PARAMEDIC SOUP

Federal Prisoner Transfer Center

2011-08-08T23:37:00.000-07:00

I had quite an interesting call at the local Federal Transfer Center. One of the prisoners decided to do himself in by swallowing razor blades (3), taken an overdose of his psych medications and slash his forearms to ribbons. Oh, and he sliced his carotid arteries to boot. This prisoner wanted to take others with him, as he was being less then helpful with treatment, and full of hepatitis-C. Nice....

There's A New Sherriff in Town at ETMC & Paramedics Plus!

2011-08-04T04:12:00.000-07:00

East Texas Medical Center Regional Healthcare System has named Ron Schwartz as the new vice president/chief operating officer for ETMC EMS.

Follow this link for the full story: http://www.c-bstatesman.com/news/2011-08-04/News/ETMC_names_new_EMS_vice_president.html

Pinellas EMS reduces costs, but taxpayers will pay more

2011-08-04T04:07:00.000-07:00

Paramedics Plus has its hands full with issues popping up in two of its service areas. First in Oklahoma City and now in Pinellas County Florida. Pnellas is looking for cost saving measures and possibly raising the EMS tax to its citizens. Follow the link below to take you to the story
http://www.tampabay.com/news/localgovernment/pinellas-ems-reduces-costs-but-taxpayers-will-pay-more/1181265

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Window of Opportunity

2011-08-04T03:40:00.000-07:00

The link below will take you to a document that was submitted in August of 2010 by the city manager. As everyone is aware, there is a Window of Opportunity beginning October 1st 2011 for making changes to the Ambulance delivery system in Oklahoma City This window allows for the city to review other options for providing ambulance service and determine the viability of the TRUST. The link below shows what the OCFD contemplated back in 2006, when the city considered going with an FD/Civilian workforce. Interesting reading!

http://www.okc.gov/agendapub/cache/2/pxkt1yeliqwonfv1dpwnb045/112309108042011051534558.PDF

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Wow!

2011-03-02T01:41:00.000-08:00

If ands and buts were candy and nuts, everyday would be Christmas! That was interesting!

Communication is everything!

2011-01-14T17:28:00.000-08:00

Communication is everything!

It's not what is said...
It's not what is intended...
It's how it is perceived by the other party!

Perception is one of the oldest fields in psychology.

Should probably study-up on that before it bites you in the ass!

Me!

NATS ASS

2011-01-05T19:44:00.000-08:00

January 5th: N.A.T.S. EMS entered into an agreement with A.S.S. Ambulance Services Inc. N.A.T.S. agreed to acquire the remaining assets of A.S.S, Inc, even though there was nothing left to buy.

A spokesperson for NATS said that "It would be better to own 100% of the A.S.S., than have 0.1% risk of another company bidding against them". The new company will be called NATS-ASS Ambulance, Inc, which will be a subsidiary of NATS, Inc.

TheFossilMedic

"The Golden Taco"

2010-12-29T08:33:00.000-08:00

“The Golden Taco”

By TheFossilMedic

One day at band camp:

I worked for a company called Mercy Ambulance in Fontana/Rancho Cucamonga California. This would have been during the late 80’s early 90’s.

Mercy was a great company, with great people and it is truly missed by those who had the pleasure of being employed there. Well, almost all of the employees anyway!

Mercy’s founders were four gentlemen named Steve, Homer, Don and Terry, affectionately known as the Owners!

As with any company, the owners of Mercy Ambulance definitely had their quirks and dysfunctional moments. This story represents a snapshot of a few of those “dysfunctional moments” and “quirks” of the four men. It is written with my deepest respect and admiration for the four of them.

A typical Board Meeting:

The four owners would go into the boardroom and close the door.

A discussion would ensue, and it was sometimes centered on the fact that Homer wanted to terminate an employee. Sometimes the discussions would turn ugly and the sounds being emitted from that room would go from a light rumble to very loud yelling and arguing.

Don would always turn beet red in the face, and kept both hands flat on the top of table. He’d say something to the effect of “Now let’s hear all of the facts first Homer”. He knew Homer always wanted to fire someone, for something.

