EE felt the need to tag me with a meme!
Thanks EE! But you forgot the comment part!
The Rules:
1. Write your own six word memoir.
2. Post it on your blog and include a visual illustration if you want.
3. Link to the person that tagged you in your post and to the original post if possible so we can track it as it travels across the blogosphere.
4. Tag at least five more blogs with links.
5. Leave a comment on the tagged blogs with an invitation to play.
Capable of true perseverance I am.
I can't count the number of times I've been thrown to the wolves. That is, left on my own, and told to figure it out.
It's happened in EMS, it's happened in school, it's happened in my engineering schooling, and now on the job as an engineer.
I've been the only medical person at the scene of a nasty MVA, with the responsibility for the entire job on my shoulders.
On a similar incident, I was the only one arriving on location with the ambulance, and had to make initial decisions that could change the outcome of the job.
On yet a third instance, I arrived on scene prior to the ambulance arriving, and had to make judgment calls without any back up, while keeping myself safe.
In college, there were times I was thrown a bunch of parts and told to figure it out (the rest of the team was frustrated and ready to give up).
In my current job, I was hired to be a field engineer. The day I started I got sucked into the on site materials management team. The day after, the materials manager put in his two weeks notice. I'm now running the materials department on site, and so far, making do.
There are not a whole lot of things that I've come up against in life that I haven't succeeded at. There are a few, but not too many.
Now, I have no idea who to tag, so this is gonna have to wait just a little bit. And besides, I don't know that anyone reads this, and would respond anyway! I'll get back to you on that part
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
What's in my pockets!
EE posted a question and answer from Ellie that I thought was pretty cool, so I went ahead and stole it from her:
Ellie asks: What do you carry in your pockets at work?
I'm going to go ahead and break this down into four different sections, because the items change depending upon where I am. Two are EMS related, and two are every day life related. I don't run EMS as a profession anymore, and don't get to spend nearly enough time on the ambulance every week. But I remember those days. OK, here we go:
At Work:
On my belt: Cell Phone (personal) (left side), Cell Phone (issued) (right side), Radio (sometimes) (left side)
Right Back pocket: Usually a pair of gloves, although occasionally a hand tool of some kind (crimps come to mind), also a notepad when in the field.
Back Left: Wallet, and Surefire E2e if my pants do not have a cargo or carpenter pocket.
Front left: keys, change, etc.
Front right: Pocket Knife, occasionally a pen
Cargo Pockets: Usually at work I'm in just plain jeans, but sometimes I have carpenter or cargo pants on. In that case, the Surefire light gets moved to the right side cargo pocket if applicable.
Not at work:
On my belt: Cell Phone (personal) (left side), handgun (right side, concealed), spare mag (left side)
Right Back pocket: Empty
Back Left: Wallet.
Front left: keys, change, etc.
Front right: Knife (see above)
Cargo Pockets: Surefire - usually wear carpenter pants off the jobsite.
When I still lived in NJ, I had two main methods of dress for riding the ambulance. I wore both, depending upon my mood, and the particular look I was going for.
The more casual look that I often used around the squad house consisted of jeans and a job shirt. I would carry everything indicated above, except for the handgun (yeah... try carrying a handgun in NJ and see how you like the results....). Also added to the belt, 24/7 in NJ was a pager, and a glove pouch. They went on the belt as part of getting dressed in the morning, and came off at night when getting ready for bed. In addition, I carried a pen in my jobshirt pocket, and usually a patient information pad in my right rear pocket. Finally, I also ALWAYS wore boots, usually 8" side zips.
Whenever I rode the truck, I made sure I had a radio. Two distinct reasons for that particular trait. On one instance, while riding as a volunteer, I managed to get left at a bad MVA scene by myself, with a jump bag and a radio. The other two guys on my crew took the critical patient to the landing zone to meet the helicopter. I was on my own. The other reason I always carry a radio, is I've learned that stuff goes downhill too quickly sometimes, and that's not the time to be running back to the truck to call dispatch (did enough of that as well.)
While dressed casually and riding on the ambulance I used an FDNY style radio strap from RadioTech. The strap rode comfortably, and allowed me to take the radio and stuff off and hang it on a chair while not on a run.
For a more uniformed, and some would argue, professional look, I usually dressed in a polo shirt and EMS cargo pants, or Dickies, 5 pocket pants (the ones with the cell phone pocket on the right leg). Pen was carried in the neck of the golf shirt.
For this uniform, if I was planning on doing EMS (as opposed to a transport shift), I actually wore a police style nylon duty belt (yes, go ahead and laugh), that had everything I could ever possibly need on it. I carried 4 sets of gloves, L, nitrile, a pager, a cell phone, a radio, a tool holster (shears, mini-maglight, leatherman), and a Surefire 6P flashlight for lighting my way.
If I was wearing cargo pants, my right pocket had shears and 2 pens on the tool loops, and a patient info pad in the pocket itself. If I was wearing the Dickies pants, I had the info pad in the cell phone pocket. I carried the stethoscope around my neck (yes I know it's a no-no), or in my left cargo pockets, depending on specific situations.
When I would work a transport truck for 12 hours, I'd carry a duffel bag with the following: a change of uniform, a windbreaker (also made a nice rain jacket), a flashlight, spare batteries, a window punch and a spare knife. I also usually had a paperback, and some kind of study material.
Yeah I used to carry a ton of stuff, but most of the stuff I carried, ended up being invaluable at least once!
--Jim
Ellie asks: What do you carry in your pockets at work?
I'm going to go ahead and break this down into four different sections, because the items change depending upon where I am. Two are EMS related, and two are every day life related. I don't run EMS as a profession anymore, and don't get to spend nearly enough time on the ambulance every week. But I remember those days. OK, here we go:
At Work:
On my belt: Cell Phone (personal) (left side), Cell Phone (issued) (right side), Radio (sometimes) (left side)
Right Back pocket: Usually a pair of gloves, although occasionally a hand tool of some kind (crimps come to mind), also a notepad when in the field.
Back Left: Wallet, and Surefire E2e if my pants do not have a cargo or carpenter pocket.
Front left: keys, change, etc.
Front right: Pocket Knife, occasionally a pen
Cargo Pockets: Usually at work I'm in just plain jeans, but sometimes I have carpenter or cargo pants on. In that case, the Surefire light gets moved to the right side cargo pocket if applicable.
