- Tweetstipated again. Anybody got any Dulcotweet? #
- Firefighters Could Gain New Role Under Proposed Bill: Julette Saussy, medical director for New Orleans Health Depa… http://bit.ly/98mjPg #
- What Goes On At The Conference…: … stays at the conference.
Unless, of course, it’s too funny not to share.
Just g… http://bit.ly/cqwgPa # - They Laughed, They Cried, They Threw Their Panties On The Stage…: … they even held their lighters aloft and swayed… http://bit.ly/cqwj5t #
- Listening to Steve Murphy speak at the NE Instructor Conf. If you ever get the chance, WATCH THIS GUY. #
- Just finished EMSEduCast with @gfriese. If you're an aspiring EMS conference speaker, lots of good advice on tonight's episode. #
- Because compared to Podunk, LA, this is Times Square, baby! Plus, I'm gettin' paid! #
- Finally settled in at the hotel, fine tuning a few lectures, and waiting to go on EMS EduCast with @gfriese. #
- Guy my size sprinting through the airport like OJ Simpson = not pretty. Made my connection, but I think I pulled a hammy. #
- Leavin’ On A Jet Plane…: … bound for lovely Columbus, Nebraska to speak at their spring EMS conference.
The TSA se… http://bit.ly/9Av6jc # - Don’t Mind Her, She’s From Alsaka: I’ve had a friend visiting from out-of-town for the past few days, down here re… http://bit.ly/9P1Bah #
- Ambulance Driver’s Aimless Tweets: Range Report: Taurus 709B: I had been looking for a compact carry gun for some … http://bit.ly/dbtR14 #
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Julette Saussy, medical director for New Orleans Health Department EMS, the primary 911 EMS provider for Orleans Parish, is voicing her opposition to a bill before the Louisiana Legislature:
Oh, HELL no.
I’m having a hard time figuring out how to say “bad idea” forcefully enough without resorting to profanity, but it’s hard when I read stuff like this.
Let me put this as succinctly as I can:
When you’re a firefighter/medic, working in a dual role agency, your primary job is providing medical care, Sparky. You’re an EMT 80% of the time, and a firefighter only 20% of the time, despite how much you wish it were otherwise. And even if you don’t want to act like providing emercency medical care is your primary responsibility, that doesn’t change the fact that when you’re on a scene, you’re an EMT just like those boys in Acadian green, or the navy blue of NOHD and East Baton Rouge EMS.
That means you’re subject to the same regulations, disciplinary processes, and medical oversight just like any other EMT who didn’t happen to roll up the scene in a vehicle with as many lug nuts as yours – and that includes your fellow lug nuts wearing turnout gear.
You’re no better than any other EMT, and in quite a few instances, you’re a lot worse. Grow up and learn to play by the rules like everyone else.
Or drop your EMT certs and go back to dragging hose, and leave the emergency medical care to the professionals.
If you live in Louisiana, please call your Congressman and voice your opposition to this bill, and that goes double if you’re an EMT.
If you happen to be a Louisiana firefighter/medic who thinks this bill is a good idea, carefully reconsider your position. Do you really think that firefighter EMTs should be held to a lesser standard than those who don’t fight fires?
… stays at the conference.
Unless, of course, it’s too funny not to share.
Just got back from a local steakhouse with a few members of the conference committee and Steve Murphy. Swapped a few war stories, drank a few good beers and had a really good bison steak.
When we got back to the hotel, the conference chairperson buttonholed us in the exhibit hall to remind us of this evening’s planned entertainment, a Texas Hold ‘Em tournament and a Wii bowling tournament.
Chairperson: “Oooh, you guys are back! Did you enjoy dinner?”
Murph and AD: “It was great, thanks.”
Chairperson: “Now don’t forget, we still have activities going on tonight, so make sure you go Poker ‘n the Wii!”
AD: “Uummmm, sure. Can we both get in on that, or do we have to take turns?”
Chairperson (turning beet red): OhmyGod, I did not mean that the way it sounded!”
AD: “Too late, sister. Consider that one blogged.”
… they even held their lighters aloft and swayed rhythmically.
Or at least, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
Seriously though, really nice reception to my talks from the Nebraska Instructor Society. Tomorrow is the Nebraska EMS Association spring conference, where I’ll be talking out of my ass lecturing for three more days.
