The Emercy Medical Technician’s Oath
Be it pledged as an Emergency Medical Technician, I will honor the Physical and judicial laws of God and Man. I will follow that regimen which, according to my ability and judgment, I consider for the benefit of patients and abstain from whatever is deleterious and mischievous.
Nor shall I suggest any such counsel. Into what ever homes I enter, I will go into them for the benefit of only the sick and injured, never revealing what I see or hear in the lives of men unless required by law.
Nor shall I suggest any such counsel. Into what ever homes I enter, I will go into them for the benefit of only the sick and injured, never revealing what I see or hear in the lives of men unless required by law.
I shall also share my medical knowledge with those who may benefit from what I have learned. I will serve unselfishly and continuously in order to help make a better world for all mankind.
While I continue to keep this oath inviolated, may it be granted to me to enjoy life, and the practice of the art, respected by all men. In all times should I trespass or violate this oath, may the reverse by my lot.
…So Help Me God.
An EMS prayer
As I perform my duty, Lord. Whatever be the call.
Help to guide and keep me safe from dangers big and small.
I want to serve and do my best, no matter what the scene.
I pledge to keep my skills refined, my judgment quick and keen.
This calling to give of myself most don’t understand.
But I stand ready all the time to help my fellow man.
To have the chance to help a child restore his laugh with glee.
A word of thanks I might not hear, but knowing is enough for me.
The praise of men is fine for some, but I feel truly blessed.
That you, Oh Lord, for having chosen me to serve in EMS
When the Lord made EMTs and Paramedics
When the Lord made EMTs and Paramedics, he was into his sixth day of overtime when an angel appeared and said, “You’re doing a lot of fiddling around on this one,”
And the Lord said,“Have you read the specs on this order?”An EMT/Paramedic has to be able to carry an injured person up a wet, grassy hill in the dark, dodge stray bullets to reach a dying child unarmed, enter homes a health inspectors wouldn’t touch, and not wrinkle their uniform.He has to be able to lift three times his own weight, crawl into wrecked cars with barely enough room to move, and console a grieving mother as he is doing CPR on a baby he knows will never breathe again.He has to be in top mental condition at all times, running on no sleep, black coffee, and half eaten meals. And he has to have six pairs of hands.
The angel shook her head slowly and said,“Six pairs of hands….no way.”
“It’s not the hands that are causing me problems,” said the Lord,“It’s the three pairs of eyes an EMT/Medic has to have.”
“Is That’s on the standard model?” asked the angel.
The Lord nodded. “One pair that sees open sores as he’s drawing blood and asks the patient if they may be HIV positive, (When he already knows and wishes he’d taken that accounting job).”“Another pair here on the side of his head for is partner’s safety.Another pair of eyes here in front that can look reassuringly at a bleeding victim and say ‘You’ll be all right ma’am’ when he knows it is n’t so.”
“Lord,” said the angel, touching his sleeve, “rest and work on this tomorrow.”
I can’t,” said the Lord, “I already have a model that can talk a 250 pound drunk out from behind a steering wheel without incident and feed a family of five on a private service paycheck.”
The angel circled the model of the paramedic very slowly,
“Can it think?” she asked.
“You bet,” said the Lord. “It can tell you the symptoms of 100 illnesses, recite drug calculations in its sleep; intubate, defibrillate, medicate, and continue CPR nonstop over terrain that any doctor would fear…and still it keeps its sense of humor.”“This EMT/Medic also has phenomenal control.He can deal with a multi-victim trauma, coax a frightened elderly person to unlock their door, comfort a murder victim’s family, and then read in the daily paper how EMTs and Paramedics were unable to locate a house quickly enough, allowing a person to die.A house which had no street sign, no house numbers, no phone to call back.”
Finally, the angel bent over and ran her finger across the cheek of the EMT/Paramedic.” There’s a leak,” she pronounced. “I told you that you were trying to put too much into this model.”
“That’s not a leak,” said the Lord, “It’s a tear.”
“What’s the tear for?” asked the angel.
“It’s for bottled-up emotions, for patients they tried in vain to save, for commitment to hope that they will make a difference in a person’s chance to survive, for life.”
“You’re a genius,” said the angel.