Not at work:
On my belt: Cell Phone (personal) (left side), handgun (right side, concealed), spare mag (left side)
Right Back pocket: Empty
Back Left: Wallet.
Front left: keys, change, etc.
Front right: Knife (see above)
Cargo Pockets: Surefire - usually wear carpenter pants off the jobsite.
When I still lived in NJ, I had two main methods of dress for riding the ambulance. I wore both, depending upon my mood, and the particular look I was going for.
The more casual look that I often used around the squad house consisted of jeans and a job shirt. I would carry everything indicated above, except for the handgun (yeah... try carrying a handgun in NJ and see how you like the results....). Also added to the belt, 24/7 in NJ was a pager, and a glove pouch. They went on the belt as part of getting dressed in the morning, and came off at night when getting ready for bed. In addition, I carried a pen in my jobshirt pocket, and usually a patient information pad in my right rear pocket. Finally, I also ALWAYS wore boots, usually 8" side zips.
Whenever I rode the truck, I made sure I had a radio. Two distinct reasons for that particular trait. On one instance, while riding as a volunteer, I managed to get left at a bad MVA scene by myself, with a jump bag and a radio. The other two guys on my crew took the critical patient to the landing zone to meet the helicopter. I was on my own. The other reason I always carry a radio, is I've learned that stuff goes downhill too quickly sometimes, and that's not the time to be running back to the truck to call dispatch (did enough of that as well.)
While dressed casually and riding on the ambulance I used an FDNY style radio strap from RadioTech. The strap rode comfortably, and allowed me to take the radio and stuff off and hang it on a chair while not on a run.
For a more uniformed, and some would argue, professional look, I usually dressed in a polo shirt and EMS cargo pants, or Dickies, 5 pocket pants (the ones with the cell phone pocket on the right leg). Pen was carried in the neck of the golf shirt.
For this uniform, if I was planning on doing EMS (as opposed to a transport shift), I actually wore a police style nylon duty belt (yes, go ahead and laugh), that had everything I could ever possibly need on it. I carried 4 sets of gloves, L, nitrile, a pager, a cell phone, a radio, a tool holster (shears, mini-maglight, leatherman), and a Surefire 6P flashlight for lighting my way.
If I was wearing cargo pants, my right pocket had shears and 2 pens on the tool loops, and a patient info pad in the pocket itself. If I was wearing the Dickies pants, I had the info pad in the cell phone pocket. I carried the stethoscope around my neck (yes I know it's a no-no), or in my left cargo pockets, depending on specific situations.
When I would work a transport truck for 12 hours, I'd carry a duffel bag with the following: a change of uniform, a windbreaker (also made a nice rain jacket), a flashlight, spare batteries, a window punch and a spare knife. I also usually had a paperback, and some kind of study material.
Yeah I used to carry a ton of stuff, but most of the stuff I carried, ended up being invaluable at least once!
--Jim
Monday, April 21, 2008
EMT Loses Arm in Ambulance Crash
OMG...I can't even imagine....
I loved riding the ambulance all the time it's a part of my life that I'm attempting to rediscover. I can't imagine losing my arm as a part of my time on the truck :(
May she have a speedy recovery...
I loved riding the ambulance all the time it's a part of my life that I'm attempting to rediscover. I can't imagine losing my arm as a part of my time on the truck :(
May she have a speedy recovery...
Hitting the Nail on the Head
Dr. Helen gets a thumbs up for this post!!
She does a good job of showing that gun owners are generally better adjusted then those people who do not own firearms.
Yah!!!
She does a good job of showing that gun owners are generally better adjusted then those people who do not own firearms.
Yah!!!
Saturday, April 19, 2008
BAG Day 2008
Unfortunately, the local shop that I frequent didn't have any of the XD45 4" Service models in stock when I was up there about a month ago. I asked the owner to go ahead and purchase one for me, that I could pick up on BAG day. (Buy a Gun day - April 15th). Even more unfortunately, I was unable to pick the gun up on Tuesday because it hadn't arrived yet.
The pistol arrived on Thursday, and I picked it up last night on my way home from work. Snapped a few photos, and here we are today.
I ended up with a Springfield XD45 ACP, 4" Service model, riding in a Brommeland Gunleather Max-Con V, a total of 6 magazines, and 4 boxes of a new JHP ammo I wanted to try. I'm happy so far, and can't wait to break it in and make it the daily carry. I'm also considering a set of Crimson Trace laser grips, and it needs a set of night sites.
Friday, April 18, 2008
Concealed Carry on Campus Round Up
Concealed Carry on campus round-up. A little frisking perhaps.
From Lehigh University:
And Ms. Brown, I hate to inform you, but everything you do carries some risk, and can lead to injury or death. As far as students potentially using someone on the campus to harm or kill another student, yes, it could happen, but firearms are not the only thing that fits that mold. If you're planning on enacting bans on all things that could be used to harm a student on campus, then you wouldn't have a college to go to. Everything on campus can be a weapon, everything!
Allowing students to be armed on campus simply equals the playing field between the bad guys and the good guys!
From Harvard
While the fear and frustration that gives rise to such an attitude is understandable, the idea of promoting safety by allowing more people to have guns simply defies logic.
It only defies logic because you want it to defy logic. If you actually sit down and look at the facts, and make a logical decision, allowing concealed carry on campus is the best way to make the campus as a whole safer. Every shall issue state in the country has seen a decrease in the violent crime rate after the passage of the concealed carry laws, while states that have no concealed carry provisions, or very restrictive ones, have continued to see a rise in violent crime. The reason: criminals fear an armed victim, who might fight back. That means, that even if you don't want to carry a firearm, you're safer because someone else on the street might have one.
While a gun owner might be a completely responsible, law-abiding citizen, those around him may not share the same moderation or restraint, and the lack of a secure, safe space on campus results in a potential risk to all.
If the gun owner is responsible and law abiding, then where does the "lack of secure, safe space" come from? If concealed carry on campus were done correctly, there would be no reason for the firearms to be out of the direct control of the owner unless that owner was asleep. In which case, that firearm will be close to hand at night. Again, there is no danger in having an inanimate object laying around, it's no different the having a knife, or even a stapler sitting on your desk.
