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You know the type, more lights on their car than a rock concert, more equipment than a ED.... Who do you guys know and what have they done?
Tell us about your Rescue Randy!
- Thread starter Big Papa
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I don't see what the big deal is. I have my little car decked out with wig-wags, turn signal strobes, backup light strobes, tail light/brake light flashers, 4 rear window LED's, 2 rear window strobes, 1 double LED dash light, 2 sideview mirror strobes, and a 200-watt Whelen to round out the package. It's sweet I tell ya!
I'm kidding of course!
I do know a resident who is a former paramedic. The guy has a strobe bar, wig-wags, dash lights, and rear window strobes in his SUV. Also has a siren. He's not even affiliated with a volunteer fire department or EMS agency anymore (to my knowledge at least). Cool guy, but he's definitely a Rescue Randy. I wish I snapped a photo of his SUV!
I'm kidding of course!
I do know a resident who is a former paramedic. The guy has a strobe bar, wig-wags, dash lights, and rear window strobes in his SUV. Also has a siren. He's not even affiliated with a volunteer fire department or EMS agency anymore (to my knowledge at least). Cool guy, but he's definitely a Rescue Randy. I wish I snapped a photo of his SUV!
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Big Papa said:
17 year old kid, not old enough to be an EMT (so he had advanced first aid), car was an old crappy Merc Cougar (with the covered lights, that would sort of open and close on their own as he drove around), rear deck red/blue lights (Bozo No-No in California), front grill take down lights, scanner and CB radio, running "code-3" in sort of uniforms (khaki shirt, green pants, some badge out of a box of cracker jax or something).
It actually took a month or two before the sheriffs shut him down. Then, his buddy (who's daddy just gave him a bunch of money) buys a 4x4 pickup, he proceeds to put ALL of Federal Lights and Sirens finest on it, gets a top-end motorola radio with all the appropriate freqs/tones, and they proceed to keep doing it.
Fortunately, they finally grew up.
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Most Sparkys are prretty harmless, but there are a few that can be a danger to themselves and others.
Harmless: Young yahoo driving a vehicle where the lights and equipment hanging off the car cost at least twice as much as the car. Decides to impress his girlfriend by demonstating his 'disco' car in the parking lot of a local donut shop. Now, who might be hanging out at a donut shop? A police officer of course! Busted!
Dangerous: Young female EMT jumps a call to first respond to a motorcycle vs car. One patient, ambulance with full crew and a couple of first responders already on scene, Lifestar helicopter 5 min out - we have enough resources for ONE patient. First, she almost runs over the police officer diverting traffic (literally she almost side-swiped him). She then runs into the scene and grabs the MAST trousers from me as I was placing them on the backboard (this was back when we would place then on all trauma patients, but rarely inflate them) and physically pushes me away. I have never chewed someone out after a call like I did to her. In 18 years she is the only person to ever assault me on an EMS call - including some pretty wild patients. She was disciplined by the ambulance corp.
Harmless: Young yahoo driving a vehicle where the lights and equipment hanging off the car cost at least twice as much as the car. Decides to impress his girlfriend by demonstating his 'disco' car in the parking lot of a local donut shop. Now, who might be hanging out at a donut shop? A police officer of course! Busted!
Dangerous: Young female EMT jumps a call to first respond to a motorcycle vs car. One patient, ambulance with full crew and a couple of first responders already on scene, Lifestar helicopter 5 min out - we have enough resources for ONE patient. First, she almost runs over the police officer diverting traffic (literally she almost side-swiped him). She then runs into the scene and grabs the MAST trousers from me as I was placing them on the backboard (this was back when we would place then on all trauma patients, but rarely inflate them) and physically pushes me away. I have never chewed someone out after a call like I did to her. In 18 years she is the only person to ever assault me on an EMS call - including some pretty wild patients. She was disciplined by the ambulance corp.
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oh thought you guys meant THIS Rescue Randy... http://www.simulaids.com/images/1335.jpg 
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Oh lets see where to start......there was one who was so gung ho that he stripped down to his skivvies and jumped in the lake to help save a drowning victim......oh did I mention that rescue and boats were already in the lake? And I will remind you that white is see through when wet
We had one who only referred to the medics and the emts by their call sign and not their names.
there is the guy that has all of the radio frequencies memorized to ALL of the area law enforcement and emergency agencies and knows the exact location of all the cell towers......
