Chronicles of EMS - An EMS Reality Series That Tells The Truth!

I know you tell war stories. I certainly do. And the questions that your non-EMS audience ask sometimes make you laugh. "How do you deal with death all day, every day?" "Do you have to cut cars up all the time?" "What's the worst call you've ever been on?" If you've spent more than twenty minutes in the back of an ambulance, you know all too well that such calls, while memorable, are the exception rather than the rule. Instead, on a typical shift we wonder about which frequent-fliers we'll be transporting, how many drunks we'll be scraping up, if it's nursing home Dump Day and where we're going to try to eat lunch. And we try not to think about who's footing the bill for our services. Sometimes we long for someone to tell our story- our real story, not some overly dramatized spectacle.

Your wish has been granted.

With Chronicles of EMS, Thaddeus Setla and Chris Montera have created an EMS reality series on the web that tell the REAL story in EMS. You can follow along with San Francisco paramedic/firefighter Justin Schorr and Mark Glencorse from North East Ambulance Service in the United Kingdom and see American EMS as it really is. No explosions, no Code 3 club, and every patient isn't dying from some unlikely scenario. Mark & Justin run actual EMS calls in San Francisco and show what it's really like to be an EMT - dealing with the chronic bullshit, the homeless, the drunks and occasionally even a real patient ("Trauma" on NBC, are you listening?). Also of note is Justin's warning to Mark - no meal breaks!

It's interesting to see Mark's reaction to the way EMS is run here; he's a paramedic in England. Compare his comments about U.K. EMS with the way it goes in the States. It was a long time in the making, as Justin explains in the first part of the video. Facebook, Twitter and blogs played a key part in CoEMS' creation, and I'm happy to have had a miniscule influence in it. The guys have done an outstanding job illustrating what we really do.

Watch episode one of Chronicles of EMS here.

And if you'd like to follow everyone on Twitter-

Follow Justin Schorr here.

You can follow Thaddeus Setla on Twitter here.

Follow Mark Glencorse on Twitter here.

And follow Chris Montera here.

And don't forget to join the Facebook page of Chronicles of EMS!

CoEMS is sponsored by Zoll (still my favorite monitors).

Looking forward to Episode 2 and more!

Sticky Situation

OK here's an interesting scenario and I'd like to hear from you. According to this story  http://bit.ly/bzSYxz a Jefferson Parish deputy recorded on his cell phone the dying testimony of a gunshot victim while in the back of the ambulance. 

My question: Is this OK or not OK? We all know HIPPA law prevents any of us medical people from recording images, voice or any specifics about patients, particularly if they will be made public (as this recording surely would be). Even our conversations must be tailored so as not to divulge such information. Does HIPPA include such informal legal testimony? If you were the paramedic, would you prevent the deputy from recording your patient? If there were no police around, would YOU record the patient's testimony?

The legal implications seem frought with peril. A video is far more convincing evidence in court than the debatable memory of a paramedic who was distracted with patient care. On the other hand, remember the trial of the shooters at the Louisiana Avenue car wash? They were acquitted despite there being a video of them shooting. How much of a risk would it be to your job if you knowingly allowed a police officer to video record your patient?

Oh, and if you are the paramedic who was on this scene, I'd love to hear from you about any backlash or issues that may have come up with this.

Write your comments using the link below. Thanks!

Military Allows Facebook, Twitter, Other Social Media

Apparently the benefits of social media outweigh the security risks. Hmmm... Where have I heard that before?

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE61Q07G20100227?type=technologyNews

At the risk of sounding bitchy...

Many of us loved the shooting game on Facebook. It was a bit of diversion that only a small group of Facebook friends could see. Guess the time of the next shooting. Closest guess won. No private information was given, no one got hurt, there was no national media attention. The game died because I was ordered to cease & desist for, at best, unclear reasons.

