Divemedic

Winning hearts and minds through logic

There are many people out there who actively oppose gun ownership by private citizens, themselves and their security details excluded, of course. They are not the ones that you can convince that the antigun position is silly and illogical. The ones that you can convince are the ones who only say that they oppose guns, but do not run around and try to force the issue.

When I first start dating (or even when I first meet) people, I rarely mention being a gun owner. In fact, in many cases I fail to mention that I routinely carry a gun, because I believe that opening a friendship or relationship with, “I have a gun in my pocket” is boorish and a sure sign of a lonely chronic masturbator who spends his Saturday nights looking for midget porn and playing World of Warcraft.

About nine years ago, I dated a woman who was from a typical south Florida Jewish family. Many of these south Florida Jews are fresh from the New York area, and the Liberal bias displayed down there is pretty strong, as demonstrated by the number of blue counties down there in the last election. She was of the opinion that gun ownership should be restricted.

When, a month or two into our relationship, I finally told her that I carried a gun, she was mildly horrified. One day shortly thereafter, we were entering a bank when she told me that she was surprised that people with concealed weapons were allowed to enter a bank. I replied, “Yes, all bank robbers would get jobs and stop robbing banks, if only we made it illegal to enter a bank with a gun.”  She conceded my point that a person willing to rob a bank was willing to ignore a law against carrying a gun, and how silly such a law would be.

This was the beginning of her epiphany. She eventually came around to a more logical way of thinking, and changed her mind on guns. This is how we win, through logic and reason.

By Divemedic, ago

Supervisor doesn’t know the rules

Today’s post is another EMS post. I recently had a call to a local nursing home for difficulty breathing. When I entered the patient’s room, she was in agonal respirations, known as “guppy breathing.” We began bagging her, and I then checked pulses, and found no radial pulse, and her carotid pulse was less than 40. Applying the monitor, she was in a sinus brady at 34 beats per minute, so I began pacing.

I was waiting for help in moving the patient to the stretcher because she weighed over 500 pounds. By the time help arrived, we had lost capture and she was in PEA. Because she had a valid DNRO, efforts were discontinued and she was determined to be deceased. I was later told by an EMS supervisor that since we had initiated ALS, we were bound to continue after the patient coded, and that he (the supervisor) would be referring this call to the medical director for more action. I disagreed, and sent him the following:

Section 64J-2.018 of the Florida Administrative Code (PDF alert) specifies that an emergency medical technician or paramedic shall withhold or withdraw cardiopulmonary resuscitation upon the presentation of an original or a completed DNRO. (emphasis added)

Note that the word “shall” means that a paramedic has no choice in the matter, cardiopulmonary resuscitation must not be initiated, and if it has already begun, must be withdrawn, as soon as you are presented with a valid DNRO. The supervisor is clearly wrong in this case, and I will await more word on how that goes.

By Divemedic, ago

An open letter to Florida Republican legislators

I just sent this email to the Republican Party of Florida:

I am writing this to express my dismay at the actions of Republican party members with regards to Senate Bill 234, the bill that would have allowed people with concealed weapons permits to carry their weapons openly and on college campuses throughout the state.

As a 42 year old college student who has a concealed weapons permit, I cannot understand how it is that I can be trusted to defend myself wherever I go, until I cross the line to enter campus. It was my understanding that the Republicans were defenders of the Second amendment, but the gutless stripping of this bill by Republican legislators has shown me that this was merely lip service, simply a way to fool me into giving my vote to the moderate wing of the Democratic Party, which it seems that the Republican party has become.

As of today, I am no longer a registered Republican. My campaign contributions and my votes will be going elsewhere.

By Divemedic, ago

Preparedness

Hurricane season approaches. Hard times are coming. As we discussed in our last post, the government advises us all to have three days of supplies, so that we can be self sustaining until the cavalry arrives. I have a disaster plan, and I keep updating it as I change my opinion or as my needs change.

