Oh dear Lord.

Arizona’s Our Lady of Sorrows Academy forfeited the state championship game because of a girl.  Not because one of their star pitchers was enamoured with the blonde in his history class, but because their opponent’s team has a girl.

No need to check your calendars, it is still 2012.

The school has a strong religious belief that boys and girls are to be taught separately and that is their right.  Knock yourselves out.  But you’re missing a big opportunity here to actually EDUCATE your students about life.

While you segregate your students due to your religious beliefs the rest of the world is moving on and your students, while adhering to your religious beliefs, are less prepared to enter it.

The other team has a girl?  Starting at second base?  Egads!  Next she’ll want to vote!

The player in question, Paige Sultzbach, has sat out previous matches due to the Our Lady of Sorrows beliefs, but finally stood up for her own when it came to the big game.  Kudos, Paige.  She has already been impacted negatively by the narrow views of the other school, perhaps they could suck it up and show some respect and just let the kids play baseball?  But no, their views don’t allow the possibility of physical contact between the students.  They demand others bend to their beliefs but refuse to do the same for others.

Seriously?  It’s baseball, what’s going to happen?  Someone tries to steal second, Paige tags them out, and they kiss?  Perhaps the teachings they’ve been presented are proven false?  Then they have to go home and explain how they lost to a girl?

Oh.

I think I understand now.

Parents of Our Lady of Sorrow Academy in Arizona: I respect your religious beliefs and would never question your right to raise your children as you see fit, but I truly hope you see how ill prepared they will be to enter a world where Paige can do anything they can, possibly better, despite all your attempts to teach them the opposite.

Let them play, they’re kids.

Rock on, Paige.  My little girls saw your story tonight and smiled.

When I attended ZOLL Summit there were a number of presentations about unifying the crews around a common goal, a mission statement.

I’m sure most of you have a mission statement in the 5-8 sentence category going on and on about what high level, competent sensitive care you give pre-hospital and how you strive and compassion and blah blah blah.

Can we get a REAL mission statement here?

If you were asked to write your company’s mission statement… what would it be?  Bloggers, what should it entail? What should it mean? Who should it inspire? our people? Their People? Anyone? Anything?

Sometimes we spend a few days with like minded folks and forget that we speak differently when around them.  We speak candidly about our jobs, our frustrations and our opinions of others not like us.

When waiting with a large crowd for the train at the airport it is not advisable to have a raucous conversation about people who commit suicide by jumping off of buildings.  You compared highest falls, genders, dispersal of remains, even splatter patterns.  The disgusted looks you were getting from those around you went unnoticed by you but I’m sure they took note of your ambulance companies which were prominently displayed on your shirts.  I tried to get your attention to distract you, but when you made the Humpty Dumpty joke, I decided to pretend I was offended too.  It wasn’t hard at all.

Once again another great ZOLL Summit has come to a close and I have so many exciting things to take back to my system my brain hurts.

I know many of you think that means I didn’t get too much, but the trick is prioritizing.

Many of the data systems currently deployed by my agency are not being leveraged for their full potential.  Many of the reasons for this can be traced back to one problem in particular:

Moving data.

Many of the users I have spoken to are moving data reliably and are able to analyze it and act on it.  We have trouble moving data and as a result spend time we could be using analyzing on chasing data.

There have been a number of solutions presented, but a glaring system wide issue keeps us from moving forward and maximizing our efficiencies.

I attended a session today where the speaker talked about how to leverage technology to get your crews from a .4 UHU to a .44 UHU.

.44?!?

We’re averaging a .9.  If my crews had a .44 they’d probably throw a parade for whoever did it.

After the presentation I was approached by my counterpart at a large East Coast agency who wanted to know how we got so efficient with our field supervisors.  We’re all doing something great and need to share it.

Getting ready to head for the airport I wonder if my excitement about the small enhancements I can implement will get drowned out by the problems awaiting me back at the office.  I can only hope that because I have networked with systems who are succeeding where mine is struggling, we can work on solutions that are mutually beneficial.

