EMS Today 2007 Blogmeet?

Ok, kids! EMS Today 2007 has begun. Before I dash off to a work-related event, I want to see how many bloggers will be in town.

On Friday night, I propose we have a blogmeet at DSX, it's a sports bar across the street from the convention center at 200 Pratt Street.

I'll be there at around 6:30-ish an I'll be hanging around a while. I'm tall, bald and wear glasses. Come introduce yourself and have a beer! Let's see how many blogger and bog-readers are going to be in town.

This'll be neat.

PhillyDan suggested it and I hope to see him and everyone else there!

--maddog

Ecto? Just Testing

I'm trying out a new 3rd party blogging tool called Ecto.

We'll see how well it works. I really don't like having to write my blog through a web browser. nor do I like using a word processor to write and then cut and past. Too gunky. I have been using Firefox but, again, the web browser thing prevents me from writing off-line.

Ok, Enough of the test. Let's publish!

--maddog

Why I hate the new Blogger (part II)

Well, I just wrote up a post and sent it by email and it didn't work.

I'm forced to use this stupid, clumsy web-interface that still does not support Safari.

Here's the text of the message I tried to send:

"Well, since Google (TM) has taken over Blogger, none of the 3rd-party clients or applications I use to post to my blog work. Never mind that I've been using them for 3.5 years.

Crap.

That's the MAIN reason I haven't been posting so much. A lot of cool things have happened. Before, It was a matter of writing it up in my journal software (where I've been working on other things, including a few manuscripts) and hitting "publish."

Well, NO MORE!

Now I'm forced to use a Google (TM) portal which Still does not recognize Safari.

I'm writing this one by Email.

Sigh! "

The message sent out successfully, according to my e-mail client. It never made it to the web page.

Apparently, Google (TM) wants everything done through their web portal. Or they don't like the subject line.

I know I'm getting all this for free but, I'm so frustrated, I'm ready to dump and delete the whole blog!

Any advice?

--maddog

Physics

I've been hella-busy lately. Sorry about that. I have a ton of posts that I haven't published yet. See, I got a new computer and Google/Blogger forcibly switched me over to their new format. This means that my old application on my old comptuer won't work with the new blogger. I now have to get an internet connection, log on to blogger via Firefox (it doesn't support Safar yet) and post that way.

Bah!

Meanwhile, I have 2 items to share:

1. Who's coming to EMS Today, 2006 and should we arrange a "BlogMeet?" Email me or hit the comments.

2. I ran a small vehicular accident today:


Amazingly, the driver was completely unharmed! I checked him twice and he was truly uninjured!









--maddog

Search Term of the week!

"amputee having sex"

Wonderful!

--maddog

...With his service pistol...

One of the cops in my town died.

He did it with his service pistol.

I wasn't his closest friend but we got along pretty well. I have no idea how he got down this road but it sucks.

He did it with his service pistol.

He died by his own hand.

He did it with his service pistol.

He's gone

He did it with his service pistol.

Cops everywhere can understand how disturbing that is.

He did it with his service pistol.

I'm very upset. Herself and I talk about it (one of the 1,000 reasons I love her).

He did it with his service pistol.

There's something particularly disturbing to police when another officer kills herself/himself with their own service weapon. This is the gun is issued to them by and owned by the city/county/state/agency that gave them their police powers. It is the physical representation of the trust placed in them. This is a trust to carry and wield the power of deadly force and to wield it wisely. This is the trust placed in the officer to make the right decisions every time!

He did it with his service pistol.

When he/she turns that weapon on himself/herself, it is a violation of that trust on many levels. The trust to use that force wisely, the trust to know oneself, the trust to call for help when needed.....

He did it with his service pistol.

Any officer of the law can feel this tragedy. Especially as it comes from the end of the symbol of that trust.

He did it with his service pistol.

I may not be a healer, but I'm in the profession of healing.

He did it with his service pistol.

This can't be healed. If only I had known....

He did it with his service pistol.

It hurts me everywhere. It's a sore that hurts no matter what I do. There is no salve for this.

He did it with his service pistol.

He's gone and has left a jagged, painful hole in his absence.

He did it with his service pistol.

Louis, What have you done?

--maddog

No, what's YOUR number?

Two guys were walking back to their apartment when they got jumped by a gang of kids.

The police called us in to check out one of them. When we arrived, the police were rushing out of the apartment on their way to the next instance of violence.

My patient is a native Spanish speaker with a severely swollen face. Otherwise he's OK. He doesn't want to go to the hospital.

But he likes me!

"What's your number?"

"Well, If you need us, call 911."

"But what's your number?"

"911"

"What number do I call if I want you to come to my house?"

"911!" (I'm still thinking my Spanish is not up to par.)

"But what if I want you to come to my house? What's your number?"

"Nuevo-Uno-Uno(911 in Spanish) es el numero para los paramedicos (...is the number for the paramedics)!" Perhaps his face is swollen to the point I can't read the nuances of what he's trying to tell me.

"No, no, no! What's YOUR number?"

"Nine-One-One!!"

Bean puts her hand on my shoulder: "Time to go!" She doesn't speak Spanish but she knows what's going on.

