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• 02:53 02:52am, I am awake. Dispatched about an hour ago, I am on the other ambulance tonight, so we stayed in quarters. Can't get back to sleep #
• 05:24 Poll workers arrived at firehouse 05:02am. We got a run at 05:23am. Sleep was not in the cards tonight anyway. #
• 06:12 Chest Pain, short of air. Normal 12 lead, gave NTG x2 & ASA. IV 20ga L forearm. PT most likely has pneumonia or other resp. illness. #
• 14:34 Walking to my polling place. Luckily its only one block from my house. #
• 15:15 Voted. I did my part. Now for the long wait...... #
• 16:00 KY is stupid. We cannot buy ETOH until after Polls close. WTF? Damn rednecks ruin it for everyone #
• 16:02 Listening to Spring Awakening waiting for wife to come home so we can walk the dogs. #

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• 07:05 Riding paramedic for 24 hours today. #
• 07:15 I had a great weekend! Went camping sat. night with wife & dogs, Walked in Iraqouis park Sunday. Beautiful weekend. #
• 07:16 Woohoo! this is officially update #666. If that scares you then I do not care. #
• 10:07 I understand if you are sick, but faking unresponsiveness does not fly with me. I have no pitty for those PTs. #
• 12:02 Grrrr....0/2 on IV attempts. 3rd run patient assist. I wish I could stop trying for perfection on IV's. At least I don't stop trying! #
• 14:33 1/3 on IVs now. Got it despite my preceptor laughing and saying that I would miss this one too. So there :P #
• 17:31 Run #6 for me, 2nd refusal. I hope we get some sleep tonight! #
• 19:23 Run #7 Anxiety attack. Some people think they deserve everything. PT went to triage and was mad. Full arrest was on the way in. #
• 19:52 Just backed into quarters, dispatched again. Don't think it'll be a quiet night. Dinner on the run again! #
• 20:43 Dispatched as Shortness of air. Reality Legs voluntarily shaking no SOA. Someone stupid got in the way here, caller or call taker. #

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• 10:00 What to do on my days off? Need to mow my yard, but I feel like just enjoying the 70 deg weather & taking photos. #

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• 08:25 Fat angry guys, with distinct accents have found a home on youtube. I never knew. There is one from brooklyn and one from Boston. #
• 08:56 Riding on the ambulance, playing para-god. 70 hours left. Got 2 days off this weekend! #
• 10:28 Happy All Saints Day (AKA All Hallows eve) #
• 10:38 First IV attempt in a while, and could not get the catheter to advance further. At least I didn't blow the vein! #
• 13:27 Allergic reaction. PT took 75mg Benadryl PO & used epi-pen. Today is ALS day I guess!?* #
• 14:24 Is it wrong to finnish your reeses peanut butter cup sundae while responding to a diabetic emergency? #
• 15:01 Hypoglycemia. Blood sugar=40 PT fading slowly. Almost tried oral glucose, but PT no able to follow commands. IV 18ga R AC 1 amp D50. fixed! #
• 17:03 Jumping on the WotW 2 via twitter. Seach for (#) wotw2 to see the entire thread on twitter..... #
• 17:06 Time 16:54 edt, Louisville, KY- Working medic 2 all day, people seem to have lost control. Extremely busy, what the hell is going on? #wotw2 #
• 17:08 Hearing sporatic reports of attacks on east & west coasts. Ohio valley in panic, EMS system overloaded with trauma patients. #wotw2 #
• 17:16 5th ALS PT today 2/3 on IV's. Extremely busy today. Must be some sort of pegan holiday? #
• 17:18 Traffic at a stand still, people abandoning cars. Dispatch has not mentioned anything, something big is happening and we don't know. #
• 17:27 Traffic at a stand still, people abandoning cars. Dispatch has not mentioned anything, something big is happening and we don't know.#wotw2 #
• 17:33 LMPD swat assembled, multi KY National Guard untis on the road, guns in hand. Next trip to hospital I need to check news #wotw2 #
• 18:17 Explosions can be heard in the distance. Large flashes of orange light preceed noise. KY Gov. telling people to remain inside!? #wotw2 #
• 19:35 Aliens comming around demanding candied goods. Strange, we might defeat them by hyperglycemic coma! #wotw2 #
• 19:50 Multiple working fires, mandatory recall for all public safety employees of the Metro. Dark clouds on horizon. #wotw2 #
• 19:52 Blackout! Sun setting and darkness approches. Chaos is taking hold, and we are without info! Where's my damn ham HT? #wotw2 #
• 20:48 Link to the War of the World 2 twitter style: search.twitter.com/search?q=wotw2 #
• 22:14 Finally after working 84 hours this week, I have 2 days off! I'm sleeping in tomorrow! #

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• 06:47 Working at firehouse today. Going to try to have a better day than yesterday. #
• 08:13 WooHoo! I get to go to a Cable Barrier Class today. Oh boy, this sounds like (insert sarcastic remark here)! #
• 12:56 Going to do more fire inspections. Woohoo Big box stores. I am so excited! #
• 15:01 Some one save me from inept officers! I am surrounded. #

