Why would someone, who is on the job, have a

[Sasha]

I just want to point out, never say never with anything. This is EMS work I am sure we have all come across that never threshold. My protocall requires me to carrie my EMS fanny pack with random items in it. As, for off duty..unless it is a child..or someone has an MI infront of me..and noone else is around that is going to jump in..I will start commpressions and thats it. Child being the exception to my rule.

Why do children deserve special treatments over adults? A life is still a life.

 

[Hockey]

Why do children deserve special treatments over adults? A life is still a life.

 

[CAOX3]

Why do children deserve special treatments over adults? A life is still a life.

Usually its the actions of retarded adults that cause injuries to children, thats why.

 

[Sasha]

Usually its the actions of retarded adults that cause injuries to children, thats why.

So? We decide if we should treat based on mechanism of injury/nature of illness? Wow, news to me!

 

[Aidey]

Ok, lets please not turn this into the child vs adult thing again, that is a different topic for a different thread.


Another reason I've thought of is if you use system status management (like we do) so you are out in public, on duty, in uniform (like we are) and you witness an arrest (slim, but possible), it could be handy to have a CPR barrier.

 

[Jon]

...Also, arrest is one of the few things I'm willing to play "EMT: Bystander Edition" on.

Bingo.

I keep a small one on my keychain, for exactly this reason. When I was a volunteer fire fighter, I kept a few pairs of gloves and a mouth barrier in a pouch on my turnout gear.

The best logic I heard for having a small mouth barrier on your person when ON duty is that we do lots of stuff while leaving gear in the rig. When we go into a store to get lunch, we don't carry our gear in, right? What happens if someone collapses in front of you? You are going to start CPR while you send your partner out to the rig for the gear, right? It you have a mouth barrier, you are all set.

When I work security or events, I'm often not right with all my equipment. Same thing here. If I have a mouth barrier, I can start before my gear gets to me.

When I worked transport, and to a lesser extent when I work 911 - we don't bring our bags in on EVERY call... what if the BLS transfer is in arrest, or you get flagged down as you go in?

Anyway - it doesn't take up a lot of space, and it isn't a bad idea. I can't see walking around with a full-size pocket mask on my belt... Heck, I wear amost nothing on my belt right now.

 

[reaper]

Ok, lets please not turn this into the child vs adult thing again, that is a different topic for a different thread.


Another reason I've thought of is if you use system status management (like we do) so you are out in public, on duty, in uniform (like we are) and you witness an arrest (slim, but possible), it could be handy to have a CPR barrier.

I have a fully stock ambulance at my disposal. I still see no need for a barrier or face mask, while on duty?

 

[Mountain Res-Q]

Anyway - it doesn't take up a lot of space, and it isn't a bad idea. I can't see walking around with a full-size pocket mask on my belt... Heck, I wear amost nothing on my belt right now.

http://www.conterra-inc.com/product_info.php?products_id=284

 

[cbjfan]

My service requires all members to have a mask in our pov. We are a poc service, and are expected to assist in our response area if we witness something happen.

As for on duty, when we are responding to station they are in our pov, but once in the truck, we have bvm's. I think we have 5 or 6 per truck, so we really don't need the masks.

 

[daedalus]

My service requires all members to have a mask in our pov. We are a poc service, and are expected to assist in our response area if we witness something happen.

As for on duty, when we are responding to station they are in our pov, but once in the truck, we have bvm's. I think we have 5 or 6 per truck, so we really don't need the masks.

What's a pocket mask going to do? Your going to waste so much time getting a good seal and providing breaths that compressions are going to take a back seat until EMS arrives. Than you might as well have done nothing.

 

[Aidey]

I have a fully stock ambulance at my disposal. I still see no need for a barrier or face mask, while on duty?

Jon kind of explained what I was saying. All of our posts are in business areas, depending on how the day is going a lot of people park the ambulance, lock it and sit somewhere else. Our policy dictates that we must be able to go en route 60 seconds after dispatch, which gives you a bit of a radius to be away from the ambulance. So I may be in the grocery store getting lunch, or sitting in a Starbucks etc and since I'm in uniform I can't exactly slink off and pretend I didn't see anything.

Since I'm on duty, I'm obligated to follow the standard of care, and the standard of care is 30:2. If I fail to provide that because I don't have the proper PPE it's my butt in trouble.

