuits using uncertified or out of date equipment and parts. Be careful and speak with your EMS coordinator before you use something like that.

We all have that feeling that doing something is better that nothing, but if by doing something we violate a protocol, then the grieving family can take their grief out on our wallet, so then you go from having $10 a week to $2 a week. ;)
 
OP
OP
Jon

Jon

Administrator
Community Leader
8,009
58
48
Well... they still work for training :D


I was mearly mentioing this to Alex for his PERSONALLY OWNED AED.
 

TTLWHKR

Forum Deputy Chief
3,142
4
0
Originally posted by MedicStudentJon+Nov 10 2005, 03:11 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (MedicStudentJon @ Nov 10 2005, 03:11 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-ResTech@Nov 10 2005, 02:26 PM
I got a really good deal at work.. we had LP300's that were replaced with LP500's and they were throwing the LP300's out in the dumpster so needless to say I aquired a LP300 from my supervisor. I just bought the electrode cable from e-bay and need some electrodes and the cable for the 3-lead monitoring.
Nice.


Oh, and TTLWHKR.... do you are if the pads ar a little out of date??? I might have a friend who knows someone who can hook you up with some recently exprieed ones :lol: :rolleyes:


Jon [/b][/quote]
<hits Jon with a newspaper again> :p

Things like this have expiration dates for a reason...
 
Top