We’ll see I guess, but first it’s the 14 day drive from Denver to the Denver Airport.  I’ll send up a beacon if we get lost.

HM

I’m on my way to ZOLL Summit to speak about CQI, but mainly to learn more about the systems I am charged with monitoring. 
When I took my new job my predecessor had been gone for weeks and I had to learn as I went.  It will be nice to learn how it actually works.
In the past Thaddeus and I have done videos but I never had a reason to sit in on a 2 hour lecture about server queries. Now I can think of little else.

Kind of sad…

Anyhoozle, I hope to be sending out updates mainly so Mark Glencorse (I see you have a Google alert) can think back to the exciting week he spent in Denver when the volcano exploded, trapping him.

Sorry, that’s still kind of funny.

Updates as they come,
HM

…is my email inbox at work.  Or my voicemail…whichever…

I knew our CQI position handled citizen complaints, but I had no idea how many there were.

“It’s a thankless job” they told me when I took it.  Like being a Paramedic in the City was a thankful job?

Almost like clock work most mornings I get a call from a person I’ll call “Bob.”

Bob doesn’t like the Fire Department, or my mother, or my race, or the fact that I am his employee since he pays taxes.  Bob was taken to an ER for a complaint and was shocked and appalled we were directed to place him in the triage waiting area after a nurse assessed him.  In other words Bob is 99% of our business.

Bob and I have a 30-45 second conversation about his most recent abduction by the Paramedics and how they assaulted him, robbed him and left him to die…at the hospital.  When I pull up Bob’s run history the computer returns “Seriously?”

Some may say Bob’s calls are a hindrance or a distraction, but Bob keeps me on my toes.  Bob is my window into the mind of someone who does not know our lingo, our policies or our commitment to his overall health and safety.  Others may say I should report Bob, but that’s what he wants, a reaction, and all I do is listen, explain and then he hangs up.  then I get a coffee.  It’s a routine we have.

Other  complaints vary from legitimate clinical concerns from local hospitals, to regulators who question charting, to folks who simply want to vent.

But my favorite calls of all are the ones I can tell in an instant are without merit.  Bob helps he spot them easier.  How do I know?  They don’t know our lingo.

For example, if you tell me the ambulance people told you they would “throw you out of the truck” you’re lying.  How do I know?  Because a “truck” to us is a giant 5 man device with a 100 foot ladder on the back and is big and red.  We do not call it a truck…only you people do.  And by you people I mean the ungrateful masses who demand our services in 4 minutes or less only to complain that we took you to the wrong ER, since they “kicked me out” earlier today.

Kicked you out did they?  How do I know you’re lying?  Because they don’t kick people out.

When people get bored waiting 4 hours for a refill of Plavix (which they were never going to do in the first place, we told you that) they leave or are told to go to the pharmacy, but they are not kicked out.

We stole your wallet you say?  (Keep in mind folks, I am required to investigate these complaints no matter what they are)

Doubtful since I recognize your name from my days on the ambulance and we keep track of these things.  2 years ago you claimed we stole $500 from your wallet, then 8 months ago another $700 and today the total is up to $900 and we somehow walked off with your brother’s bass guitar.  I’ll investigate this but I should warn you, the No Merit letter is on my desktop I use it so often. (The Further Investigation by Investigative Services Bureau Recommended is there too FYI).

But just for once think about what you are about to say to me in your complaint.  If the crew kicked you out of the truck how again did you get to the hospital for the nurse to sign our form that they accepted you?

If we stole your grandmother’s $2000 necklace, why can you not describe it to me?

I’ll take your call, I’ll treat it as true until I complete my queries, but put some effort into it first folks.  If you’re unhappy and make something up you’re just wasting my time and yours.  If you have a legitimate concern I want to know about it.

Think twice about questioning the professionalism of the folks who took care of you when you didn’t need it, only wanted it, and how they did everything you needed up to and including taking you to an ER you did not need for a reason you could have handled yourself.