This is not about being a survivalist or about surviving. Surviving is a part of living, but surviving is not the main goal, it is merely a path to our goal. This is about being able to survive a disaster and being able to recover as much of your life as possible. We must survive, recover, and rebuild.

Recovery is the area where most people spend the least effort, but where a little preparing goes a long way. You need to safeguard the documents and other things that we need to live in the 21st century: Documents, family photos, licenses, certifications, and other important records. We also need to have meeting places (rally points) and other essential details worked out in advance. For more on that, see this post.

Now we can start thinking about supplies and kits. Remember that preparedness is not a kit. Don’t think you can put a kit together, and you are all set. The kit is a means to an end. Here are the categories that I recommend for a kit:

Records: The aforementioned documents, photographs, and other needed items. I include a moderate amount of cash on hand ($300 or so) in this category.
First Aid: Medications, drugs, bandages, disinfectants, etc. Nothing elaborate. Simple is better here.
Heat and cooking: You can live on cold canned goods and MREs, but they are simply not tolerable for more than a day or two. Hot meals are best.
Light: Flashlights, lanterns, fire, batteries for them, chemlights, and other ways of creating light.
Tools: People are tool users. Screwdrivers, knife, hammer, hatchet, etc.
Communications: There are many ways to communicate. Cell phones, radios, flags, spray paint, chalk or grease pencil markings left on buildings, signs stapled to telephone poles, etc.
Food and water: Obvious. From half liter bottles of water to reverse osmosis, MREs to farming, we need to consider short and long term food and water needs.
Shelter: Tents, homes, hotels, tarps, even your vehicle. Any way to get out  of the weather.
Security: Weapons, cameras, sensors, rotating watches.
Energy: Solar, fire, electric, generators, etc. Anything that helps us power our equipment or our selves that is not cooking or heating related.

The exact contents of those categories will vary depending on the length of time we are to be self sufficient, our finances, the amount of space we have for storage, and the disaster we want to be prepared for. My two week hurricane kit is in yesterday’s post.

By Divemedic, ago

Prepping

The government advises us all to have three days of supplies, so that we can be self sustaining until the cavalry arrives. From my personal experiences during my responses to various disasters, I can tell you that three days is a minimum. If you are further away from a distribution point than average, it may be more like 4 or 5 days. More if the disaster is more serious.

So, I have put together a bunch of supplies to get me through a disaster. Here is what I have come up with:

Food: I have 8 cases of MREs, and 2 cases of Mountain House freeze dried meals. I also have 3 cases of freeze dried meats and eggs. Round that out with a couple of cases of canned goods (tuna, soup, veggies) and I have enough non perishable food for 172 people meals. That is enough food for 6 people for 9 days. Two weeks if I stretch it.

Food prep: I have propane cooking equipment and enough propane to cook 3 meals a day for a week.

Shelter: Other than the house, I have 3 two man tents, and tarps to make more lean-tos.
Communications: In addition to cell phones, I have 4 FRS radios and 2 HAM radios in the 2 meter band.
Power: I need to work on this. I am thinking about solar chargers for the radios and flashlight batteries. I don’t need to run the whole house just yet.
Water: I have 30 gallons (at one gallon per person/day, this will last 6 people for 5 days) of water containers, and we can and will fill 2 bathtubs for non drinking water. We can boil that water for cooking if needed. 
I have ample firearms for security, and plenty of ammo.
There are also medical supplies, lights, and other supplies. 

Even though there are only two of us here, I have enough to supply 6 people for two weeks. Longer if I want to cut it down to subsistence rations. Living in hurricane country, it is just prudent.

By Divemedic, ago

Radio Installation

I recently got my HAM radio license. I spent the day last Saturday installing a Yaesu Ft-7900 in my pickup. I went out this morning and I was able to hit a repeater that was 30 miles away. Excellent radio. It is a dual band radio that transmits in the 2 meter band and the 70cm band.