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• 06:39 Ok, I'm pissed. Some lazy crew left a dirty needle in my ambulance, and yes i got stuck. I found it in the IV start packs. Lazy medics. #
• 07:56 Hey IT guys & gals, I'm thinking of a degree in CIT is it worth all the work? How stable is the IT field? #
• 13:37 Degree choices for me: Fire Science & safety; Computers. Due to my schedule, not many normal degrees will work well. #
• 13:42 Going to go get checked out (poss. blood work) for earlier needle stick. My day keeps getting better. #

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• 07:38 Working for the man. 82 hours left of ride time. #
• 08:06 1st run for the Ambulance. Code 3 BLS to an MVA. I will wait for an ALS run, since I do not need the contacts. #
• 10:13 Movies I need to own: Kentucky Fried Movie, Student Bodies. Want to see Grindhouse. Funny as hell! #
• 10:40 "Your father's name was yuck? Tell me about your father. did you like yuck?" #
• 12:47 I want to go camping. Fall is great, not too hot cool at night. Camping with my wife & dogs. Sounds like a good weekend. #
• 12:49 Maybe when paramedic is finished I can go camping :D And hiking, climbing, rappelling... I miss my life. Damn you buckster! #
• 18:18 I'm a dope. All this time trying to capture "perfect light" using zone system. I'm going 21st century and trying HDR! #
• 18:23 Ok, first rule of HDR is you need to have a HDR in the image. Some of the ones I've seen have little contrast and are enhanced using HDR #
• 18:25 to add contrast. It doesn't work that way. 2nd I don't like the fakeness of some. I am a realist, & don't like the drawn look. #
• 18:26 Composition shouldn't be forgotten. BLS before ALS. Compose image then HDR. Baby steps. #

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• 06:33 Another 24 hours of putting up with narrow minded bosses @ the station. #
• 08:44 Feel like a big ball of negative energy. I'm trying to fight this, but it envelopes me. #
• 08:46 Does a specific degree matter anymore? I will probably get Fire science degree cause it can fit into my schedule easily. #
• 08:47 Not many colleges can account for a 24/48 schedule. Not many online degree choices either. #
• 11:20 Lunch @ Bob Evans. More fire inspections this afternoon. Oh joy! #
• 14:03 "Do you get this....do you know there's other countries?" - Eddie Izzard #
• 23:37 Alright Twitterverse, I'm going to sleep now. Lets try to have a better tomorrow, shall we? #

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• 17:04 Cleaned the Kitchen, Washed the dogs. Going to walk the dogs in a little while. No days off until next Saturday. #
• 17:29 Still wondering what type of degree to get. I ned to get a degree but in what? #
• 17:29 Damn, maybe I can learn to spell better. NEED. #
• 19:06 Walked the dogs, trimmed one's nails w/ a dremmel. Time for dinner. #
• 21:06 Good night twitterverse. Must get up @ 5am for work. #

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• 07:24 Providing free labor to the paramedics. 96 hours until I finish. Got to sleep all night @ firehouse. #
• 10:04 There are 2 paramedic students riding today. I'm on 2nd truck. We are making a poss. kitchen fire. First run for me today. #
• 10:38 Going to 85yo female uncontrolled nose bleed. Code 3 BLS. Yawn. #
• 12:31 Attempted lunch. We were next ALS truck up for run. Surprise surprise, we got a run just when we ordered food. #
• 13:16 MVA took 2 refusals. Some one tried to pull a U-turn on the interstate. Didn't work out well for them. #
• 17:46 It's been a day of BLS runs & refusals, albiet a very busy day. Cleared another MVA, why do we have more MVAs when its sunny? #

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• 05:03 There seems to be water falling from the sky. I have not seen this in a long time, what do they call this phenom? #
• 06:53 Another day of watching stupid people freak out over finances. Cold & rainy in the Metro. MVAs are the order for the day. #
• 09:36 Going to hazmat training this morning. Its on the other side of the county. #
• 09:40 Ok I'm at training for 10 minutes and we lost power. It's going to be that kind of day. #
• 11:29 Power is back. More death by power point. We don't even get to do stinger ops; grounding & bonding due to rain. #
• 14:03 A friend on Facebook asked why I am always training. Here is the list of diciplines I must maintain for my job: Swiftwater/Flood rescue... #
• 14:05 Confined Space rescue, hazmat tech, EMT, Rope rescue, Trench Rescue, Vehicular rescue, Fire Inspector, Fire instructor, Child seat tech... #
• 14:08 Apparatus Operator and "if no one else cansolve the problem ask the fire dept." type skill. Thats why I am always in training. #
• 15:46 Crew is working out at the gym. Sun finally came out. #
• 16:57 Firehouse software is getting on my nerves. I need someone familiar with DB management to assist. Anyone familiar with Visual Fox pro? #
• 17:00 Teams I belong to: Region 6 hazmat; Water Rescue; LMUS&R; Trench Rescue; My department is the Confined space & rope team for the area. #
• 17:01 I train more than I actually perform any of these tasks. I guess thats a good thing. No one wants a disaster of any kind where we are needed #

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• 06:15 3 runs since 4am. Canceled on 1st run, Checked a PT in PD custody (no transport), and a refusal of all treatment on 3rd run. #

