Medical Classifications

Please attend when available
(please note this is out of character, so we don't need to be in character at all)

Raven
Garcia
Hannahan
All EMS personnel interested in putting in an opinion.


Topic:
It was brought up to combine the ALS and BLS to have a paramedic and EMT on an ambulance, eliminating the need of ALS and BLS differences. I personally think BLS ambulances is rather boring, since there isn't much they can do, and it's hard on my part coming up with calls they would be useful at. Any input is welcome. Jus tstate what you think, why and provide any backup neccessary. Open to Requested persons.

I say remain BLS or ALS

I'd prefer to remain BLS and ALS separate. I have fun just running BLS, I don't really like the more advanced duties, nor in real life do I have plans on becoming paramedic. Also, if we have just one paramedic and one EMT (At the moment we only have one paramedic), the one ambulance gets tied up somewhere at a call where paramedics aren't needed, if another call comes in for an ALS call, then that paramedic can't respond. You'd have to send FD or something.

I'll give you a real life example of some BLS only calls we have. (Occasionally, ALS will be dispatched, but we cancel them if we need to)

-Minor Car accident (Some transports, some RMA)
-fall victim
-minor sports related injury
-Psych transports
-Lift assist
-Person feeling weak
-Person vomiting
-Diabetic emergency

Stuff like that, I'd be happy to take as BLS, and I know how incidents like stated above would be handled.

This is also why I've been suggesting the Fire-EMS. I know, I know, your probably tired of hearing that suggestion from me, but with the paramedics and EMTs that we already have on the fire department, we'd be all set for EMS. Just give the EMS guys some fire training.

I like the idea. If we run 1 EMT and 1 paramedic per ambulance they can both get more action, plus it would be easier for the EMT to take the medic exam after working with one for a while I think.

We could do like in London, 2x EMTs for BLS and 1 EMT + 1 Paramedic for the ALS?

aI have to respectfully disagree with that. I think there is more action running separately. IF we send a EMT and Paramedic to a BLS, the Paramedics has more overall experience, so they would be doing treatment and ell that, leaving the EMT writing the chart and/or driving (Not that driving isn't fun, lol).

There are some people they don't want to be a paramedic. I don't, not at ERT or in real life.

Hence why I suggested that we keep the BLS/ALS system, but modify the ALS part to be one EMT and one medic. People could choose which they wanted to work on.

What if I did some combo support units, then left some ALS and BLS units. Say 2 of each seperate support systems and then say 2 combo support? Yay or Nay? Also Fire-EMS is the next slated unit to be put into service, I just want to level off my numbers for fire first.

Sounds good but... when there are BLS calls, BLS does more work than ALS and ALS does what BLS would normally do at ALS calls. (Toungue twista). I like the Fire-EMS idea but keep some BLS units running like Mcguire.

So wait.. Lemme try and get what you're saying:
Bls calls means BLS works hard
ALS does BLS stuff at ALS calls?

He means that if we ran combined ALS/BLS. BLS would do more work that ALS does, and at ALS calls, ALS does what BLS does (Vitals, treatment)

The opposite. If it were a BLS call, the BLS guys would...how you would say, take over. If it were an ALS call, ALS would take over but BLS can support in any way possible. Such as BLS does more ABC stuff while ALS does intubation and IV lines....things like that.

I know I wasn't requested, but with some RL experience, I like the idea of 2 emts, 1 paramedic. Its how we run in my city. One emt assists the paramedic, the other drives, then they switch off every other call on thier shift.

Could run the FF RA like that.

Here's my 2 cents. If we decided to combine the two forces into an ALS/BLS combo, then we would be restricted to what each person could do in a given situation then if we ran a pair of medics(laugh at my bad joke) or a pair of EMTs. Look at it this way...

Suppose ALS-1 responds to a breathing situation, and the paramedic say, slips on the front steps and breaks one or more bones, unlikely so but that leaves the EMT to the situation. With backup a ways away and the possible necessity of an oral airway being needed, we could lose that person in the process of getting someone urgent medical aid. So I think ERT should keep all their eggs in one basket and keep the system the way it is, it allows more serious cases serious attention and minor cases the attention they need.

But on the other hand of the deal there is the whole area of BLS not doing a thing, or at least most of the time, so if we keep the system the way it is, our best bet is to consolidate BLS with the fire department and keep ALS with the hospital, meaning BLS emts can do SAR and help out more then they do now.

