Last week we posted an article titled “Call An Ambulance….” (HERE) about a hospital in Oregon that called an emergency ambulance to transfer one of their patients from the urgent care clinic to the ER which is located in the same building.  Over the next few hours there were some Comments posted under it from readers who have seen the same nonsense going on in hospitals in their area.  If you haven’t already, click back and see what they have to say.

There aren’t words that can express my amazement at this silly practice.  I would even call it irresponsible.  If you were able to question the hospital administrators about it, I suspect you’d get this vague explanation about how their lawyers say that it has to be done that way because of liability and maintenance of care, etc.  And to that I say, “bull-hockey.”  First of all, lawyers will always go overboard in worrying about things like that.  It’s what they do.  Their first response to any question about legal liability is always going to be, “no, you can’t do that.”  So the hospital administrators and the chief medical officers automatically set up these wasteful and silly remedies to non-existent problems just to shed their own responsibility in the matter.

Which leads me to move this subject over to the “Job Opportunities” category.  It’s obvious that there are a lot of medical centers who are lacking administrative leadership that has both common sense and the ability to apply it effectively.  So if any of you paramedics are looking for an alternative career path in the medical profession, I’d recommend that you take some courses on hospital management.  There are more and more hospitals being opened every month and they sure are needing some good help.

*  *  *  *  *

Since we’re on Flashbacks this morning, I’m going to revisit Mr. Jetpack for a minute.  On Saturday we talked about the Colorado man who went to a race track in Scotland with his jetpack and set an independently-verified record of 68 mph air speed.  CLICK HERE to go back and review our video report on this.  At the end of the article I mentioned that he’d be back at the track the next day when it will be filled with spectators and perform again.

So I thought I should not leave it hanging, but instead let you know what happened.  (You really were wondering, weren’t you?)  During a pause in the day’s race card, Eric Scott, Mr. Jetpack, competed against a Ford Focus RS in a drag race.

I’ll go ahead and tell you now who won, because the camera position doesn’t show it very well.  The jetpack narrowly edged out the flying Ford Focus.  Now there’s a guy who would make a good hospital administrator.

Let’s watch the video, then we’d better get our own equipment checked out.  I’ll make sure that the coffee pot is full.

When it comes to paid/career firefighters, my department is relatively new.  While some of the volunteer fire departments that were organized over time date back to the beginning of the 20th century, it wasn’t until 1949 and 1950 that the first paid-men, as they were called, were hired.  Of the 14 then-existing VFD’s, thirteen of them now had a government employee working in the station answering calls and maintaining the equipment and facility.

But since the county didn’t have an authorized job description for “fireman,” these new-hires were classified as “custodians” using the job description from the school board.  The same for the uniforms, gray work clothes from the schools.  They were the true pathfinders for a department that now has an authorized strength of about 1,300 uniformed and 200 civilians.  And how things have changed in that time!

What brought all this to mind today was the announcement yesterday that one of these “original 13″ members passed away.  Bob Hunter was badge #2 and he came to work at a young enough age to be able to complete a long career, retiring in 1981 as a battalion chief.  When I came to work (badge #237) most of the originals were still on the job and I had the pleasure to know them and observe their individual quirks and their common traits.  One thing they all had in common was a dedication to the well-being of the department and the ability to make anything work.

It’s notable that about four or five of them are still alive today.  But as I keep traveling along life’s trail myself, I can’t help but notice that my shopping habits are changing along with everything else.  When I go to the Hallmark store, instead of buying a condolence card once or twice a year I pick them up in batches of four now.

But we still have to make the most of every day that we can, so let’s get started on today by getting this equipment checked out.  I really need to get some coffee going.

Now that we’re getting some consistently-good Spring weather, I’m being faced with an obligation that I can’t put off much longer.  It’s called “interior decorating,” or in other words: painting.  It should have been done long before this, but I am never anxious to spend hours at a time with all that crap.  Especially the part where I have to clean the rollers.

What makes this one particularly avoidable is that this time the ceilings have to be done, too.  And I detest painting ceilings.  I would rather eat rutabaga’s than paint ceilings.  And all those drop-cloths and stuff.  Yakkk!!!

I’m safe for the rest of this week, though.  I haven’t even picked out the colors yet, let alone buying the paint.

*  *  *  *  *

A couple of new fire/rescue-related websites have come to our attention that some of you might find interesting.  One of them is a new blog that has just started up.  Pat Coughlin works for the International Code Council and wants to open a dialogue on innovative ways to address staffing issues and he starts off with suggestions on how Public Service programs can be effectively utilized.  Check out The Squad Room HERE and see what you think.

The other new site is an online market for “Defibrillating Blends of Beans,” a choice of powerful coffee blends being offered by Mike Adams, a flight paramedic who recognizes that coffee is the heartbeat of first-responders everywhere.  He wants to improve the “coffee experience” in ER’s and firestations everywhere.  So check out the offerings at Java Medic.

*  *  *  *  *

Dumb and Dumber.  And somehow they end up going to college.  For a while, anyway.  First thing in the morning I always check STATter911′s overnight news and today there seems to be a new theme starting.  It has to do with college students neglecting their studies in favor of committing fire pranks.  When you refill the cup and feel you’re ready for a head-shaker, read the stories HERE and HERE.

First, let’s get this equipment checked out.  I see that we need more coffee, so I’ll start a fresh pot.