Ricky Rescue?

emtB123

emtB123

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Is there such a thing as being too Ricky Rescue? I mean we work in a field that can go from cool and calm to complete chaos, so is it really a bad thing to have a meriad of favorite gear/equipment on your person? I just want to be prepared all the time, but I don't want to look like an idiot.
What do you other providers usually have on them all the time?
 
There is absolutely such a thing as being too Ricky Rescue. Work is work, time off is time off, and we should all know the difference.

I carry a cell phone on my person and that's all I plan on ever carrying. I've never done anything off duty besides calling 911, but my interventions would stop at hands only CPR (completely willing to do this if I saw anyone who needed it), public access AED usage, and hemorrhage control. Really, what other time sensitive thing would you ever see yourself doing until EMS arrived?

I have no desire to carry any sort of BLS or ALS gear in my personal vehicle. My PPE gear lives in my backseat because there's no sense in lugging it out of my car between shifts, but it would never leave the car except to go into a station and on a truck.
 
If I ever feel like I need to keep gear on or around me and/or expect to use it, I'm living in a bad place.
 
I've heard people calling providers with a sharpie and trauma shears in their cargo pocket labeled "Ricky Rescue", but I call that efficiency. Personally I think the low limit is having a bat belt. Nothing wrong with a few pocket items or even a fanny pack. That said, these comments are made about on-duty providers, which again seems counter intuitive.

Now... off duty. Carrying a pen, even a sharpie? Sure. Trauma shears? Alright, now we are getting towards Ricky Rescue. Gauze? TQ? Yeah...

I am along the lines of chaz. My cell phone is always on me, and I also like to have my watch as well. Time is important in general, but is also a useful tool if you were to walk up on a to-be scene. You won't see me doing anything not taught by AHA CPR/AED/First Aid for HCPs if I'm not in uniform, except maybe a history, at least HPI.
 
I guess I'm asking because were I live is a very rural area, and sometimes and ambulance can be 15-30 minutes depending on where you are. Especially with the amount of volunteer services in the area. I've even heard of up to an hour for a response. So for providers like myself, what's too far? I mean I have a jump-bag thats been issued to me, and I don't know if I should invest in anything extra, or just leave it at the jump-bag and call it good...
 
In college my job was to be Ricky Rescue. :cool:

Got EMS training and given my own personal jump bag in exchange for "just being around." (Didn't have to run calls, but of course, by proximity and a yell from the other side of the hall, I would be there before EMS).

For a time I was enthusiastically adding to it-- triage tags, OPA/NPA, bright orange vests, PCRs, biohazard containers,... then I realized-- for what?

I still have that kit so I leave it in my trunk, but I haven't had much use for it besides the time I got a paper cut. ;)
It will really only have use if I happen to drive up to an MCI, be first on scene, and yet not suspect that my life is in danger

However, for some people this is a work/life balance thing, whereas for others it seems that it's all about preparing for disaster. Both make sense to me. I'm not as experienced as others, so take this post with a grain of salt (or a few mL of normal saline will do fine).

I personally always carry a pair of gloves and a face shield (enough to deal with A-B-C until help arrives), and since I'm not naked in the Sahara Dessert, I'm told I have all the tools I could ever need.
 
Grimes said:
I've heard people calling providers with a sharpie and trauma shears in their cargo pocket labeled "Ricky Rescue", but I call that efficiency. Personally I think the low limit is having a bat belt. Nothing wrong with a few pocket items or even a fanny pack. That said, these comments are made about on-duty providers, which again seems counter intuitive.

Now... off duty. Carrying a pen, even a sharpie? Sure. Trauma shears? Alright, now we are getting towards Ricky Rescue. Gauze? TQ? Yeah...

I am along the lines of chaz. My cell phone is always on me, and I also like to have my watch as well. Time is important in general, but is also a useful tool if you were to walk up on a to-be scene. You won't see me doing anything not taught by AHA CPR/AED/First Aid for HCPs if I'm not in uniform, except maybe a history, at least HPI.
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Oh, I definitely carry a couple extra things on duty, but that's separate from the original question.

I always carry a knife and wear a watch off duty too, but that's just because I like knives and watches and hasn't the slightest to do with EMS.
 
there is a big difference between issued equipment that you always have on you and jumping calls with a first aid kit you bought and over stocked yourself. If you are issued equipment by your agency, and are issued it for the express purpose of responding to calls prior to arrival of the ambulance, because that is what they do, than by all means do it.

I imagine your agency has been doing for a while, and as a result, they are only giving you certain pieces of equipment to use prior to arrival of the ambulance. listen to those who came before you, and until you have been doing it for a while, just do what they are, and use what they provide.
 
As noted before by @Grimes, there's a variable level for "Ricky"... if you are involved with a career or staffed volunteer department in an urban or suburban setting, no need for anything but a cell phone, let your coworkers who are currently working do their job. On the flip side; in a low call volume volunteer department set in the middle of absolute nowhere, where there are few (if any) staffed ambulances and you work on a "y'all come" system, then it is very appropriate that you carry a smartly stocked jump bag (if thats what your department issues/allows). When its unclear who, if anyone, is going to be showing up to help you with the guy down the road who got his arm stuck in a piece of farm equipment and there's no eta for a transporting ambulance, its nice to at least have the basic stuff with you.
 
I carry gauze, bandaids, a SAM splint and some bandaging. It's my personal first aid kit for my kids/family, its purpose is NOT to be used for anyone else! My phone can call 911 for anyone who may need assistance. I would do CPR if I came across someone who needed it, and would use a public-access AED if available. I would leave my name & cell number with the responding agency when they showed up and then I'd happily back off and leave the scene.
 
emtB123 said:
Is there such a thing as being too Ricky Rescue? I mean we work in a field that can go from cool and calm to complete chaos, so is it really a bad thing to have a meriad of favorite gear/equipment on your person? I just want to be prepared all the time, but I don't want to look like an idiot.
What do you other providers usually have on them all the time?
Click to expand...

Look, carry whatever gear you want with you. In my mind that does not make you a whacker or ricky rescue etc. I know people that carry more odds and ends than Batman and others that use only what is in the bags/on the truck. I think all that matters is whether you are professional and reasonable. I think what bothers people is follks who treat EMS like some bizzarre hobby and carry this over into their non work life. Often this is assoicated with a total lack of understanding of medical principles leading to absurd situations where these indiduals actually believe their over the top efforts or simple minded slogans represent adquate care or imrpovement in people's lives.

As for what I carry I am somewhere in the middle. 911 and Ground based CCT , not much. Everything is close at hand. I carry a stethescope , shears pens etc. Nothing specail.

When I fly I do like to carry a few more things on my person but this is mainly just for convenicence so I don't have to go searching for them. But overall I am pretty conservative on life saving gear.
 
I like to have a pair of gloves in my back pocket - mainly because they come in handy when working on my car or cleaning up after my dog.
 
At work I like to carry things on my person. Pen light, shears (both company required on person), gloves and 2 N95s and a knife. The masks fold up nicely and fit in a cargo pocket and I can't tell you how many times I've been glad I had them.

Off duty I dont carry anything medical, but shears and gloves are usually not far, just because they have been stockpiled over the years and usually there is some lying around somewhere.

Off duty I'll do CPR, and bleeding control. Obviously after activating the emergency response system, as AHA has taught me ;)
 
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