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• 07:37 24 hours riding on the ambulance. 1st call PT assist. What's next? #
• 08:57 46 minutes into shift, 3rd run for Ambulance company #
• 09:03 Difficulty breathing, possible return of pneumonia (PT had back in august). Demand pacemaker, CHF. #
• 12:31 Got to eat a little lunch. Run #4 overdose. 9th run for this service today. #
• 12:38 Cancled per PD. Guess it wasn't what they thought. Back to eating Pad Thai (luckily we got it to go) & edamemae #
• 19:51 Why do we get runs during meals? People are very inconsiderate. #
• 20:49 Lac to R leg. Yes she needs stitches, but what an obnoxious woman. People are dense, and we need some darwinian population control! #

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• 09:11 118 hours left of ride time. Doing 24hrs tomorrow.There is a light at the end of the tunnel! #
• 09:56 Coffee, Roger Waters music (RADIO KAOS at the moment), peacful morning. Pondering.... #
• 10:22 reviewing and critiquing other people's work on photosig.com is.gd/4gKk #
• 10:23 It's really amazing to see other people's artistic expressions with their cameras. #
• 10:28 I need to work on my still life set ups. I've had several ideas that never came out as I saw them. #
• 12:19 WooHoo got 2 kills in a P47D-25. Flying is fun! #
• 13:30 Damnit. Cable is out so no internet flying. Guess I'll have to occupy myself. Maybe its nap time? #

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• 07:19 Working @ OC today. #
• 10:20 Watched West Wing. I miss that show. Watching 13th Warrior now. Not best movie but it will do for now. #
• 15:25 Sunny day tomorrow. Thinking of taking some photos? We shall see! #
• 17:04 Looking for inspiration, a muse of sorts. Maybe I can find a quiet place to think. #
• 22:58 Listening to tunes, trying to sleep. Too many thoughts. Thinking of a friend, almost lost and in need of reconciliation. #
• 22:59 Could be a long visit home in January. Too many ends need tying, cutting or otherwise straightening. Do i have the patience or time? #
• 23:02 Feel like a lost sailor, compass card spinning, helm swaying to and fro. Have I benn too long at sea? #
• 23:13 Trying to figure out how to capture a song in a still image keeping the emotional impact of the music. Brain hurts. #
• 23:23 Twitter is my brain unfiltered, a dangerous thing when I feed my brain glucose. It likes to think and it's hard to turn off! #
• 23:34 Listening to Dvorak New World Symphony. Searching for creative inspiration (not mechanical respiration). #

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• 07:52 No Sleep. Runs @ 11pm, 1am Apt fire at 4am. Very tired. 12 more hours of ambulance time! #
• 09:21 No really you are just sick. Does anyone take their own temp. anymore? Dizzy, nausea, vomitting are s/s of being sick! No need for ambulance #
• 09:22 I'm going to take a nap in the ambulance. Maybe next run will provide more excitement. #
• 13:47 Crap, off for 2 shifts and I can't hit garden hose with a lawn dart! #
• 13:51 PT c/o weak & dizzy. Sinus tach then sinus brady w/ hypotension. PVCs w/ runs of v-tach. PT in bigemeny at ho #
• 13:52 Bigeminy @ hospital. He family thought it was anxiety attcak. she needs cardiac help. #

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• 06:36 Blech! Working at the firehouse. Annual Physical Agility Test this AM. Only got 4 hours sleep. Need many more. #
• 10:20 Finished PAT time 07:46. Thats good enough to pass. One more year. #
• 12:34 Penn station 4 lunch. College football all afternoon. Daily duties finished. Relax! Go MTSU & Kentucky. #
• 13:45 Watching Band of Brothers. I have not seen many of these shows. #
• 16:16 MTSU beating Louisville 14-7 end of 1st Quarter #
• 17:31 Ok, I'm not a Louisville fan but Kragthorpe why did you not kick FG on the 10yd line? This is why you losee! #

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• 11:44 Hey medics... is all the training worth it? I am already committed to finishing this but did I waste my time & money on a useless cert.? #
• 12:06 Everyone know about the firefighter and two steel ball bearings? #
• 14:41 Ok, I just realized that I don't have much on my flickr stream. Gonna post some of my "Best" work #
• 15:15 Any photographers use photosig.com? is.gd/4gKl #
• 15:22 Damn, I'm missing some of my older stuff. I need to search the CD files for them #
• 15:23 Uploading phoos to Flickr now. #
• 15:24 I need to save some $ and get a back up drive like 250GB external #
• 15:34 Here is the link to my photostream on flickr is.gd/4gOY #
• 15:38 I bet U shoot a lot more than I do! Broke me says I can't afford a Terabyte HD #
• 15:42 I used to be a lighting designer for Theater. Now I am just a firefighter. I wonder what happened to the alternate me? #
• 15:55 Any photographers follow LensWork? They have some great photos in their magazine #
• 16:09 Feeling metally exhausted. Need....something...to.....clear...brain #
• 16:15 Gonna go fly and kill online people. That takes no brain power. #
• 22:32 Going to sleep. Got PAT in the morning. Not looking forward to 9 minutes of pain. #