Wonderful people up here in flyover country, even if they do talk kinda funny.
… bound for lovely Columbus, Nebraska to speak at their spring EMS conference.
The TSA security theatre was entertaining as usual, and this time, they used lubricant with the body cavity search!
Regular blogging to resume shortly from Cornhusker country…
I’ve had a friend visiting from out-of-town for the past few days, down here researching the possibility of life as a snowbird. Considering that temperatures at home this time of year routinely hover near zero, I can’t say that I blame her.
I took her to the range the other day, and she tried out KatyBeth’s Smith&Wesson M&P15 .22.
Valerie DeFrance shoots an evil black rifle!
KatyBeth and I took her to Sunrise Catfish Farm, an entirely new experience for her. Apparently, back in Alaska, she just wades out into the crick behind her house and scoops 40 lb salmon up onto the bank with her bare hands. This whole “rod and reel” thing was a bit foreign to her.
Out of respect for the nice Mennonite family that runs the catfish farm, we didn’t use my preferred fishing technique, ala Hub and Garth McCann. We did catch a fairly nice stringer of catfish, though.
But the signature moment of the weekend came on Friday, when I went to the DMV to turn in the tags for the now-deceased Frankenhoopty. Valerie opted to wait outside while I went in, took a number, and settled in a chair to wait my turn.
I’d been waiting perhaps fifteen minutes when a concerned patron walked in and said, “There’s a woman out there just lying spread-eagled in the grass!”
Now normally, this would be my call to action, but something about the warm spring day told me to hold off. “What did she look like?” I asked. “Long brown hair in a ponytail, pink shirt, green cargo pants?”
“Yeah, that’s her,” the concerned motorist nodded. “Maybe somebody should go check on her!”
“‘Y’all don’t mind her,” I chuckled, “she’s from Alaska. She’s just not used to decent weather, that’s all.”
- Range Report: Taurus 709B: I had been looking for a compact carry gun for some time, and at Blogorado had pretty m… http://bit.ly/c0sRxJ #
- Why Do We Do This Job?: For that one call, that’s why.
That one call that makes it worth being paid chump change, … http://bit.ly/9MXRTk # - Gigglesnort!: Go, read.
Beverage alert is in effect. http://bit.ly/alJpeA # - The better I do my job, the less dramatic it is. Ergo, NBC's "Trauma" is a series about a bunch of really pathetic paramedics. #
- For You EMS Types…: … there’s a new column on Chronicles of EMS and EMS 2.0 on EMS1.
Enjoy. http://bit.ly/aOPs9u # - EMS Comedy: Don’t Quit Your Day Job: Oops, he already got fired from his day job.
By now, most of you EMS types h… http://bit.ly/cioBn6 # - Product Showcase: OxyMask: Riddle me this, Batman: If you could replace every oxygen delivery device on your amma… http://bit.ly/aFAgmd #
- Finish the war story: "So there I was, wrecked bus full of hemophiliac nuns, and me with only with a tube of Neosporin and a box of 4×4s…" #
- You Know He’s a Frequent Flier* When:: Of course, The Borg frowns on us referring to such people as "frequent flie… http://bit.ly/d1ZcUy #
- What's worse, ignorance or apathy? I don't know, and I don't care. #
- Scott Fujita, Class Act: I know professional football is a business, and for that reason even a favorite player ma… http://bit.ly/coI6QB #
- Four White Cops, One Angry Black Man…: And when the angry black man thanked one of the white cops for treating him… http://bit.ly/cjeheq #
- Found on the back of the toilet: one pair of Magill forceps. I'm not even gonna contemplate why they were there… #
- Law of Educational Staleness: By the time any new treatment or technology appears in an EMS rag or conference, it's already old news. #
- Note to self: before agreeing to an extra shift, make sure you aren't paired with a booger-eating dullard incapable of independent thought. #
- Ambulance Driver’s Aimless Tweets: Northeast Bloggershoot AAR, With Pics!: Now that I’m home and the whirlwind of … http://bit.ly/c7YCnG #
I had been looking for a compact carry gun for some time, and at Blogorado had pretty much fallen in love with FarmDad’s Kahr P9. But, after one 300 pound buck and the resultant repairs to Frankenhoopty, the Kahr became a bit too rich for my blood.
