Wicked Newbie Q. Whackers?

MaineEMTb

MaineEMTb

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Can someone please explain the term "whackers" for me?


also


Where would I look for info regarding POV regulations in my state?




THANKS!
 
MaineEMTb said:
Can someone please explain the term "whackers" for me?


also


Where would I look for info regarding POV regulations in my state?



THANKS!
Click to expand...

You can start with the agency with whom you have your licensure

And Whacker is someone so excited with being in emergency services that they put all kinds of lights on their POV, decals on their windows, pins on their hats, badges on their coats, wear nothing but emergency type T-shirts and probably have little fire trucks or ambulances on their boxer shorts.
 
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Bless their little EMS hearts!.............^_^
 
for referance see the posts regarding:lights on POV, What do you wear on your belt, and stickers.
 
BossyCow said:
wear nothing but emergency type T-shirts and probably have little fire trucks or ambulances on their boxer shorts.
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There is nothing wrong with ambulance boxer shorts, not that i have any..

And just because your agency hands out A LOT of free T-shirts and you choose to save money by wearing them and not normal shirts doesn't make you a whacker. I believe its just when you pay for the shirts you enter whacker-dom
 
Long ago in distant L.A. I remember Whacker Ambulance..am I confabulating?

Drove white and tan (or metallic brown?) Caddy's. LONG ago, maybe a sideline of a mortuary? They competed with Goodhew.
We're talking Fifties or early Sixties now.
 
MaineEMTb said:
Can someone please explain the term "whackers" for me?


also


Where would I look for info regarding POV regulations in my state?




THANKS!
Click to expand...
That last line is leading to qualifying for it, I see it coming already!!:rolleyes:
 
reaper said:
That last line is leading to qualifying for it, I see it coming already!!:rolleyes:
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haha, nah, even if i wanted to I couldn't afford it. "I ain't got no money,
I ain't got no car to... put lights on?" haha, I actually do have a car, a 91 Honda civic hatchback, it would look ridiculous with lights! I was just wondering cause I have never seen green ems lights on pov's in Maine. However I wouldn't mind getting a BLS bag for my ride.
 
A whacker is someone who goes too far, takes it to the level beyond the "next level."

Some signs you're a whacker:
1. Your POV has more lights than a real ambulance.
2. The first thing you do when you get your certification is go out and light up the 'ole car and throw a few decals on it.
3. Your own personal jump kit rivals the one of the ambulance.

Judging by the first post on this forum, you may be well on your way to whackerdom. I'd suggest you take it slow, find a local service you can work/volunteer at, and enjoy working in EMS!
 
MMiz said:
Judging by the first post on this forum, you may be well on your way to whackerdom. I'd suggest you take it slow, find a local service you can work/volunteer at, and enjoy working in EMS!
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Did you just read my last post? I ask a simple question and I am judged and accused of things I have never even heard of... thanks so much for your help. What a warm welcome.
 
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We actually posted at the same time. It was just a bit ironic that a first time poster, a new EMT, came here and asked what it meant to be a whacker, and then asked about having lights on a personal vehicle.

I'm not accusing you of anything or trying to insinuate anything, but just noting the irony in the situation.
 
I wouldn't consider myself a "whacker", but just about every person at my station has a star of life sticker on their back window. It comes on handy when the RCMP pull us over for speeding.
 
Deep breath, no one's a whacker here except us whackers.

We can start Whacker's Anonymous.
"Hi , my name's Mycrofft and I am a whacker".
(Hi, Mycrofft....you WHACKER!").

We had a local family we called "Ma Barker and her boys", a middle aged woman and her two grown sons, they had passed EMT-A, bought or stole all kindsa supplies including a Portapower, spineboard, soft cervical collars and oxygen, put yellow vollie lights on their station wagon and painted it Utility Yellow. Had their volunteer FD radio (not clear whose dept they belonged to, no one would claim them) and at least one Bearcat scanner; they would try to beat FD and ambulance to accident scenes. They did not try to transport to our knowledge. FINALLY the sheriff's arrested them for interference after about a year of this.
Now THAT's WHACKED.
 
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Okay.... wearing EMS t-shirts doesn't make you a whacker. Wearing only EMS t-shirts does. Having lights on your POV doesn't. Having three lightbars on your POV does. Having a star of life sticker on your window doesn't... having every EMS decal, bumper sticker, logo and more EMS lettering than the ambulance does.

It may seem like you were jumped on ... a bit... but we get a lot of these types of posts. Try not to take it too personally and you'll find this is a great resource for your future in EMS.

And Welcome to EMT Life!
 
B5946d4e


Just as long as we are all clear on what the Whacker threshold is. Although my partner recently bought red LED dash flashers for his Ranger. Noone pays any attention to those either.
 
MaineEMTb said:
Did you just read my last post? I ask a simple question and I am judged and accused of things I have never even heard of... thanks so much for your help. What a warm welcome.
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MaineEMTb, We can only go on what you post here. No one is judging you. The comments thus far have answered your questions honestly. If you want to start a thread asking what a whacker is, and than in the same post ask what lights you can have in your car, you may be called out on it. A whacker is some one with emergency lights in their own car, a personal jump bag, and even though something they have in their bag (like drugs out of their scope) is illegal for them, they try and justify it anyways. There is no mold for a whacker, and people can have these things (minus the meds) and not be a whacker.
 
Lol.. I got called a whacker for inquiring about code 3 capabilities (lights and sirens lol..) for my company vehicle :glare:
Just a side note lol
 
http://www.emtlife.com/showthread.php?t=8398

This thread talks a lot about whacker tendencies.


I actually had to "define" a word for a college 100-level English class a few years ago.. and I defined Whacker. I just can't find the paper. When I find it... it will be posted.
 
I will admit i am a whacker or whatever term you want to throw at it. I work for a Vollie FD, so I dont feel embarrassed to have a light bar on my truck and two fire stickers on it. I have enough EMT and Fire shirts to wear one every day of the week. My light's serve a purpose, I have to respond 10 mins away from the city I volunteer in and traffic can suck. Do I break any laws, Am i wreckless....no! I follow my departments SOP's and press on serving a community of 2500. Call it what you will, i am proud to be a whacker!
 
In my opinion a "whacker" is nothing more than a "show off".
Whackers care more about what others think of them rather than the job itself.

Does a light bar alone make a person a whacker? No.
But why did the person buy actually the lightbar? For the job or to show his friends.

What about EMS/Fire/PD shirts alone? No.
But is he wearing it to impress others or for quick identification.

Does having a jump bag make make you a whacker? No.
(However having an ALS bag when you're BLS might.)

Stickers on cars? Is it to get out of tickets when off duty or simple to be able to double park when responding in a POV

Whackerism or Whackerdom is really a frame of mind. It's not what you buy, it's why you buy it. It's the real reason you chose to be in EMS/Fire/PD.

BTW, Whackerism should never be confused with Pride.
Just my thoughts.

Rob
 
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