I can get some.

Good, go for the pathologists, they tend to be the best connections for this sort of thing.

I voted yes. And I'm a US citizen. But its not a stamp, they just printed it on there when it was made.

I have my First Responder cert now and am working on my EMT. And yeah, there are limitations on what EMTs and CFRs can do. In fact, it's not a lot beyond advanced first aid. Paramedics can push some drugs and do some invasive procedures (IVs, intubate, tracheotomies, etc) so they can do a lot more to save some one's life in a real sticky situation

Yeah, it's amazing what pure oxygen does for someone in an emergency situation.

That's actually one of the things CFRs and EMTs can give.

but they can't give glucagon

Yeah, I had to take some basic SCUBA first aid when getting certified, the list of things that are treated with O2 is pretty large (though, the best by far is hangovers).

They told us always to give O2 because it can only help. The director of my program is a Firefighter/Paramedic in San Francisco and he said in class one time that the ultimate hangover for him was breaking out and 02 bottle and starting an IV. 15 minute cure right there.



It depends on local protocols, but CFRs and EMTs can administer activated charcoal, oral glucose, oxygen, nitroglycerin, epinephrine auto-injectors and prescribed inhalers.

Eh? I've got a glucagen syringe sitting in the fridge behind me, which the hospital told me anyone around me if I collapse is supposed to inject me with. Are you telling me that trained medics aren't allowed to use that stuff? That seems kind of silly.

It would be amazing if different states had different regulations for EMS workers wouldn't it...

No, and American.

All I meant was that it seems like a silly thing to not allow a trained medic to give glucogen. Maybe I didn't make that clear enough in my post. Oh wait:

I did

Not amazing. More like... red-tape bull**** bureaucratic inanity.

I'll agree.

Free, it's a service provided by the smallest tiers of government. A county or even a city in Florida won't always agree 100% on how emergency service employees need to respond to a situation as one in Alaska.

If I had a choice between saving someone's life and breaking the "rules," I'd choose saving someone's life every time. All I'm saying is, policy should never place a medic in that situation.

Nope, I have glucagon sitting here too, and in the event of an emergency, my family, my friends, my roommate and anyone else around can administer it, except for the EMTs, at least around here.

I stand by my previous comment. Do you have any idea why it's set up like that?

Not really, I think it's something about liability, but that doesn't make much sense to me since they're EMTs, they're liable for anything they give other people as well. I just know that when I had my 2 emergencies they couldn't do anything.

Because people are less likely to sue family or friends than a trained professional if a mistake were made?

Just my guess.

I'm just glad I'll be unconscious if it ever comes to the time to use that syringe. It's huge!

US Citizen

There isn't a lot EMTs can do to be honest. Around here EMT ambulances are used for patient transports. The ambulances that respond to emergencies have one paramedic and one EMT to avoid situations like you ran into. Every fire engine and truck around here also has at least one paramedic on board, but probably more.



Protocols for EMS are set at a county level, which is pretty crappy because there is so much mutual aid where agencies send a crew to help somewhere else. This was a huge problem at Katrina where there were EMS crews from all over the country in New Orleans and there were questions about what these crews could and couldn't do. It was a mess. There was finally some legislation passed that says that a crew follows their local protocols when in that kind of situation. What they need to do is set a standard for the entire country and hold everyone to the same level at all EMS levels.

Yes and yes.