We had one who only referred to the medics and the emts by their call sign and not their names.
there is the guy that has all of the radio frequencies memorized to ALL of the area law enforcement and emergency agencies and knows the exact location of all the cell towers......
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The "radio nut" yahoos seem to have a distinctly different disorder than the call-jumping-hyper-Rescue Randys; however, some similiarities do exist. Radio junkies phenotypically exhibit a love to rewire ambulance and buy expensive communication equipment that no one else really understands. They find it necessary to be able to listen to all fire and EMS frequencies within a 600 mile radius and like to use words such as repeater, truncated and PL. Many of them are also afflicated with Lytsnsirenphilia and adorn their vehicles with giant light bars and wig-wag lights. There are the Sparkies whose neurosis focuses on accessories for their wardrobe (penlights, trauma shears, hemostats, halogen bar, etc.) or hoarding of EMS supplies in bags in the trunk of their car . All disorders seem to correlate to an increased use of duct tape by an individual.
Some individuals seem to posess several mutations and phenotypically exhibit characteristics of multiple disorders; however, pedigree analysis is difficult due to the fact these individuals find it hard to get a date let alone reproduce.
Some individuals seem to posess several mutations and phenotypically exhibit characteristics of multiple disorders; however, pedigree analysis is difficult due to the fact these individuals find it hard to get a date let alone reproduce.
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We had a EMT who had trouble getting a car or a driving license..So how can you be what we call a "wacker" without a truck loaded with lights??
Well simple! He took his BICYCLE and attached multiple lights and a siren to it =D
Well simple! He took his BICYCLE and attached multiple lights and a siren to it =D
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I know an ER doc that got a position on the local volunteer fire dept. and he decked out his Hummer into an echo unit, with lights, sirens, radio, wig-wags, everything an ER physician salary could buy.. I have to say, though, that Hummer was cool.
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The fire department in the county where I used to work had 3 Hummer rescues/mini-pumpers. Those things were sweeeet! Not much room in the cab though.
By rescue, I'm not talking about an ambulance. I'm talking about a mini-pumper. I know how some of you, especially the Floridians, hear rescue and the thoughts of an ambulance come to mind.
By rescue, I'm not talking about an ambulance. I'm talking about a mini-pumper. I know how some of you, especially the Floridians, hear rescue and the thoughts of an ambulance come to mind.
I am a senior resident in Emergency medicine, former paramedic, and I suppose still have a tiny bit of rescue ricky in my blood, but would only do it under extremely legitimate disguises such as if I were an EMS medical director, responding to an MCI, even then I would probably be to embarassed to roll lights and sirens. Anyway this is a hilarious link, and reminds me of many of my colleagues from my prehospital days, thanks for the laughs!!!!
Way back when as a BLS provider for a private company doing interfacility grunt transfers, I worked with a real yahoo who was also a volunteer FF for a tiny rural town adjacent to the county we worked in. One day his cheezy radio/pager went off (you know those ones that are toned out, activate, then give a voice dispatch) for a "structure fire." Well he immediately jumped into the ambulance, forced his partner to accompany him and rolled code 3 at 80 MPH (that's all the RPM governor allowed) for 30 minutes to arrive on scene about 20 minutes after the stove fire had been put out by placing a lid on the food. Sweaty and flushed from putting on his turnouts during the ride, he still insisted on proceeding into the house for a thorough investigation. Man he was the laughing stock of the place for years.
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SMW83 said:
They are not really used very much any more. they are inflatable pants. They used to be used in trauma to put pressure on the hips and lower extremities in order to push blood in to the upper body so that more blood reached vital organs. Research has found this to be fairly useless, and the standard now for trauma is 2 large bore IV lines wide open and rapid transport. Some ems systams still use the mast pants for stablilizing a hip Fx, however, in 6 years I have never even used them for that. Find an old school medic and they have probably used them.
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Hehe-- one of my the guys in my old squad was known for being really gung ho, and really enthusiastic, but really dumb. Bless his heart he tried hard, though. Anyways, he was attempting to attach the lightbar to the top of his truck himself, fell off the roof of his truck, and landed on his face thus breaking his nose. The best part is that he did all of this in the ambulance bay, while he was working.
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Being in rural Texas, we had LOTS of woo-woos: BIG dualie trucks loaded out with light bars. My crew used to joke with me because I drove an '87 Chevy Nova that pegged out at 85. They actually ENCOURAGED me to buy a light bar for it! Hysterical! Worst I ever did was buy an EMS bumper sticker.
