Video shows horseplay in EMT Lakewood EMS vehicle

[MMiz]

Video shows horseplay in EMT Lakewood EMS vehicle

Township officials are reviewing a video clip posted on the Internet that apparently shows an ambulance and another emergency medical service vehicle being used for joyrides through a snow-covered parking lot.

The clip, posted on the car-enthusiast Web site streetfire.net and later taken down, is a little more than three minutes long and appears to depict the two vehicles purposely being driven erratically in the parking lot of the BlueClaws stadium at Cedar Bridge and New Hampshire avenues during a heavy snowstorm.

Read more and watch video!

 

[karaya]

And the hits just keep on rolling... :glare:

 

[medic417]

All involved should be fired immediatly and state should yank their certifications.

 

[JPINFV]

Full video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-936Q5nUB5M


These are three people who need to lose their license.

Office of Emergency Medical Services
New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services
P.O. Box 360
Trenton, NJ 08625-0360

If you wish to file a complaint, you may contact OEMS at (609) 633-7777, Monday through Friday, from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. Situations that may warrant the filing of a complaint include, but are not limited to, the following:

* Unprofessional and/or unlawful conduct or care rendered by a certified EMT-Basic or EMT-Paramedic;
* The rendering of care by an individual representing himself/herself as a certified EMT-Basic or EMT-Paramedic, when in fact that individual is not certified;
* Unprofessional and/or unlawful care rendered by a licensed MAV, BLS or ALS service provider, including unfit vehicles; and/or
* The rendering of services by an unlicensed MAV, BLS or ALS service provider (excluding volunteer ambulance, rescue and first aid squads)


http://www.state.nj.us/health/ems/legal.shtml

 

[Veneficus]

Perhaps it was a hazardous weather EVOC course

 

[JPINFV]

Evoc course with a whole 3 people (including instructor?) and a way too happy Chinese Fire Drill at 1:28 on the video?

 

[Veneficus]

Evoc course with a whole 3 people (including instructor?) and a way too happy Chinese Fire Drill at 1:28 on the video?

I was trying to be funny

 

[Juxel]

We do that in the parking lot at our garage in the winter with 2 people (driving instructor and employee). It's quite fun but also teaches you a lot. Then again we live in Minnesota where our two seasons are Winter and road construction, you always have adverse driving conditions.

 

[Sasha]

I was trying to be funny

I thought it was funny :]

 

[medic417]

 

[PapaBear434]

To play Devil's advocate:

When I lived in Michigan, I made a ritual out of the first snow and ice of the season. I'd go find an empty lot, and purposefully spin myself out a couple of times. You know, to get a feel for it again after not doing it all year. That way, should I spin out for real, I wouldn't panic.

Knowing how to do it in an emergency vehicle seems like a good idea, personally, as we are usually driving fast in all sorts of conditions. Going out and doing practicing in an empty lot so they don't do slamming into the back of some minivan on the street.

Not saying that they didn't have an amazingly fun time at it, and they were probably doing it for non-educational purposes (ie: being idiots with public vehicles). But I don't think the idea should be thrown out altogether.

 

[MMiz]

To play Devil's advocate:

When I lived in Michigan, I made a ritual out of the first snow and ice of the season. I'd go find an empty lot, and purposefully spin myself out a couple of times. You know, to get a feel for it again after not doing it all year. That way, should I spin out for real, I wouldn't panic.

Knowing how to do it in an emergency vehicle seems like a good idea, personally, as we are usually driving fast in all sorts of conditions. Going out and doing practicing in an empty lot so they don't do slamming into the back of some minivan on the street.

Not saying that they didn't have an amazingly fun time at it, and they were probably doing it for non-educational purposes (ie: being idiots with public vehicles). But I don't think the idea should be thrown out altogether.

As someone from Michigan, I did the same thing all the time in my personal vehicle. Doing it in a parking lot, with the unit lit up, with obstacles nearby, while someone is taping is just plain stupidity.

 

[Sasha]

At least they were doing it on a parking lot and not a public road or something.

An IFT company in the area fired an EMT and suspended a medic. There is a railroad outside CFR Hospital that if you go over fast enough you get a little "air" to the ambulance. They were caught going back and forth over it get the truck a little airborne because they were bored. This is on a public, fairly busy road.