Flash forward a month, and the receipt of an Academy gift card from a collection of people who never know what to get me for Christmas, and I brought home a new Taurus 709, otherwise known as the Taurus SLIM.
And a slim little pistol it is, too, barely an inch thick, with streamlined and contoured edges. I carry it in a Don Hume model 715M size 30C IWB holster designed for the Sig P239, and the rig practically disappears under a shirt.
Specs for the Slim:
Model: 709B
Caliber: 9mm
Capacity: 7+1 (with a promised 9 round magazine supposedly on the way)
Construction: Polymer frame, checkered polymer grips
Finish: Blued
Front sight: Fixed
Rear sight: Fully adjustable for elevation and windage.
Weight: 19 oz
Length: 6″
Barrel length: 3″
Action: SA/DA
MSRP: $459
As usual, you can find them new for significantly less than MSRP. I picked mine up at Academy for $359.
It’s a well-balanced gun, and points well. I have fairly large hands, and one of my issues with compact semiautos is that I am forced to adopt a grip that is somewhat awkward for me. The Taurus 709 is no exception, but despite having no place to put my pinkie finger, I had no problems shooting the 709 accurately. Hopefully, a 9-round magazine with grip extension will make for a more comfortable grip without sacrificing a great deal of concealability.
Sights are of the 3-dot configuration, and unfortunately, made of plastic. In their favor, they are well contoured, with no sharp edges, and are fully adjustable for windage and elevation.
That’s a good thing, because the Slim shot low and left out of the box. Normally, I’d blame such a grouping on the loose nut behind the trigger, but it seemed that everyone who shot the Slim had the same general grouping, while I had no problems shooting my other pistols accurately.
On an amusing side note, while my guest and I were shooting the Slim, one guy at the range buttonholed us and offered his entirely unsolicited opinion that the Taurus Millenium Pro 9mm he had bought for his wife was an unmitigated piece of shit because it shot waaaay left.
I replied that I’d had no such issues with my Millenium PT140, and then proceeded to chew out the bullseye at 10 yards with both his new pistol and my slightly older PT140.
It’s a poor craftsman that blames his tools, folks.
The Taurus trigger does take some getting used to, however. The trigger on the Slim appears to be a hybrid of the Glock safe action trigger, working the Taurus SA/DA action. I wouldn’t call the SA trigger pull crisp, but neither does it approach the suckitude of a Glock trigger, and that particular piece of engineering hasn’t appreciably harmed my accuracy. With the Taurus SA/DA action, the first pull of the trigger is single action, albeit with a takeup most appropriately measured in furlongs, but if for some reason the weapon fails to fire, the trigger resets to DA mode.
Not sure of the utility of that feature, though. If the gun doesn’t consistently go “BANG!” when I pull the trigger, I’m not thinking, “Gee, what a relief that I can pull the trigger again before I go through my failure drill!”
More likely, after making sure it isn’t the ammo, I’m thinking, “Ditch this unreliable piece of shit before it gets me killed.”
Recoil is easily manageable, and accuracy is as good as you could hope for in a compact carry pistol with a 3 inch barrel:
As you can see, I’m still a little left, and I threw one flier in there. Still, it’s a very shootable pistol, easily concealed and well worth the price. Round count is currently around 500, and thus far it has run without a hitch.
For a $359 concealed carry piece, the Taurus Slim is hard to beat.
For that one call, that’s why.
That one call that makes it worth being paid chump change, makes it worth being disrespected by other medical professionals.
That one call that makes wading through the piss and shit and vomit seem like a fair bargain, even if the person whose hurts you mended will never know your name.
And sometimes, you don’t even know it was that one call at the time you ran it.
Beverage alert is in effect.
Oops, he already got fired from his day job.
By now, most of you EMS types have read about the South Carolina firefighter-paramedic who got fired over an Xtranormal text-to-movie video he posted on his Facebook page.
Opinions on the incident range from “Whatever happened to free speech?” to “Serves the idiot right.”
Without question, the video was in poor taste. It was profane, scatological, reflected poorly on EMS and the fire service, and played into every tired stereotype of paramedics and nursing home nurses. But hey, if poor taste and potty humor were a crime, I wouldn’t even have a blog.