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• 02:12 02:00 For some reason I lay awake. Can't get comfortable. Sleeping at work sucks. Pondering if I should do ride time tomorrow? #
• 02:14 Alarm will sound in 4 hours. Sleep would be nice, but i don't think I'll get much0 #
• 05:30 Ok, I have been awake for 24 hours and 30 minutes. This sucks. I have to go home to get sleep. I need a new job. This one is bad for me #
• 06:23 37 minutes until I leave, and I get to sleep. Of course assuming my dog will allow me to sleep. The time is 06:23 #
• 07:39 Good nite twits. It's 07:38am, I'm home and going to sleep finally. #
• 11:58 I quit. Woke up, let dogs out. German shepard/greyhound eliminated a squirrel; terrier ran out the semi-open gate. I freaking quit! #
• 14:36 Flying & killing. AH II is fun but I suck something fierce. Takes time to learn. #
• 15:45 I need more practice flying in AH II. I suck. Going to go bomb tanks now. Evile Bishop tanks. #

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Insomnia 02:37am

My neck has been extremely sore for the past six days. A few of those days were down right miserable. I skipped one ride shift and one day of work at the ambulance company in hope that I would be feeling better for my next regular shift at the firehouse. Tonight I tried to get some sleep at the station, and I was again unsuccessful. I cannot find a position which does not bother my neck. Couple this recent problem with my predisposition to insomnia at work, the rock like bed I have to sleep on, the fire & ems radios blaring throughout the firehouse, and the extremes of temperature people set the thermostat, it is a wonder that I ever sleep at work.

I might have to cancel on tomorrow's ride time also. I made a personal commitment that I would not go to work (at my part-time jobs) if I got less than four hours of sleep. Since most of my jobs are on a ambulance, this makes sense. I would not want anyone working on me if they have less than four hours of sleep. I have around 143 hours to complete for ride time. If I do not go tomorrow, I will not be finished until the end of November. I really want all of this paramedic crap to be finished. In my sleep deprived state, I wonder why am I continuing this torture? Why can't I just quit paramedic, walk away and be happy? The only thing worth while is I might get a $5/hr raise at a part time job. I gain nothing at my full time job. Some days I feel like I have wasted two years.

Maybe it has not been a waste of time, I won't know until I make attempts at the test. I am just being selfish. I want more time to do the things I enjoy, like seeing my wife, walking my dogs, playing games, sleeping at home (the only place I get sleep), photography, amature radio, drumming (good grief I have too many hobbies), hiking, climbing/rappelling and anything else that tickles my fancy (not to mention flying).

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• 06:47 Another 24 at the station. Hopefully we can have a better day. #
• 08:38 Weekly trucks checked, finishing house duties. We ae doing VO2 max test today. Actually it's a mathematical hybrid of a real VO2 max test. #
• 12:02 VO2 max is lame. It's just an estimation of VO2 not actual numbers. Makes the whole thing cheap. Anyone can crunch #'s. #
• 12:03 5 hour enegy drink = BP 154/100 #
• 15:55 Is crazy and investing money in this time of crisis. It's like a blue light special! #
• 20:40 Watching USA vs Trinidad & Tobago in World Cup qualifying. We aren't playing very well. Score 0-0 #
• 21:58 Whats that they say about lying and eye blinking? I see a lot of blinking tonight. #
• 22:05 McCain lies about small businesses. Here is proof. tinyurl.com/6rs4e3 #
• 22:10 Did McCain just say that a Judge who supports Roe v Wade would not be qualified for Supreme Court? #

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• 13:30 Watching "Midway", recovering from too much work. Good movie. #
• 15:16 Going to fly for a little while (virtually). Aces High II. I have not played in long time. Bet I get shot down a lot. #
• 16:09 Ok enough dying for today. Not looking forward to work tomorrow. #

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• 05:58 Don't really want to go in today. Open house @ the station. 5 hours is not enough sleep. Was a good show anyway. #
• 20:47 Nessun Dorma- as performed by Phantom Regiment #
• 21:11 Miles Davis- It never entered my mind #
• 21:12 Pat Metheny- Letters from Home #

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• 09:29 Morning twits. I have the desire to make photos today. Going to see OCMS tonight! #
• 09:36 Yes OCMS are playing the Louisvile Palace tonight. You really want CDs? I can do that for you. Any preferences? #
• 10:31 Working ChaCha now. send a txt question to 242242 (chacha). Any question. Really. #
• 12:54 Did you know ou can be allergic to water? aquagenic pruritis. Weird. #
• 21:00 Waiting for OCMS to take the stage. Opening band was.... Well different. Not good but funny! #

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• 07:38 Actually got stuff accomplished yesterday at work. The world will probably end soon. Just an FYI. Seek shelter, duck and cover. #
• 11:35 huge cup full O pumpkin spice starbucks love in a cup. #
• 11:45 Heard 2 suicide attempts so far today. One successful, the other just got dispatched. Whats wrong with people? #
• 11:51 ADD moment- Do you think I'll get tachy? Drank 5 hour energy and now large coffee. #
• 11:55 Random unassociated thoughts to go along with this buzz. Do I care about religious affiliation of candidates? #
• 11:56 Dow -455.39. Is that considered dangerous turbulance? NTSB should investigate. #
• 13:21 Can I call 911 and say I'm tired? It's just as good as the other lame reasons people have called for an ambulance today. #
• 15:20 1/2 on IVs. On the way to MVC pedestrian struck. Chaos in the Metro again. No ALS trucks available. #
• 15:41 No Ped struck. Possible broken toe. BLS to the Hosp. Yawn! #