Steve would literally jump up on the boardroom table and walk across the entire span of the thing. He’d be wagging his finger in the air, proclaiming with teeth clinched, “We’re the owners of this place; we can do whatever the hell we want”! He’d become spitting mad, literally.

Terry would always quietly intervene and say something like “Ok Steve, let’s just all relax a little. We need to discuss this further” or “I’m sure there’s got to be a better way we can handle this”.

Terry was always very quiet and deliberate. After Terry’s browbeating, Steve would stop in his tracks, pull down on the bottom tips of his vest, and say “Well! Yes, I’m sorry”.

He’d meekly make his way back across the table, quietly climb down with a nervous shake, and eventually all of the yelling and shouting would get reduced to a quiet roar.

Whenever the owners were considering termination, the employee would be seated in a chair that was strategically placed outside of the boardroom. Just close enough for the person to hear the roar, but never the actual discussion. They’d sit quietly and nervously, and always under the watchful eye of Carmen, the owners secretary.

Suddenly Carmen’s phone would buzz loudly. She’d get up from her desk, walk over to the employee and say something to the effect of “They’ll see you now” or “You’re on”!

She’d open the door, the room now being very quiet she would casually escort the person to a very empty chair at the end of the long table. With a cat who caught the canary expression on her face.

The meetings would begin with idle chit-chat, and then one of the owners would ask the employee some questions. All eyes focused on the employee, and the four men would listen intently to what the employee had to say.

After about an hour or so, the door to the boardroom would swing open. The employee would exit the room first, full of fear, almost a petrified look on their face. One of the owners, usually Steve, would be following directly behind them. The remainder of the owners remained in the room, quiet and motionless.

As he passed her desk, Carmen would quickly slip Steve an envelope, which he’d nervously place into the inside breast pocket of his suit jacket. He’d give her a smile and a simple bow in her direction, and say “Thank you Carmen”! “I’ll be next door at the Taco Bell having lunch with (insert employee name here)”.

“Ok, Steve I’ll be sure to let everyone know” she would respond, very loudly and very deliberately.

While engaging in simple talk along the way, Steve would casually usher the employee through the maze of cubicles scattered about the office. A hush would quickly consume the busyness of the office staffers, who were just dying to see the pomp and circumstance pass by. They would sit quietly at their desks, peering out as if witnessing a funeral procession. Straight faced, yet eager to catch a glimpse at which employee was walking that final Green Mile.

If really in a “pissy” mood, Steve would shoot them with a look of his own. One of those non verbal kind; A “It’s none of your business” type of scowls. It was a menacing look, as if he had caught them leering or enjoying the demise of another person. They’d quickly shuffle back to work, flustered and acting as if they hadn’t seen a thing. But now their hearts were pounding in horror, afraid that they may have been caught, and yet still feeling lucky that they were not walking that walk too.

After reaching the front door, Steve would politely open it for the doomed employee. The two would then exit the building. As the door closed shut, Carmen would immediately signal the remaining owners with a quick buzz via the boardroom phone. They’d exit the room quietly chatting and laughing, as if nothing whatsoever had happened.

One of them would casually give Carmen a shout-out notification and say “We’re going to lunch, but we’ll be back”! It was a signal to her that she better stay busy, and not run around the office “filling-in” her closest friends. But the owners rarely ever returned from lunch.

Acting much like teenagers, the three would quickly scatter through different exits. All of them knowing the task now faced by Steve at the Taco Bell.

With his hands in his pockets, Steve would walk with the employee, through the front parking lot and around the wall. He would always speak to them in a somber tone. Almost in a Father-like manner, as if to be giving sage advice to one of his children or close friends.

Walking with them into the restaurant, he always held the doors open for the employee. Steve would always be dignified and respectful to them. The two would approach the counter, with Steve telling the employee “Order whatever you want! It’s on me”!

With his wallet in hand, he would tell the clerk “I’ll be paying for everything, thank you” always giving the employee and the clerk a big wide-mouth grin, always remaining friendly and respectful. Then he squint his eyes closed, just for an added effect.

After getting their food, Steve would pick out table in the quietest spot of the restaurant. Motioning with an outstretched hand, he would tell the employee “Please be seated”.

Sitting down and allowing the employee to get in their first few bites of that final meal, Steve would slowly and methodically reach into the breast pocket of his coat.