In my opinion, Colleton County Fire Rescue’s administrators bungled the handling of the incident, and overreacted by firing the medic in question. My guess is that they had no formal policy on social media, but you can bet they, and others, will develop one after this brouhaha. Let’s hope the policies developed are more even-handed and well thought out than their handling of this incident.
Here at The Borg, we were reminded of our social media policy after this story hit the news. I can sum it up for you in one sentence: “Don’t act an ass in public while representing yourself as an agent of this organization.”
That’s pretty broad, and open to much interpretation, but that’s all that really needs to be said. When you post, respect patient confidentiality, don’t air your agency’s dirty laundry in public, and don’t make any statements you’d be ashamed to own, because there is no such thing as anonymity on the internet.
Above all, I think this guy’s biggest sin in posting this video is that it just wasn’t funny. Just another tired anti-nursing home rant, really, one of a gazillion such war stories told by paramedics every day.
I’ve seen a number of these videos across the blogosphere, and none of them are particularly funny. I’ve thought about making one myself, but they don’t have any pure EMT characters, only cops and firefighters, and I reject that on general principles.
Then again, the original was a pretty hard act to follow:
So this guy is lying in a hospital bed being treated for his pneumonia, and he’s got a non-rebreather mask strapped to his face.
A nurse’s aide comes in the room, and the guy asks, “Are my testicles black?”
The aide, long since used to dirty old men, ignores him, checks his vital signs, refills his water pitcher and leaves.
Later, the respiratory therapist comes in the room to administer an albuterol nebulizer, and the guy asks again, “Are my testicles black?”
Pointedly, the respiratory therapist replies, “That’s not my area, Sir. You’ll have to ask your nurse.”
After lunch, the nurse is hanging the guy’s IV piggyback of antibiotics, and he asks, “Are my testicles black?”
The nurse leaves the room in an indignant huff, and tells the doctor that something must be done with the patient in 403.
Wearily, the doctor trudges down to the room to have a word with his patient. When the patient sees him, a look of profound relief flashes across his face, and he says, “Thank God, it’s my doctor! Tell me, are my testicles black?”
The doctor flips back the sheet, gives the man’s genitals a cursory examination, and says, “Mr. Jones, there appears to be nothing wrong with your testicles.”
The patient heaves a mighty sigh, pulls the non-rebreather mask away from his face and says, very distinctly, “Are. My. Test. Results. Back?”
**********
Riddle me this, Batman: If you could replace every oxygen delivery device on your ammalance – every venturi mask, simple face mask, partial rebreather, nasal cannula and non-rebreather - and replace it with a device that does the work of all those things, is less claustrophobic for the patient, and prevents you from mistakenly checking your patient’s testicles, would you do it?
Yeah, I thought so.
The OxyMask is a nifty little doohickey I’ve seen at the past few trade shows I’ve attended, and the device intrigues me somewhat.
Pictured: pediatric, adult, and multi-OxyMask, suitable for aerosolized medications.
Basically, it’s a skeletonized oxygen mask, fitted with a proprietary venturi system that allows delivery of oxygen concentrations ranging from 24%-90%, depending upon flow rate. That encompasses the practical oxygen delivery concentrations of everything from nasal cannulas to non-rebreathers, folks. Plus, you can suction through ‘em!
Using a separate adaptor, they’ll allow end-tidal waveform capnography with any monitor that uses Oridion’s CO2 monitoring technology. Sadly, no such adaptor exists for you folks using Zoll monitors.
Here at The Borg, we stock our rig shelves with at least 6 nasal cannulas, 6 non-rebreather masks, and 6 hand-held nebulizers, and if we need a nebulizer/mask combo, we have to cannibalize a non-rebreather to do it.
We could do the same thing with a half dozen each of the pediatric and adult OxyMulti Masks, and take at least 24 otherwise superfluous hunks of plastic off our rigs.
The company even has a variant that looks just like a telephone operator’s headset, for the occasional patient with facial burns or trauma.
For an oxygen delivery geek like me, this thing just looks neater than kitten toes. I think I’m gonna have to plant a bug in the ear of The Borg’s product review committee, and see if we can’t get a few of these things to play with.
Any of you EMTs out there use ‘em in your system? What are your thoughts?
