Archive for August, 2009

Here are some blog posts from EMS Bloggers last week that I found to be ominous foreshadowing of “public options”, a public reality check on disaster preparedness, and a grand carnival…

• Four years after Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans, John Solomon points out a report with ominous overtones about America’s State Of Disaster Preparedness. I often wonder if we ever learned any lesson about that epic fail at all…
• Dave Statter highlights a satiric video about privatizing the fire department. I wonder though, is this satire or is this our future…
• There is an interesting discussion going on at JEMS Connect over what is considered Facebook Appropriate? I’ve already weighed in on the discussion, so if you are a JEMS Connect member and want to weigh in as well then you should absolutely do so… or become a member and have your opinion heard…

And finally…

• The Handover EMS Blog Carnival has published its latest edition themed around The First Emergency and its being hosted by Carnival Founder Medic999. While I can personally relate to CK’s post, you should check out the rest and see which one you can relate to because its always good to remember from whence you came…

Have a safe week…

One of the guys I used to work with sent me the link to this video of a fight in the waiting room of at Brookdale Hospital located in the East New York section of Brooklyn.

Tyler Durden would be proud…

So if these fights are happening before healthcare in America takes a socialist turn with a severely underfunded “public option”… what do you think is going to happen after?

Disclosure: For a brief time I worked the Brookdale Hospital 911 truck

Come
As you are
As you were
As I want you to be
As a friend
As a friend
As a known memory

-Come As You Are, Nirvana 1992

I am, for lack of a better term, a product of the grunge era. I wore flannel, went to my first Lollapalooza in 1992, owned CDs that were considered “imports” from the far away land of Seattle, and I had the Grunge Samurai haircut of a ponytail topknot with a close shave around my head. While I no longer wear flannel, no longer listen to CDs, and haven’t paid for a concert since 1997… there are still two things that remain with me to this day from that era.

The first is the belief that you should always “Come As You Are“, which is a title of the second single off Nirvana’s album Nevermind. As the song implies, be as you are in real life. That should carry over from real life into your online life as well. Come as a friend and be memorable to those you interact with.

Sure we’ve all seen how Facebook Can Cost You Your Job, how free speech has consequences, and how photos can cause lawsuits. While these are things that we can control by using some simple common sense, we shouldn’t let fear of these issues change who we truly are and how we interact with others online.

Be as you are on Social Networks and in creating Social Media as you are in real life.

The second thing that remains with me from those days, as many of you may suspect, is the Grunge Samurai haircut.

Why mess with perfection?

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Last week Google was ordered by a court of law to reveal the identity of an anonymous blogger. The blogger was using Google’s Blogger Platform to post insulting and potentially libelous statements about Canadian born fashion model Liskula Cohen on her blog titled “Skanks In NYC“. Needless to say, the term “skank” was used more than in the title.

This week the blogger, a student at NYC’s Fashion Institute named Rosemary Port, publicly charged Google with failing to protect her First Amendment “right” of anonymous free speech. According to a Daily News article:

“When I was being defended by attorneys for Google, I thought my right to privacy was being protected,” Port said.

“But that right fell through the cracks. Without any warning, I was put on a silver platter for the press to attack me. I would think that a multi-billion dollar conglomerate would protect the rights of all its users.”

Herein lies the problem. The First Amendment provides for protection from Congress passing laws limiting Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Religion, and Freedom of the Press… but it does not offer protection of your identity. The fact is that libelous and slanderous statements with the intent to cause malice are also not protected by The First Amendment.

Just as Facebook Can Cost You Your Job, blogging under an assumed name on a free account with a service does not give you free reign to put malicious words in large quantities on the internet. I tend to think that Ms. Port will end up without a penny from Google and just a legal bill to contend with that she’ll have to pay off by waiting tables. This is almost as frivolous a lawsuit as TechRadium suing Twitter.

Just because you have a right to Freedom of Speech does not mean using it unwisely is without consequences.

All services have users agree to a Terms Of Service (TOS) prior to the activation of your account. Profanity, obscene photos, libelous statements, and other notoriously bad content is traditionally forbidden in the TOS. Violating that will leave you with no legal grounds whatsoever

Mashable: Google Forced To Reveal Identity Of Offensive Blogger

Daily News: Outed blogger Rosemary Port blames model Liskula Cohen for ’skank’ stink

Here are some blog posts from EMS Bloggers last week that I found to be ominous foreshadowing of “efficiency”, a public reality check, and a look at evolving technology…

• KevinMD reports on a Polio outbreak in Nigeria. Proof that the cheaper healthcare option isn’t always better… and not just in third world nations
• John Solomon reports on a speech by Nancy Dragani, President of the National Emergency Management Association, where she calls for a change from the US “culture of entitlement” when it comes to disasters to one more of personal preparedness. It still befuddles me that we continue to have this misconception while we continually read about service closures and budget cut backs
• Greg Friese shares an overlook at a “smart-phone” application called smart-ICE™. As mobile technology evolves, its important that we as responders stay informed for applications such as this that can help us provide a positive outcome for the patient

And finally…

• Rogue Medic takes us down the process by elimination path in his posts Paramedic = Intubation I and Paramedic = Intubation II. The proper equation, in my opinion, should be Paramedic = Quality Patient Care

Have a safe week out there…

If you are on Twitter, chances are you see those tweets using the hashtag #followfriday. So what exactly is #FollowFriday?