The Lord looked somber, “I didn’t put it there
Happy EMS week : May 18th to 24th
Back in 1973, President Gerald Ford signed the official proclamation designating an official EMS Week, from May 18th to the 24th , in part to recognize the branch of public safety that most citizens prefer to ignore the other 358 days of the year.
What are the signs of EMS week ?
The local hospitals treat you to homemade Sloppy Joes…made from the leftover barbecue sauce from Hospital Week and the leftover hamburger patties from Nurse’s Week. My advice: don’t even try the potato salad. It doesn’t keep well.
All the homeless people angling for a 72-hour psychiatric admission — and the free food and air conditioning that comes with it — stop claiming to be Jesus for one week and instead claim to be Johnny Gage or Roy DeSoto.
When you pull up behind someone in traffic on an emergency response, and chirp your siren at them, they roll down the window and let you know that you’re Number One! Oh, wait a minute. They do that all the time anyway.
Adoring patients let you know how much they support your profession by loudly proclaiming, ”I pay your salary!” Oh, wait a minute. They do that all the time, too.
The local nursing home bakes you a cake…but forgets about it for a week and only calls you after it has turned stale. And all of them blame it on the ”day shift.”
Women call you at odd hours of the night and breathe heavily into the phone. Of course, it’s only 87-year-old Agnes calling because the humidity and high pollen count has exacerbated her emphysema, but at least she’ll be glad to see you.
Local municipalities announce that, for one week only, they will treat the drinking water with Haldol, Versed and Narcan instead of fluoride…because you need the break.
All crews are entitled to get out of their rigs, stretch their legs, sit down and relax…provided it’s during off-peak hours, and the management of Burger King doesn’t complain about you hanging out in one of their booths.
And the number one sign it’s EMS Week is… all your patients make your job easier by providing you with a list detailing their medical history and prescription medications.
Of course, it’s written in crayon on a crumpled piece of spiral notebook paper and lists things like Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, Demonic Possession, Seasonal Affective Disorder, and allergies to everything but Demerol, Dilaudid, Morphine and Fentanyl…but it’s the thought that counts, right?
For more such EMS stories refer to this link :
The History of E.M.S in the U.S.A
Let’s take a trip down memory lane, shall we ? Much has changed since the begging of the Emergency Medical Services in the United States of America…much is changing and much will continue to change but one thing remains constant in this change, the EMT s and Paramedics, the firemen and all rescue personnel involved in providing prehospital emergency care to the public , ARE making a …difference in the lives they save, 24/7 all over our country !!!!
Watch the following videos and learn our great history , a very short but very impressive history… Respect the excellent work that Jim Page and so many others like him accomplished in their careers all these years…Do them proud , pass it on to all your friends as well and if YOU are one of us…be proud as well and walk tall …YOU are truly a LIFESAVER !!!
These videos should be part of all EMS training courses and must be seen by all EMS , Fire and Rescue personnel in the field today, so that ALL together can continue to make changes and improve our future by learning the mistakes of the past ...Enjoy them !!!
These videos should be part of all EMS training courses and must be seen by all EMS , Fire and Rescue personnel in the field today, so that ALL together can continue to make changes and improve our future by learning the mistakes of the past ...Enjoy them !!!
EMS - On TV and in the Movies
Do you remember ’ Emergency ’…the TV series, back in the early 1970′s ?
Each week this top-rated action/drama series followed paramedics “John Gage” (Randolph Mantooth), and “RoyDeSoto” (Kevin Tighe), as they responded, in Squad 51, to accidents and dangerous rescues. Accompanying the paramedics in Engine 51 were, “Captain Hank Stanley” (Michael Norell), Firefighter/Engineer Mike Stoker, (as himself), and firefighters Marco Lopez (as himself) and “Chet Kelly” (Tim Donnelly).
Squad 51, an emergency room on wheels, was outfitted with advanced medical equipment. Paramedics “Gage” and “DeSoto” received instructions via radio from the doctors and nurses at Rampart hospital, “Dr. Kelly Brackett” (Robert Fuller), “Dr. Joe Early” (Bobby Troup), “Dr. Mike Morton” (Ron Pinkard) and “Nurse Dixie McCall” (Julie London).At the direction of the medical personnel, “Gage” and “DeSoto” performed on-site Advanced Lifesaving Techniques (ALS) to stabilize patients before transporting them to the hospital. Emergency! would then switch its focus to the doctors and nurses at Rampart Emergency as they treated the patient, while Station 51 waited for its next emergency call.