All the way back to the station:

"Maddog's got a Boyfriend!...Maddog's got a Boyfriend!...Maddog's got a Boyfriend!..."

Oh Crap!

--maddog

How many patients?

I'm doing chest compressions: "ah-one and two and three and four......" and so on and so on.

I look to my right.

There's the husband.

He's wearing the "I can't believe what I'm seeing!" look.

"...and fifteen and sixteen and seventeen......"

"Clear!"

ZAP!

And so it goes.

--maddog

Bulldog? Bean? What? Who? Where are you, anyway?

I got this comment from a reader:

"Whatever happened to Bulldog? (or is she now Bean?)"

Well, that's a good question and it illustrates some confusion I have allowed to occur.

I volunteer at my local firehouse as an EMS officer. I mostly drive the ambulance, train new kids and occasionally provide care. In my writing, I refer to this place at the Firehouse with a capital "F". This is where most of my fun "hometown EMS" stories come from.

Bean is one of the volunteers there and I've known her for over 10 years.

My crappy job, at a private ambulance company, was where I worked with Bulldog. I went to a part-time position when I got hired by a nearby University. Bulldog still works there. I just don't see her as much. :(

So, I hope that doesn't create too much confusion. I volunteer at the Firehouse. I occasionally work at the Crappy Job. I work full time at the University (teaching paramedics!) and have applied for a part time paramedic position with a regional emergency response agency that I'll call "The Boonies" if I get the job (It's kinda way out there).

Good enough?

Perhaps sometime I'll post a "cast of characters" for my dear readers.

--maddog

Booze, trucks, mobile phones and pockets.

If you remember the call I ran earlier this week.

I just found the patent's cellphone in the pocket of my turnout Jacket.

Yikes!

He was probably too drunk to remember what happened to it. I'm going to try to get his home address and mail it to him.

Oh my!

--maddog

EMS Today 2007

The EMS Today conference is in Baltimore this year.

I went in 2005 and met up with the macmedic.

I'm thinking of going this year.

Anyone else? I figure a few of you EMS blogger out there might be going. Let me know via comments link or email.

Pints?

--maddog

Promoted?

The chiefs & other line officers at my volunteer Firehouse have been bugging me for a while. There is a position of "EMS Sergeant" that has become open recently. Due to my education and possibly the fact that I'm the highest trained and qualified EMS person at the whole station, they've been pestering me to apply.

I really don't have the time. I'm worried that if I commit to doing more for my Firehouse, I won't have the time to do it and I won't come through. I'd rather say "no" than say "yes" and let everyone down. I've been deflecting their requests and encouragements with this very argument.

Then they got sneaky.

Herself and I had stopped by the Firehouse after walking Mr. B in the woods. He was all muddy and needed to be hosed off before we took him home. While we're there, the deputy chief, Sunshine, comes up to us and asks me if I've put in my application for the EMS sergeant position. I begin the usual argument that I really don't have the time to do all this, yada yada yada.

Meanwhile, Herself saunters over to the bulletin board where the position announcement is. She reads over the list of duties and responsibilities and says,

"You can do this. Hell, you do most of this anyway."

Sunshine smiles at me.

Crap!

Well, it turned out better than I had hoped. Helga had applied for the position too. She's on an opposite duty rotation from me. her strengths lie in the administrative and organizational areas and less so in training, field operations and orienting new members.

Chief decided to split the position in two. Helga is the EMS Administration Sergeant and I'm the EMS Operations Sergeant. I'm in charge of all EMS training, stock and supply on the ambulance itself, quality assurance of field practice and skills and making sure new people get trained and turned over in a timely manner. Stuff I already do.

Ok, then!

--Sgt. maddog

Sunday!

Just Sunday. Not terribly exciting. Cleaned the house. Later, I'll be headed to dinner.

I did roast a delicious leg of lamb. The house smells wonderful.

Not much that's EMS-Blog-worthy. Nor was I particularly inspired to go on about anything.

Well, it is Sunday!

--maddog

Sirens? Lights?

I'm driving to an accident that's downstream from all the rush hour traffic. This means I have to wade through the congestion on the highway. We usually ride the shoulder if it's big enough. In this case, the shoulders are all too small for my huge ambulance. This is when I get to perform a "Moses."

Just like Moses parted the Red Sea, I drive my ambulance right down the middle of the lane divider. I'm sounding 2 sirens at different frequencies and patterns as well as working a diesel air horn in a way that cannot be ignored.

Just like the Red Sea of legend, the traffic parts in front of me.

Most of the time.

This one instance, an SUV decides to take advantage of the break in traffic that I caused to get over 3 lanes to the exit.

His doing so causes me to stand on the brakes with both feet to keep from making an accordion out of him.

He moves out of my lane. I pull abreast of him and Bean and I look at him.

He's on his phone. He gives me a dirty look.

It's worth mention at this point that the air horns on my ambulance are mounted on the front fenders. This happens to be at almost the exact height of a person's head when they're driving a typical American car or SUV.

I don't know who hit the horn first, me or Bean (we both have a pedal for the diesel air horn).

His window was open.

He almost jumped into his passenger seat. (and he dropped his phone)

Wow! Justice!

--maddog