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• 07:05 Foggy morning in the metro. I'm teaching recruits tonight. No training today. I don't understand that part. #
• 09:45 Another successful suicide. There seems to be a growing problem around here. #
• 12:39 New Voip phone system in firehouse is freaking usless. They go down at least twice a day. can't even call our station 2. #

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• 09:09 Paying more bills. I like to give my money away :( #

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• 07:23 Another 12hrs of giving my time away for free. Need more sleep. No runs during the night, got 9 hrs of sleep last night. #
• 08:13 Who Caused the Economic Crisis? tinyurl.com/3fyk8a #
• 09:52 My fire dept. is working a fire. I am riding on an ambulance. I missed my IV attempt on this PT. My head still hurts. #
• 09:59 Listening to the fire, one would swear that they don't have a clue what they are doing. We sound like amatures. #
• 12:25 Had ribs for lunch! Nice surpise. Head ache subsiding and belly is happy. Nap time. #
• 14:15 Rain is comming. Could be a busy afternoon. ER's are already backing up. Fun for me and you! #
• 14:19 Is it bad if I have to show the guy (who is going to boards on Thursday) how to correctly place V1-6 leads? I think there is a problem there #
• 19:39 Got a 1 deg AV block w/ bradycardia & hypotension. Raised feet, Got IV, pushed Atropine, 250mL fluid challenge. 3/4 on IVs today! #

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Who Caused the Economic Crisis?

The Real Deal


So who is to blame? There's plenty of blame to go around, and it doesn't fasten only on one party or even mainly on what Washington did or didn't do. As The Economist magazine noted recently, the problem is one of "layered irresponsibility ... with hard-working homeowners and billionaire villains each playing a role." Here's a partial list of those alleged to be at fault:

The Federal Reserve, which slashed interest rates after the dot-com bubble burst, making credit cheap.


Home buyers, who took advantage of easy credit to bid up the prices of homes excessively.


Congress, which continues to support a mortgage tax deduction that gives consumers a tax incentive to buy more expensive houses.


Real estate agents, most of whom work for the sellers rather than the buyers and who earned higher commissions from selling more expensive homes.


The Clinton administration, which pushed for less stringent credit and downpayment requirements for working- and middle-class families.


Mortgage brokers, who offered less-credit-worthy home buyers subprime, adjustable rate loans with low initial payments, but exploding interest rates.


Former Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan, who in 2004, near the peak of the housing bubble, encouraged Americans to take out adjustable rate mortgages.


Wall Street firms, who paid too little attention to the quality of the risky loans that they bundled into Mortgage Backed Securities (MBS), and issued bonds using those securities as collateral.


The Bush administration, which failed to provide needed government oversight of the increasingly dicey mortgage-backed securities market.


An obscure accounting rule called mark-to-market, which can have the paradoxical result of making assets be worth less on paper than they are in reality during times of panic.


Collective delusion, or a belief on the part of all parties that home prices would keep rising forever, no matter how high or how fast they had already gone up.

The U.S. economy is enormously complicated. Screwing it up takes a great deal of cooperation. Claiming that a single piece of legislation was responsible for (or could have averted) the crisis is just political grandstanding. We have no advice to offer on how best to solve the financial crisis. But these sorts of partisan caricatures can only make the task more difficult.

–by Joe Miller and Brooks Jackson

Thank you FactCheck.org for offering a true picture of how this mess got started.

Now EVERYONE shut the hell up and stop blaming the political party you dislike.

Click Here to read the full piece from FactCheck.org.

Don't beleive me? Check out this article from the Economist magazine.

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• 06:55 24 more hours at the firehouse. How much busy work can we get into today? #
• 10:00 Jeep grand cherokee's aren't good at climbing trees. No rain for weeks and people still wreck their cars. Can't cure stupid I guess! #

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• 18:54 Yesterday: 13 hours, 5 ALS contacts, 3/4 IV's. YTD 345 hours, 66 ALS contacts. Only 155 more hours & 9 ALS contacts to go! WooHoo! #

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• 09:52 16 yo male poss xanax OD. Combative PT assaulted crew (not serious) PD rode in PT was in custody. Rich kids with behavior broblems. #
• 12:13 79yo F nausea/vomiting. EKG sinus brady. 18ga IV in L forearm. Very nice young lady. My PTs have been polar opposites today! #
• 12:16 Working for the man! Free labor to any paramedic preceptor. Will work for contact hours! #
• 13:45 Update, our young PT was + for benzos. Mommy said "he gets like that on xanax". I wonder what the real problem is? Parents need to be tested #
• 13:59 61yo M poss. CVA. Pt unable to speak Hx cancer. Tx code 3 missed IV pt pulled away. Two of us had to hold his arm still. Feel bad for him. #

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• 08:00 Morning twits! The universe is still expanding, making more room for stupid people. I'm driving the engine today (and I get extra $ for it) #
• 09:04 Today we check all 4 command cars & wash them. Oh boy! This is a weekly event, so everyone has this much fun! #
• 10:35 Training on new phone system, oh joy. Wonder what's for lunch? #
• 18:54 Cooked pork chops, corn on the cob & sauteed squash & zuchini for dinner. It was good! #
• 21:36 Sleep soon I'm tired. Another 12hrs of paramedic internship tomorrow. #
• 22:48 Good night twits. Stay safe, and get rest. Tomorrow comes a day too soon. #
• 23:26 2nd wild goose chase this evening. What the hell do these people see? Don't call unless you are SURE there is a problem! #

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Curiosity

A friend of mine made an unusual comment today. We were shopping for dinner at the firehouse and I asked a random question (as I oft times do), if they knew the difference between a peeled onion and the storage onions. I gave the answer I learned from Alton Browns TV show on Food Network.

