Saturday, May 16, 2009

New Packing List

They say that you can tell an EMTs experience by the amount of shit on his belt. The more shit there is, the less experience he/she has. I think the same can be said for SAR; except I carry everything in the back of my car. Now that its summer I can get rid of most of my winter gear (skis, avy gear, etc) and I took hard look at what I was carrying.

My goal was to have a pack that was ready for 90% of our missions pre-packed in my car. This includes food, water, etc. I use a Lowe Alpine Alpine Attack 50 for my SAR pack because it *can* be a load hauler when I end up with the 600 foot static line or I can compress it down if I'm in the HASTE team.

I was always amazed at the small size of the packs carried by experienced members on our team. Especially considering they ALWAYS had what they needed. Now, I understand why. Speed= safety (as long as you have the crapola you need). Here's what I'm keeping pre-packed:
  1. Lowe Pack
    1. Top Pouch

i. Map

ii. Compass/ Whistle

iii. Pro Bars (2)

iv. Pair of socks

v. Laser Pointer

vi. Safety glasses

vii. Headlamp

viii. Fire starter + matches

ix. Sunglasses

    1. Main pouch

i. Team shell

ii. Team fleece jacket

iii. Team fleece vest

iv. Team fleece hat

v. OR waterproof gloves

vi. MH fleece gloves

vii. Helmet

1. headlamp attached

viii. Climbing bundle

1. 3 Omega Team Carabineers

2. 15’ webbing

3. 20’ webbing

4. Personal prussic cords (2)

5. Black Diamond Alpine Bod harness

6. Petzyl gloves + keeper carabineer

ix. Climbing harness

1. ATC + belay carabineer

2. Personal Purcell

x. One Nalgene (water)

xi. One Nalgene (gatorade)

    1. Outside pocket (crampon pouch)

i. Team first aid kit

1. Trauma sheers

2. BVM

3. Gloves (Large)

4. Bio Bag

5. Kerlix Roll

6. 4 X 4 gauze (4)

7. 8X 10 Combine dressing

8. Cavet bandages (2)

9. Mole Skin

10. Triple antibiotic packages (2)

11. Antimicrobacterial wipes (3)

12. Ibuprophen (2)

13. Diphen (2)

14. Bandaids

15. Bug X towelette

16. Sunscreen

17. Sting relief

ii. Sam Splint


So that's about 1000 calories plus a combination of clothes that will keep me comforatable in a range of conditions. I'll drop my primary climbing harness before we set out if it doesn't look like we'll need it- its a super heavy (comfy) big wall harness but I'll keep my main climbing kit because a simple carryout can require belays very quickly.

Also, in the back of my car ready to go is my radio chest harness. Now, I'm not a huge fan of this thing. Its hot, heavy, and seems to get in the way. I'd rather toss my radio in my crampon pouch on my pack and run the lapel mic up to my shoulder strap. I'm still afraid to not have somethings attached to my body (space blanket, radio) so
for now it stays:


  1. Radio Pack
    1. 4 X 4 bandages (2)
    2. Space Blanket
    3. Sharpie
    4. Pen
    5. Notepad
    6. Small flashlight
    7. Team medical form
    8. Two pair large medical gloves
    9. One pair each: small and medium gloves
    10. Medical reference card
    11. Small gerber
    12. 800 mHz Radio + Lapel mic
    13. Medical tape
    14. Ear plugs (helicopters)
    15. AA/AAA batteries (3 each)

Finally, I have two small duffels I keep in the back of my trusty subaru. One is specifically for swift water rescues and the other has some snow/ice gear (there's still a lot at high altitudes) and my normal clothes/boots I wear on callouts.
  1. Duffel
    1. Tall leather boots (socks + gaitors inside)
    2. Mountaineering boots
    3. Crampons
    4. Ice Screws (6)

i. 10cm (2)

ii. 15cm (2)

iii. 17cm (2)

    1. DMM ice tools (2)
    2. BD Ice Ax
    3. MH winter gloves
    4. MH prima loft jacket
    5. Green team pants
    6. Team short sleeve t-shirt
    7. Synthetic boxers
    8. Long sleeve synthetic shirt
    9. AA/AAA extra batteries (10 each)
  1. Swift water duffel
    1. Swift water PFD

i. Whistle

ii. Knife

iii. Attendant line + locking carabineer (LOCKED)

    1. Helmet
    2. Neoprene gloves
    3. Neoprene socks
    4. Wetsuit
    5. Old tennis shoes
    6. Throw rope

That's still a ton of stuff, but I'm open to ideas of what I can get rid of....

Friday, May 15, 2009

Quite Possibly the Finest Prank Ever



I credit myself for being a little bit of a prankster... Its a defense mechanism and a way of reminding my self that none of us are really all that important. Usually, its little stuff. Like sneaking into one of our deputies cars and turning up the radio so that when he turns it on in the morning he'll be bombarded with Mexican polka (bonus points for taking the radio control knobs off or covering them in KY) or tying my team leader's boots to the litter as we're practicing carries.

One deputy I work with took the cake though. We were doing a body recovery. A really, really bad body recovery. The kind where you bring the pieces out in small trash bags as you find them and hope the patient had good dental records.

Well, for some reason, the patient's ear was found far, far away from the rest of the pieces of the body. The ear was placed in its own bag and because of that forgotten about when the rest of the pieces were handed over to the coroner.

This deputy realized his mistake about an hour later, and sheepishly told our commanding officer. Our CO's reply:

"Fuck, well just throw the damn thing away, none of us ever saw it..."