There were only three reasons he would be reaching into that pocket of his:

1.) You were getting a promotion.

2.) You were getting a raise.

3.) You were the unfortunate recipient of “The Golden Taco” and you were leaving the company. Today!

Now as cold and calculated as this may seem, it wasn’t always bad for the employees. Most of them knew it was coming. What actually surprised them most was the fact that Steve would always give them a sizeable severance. He was truly a kind-hearted man.

Finally, he’d shake their hand, clumsily get up from the table, and exit the Taco Bell, walk around that wall and back over to his office.

Sitting in his big comfy chair, he would quietly stare out of his office window. Pondering, or sometimes even depressed at what he had to do. Personally, I caught him quietly sobbing, because he had to let an “old friend” go.

Footnote: One of the most interesting parts of “The Golden Taco” was the fact that nobody really knew what Steve was going to do. He always made his final decision between the time he received the envelope, to the time where reached into that breast pocket of his. Steve only left that boardroom with the mere blessings of the other owners. It was his choice to make!

PSS: Steve, Homer, Don and Terry were truly some of the most compassionate and passionate people that I have ever met in this industry.

What about me? The only time I ever walked away from that process with fear and dread, was the day Steve told me that he and the other owners had decided to sell their company to Careline. And that is an entirely different story!

I’ll see you on the flip-side of this business!

TheFossilMedic

Days Like Today...

2010-12-26T19:41:00.000-08:00

It's hard to experience a day like today, and get it cleared from my head. The feces and blood have taken their toll. The absolute exposure to our own health that we faced today was worry enough.

Calls like these run through my head like a movie. What did I do right? What did I do wrong? How would I run the call again if I ever have to?

The most important thing though, I was definitely ready to run that call today. I knew it was going to be nasty even before we turned into the place. I was mentally ready to run it, and I did!

One of those Interesting calls that you just wouldn't want to run again. Store it in the disk drive, and let something else overwrite later!

TheFossilMedic!

Listen to your mother!!

2010-12-21T20:52:00.000-08:00

Take it from a Paramedic Fossil like myself, if your mother tells you to clean your room and always wear clean under garments... Please listen to her! For my sake, please listen!

Repairing The Cookie

2010-12-21T13:23:00.000-08:00

Today I purge the previous 4 days of calls and post moves. I am on total diversion! Need to rejuvenate the cookie!

Post8

2010-12-17T21:12:00.000-08:00

Post 8

TheFossilMedic

If you're in this business for any length of time, then you're probably familiar with terms "post moves" and fluid systems.

In our system, we have a Post called Post 8. It can be a cruel and vile place to some. Your operation probably has one. Ours Is near the center of the city. It’s accessible to everything, and it can have you running a call in nothing flat. It's known as the "Vortex" of the system. A "Serpent" if you will. If you get caught in its grip, it can knock you down and tire you out quickly, and then eventually consume you. It can truly wreak havoc on an unprepared crew, but it can be the perfect tool for an incredibly busy system. Yeah, Management loves Post 8.

Newbie’s love the place too, for it can bring on that "pot-o-gold" of what is known as a "cool call". They need their fix of the adrenaline and the rush. The lights, the sirens, the dodging of bullets as they fly through the air, and they wind their way through the streets of this metropolis with the greatest of ease!

Unfortunately they expect that "pot-o-gold" on every call. That instant gratification fix. Most of the time it winds-up bringing them a mere "placebo” effect of a call such as the dreaded "Gomer Call" as they so distastefully describe it. They feel it is a waste of their precious time, for they are above all of that now.

Recruits hate Post 8, because it can bring on that terrifying first call. They sit there quietly with their FTO's getting poked and pumped-up for that sentinel event. It’s not an "if" proposition for them, its a "when". They wait with a lump in their throat. Wringing their sweaty hands and waiting for that ever so familiar "Beep, beep, beep, beep!" that echoes over the radio. It’s that tone that lets a crew know that they’re about to have their heads handed to them. Sometimes the tone is for them, and sometimes not. So if not, they go back to waiting and wringing their hands, and trying to put their hearts back in their throats. There still waiting for the possibility of that Sentinel call, but at the same time not wanting it all.