#FollowFriday is a way for Twitter Users to refer people they find of value. Generally, it is a recommendation to your subscribers of other users they may want to subscribe to as well. The traditional syntax usually appears like this:

#FollowFriday @Buckman @gfriese @piosmtraining and @emssafe – Great EMS Twitter Users

Ultimately, #FollowFriday can help you to navigate through the thousands of Twitter Feeds that you may not otherwise come across. Ideally, a solid recommendation from a compelling content creator has the power to net you more subscribers who will appreciate your offerings.

Some people refer to #FollowFriday as a game, others call it a great tool, and still others consider it an annoyance. I believe the truth lies somewhere inbetween. #FollowFriday is a powerful recommendation tool, but some users are offering these recommendations either as reciprocation for a recommendation, or in search for one.

Just as with everything else, make sure your #FollowFriday recommendations are not just of people who offer value, but are valuable in their own right.

For a historical look at #FollowFriday, check out this article from Mashable

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For the benefit of those of you hiding under rocks or on vacation for the last month, there happens to be a debate going on over bills that are supposed to provide HealthCare Reform, including a Public HealthCare Option. While there are alot of issues regarding this, or to be more specific alot of issues regarding the vagueness of the current bill, there are two things that stand out to me above the fray that I don’t seem to hear anyone talking about.

So I might as well.

The first issue I see is the “incentive” payment plan primarily affecting doctor’s and hospitals. The theory is that if a patient comes in for an illness, is treated, and afterwards does not have complications or issues then the doctor and hospital get paid a set amount. If the patient DOES have complications, the additional cost incurred by the hospital/doctor will NOT be covered. Now while I think it is a good idea to hold hospitals and doctors accountable for positive outcomes, what incentive does the patient have to positive outcome?

Now of course in theory every patient’s incentive should be good health… but what about patients who are told to quit smoking, but don’t. Or patients who are told to lose weight, but don’t. Or patients who are told to stop drinking alcohol, but don’t. Is it fair to hold healthcare providers responsible for patients who choose not to listen to them? At what point does medical advice infringe on a patient’s liberties and freedoms… or for that matter at what point does a non-compliant patient’s action infringe on the liberties and freedoms of the healthcare provider?

This of course brings up another issue… RMAs. If a patient Refuses Medical Aid on the scene of a car accident, but then goes to the doctor the next day, is the public going to have to pay for that doctor’s visit even though the patient initially refused medical aid?

Something to think about. Maybe the government should look at ways to incentivize me as well.

The second issue has to do with the whole saving money through better efficiency. While I’m a big fan of electronic records for patient, I can’t help but wonder how a hospital’s record keeping department feels about it. So I have to wonder, how many jobs will we lose through this process? What is the government going to do for these people who have been made obsolete through efficiency?

I may be entirely off base with my concerns here… and if I am, feel free to tell me…

Recently I’ve been doing alot of interviews for some vacancies I have at work. While there are legitimate employment opportunities available, some people just don’t understand the basics of what a potential employer is looking for in a candidate during an interview.

To be honest, it can really be quite frustrating at times. I’m not even talking about the industry specific things like knowing that you apply suction after inserting the pharangeal tip. I’m talking about candidates who apply to be an EMT but haven’t taken their state test yet because they want “early consideration”, candidates who check off that they can work weekends but can only work on Saturdays between 1600 and 1900, and candidates who will give you the exact same answer using different words to every question you ask them. That last one is a real pet peeve of mine, because it shows someone either as not knowledgeable or worse… listening comprehension challenged.

So here are a few tips on having a successful interview that are not exclusive to just the EMS field:

• Make sure you are actually qualified – If you apply for a job that requires a level of certification make sure that you have that actual certification. Irregardless of your scheduled test dates and whether it be EMT, EMD, or AEMT, if you don’t have the actual certification then you shouldn’t be filling out applications for positions that require them
• Convey changes on your application early – If something has changed on your application, such as your availability to work certain hours or certain days, be sure to tell the interviewer that before the interview. They may be bringing you in specifically for that reason, and if you can’t perform on that
• Show up on time or early – This is really your first test on punctuality… so if you show up late, well that’s going to raise the specter of tardiness as an employee
• Be prepared – Be ready with any certifications, licenses, or other documentation you may need. Also be ready mentally for an oral or written test and physically for a lifting or skills test

And the most important piece of advice I can give you…

• Actually answer the question asked – Listening comprehension is an important aspect for any candidate to have. If you display a lack of it during the interview, then your potential employer really has no reason to consider you for the job. Work the question back into your answer, and don’t be afraid to ask them to repeat it. As an interviewer I’ll penalize you for not answering the question, but will actually give you more points for asking it to be repeated provided you actually do answer it in the end