Ay, ay captain, and so it was done, or we thought.

Not long after the call out the afore mentioned deputy and went to grab us sandwiches after the call out. Our CO had been bitching all day about how hungry he was and how long the recovery was taking, etc, etc, etc.

The Deputy returned from his food run, handed out all the boxes of food, and (quickly) walked away. Our CO opened his sandwich box, opened his hoagie to pile on the mayo and letuce and there, smack dab in the middle of his ham was the ear that had been "thrown away".

Our CO immediately recoiled, and chucked the sandwhich at the (now running) deputy. After a brief pursuit the deputy handed out CO his real sandwhich, the ear was finally thrown away, and one of the better pranks in our department went down in infamy.

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Happiness

Happiness comes in many forms. Today it was:
200 rounds through this:

And 49 rounds through this:
And 3 seconds between shots rule at civilian ranges? WTF?

Still haven't decided what I'm getting when I get my concealed carry permit.... probably neither one of those. Leaning towards a SIG.

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

To ALS or BLS, that is the question

I loved Kelly's new writings on EMS1:
http://www.ems1.com/medical-clinical/articles/492833-Too-Much-of-a-Good-Thing

But I'm curious, if EMS is the spinal tap what is SAR? The bastard, kinda dumb, jockish guys? I think so...

But the question remains, is there a place for Advanced Life Support capabilities on a mountain search and rescue team? Many argue yes because of the long transports of critically injured patients.

However, I argue no for a few reasons:
  • Most patients, by the time we get to them are either dead or stable. I have to leave work, change clothes, get to my car, drive to the callout (without being able to go Code 3...), hike/fly/ride into the patient and then transport them out. We're talking hours here.
  • It is damn near impossible to get an IV to stay in and active while moving a patient through the terrain we deal with. (If anyone has any ideas let them rip). Cold skin just aggravates the problem.
  • ALS would mean more shit I'd have to carry in, and I already have a lot. Plus, meds would have to be kept controlled and current. That would be impossible in the back of a civilian car and hard in a non medical (Sheriff's) truck.
  • In my opinion, and this has always been my opinion with EMS, the fastest way to the hospital is the best way. Get in, get the patient, get them the fuck out....
Will I still go to paramedic school if the department pays for it? Hell yes I will.

Saturday, May 9, 2009

Guilty As Charged

I leave town for a week and miss TWO, TWO friggin rescues. Seriously, I'm thinking the worst thing for the welfare of mountain going folks in my county is for me to leave town (this has happened quite a few times).

I feel guilty. I should be there helping our relatively small rescue team out with these (especially when there's two in one day). Instead I'm sitting on my ass in my parents house, where I'll be for the next week. If there's more rescues I'm tempted to fly home NOW.

Should I feel guilty? We're a volunteer team- I don't get paid a dime to go on rescues that will occupy 500+ hours or so of my year. In fact, I buy most of my own gear for those rescues. So who cares that I'm home and enjoying time with my family? I do... I love going on call outs, I love the challenge, I love the rush, I love talking to the patients on the way home, I love it all and get pissed when I miss out- end of story.

I'm going to get so much shit at the next meeting....

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

My fake craigslist personals

What do I do in my spare time? Post shit like this to craigs list:

Geek seeks an MHC with the right antigen shape to bind to his Tcell. I keep trying to find the right one but they seem to be MHC-1 and I need an MHC-2. Can you be the second signal to my receptor site?

How do you know when you've been teaching too much?

11 lectures a week for three weeks....

According to my girlfriend, I've been lecturing in my sleep. As in reciting my power point slides, talking about shock, and walking through the primary and secondary assessments. This is nothing new. I've always been quite the sleep talker. Even going as far as too carry on conversations (that I have NO recollection of). I'm also known on our SAR team for being able to fall asleep when ever, where ever and be up and awake when I need to be just as fast.

The icing on the cake was when she woke up to me doing a full head to toe patient exam on her. An exam:
  • I don't remember one bit of
  • In which I was asking her the SAMPLE questions
  • I even kept my hands together when I palpated the sternum (so I didnt "cup" her... not that I haven't used that excuse on dates before...hehe)
Seriously, WTF?
Just say no folks:

Sunday, May 3, 2009

I want...

I want....
  • A teacher that won't mark a question wrong because I didn't regurgitate what he said in class word for word; but rather integrated my knowledge of outside sources and answers into a comprehensive answer that actually showed thought and/or knowledge of a subject that the professor is woefully behind in.
  • Grades to actually show how much I've learned, not the random shit I memorized before an exam
  • Classes that integrate with each other... or at least agree
  • It not to count against me if all of my classes but one have presented a fact in one way and hence I write down that fact when my current professor is stuck back 20 years ago.
  • It to count that I'm a better clinician than the medical school students I work with in the homeless clinic. They are, without a doubt, clueless and inept. Oh, sorry, they got an A in Ochem of course they'll be good doctors.
  • The fact that I know exactly what I'm getting myself into to help me, not hurt me. Just because I don't have the same starry eyed enthusiasm to save the world and work with the undeserved like all the other douche bag, clueless pre-med students doesn't mean I do not care. It just means I'm realistic. Sorry, I know medical schools love to beat that kinda thing out of their students.
  • To be a doctor, because right now I'm watching patients die because I can't do anything to save them, because I don't have the training, or the knowledge, or the experience.
I know I'll be a good physician... someone just has to give me a chance.

Another Short Haul Picture


Why can't I make a living doing this again?