Guns on campus, however, bring that very danger into the midst of a student’s living environment.
No they don't. Not unless they are possessed by people who will not use them the right way. Those are not the people with a concealed carry permit!
From The Badger Herald
The part of this article that bothered me the most was that they ended the article with this quote which definitely has an anti-gun bias:
“More guns on campus will not equal more safety,” Bonavia said.
I'd like to see facts that actually prove that particular quote out. It offends me, because I know it to be false.
Again from the Lehigh Article:
There are currently nine public universities in the state of Utah that allow for students to carry concealed handguns on campus. The universities have held this policy for almost two years without an incident.
9 public universities in Utah, 2 years, the blood should be running in the street. But it's not. They haven't had one incident involving a concealed carry permit holder, that's right, not one... and I'd be willing to bet that pattern will continue.
Marko once wrote: "The number of casualties at the site of an attempted mass shooting is usually determined by whether the gun used to stop the killer is already at the site, or whether it must be carried there in the holster of a police officer."
There is so much wisdom there, I can't even begin to describe it.
From Lehigh University:
"I hope that the overall risk felt by students on campus never reaches a level where Lehigh feels it is necessary to allow concealed handguns on its campus," Katy Kuttner, '10, said.
Marie Brown '10, said weapons on campus would pose a security threat.
"A student could potentially use the concealed weapon to harm another student, even though the handguns are intended to defend oneself or another," Brown said.
"It is too controversial for Lehigh to adopt this idea as a policy," Brown said. "The intentions are for the overall safety of students, however, it could lead to injury or death, a risk too harsh to take on."
And Ms. Brown, I hate to inform you, but everything you do carries some risk, and can lead to injury or death. As far as students potentially using someone on the campus to harm or kill another student, yes, it could happen, but firearms are not the only thing that fits that mold. If you're planning on enacting bans on all things that could be used to harm a student on campus, then you wouldn't have a college to go to. Everything on campus can be a weapon, everything!
Allowing students to be armed on campus simply equals the playing field between the bad guys and the good guys!
From Harvard
While the fear and frustration that gives rise to such an attitude is understandable, the idea of promoting safety by allowing more people to have guns simply defies logic.
It only defies logic because you want it to defy logic. If you actually sit down and look at the facts, and make a logical decision, allowing concealed carry on campus is the best way to make the campus as a whole safer. Every shall issue state in the country has seen a decrease in the violent crime rate after the passage of the concealed carry laws, while states that have no concealed carry provisions, or very restrictive ones, have continued to see a rise in violent crime. The reason: criminals fear an armed victim, who might fight back. That means, that even if you don't want to carry a firearm, you're safer because someone else on the street might have one.
While a gun owner might be a completely responsible, law-abiding citizen, those around him may not share the same moderation or restraint, and the lack of a secure, safe space on campus results in a potential risk to all.
If the gun owner is responsible and law abiding, then where does the "lack of secure, safe space" come from? If concealed carry on campus were done correctly, there would be no reason for the firearms to be out of the direct control of the owner unless that owner was asleep. In which case, that firearm will be close to hand at night. Again, there is no danger in having an inanimate object laying around, it's no different the having a knife, or even a stapler sitting on your desk.
Guns on campus, however, bring that very danger into the midst of a student’s living environment.
No they don't. Not unless they are possessed by people who will not use them the right way. Those are not the people with a concealed carry permit!
From The Badger Herald
The part of this article that bothered me the most was that they ended the article with this quote which definitely has an anti-gun bias:
“More guns on campus will not equal more safety,” Bonavia said.
I'd like to see facts that actually prove that particular quote out. It offends me, because I know it to be false.
Again from the Lehigh Article:
There are currently nine public universities in the state of Utah that allow for students to carry concealed handguns on campus. The universities have held this policy for almost two years without an incident.
9 public universities in Utah, 2 years, the blood should be running in the street. But it's not. They haven't had one incident involving a concealed carry permit holder, that's right, not one... and I'd be willing to bet that pattern will continue.
Marko once wrote: "The number of casualties at the site of an attempted mass shooting is usually determined by whether the gun used to stop the killer is already at the site, or whether it must be carried there in the holster of a police officer."
There is so much wisdom there, I can't even begin to describe it.
Holy Rolling Ground Batman!
For those of you a little less in touch with the Southern Indiana area of the world, we were all rudely awakened from a deep sleep this morning at about 0437 but an earthquake. It registered about 5.4 on the Richter Scale.
Everyone at home is safe and sound. More later.
Update # 1
And once again, Tam beat me out of the gate!!! Even though she slept through the events! See what 150 or so miles gets you! She also reports that there are no zombies, and it must not have been that big a deal, she still has internet connections! I guess it's not TEOTWAWKI after all! Sure was a new experience for me thought!
Everyone at home is safe and sound. More later.
Update # 1
And once again, Tam beat me out of the gate!!! Even though she slept through the events! See what 150 or so miles gets you! She also reports that there are no zombies, and it must not have been that big a deal, she still has internet connections! I guess it's not TEOTWAWKI after all! Sure was a new experience for me thought!
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Glad I got out of there...
Apparently New York was a little upset that NJ and Cali got better grades from the Brady Bunch the last time around. I'm actually glad I got out of NJ because of the attack on gun rights involved in that state.
So the State Assembly passed this kind of crap.
Can some one out there please tell me how any of this stuff is going to fight crime?
Copy / Paste of the entire ILA alert.
So the State Assembly passed this kind of crap.
Can some one out there please tell me how any of this stuff is going to fight crime?