Emergency! aired 122 episodes and seven two hour movies reaching a national audience that averaged 30 million viewers each week.Emergency! helped educate those 30 million viewers on the emerging concept of Emergency Medical Services (EMS). A concept that was having a hard time getting off the ground in the early 1970’s.
Soon after Emergency!’s debut, viewers were demanding the on-site medical treatment that they were seeing on television. The result was dramatic.
Thousands of young men and women, inspired by Emergency!, began to enter the developing field of Emergency Medical Services, thus advancing EMS by ten years.I happened to be one of them…oh yes ( 25 years now and counting )
You can preview a lot of those episodes even today,at:
EMS - On TV and in the Movies
Do you remember ’ Emergency ’…the TV series, back in the early 1970′s ?
Each week this top-rated action/drama series followed paramedics “John Gage” (Randolph Mantooth), and “RoyDeSoto” (Kevin Tighe), as they responded, in Squad 51, to accidents and dangerous rescues. Accompanying the paramedics in Engine 51 were, “Captain Hank Stanley” (Michael Norell), Firefighter/Engineer Mike Stoker, (as himself), and firefighters Marco Lopez (as himself) and “Chet Kelly” (Tim Donnelly).
Squad 51, an emergency room on wheels, was outfitted with advanced medical equipment. Paramedics “Gage” and “DeSoto” received instructions via radio from the doctors and nurses at Rampart hospital, “Dr. Kelly Brackett” (Robert Fuller), “Dr. Joe Early” (Bobby Troup), “Dr. Mike Morton” (Ron Pinkard) and “Nurse Dixie McCall” (Julie London).At the direction of the medical personnel, “Gage” and “DeSoto” performed on-site Advanced Lifesaving Techniques (ALS) to stabilize patients before transporting them to the hospital. Emergency! would then switch its focus to the doctors and nurses at Rampart Emergency as they treated the patient, while Station 51 waited for its next emergency call.
Emergency! aired 122 episodes and seven two hour movies reaching a national audience that averaged 30 million viewers each week.Emergency! helped educate those 30 million viewers on the emerging concept of Emergency Medical Services (EMS). A concept that was having a hard time getting off the ground in the early 1970’s.
Soon after Emergency!’s debut, viewers were demanding the on-site medical treatment that they were seeing on television. The result was dramatic.
Thousands of young men and women, inspired by Emergency!, began to enter the developing field of Emergency Medical Services, thus advancing EMS by ten years.I happened to be one of them…oh yes ( 25 years now and counting )
How about ‘ ER ‘ …that was amazing too …remember ?
Most recently and very close to ” Home ‘ , there was another series called ‘ Third Watch ‘ …now that was so real :
…and finally , the latest series on NBC : ‘ Trauma’ …
If you are a ‘ Trauma junkie ‘ , like me then you have to check out this well known new TV series on NBC…every Monday night at 9 pm ….what a reality show …!!! For those of you that never heard of it , you do not know what you are missing.
“Trauma” is an intense, action-packed look at one of the most dangerous medical profession in the world…EMS Paramedic !!! When emergencies occur, the trauma team from San Francisco City Hospital is first on the scene, traveling by land, by sea or by air to reach their victims in time.
From executive producer Peter Berg (NBCs “Friday Night Lights”) , the first high-octane medical drama series to live exclusively in the field where the real action is.
” Every day,in every emergency , every life , is in their hands …this is their story “
Of course there have been …movies too, quite a few…do you remember this 1976 comedy with Bill Cosby and Raquel Welch ? :
” Bringing Out The Dead “ , was another one …with Nicolas Cage in the role of a NYC EMS Paramedic…a realistic view of dealing with death…:
Well , our trip…continues today in the real world of EMS …so does my career, for 25 years and counting…be safe everyone…keep on pumping !!!
I LOVE MY JOB !!!!