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yeah...all i could manage to do was put the NC EMS and Rescue Assoc. sticker on the window of my civic.
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Military Anti-Shock Trousers (the T would be superfluous when you add trousers at the end) . . . also known by their civilian name PASG (Pneumatic Anti-Shock Garment). As discussed above recent EMS research has shown that they are not very effective and one study even showed that they led to a higher mortality rate. However, they are still often used for isolated pelvic fractures and bilateral femur fxs as a means of stabilization. Here in CO when we take our IV authorization class as EMT-B's we are also taught how to use it to maintain core body perfusion but I would never use it for that. Even if I thought it would be effective (which I doubt for any bleed above the pelvis because you would just be squeezing the remaining blood out through the hole), I would still not want to mess around on-scene long enough to put them on.
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Yeah I remember when MAST trousers first came on the scene. I also know about the Pepe study from Texas which was flawed since they didn't transport until they had two large bore IV's established. Anyway, saw those trouser work a bunch of times. I got people walking around my district today because of them. Ah well, you know the difference between empirical and anecdotal evidence? Anecdotal evidence is what Nurses, Paramedics and EMTs notice through the experience of their practice. Empirical evidence is what a MD notices.
Back to the Rescue Randy theme: Had a guy who belonged to the same fire company as I do. Now in Delaware vollies can't have blue lights so this enterprising young man would fly down the highway beeping his horn, flshing his headlights, and hold his membership card out the window screaming "Fireman, I'm a Fireman!' This came to a screeching halt when he nealry ran down a County cop directing traffic in an intersection. He no longer belongs to the Fire Company.
Another habitat to find your Rescue Randys are the State Fire Expo's. It never ceases to amaze me you find these guys/gals in the exhibit hall wearing their full dress uniforms, usually two pagers, cell phones, stethoscope around the neck, Bat utility belt with all sorts of glove pouches, scissor holsters etc and when you get close enough to read their shoulder patch their from some company three or four counties away. But their pager's are wide open so everyone can hear the calls. Never understood those folks. Course I'm talking about the same type of folks who would put a blue Federal Twinsonic lightbar on a 1980 Firebird Trans Am (back when they were new) You know the kind whose helmet cost more than their girlfriend's engagement ring. Ah but I digress.
Back to the Rescue Randy theme: Had a guy who belonged to the same fire company as I do. Now in Delaware vollies can't have blue lights so this enterprising young man would fly down the highway beeping his horn, flshing his headlights, and hold his membership card out the window screaming "Fireman, I'm a Fireman!' This came to a screeching halt when he nealry ran down a County cop directing traffic in an intersection. He no longer belongs to the Fire Company.
Another habitat to find your Rescue Randys are the State Fire Expo's. It never ceases to amaze me you find these guys/gals in the exhibit hall wearing their full dress uniforms, usually two pagers, cell phones, stethoscope around the neck, Bat utility belt with all sorts of glove pouches, scissor holsters etc and when you get close enough to read their shoulder patch their from some company three or four counties away. But their pager's are wide open so everyone can hear the calls. Never understood those folks. Course I'm talking about the same type of folks who would put a blue Federal Twinsonic lightbar on a 1980 Firebird Trans Am (back when they were new) You know the kind whose helmet cost more than their girlfriend's engagement ring. Ah but I digress.
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I am signed up to take an emt class and plan to work as a volunteer with the local fire department. what is acceptable or recomended as far as personal equiptment. my thoughts were to keep a good first aid kit in the trunk and possibly put in an inexpensive wig-wag setup in the headlights once I get licensed. what are the rules reguarding lights? I am new to this whole scene and do not want to be a "rescue randy". any advice for a newcommer.
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You'll be able to get that info from your local volunteer service. I moved from urban Minnesota to rural New York/Vermont for school, and I was amazed how every other pickup truck has a lightbar and a special license plate. It's done differently in different locations. I think it would be silly to trick out my rusty sedan, but then again I'm not licensed here so what do I know.
I'm a Basic, so the bag in my trunk has gloves, 4x4's, a BP cuff, SAM splint materials, I think maybe one OP airway, and a roll of plastic wrap. If god forbid I'm ever the first person on the scene of a roadside wreck, the most important thing I'm carrying is my cell phone. The next most important is the plastic wrap.
