the 100% directionless thread

[Handsome Robb]

Well, it could be the low pay relative to work and cost of living, the asinine staffing policies that hold good people back or having to swim in the seas of Kool-Aid...

They start EMTs higher than most places start Paramedics at. A starting salary in the low 40s for a job that requires less than 200 hours to obtain the required certification is hardly low pay. With their step increases it doesn't take super long to get into the 50s and even 60s as an EMT. Plus housing is far from unaffordable unless you want to live in downtown Austin. Their schedules are changing as well. Yea it's busy but 24 hour shifts are going by the wayside in favor of 12 hour shifts for the busy stations. They don't work any more hours than anyone else in EMS and many from other agencies have to work extra hours to make what they make as a base salary.

I don't work there so I've got nothing invested in the conversation and frankly I don't care but it's not right to spread false information just because you don't agree with the way they higher people into their agency.

That's not to say that they don't have their issues, every agency does, but they're actively working to fix their problems and better the system. It's not like the problems are going unrecognized or there's no action or plan to fix them. Some things you just can't fix overnight.

 

[RocketMedic]

They start EMTs higher than most places start Paramedics at. A starting salary in the low 40s for a job that requires less than 200 hours to obtain the required certification is hardly low pay. With their step increases it doesn't take super long to get into the 50s and even 60s as an EMT. Plus housing is far from unaffordable unless you want to live in downtown Austin. Their schedules are changing as well. Yea it's busy but 24 hour shifts are going by the wayside in favor of 12 hour shifts for the busy stations. They don't work any more hours than anyone else in EMS and many from other agencies have to work extra hours to make what they make as a base salary.

I don't work there so I've got nothing invested in the conversation and frankly I don't care but it's not right to spread false information just because you don't agree with the way they higher people into their agency.

That's not to say that they don't have their issues, every agency does, but they're actively working to fix their problems and better the system. It's not like the problems are going unrecognized or there's no action or plan to fix them. Some things you just can't fix overnight.

Except that this problem set has been recurring for the better part of a decade now, with no improvement.

 

[MrJones]

He was still breathing.

And with an unknown ingestion that took him form fine to gcs of 3 I didn't trust his airway.

Fair enough. But did he have a gag reflex? Trismus? Some other issue that would prevent you from simply performing an intubation?

 

[CALEMT]

You know you're a Southern California native when a 5.2 earthquake hits at 1am and you're laying there in bed thinking to yourself "this is a good one, but not the big one" and roll over to try to fall back asleep.

 

[Akulahawk]

You know you're a Southern California native when a 5.2 earthquake hits at 1am and you're laying there in bed thinking to yourself "this is a good one, but not the big one" and roll over to try to fall back asleep.

You know you've become a Southern Californian when you sleep through anything less than a 5.6 and awaken instantly knowing what to do and how big it'll be if it's >5.6....

 

[exodus]

I slept through the earthquake last night.... Not sure how.

 

[PotatoMedic]

Fair enough. But did he have a gag reflex? Trismus? Some other issue that would prevent you from simply performing an intubation?

Positive gag reflex tested with my trusty tongue depressor. It would been simpler if he didn't have one. And every so often he would flail around. But no one could ever get him to do any motor response (besides gag). So maybe he was a gcs of 4 (1/1/2).

 

[Handsome Robb]

Except that this problem set has been recurring for the better part of a decade now, with no improvement.

True, but it's not an isolated problem to them. It's nationwide. You can't blame one agency for a systemic problem with the industry. It's fair to say that a department without massive turnover and staffing issues is far less common than one without those two problems. I'll say it again, you can hate on ATCEMS all you want but at the end of the day its a far better system to work at as an EMT than the vast majority of systems around the nation. Even as a medic you're not going to be stuck in an EMT spot for long. Six months to a year is what I've heard but I don't have a credible source on that. So you're getting better pay than 95% of EMS personnel out there, far better benefits and retirement, an outlined promotional ladder, stations (yea it's busy so maybe you don't see them all that much but you do have a station)...I don't see how they're some big giant monster.

At the end of the day why do you even care so much? I heard you don't even work in EMS anymore.

 

[TransportJockey]

He actually works for a local 911 system nearby me.

 

[ViolynEMT]

Looks like I'm going to be a regular proctor at my old school.

 

[RocketMedic]

He actually works for a local 911 system nearby me.

I am but a day laborer in a local plant...

 

[RocketMedic]

As far as why I care, I really think that ATC is a broken system that claims credit and accolades that are unwarranted. Their medicine ducks. Their staffing is terrible. Their elitism is silly. It makes me dislike them.

 

[Woodtownemt]

Hello everyone, just came across an article about LAFD opening up its on bureau; LAFD EMS. Any thoughts or concerns lol. Not sure if this was worthy of its own thread just yet.
http://www.emsworld.com/article/12219586/lafd-elevates-ems-to-bureau-status

 

[olaf1988]

Hello everyone, just came across an article about LAFD opening up its on bureau; LAFD EMS. Any thoughts or concerns lol. Not sure if this was worthy of its own thread just yet.
http://www.emsworld.com/article/12219586/lafd-elevates-ems-to-bureau-status

I don't see this changing anything.... This isn't going to change the way they run calls- it just restructures the command structure for EMS. From what I've seen the LAFD culture is still that being on the ambulance is a punishment, or something to tough out until they can get back on the engine. I don't think making a separate bureau to manage EMS is going to change the culture in the department.

 

[Chimpie]

Of course I washed the car today....

 

[exodus]

Ugh, being sick isn't good especially when your newborn had a new rash on the first day you were due back >.<

 

[shfd739]

I heard Acadian in central Texas is killing off its 24 hour shifts in favor of 12 hour shifts. Is that true?
If so, does that mean they're going to do layoffs and close stations?
Did they lose a contract? What's the scoop?

It's normal for them to convert 24s to 12s after they reach a certain UHU so that a 24 hour crew isn't being run in the ground. It will require hiring some more folks to fully staff it out. As far as I know no contracts were lost and We've never laid people off.

 

[NomadicMedic]

PHTLS refresher. Aka: death by PowerPoint.

 

[Handsome Robb]

As far as why I care, I really think that ATC is a broken system that claims credit and accolades that are unwarranted. Their medicine ducks. Their staffing is terrible. Their elitism is silly. It makes me dislike them.

Again, you're pointing out issues that aren't isolated ones.

It sounds like someone applied and didn't get a job or some situation along those lines.


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[EMT2015]

WHY???? That's all i have to ask.