thought this was worth posting

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Veneficus

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Handsome Robb

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48 years...that's more than twice my lifetime...that's impressive! Props to him.
 
Clare

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Awesome!

He will probably slip off into being a casual PTO

My old station had somebody who began in 1960 and I have no reason to doubt he is not there still.

The Northern Region Headquarters has on display a lot of stuff from the old days, things like old oxygen gear and stuff, and its like wow, is amazing how far we have come in such a short period of time; even in the tiny period I've been around, the ambulance service is totally unrecognisable to the way it used to be.

I vividly remember somebody telling me that when they first started in 1991 they had entonox, a blood pressure cuff, glucometer and a tube of glucose. There were no defibrillators on non-ICP ambulances until the 1990s even.

And yes, he is right, the first female Ambulance Officer was employed in 1982.
 
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NYMedic828

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Took him 48 years to save up enough to retire :rofl:


Jk hope I have it in me to do what I love for that long.
 
EpiEMS

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I found it interesting that he noted "Now there are more females than males." The gender disparities in US EMS are pretty clear. I wonder why this is so in NZ. University-level qualification requirement (since more women obtain higher education --> more female medics)?
 
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EpiEMS said:
I found it interesting that he noted "Now there are more females than males." The gender disparities in US EMS are pretty clear. I wonder why this is so in NZ. University-level qualification requirement (since more women obtain higher education --> more female medics)?
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From memory something like 60% of Ambulance Officers are female, as I said earlier, the first was employed in 1982 as up until then it was considered a job not suited to females.

Many of the girls started at a time when university was not required or even ever going to be considered; it is only in the last probably 7-8 years that it has even been available and would have either the old National Certificate or National Diploma Ambulance (Paramedic) and I bet one or two have only Advanced Ambulance Aid Certificate so you can't say its because of that.

You could ask the same of why Nursing is overwhelming a female profession?

Are there not a lot of female Paramedics in US?
 
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Veneficus

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Clare said:
You could ask the same of why Nursing is overwhelming a female profession?

Are there not a lot of female Paramedics in US?
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Medicine is becomming an overwhelming female population.

There are a fair amount of female medics in the US, more so in privates than FDs though.

As a hold out, most FDs in the US under the guise of "job specific testing" have come up with physical strength tests (that they call agility tests) that specifically aim to eliminate females by not only setting up obstacles requiring upper body stregth, but also mandating the technique used to eliminate women from using their strengths.
 
Clare

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Veneficus said:
There are a fair amount of female medics in the US, more so in privates than FDs though.

As a hold out, most FDs in the US under the guise of "job specific testing" have come up with physical strength tests (that they call agility tests) that specifically aim to eliminate females by not only setting up obstacles requiring upper body stregth, but also mandating the technique used to eliminate women from using their strengths.
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Whats an FD?

The Ambulance Service physical test here is not difficult if you are in good shape; its push ups, sit ups, lifting a dummy on an old trolley bed into the ambulance, doing a 500 metre carry of a 20 kg boxing bag and moving somebody down two flights of stairs on a stair chair

Surely if some test is aimed at cutting out females that is not legal?
 
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Veneficus

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Clare said:
Whats an FD?

The Ambulance Service physical test here is not difficult if you are in good shape; its push ups, sit ups, lifting a dummy on an old trolley bed into the ambulance, doing a 500 metre carry of a 20 kg boxing bag and moving somebody down two flights of stairs on a stair chair

Surely if some test is aimed at cutting out females that is not legal?
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Fire department.

A test to eliminate females is illegal, but what exists is deftly disguised as "job specific" tasks, but reality is nobody would do all of those tasks in such a short order on the job.

My favorite one was a "deadhang" to simulate having to hold yourself up in the event you fell through a hole.

You had to suspend from 2 bars by your arms wearing a coat, helmet, and air tank. None of the women tested passed it.
 
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NYMedic828

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Veneficus said:
Fire department.

A test to eliminate females is illegal, but what exists is deftly disguised as "job specific" tasks, but reality is nobody would do all of those tasks in such a short order on the job.

My favorite one was a "deadhang" to simulate having to hold yourself up in the event you fell through a hole.

You had to suspend from 2 bars by your arms wearing a coat, helmet, and air tank. None of the women tested passed it.
Click to expand...

Most of the men I know wouldn't pass it either :rolleyes:
 
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Clare

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Did anybody notice it said he became an Intensive Care Paramedic in 1988, but his uniform patches and the article text say he is a Paramedic?

I'd say his retirement has been planned for a few years then, one of the PTO's I met on City station one evening used to be a Paramedic but he felt like he just couldn't keep up with the increasing education and clinical demands so slipped off into being a PTO and he absolutely loves it.
 
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Veneficus said:
I didn't pass it either.
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Times are changing. In SoCal you have a huge advantage being a female applying to a FD. Especially when large departments 'actively recruit females and minorities'. Not to mention the treatment in your academy/probation. As a female you are almost guaranteed to pass. If you don't you can expect a quick lawsuit citing gender discrimination.
 
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