Jon made the comment, "I wish I had your curiosity". He has only slept one hour in the past fourty eight, due to working yesterday and today. I did not think that I had an unusual curiosity with the world. I have thought about this and I do have a thirst for useless knowledge, and I almost always want to learn something new. Just yesterday I made a comment on Twitter that if I were younger and had more money I would goto Med School just for fun. I have many courses I wish to enroll in and I don't think I can ever learn everything I wish to study. I am interested in just about everything, maybe not all at the same time, but I do take a fancy to specific topics randomly. Example, right now I am listening to a YouTube video blog from geriatric1927. He is telling stories from his childhood in England during World War Two. I have never lived through a war, and with any luck a war will not come to my hometown (like Red Dawn, damn Ruskies).

I guess you can see my interests through the twitter log (which I like very much, now that I can get a daily post to my blog). So stay tuned and grab the bag of popcorn. If you don't like the show wait five minutes, it will change!

More than a thought

I am within two hundred hours of completing my paramedic ride time. I have cut back on the amount of work I am doing, so I can get some rest in between my thirty six hour rotations. I work twenty four hours at the firehouse and then go directly to a twelve hour shift on the ambulance. This leaves me with a day off, adn I really need the rest.

The wife and I witnessed the lack luster Vice-presidential debate last night. I encourage everyone to check FactCheck.org for debunked missteps taken by both candidates. I am finding that Kentucky really is a Republican state. One co-worker today said with conviction that he absolutly would not vote for Obama because he is a muslim. I attempted to point out that he was a christian, and all the flack Obama was taking for the outbursts of his pastor. The co-worker just said that there are also gay men that are married with children. Well there goes a few decades of tolerance and civil rights down the drain.

How can anyone think that an entire individual can be summed up by one statement, made by spin services trying to discredit, and maim his name? Some other people I work around have made similar statements about the Democratic candidate. Americans really don't care for subtleties. We want one word answers and catchy tag lines (but mostly we want people to think for us).

There is nothing that is so easy to summarize. Black and white does not exist we are all shades of gray. Life is not simple and easy, sometimes the right decision to make is not the most popular nor the "morally" rightous one. Is this why a religion where a person reads the text and tells us what to think is the most popular? Ok yes really most religions are akin to that statement. I prefer to decifer the information on my own, and thats why I like the philosophy of Daoism. No one here to tell me how to think, and no easy answers. My job and my philosophy requires me to make decisions based on the "evidence" before me, wether they are signs and symptoms of a medical problem, or I am seeking the wisdom to make a personal decision (not to worry, I am just triping the light fantastic, not planning anything). There are cases where the right call is to let someone die. Yes the right decision is not always the right decision. You get used to this, and living in my world of gray.

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• 11:37 One whole day off! Can I do a weeks worth of tasks in one day? Probably not, but I'll try! #
• 14:53 Sitting in the county clerk's office waiting for my number to be called. Governemt needs to be easier to deal with. #
• 16:02 Oil change & tire rotation. The excitement continues! #
• 17:22 Yes I looked that up online. But now you know ;) #
• 17:25 I despirately need to review all that good stuff. #
• 17:51 I have learned more about Parkinson's disease that I thought I would even know. #
• 18:01 Very interesting. I wish I were younger (and had more money), I'd goto med school for fun #
• 18:52 Ok I'll bite and watch the VP debate tonight. They are normally funny and rowdy! #

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• 07:51 Providing free labor to my local paramedics. Wonder what kind of fun we'll have today? #
• 11:50 AEMS is going to Pit stop bbq for lunch. Only 1 run so far today. I thought there would be more. #
• 12:04 Another lunch interrupted. 49yo M c/o rapid heart rate. We are enroute now. Another cold lunch for me :( #
• 13:15 0/2 on IV attempts. Not really worried. Had really good couple of weeks previously. They come and go. I'll keep practicing! #
• 15:46 79 yo female syncopal episode, broken nose. And periods of sinus arrest! Luckily I had her on the monitor from the start! got the IV too! #

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• 06:33 Monrning world. Back at the firehouse. Another 24 hours of unaduterated boredom. Can you feel the love? #
• 08:32 Training @ 10:30 EMS Shock. Not that I dis like training but I just had a paramedic class! #
• 10:28 Time to train! Shock 'till you recognize the rhythm! #
• 12:41 Whats for lunch? The crew is thinking Raferty's #
• 16:32 Just finished waxing a hazmat trailer. The glorious life of the firefighter. #
• 22:17 I pledge to read 20-40pgs of my paramedic book. Going to test soon (written in Dec hopefully). Need to study. I hate tests. #

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• 08:50 Morning in the bluegrass state. I always liked the fall weather, crisp & cool mornings #

