Whacker Stories!

[Trayos]

I have a personal first aid kit, and a more extensive travel one.
I generally have the pocket one (gloves, small gauze bandages, alcohol wipes) on me if i'm going somewhere with a medium/large group- does that make me a whacker?
After learning a fellow student of mine is a volunteer, I periodically ask him questions about common calls, what to expect, station life, etc. - does that make me a whacker?
If I see any public official (Police,Fire, EMS) on duty, I smile to them and wave- does that make me a whacker?

What are your standards for if someone is a "whacker"?

 

[DarkStarr]

nothing wrong with listening to the pager off duty. i listen to it at home when im chillin to hear whats going on in the county, and also to the medical channel to try apply my knowledge (hypothetically) to that call.. what would i do, etc. also listen to it when wrenching on the bike or washing the car or whatnot.. never in public on full blast like some other whackers i know..

 

[Veneficus]

If I see any public official (Police,Fire, EMS) on duty, I smile to them and wave- does that make me a whacker?

Only if you use more than 1 finger. (just kidding )

What are your standards for if someone is a "whacker"?

Well let's see... You might be a whacker if:

You have more radio/cell antennas on your vehicle than SETI

You have more lights on your personal vehicle than a carnival ride

You have more equipment on your belt than Batman

You know all the phone operators at Galls by voice

and they know you

Your jump bag makes your local ED doc jealous because he doesn't have all that stuff in the department

If you think "redundancy" refers to your equipment and not a patient telling you their pain is 10 everytime you ask

If a random piece of EMS equipment fails on your unit and you ask dispatch if you can swing by the station cause you have one in your personal truck you can use for the rest of the day

The military calls you for directions because your GPS is better than theirs

You have enough batteries in your flashlight to power a small New England town

You stop by an accident scene off duty and ask the guys on the rescue truck if they need to borrow some of your gear

People really can't tell the difference between your POV and an official fire department vehicle

You POV is an official FD vehicle

You get mad because you cannot order dextran to take with you and have to carry litres of NS on your camping trips

You have a fresh whole blood transfusion kit and a type and match kit just in case somebody needs a blood transfusion when you are off duty

The local EMS/Fire equipment salesman asks if he can send people over to your house to see how his stuff can be used

You use your portable or Ham radio to give patient information to the guys responding to a call when you are off duty

You cancel/return early from your vacation to jump a call in your district

You jump a call while on vacation in a district out of state or country

You actually brought the equipment to do the former

and it is better than what the locals have

Instead of telling people on the forum who ask what the best pants, boots, socks, condoms, etc are you simply give them the SKU number in the Galls catalog

You have a different Littmann stethoscope for every day or mood

You didn't know there are people who manufacture stethoscopes under a different name than Littmann

You have a Littmann Master Cardiology stethoscope but do not know how to listen to heart tones or what they mean

You have a stethoscope made out of Gold, Platinum or some other metal more commonly used as jewelery

The only Apps on your Iphone are medical in nature

You actually read the PDR for enjoyment

(i'll think of a few more later)

 

[LucidResq]

Hahaha keep em coming

 

[wyoskibum]

Ambulance Chaser

Ok. Everyone knows they have an inner whacker inside of them. We all also work around whackers/squirrels/nuts whatever your area calls them. This is the thread to share our stories, pictures, videos, etc.

I was a Captain with a Fire/EMS service we had this volly who just got his "First Responder" cert. Anyway, he kept showing up on EMS calls. "I was in the neighborhood" was his excuse.

The last straw was when we got a call for an unresponsive female at the side of the rode. As the Ambulance arrives, this guy was there doing chest compressions. I asked him to step aside and the patient regains consciousness. Turns out the patient was passenger in a car when she started having nausea. The driver pulled over so she could puke and she had a syncopal episode.

This guy was going around telling everyone how he "saved" this person's life and what a hero he was. That is when I took aside and explained to him that if showed up on another ambulance call he would have to turn in his "pager" and gear.

He did get remediation on initial assessment and checking for signs of life.

 

[Veneficus]

More of You might be a whacker if...

(thanks to a local fireman today)

You drive up to a restraunt in a pickup that has an IAFF license plate and IAFF window decal on all 4 sides and.... (wait for it)........ You announce to the waitress while waiting to be seated that "you are an EMT with the fire department and if anyone needs help to come and get you at your table."

True story, happened this afternoon.

 

[EmtTravis]

(thanks to a local fireman today)

You drive up to a restraunt in a pickup that has an IAFF license plate and IAFF window decal on all 4 sides and.... (wait for it)........ You announce to the waitress while waiting to be seated that "you are an EMT with the fire department and if anyone needs help to come and get you at your table."

True story, happened this afternoon.

i have seen this happen before.. Even before I got into EMS it made me laugh

 

[Foxbat]

and I don't have a scanner. Anyone who has a scanner and listens to it when not at the squad/firehouse/etc is a bigger whacker than anyone with lights on their POV.

While both scanners and lights on POV are about the same usefulness, scanners are cheaper and safer
On a more serious note... Not that I am completely against POV lights; in many states, though, volunteers can only use courtesy lights, which are pretty useless (unless you are a member of fire police and block roads with your vehicle), yet still give people that "I'm in an emergency vehicle" feeling which causes them to do stupid things.

