A question about emergency services in St.Mary's
- Thread starter angieanderic
- Start date
K
Kain99
Guest
St. Mary's County is lucky to have more than 52 professional EMT's and Paramedics volunteering. Wait times can occur for varying reasons which are almost always, out of the crews control.
CMC122
Go Braves!
I was a volunteer for 12 years. I was an EMT, a Paramedic and a fire fighter. I volunteered in a paid/volly system and heard that line of crap all the time. When it comes to the care of my family members and friends I wanted a trained professional there whether OR not they are actually get a paycheck!
HELL, most volunteers have a paying job as
you guessed it a paid fire/EMS professional in another jurisdiction!
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itsbob
I bowl overhand
VOlunteers don't get paid at all!??
A friend of mine was a volunteer in the town FD in NH.. he didn't get paid as he wasn't salaried, but anytime they got a call, they got paid.
I don't know about full time FD and Rescue, but I have NO problem with paying them for what they do now.
If we go to FT paid fire services, we are probably going to lose 60% of our emergency services... no way we can afford to pay the size force we have now FT salaries.
I thank all of them for what they do, and the sacrifices they make, and thank the families for putting up with the disruption in their lives so their loved ones can continue to serve.
A friend of mine was a volunteer in the town FD in NH.. he didn't get paid as he wasn't salaried, but anytime they got a call, they got paid.
I don't know about full time FD and Rescue, but I have NO problem with paying them for what they do now.
If we go to FT paid fire services, we are probably going to lose 60% of our emergency services... no way we can afford to pay the size force we have now FT salaries.
I thank all of them for what they do, and the sacrifices they make, and thank the families for putting up with the disruption in their lives so their loved ones can continue to serve.
godsbutterfly
Free to Fly
My husband and I were having dinner out one rainy and cold night and some volunteers came in to eat. They had just gotten their orders when they got a call. One of them commented it was the 3rd time that night they had tried to eat. The manager said they'd have something for them whenever they got back - no charge. I know I really appreciate all they do. I'm sure they would have had a lot more enjoyable evening at home and that was just one of many.
itsbob
I bowl overhand
I was a volunteer for 12 years. I was an EMT, a Paramedic and a fire fighter. I volunteered in a paid/volly system and heard that line of crap all the time. When it comes to the care of my family members and friends I wanted a trained professional there whether OR not they are actually get a paycheck!
HELL, most volunteers have a paying job as
Ya wanna practice mouth to mouth on each other? it's been awhile, I'm afraid my skills are gettin rusty!
I mean it would be with the communities best interests at heart!!
fumanfyter
New Member
WTF the "idgit" karma about??????? c'mon people, sign the damn karma at least!!
sparkysgirl
New Member
Some areas have volunteers who are paid per call. They have a base rate where for every call they get x amount and I think in some they get paid per hour they are on a call.
Here in SOMD it's completely volunteer, not paid one penny.
K
Kain99
Guest
Thank God for that!
bcp
In My Opinion
cheap braces will do that too.
Haley
Working for a living...
The St. Mary's County Emergency Communications Center has a program set up (and I'm sure the surrounding counties do as well) where if you do have a child or a person in your house with special needs when an emergency occurs, the dispatch center knows about it as does your local rescue squad. If your child is that severe and may need special care, call the ECC and give that information to the manager. That will be put in the system for the dispatchers and they can dispatch accordingy. Your local rescue squad can look up the information on your child based on the information you gave the ECC and also prepare for treatment while en route to your residence. As of right now the only paid personnel in the county are the 911 operators and you have NO IDEA the amount of abuse they take from the public.
I forget who it was on here that said something about the B.S. calls in the county. People calling for a tooth ache or a woman calling because her 2 year old has a broken toe and he is refusing to get in the car do not need emergency transportation. I'm not saying they may not need any medical care at all, but if you can drive yourself or your loved one, please do so. The amoung of B.S. calls that go on in the tri-county area are taxing all of the emergency responders and their equipment.