You arrive on the scene for the unconscious male lying in the roadway, cruise slowly past the police cars blocking traffic, and without even getting out of your ambulance, you roll down the window and bark, “Leon! Get your ignorant ass outta the road! Someone runs over you, you might damage a perfectly good car!”
And not only does Leon obediently cease being an impediment to traffic flow, he also hobbles meekly to your ambulance and climbs aboard. You should have seen the face of the cops who called us.
Yes, Leon is a patient we transport all the time, and yes, that’s exactly how the call went down.
And no, there is absolutely nothing wrong with him that about 220 grains of Trepanazine wouldn’t fix.
*Of course, The Borg frowns on us referring to such people as frequent fliers. Rather, they’re valued repeat customers, which everyone knows are the foundation to a successful business.
I know professional football is a business, and for that reason even a favorite player may not remain with a team for their entire career.
Joe Horn went to the Falcons.
Rickey Jackson had to go to the 49ers to win his Super Bowl.
Even Archie Manning didn’t end his career with the Saints.
Still, I think in this situation, New Orleans’ loss is Cleveland’s gain.
After last Tuesday’s round of recoil therapy and ballistic mood enhancers, TOTWTYTR and I ventured south Wednesday morning to Baltimore, site of EMS Last Week Today.
[Editor's nip at the hand that feeds me: JEMS, you do a great job at this conference. The exhibit hall is great, the show is well-organized, with nationally known speakers presenting interesting topics, and for the attendee who gets to attend but one show every few years, it has excellent educational value...
... but, for the attendee who comes to EMS Today every year, or the ones who attend multiple EMS conferences per year, it's getting a little, well, stale. For the past several years, I've perused the list of speakers and topics, and with the exception of a small handful of slots, my overwhelming reaction has been, "Meh. Seen that speaker/topic/presentation before. Even the slides look recycled."
It's not the speakers that are the problem, either, although you do need some new blood. I've seen most of them speak multiple times, and they're all good. But they've got better stuff than the topics you're choosing. I've seen their good stuff before, just rarely at EMS Today.
My suggestion: court a little controversy. Book some speakers nobody has ever heard of. Choose some topics that haven't been discussed and debated ad infinitum in various other forums already. Sure, you risk offending some of your attendees, but trying to concoct a dish that pleases everyone's palate ultimately only makes for a dish that is so bland that it pleases no one. It's the EMS educational equivalent of hospital food.]
Aside from my (admittedly) jaded view of the educational content, I was really looking forward to taking advantage of the real value of EMS Today: meeting people and networking. On that score I was not disappointed.
Once again, TOTWTYTR and I enjoyed the hospitality of a genuine EMS legend, Lou Jordan. Lou’s a lovable old coot with an abiding hatred of skateboarders (he blows the Claymores at the first sight of baggy pants and backwards-facing ball caps), but walking the exhibit hall with him takes hours:
[Walk ten feet]
Lou: “Hey guys, let me introduce you to So-And-So! He was the lead instructor in Jesus’ First Responder class! Taught it from the original Nancy Caroline text, written on papyrus leaves!”
So-And-So (modestly): “I just issued his patch. Jesus had the whole healing thing down pat before he even got to class.”
[Thirty minutes later, walk ten more feet]
Lou: “Hey look, it’s Sumguy, the fella that thought up rotating tourniquets!”
Sumguy (modestly): Well, I owe a lot of that to you, Lou. You’re the one that convinced me leeches were so 19th century…”
Lou’s a walking, talking EMS history lesson, no doubt, and there’s nothing better than drinking beer and listening to Lou and guys like Rick Kendrick swap stories (for you EMS whippersnappers who don’t know who Rick Kendrick is, I’m pretty sure you’ve used a device he invented).
However, I was looking forward to meeting a few EMTs from a more recent generation. Despite being the owner of arguably the biggest online EMS bookstore on the web, Lou is a bit of a Luddite. He still does his personal computing on an abacus, fer Chrissakes, and he’s never quite grasped this whole “blogging thing,” as he calls it.
So we ventured forth onto the exhibit hall floor in search of a couple of guys who, in recent weeks, have demonstrated the power and potential of social media in EMS. Way over by the Zoll booth, tucked into a little cubbyhole were Justin Schorr and Mark Glencorse, the two stars of the Chronicles of EMS.