Copy / Paste of the entire ILA alert.
| Anti-Gun Bills Head to State Senate in New York! |
| Tuesday, April 15, 2008 |
| Make Your Voice Heard Today! This week, several anti-gun measures passed the State Assembly and are now heading to the State Senate, where they will most likely be referred to the State Senate Codes Committee. Assembly Bill 6525A, sponsored by State Assemblywoman Amy Paulin (D-88), would create new sales and reporting requirements for licensed firearms dealers and require dealers to carry a minimum of $1,000,000 of liability insurance. AB6525A passed by a vote of 85 to 53. Assembly Bill 9819A, authored by State Assemblywoman Michelle Schimel (D-16), would ban the sale of semi-automatic handguns not equipped with so-called "microstamping" technology. The bill requires all semiautomatic pistols sold in the state to microstamp an array of characters that identify the make, model, and serial number of the pistol on the firing pin, which would copy the characters onto the cartridge case upon firing. AB9819A passed by a vote of 90 to 43. Assembly Bill 7331, sponsored by State Assemblyman Matthew Titone (D-61), would expand the ban on semi-automatic “assault weapons”, as well as require the ballistic “fingerprinting”(registration) of all semi-automatic “assault weapons” owned prior to a specified date. AB7331 passed by a vote of 85 to 46. Assembly Bill 3451, introduced by State Assemblyman David Koon (D-135), would expand New York’s failed ballistic imaging program. AB3451 passed by a vote of 79 to 49. Assembly Bill 2772, authored by State Assemblywoman Patricia Eddington (D-3), would ban the sale, use or possession of any firearm with a bore diameter .50 caliber or larger. This bill would require gun owners in possession of these firearms to surrender them to law enforcement. Assembly Bill 829, sponsored by State Assemblyman Steve Englebright (D-4), would prohibit the sale of any handgun that doesn’t contain a childproofing device or mechanism incorporated into the design of the handgun. AB829 passed by a vote of 86 to 46. Assembly Bill 76, sponsored by State Assemblyman Harvey Weisenberg (D-20), would require the mandatory storage of all firearms. AB76 passed by a vote of 95 to 35. Assembly Bill 3447, introduced by State Assemblyman David Koon (D-135), would ban the sale or possession of frangible ammunition. AB3447 passed by a vote of 85 to 40. It is critical that all of these measures are voted down in order to protect the Second Amendment rights of all gun-owners in New York State. Please contact your State Senator today through the Senate switchboard at (518) 455-2800 and respectfully urge him or her to vote "NO" on these NRA-opposed measures. To find your State Senator, please click here. |
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
I'm with EE on this one...
To my whole readership, all 2 of you, and if there are more of you, seriously, shout out and give me a little encouragement...
Head over to Backboards and Bandaids and listen to EE, or just head over to Musings of a Highly Trained Monkey. They're asking for a whole $5.00, and I know all of us can afford to spend that much. The cause is extremely worthwhile, and the donation is not much at all.
EMS is really one of those jobs that is more then a job. It is actually a calling, and is one of the few jobs that I would consider doing even if I had all the money in the world. The people are great, and the brothers and sisters (and parents) I have made along the way are irreplaceable.
I'd just like to share this with anyone who runs EMS, works in emergency medicine, or provides emergency services.
Partners - Author Unknown at this time. If you have more info, please send it along.
Side by side we race through the night
With blaring siren and flashing lights...
A life's at stake, a precious soul,
Perhaps too late, beyond our control...
Times like this have come before.
Never quite knowing just what's in store...
When we arrive, our actions as one.
No thoughts need be spoken, just simply done...
To soothe a child's cry, to ease the pain.
Knowing times like this will come again...
Though it's done many days a week
The bond between us is quite unique...
Different than that of a man and wife.
For we can say we've saved a life...
To some it may just seem routine.
The things we've done, the sights we've seen...
But you and I know it's changed our hearts.
The ways we've seen life torn apart...
And seen life begin new and fresh.
All the while praying we've done our best...
Some day another will take our place.
A youthful still unknown face...
But never will time cloud my view.
Of all the thins I've shared with you..
for we are Partners...
Thank you.
Head over to Backboards and Bandaids and listen to EE, or just head over to Musings of a Highly Trained Monkey. They're asking for a whole $5.00, and I know all of us can afford to spend that much. The cause is extremely worthwhile, and the donation is not much at all.
EMS is really one of those jobs that is more then a job. It is actually a calling, and is one of the few jobs that I would consider doing even if I had all the money in the world. The people are great, and the brothers and sisters (and parents) I have made along the way are irreplaceable.
I'd just like to share this with anyone who runs EMS, works in emergency medicine, or provides emergency services.
Partners - Author Unknown at this time. If you have more info, please send it along.
Side by side we race through the night
With blaring siren and flashing lights...
A life's at stake, a precious soul,
Perhaps too late, beyond our control...
Times like this have come before.
Never quite knowing just what's in store...
When we arrive, our actions as one.
No thoughts need be spoken, just simply done...
To soothe a child's cry, to ease the pain.
Knowing times like this will come again...
Though it's done many days a week
The bond between us is quite unique...
Different than that of a man and wife.
For we can say we've saved a life...
To some it may just seem routine.
The things we've done, the sights we've seen...
But you and I know it's changed our hearts.
The ways we've seen life torn apart...
And seen life begin new and fresh.
All the while praying we've done our best...
Some day another will take our place.
A youthful still unknown face...
But never will time cloud my view.
Of all the thins I've shared with you..
for we are Partners...
Thank you.
Hmmm... Pretty Bad when your own DA is against you!
Nutter, you really are a nut aren't you! I can't believe you thought the law abiding gun owners in the state would take this sitting down, and I can't believe you actually think this will do anything to help stop your crime rates from increasing!
How about you lock up the criminals, and stop punishing innocent gun owners? And really, if you're going to pass some stupid laws, wouldn't it at least make sense to check with the DA before you do so? I mean, how embarrassing is it to hear that your laws are unconstitutional, from your own DA?!?!??!?!
LOL. This actually brings a smile to my face, after the anger I felt when he signed the laws.
My only question now is, when will the DA arrest the mayor for violating the law?
How about you lock up the criminals, and stop punishing innocent gun owners? And really, if you're going to pass some stupid laws, wouldn't it at least make sense to check with the DA before you do so? I mean, how embarrassing is it to hear that your laws are unconstitutional, from your own DA?!?!??!?!
LOL. This actually brings a smile to my face, after the anger I felt when he signed the laws.
My only question now is, when will the DA arrest the mayor for violating the law?
Monday, April 14, 2008
Castle Doctrine - Why do we need it?
It's crap like this that pisses me off. Castle Doctrine is something that is important, and needs to be passed post haste (on that note, does anyone know if it has been passed in IN?)
If a freaking goblin were to break in my door in the middle of the night, he deserves whatever he gets. That's his problem, and that should extend to cover the financial part of it. Being drunk is NOT an excuse for not knowing what you're doing!
