How many of you carry a traumma bag in your POV

[Handsome Robb]

Yeah....van full of kids. Great idea. "Well officer, I figured it was better them than me! SCENE SAFETY!"

Yea that was my poor attempt at humor...not a serious statement.

 

[usafmedic45]

Yea that was my poor attempt at humor...not a serious statement.

Likewise.

 

[abckidsmom]

Yeah....van full of kids. Great idea. "Well officer, I figured it was better them than me! SCENE SAFETY!"

They are all properly restrained in Child Passenger Seats! The 2 year old is even rear-facing! They were so SAFE, Officer!

 

[usafmedic45]

You know...the 2 year old could totally see the car coming.

 

[Handsome Robb]

Likewise.

Dude I'm just failing left and right tonight.

 

[18G]

I don't think anybody is saying stop at every fender-bender you see and offer assistance. Do I do that? Of course not. But if it look's bad than I will stop.

One example, about 5am one morning on my way to work at a FD... daylight is just barely breaking. I catch out of the very corner of my eye what looks like steam on the side of the road... it was just a slight glimpse but I've seen it enough to know what it looked like which was a car into a utility pole. I could have maintained the attitude of many on this forum and kept going.. heaven forbid I'm late for work because of someone else, right?

So, I turn around and low and behold it's a very mangled car smack into a utility pole. I found an unconscious 18 y/o male hanging half way out of the drivers seat with a seat belt pulled tight across his chest which was inhibiting respiration almost to the point of apnea, lacerations, and head injury. I also encountered an 18 y/o female distraught sitting on the hood of the vehicle... she actually crawled up on the hood from the inside of the vehicle after the windshield was knocked out on impact.

Long story short, I cut the seat belt and free the driver... patient is still not breathing well. Airway is opened, OPA inserted, and start ventilating with a BVM. By this time a neighbor comes out with a cordless phone, I tell the neighbor to call 911 and inform them an EMT is on the scene and to start aviation.. the EOC listened and started the helicopter. EMS arrives, I give them a report, they end up intubating the patient and fly to a trauma center.

This kid's mother somehow ended up hearing about what happened and the care I rendered to her son. She called the State Police to get my name. After she got my name she called my EMS station and talked to the EMS Chief to get my phone# so she could call and thank me personally. Not only that, but both the mom and the patient I helped save came to the station when I was working to thank me personally. They even wanted to take a picture with me.

If I hadn't stopped at that scene the outcome could have been completely different. That patient would not have tolerated being asphyxiated by his seatbelt much longer.

So to those who would have kept driving, you would have sealed this kids fate and made his mother visit the cemetery instead of a fire house to thank someone who thought enough about her son to put fourth a little effort to prevent that from happening.

If it's ever one of my kids in an accident, I hope and pray that someone will care enough about their life to stop and help.

I honestly don't get it people, I really don't. To turn your face like you saw nothing and keep driving and going about your day while someone else lay dying. I'm not sure it goes much lower than that.

 

[usafmedic45]

So to those who would have kept driving, you would have sealed this kids fate and made his mother visit the cemetery instead of a fire house to thank someone who thought enough about her son to put fourth a little effort to prevent that from happening.

n=1. Just like how you could just as easily say it was the helicopter transport that saved the person, there are too many variables in this case to say that the patient would have died because of someone just calling it in or which intervention (if any) made the difference.

 

[Handsome Robb]

Your not reading what we are writing... That's an extreme circumstance.

I'm leaving this thread before I say something stupid and get myself into trouble.

 

[18G]

Your not reading what we are writing... That's an extreme circumstance.

I'm leaving this thread before I say something stupid and get myself into trouble.

I'm not stupid and I can comprehend. It's been repeated time and time over. Many have said that they ABSOLUTELY REFUSE to stop an an accident scene or render aid in other situations. If you don't stop in the first place than how are you going to know the severity or if it's an extreme circumstance? And why does it even have to qualify as extreme to be worthy of your time?

The general consensus has been 1) People won't stop cause of lawsuit paranoia, and 2) People won't stop cause they may receive injury or get run over by a Grayhound bus while assisting at an accident scene.

Do I need to provide a count of how many times these two points were stated?

 

[18G]

n=1. Just like how you could just as easily say it was the helicopter transport that saved the person, there are too many variables in this case to say that the patient would have died because of someone just calling it in or which intervention (if any) made the difference.

Really? So someone can have ineffective breathing to the point of near apnea in a trauma situation and do just fine by someone calling 911 and delaying intervention for another 10-15mins if not longer?

 

[adamjh3]

2) People won't stop cause they may receive injury or get run over by a Grayhound bus while assisting at an accident scene.

Do I need to provide a count of how many times these two points were stated?

Your point? Why place ourselves at undue risk? How many people will we NOT help after we get smacked by that greyhound because there weren't big flashy lights and there wasn't anything in the way to help deflect an inattentive motorist?

It's a case by case basis just like you said. If I'm going to have to pull across six lanes of traffic on a busy freeway there's no way I'm stopping to check.