I'm a Basic, so the bag in my trunk has gloves, 4x4's, a BP cuff, SAM splint materials, I think maybe one OP airway, and a roll of plastic wrap. If god forbid I'm ever the first person on the scene of a roadside wreck, the most important thing I'm carrying is my cell phone. The next most important is the plastic wrap.
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In all honesty I have found that any lights on a personal vehicle does little to no good at all. It is a personal decision that one has to make but I always look at it this way.. When driving lights and siren 1/2 the people on the road either panic and try to drive into oncomming traffic or they dont move at all and actually become a hazard because they speed up to unsafe speeds.
If lights is something that you really feel you must have dont forget to make sure you dont need a red light permit for your area (we need them where I live ) and I would recommend a set of LED lights that is dash mounted on the inside of your windshield there is very little to no glare off your windshield and they are super bright so people can see them well even in the bright sunlight.
I hope this is some help for you.. Just dont become a john. John is a guy at my work who has 4 sets of LEDs in the front and back of his SUV, wig wags, light bar, lights in his side mirrors a PA/siren/air horn and 2 differant radios. One VHF and one UHF !!! lol now he is a rescue randy
Lisa
QUOTE=devinwest1984]I am signed up to take an emt class and plan to work as a volunteer with the local fire department. what is acceptable or recomended as far as personal equiptment. my thoughts were to keep a good first aid kit in the trunk and possibly put in an inexpensive wig-wag setup in the headlights once I get licensed. what are the rules reguarding lights? I am new to this whole scene and do not want to be a "rescue randy". any advice for a newcommer.[/QUOTE]
If lights is something that you really feel you must have dont forget to make sure you dont need a red light permit for your area (we need them where I live ) and I would recommend a set of LED lights that is dash mounted on the inside of your windshield there is very little to no glare off your windshield and they are super bright so people can see them well even in the bright sunlight.
I hope this is some help for you.. Just dont become a john. John is a guy at my work who has 4 sets of LEDs in the front and back of his SUV, wig wags, light bar, lights in his side mirrors a PA/siren/air horn and 2 differant radios. One VHF and one UHF !!! lol now he is a rescue randy
Lisa
QUOTE=devinwest1984]I am signed up to take an emt class and plan to work as a volunteer with the local fire department. what is acceptable or recomended as far as personal equiptment. my thoughts were to keep a good first aid kit in the trunk and possibly put in an inexpensive wig-wag setup in the headlights once I get licensed. what are the rules reguarding lights? I am new to this whole scene and do not want to be a "rescue randy". any advice for a newcommer.[/QUOTE]
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I have noticed a variety of nomenclature associated with the "rescue randy" term does anyone have any others?
Virginia: "squirrel", "wheelchock" or "chock" (the only thing the person is good for on scene is a wheel chock for the fire engine)
West Texas: "cracker"
Mass: "rink" (or so I was told)
Also, I know at least 1/2 of you guys are sitting back being like "oh, those 'rescue randys' are so lame" and then all 5 of your pagers and your home base station "quickcall" goes off, you put on your volunteer fire/rescue jacket (note you are already wearing you volunteer rescue t-shirt just 'in case'), promptly you get in your tricked out car all bumper stickered up with "Volunteer Firefighters Do It For Free" and "EMS Saves lives" mark enroute on your installed car radio running lights/sirens/wigwags while putting on the latex gloves you stole from the station yelling at drivers because they won't get out of your way, to a false alarm or ground level fall. You can't fool me!
Hey ... gotta run ... my pager just went off.
Virginia: "squirrel", "wheelchock" or "chock" (the only thing the person is good for on scene is a wheel chock for the fire engine)
West Texas: "cracker"
Mass: "rink" (or so I was told)
Also, I know at least 1/2 of you guys are sitting back being like "oh, those 'rescue randys' are so lame" and then all 5 of your pagers and your home base station "quickcall" goes off, you put on your volunteer fire/rescue jacket (note you are already wearing you volunteer rescue t-shirt just 'in case'), promptly you get in your tricked out car all bumper stickered up with "Volunteer Firefighters Do It For Free" and "EMS Saves lives" mark enroute on your installed car radio running lights/sirens/wigwags while putting on the latex gloves you stole from the station yelling at drivers because they won't get out of your way, to a false alarm or ground level fall. You can't fool me!
Hey ... gotta run ... my pager just went off.
