About Tuesday I noticed a foul smell in the ambulance — a smell like someone had left a meat sandwich under the seat or a mouse had died somewhere in the woodwork. We left the ambulance outside with the doors open for two hours, but it didn’t help. It was a nasty smell, sometimes it […]
We get called for a fall at the local fast food chicken restaurant. Back in the kitchen, the woman is laying on the ground between the fryers and the food prep table. She’s maybe twenty-two, but a big woman — looks like she’s been dining on the fast food fare most of her life. I’m […]
Arthur is making up the stretcher by the linen cart just inside the ER doors. “I’m going down to the cafeteria to get a sandwich,” he says, as he tightens the last strap. “You want anything?” “No, I’m good. I just have to get times and drop off my report.” I end up getting in […]
We’re sent on a priority to for the unresponsive, but when the cops get there they slow us down. It’s a 10- a dead body. We go in and walk down into the basement where we find the cops standing around the body. A man in his forties is sitting on a couch, his head […]
Simon Rescue Breaths or Compressions in Overdose? The one plan guideline is too simplistic. By definition od has a hypoxic etiology and therefore vents are indicated but the issue for me is that cpr of bls trained people are not actually "trained" ventilation practitioners and shouldn't be considered qualified in suspected ohca to safely deliver them.
2018-04-25 10:26:25
David Clark Follow Up I'm a fire guy, EMT etc. One of the things that stick in my mind is that when the guru's decided to make the narcan available to the masses, someone didn't think this through. In 44 years, I have seen a share of problems, but knee-jerk issues of a good thing can often turn out…
2018-04-12 21:32:26
Patricia INSIDE LOOK AT LIFE AS AN EMT Great post, I'm waiting for more such, I was very interested :)
2018-04-10 09:34:32
Meggie Undetermined Very useful entry, as always, I really like coming back to your blog :)
2018-04-08 10:30:47
Mike INSIDE LOOK AT LIFE AS AN EMT Hey Peter, I just wanted to say I agree with you. I'm a rural EMT as well and I've read Paramedic and Resc. 471, as well as a lot of this blog, and I've never felt that you ignore or put down BLS providers. I guess different people read things in different ways. Either way,…
2018-04-08 02:14:55