One of the masters has spoken! Haha, I do think that is a good idea but If there is an ALS matter.....never mind, that's why we have firefighter pm's.

Must say I like Ravens idea, giving the FD the BLS.

But we need more paramedics for the ALS buses, we only have one atm.

What if, I took another RA and added that to the FD to total 2 RA's, which would be combo units, and then left the EMS division about the same?

Yeeeaaaahhh....but that would leave the RA's just sitting there until someone could staff it. Also, please make em freightliners! haha.. no I don't care what you put them as. Sounds good though. Gonna have to make a bigger station though unless when the RA returns, an apparatus would need to move up or back everytime.

Well once I even out the staffing on the units now, I'll start hiring for the RA, that'll be RA-1 which already has a spot in station
RA-2 would be in the second station.

As long as we get more paramedics on ambulance duty I'm pretty happy.

After the medic class, if we're in dire need, I'll help out on the rig (RA) if you need me like they do in my station.

I personally have an idea. Because we now have Kaizer in the EDRC, we could maybe employ a Paramedic Motorbike. Keep the BLS and then when the Motorbike has stabilized the patient the BLS could transport. Then we could have more advanced calls for ALS and continue the current calls for BLS and transporting ERDC or motorbike patients. I have been thinking about this for a while now and thought I should bring it up.

forgive me if i'm out of line but this is from RL experience we dont need to designate any ambulance anything if the call comes in and it happens to only be a BLS only a medic gets in and takes it if it's more serious a medic and emt get in nothing has to be set in stone i work out a mostly volunteer station so if our first ambulance is on call and we get a second call and it's only BLS they just call for EMTs to take it if it's more serious you'd call for an EMT and Medic you dont have to make it set in stone just hire Medics and EMTS and dispatch them as needed

Welcome to the ERT forum, good to see new people. But, two things:

1. This was for EMS personnel I believe.
2. Please oh please use punctuation marks. It's very, very hard to read when the whole post is one sentence.

Sorry, and he said that this is not in character. So I thought since I was a real life EMT that would include me.

Oh sorry, must have missed that point in the first post. I thought this would be like the police meeting

Well I'm not sure i interpreted what he meant by that correctly. So I might still be wrong

He meant this is for Fire officers and ERT EMS personnel only. The out of character means that we are not doing this meeting in our ERT characters, it can be our real life thoughts about it.

Okay then sorry I missunderstood

I know I'm not a Fire Officer or EMS personel, but being a Firefighter Medic, I'd like to make a suggestion. To Kaizer's point of getting more medics on Ambo duty, and the Classifications, I have an Idea. What if we were to cross staff RA-1 with the Fire Medic off the Ladder and a Fire EMT off any other truck.

My justification is this, alot of departments that don't have a lot of men to staff trucks follow this principle. And by pulling the Ladder's Medic(me) we would not effect any truck's ALS status, by keeping a medic on each (McEvoy L1, Raven S1, and Garcia P11.) And that would get another ALS ambo in service

That's not really adding more Medics though, that's just putting a secondary medic from one truck onto another fire truck. (I assume that the fire-ambulance is going to be classed as a fire-vehicle. The point of it is so that there can be two fire-EMTs medics that can handle fire calls, rehab and small fire suppression to (Nevermind, see below)

RA will be a permanently staffed vehicle (as I explained in PM) due to the nature of it's calls. It will run many calls with the LF and several without the Light force.. I've got a few new recruits and if they are well, then the RA will be staffed by Thursday.

The RA will be an ALS ambo with rescue equipment. No fire suppression on it.

Awesome!!! Can't wait! Is it a freightliner?

I'd like either the FDNY Haz-tac ambulance like a suggested so we could keep turnout and the fire gear in the roll up doors.

But my town's fire department actually has a really nice Chevy ambulance. LED Vectors=awesome

http://www.emergencyvehiclecenter.com/Images/New%20Deliveries/2005_0831UnionFire0010.jpg

I like those chevy's too! haha

The only thing that I will say since I read DC's pm, is to Doug, that would actual get another transport unit with a medic and a EMT in service, which would, in theroy any way put more medics on the road.

But, good to hear that the RA should be staffed by Thurs, as it is well needed.