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viostorm said:
Coming from MA, I've never heard of the term 'rink'. 'Whacker' is the one everyone used.
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I am in Mass too.. ''rink'' is one I can truley say I have never herd of either. Whacker on the other hand.. I have noticed something though.. I work on a town ambulance out in western mass and god knows we have about 6 whackers but I was just hired at another ambulance company out in Worcester and I can honestly say I have only noticed 3 or 4 trucks/cars/SUV that have any lights at all.... I cant help but wonder why this is.. anyone have any clue?
Lisa
Lisa
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BUMP for the benefit of some of the newbies.....you know who you are.
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I know of a gung-ho guy who has done two things: the first incident was on a ferry when there was a call for someone with chest pains. The first-aid team on site had already responded to the patient with O2, level 3 kit and the like, and he ran all the way down to the parking garage of the ferry to grab his own level 3 trauma bag and O2 kit that he carries "just in case", even though the patient already had more than enough help.Big Papa said:
I later heard about him getting into a motor vehicle accident in his own district where he packaged himself in a c-collar, onto his clamshell and gave himself oxygen before other guys from his EMS unit arrived to see him lying there in wait.
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That last part is hysterical......leviathan said:
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beanbean said:
HAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHA
Comical. But sadly, said individuals exist.
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medic170 said:
Paramedic from the 80s....back when MAST was used.
And research hasnt shown 2 large bore IVs to be of any use either.
Sadly, pre-hospital advanced life support shows no real change in patient morbidity/mortality.
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medic170 said:
I've heard of them being used for decapitations(being severed below the hips), anybody else hear of that?
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I don't know why but the visual image of someone putting MASTs on a decapitated patient has had me rolling around laughing for the last 20 minutes. These night shifts are messing with my brain.Med-tallica said:
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here's a question, don't you think that most of us had at least a little bit of rescue randy in us when we first started out in EMS? I think it's only somewhat natural for a new EMT to do this kind of stuff, although some people are a definetly a LOT worse than others. Anyone read the book "ambulance girl"?...
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You mean a transection right?Med-tallica said:
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Does it currently look like a Russian fishing trawler?komrade said:I think I need to take some lights off my truck....Or an antenna or two.
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Wait a minute....
are you telling me its LEGAL to put sirens on your car and use them to bypass traffic with the premise that you are an EMT/paramedic responding to a car wreck?
WTF is that? I cant believe thats legal. Sirens/lights on an official ambulance, fire car, or whatever is fine, but it should be ILLEGAL to pull these stunts in civilian cars.
Hell I might as well do that to my car. Then I can use it to bypass gridlock traffic every day
are you telling me its LEGAL to put sirens on your car and use them to bypass traffic with the premise that you are an EMT/paramedic responding to a car wreck?
WTF is that? I cant believe thats legal. Sirens/lights on an official ambulance, fire car, or whatever is fine, but it should be ILLEGAL to pull these stunts in civilian cars.
Hell I might as well do that to my car. Then I can use it to bypass gridlock traffic every day
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MacGyver said:
It's legal in New York, and I had a red light as a paramedic. The rationale was to get the paramedic and ambulance to the scene at the same time (instead of the paramedic going to the ambulance, then to the scene). Maybe you can think about reduced response time. Your absurd example notwithstanding, I have driven more miles in an ambulance than you have in your car, but so what - I ALSO had certification in CEVO, EVOC (and EVOC-fire), and AAPS, above defensive driver (which anyone can take, but x2 I was the only person that wasn't taking it because I had gotten a ticket). All the people in my fire company (all two of us) that got the red lights HAD to have an emergency vehicle operations course before we got the lights. Finally, it was responding to calls - ONLY.
This "stunt" as you call it has nothing to do with you and your needing to get to the hospital on time (as a student, even).
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Torturing logic & distorting meaning since late 2001...that's our MacGyver.
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MacGyver said:
It's not righteous indignation, you dope.
It's getting the people to where they need to be. When your ass isn't at the hospital, they don't miss you, and there's someone there, even when you're not. There isn't a trained provider at the side of every person that calls 911, hence this idea.
Because you can't tolerate traffic does not mean you deserve anything more than any of your colleagues. You would be the FIRST person to bitch mightily about the delay in services if you dialled 911 and had to wait for the arrival of fire, EMS, or police. Get in your car and drive your own self to the hospital then.
Pointing out where a loudmouth is shooting his mouth off is not "righteous indignation".