And while we're at it, why does everyone feel the need to sue everyone else? Your comment hurt my feelings, I'll sue you. I used the drill the wrong way and put a hole in my foot, and I sue the manufacturer! What the is wrong with all of this?
H/T to Sebastian, over at Snowflakes in Hell for sharing the link with us.
If a freaking goblin were to break in my door in the middle of the night, he deserves whatever he gets. That's his problem, and that should extend to cover the financial part of it. Being drunk is NOT an excuse for not knowing what you're doing!
And while we're at it, why does everyone feel the need to sue everyone else? Your comment hurt my feelings, I'll sue you. I used the drill the wrong way and put a hole in my foot, and I sue the manufacturer! What the is wrong with all of this?
H/T to Sebastian, over at Snowflakes in Hell for sharing the link with us.
A right to HealthCare - I think NOT.
By Neal Boortz via Townhall.com:
Among the rights guaranteed (not “given” as Bill Clinton believes) to you in our Constitution are:
- Freedom of religion
- Freedom of speech
- The right to peaceably assemble.
- The right to petition the government
- The right to keep and bear arms
- The right to be free of unreasonable searches and seizures
- Protection from double jeopardy
- Due process
- A speedy and public trial by jury
- The right to legal counsel when charged with a crime
With one exception, the right to representation in court and a trial by jury, these rights require nothing of any other citizen but that they recognize your rights and not interfere with them.
Your “right to health care” would require some other person to give up a portion of their life or their property to either treat you or to provide you with drugs or medical implements. The Constitution does not provide for another individual to be indentured to you in this manner.
Therefore, you have no “right” to health care.
Deal with it.
Stolen from: Shamalama
Friday, April 11, 2008
Guns on College Campuses
Larry, over at Monster Hunter Nation, hands out a good frisking to some girl named Elizabeth who commented on his blog after his post about students in Utah being allowed to carry on campus. Go give him a read and then come back here for a little moreAs someone who graduated college in the recent past, this is an item that's close to my heart.
I always acted the same way regardless of if I was on campus, or off campus. While it's true that I had a little more lee-way then most students on a campus, because I knew all of the security officers (EMS will earn you that kind of respect), I was always on my best behavior. I always acted like a responsible adult.
Even at the ripe old age of 23, and nearly 24, I can count the number of times that I've been drunk on one hand, and I can probably count the number of times I've had something, make that anything, to drink on two hands. Never once while drinking was I tempted to pull out a firearm, and wave it around. In a similar manner, in the last year of carrying, I've never been tempted to pull my firearm out in public. The thought of doing so, without an extremely good reason, boggles my mind. By good reason, I mean I'm about to use my firearm to stop a forcibly felon, and chances are, it's against me or mine.
My point is this, crossing a magical border onto a school campus, or into the post office (federally prohibited place) does not change who I am, does not mean I'm going to go off the cuff. Crossing onto campus does not make me any less a responsible armed citizen, then it does make me any less of a trained and certified EMT. Why do politicians, any of them, or school bureaucrats and administrators, feel the need to deny me my rights?
While I'll fully admit that many of the guys I went to school with would have no interest in going through the hassles it takes to get a permit. That's fine, but what makes a college campus a magical place that needs to be gun free.
Can anyone answer that? Maybe post it in my comments. I would love to hear your ideas.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
Communication... or a lack there of!
One of the topics that evolved to become near and dear to my heart in relation to EMS is the efficient and correct communication of information. Communicating information is important in all facets of EMS, from the call taker getting proper information from the caller, to the dispatcher relaying the correct information to the responding ambulance, and even from one responder to another. As an example, I have an old war story to tell, and as usual, some things have been changed.
Once upon a merry time, I was hanging around at the squad house, one of the nights I was just hanging out, I wasn't on duty, had no responsibility to run any calls, etc. Upon this interesting night in question, the duty crew was scattered to the four winds, each having gone their own way for the night. That being the case, when the tones dropped for a 911 call, I jumped in the truck with the one person from the crew that was still around. Dispatched as follows: “Ruraltown EMS, respond to 91 Hill Country Rd. for the suicidal female with the leg injury.” The run was dispatched as BLS only, and didn't meet any criteria for an ALS assignment.
Just before my new partner and I were going to pull out of the bay and respond to the call, a second member to the duty crew arrived at the building. I offered to jump off the truck, didn't want to crowd their style, but they said go ahead and stay, it's a psych call anyway, we might need the help. While in the process of responding to the call, the third member of the crew called us on a cell phone to let us know he was also responding, and we could pick him up a Ruraltown Elementary. We picked him up and continued on to the scene.
Upon arrival, we noticed there were 2 police cars on location, signed out with dispatch, made contact with the fire department guys who were just arriving and proceeded to knock on the door. After about 2 minutes of knocking with no answer, we called dispatch on the radio and asked for a call back to the location to get them to answer the door. Shortly thereafter, one of the police officers and a middle aged man walked around from the back of the house. The motioned us to follow them.
As we rounded the back corner of the house, I noticed a second police officer and a middle aged lady standing behind the house on a slight incline. They appeared to be talking. Making the first mistake of the night, I assumed this was our patient. The rest of my crew also made this mistake. I started to speak with the man whom I took as her husband, to record the pertinent details for the run sheet. As one of my crew mates attempted to make contact with the “patient” and figure out what was going on, the police officer stopped us and said, “That's not her, the one you're looking for is over there,” and turned on his flashlight, illuminating the prone figure of a much younger woman laying on the ground.
A quick assessment revealed the patient was probably intoxicated, although we couldn't be sure, was only semi-conscious, and more then a little combative. We learned from the patient's parents that she had a mental health history, including suicidal tendencies, and had decided to jump off the back deck.
But deck you say, that would make this a victim of a fall, and because the deck is a second story deck, and we're on a hill, that's greater then twice the patient's height right? That's a significant mechanism of injury, and requires an ALS dispatch (at least in NJ.) And oh, she's only semi-conscious, lets get us some help coming this way pronto.
Call dispatch, have the ALS unit assigned to the job, and fly the trauma helicopter. Local protocols dictate that a transport of more then 20 minutes to the trauma center, and the patient meets fly criteria. Semi-conscious patient definitely meets trauma criteria, even though we were not sure if decreased level of consciousness was due to the fall, or the alcohol.