But if they weren’t professional, if they didn’t do what you needed, I’ll be the first one to tell you so.

Talk to you again on Monday Bob.

The Blogfather has issued a challenge of sorts.

“Nobody in EMS is paid what they’re worth. 25% are paid far less than what they’re worth, and 75% are paid far more than what they’re worth.”

~ Kelly Grayson

…discuss…

 

I’m not 100% with you on this one KG.  I’d add a sliver of 10% in the middle who are right where they should be.  But I’m not there.

I am most certainly in that 75% and have been for some time.  But I wasn’t always that way.

<sepia toned early motion picture footage> Back when I got started in EMS (Angry Captain rolls eyes) I got on as a volunteer firefighter.  When I got my first paying gig I was jocking a 1,000 gallon water tender half an hour south of Albuquerque and making the king’s ransom of $4.35 an hour.  For a 19 year old that meant turning on the long distance on the telephone, scaling back the second job to 5 days a week and moving out of the 2 bedroom apartment I shared with 3 other guys.

The point of memory lane was to set the starting point and how, if you are properly motivated, you can change what happens to you instead of standing still and complaining that everyone else gets to do fun stuff somewhere else.

I had been dissatisfied with the politics of my organization in New Mexico and sought other employment.  In Albuquerque you had 3 choices.  AFD, Bernalillo County or where I was.  That left 2 and I didn’t want to work for either one.  Neither transported and that was a big deal breaker for me.  However, there was a growing need for secondary education to land some of the higher ranking jobs open around the country at the time and I was just finishing my Bachelor’s in EMS when the 5 day window for the SFFD position opened up.  I had been a Paramedic less than 2 years and they wanted 5 years experience, but college credits would be considered.  Perfect.

The starting salary was $82,600.  Day1, walking in the door.  Was I overpaid?  Most surely, but I was so busy those first few years I barely noticed.  It was in this time frame I hit my personal best 32 calls for service in 24 hours, did a 48 on little sleep and also hit all 13 hospitals in the area in one shift.  We were run ragged and in the morning would get calls from the Assignment Office begging us to pick up an overtime.

We were Firefighter/Paramedics in name only, turnouts safely tucked into the side compartment of the ambulance.  And we were still expected to participate in all the engine and truck drills between calls for service and long drives back to district.

Overpaid?  Compared to West Corn Row Iowa, sure, but this was the salary they needed to get people in the door willing to work in that environment.  If they were paying $4.35 an hour the line would be around the block, with a high turnover and the phrase “They don’t pay me enough to deal with this crap” more common than “Medic to follow.”

Want a high paying EMS job?  They’re out there, you just have to go find it.

At recent Firefighter seminars I’ve spoken at candidates approach me and ask what they can do to better their chances on getting hired with the SFFD.  My #1 response is “Get out of California.”  They usually respond with a shocked look and wonder if my famous sarcasm is showing.  Nope.  Get out of your comfort zone.  Go somewhere new.  If a paycheck is all you want, go get it, it’s waiting for you somewhere busier, louder, dirtier and likely smellier.

The old line that we need to raise our pay in EMS is a somewhat flawed argument.  Why should we pay you more when you seem fine making $4.35?  When we can’t keep bodies in the seats, we’ll offer $5, then $6.50 and so on and so on.

Imagine the kid that mows your lawn starts whining that he doesn’t get paid enough.  Will you give him a raise or ask him what he’s willing to do for it?  Now imagine your neighbor’s yard is bigger, but he pays more.  What will the kid do?  Work more for more money or stay with you?

The real argument is whether paying a Firefighter/Paramedic $25/hr to sit around eating ice cream while the single role medic sits on post making $8 is a good idea.  I don’t know for sure, but the only reason they make $8 is because the company knows they can keep you in the seat.  If enough of you left, they’d have to raise the salary to stay in business.