Following these tips will hopefully put you on the path for a good interview… because a good interview is the first step to a good job…

Here are some blog posts from EMS Bloggers last week that I found to illustrate the public misunderstandings of budget cuts, talks about stuff in my pockets, and a mission to help one of our own…

• John D. Solomon wrote about an interesting study that shows 30% of participants believing Emergency Responders could be depended on in case of disaster and 61% would need to rely on them after 72 hours. I find this very alarming because week after week I read about responder recruitment classes being cut, resources being browned out or shut down, and budgets being cut from all public safety sectors. So just where do these people think the help is going to come from again?
• Steve Whitehead did an interesting survey of EMS folks and what they carry on them. Admittedly over the years the amount of “gear” I carry has indeed dwindled. I don’t know what’s a better deal… having a window punch for a smash and grab or the look on an EMT’s face when I show him that the majority of the pockets on my vest contain raisins, peanuts, M&Ms, and other assorted snacks?
• Greg Friese has some great tips for EMS Educators. Here’s my own contribution to the list: 6) Don’t bore me into asystole

And finally…

• Through Medic 7 I came to Bernice from I Call It As I See It who alerted us to the plight of Epijunky who wants to go to Medic School. Now those of you who really know me are probably wondering why I would back someone who has obviously gone insane. This is the exact kind of thing that I sit here and talk about week after week… the Power of Social Media to make a dream come true. So yes, I gave $5… and you can too… because as individuals we may feel small and insignificant in the grand scheme… but together we are legion…

Have a safe week out there…

I first heard about this yesterday while listening to TWiT 207 and Greg Friese was also nice enough to point it out. A Texas based company called TechRadium™ is suing Twitter over the “process for simultaneously notifying large numbers of people about emergencies through multiple communication gateways, such as cell phones, pagers and e-mail.[1]” TechRadium™ is the creator of a proprietary system called IRIS© that they sell to organizations, public safety agencies, and of course governments.

The Issue According To TechRadium™, Is Us

The supposed issue at hand are TechRadium™’s patent numbers 7,130,389 filed in April 2005, 7,496,183 filed in December of 2007, and 7,519,165 filed April 2009 [2]. These patents outline a process to send a message to group participants via text and voicemail across numerous different devices.

While I am no patent law attorney I can tell you that the idea of one to many communication via text and voice is neither a new idea nor a new technology. E-mail allows you to send one text message to many recipients, cell companies themselves have enabled SMS messaging on their devices to allow e-mail’s to be received on phones (not including BlackBerry’s obvious e-mail feature), paging systems are still used across the country to send out call information, mobile data terminals over both radio frequencies and cellular frequencies do the same, as do two way radios that are now not only analog but digital as well. This is certainly not a new concept and not a technology that TechRadium™ can claim. In fact, their lawsuit doesn’t even really address the actual normal everyday use of Twitter at all as the issue.

The issue, according to TechRadium™, is us.

TechRadium™ has a problem with public safety agencies such as LA Fire (California), The American Red Cross (National Non-profit), Unruh Fire Department (Kansas), The Food and Drug Administration (Federal), South Orange Rescue (New Jersey), and The Center for Disease and Control (Federal). In their opinion these agencies using Twitter to better serve the people in their communities instead of the IRIS© product that they charge for is therefore costing them money and an infringement on their product.

Let me be very clear when I tell you that the TechRadium™ lawsuit, in my opinion, is both treacherous as well as frivolous.

I find it treacherous against the American Public for this company to try and handicap Public Safety Agencies who are already facing budget cuts that are forcing rolling service brown outs or just flat out closures cutting service to their communities. Why can’t Public Safety Agencies be afforded the same opportunities as individuals, small companies, and large corporations? Well it’s because obviously your tax dollars aren’t lining TechRadium™’s pocket.

Of course something they have obviously overlooked is that RSS Feeds have been syndicating messages across platforms since 1999, which is 6 years before their patent was filed. I don’t see them trying to sue AT&T for SMS Messaging, Microsoft for e-mail, or Motorola for pagers even though there are Public Safety Agencies certainly using those services. I also don’t see them suing the FCC for empowering television and radio stations to provide the public access to Emergency Broadcast System… so why is Twitter any different? Oh right, because it’s free, easy to use, popular, and in their minds probably not as powerful (and therefore an easier target for a litigious shakedown) as Facebook.

One of the supposed key components of IRIS© is the ability to take one message and translate it across multiple mediums. Therefore a text message would be translated into voice and a voice message into text. Does Twitter do that? No… but Kindle can! So the possibly only innovative idea that TechRadium™ came up with isn’t even being accomplished by the defendant, which is why I think it’s a frivolous lawsuit by a company who has a history of doing this.

The bottom line is treacherous corporate mongers suck.

Source 1: Law.com: Twitter Sued Over Emergency Tweets

Source 2: TechCrunch: Here Come The Twitter Patent Lawsuits

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