Fossils don't really care either way about Post 8. They do, because it's a busy place, and they know that they'd rather not be there. But in a positive way, it can make their shift move faster. The Fossils cool call days are, over and done with now. It’s just work to them, and it can be very hard work for fossils like me. Not that they'll get less care, but most of the fossils I know sit there patiently work on the patient. Slow and steady. They don't like the quick and messy approach to calls. Don't get me wrong we fossils like to run calls that are interesting. Just not necessarily the cool calls. Cool is a slippery slope that can go from interesting to scrambling in seconds flat. They can go from bad to good in seconds flat. Those are the calls that you never ever want to run again though.

Finally, if you or your partner happen to be stuck in the crosshairs of an unfriendly dispatcher, well you're about to get slammed into Post 8. And you’re probably going to be late getting home!

Sure, most good SSC's know how to work the system perfectly. They move the fresh units into the busier posts and areas and try to cover the off going crews. But if you wind up on the bad side of someone who feels like handing out some retribution a day, well you're going to be late getting home!

And your back? Well your back is going to be sore, that’s for sure!

So I'm not sure where I'll be posted today, its up to the EMS Gods for sure! But it will definitely be somewhere between hear and the talons of what is known as Post 8

TheFossilMedic

===============================================================================

See you on the flip side of this business

The Crumbled Cookie Effeft!

2010-12-15T19:05:00.001-08:00

12/15/10

By TheFossilMedic

When I was a Director of Operations in Los Angeles I required my managers and supervisors attend a class that I called “The Crumbled Cookie Effect”. The name is derived from a Chaplin who I met at a hospital in Davenport Iowa, right around 1983. Since then, I've placed my own spin and logic into teaching the program. Its an effective program and its very dynamic.

In a nutshell: The first thing I would do with the supervisors and managers, is to place them into a conference type setting. I purchased the largest chocolate chip cookies that I could find. As the classmates eyed up the delicious treats, I insisted that they not eat any of the cookie. There was always an unfavorable response to that request. Awe!

I would begin the class with a little short story that I learned while attending a Steven Covey 7 Habits for Highly Effective People seminar.

The story is about of a man who was riding an a bus and was greatly disturbed at a young boy who was running up and down the aisle of the bus screaming and laughing at the top of his lungs, while the young boy’s Dad just sat idly by. The man could not believe that someone would be so rude and inconsiderate, of the other people around him. He then began to notice other unflattering things about the man. His hair was unkempt so he was probably homeless, and his eyes were bloodshot, so he had to be an alcoholic, the man thought. Finally not able to take anymore of the child's behavior, this man went and approached the dad, and demanded that he get control of his young son or else.

The dad seeming to be shaken from a trance apologized to the man and told him that the boy’s mom, his wife, had just died at the hospital after struggling all night, and he was trying to think of a way to break the news to the boy. Wow! How profoundly different the mindset this man had on the man with the unruly child!

Now I had my students pick-up the large, chocolate chip cookie, and asked them to stare at it for a while. I ask them to consider the cookie as a bundle of problems our employees may be having. Personal problems. EMS Employee personal problems. There are a lot!

I asked the group to think about the absolute worst problem that one of their employees could be experiencing in their life at this moment in time. The group debated it back and forth for almost an hour. Then they started to offer suggestions. One man said that he had an employee who's wife was having impending child delivery issues. Another cited that one of her EMT's just lost his mother and sister in a car accident. And well, the list went on.

I started taking all of their recommendations one at a time, and wrote them up on a dry erase board. What I called it “The Parking Lot” list. (Thanks to a dear friend for that pearl).

We filled up the White Board quite nicely with information. I then selected all of the problems that the employees could possibly be experiencing.

Here are some:
1.) Money! Always comes down to money. I had each person break off a large piece of the cookie.
2.) Spousal communication and interpersonal issues.
3.) Parent Child rearing problems.
4.) Health issues is a huge problem! Another big piece of cookie.

We would usually pick 15 to 20 topics!

We continued breaking off pieces of the cookie. Piece by piece, the cookie would be whittled down, until finally it was transformed into a very small piece.

I told them to take a really good look at that little piece of cookie.