75% and fine about it,

HM

Tomorrow morning (Monday) our buddy Motorcop is taking the sarg…the seargean…the saarg…well, he’s looking to promote.   In an effort to help him out I was able to pull some strings and get some of the exam questions.

I hope these help!

Vehicle 1 is parked facing south 22 feet from a stop sign in a 25MPH zone with hazard lights activated.  Vehicle 2 is traveling south at a speed of 35 MPH wit ha driver holding a cell phone to his head.  If vehicle 2 impacts vehicle 1 after applying the brake pedal for 20 feet, how far away is the Starbucks?

A male has been witnessed peeking into windows at the local yoga studio.  When you arrive on scene do you,

A) Detain the man in the london fog coat looking into the window.

B) Question the man in the london fog coat looking into the window.

C) Tazer the man in the london fog coat looking into the window.

D) Point out to the studio owner that their window faces a public street, the blinds are open and it’s daylight.

One of your patrol officers fails to report for duty.  Phoning his residence there is no answer, but he answers his cell phone.  He states he is sick and notified the night Sergeant, but in the background you hear an airport announcement.  Do you,

A) Notify him he is in violation of Dept regulations and begin suspension paperwork.

B) Accept his statement and place him off sick, then call in a cover.

C) Call the night Sgt to confirm the story.

D)  WTF guys? Am I not invited on the camping trip again this year?

CVC 21100 addresses _______________________________

A) The size and location of mud flaps on commercial vehicles.

B) The allowable length of overhang of an object protruding from a vehicle before it needs to be flagged and lighted.

C) Electric vehicles on sidewalks

D) No one is ever going to look it up, just pick something random.

And the question weighted most heavily on the exam:

Responding to a reported man down you arrive to find the local town drunk an inebriated fellow.  Do you,

A) Dismount bike in manly fashion making sure all civilians see the stripes.

B) Assess the situation after growing a bad ass mustache.

C) Ensure the man down is breathing and if not, begin life saving efforts

D) Stand over him, hands on belt and shout “Stay down! The heroes are coming!” after calling for an ambulance.

Good luck MC, we’re all rooting for you!

Parking in San Francisco is not a nightmare, but more of a craps shoot.  When Mrs HM and I lived in the City we only had one car and it was a small car at that.  When trying to find parking there was a rule:

3 blocks 6 times or 6 blocks 3 times.

This meant that if you went around the 3 nearest blocks in all directions 6 times you were not going to find a spot and should just find a shady spot maybe no one would see you.  But you had to be careful.  Handicap spots and the little ramps in the sidewalks were big tickets and I would never block a plug (hydrant).  Parking in a driveway or blocking a garage not your own was a guaranteed tow, so sneaking into a half spot was generally attempted, sometimes with success, other times that little white envelope would be waiting for you in the morning.

Unless of course you forgot which day of the week street cleaning was.  Then you’ve got another ticket for that too.

The Department of Parking and Traffic wanders the City in little 3 wheeled bikes and are almost like locusts swarming through the neighborhoods looking for places to earn revenue.  It’s a thankless job and when I see their little trucks parked on a plug and they’re no where in sight I call them in as illegally parked.

But I’ve gotten a bit off topic.

Point is, when you would be sitting at a sidewalk cafe and see a DPT bike go by, you suddenly sprang up and sprinted to the clearly expired meter and gave it another 25 cents for another 4 minutes without a $65 ticket.

But since 2008 the DPT officers aren’t looking around as often.

Listen to KRON 4′s Gabe Slate and Stanley Roberts Team up to look at how transit buses are issuing parking tickets just by driving down the street.

Installed on select Municipal Transportation Buses (MUNI) are cameras that capture images of cars along the bus’s route.  Those videos are then screened by a DPT officer and offending vehicles are sent tickets in the mail.

Unlike static red light cameras, they are able to see if a vehicle is moving, blocking traffic, occupied etc.  However, Happy is not a fan.