I was disappointed, frankly. If Patrick Swayze weren’t dead, he’d definitely tell the folks at Zoll that nobody puts Baby Justin and Mark in a corner. But the young lady from Zoll was much cuter than Jerry Orbach, so I let it pass.
This time.
They didn’t seem to mind, though. Justin was busy autographing the boobs of some groupie, and Mark was fielding a call from A.J. Heightman, but eventually I was able to tear Justin’s attention from the boobage, and Mark told A.J.’s people to call his people and perhaps they’d do lunch, and I introduced myself and TOTWTYTR to the Johnny and Roy of the Twitter generation. Justin introduced me to Ted Setla, the man behind the filming of Chronicles of EMS.
Hands were shaken, manly hugs ensued, and much unseemly fawning was done. Sure, Mark Glencorse is an uncommonly charming and ruggedly handsome bloke, but from my buddy’s reaction, you’d have thought Glencorse was the fifth Beatle and TOTWTYTR was a pre-pubescent girl.
Honestly, I had to pry him away before he vapor locked on me, and thus I was unable to let Justin finish signing my boobs.
Disappointing, that.
As we talked, I was struck by how much shorter Justin seemed to be in person, but eventually I realized that was only because I was standing on a small, hobbit-like creature that turned out to be Chris Montera. He brushed off my apology, said something about some podcast thing or another he was doing, and scurried away.
Nice guy, that Chris Montera, even if he hasn’t invited me to be on his show (hint, hint).
While we were moseying about the exhibit hall, we met a few other luminaries of the JEMS EMS/Fire blog network, like John Mitchell and Rhett Fleitz, co-hosts of the Firefighter Netcast. And yes, they do remind one of Chris Farley and David Spade. And they dig at each other like an old married couple, too.
Got to reunite with Mike Ward the Fossil Medic, the man I suspect is largely responsible for the wonderful reception paid us bloggers by JEMS and George Washington University, and met Jamie “Podmedic” Davis from MedicCast. Jamie and Chris did a podcast live from the exhibit hall floor, and Dave Konig was a guest.
Got to hug a tall, smokin’ hawt redhead, namely Epi Junky from Pink, Warm and Dry, and chat with Chris Kaiser from Life Under The Lights, who is neither as tall nor nearly as hawt as Epi Junky, but still a redhead. Friday night at the big blogger meetup, I introduced Chris to Rick Kendrick, and watched him go all fanboi for a few minutes.
Which wasn’t as embarassing as watching TOTWTYTR throw his panties at Dave Statter, but close. In what may be the first such instance in recorded history, someone else scooped Dave Statter on an EMS or fire story. A couple of bloggers managed to get up their posts about the blogger meetup before Dave did.
Enjoy the feeling, guys. It won’t happen often.
Got to meet and talk for quite some time with a guy I’ve been a fan of for years, the EKG Yoda himself, Tom Bouthillet of Prehospital 12-Lead EKG. Chatted at length with Rogue Medic, the Don Quixote of the EMS blogosphere. Shared a great meal with shooter, raconteur and one of the truly good guys of the blogosphere, Old NFO.
Reconnected with a number of friends and met some new ones, among them Bryan Bledsoe, reader Stephanie Goddard, James Laidlaw, EMS1 editor Kris Kaull, Ronnie Grubb of First Due Medic and his lovely wife, NJDivemedic, reader Jared, Nate the EMT-B, and probably a couple dozen others I’m forgetting.
Since I had to fly home Saturday morning, TOTWTYTR and I decided to forego the post-blogger meetup pub crawl, but I’m told it was epic. No one got their Edgar Allan Poe on, and a good time was had by all.
In all, it was a great time, and I thoroughly enjoyed meeting in person some of the people whose blogs I read on a daily basis. Hopefully, we’ll do it all again at EMS Expo in October!
… and the angry black man was high on drugs and emotionally despondent over the inability to kick his addiction.
And the incident ended not with gunfire, or with the black man writhing on the ground at the end of a Taser, but with the angry black man walking to the ambulance and climbing aboard, of his own free will. The EMTs bandaged the man’s lacerated wrists as he sobbed brokenly, and the cops quietly assured him that they were there to help, not arrest, and that they’d do whatever it took to get the angry black man the help he needed.