I put the radio body under the passenger’s seat, the control head on the center console, and I mounted the antenna on the roof with an NMO mount. Being under the seat, it was a little hard to hear, so a mounted a speaker to the back of my console. I can hear it just fine now.

I also have a handheld radio in the 2 meter band. I want to get one or two more, and at $120 each, they are quite affordable. Add a base station to that, and another item is checked off my list of things I need for the zombie apocalypse. More on that later.

By Divemedic, ago

Spinal Immobilization is not always what is best

This is another one of those EMS related posts. For those of you who are not in the medical field, I am sorry if this post makes your eyes glaze over a bit.

We have been taught to backboard every trauma patient. My protocols have us routinely backboarding patients who have been in car accidents, falls, penetrating trauma to the neck or torso, and a host of other accidents. Even when there is no sign of damage to the spine, we backboard. This is a result of the practice of defensive medicine. That is, we do this under the theory that we could be sued by the ambulance chasing “if I don’t get you a big payoff, I don’t collect a fee” lawyers that are always on the television during the day. The belief goes that if the patient needed to be immobilized and wasn’t, there is a chance we could lose, but throwing someone who isn’t really injured on a backboard doesn’t hurt the patient, so we cover our collective butts by doing it to everyone.

Studies are starting to show that immobilizing patients is not a benign treatment. In fact, this 2010 study of over 45,000 trauma patients shows that patients who are victims of penetrating trauma to the torso, but do not present with any specific neurological deficit, experience a higher mortality rate when immobilized than similar patients who are not immobilized. We need to cease backboarding everyone. We are killing people. The lawyers are killing people. This needs to stop.

By Divemedic, ago

Worker’s comp

Several years ago, I was injured at work. I ruptured my Achilles tendon. My employer sent me to a health clinic that they have a contract with. In the lobby of this clinic is a sign which reads: “We specialize at getting your employees back to work.” This attitude of the personnel at this clinic seems to be that all employees are goldbricking fakers that need to go back to work.

I told them that it felt like there was a problem with my Achilles tendon. Feeling the back of my swollen ankle, I could feel where the tendon was not there. They wanted to take an xray. I told them that a ruptured Achilles tendon won’t show on an xray. They argued with me and took it anyway. They saw nothing, diagnosed me with a sprain and sent me back to work on light duty. My employer gives no option of staying home sick when given light duty for an on the job injury.

Three weeks later, I finally demanded and got an MRI. Diagnosis? There was a fluid filled gap where the tendon is supposed to be. The ankle specialist that they finally sent me to said that it would probably be a career ending injury, and that I would never walk properly again, because there is a time limit of 10 days for repairing this sort of injury. He offered to try the surgery anyway, with the understanding that if it did not work I would need a cane for walking for the rest of my life. I went ahead with it. He said that even if the operation was a success, it would be 6 months before I could walk, and 18 months before I could work again.

It was 8 painful months later that I returned to full duty. I endured surgery, nauseating drugs, excruciating physical therapy, and unbelievable amounts of pain, followed by a month of weaning myself off the narcotics.

I was injured again this afternoon while responding to a burning Denny’s restaurant. This time, the other ankle. I am being sent to the same clinic that almost crippled me before. I am overjoyed.

By Divemedic, ago

The fiscal ship is sinking

While wages and other job-related income fell by a record $206 billion last year to $7.84 trillion, transfer payments from the government such as unemployment checks and Social Security burgeoned by $231 billion to $2.1 trillion. Meanwhile, the amount of taxes that individual Americans paid plummeted by $325 billion to $2.1 trillion as a result of middle-class tax cuts and because nearly 6 million people were thrown out of work and are no longer paying payroll taxes.

Did you get that? We pay out more in “give aways” that we are taking in through taxes, and that doesn’t include law enforcement, the courts, jails, or the military. This country is past the point of no return. It is doomed to failure.

By Divemedic, ago