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ELB wrote:

will381796 wrote:

ELB wrote:Just finished the EMT-Basic course in December. ...

Not to take this off-topic, but where'd you take your EMT-B class? I'm up at BSBEMS taking my emt-b course.

At neighboring Stockdale VFD. Not sure what "BSBEMS" is. ?? Sumpin-sumpin Emerg Med Service, I guess?

ELB wrote:Just finished the EMT-Basic course in December. There is certainly a built-in bias in the training towards transporting someone who gives any inkling of having a heart problem (or head injury...or acute abdomen...). No mention was made of garnering more cash for the ambulance service or hospital, but there was some emphasis on a) heart problems sometimes present with minimal or unusual signs, and b) you're much less likely to get sued/criticized for transporting a non-problem patient than leaving someone behind who should have been transported, even he signed a "refused treatment" form. And some people are stubborn about dealing with actual bad signs and symptoms, not least of which are firefighters and EMTs! Having said all that, I have seen our local paramedics recommend non-transport to patients who had similar signs and symptoms to yours, e.g. muscle pain, EKG OK.

The fact that the nurse practitioner screwed up writing down the chief complaint is a major boo-boo tho. That seems to be the root of the problem. All water under the bridge I guess, off you went, checked out OK, and your insurance paid for most of it I hope.

As to the original post topic, I have not run across an armed patient in all the first responder calls I have done as a vollie firefighter, but I doubt that any of us or the local EMS guys and gals would me much perturbed by it. A number of us are shooters as well. We often encounter firearms in residences when we make our runs, but as along as they aren't being pointed at us, no big deal.