 

[cbjfan]

What's a pocket mask going to do? Your going to waste so much time getting a good seal and providing breaths that compressions are going to take a back seat until EMS arrives. Than you might as well have done nothing.

I don't know about you, but I would hope that I have been trained enough to be able to get a seal on a mask. Depending on where in our territory I am, it could be at most 15 minutes until the truck gets there, so if I can't get a good seal then I, or anyone who couldn't, should not be in EMS.

 

[daedalus]

I don't know about you, but I would hope that I have been trained enough to be able to get a seal on a mask. Depending on where in our territory I am, it could be at most 15 minutes until the truck gets there, so if I can't get a good seal then I, or anyone who couldn't, should not be in EMS.

Even experienced paramedics have same difficulty with this. Check out why they recommend two people for PPV with BVMs.

 

[Sasha]

Shoot. I have small hands. It's hard to get a seal!

and, as a bystander you have no duty to act at all, so if he wants to do compressions only CPR it's well within his right to do so.

 

[CAOX3]

So? We decide if we should treat based on mechanism of injury/nature of illness? Wow, news to me!

Yes, I decide off duty who I decide to assist, children and a family members would be the extent.

The rest wait their eight minutes like everyone else.

 

[Hockey]

Yes, I decide off duty who I decide to assist, children and a family members would be the extent.

The rest wait their eight minutes like everyone else.

Right.......

 

[Mountain Res-Q]

as a bystander you have no duty to act at all, so if he wants to do compressions only CPR it's well within his right to do so.

A legal duty to act? No. But a moral and ethical one? If not as an EMT, then as a human being. Debate for another time perhaps? <_<

It doesn't take up a lot of space, and it isn't a bad idea. I can't see walking around with a full-size pocket mask on my belt... Heck, I wear amost nothing on my belt right now.

No mask = Don't give breaths. I think we all agree on that one (unless it is family). And anyone who carries a full-sized pocket mask on themselves or a BVM in their truck needs serious help. But what is wrong with an inflatable one the size of a match book on a key ring or on a belt, if that is so you desire and need this based upon the circumstances in which you live?

 

[Sasha]

A legal duty to act? No. But a moral and ethical one? If not as an EMT, then as a human being. Debate for another time perhaps?

There is no obligation(moral or otherwise) to subject myself to possibly getting another's bodily fluid (vomit, anyone?) in my mouth when there is another acceptable and scientifically proven to be effective alternative such as compression only CPR.

 

[Mountain Res-Q]

There is no obligation(moral or otherwise) to subject myself to possibly getting another's bodily fluid (vomit, anyone?) in my mouth when there is another acceptable and scientifically proven to be effective alternative such as compression only CPR.

I think you misunderstood. I was not speaking in terms of mouth to mouth only, but off-duty care as a bystander who comes across any potential medical emergency (siezures, drowning, code, etc...). Your safety comes first always, especially when it comes to ppe. The dirrection this thread seemed to be going was one of "I'm off duty, so I am not paid to give a damn." Maybe not from you, but that was the generral sense overall form others. I am saying that what good is my love for helping my fellow man if I don't use my knowledge to help another whenever I can? Legalities be damned, I answer to a higher set of moral and ethical values. As i said before, that is why I personally have chosen to carry one of those small matchbook sized barriers next to my pager, so that I will never be placed in one of those ethical dilemmas, but that is the extent of my wackerdom.

 

[Sasha]

I think you misunderstood. I was not speaking in terms of mouth to mouth only, but off-duty care as a bystander who comes across any potential medical emergency (siezures, drowning, code, etc...). Your safety comes first always, especially when it comes to ppe. The dirrection this thread seemed to be going was one of "I'm off duty, so I am not paid to give a damn." Maybe not from you, but that was the generral sense overall form others. I am saying that what good is my love for helping my fellow man if I don't use my knowledge to help another whenever I can? Legalities be damned, I answer to a higher set of moral and ethical values. As i said before, that is why I personally have chosen to carry one of those small matchbook sized barriers next to my pager, so that I will never be placed in one of those ethical dilemmas, but that is the extent of my wackerdom.

May I ask where? I've reread the thread and have been able to figure out where anyone was heading into the "I'm not paid to give a darn" direction.