As the paramedics are responding, they call us on the radio, looking for an update. It's kind of like a “hey, we heard this get dispatched, why the hell are you bothering us for this. It should be no big deal” message. Because of the terrain and where we were, the portable radio I had was worthless, so I ended up calling one of the medics on the phone.
I gave him the scoop, and explained where we were, what was going on (rest of the crew had the patient packaged), and that we were rolling to the landing zone to meet the helicopter.
While we were transporting the patient to the LZ, she stopped breathing for appox. 30 seconds. Upon arrival at the LZ, the patient was breathing on her own again. Paramedics arrived, did their thing, and shortly thereafter, the helicopter arrived and transported the patient to Big Town Trauma.
The whole point of that story is this:
Dispatched as “Suicidal female with a leg injury.”
End result – yeah, she was suicidal, and she had a leg injury for sure. But somehow, I get the feeling that the whole jumping off a deck, and only being semi-conscious thing was just a LITTLE more important then the suicidal feelings at that point.
NOTE: I've also worked as both a dispatcher, and a call taker. I sympathize with those individuals truly and honestly, it is a tremendously stressful job. I'm merely attempting to show how a lack of communication can lead to major problems in the field.
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
An Overview of the EMS system in place in NJ
EMS in the state of New Jersey is set up in a different manner than most readers will be able to relate to. Most of the EMS systems that I've read about, and viewed as an outsider are some combination of EMT-B's, EMT-I's, EMT-Advanced's, and Paramedics. Everyone rides around in an ambulance, and sometimes different counties provide different levels of care. That is, one county will staff its ambulances with 1 EMT-B and 1 Paramedic, while the next county over will have and EMT-B and an EMT-I.
New Jersey runs on a tiered system for EMS. There are only two levels of pre-hospital care, EMT-B and Paramedic, or EMT-P. In the NJ system, ambulances are staffed by two EMTs, and paramedic services are provided by an MICU unit, staffed by 2 paramedics, who ride in a separate vehicle. Many ALS systems (which must be hospital based in NJ) have elected to use SUV's or chase cars of some kind, because they do not have transport responsibility. This system changes the dynamics of the system a little bit.
For example, on a BLS call, only the local ambulance will be dispatched, the MICU units will not be sent to the run at all, unless the BLS upgrades the call after making patient contact. For an ALS call, one that meets ALS criteria from dispatch, both the ALS and the BLS units are sent. What that means is that for a seriously sick patient, there are actually two providers dealing with the patient on the way to the ER, either 2 paramedics, or an EMT and a paramedic (depending on nature of call, and the specific situation.) If an ALS call is dispatched, and there is no paramedic unit available to respond, the BLS unit is sent without an ALS unit, and an ALS unit is sent as soon as one is free.
This type of system also does not lend itself to much non-call related interaction between the BLS providers and the ALS providers. While this is not always the case, in most of New Jersey, the BLS crews are stationed at different buildings then the ALS crew. Where each town might have a BLS ambulance assigned on duty at any given time, there may only be two ALS units on duty for the entire county. There are exceptions, but this is a general rule. In the rural parts of the state (yes, there are still a few of them) there are often times when the ER is 45 minutes from the scene of the call, and the paramedics are not going to be able to rendezvous with the BLS unit because of geography and time constraints. In this type of situation, EMT-B's are often stuck taking care of patients that need a higher level of care, which has a tendency to mature an EMT in a quicker manner. Additionally, an emphasis is placed on the EMT's riding in the rural area to learn when an ALS unit is NEEDED, and when it isn't. It doesn't do the system any good to tie up a paramedic unit if it isn't needed, and there may be a job going on across the county were the medics are really needed.
I figured I'd post this quick intro to EMS in NJ because most of my stories will be based there, and so I wanted people to understand why when the ambulance pulls up on scene, there are not paramedics arriving. Furthermore, in most of my stories, involving my volunteer squad, it bears remembering.
1.) I lived in a rural area.
2.) My squad operated 4 ambulances and a light rescue truck (2 duty crews at night). We covered 4 towns.
3.) One 24 hour paramedic truck covered the county, and a 12 hour truck ran during the day, so 2 units during the day, 1 at night.
4.) Nearest Trauma / Cardiac Center - 45+ minutes from my closest EMS station.Hope you enjoy the stories!
Another Good Gun Read - Shamelessy Stolen from www.defensivecarry.com!
"Gun-Free Zones" Mean: No Guns--Except for Criminals
by William Atwell
of Students for Concealed Carry on Campus - ConcealedCampus.com
The latest violent offenses on college campuses leave many people wondering what could have been done beforehand to stop these massacres. There has been extensive legislation enacted in the US with prescribed declarations of intent to stop easy access to weapons. Have these laws created a safer society? Considering the murder rate was much lower in the 1950's with virtually no school shootings, and when there were few if any restrictions on the purchasing of guns, we can see that these laws do not deter violent criminals. Some gun legislation is appropriate and necessary, but the very nature of being a criminal designates that they will not obey the law in purchasing a firearm, or using a firearm; that's why they're criminals. The law confines law-abiding citizens. It's the criminal that will purchase guns illegally, carry them illegally, and use them illegally. There is no way to enforce gun laws until after a crime has been committed and people are dead.
With this problem in mind, what has our vast amount of legislation done to deter criminals from committing bloody massacres on college and university campuses? Virginia Tech, Northern Illinois University, Omaha mall, Kirkwood City Council, and other places have been designated as "gun-free zones," and yet did nothing to stop dozens of murders. Why is that, you ask? Maybe it's because law-abiding citizens with state-issued Concealed Carry Permits (CCW) weren't allowed to bring their handguns on campus. Instead they obeyed the law while the shooters clearly weren't concerned with the law. Is it a surprise that a sign saying "Gun-Free Zone" didn't change the course of action of a deranged, psychopathic criminal?
People who want a CCW must be 21 years of age and lack mental or physical infirmity which would prevent the safe handling of a firearm. They must also take the necessary firearm and legal training course, and must allow the Sheriff's department to run a background check which requires verifying valid US and state citizenship, clean felony and domestic violence record, and other restrictions. After meeting all of these requirements, they are issued a CCW and may carry a firearm in virtually all places in society, but these qualified individuals have their right to bear arms suspended once they step on campus.
