What defines a 'wacker' vs a 'normal' EMT?

CALEMT

CALEMT

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Chewy20 said:
Sounds like that quiz is rigged if everyone got 8%
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If you own more than 4 scanners, too many emergency vehicle models, where a uniform everywhere you go, drive a christmas tree on wheels, have the "batman" belt, have the EMT stickers, shield, and license plate, and your phone sounds like a MCI then you're 100% wacker. This is what the test tells you when you reach 100% whacker status: YOURE A COMPLETE WHACKER!!! YOU ARE PROBABLY INCOMPETENT AND SHOULD TONE IT DOWN BEFORE YOU KILL SOMEONE
 
C

Chewy20

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CALEMT said:
If you own more than 4 scanners, too many emergency vehicle models, where a uniform everywhere you go, drive a christmas tree on wheels, have the "batman" belt, have the EMT stickers, shield, and license plate, and your phone sounds like a MCI then you're 100% wacker. This is what the test tells you when you reach 100% whacker status: YOURE A COMPLETE WHACKER!!! YOU ARE PROBABLY INCOMPETENT AND SHOULD TONE IT DOWN BEFORE YOU KILL SOMEONE
Click to expand...

did you just stroke out?
 
CALEMT

CALEMT

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Chewy20 said:
did you just stroke out?
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I took the wacker test challenge to see if I could achieve 100% wacker. The all caps is what I copied/pasted from the test at the end haha.
 
MonkeyArrow

MonkeyArrow

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I got 13%. Uh oh. I guess I'm more of a wacker than everyone else on here.
 
ERDoc

ERDoc

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At my worst, I was 46% whacker (I had to guess on the cell phone question since no one had cell phones back then). I'm apparently still 4%.
 
kirky kirk

kirky kirk

RN, EMT-B
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I'm 0%. :eek::p:D
 
Jim37F

Jim37F

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I'm 10% for a scanner (well its an app on my phone not a dedicated radio scanner but I'll count it lol) and a couple of t-shirts
 
COmedic17

COmedic17

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ERDoc said:
Whacker isn't even a universal term. They were called buffs where I came from.
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I call them whistle di*ks.
Oddly enough from a similar reasoning to your penis statement.


Great minds must think alike.
 
DrParasite

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I posted this on firehouse.com about 10+ years ago... just change firefighter to emt, and I think it will still be applicable.

just some random thoughts of mine.

A wacker spends all his/her free time at the fire house.

A dedicated employee works his shifts, and signs up for all the extra shifts he can for extra $$$

a wacker visits the local firehouse on vacation, to see how they do things and to trade/buy shirts or patches

a dedicated employee can visit a firehouse not in their area to learn how another organization operates, in hopes of improving his/her organization

a wacker puts FF/EMS stickers all over his car

a dedicated employee puts IAFF stickers on his/her car, so show he supports the union he is proud to be a member of

a wacker takes every firefighting course he can, in hopes of one day becoming a career firefighter.

a dedicated employee takes every FF course he can, so he can do the job to the best of his ability.

a wacker will purchase a leather helmet because it makes him look cool, even though the department issues salad bowls

a dedicated employee will purchase a leather helmet out of his uniform allowance, even though the department issues salad bowls.

a wacker will wear a firefighting-related novelty shirt when not on duty.

dedicated employees would never do anything like this

a wacker will wear his department t-shirt/job shirt in school, work, while shopping for groceries, at the mall, etc.

a dedicated employee will wear his department t-shirt/job shirt while at fire school, on the job, when with the crew shopping for groceries, and I did see one FDNY guys in his FDNY job shirt (with station number) and hat in Victoria's Secret shopping with his girlfriend, but I'm sure he's the exception to the rule.

a wacker is proud to show off that he is a member of a FD or EMS squad.

a dedicated employee comes to work early, leaves late, and keeps his work and the rest of his life separate.

a wacker has a closet full of FD t-shirts from all over the US, some purchased, some traded for, some obtained as gifts.

a dedicated employee has a closet full of shirts, mainly of his department, but a few obtained through trades.

a wacker aspires to be as good as (insert big city FD name here, be it FDNY, LAFD, Syracuse FD for those from upstate NY, Chicago FD, DCFD, PG County FD, etc), or even the neighboring 24/7 paid department.

a dedicated employee aspires to be as good as (insert big city FD name here, be it FDNY, LAFD, Syracuse FD for those from upstate NY, Chicago FD, DCFD, PG County FD, etc).

and the biggest difference (also edited to because people seem to be misinterpreting the statement):

if a non-paid firefighter does one of the above mentioned things, he is considered a wacker

if a paid firefighter does the same thing he is considered a proud and dedicated employee

just some random thoughts

What some people consider to be a trait of a (volunteer) whacker, and what some people consider to be a trait of a dedicated (career) employee are sometimes very similar. but because people look at career guys and volunteers differently, the same "event" or "description" can be used to form a different opinion about someone. It's all about perception.
 
Deftones

Deftones

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Whacker, Ricky Rescue, or what ever term you use, is a very subjective term that really depends on the person defining it. However, it's a mentality, not a particular thing you do.

A whacker, in my eyes, is someone who is in this field not for patients or adventure, but for titles and self interest. They are the guys who feel the need to act as if they are god. They do not care about doing their job. They do not care about the people they ride with. They'd sell anyone down the river for praise. They're rarely ever a decent provider. They simply suck. They are horrible to be around.

I met an EMT exactly like this once. I was in one of those military cadet program and this guy made it sound as if he was god. He told everyone how great of a provider he was, how doctors called him doc and looked to him for advice, how he many great saves (he had 1 year in an IFT service when I probed around), and stuff like that. The guy even faked a save at the Boston Marathon and then had his friend fake an email from a nurse saying that he was there! Of course that unraveled when we contacted the person named in the email and they said they never heard of him. That guy was the true definition of whacker.

Having a crazy belt, an extra sticker or two on yourvehicle, owning a EMT/Medic shirt, or telling someone you're an EMT doesn't make you a whacker. What makes you a whacker is when you feel the need to impress others with the fact that you're an EMT to the point of forcing it down their throats.

The key to not being a whacker is to be great at your job and to do things for the best interest of your organization, not for the best interest of yourself. The people who are great at this job are those who are into what they can do for their patients and for their partners. Just my 0.02
 
ERDoc

ERDoc

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Wow, I think that guy goes beyond whacker. It almost sounds pathological.
 
Deftones

Deftones

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ERDoc said:
Wow, I think that guy goes beyond whacker. It almost sounds pathological.
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Well, he did lie about heart disease and "leg cancer", working as a firefighter, being an Army Ranger Combat Medic, and the like. Funniest thing is that he called me a liar.
 
ERDoc

ERDoc

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Yeah, he has more issues than just being a whacker.
 
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