And then this is what I told them:

“This little piece of cookie my friends, is what your employees are coming to work with. This is all they have left to do the job they need to do".

"These are the same EMT's and Paramedics that must muster up enough energy and courage to hopefully save lives"!

"For crying out loud, somebody's driving a huge bullet down the streets of the city"!

So Ambulance and EMS Managers, Supervisors and SSC's, please personally get to know and understand your "fellow" employees. Do a “Cookie Triage” if you will. Scale them on a 1-4 scale. As you well know, this makes it easier to figure where their at.

Supervisors, make a note each time you have a a face to face chat with an employee. If you do that every week, you'll recognize instinctively when and if one of your folks is having a problem.

Offer them whatever tools you have in your arsenal in order to get them back down to a 1. Help them refill or rebuild their cookie.

It only takes a supervisor asking a very subtle and simple question, in order to provoke a call for help. Like, is everything going OK?

There is lot more to The Crumbled Cookie Effect, and not everything can be mentioned in this blog spot.

Watch that cookie!

================================================================
See you on the flip-side of this business!

Jim...

Is Big Brother Good For EMS?

2010-12-14T21:42:00.000-08:00

Paris Hilton, Kim Kardashian and "Big Brother" are TV shows, but they're nothing compared to the Ambulance business!

I got a really good dose of "Tex-ting" and "The Dish" not too long ago, and it's no laughing matter! It sucks, and you shouldn't have to be policed by your partner or supervisor!

Some folks seem to think that "Pranking" is funny... I've literally had partners that have had to phones constantly ringing and buzzing, because someone was text-ting them. That is sad! I know that it happens in this business, but it doesn't belong here! It's not funny, never has been, and never will be! That's why you probably want to get the hell out of this business, just because of stupid stuff like that!

Some people seem to think that "drama" or "dishing" is cool. Well, not when its is turned on you! Go watch "Big Brother", but keep it off the truck! You're at work! You're either in this business because you want to be, or you can't get paid anymore somewhere else. Some even think that a cashier at 7-11 makes more money than we do. Well probably, but have fun with that! If you do this kind of stuff, you're pathetic, overpaid and under worked!

Apparently some, (not all) have nothing better to do but screw around with someone else, because you're board! Everyone should be treated with dignity and respect. You should treat and transport all patients under the current and appropriate protocols. And, Paramedics don't "dry-run" patients, dumb Paramedics do!

So folks, dishing and pranking don't belong in this business! (a good TP-job to the back of the ambulance or KY Jelly to the door knobs are OK once in a while! Juvenile, but OK!

If you're even thinking about remaining in this business, grow the hell up!! Paramedics don't need to grow a set of "testes" because you think its cool and funny! You need to take that stuff elsewhere, like 7-11.

Dishing and Tex-ting are not good for anyone, including the patient! So EMT's, Paramedics, and SSC's, get your hands off that damned iPhone/Droid. Pay attention to what the hell is going on! Paramedics really do need another set of eyes and ears! Don't be in such a rush to get back to "Dishing" and "Tex-ting"! Paramedics shouldn't have to tell there partner to pay attention! You're all grown-up now for crying-out-loud! Some of us around here are just "Fossil's" according to you!

So Paramedics, if you're partner is having a nicotine fit, or is in need of a "Text-Frenzy", have them try some gum or press the event button! They may not have the patience or inclination to put on a KED or spineboard, on that "next" cool-call they want to run! (Current partner not included)!

================================================================

So this is my first attempt at blogging. If you don't like it, read somewhere else! If it entertains you, then mission accomplished!

Remember, this is a very "interesting" profession, which has evolved into something that an old PMed like myself could only dream about years ago. It has been "ransacked" by "wanna-be" Fire Fighters (sorry if you're a Fire Fighter), and Corporate Raiders that couldn't finish a hose drag if their life depended on it! (Current partner/employer not included).

Other than the fact that the pay still really sucks in this business, it is still a pretty cool job from my perspective.

SSC's; please stop "Tex-ting" everyone to find out what is taking the Paramedic so long! They're probably trying to calm the patient down, or unscrambling some cable spaghetti! (No offense to my current partner). If you're at level-"0", its probably because the system is designed to be that way!

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I'll see you on the other side of this business!