Edit: NOT condoning it. Just saying at least they were smart enough for that. I agree, fire them in a heart beat.

 

[ffemt8978]

And the results of actions like this lead to comments like these...works wonders for image and professionalism. :wacko:

http://www.kidrock.com/news/2009/03/13/ambulance-seen-doing-donuts-to-kid-rock/

 

[Ridryder911]

All involved should be fired immediatly and state should yank their certifications.

Amazing, I tell my employees to do such action. In fact it is recommended in many texts and in EVOC. To become familiar within the units in snow, ice, etc. Much better in a well controlled environment such as an empty parking lot then on the highway. Also, much rather not be paying for damage or even worse a loss of life or injury.

So we much rather read where they crash and then we would say.. they should had been prepared. What may interpret as horse play, I may be able to justify as getting prepared for defensive driving. Yes, the public does not understand our predicament and of course will be the first to have an outcry about delayed responses.

R/r 911

 

[PapaBear434]

As someone from Michigan, I did the same thing all the time in my personal vehicle. Doing it in a parking lot, with the unit lit up, with obstacles nearby, while someone is taping is just plain stupidity.

Ok, but you know as well as I do that the ambulance handles a lot differently than your personal vehicle. The thing handles like a gigantic can of Spam on wheels, very top-heavy, and extremely wide. Knowing how IT deals with ice and snow doesn't seem like a bad idea. And having the lights on seems like a safe thing to do, as drawing attention is exactly what you WANT. Last thing you want is someone wandering out into the lot while you are purposefully spinning around.

And I can speak from experience when I say those police interceptor vehicles run a lot differently too. Lot more power, and made for maneuverability and thus tend to be very... touchy. Practice makes perfect, after all.

Amazing, I tell my employees to do such action. In fact it is recommended in many texts and in EVOC. To become familiar within the units in snow, ice, etc. Much better in a well controlled environment such as an empty parking lot then on the highway. Also, much rather not be paying for damage or even worse a loss of life or injury.

So we much rather read where they crash and then we would say.. they should had been prepared. What may interpret as horse play, I may be able to justify as getting prepared for defensive driving. Yes, the public does not understand our predicament and of course will be the first to have an outcry about delayed responses.

R/r 911

Here here! It's rare when you and I agree on something.

Like I said, I'm sure those guys were having a great time and probably laughing their asses off. But whether it was an official training exercise or just goofing off, they WERE learning to handle their vehicle in inclement weather. It's something rather important, in my view.

 

[JPINFV]

Amazing, I tell my employees to do such action. In fact it is recommended in many texts and in EVOC. To become familiar within the units in snow, ice, etc. Much better in a well controlled environment such as an empty parking lot then on the highway. Also, much rather not be paying for damage or even worse a loss of life or injury.

So we much rather read where they crash and then we would say.. they should had been prepared. What may interpret as horse play, I may be able to justify as getting prepared for defensive driving. Yes, the public does not understand our predicament and of course will be the first to have an outcry about delayed responses.

R/r 911

How many EVOC lessons involve 3 people at night?

 

[JPINFV]

Ok, but you know as well as I do that the ambulance handles a lot differently than your personal vehicle. The thing handles like a gigantic can of Spam on wheels, very top-heavy, and extremely wide. Knowing how IT deals with ice and snow doesn't seem like a bad idea. And having the lights on seems like a safe thing to do, as drawing attention is exactly what you WANT. Last thing you want is someone wandering out into the lot while you are purposefully spinning around.

...then why was the box truck sitting around most of the time with the chase car doing most of the spinning. The light bar doesn't add that much weight.

 

[JPINFV]

As someone from Michigan, I did the same thing all the time in my personal vehicle. Doing it in a parking lot, with the unit lit up, with obstacles nearby, while someone is taping is just plain stupidity.

To be fair, it doesn't sound like the people taping knew who was in the "cop car." It wasn't until halfway through that the person taping it was informed that it was an EMS car.

 

[PapaBear434]

...then why was the box truck sitting around most of the time with the chase car doing most of the spinning. The light bar doesn't add that much weight.

A lot more powerful, however.

I'm just saying, on the scale of things they could do to screw around while bored, this is pretty low on the totem pole and actually could have beneficial side effects.