Regardless of your opinion on guns, it should not settle very comfortably in your stomach for any right of a US citizen to be suspended for virtually no reason. The government doesn't suspend our right to freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of press, freedom of assembly, or freedom to petition the government in any particular location on a permanent basis. Federal law exempts citizens who carry a CCW in school gun-free zones, so why does North Carolina state law exhibit this prohibition? How is a college or university campus different than the mall, street, parking lot, office building, or church? If a student is qualified enough to carry a concealed weapon for self-protection in virtually all other places, they should be granted the same freedom on campus.
If just one student from Virginia Tech possessed a firearm on the day of the massacre other than the shooter, Seung-Hui Cho, many lives could have been saved. Is the state really concerned that licensed CCW holders are going to commit the heinous crime of mass murder? CCW holders have been statistically proven to be five-times less likely to commit a violent crime than a non-CCW holder. Law makers know that all the measures taken to unarm people like Cho have obviously failed, and yet CCW carriers are still being restricted from protecting themselves. I do not stand against the felony restriction, the mental and physical incapacity restriction, or other similar restrictions, but good, honest, law abiding citizens are being put in harms way, without just cause.
As a state, we need to stand up for our rights, and ensure the protection of our students. The administration and police department could not act fast enough to save 32 lives at Virginia Tech, or 5 lives at Northern Illinois University. The victim is the first line of defense in the event of a tragedy. The Second Amendment ensures that people can effectively defend themselves, rather than rely solely on things like prayer and cell phones. Both are good backups, but not good supplements. Qualified citizens deserve the right to self-defense. This is especially the case when the government is unable to ensure reasonable levels of protection against criminals, who care nothing about "gun-free zones."
--
William G. Atwell
East Carolina University
Student of Political Science and Philosophy
WGAtwell@gmail.com
While Mr. Atwell deserves full credit for writing this piece, I stole it from the DefensiveCarry forums, which are an excellent resource for anyone who carries a concealed firearm, or is interested in self defense, or 2A rights. I'll also repost this picture!
by William Atwell
of Students for Concealed Carry on Campus - ConcealedCampus.com
The latest violent offenses on college campuses leave many people wondering what could have been done beforehand to stop these massacres. There has been extensive legislation enacted in the US with prescribed declarations of intent to stop easy access to weapons. Have these laws created a safer society? Considering the murder rate was much lower in the 1950's with virtually no school shootings, and when there were few if any restrictions on the purchasing of guns, we can see that these laws do not deter violent criminals. Some gun legislation is appropriate and necessary, but the very nature of being a criminal designates that they will not obey the law in purchasing a firearm, or using a firearm; that's why they're criminals. The law confines law-abiding citizens. It's the criminal that will purchase guns illegally, carry them illegally, and use them illegally. There is no way to enforce gun laws until after a crime has been committed and people are dead.
With this problem in mind, what has our vast amount of legislation done to deter criminals from committing bloody massacres on college and university campuses? Virginia Tech, Northern Illinois University, Omaha mall, Kirkwood City Council, and other places have been designated as "gun-free zones," and yet did nothing to stop dozens of murders. Why is that, you ask? Maybe it's because law-abiding citizens with state-issued Concealed Carry Permits (CCW) weren't allowed to bring their handguns on campus. Instead they obeyed the law while the shooters clearly weren't concerned with the law. Is it a surprise that a sign saying "Gun-Free Zone" didn't change the course of action of a deranged, psychopathic criminal?
People who want a CCW must be 21 years of age and lack mental or physical infirmity which would prevent the safe handling of a firearm. They must also take the necessary firearm and legal training course, and must allow the Sheriff's department to run a background check which requires verifying valid US and state citizenship, clean felony and domestic violence record, and other restrictions. After meeting all of these requirements, they are issued a CCW and may carry a firearm in virtually all places in society, but these qualified individuals have their right to bear arms suspended once they step on campus.
Regardless of your opinion on guns, it should not settle very comfortably in your stomach for any right of a US citizen to be suspended for virtually no reason. The government doesn't suspend our right to freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of press, freedom of assembly, or freedom to petition the government in any particular location on a permanent basis. Federal law exempts citizens who carry a CCW in school gun-free zones, so why does North Carolina state law exhibit this prohibition? How is a college or university campus different than the mall, street, parking lot, office building, or church? If a student is qualified enough to carry a concealed weapon for self-protection in virtually all other places, they should be granted the same freedom on campus.
If just one student from Virginia Tech possessed a firearm on the day of the massacre other than the shooter, Seung-Hui Cho, many lives could have been saved. Is the state really concerned that licensed CCW holders are going to commit the heinous crime of mass murder? CCW holders have been statistically proven to be five-times less likely to commit a violent crime than a non-CCW holder. Law makers know that all the measures taken to unarm people like Cho have obviously failed, and yet CCW carriers are still being restricted from protecting themselves. I do not stand against the felony restriction, the mental and physical incapacity restriction, or other similar restrictions, but good, honest, law abiding citizens are being put in harms way, without just cause.
As a state, we need to stand up for our rights, and ensure the protection of our students. The administration and police department could not act fast enough to save 32 lives at Virginia Tech, or 5 lives at Northern Illinois University. The victim is the first line of defense in the event of a tragedy. The Second Amendment ensures that people can effectively defend themselves, rather than rely solely on things like prayer and cell phones. Both are good backups, but not good supplements. Qualified citizens deserve the right to self-defense. This is especially the case when the government is unable to ensure reasonable levels of protection against criminals, who care nothing about "gun-free zones."
--
William G. Atwell
East Carolina University
Student of Political Science and Philosophy
WGAtwell@gmail.com
While Mr. Atwell deserves full credit for writing this piece, I stole it from the DefensiveCarry forums, which are an excellent resource for anyone who carries a concealed firearm, or is interested in self defense, or 2A rights. I'll also repost this picture!
Big Cheers for this Professor
BIG Cheers for This Michigan State Professor!
This guy stood tall and "said" if you don't like it around?here go home!
The really important part.......Michigan State backed him?100 percent.
Hooray for the professor for having the guts to say it!
And multiple hoorays for the university for supporting his view.