That said, I did stop at one crash. An old guy ran his van into a ditch. It was a low speed semi-residential area with low traffic. I called 911, told him to stay where he was and drove off when the BRT got there. They don't need me.

You have to look at the totality of the situation. Just like when you're on the ambulance.

 

[18G]

Your point? Why place ourselves at undue risk? How many people will we NOT help after we get smacked by that greyhound because there weren't big flashy lights and there wasn't anything in the way to help deflect an inattentive motorist?

It's a case by case basis just like you said. If I'm going to have to pull across six lanes of traffic on a busy freeway there's no way I'm stopping to check.

That said, I did stop at one crash. An old guy ran his van into a ditch. It was a low speed semi-residential area with low traffic. I called 911, told him to stay where he was and drove off when the BRT got there. They don't need me.

You have to look at the totality of the situation. Just like when you're on the ambulance.

Don't add thought's to my posts. I'm well aware after almost 20yrs as a career EMT and Paramedic and Deputy Chief of EMS operations what scene safety and assessment are and how to calculate risks. I never said be careless and act like a Ricky Rescue. All I'm saying is don't be a **** and help out a fellow human being when they are sick, injured, or dying . And of course use common sense when doing so. But don't be a coward and a selfish douche.

 

[Handsome Robb]

It's not 'being worthy of my time' that is what makes me decide, its the situation presented to me.

Both the points that have been cited repeatedly hold weight. They are very true possibilities.

When did having an EMT certificate mandate that you drop everything and risk everything to help a complete stranger at any time of the day and if you don't do this you become some horrible person?

Let's agree to disagree.

 

[usalsfyre]

Don't add thought's to my posts. I'm well aware after almost 20yrs as a career EMT and Paramedic and Deputy Chief of EMS operations what scene safety and assessment are and how to calculate risks. I never said be careless and act like a Ricky Rescue. All I'm saying is don't be a **** and help out a fellow human being when they are sick, injured, or dying . And of course use common sense when doing so. But don't be a coward and a selfish douche.

By the same token, don't be the douche that imposes their values system on others.

Coward is a pretty strong word, one that's gotten more than a few people killed.

 

[18G]

By the same token, don't be the douche that imposes their values system on others.

Coward is a pretty strong word, one that's gotten more than a few people killed.

Is the preservation of life really a lost value? You believe that? Sad.

 

[usafmedic45]

Really? So someone can have ineffective breathing to the point of near apnea in a trauma situation and do just fine by someone calling 911 and delaying intervention for another 10-15mins if not longer?

You have a really :censored::censored::censored::censored: EMS system if it takes 15 minutes to get even first responders on scene. I used to work a very rural area and it was a huge deal if we had more than a 7 minute response time until the first person marked on scene. We averaged five to six minutes because we had someone assigned to get the vehicle(s) and if anyone else was responding and was closer, they went direct to the scene.

BTW, I can and will stop in extreme circumstances (I almost always stop for injured animals). However, it's a personal choice and I wasn't so offended by your comments as I was RocketMedic's.

 

[adamjh3]

Don't add thought's to my posts. I'm well aware after almost 20yrs as a career EMT and Paramedic and Deputy Chief of EMS operations what scene safety and assessment are and how to calculate risks. I never said be careless and act like a Ricky Rescue. All I'm saying is don't be a **** and help out a fellow human being when they are sick, injured, or dying . And of course use common sense when doing so. But don't be a coward and a selfish douche.

You made your stance, and gave an extreme example. I'm trying to convey that it's not as black and white as "help someone and you're a hero, drive on and you're a cowardly, selfish douche."

I think we agree and don't realize it.

I'm bowing out of this before I get in trouble.

 

[usafmedic45]

But don't be a coward and a selfish douche.

Not getting involved does not make one a coward anymore than getting involved makes someone a troglodytic tool.

Is the preservation of life really a lost value? You believe that? Sad.

No, it's just a difference in opinion over what constitutes an acceptable effort to attempt to preserve life. Risk nothing to save that which is already lost and risk very little for that which has little chance of a good outcome.

When did having an EMT certificate mandate that you drop everything and risk everything to help a complete stranger at any time of the day and if you don't do this you become some horrible person?

Usually, right between the time someone decided it was a good way to compensate for other shortcomings and the time it became a lifestyle instead of a job.

 

[usalsfyre]

Is the preservation of life really a lost value? You believe that? Sad.

How many lives are legitimately saved by off-duty personnel stopping at wrecks? I'd wager less than 100 a year, meaning I could easily go my whole life and never run into this situation.

You've made your choice. I don't fault you for that. I'm not saying I'd never stop, but I don't routinely stop at even "bad looking" accidents simply because it's rarely helpful and modern vehicles are deceiving damage wise. I don't feel the need to carry equipment because of this. However in your eyes I'm a cowardly selfish douche. I take offense to that.

 

[usafmedic45]

You made your stance, and gave an extreme example. I'm trying to convey that it's not as black and white as "help someone and you're a hero, drive on and you're a cowardly, selfish douche."

I think we agree and don't realize it.

I'm bowing out of this before I get in trouble.

Likewise, unless there is something further to be discussed of a productive nature.