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• 07:38 Stuck in the middle. Paramedic time is getting habitual. What will I do when it's over? #
• 09:55 1st run 93yo M c/o weakness. No wonder w/ a-fib & bradycardia. BP was good though. Poss UTI #
• 12:12 The most difficult decision of the day. What is for lunch? #
• 19:34 1yr old male 2nd deg burns 30% BSA accidental. 1.5mg morphine via IO 240ml NS bolus. Tx- childrens Hosp. #
• 20:30 From KT4GB- It is better to be hated for what you are than loved for what you are not #

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• 10:35 Out to do more fire inspections. Hooray! Flashed new ROM to my tilt, still trying to figure it out. #
• 13:54 Eating Lunch @ Chinese Tea Bistro in Norton Commons. Best in the area. #
• 17:45 Standing on the corner watching all the girls go by..... #
• 17:47 No really it just sounds better than sitting at the station watching 'House' #

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• 09:00 Dogs decided 07:30 was time to get up. Eating Pizza 4 b-fast. Lots to do today on my 1 day of #
• 13:43 Damn. Working 84 hours over next 5 days. Only getting paid for 48 hrs. Next day off- thursday. #
• 14:08 renewed the 2 dogs licenses, now to renew the car's license. Giving meto government more money. #
• 23:42 got to sleep. must get up in 6 hours for another tour @ firehouse. #

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• 06:44 Up early again. Only 1 run torough the night. Off to more paramedic ride time. The end is in sight! #
• 10:00 People w/ Hist. of stroke need to be seen if they exhibit signs of same. With in the hour, not 13.5 hrs later. #
• 10:09 I think I am giving humans too much credit for informing themselves. Are people really happy with their ignorance? #
• 11:57 Got J.Gumbo's for lunch! Hopefully we get to eat it in peace. Needing to study #
• 20:04 Drinking a beer waiting for the pizza. I wish I had New Haven pizza here. Oh well. #

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Thoughts

The past two years of my training in advanced prehospital medicine will come to a close by mid November. I am almost finished with my field internship (ride time) and I need to start thinking about when and where I will take the two tests.

The National Registry for Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT) is the agency which sets standardized testing for Emts and Paramedics. Their tests are widely recognized (even despised) and accepted by most state agencies. The written test can be scheduled at anytime, since there is a testing center right here in Louisville but the practical exam (skills test) is a horse of a different color.

There are few "testing centers" in the country that offer practicle exams. The process is long and involved to become a testing center. Paramedic graduates in Louisville used to travel to Memphis, TN or Indianapolis, IN to test. The NREMT website lists the open test sites and dates. A paramedic candidate must register 3 weeks prior to the test date. All the paperwork must be completed prior to registering, which is to say that the program coordinator has to certify that the student has met all the requirements.

I plan to be finished with my ride time in the middle of November. There are a few choices for testing sites. Here is a list:

Deer Park, TX 12/13
Savannah, GA 12/13
Wisconsin Rapid, WI 12/13
Columbus, OH 12/13
Concord, NH 12/14
Allentown, PA 12/19
Tuscon, AZ 12/20
Denver, CO 12/20
Macon, GA 12/20
Hartford, CT 01/08

Hmm...Hartford Connecticut. Obviously Columbus Ohio is closer and there is a Cincinnati, OH date for the 14th of February. Cincy would be more than three months after I finish my ride time, too much time to forget everything. Columbus could work out if I finish before the 10th of November, too close to hedge my bets on making that date. Hartford though is two days after my birthday, in my home state. It just seems fitting that I try to test there. I could visit friends and family while I am there.

So there you have it, I hope to test in Hartford.

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• 06:55 Woke up @ 4am, went the gym before shift began at firehouse. Don't really want to be here today. #
• 07:00 I will be happy when they let us do our jobs and cut back on busy work. #
• 07:02 We need to disband the 18 FDs in the county and make one strong Dept. The 18 kings are too greedy and self important. #
• 07:03 Fire & EMS in KY are stuck in the 1970's. We need advanced thinking in Fire commission and KBEMS. #
• 08:59 Crew going to the gym, then inspections! Can you feel the sarcasm? #
• 09:31 I want a new operating system. Screw you MS and your lousy windows mobile product. We need Mac OS for mobile phones. #
• 09:40 Does anyone really care that Clay aiken is gay? Really? Lets move past this like we moved past the Spanish inquisition. #
• 09:44 Why won't Vista let an admin download a program from the web? Vista is also junk. I've had to fix more problems than with XP #
• 09:56 Twitter is dangerous. I get to say exactly what I think w/o needing social filters. Yeay randomness! #
• 10:04 I'm just a firefighter/medic student. I want to learn more about everything, but my "server" space is limited. #
• 10:07 Someday I hope to learn usefull skills. Maybe I could learn piano...wait I said USEFULL skills. Damn. I'm screwed #
• 10:32 I need some motivation to make it through the day. Music usually works. Need more music! Wish we had radio on fire truck. #
• 11:09 Playing Fire Inspector. Lots of businesses to inspect Hopefully they are all pleasant to deal with. #
• 11:55 People don't like to be inspected. I am not in the mood for mean people. They don't like laws I guess, too bad. #
• 13:39 Thinking about taking Medic practical exam in Hartford,CT on Jan 08 2009. Good excuse to visit the old land. #
• 15:58 Sleepy. I need OSHA safety nap. Where is the gov. regulation on this issue? Useless government. #
• 18:49 Chacha is interesting. Go ahead and ask a question. Send via txt to 242242. They have answers #

