Basejumper.com - archive

Now I am one . . .

http://www.emtcity.com/...viewtopic.php?t=8093

NickD
BASE 194
EMT-B

Good for you.
I work in Healthcare (Cardiology) and I've always said that when I leave this job....I'm looking for something /anything other than a job in Healthcare.....but....I think an EMT /Paramedic Job is the one thing in Medicine that I could be tempted to stay in to do.

Congratulations....it couldnt have been easy ( unless you did get someone else to take the EMT-B test for you... )

You know this all started when I busted myself into little pieces off a low bridge in New Zealand. I was taken care of so well I thought man, "I'm the only amateur in the room . . ."

I've a lot to learn still, but I've also been around so many BASE accidents and I just got tired of standing there with no clue and saying, "Hey man, are you all right?"

Maybe now someday, I can do something (for real) to keep someone off the List.

My price, however, for guiding or ground crew, just went up!

NickD
BASE 194

Congrats!
I hope to never need to see you on a professional basis.
I hope to see you a lot under any other circumstances.

359

No worries, I think there is a thing about not operating on your brother . . .

NickD
BASE 194

Congratulations Nick, that's no small achievement.

Now I want all of you who go jumping with Nick to understand that you all now have a new motivation for your jumps ... if you fuck up, Nick's gonna be the first one to the crater ... first one to the crater gets the best souvenirs.

So is this a career step or just another string to your bow?

I think you meant arrow in my quiver . . .

But yes, I've spent a lifetime teaching skydiving and BASE jumping. And now, with only (maybe) twenty juicy summers left, I'm going to start paying it back . . .

I'm lucky . . .

NickD
BASE 194

Way cool....

congrats!

What have you paid for the training and is this like a first aid course?

....sta y current

very cool, I got certified 2 years ago, I just got recertified, and got a job in SF/San Leandro...4-10's a week. I'm trying to get into a fire department.
congrats!
~J

congrats and good job man, i really hope you never need to use it! (on us at least)

I got my EMT-B a year ago partly because, like J, I want to get into firefighting, and partly because I wanted to have some basic skills in case things went bad either at the DZ, or on a BASE jump.

The national registry exam sure is.. odd.

Thankfully I haven't had to use it, but it gives me the warm fuzzies knowing that I can administer CPR, or pull traction, if need be.

Good job Nick! PM me if you need some equipment to start a great ground crew kit.

For those of you checking out a FD career check out the LAFD website. They are hiring a few hundred FF's this year.

Hey Nick,

Congrats bro! That is a great accomplishment! Welcome to the medical field! Are you planning on continuing to move up in EMS? Intermediate? Paramedic? If so feel free to drop me a line if you have any questions. I am currently a NREMT-I and will soon be a NREMT-P after next semester.

Also my dad teaches the paramedic program at the local college so if I don’t know the answer, he will.

Good luck!
Coco

P.S. Yes the ED is much nicer. I’m an ED Tech II and highly prefer the ED to the field. I’ll also be going to medical school to be a PA in about 3 years. Was going to be a Firefighter but I want to diagnose.

Thanks to everyone who wrote with congratulations.

I've heard from a lot of people and now realize there is a large EMS family within parachuting.

Coco, didn't I meet your Dad at a Bridge Day? Where is he teaching? If I go that route I might look him up. There is no Intermediate here in California; it's either Basic or Paramedic. And there aren't too many P-schools here either so they are hard to get into.

I'd already enrolled in an ED-Tech class, and it was supposed to start this week, but UCLA just cancelled it, so I'm waiting to hear why. It was the only one I could find in So Cal, so if anyone knows of another one, please let me know.

On a sadder note, I'm going down to Mercy Hospital in San Diego today to see Eric. He posts here in the BASE Zone as "grundleson" and he had a very serious paragliding accident on Saturday. I'll update this later today . . .

NickD
BASE 194

Nick my brother...YOU DA MAN!


Who says ya can't teach an ole BASE dog new tricks?!





I just can't get this image outta my head...

Laying busted up, flat on my back...lookin' up to see Nick with the paddles in his hands .....yelling CLEAR!

 

off topic:

you have pm's blocked... shoot me an email when you get a chance

He's awake and alert after his surgery yesterday. And it looks as if he'll recover, but with a bit of a rough road ahead though . . .

NickD
BASE 194

Yes you did. He teaches here in Virginia Beach. Just a tad out of the way from where you are.

Interesting. I guess that varies from state to state. I and P are really not that much different. An I can do everything a P can do however the P knows “why we are doing it.” After passing I there are only two semesters left for Paramedic. Pharmacology and Pathophysiology. The only other difference is that a Paramedic has more standing orders than an I when it comes to drugs (Also depends on your medical director too).

Also as a side note since we are on this topic. I think it’s very important for everyone in BASE to get some form of training. A simple first responder course or preferably an EMT-Basic course would give you a very good knowledge base for what to do for the types of injuries you would see in BASE. In my opinion everyone should know: trauma assessment, bleeding control, splinting, basic CPR (Healthcare Provider CPR is better), spinal immobilization, traction splinting, backboarding and how to treat for shock.

Chad’s article, below, is a good reference, however, these types of things are best learned in the classroom hands on. (which Chad also states in summary)

http://www.dropzone.com/...etail_page.cgi?ID=66

Coco

Apex BASE offers a BASE oriented training course in first aid, rope rescue, and some other important BASE-related skills.

Nick,

You may be interested in upgrading to WEMT.

http://www.nols.edu/...upgrademedpros.shtml

Strong work brother. I've been a paramedic now for 14 years...enjoyed every year of it and it has brought me all over the world. You might want to consider the upgrade...it is definately a challenge but is that much more rewarding in the end. Good job and good luck.