I hope those that opposed his view left.....but I doubt that many did. (Damn !?)
I love it when people stand to be counted, don't you?
Hooray for A Michigan State Professor!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The story begins at Michigan State University with a mechanical engineering professor named Indrek Wichman.
Wichman sent an e-mail to the Muslim Student's Association.
The e-mail was in response to the students' protest of the Danish cartoons
that portrayed the Prophet Muhammad as a terrorist. The group had complained the cartoons were "hate speech."
Enter Professor Wichman.
In his e-mail, he said the following:
Dear Moslem Association,
As a professor of Mechanical Engineering here at MSU I intend to protest your protest. I am offended not by cartoons, but by more mundane things like beheadings of civilians, cowardly attacks on public buildings, suicide murders,
murders of Catholic priests (the latest in?Turkey?), burnings of Christian churches, the continued persecution of Coptic Christians in?Egypt, the imposition of Sharia law on non-Muslims, the rapes of Scandinavian girls and women (called "whores" in your culture), the murder of film directors in Holland, and the rioting and looting in Paris France.
This is what offends me, a soft-spoken person and academic,and many, many of my colleagues. I counsel you dissatisfied, aggressive, brutal, and uncivilized slave-trading Moslems to be very aware of this as you proceed with your infantile "protests." If you do not like the values of the West - see the 1st Amendment -you are free to leave.
I hope for God's sake that most of you choose that option.
Please return to your ancestral homelands and build them up yourselves instead of troubling Americans.
Cordially,
I. S. Wichman
Professor of Mechanical Engineering
As you can imagine, the Muslim group at the university didn't like this too well.
They're demanding that Wichman be reprimanded and the university impose mandatory diversity training for faculty and mandate a seminar on hate and discrimination for all freshmen. Now the local chapter of CAIR has jumped into the fray. CAIR, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, apparently doesn't believe that the good professor had the right to express his opinion. For its part, the university is standing its ground in support of Professor Wichman, saying the e-mail was private, and they don't intend to publicly condemn his remarks.
This guy stood tall and "said" if you don't like it around?here go home!
The really important part.......Michigan State backed him?100 percent.
Hooray for the professor for having the guts to say it!
And multiple hoorays for the university for supporting his view.
I hope those that opposed his view left.....but I doubt that many did. (Damn !?)
I love it when people stand to be counted, don't you?
Hooray for A Michigan State Professor!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The story begins at Michigan State University with a mechanical engineering professor named Indrek Wichman.
Wichman sent an e-mail to the Muslim Student's Association.
The e-mail was in response to the students' protest of the Danish cartoons
that portrayed the Prophet Muhammad as a terrorist. The group had complained the cartoons were "hate speech."
Enter Professor Wichman.
In his e-mail, he said the following:
Dear Moslem Association,
As a professor of Mechanical Engineering here at MSU I intend to protest your protest. I am offended not by cartoons, but by more mundane things like beheadings of civilians, cowardly attacks on public buildings, suicide murders,
murders of Catholic priests (the latest in?Turkey?), burnings of Christian churches, the continued persecution of Coptic Christians in?Egypt, the imposition of Sharia law on non-Muslims, the rapes of Scandinavian girls and women (called "whores" in your culture), the murder of film directors in Holland, and the rioting and looting in Paris France.
This is what offends me, a soft-spoken person and academic,and many, many of my colleagues. I counsel you dissatisfied, aggressive, brutal, and uncivilized slave-trading Moslems to be very aware of this as you proceed with your infantile "protests." If you do not like the values of the West - see the 1st Amendment -you are free to leave.
I hope for God's sake that most of you choose that option.
Please return to your ancestral homelands and build them up yourselves instead of troubling Americans.
Cordially,
I. S. Wichman
Professor of Mechanical Engineering
As you can imagine, the Muslim group at the university didn't like this too well.
They're demanding that Wichman be reprimanded and the university impose mandatory diversity training for faculty and mandate a seminar on hate and discrimination for all freshmen. Now the local chapter of CAIR has jumped into the fray. CAIR, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, apparently doesn't believe that the good professor had the right to express his opinion. For its part, the university is standing its ground in support of Professor Wichman, saying the e-mail was private, and they don't intend to publicly condemn his remarks.
College Student Builds His Very Own Tank
A Flint, Mich., college student may never have to fight for a parking space again.
That's because he's built his own fully operational half-size replica German World War II Panzer tank.
• Click here for video of a parking-lot blitzkrieg.
"I took it home, driving it around in this white-picket-fence neighborhood, and one of the neighbors called the cops on us," Kettering University student Will Foster tells the Flint Journal. "[They] came and they just told us to head back home, but they were also laughing at it because they had never seen anything like that before."
Foster figures his mini-weapon of doom cost about $10,000 to build, most of it on trial-and-error research. It runs on a three-cylinder diesel engine and has a 360-degree turret with a working cannon powered by an air tank that can fire golf balls and empty cans of Red Bull.
He first designed the tank when he was 14, but only when Foster got to Kettering did he find a community of engineering geeks to help him build it. He parks it next to his Theta Xi frat house in a space labeled "Panzer parking. Violators will be totaled."
"Kids run after us like we're the ice-cream man when we take it out," Foster laughs.
I'm sorry, I don't care who you are. That's AWESOME! I'd love to have one of these one day :)
I'm sorry, I don't care who you are. That's AWESOME! I'd love to have one of these one day :)
Shamelessly Stolen!
Supposedly posted on the wall at First Baptist Church in Summersville, West Virginia:
1. Just one God
2. Put nothin’ before God
3. Watch yer mouth
4. Git yourself to Sunday meetin’
5. Honor yer Ma & Pa
6. No killin’
7. No foolin’ around with another fellow’s gal
8. Don’t take what ain’t yers
9. No tellin’ tales or gossipin’
10. Don’t be hankerin’ for yer buddy’s stuff
Any questions?
Stolen From: Common Folks Using Common Sense
Thanks!
Quote of the Day / Week / Month?
I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too much liberty than to those attending too small a degree of it.
--Thomas Jefferson
--Thomas Jefferson
EMS Humor
I found this photo online, I think it was Facebook actually, and I realized that EMS responders have a really really warped sense of humor... but I guess it comes with all of the stuff that we see on a regular basis! Hope you enjoyed this!
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