This very blog has been a bane to the EMS hierarchy. Apparently it has the reputation of "stirring the pot," a pot which apparently needs to remain unstirred. In reviewing the past dozens of articles written on here and the comments in the tag-box, I can't find any stories that might be considered "pot-stirring" (this current article notwithstanding). It's been a place to encourage others for professional improvement, point out a job well done, post photos from the Times-Picayune of us in silly poses, and cite links to other helpful EMS-related websites. How any of this is "pot-stirring" eludes me.

Therefore I find it fascinating that social media websites such this one exist unmolested: http://www.facebook.com/ProjectNOLA/posts/341940306666#!/ProjectNOLA. It is not my Facebook page and I have no idea who is involved with is creation or maintenance. It details crimes in the city as they happen, by someone who obviously has a radio scanner, with very specific information on who, what, where & when, etc. It also clearly has a large base of followers from the general public. Nowhere in the many comments and updates on it do I see a cease & desist request from any city entity. Further, it is just one of a myriad of similar online sources for the gory emergency responder details of the city in which we live and work. Here's another one, and another, and another, and another.

I was informed in one of my many cease & desist meetings that the internet is not the proper medium for letting out frustrations. It was recommended to go to a bar and bitch about work with my co-workers over a drink. Alternatives to such "therapy" were not explored. I must ask, is drinking & complaining the only approved method of stress reduction? After Hurricane Katrina I explained my own methods of decompressing to the CISD psychiatrists. One doctor called two other doctors so I could repeat my coping methods to them, namely writing about my experiences and channeling my frustration, sadness or joy into a productive medium. They were fascinated and encouraged me to continue doing so, saying "You obviously have a very effective way of coping with stress."

So, sorry for stirring the pot once more. Since websites such as the Facebook page above continue unbridled in their haste to inform the public with raw, unfiltered information for anyone to read and comment on, I will continue to feel justified for posting my own take on my EMS experiences. Until such public websites and social media are stopped from their own "violations," please do not single ME out as a troublemaker for my methods of dealing with stress and creativity by simply telling war stories.

There. I've said it.

-Fitz

Mid-City Shooting

Night of Endymion, Palmyra & S. Gayoso.

(Via NOLA.com)

Don't Kill the Messenger...

Below is an excellent article why the rampant paranoia surrounding social media, blogging and the Internet is unfounded, particularly in the EMS field. There is nothing wrong with using the internet or social media to decompress or let the world know that we are indeed plain ol' human beings after all. I didn't write it, so don't get all out of sorts because I agree with it.

http://michaelhyatt.com/2010/01/five-reasons-why-your-company-doesn’t-need-a-social-media-policy.html

Social Media in EMS

Here's an intersting article about using social media at EMS. If the PIO's were able to use facebook or twitter to update the public about the goings-on such as mini-press releases, Community Outreach projects or CPR classes, it could be a valuable tool in making a positive impact for EMS in the city. Since social media on the internet is a worldwide phenomenon, EMS could have a positive image of community involvement and responsibility that extends all over the world. Might be worth considering.

http://www.ems1.com/ems-products/technology/articles/601956-Using-Social-Media-at-Your-EMS-Agency/

EMS 2.0: An Inconvenient EMS Truth

An excellent, thought provoking look into the reality of EMS and it's
necessary future.

http://ambulancedriverfiles.com/2009/10/ems-2-0-an-inconvenient-ems-truth/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

- Sean Fitz

Funny Ambulance Commercial

Check out this video on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sao-uEKgJ6Q&feature=youtube_gdata

- Sean Fitz

Worth Following

Here's an EMS website that I find very interesting. They post EMS news, research and pilot programs. You'll find it useful!

http://www.ems1.com/

You can also follow them on Twitter:
http://twitter.com/EMS1

MVA I-610 & Canal Blvd.

Car flipped over. 9,000 people on scene. Patient ok. Photo from
nola.com. Fitz' best side.

911 Email

Wow! Oh wow! Man this sounds hilarious! I can just see some drunken
sot sending the email intended for his ex-girlfriend begging her to
come back to him to 911 accidentally!