My point in all of this is that I am a volunteer as well, and although the little appreciation from the public is all we need to continue doing our jobs PROUDLY and efficiently, the public needs to help us as well. Get involved, know your address, know basic information about the patient you are calling about, DO NOT PANIC when calling for help as that delays the dispatch. I hope we never have to come to your aid, but when we do, have faith in our training and trust us!
I've heard calls for the strangest things, this morning someone thinks a bug crawled in their ear and calls for ambulance in Lex. Pk, I really don't think that is a cause to call for a ride, you don't get seen any sooner, but most people think they do. Or, the people who call when they have the runs, now who wants to be picked up by strangers for the sh@@s? JMO
Wasn't there an article in The Enterprise a few weeks ago about the county getting 1 paid EMT?
Haley
Working for a living...
I think it was only for 1 paid Paramedic for now. There is a difference in the 2 levels of training.
There have been people who drive themselves to the hospital, get triaged and sit in the waiting room, leave to go home before they're seen, call an ambulance because they think they'll get seen sooner since they came in on a box and STILL have to go back and sit in the waiting room. There is only 1 hospital in St. Mary's County, people. Be patient...there are TRUE emergencies that the staff could be working on, and although your reason for being at the hospital that day may be severe to you, it's not nearly as bad as the person who is having their chest pumped and someone else breathing for them back there.
angieanderic
New Member
Agreed,100%. I never said anything I thought was offensive or attacking at all,and when I got that kind of response it really pissed me off. But yes,it was a serious thread,and one meant to inquire,not criticize.
mackco79
New Member
I heard one yesterday Lady had a tooth pulled and her jaw hurt they got to her house and got a signed refusal two hours later same woman called for the same thing and again a refusal
Lilypad
Well-Known Member
angieanderic
I volunteer 2 nights a week, it amazes me how many folks call 911 instead of driving to the ER-some think going by ambo will get them seen quicker. In some cases that is true (chest pains, difficulty breathing, trauma, etc..) but many patients we transport go directly to triage.
I can not tell you how many times we've roll up on scene only to find numerous cars w/numerous folks in and about the residence-can't anyone put the patient in a car and drive them? I've been on calls where a party was going on and no one wanted to leave to take auntie to the ER for her dizziness or abdominal pain. This ties up trucks w/transports and takes valuable, needed crews out of service.
The repeat (frequent flyers) callers bog the system down and if you think revenue recovery or having a paid career staff will stop them from calling forget about it.
Instead of bashing the few folks who do volunteer on a consistent basis consider contacting your BOS with your invaluable suggestions.
I volunteer 2 nights a week, it amazes me how many folks call 911 instead of driving to the ER-some think going by ambo will get them seen quicker. In some cases that is true (chest pains, difficulty breathing, trauma, etc..) but many patients we transport go directly to triage.
I can not tell you how many times we've roll up on scene only to find numerous cars w/numerous folks in and about the residence-can't anyone put the patient in a car and drive them? I've been on calls where a party was going on and no one wanted to leave to take auntie to the ER for her dizziness or abdominal pain. This ties up trucks w/transports and takes valuable, needed crews out of service.
The repeat (frequent flyers) callers bog the system down and if you think revenue recovery or having a paid career staff will stop them from calling forget about it.
Instead of bashing the few folks who do volunteer on a consistent basis consider contacting your BOS with your invaluable suggestions.
mackco79
New Member
Haley
Working for a living...
I heard one yesterday Lady had a tooth pulled and her jaw hurt they got to her house and got a signed refusal two hours later same woman called for the same thing and again a refusal
Yeah, and how much do you think her level of care went down the second time they had to go out there? lol. This is what I'm talking about by taking yourself or getting a ride. If her jaw hurt from having a tooth pulled, maybe she needed to go back to her DENTIST! Not the ER! This is why the public complains about us volunteers! Because they call for non-emergencies numerous times a day! The 911 operators know quite a few people by first name by the number of times they call, and they know what they're calling for before they even say it! Talk about abuse!!!