Clearwater Emergency Medical Services
EMS in Clearwater and the whole Pinellas County is provided by Sunstar Paramedics, in a dual response with the local Fire Department’s Rescue Squads…they are all advanced life support units, staffed by paramedics responding to 911 emergency calls.
Sunstar Paramedics is the sole provider of countywide paramedic ambulance services in Pinellas County. With approximately 550 employees, Sunstar Paramedics is a 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week operation that serves 280 square miles and a population of 945,000 with more than four million visitors annually.
http://www.sunstarems.com/
Sterling Thank You from Sunstar Paramedics on Vimeo.
Critical Care Transport (CCT) provides highly specialized inter-facility transport services and 9-1-1 scene responses to patients who need care beyond the scope of a paramedic through a transport team approach. The program is designed to provide continuous intensive care to critically ill patients requiring transport from one location to another.
Critical Care Transport (CCT) provides highly specialized inter-facility transport services and 9-1-1 scene responses to patients who need care beyond the scope of a paramedic through a transport team approach. The program is designed to provide continuous intensive care to critically ill patients requiring transport from one location to another.
The staffing of the primary and reserve CCT units consists of a highly qualified critical care experienced, state licensed and county certified nurse with a minimum of two years CCU/ICU experience, a critical care trained, state and county certified paramedic, and an county certified EMT. All of the full time staff have additional training in treating obstetrics, pediatrics, and neonates. Currently all nurses have an average of eight years experience in critical care. All paramedics have an average of five years experience in their field and an average of three years experience with CCT. All EMTs have an average of ten years of experience in EMS with an average of 3 ½ years experience with CCT.
You can monitor all EMS calls for Pinellas county at this link :
Look at my photos on Flickr, at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/diasostis/sets/72157601482267368/
The Clearwater Fire Department responds to all 911 EMS calls with their Rescue Squads to triage and treat all patients but transportation is provided by Sunstar.
Emergency Medevac Service is provided by Bayflite, launched in 1986, is an internationally recognized air medical flight program. Bayflite provides emergency helicopter services for critically ill and injured patients who need immediate specialized care,headquartered in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Bayflite serves the entire west central Florida region, as a non-profit organization; patients are transported regardless of their ability to pay.
Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, Bayflite helicopters are regularly seen in the skies above Tampa Bay, saving lives and making a difference in the community.
The Hellenic EMS
The Hellenic Emergency Medical Service , known as E.K.A.V ( it is pronounced - EKAB , in Greek ) was established back in 1985 and has 12 divisions , all over Greece. E.K.A.V operates today 760 Basic Life Support and 210Advanced Life Support Ambulances ( Mobile Intensive Care Units ) , along with 30 motorcycles , 2 mobile field operation centers , 2 disaster response units and 5 medevac helicopters. There are also another 350 hospital based transport ambulances , operating in the 166 system as well.
I have posted a lot of pics on ” Flickr ” about Hellenic EMS :
Special Substance Abuse Units ( O.K.A.N.A ) respond to drug overdose calls in the big cities and treat the homeless addicts as well.
Mobile Pediatric Intensive Care Ambulances transport newborns and children to specialized hospitals.
Triage Units ( SMART ) operate in high traffic areas along with motorcycles , part of ” The Mobile Team “ to reduce the extended response time , especially downtown Athens…look at this :
EKAB introduced in 2000 medics on bikes…known in Greek as ” Omada M “, team M…these units are used mainly in big cities like Athens and Thessaloniki and are staffed by a paramedic ( known in Greece as ” Diasostis ” ) and a doctor ( an Anesthesiologist )…due to the unbelievable traffic conditions, these units can provide Advanced Life Support mainly to Motor Vehicle Accidents, much faster than an ambulance can.They initiate prehospital emergency care on the spot while waiting for the transport ambulance to arrive, thus saving valuable time when treating trauma patients…
Medevac Helicopters respond to the Greek Islands and remote areas to treat and transport trauma patients to Athens.
All these years I was involved in this field I had the honor to work with a lot of members of E.K.A.V…..all true experienced professionals, all over Greece but mainly in Athens.
Καλό Υπόλοιπο Παιδιά !!!
I miss you all…so much !!!