Ok, here's the contest: what kind of emails do you think that a 911
email address would get? The article says it's for people who might
not be able to call (but they CAN email?). How do you think such an
email would read? Best entry wins! Post as comments.

http://www.911dispatch.com/db/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2663

- Sean Fitz

The Prequel to "Found Wanting" Is Beginning!

Ta da! Chapter 1 of "Weighed In the Balances" is up! It starts about
15 years before Marc's murderous rampage on the streets of New
Orleans. What turned him into a cold-blooded killer? What details of
his life sent him over the brink? I have a lot of places I want to go
with this story, and I'll visit them all in painful detail! Hope you
enjoy the first chapter.

http://newburningtiger.blogspot.com

- Sean Fitz

Casa Collapso

House collapse on Duels & New Orleans St. Workers chopped through the
roof and pulled the patient up. 1 trauma activation with an L-spine
injury. Power lines were exploding under me while I was extricating
the patient off the roof. Very much fun!

La. EMS Memorial Bike Ride

The Louisiana EMS Memorial Bike Ride is sponsored by the Louisiana NREMT Association (LANREMT) and is part of the National EMS Memorial Bike Ride, Inc.  

The National EMS Memorial Bike Ride, Inc., honors Emergency Medical Services personnel by organizing and implementing long distance cycling events that memorialize and celebrate the lives of those who serve every day, those who have become sick or injured while performing their duties, and those who have died in the line of duty.
The registration fee for this one day event is $50, with each rider obligated to raise a minimum of $50 in pledges. For those who are unable to participate but wish to make a donation, please do so through the link below.

http://www.facebook.com/l/;www.laemsmemorial.org

For those wishing to obtain more information about the National EMS Memorial Bike Ride please click on the link below:

http://www.facebook.com/l/;www.muddyangels.org

The Wall Pumps Are NOT 10-7!

Every day I hear someone say they can't fuel up on the West Bank
because the Wall Blvd. pumps are supposedly 10-7. And every day, I go
fuel up there with no problem.

I've tried to explain that there is a knack to using the Wall pumps.
They have been quirky for at least 18 years. I'm shocked that the
older employees have forgotten how to use them, or chosen not to
enlighten the newer ones.

Here's the secret gris-gris:
Use PUMP 5!
Use your card, flip the handle, insert the nozzle as usual.
Start fueling, but it will be REALLY slow. Let go of the handle for 10
seconds. Then squeeze it again and it will work fine.

Share the knowledge with others.

Brit Gets Jail for Sore Throat 911 Calls

Wow! Can we get some of this kind of proactive action here? I can think of a few callers that would benefit from this kind of therapy. 

http://www.emsresponder.com/web/online/Top-EMS-News/Brit-Gets-Jail-for-Sore-Throat-911-Calls/1$9873

Sent from TwitterFon

- Sean Fitz

Found Wanting - Chapter 12 is up!

The last chapter of "Found Wanting" is now posted! Thanks to everyone for reading it and offering so much encouragement! And yes, I hope to try to get it published! I may take a little break, but there's already a gleam in my eye for my next project. By popular demand, I'm hoping to write a prequel to "Found Wanting"! I hope it's as well received as this story has been.

http://newburningtiger.blogspot.com/

Special thanks to Jon McCarthy & Tommy Evans for help with the plot and technical aspects; to Clarence Bradley, Tammy Guenard, Joey DeLoach, Monique St. Romaine and everyone who helped put a fire under my ass for the next chapter. And a very heartfelt thank you to all the heroes, past and present, living and dead, of New Orleans Emergency Medical Services. Every one of you are my inspiration!

-Sean Fitzmorris

"Found Wanting" - Chapter 11 is up!

I was on a roll. I really loved writing this chapter. I hope you enjoy it as well!

http://newburningtiger.blogspot.com

WWL Report On Our Station

http://m.wwltv.com/wwltv/db_20227/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=7LARu9ii&src=cat