And when the angry black man thanked one of the white cops for treating him like a man and a fellow human being, and begged him to accompany him to the hospital, the white cop promised that he’d follow right behind the ambulance, and he’d be there with him in the ER as he went through what was undoubtedly a very frightening time for the angry black man.
He delivered on his promise, too.
That’s how the majority of these encounters go, you know. Doesn’t matter if the cops are white and the angry man is black, or vice versa. With a little compassion and a lot of communication, the vast majority of such incidents end without harm or bloodshed. I see them play out this way every day.
I tell you this story not because it is unusual, but because it isn’t.
You know, just in case you got the opposite impression from what you always see in the news.
- Northeast Bloggershoot AAR, With Pics!: Now that I’m home and the whirlwind of activity is over, I have time to po… http://bit.ly/cqwQoU #
- And The Winner Is…: … the Silver Bullet.
Rather than put up a poll, I let KatyBeth read the suggestions, and she e… http://bit.ly/d317HA # - Heading home after EMS Today. Check the blog for the after action report later today! #
- Tired.: No blog for you tonight. You come back inna morning, maybe we have blog for you then.
Like when I’m not ex… http://bit.ly/ayNytv # - Came all the way to Baltimore craving crab cakes, only to discover they're getting their crabs less than an hour from my house. #
- Just met @Happymedic and @999medic at EMS Today. Rakishly handsome and charming men, both of 'em. I swooned.
# - A Picture Worth A Thousand Words: The FEMA booth at EMS Today:
In fairness to FEMA, I’m sure that wall isn’t gonn… http://bit.ly/aEnaF6 #
- Signing a few copies of my original book at booth 1606 at EMS Today. Stop by! #
- Beer and cigars with TOTWTYTR tonight, and both of us at EMS Today tomorrow. See y'all there! #
- On The Road Again…: … headed to EMS Today with TOTWTYTR, following a great day of recoil therapy courtesy of Jay G… http://bit.ly/9hNlRv #
- On my way to EMS Today with TOTWTYTR, after some much needed recoil therapy yesterday! #
- Oooooh, BURN!: Overheard at the Northeast Bloggershoot.
Jay G: “Seriously, there’s a warning label you’re suppose… http://bit.ly/awuq8D # - A Bleg For a Good Cause…: … and no, it’s not for me. You guys have helped me out quite enough already.
Fellow blog… http://bit.ly/covJOV # - To the fat, sweaty TSA screener at Lafayette airport: no one does a body cavity search like you, Hilda. Thanks for being gentle. #
- Observations From The Bolance: Discovered tonight on a seizure call:
The map tracking on our computer system does… http://bit.ly/deXUPZ #
- Ambulance Driver’s Aimless Tweets: There's a personal injury lawyer here that bills himself as the "tough, smart l… http://bit.ly/anNa15 #
Now that I’m home and the whirlwind of activity is over, I have time to post on the past week’s activity.
Monday, I had The Ex drive me to the airport, whereupon I left The Silver Bullet in her care for the next week, since the tranny on her Family Truckster shit the bed. Once at the airport, I submitted to the usual tender ministrations of the Too Stupid for Arby’s Transportation Security Administration drones, and aside from the body cavity search by a very large and sweaty woman with a moustache and a lazy eye, made it to Boston relatively painlessly.
That evening, we had dinner at Jake’s Dixie Roadhouse. Jay G, Weer’d Beard, Borepatch, TOTWTYTR, Aaron the rocket scientist, Libertyman, Zeeke42 and Medic Matthew were in attendance. Much tasty barbecue and alcohol was consumed (but not too much), conversation was lively, and various gunny and political topics were debated.
And with apologies to Jay’s AAR, the real Quote of the Night was this one from Weer’d Beard:
“Actually, if you’ve ever watched Home Improvement, it’s pretty obvious that Wilson swung both ways.”
Gotta keep on your toes at these things, folks. You never know where the conversation is gonna go.
**********
Tuesday morning dawned bright and fair, and TOTWTYTR and I drove to Harvard Sportsmen’s Club to meet the others for a day of recoil therapy. Unlike the name implies, we saw no one at the club wearing polo attire, and there wasn’t a croquet mallet to be found anywhere.
There were, however, enough firearms and gun nuts in attendance to take over a small third-world country.
