This is a test.  The minimum requirement is not all that long but it has some so that people don't just spam links in their articles.

I've long thought that Bob Seger's Turn The Page could easily be about EMS.  I'd like to use it for our annual company video sometime.  It describes the life of a rock singer, and I think there are some great parallels between how he describes his day and how we think about ours.  The song has a wickedly good sax solo & Segers tired, worn-out voice to add ambience.

The other day I was chatting with my trainee, and she mentioned that her boyfriend plays in a rock band.  He had just called her and told her that he didn't get up until 2 that afternoon, because he had been playing music for most of the night.  That started a discussion about the similarities between Rock Stars & Paramedics.

 Activity

Swiss Valley Ambulance District Board members learned Wednesday that a member of the Baltic Emergency Medical Technician Squad has received a written reprimand for what was termed an incident of “inappropriate behavior.” Officials declined to elaborate on the behavior or provide the names of those involved. The issue was discussed during a lengthy meeting in Village Hall, adjacent to the fire station on W. Main St.

Bannock County is still struggling with ambulance services. The county is trying to recruit some volunteers to fill the EMT shortage they have been faced with for the last few years. Fortunately, there are people like Canda Dimick... Canda Dimick, Volunteer EMT: "What I think of life is we are there to help each other and wherever we need to step up, we need to." During the day, Dimick is the city clerk in Lava Hot Springs, but she is also an on-call volunteer EMT trained to save lives.

Heroic Teen Saves Drowning Friend A 17-year-old is a hero Monday night after rescuing his friend from dangerous waters. JT Hart, 17, was swimming with his friend, 17-year-old Ronnie White, in the Cumberland River when his friend under.

Tom Reynolds has had a slow month, and was moaning blogging about it.  From his post:  Watch the ambulance crew after a 'decent job', they'll be standing outside the ambulance bay at the hospital chatting to their colleagues. They'll be animated, they'll be interested in their job but most of all they will have a sense of satisfaction of a job well done.

He had just moved to town.  He was facing a serious medical crisis and his mind was elsewhere as he cruised through the stop sign & t-boned a car in the intersection.   After the fire department, police & paramedics showed up, he told them he hurt all over, and he was strapped to a board, loaded into the ambulance next to the other driver, & taken the few blocks to the hospital.

We're being pushed aside by a wall of eager volunteer firefighters as they scramble to enter the trailer.  They go running down the very narrow hallway to render care.  Unfortunately it's too late.  The occupant has apparently died in his sleep.

This may be a good thing - for them.  Had this person simply been sleeping, or drunk/drugged, and a pace of strangers in civvies came thundering into my bedroom, the outcome could have been different. 

Young Erstwhile Paramedic (having just been dispatched to an "Urban Camper" who the cops were trying to remove from the lawn of a motel): Good afternoon, Sir.  I am a young erstwhile paramedic, who has been called to assist you.  How may I be of assistance?