I actually did cook one once this shift, that was the one exception, but my base is an office in an office park, my "kitchen" consists of a microwave, a incredibly crappy hot plate (As in, "can't boil water" crappy...I know, I tried to make pasta.) and a toaster oven.
the 100% directionless thread
- Thread starter KEVD18
- Start date
I actually did cook one once this shift, that was the one exception, but my base is an office in an office park, my "kitchen" consists of a microwave, a incredibly crappy hot plate (As in, "can't boil water" crappy...I know, I tried to make pasta.) and a toaster oven.
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Depending on your state state employment laws address living facilities of personnel working extended shifts, there are requirements such as a kitchen and what not.
unleashedfury
Forum Asst. Chief
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I think our requirement is if your on a 24 hour shift. You are required to have a minimum of 5 hours downtime.. There have been times where I think I only had 3 hours D/T but there have been days where I haven't turned a wheel for the shift..
As far as kitchen amenities, I think your right that they have to provide you with items to "heat and prepare your foods" but for all we know a microwave could be suffice. Most stations I worked at have a small kitchen with a stovetop, microwave and a fridge. More often than not I bring something from home like leftovers, and some snacks. I learned that eating out all the time gets expensive so I keep a small limited budget for eating out that when its done I'm done eating out.
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I'd bet a hot plate that can't boil water and a microwave would be questionable for a 72 hour shift. That's asinine.
Don't take this as an attack OP, it's a general statement, you just happened to supply me with the idea.
Part of the problem in EMS is that employees settle for these crap working conditions. Ever heard of a FD working 72 hour shifts with only a microwave and piss-poor hot plate? Didn't think so.
Sure you can argue that there's a hundred people lined up to take your job. Why don't we all stop putting up with it as a group? Just a thought...
For example, as a paramedic for a private service I am relatively high paid when it comes to EMS. I make >18/hr as my base rate, with another raise that will put me above 19 in September and have no state income tax. Before this year we got paid a lot less. But when people started quitting and everyone started griping about how we ran our asses off for no money and started actively searching for different employment all of the sudden we got company wide raises....
Jim37F
Forum Deputy Chief
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I want to go back in time, find who ever invented the silent treatment and lock the sadistic ******* in one of those water boarding happy CIA secret prisons grrrrrrr
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Dude I hate that! My girl has bad days with her bipolar and doesn't talk at all. No fun at all. Hopefully she isn't mad at you and it's something else that's bothering her. Sorry to hear that brother.
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Or posting on street corners for 12 hours, for that matter.
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Well... DCFEMS posts Engines on street corners in the middle of the night :lol: They used to at least.
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Were they the one trying to use engine companies as roving anti crime patrols as well? Hey, they're just like cops but without the training, vests, authority, and weapons
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Were they the one trying to use engine companies as roving anti crime patrols as well? Hey, they're just like cops but without the training, vests, authority, and weapons
Hey man, you can't beat the radio.
Oh wait...if there's not any PD units available you can. :unsure:
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Club them with your Haligan. Also, charge the 5 inch line and hope you can hold off the rioting crowd.
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Seriously little local hospital, you called a trauma activation on my patient because "it sounded bad on the radio?"
The patient walked to the ambulance. He complained of rib pain, and my assessment also revealed some likely broken ribs, but nothing else. That's why when I called my patch I told you I found nothing else of note. Yes he left the road and hit a tree at 55, but that in itself does not mean he has a c-spine injury. You don't need to collar him on my cot and immediately call for a chest x-ray, CT, and labs. How about you listen to my report first mmkay?
The patient walked to the ambulance. He complained of rib pain, and my assessment also revealed some likely broken ribs, but nothing else. That's why when I called my patch I told you I found nothing else of note. Yes he left the road and hit a tree at 55, but that in itself does not mean he has a c-spine injury. You don't need to collar him on my cot and immediately call for a chest x-ray, CT, and labs. How about you listen to my report first mmkay?
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That's a trauma activation by state law here. MVA at >40 MPH.
State Trauma Criteria:
Mechanism:
MVA >40 MPH
Motorcycle accident >20 mph or ejection from the bike
Rollover >90*
Death in the same vehicle
Ejection from the vehicle
MVC vs. Pedestrian >6 MPH or run over at any speed
>20 inches of severe damage to vehicle
>11 inches of intrusion to passenger compartment on passenger side
Extrication time >20 minutes
Injury:
Flail chest
Acute paralysis
Two or more proximal long bone fractures
Burns >15% of TBSA or burns to face/airway
Penetrating chest, abdomen, head, neck or groin trauma
Amputation proximal to wrist or ankle
Physiologic:
SBP <90 mmHg
Respiratory rate <10 or >29 BPM
Revised Trauma Score <11
GCS <14
Our TC does green, yellow and red activation. Green being by mechanism, yellow can be certain mechanisms or injures and reds are critical trauma patients. Greens get an ER Physician, yellows get a ER Physician with the trauma surgeon or their PA doing a bedside consult within 30 minutes and a red gets a Trauma Surgeon with their team in the trauma bay.
Your guy would definitely get a CXR and labs here right after the primary survey. Depending on what he told the physician they might place a c-collar as well but if we've cleared it in the field they usually trust us if you've proven yourself competent. Pretty ridiculous they collared him right on your gurney.
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Sure the x-ray was certainly warranted, it just be nice if the staff actually took a report before (over)reacting like that.
MrJones
Iconoclast
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Were they the one trying to use engine companies as roving anti crime patrols as well? Hey, they're just like cops but without the training, vests, authority, and weapons
Hey - why not cross-train fire fighters as police officers? It makes as much sense as cross-training them to be paramedics....
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oh absolutely. I've learned all our trauma surgeons here want to know is mechanism of injury, last set of vitals and any assessment findings that aren't blatantly obvious. You will usually get yelled at if you fail to mention the rigid abdomen or unilaterally diminished lung sounds but point out the left BKA, for example lol
I always thought it would be cool to be a cop and a paramedic. I'd rather do that than be a firefighter/paramedic.
I should just move to Texas and work for Highland Park DPS.
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Our trauma surgeons don't really care too much about vitals, and only minorly about injuries. Their reasoning: "We're going to get our own vitals immediately anyway, and we're going to find any noticeable injuries on the rapid exam." The main thing they want to know is a description of what happened, and if they've been getting progressively better or worse. Anything else is just icing on the cake.
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Yea. Every doc is definitely different about what they want. Some just want mechanism then you to stand there so they can fire questions at you if they need to. Others just want you to move them over and shut up. One usually listens to our whole report, again provided your not giving needless information.
One used to throw :censored::censored::censored::censored: at crews, including a capped scalpel once, for basically anything and everything. You could do everything right and he'd still find a reason to throw something at you. He did of a aneurysm...what do you know!?
DesertMedic66
Forum Troll
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Ours will take vitals into account along with all this info. If the patient had blood loss they really want to know how much NS we gave them
CodeBru1984
EMT
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