 

[Sizz]

(thanks to a local fireman today)

You drive up to a restraunt in a pickup that has an IAFF license plate and IAFF window decal on all 4 sides and.... (wait for it)........ You announce to the waitress while waiting to be seated that "you are an EMT with the fire department and if anyone needs help to come and get you at your table."

True story, happened this afternoon.

Veneficus...I'd have to say that's the funniest one in your list so far :lol:

 

[LucidResq]

(thanks to a local fireman today)

You drive up to a restraunt in a pickup that has an IAFF license plate and IAFF window decal on all 4 sides and.... (wait for it)........ You announce to the waitress while waiting to be seated that "you are an EMT with the fire department and if anyone needs help to come and get you at your table."

True story, happened this afternoon.

You know, I'm gonna pull this one sometime. But instead I'll say "I'm a CNA. If anyone craps their pants or needs help with their dentures, come get me."

 

[Sizz]

You know, I'm gonna pull this one sometime. But instead I'll say "I'm a CNA. If anyone craps their pants or needs help with their dentures, come get me."

Rofl too funny!

 

[Veneficus]

You know, I'm gonna pull this one sometime. But instead I'll say "I'm a CNA. If anyone craps their pants or needs help with their dentures, come get me."

Before you try that I would just point out that it didn't get him seated any faster

If he was trying to use it as a pick up line, it failed there too.

 

[Sassafras]

See I'd be scared to pull that line out with my job.
"Hi, I'm a child behavior specialist, if you have any brats you need to discipline send them to me"...no. thank. you.

 

[mcdonl]

This website has an impact...

I am so concerned about being a whacker because of this website!

So, today for instance. I am on call as a perdiem in my town from 0600 Saturday to 1800 Sunday.... We are required to wear a uniform when on calls. We do not need to man the station, we just have to do our morning truck checks, weekend work details and any other activities the chief sees fit for us to do during out "shift"

But, because I do not want to be a whacker... when I have to go the the store, or get gas, etc... I do so in my POV and I change out of my uniform shirt so I do not look like a whacker.

I know EMTLIFE has spies out there on the look out for guys like me and I am NOT going to let you win! And, I am NOT paranoid.

 

[MrBrown]

Man I feel bad for carrying some plastic gloves in my back pocket now .....

 

[jjesusfreak01]

Man I feel bad for carrying some plastic gloves in my back pocket now .....

Plastic gloves? Those must be stiff. We use vinyl, nitrile, or neoprene.

 

[MrBrown]

Plastic gloves? Those must be stiff. We use vinyl, nitrile, or neoprene.

Brown only wears blue gloves

Seriously, if I have to, I buy my own

 

[Melclin]

I've certainly had temptations. In first year, after basic resus classes, I saw a BVM on eBay and was quite tempted to buy it for funsies. Put a bid on an absurdly cheap 12-lead ECG machine too. I still wish I'd won it. That would have been a fun talking point to run 12 leads on random guests. If I had though, that would have put me in that whole 'I have better gear than our service provides' box, which put me off a little. <_<

Also in first year, I kept my BP cuff/ears in my car. The reason being that I hoped I'd come across someone in need so I could practice. I dropped that idea a few weeks later when it occurred to me that:
1. I had no idea what I would do with the infomation I'd collected because I hadn't learned enough about it yet.
2. I had no way of treating based on the vitals.
3. I would look like the biggest idiot in the world.

When I came to this site a year and a half later, I had a good laugh at myself.

A lot of people at uni have siren ring tones and they burn with embarrassment every time it goes off because everyone laughs at them. Most people are keen. Most say that they see ambulances drive past and wish they were on board. Everyone watches all the ambulance medical shows here ('Medical Emergency' - its like COPS, but with medics). But its all fairly harmless. The high academic entry standards and the fact that its a 3 year degree for entry level weeds out a lot of the wannabees you yanks talk about. But there are still plenty of medical nerds (me) and show offs, kicking around.

EDIT: OH and I still carry alcohol swabs and a 21g needle in my wallet, and some surgical tape on my keys. It's not a whacker thing. Its just that there is seriously nothing you can't do with some combination of the three. Fo shiz, you could repair a torpedoed nuclear submarine with them.

 

[DrParasite]

EDIT: OH and I still carry alcohol swabs and a 21g needle in my wallet, and some surgical tape on my keys. It's not a whacker thing. Its just that there is seriously nothing you can't do with some combination of the three. Fo shiz, you could repair a torpedoed nuclear submarine with them.

wtf do you do with a 21g needing in your wallet???? what if you sit on it the wrong way and it pierces your butt? I can understand the swabs, and the tape (hell, my ambulance bumper guard is being held together by 3 inch elasticon tape), but a 21g needle? that's just scary.

personally, I think you would find your own person 12-lead to be more useful.

 

[foxfire]

Nothing against Arkansas here, but once, while driving through, I saw a guy in a mini-van replete with a full blown LED lighting package. Full size lightbar, multiple grille lights, lights in each back window ans a full size traffic arrow in the back window.

Wow......

QUOTE]

My family calls them mobile christmas parties. B)