Reason being that buses are buses and parking enforcement is parking enforcement.  In addition, I seriously doubt the MUNI drivers are being cited for all their traffic violations, including blocking multiple lanes, stopping blocking intersections, illegal turns etc.  Or perhaps the drivers are safer now that the cameras are installed?

Either way, the City sees some value to the service since over the next 15 months cameras will be installed on all 819 buses.  At a cost of $800,000 in a City facing cuts in Fire, Police, EMS, library, even MUNI is hard to justify.  But in 2010 they recovered almost 1/4 of that cost on only 30 buses.

You do the math.

Some will scream “Big Brother!” and I see that argument and raise you a “it’s breaking posted laws.”

I only hope that the trucks that double park 2 and 3 wide directly next to a clearly identified loading zone get fined as much as the drivers who don’t notice the 3 feet tall letters on the street “TAXI ONLY.”

Perhaps MC could speak to the validity of mounting a camera on the ambulances to capture traffic violations?  I think we could up that 2102 citations in a year in just a few months the way folks seem to go insane around an ambulance.

Do you think this program is a good idea?  Think it goes too far?

60′s Folks Music is one of my favorite genres of music.  I love the simplicity of some of the stories, but really that they tell a story about a specific group at a specific time.

From poor Charlie stuck on the MTA, Dom Dooley singing about his pending execution,  even a couple of brothers singing about a dead girl on the beach, Jenny Brown, they aren’t just rhymes, but snapshots in history.

One of my favorite songs growing up was the Mammas and the Pappas Creeque Alley.  It’s a fun song about a lot of their friends, but I didn’t notice until recently that everyone in that song was influential in not only folk music, but in their becoming a group and landing success.  What I thought was a simple fun tune about their friends was really a giant “Thank You” to all the singers that laid the ground work for their success.

When I hear the opening notes to Creeque Alley now, there is one line I can’t get out of my head that just wandered in one day driving home from work: “Mark and Justin, preconceptions they were bustin’…”

So I got up early this morning and played the song with the post editor open and the following is what filled my mind when I thought back to what inspired Mark Ted and me to get off our butts and do something.

EMS Alley

To the tune of Creeque Alley by the Mammas and the Poppas

Filmin’ Level Zero, showin’ lots of heroes
Setla lays down a big bet;
Down in Lou’siana, workin’ for Acadian;
Kelly hasn’t met Ron yet.
At a microphone Jamie sat,
The garage with Montera a great place to chat.
Mark and Justin preconceptions they were bustin’ in S.F.,
You know the address.
But no one’s seein’ change in EMS.

Ron he said, “Kelly, you know there aren’t many”
Who know patient care the way that you do, let’s podcast”
Kelly said Ron don’t you know it’s not wrong,
Newbies need advice that will last.
Now Ron and Kelly friends they be
Every Friday morning recording the Newbie.
Mark says Justin, care for profit is disgustin in S.F.,
You know the address.
And no one’s seein change in EMS.

In S.F. Ted planned, tried to get to England,
The NEAS said no way.
Ted quite discouraged, worked up the courage,
“Justin take video all day”
When Kaiser flew in to get the real scoop;
The CoEMS tweetup sure was a great group.
Mark and Justin couldn’t get enough words in,
But that’s what they’re all tryin’ to express.
That no one’s seein’ change in EMS.

Web logs, new jobs, No room for big slobs—
Don’t you want your change right away.
Wake up, stand up, everything is made up;
HIPAA says it has to be that way.
Chris, Dave and JEMS they formed a network;
Dave, Rogue and Too Old also gathered their work.
Mark and Justin getting some attention in S.F.,
At the Premiere of Chronicles with their guests.
This might just have a chance to change EMS.

Chiefs, Captains and critics, so many cynics,
Don’t understand the change that we seek.
Dridge and Setla tryin’ to keep us in the hoopla—
More bloggers each day and each week.
Uphill climb feels like we’re in the Andes;
Gaining recognition and respect from MDs.
All these good vibrations and our imaginations
Can’t go on indefinitely.
And change in EMS is becomin’ a reality…