Or Boston, whichever.
A few of the pistols brought by our host, Ross.
And just a few of the rifles...
Don't know who brought 'em, but we all shot 'em.
Borepatch airing out TOTWTYTR's sweeeet Enfield.
Comrade G. getting his Vasily Zeitsev on.
That's a fair amount of money converted into smoke and noise!
One thing our hosts pointed out illustrated the idiocy of gun laws in Massachusetts, and made me thankful, once again, that I live in a free state. The following pic violates the law in Massachusetts that states that only licensed gun owners may transport ammunition, or any components thereof:
How'd you like to have your gun rights denied because you got some brass stuck in your boot?
That’s a felony in Massachusetts.
Kinda makes you question the law that denies convicted felons the right to own a firearm, doesn’t it, when committing a felony can be so absurdly easy?
At one point, our range host wandered down the firing line to the steel popper plates and politely, but firmly, reminded Jay that full-auto weapons were not allowed at this section of the range. Imagine his surprise to discover that Jay’s bullet hose was nothing more than his Remington Nylon 66.
One of our cohorts remarked that if Sarah Brady knew a Nylon 66 could be fired that fast (although not accurately – This is Jay G. we’re talking about, after all), she’d immediately push to outlaw it. Naturally, this led to a video opportunity to metaphorically massacre a whole litter of Sarah Brady’s kittens:
And of course, no Northeast Bloggershoot would be complete without a Jay G. bayonet charge. This time, he’s skewering a Barney target with a 12 gauge Mossbery shotty. Forgive the vertigo-inducing sideways video, but for the life of me, I can’t figure out how to rotate it:
In all, it was a wonderful time with some great guys, and a much needed respite from work and deadlines. Thanks again to Jay and Ross for putting on this shindig, and to my borther from another mother TOTWTYTR for putting me up for a couple of days.
Coming soon, the EMS Today AAR. Stay tuned!
Rather than put up a poll, I let KatyBeth read the suggestions, and she emphatically chose Shortcircuit’s entry over all others. Since this is probably the truck I’ll drive for the next ten years or so, there’s a good chance it will be her first vehicle as well, so I figured she ought to have a say in naming it.
Shortcircuit, drop me a line with your addy, and I’ll sign and ship the book out to you soon.
No blog for you tonight. You come back inna morning, maybe we have blog for you then.
Like when I’m not exhausted and half-drunk.
The FEMA booth at EMS Today:
In fairness to FEMA, I’m sure that wall isn’t gonna stay blank forever. Undoubtedly, they’ll post some of the lessons learned…
… the day after the conference ends.
… headed to EMS Today with TOTWTYTR, following a great day of recoil therapy courtesy of Jay G. and fellow members of the Northeast Shooters.
Batteries recharged, creative juices flowing, and stories to write, so look for gun porn and range reports later tonight, and a few EMS tales to follow soon thereafter!
If you’re going to EMS Today, look for me there somewhere around the exhibit hall at the EMS1 booth, or at The Nest around 5:00 pm Friday, or at the JEMS EMS/Fire Blog meetup Friday night!
Overheard at the Northeast Bloggershoot.
Jay G: “Seriously, there’s a warning label you’re supposed to attach to the gun when you fit it with the Lasermax guide rod laser sight. Now, I ask you, the only way you’ll ever risk getting your eyes damaged with it is if I have my .45 aimed at your head. Laser damage to your eyes is the least of your health risks at that point!”
Ambulance Driver: “Not really. I’ve seen you shoot.”
It’s like clubbing baby seals, folks. I feel a little guilty when he sets himself up like that.
… and no, it’s not for me. You guys have helped me out quite enough already.
Fellow blogger Leslie, from Leslie’s Omnibus, has posted the story of a Chicago police officer paralyzed in the line of duty. When he awoke after the accident that robbed him of the ability to walk and care for himself, his fiance married him, right there in his hospital room.
Takes a pretty special bond to commit yourself to a person, I’m thinking, especially knowing that the future holds a lifetime of pain, hardship and expensive medical care.
Now, 9 months later, he’s strong enough to stand beside her in front of God, family and friends, and pledge his love to her in the formal wedding she always wanted.
Read the story, and decide for yourself if they aren’t worth a little help.
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