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• 07:22 Working 12 hours at OCEMS. 295 hours ride time completed. 205 to go. #
• 08:25 Taking practice exam for National Registry test. #
• 09:13 09:45 BLS transport (round trip) to Dr's office. Oh, the glamorous life of the EMT. I'm so excited I could sleep. #
• 12:50 Trying to schedule my October. Feels like I'm juggling knives! #
• 13:15 Loading android for my Kaiser. Hope it works better then Windows Mobile #
• 14:18 I wonder why Microsoft products are so flawed? MS seems to ignore everything people want and head straight for disaster every time. #
• 14:47 What's the use of an ER that cannot treat an acute MI? really freaking useless. #
• 15:45 Riding in to cath lab w/ inferior MI runs of V-tach and I'm just and EMT today. #
• 16:28 Who started the whole rubberized bracelet fad? Can we end it also? I don't need those things to have convictions. #

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• 07:26 Beautiful morning 63 deg. and I am just waiting for someone to call 911. Seems kind of twisted #
• 08:58 Back to indentured servitude on the ambulance. Looking to be finished w/ ride time at end of October. Oct. Will be long month. #
• 11:17 1st run 19yo F 17 wks pregnant c/o syncopal episode. Nothing overly exciting. Gest. diabetes. #
• 12:40 50yo M c/o Nausea & vomiting; Big spider bite on back of neck. PT stable got 2nd IV for the day. #
• 14:01 Is it bad if the break pads are grinding your rotors (on the Ambulance) ? We #
• 14:02 We are not having good luck with trucks. This is 3rd truck since friday. All mechanical failures. #
• 14:11 Have not had lunch yet. Hungry & sleepy. Luckily we are OOS, and we can eat on the way back to the station. #
• 15:51 Yeay lunch. Waiting to get a 4th truck to switch into. Emergency equipment breaks often. #
• 18:33 95yo F syncopal episode. 1 deg block. PT's g-daughter gave PT NTG (thus the syncope) then att. CPR! #
• 20:58 Walked the dogs, ate dinner, now time for sleep. Wake up @ 4am for EMS shift tomorrow. Was 2/3 for IV's today. Good day for me. #

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• 12:52 Had a dream about living in FLA, so I am lookings at FLA houses. Should continue cleaning the house #
• 15:35 Paying Bills & thinking about re-arranging the kitchen #
• 20:06 Wife & I took the dogs for a walk. Time to feed the pups. #

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• 13:32 Returning from BLS transport to Shelbyville. Wondering what's for lunch? #
• 15:20 Waiting for the next run. Luckily I am getting paid today! And I have tomorrow off! #
• 19:46 Had dinner @ Irish Rover! Best pub in town. They have Tennets beer from Scotlandq #

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• 07:32 Did not want to get up this morning. Providing free labor for Ambulance again. Paramedic is fun. #
• 09:06 hello boys & girls this is your old pal stinky wizzleteats. This is a song about a whale..NO this is a song about being happy! #
• 09:09 If'an you ain't the grandaddy of all liars! The little creatures in nature, they don't know they're ugly. #
• 09:13 ...the rest of my lite-brite pieces. My name isn't Adam We, or is it? Who is this? How did you get this number? Guess I showed him. #
• 09:14 Nobody messes with Adam We. #
• 11:34 71yo M c/o Chest pain. 12 lead ST elev. in V2,3,4 concave upwards. Rhythm keeps changing w/ PVCs to boot. Looks junctional accelerated. #
• 11:35 Transport code 3 to hosp. ER doc & cardiologist req we Tx PT to cathlab. So we did. He is undergoing cath now. #
• 17:00 2nd run 24yo F abdominal pain secondary to MVC. No abd bruising & PT was stable. BLS to hospital. Slow day for us. #
• 19:42 Getting sleepy. Hopefully we can make it back to quarters before we get another run. I have to be at OCEMS at 6am! #

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• 06:52 24 hours begins @ 07:00 EDT. Review of Charleston Fire for training. #
• 08:18 Daily routine finished. Training next. Looks like power is back on in most of the district #
• 15:24 Seagrave, why is our new (aug. 2007) engine in repair more than in service? Has E-one bought you out? #
• 15:26 Switched to reserve engine (again). Engine 31 needs alternator. #
• 15:28 Presentation on Charleston 9 LODD. Shame on CFD and their Chief. What were they thinking (or not thinking) #
• 15:29 CFD has proven that ISO rating is useless. They proudly display ISO class 1 but they didn't even have ICS established. #
• 17:06 Listening to the people in my head. They have a nice soundtrack, I should get the album. #

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• 08:57 Paying Bills & running errands on my 1 day off this week #
• 09:26 Making a list and checking it twice. Still more than half city w/o power, can't get much done today #
• 10:45 Trying to find the motivation to achieve something. #
• 11:37 Killing me Softly was written about Don Mcleans American Pie song. Learned something new today. I'm done. #
• 15:41 Making dinner preperations for wife's parents who are still without power. Nice nite 4 cook out #
• 17:52 Grilling. Potatoes are on and steaks are ready. Beautiful evening! #
• 20:13 Feed the dogs, drink a beer and go to sleep. Back to the firehouse in the morning. #

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• 08:28 Lots of Patient assists. You'd think people on O2 would know how to operate their own regulators. #
• 09:34 Anchorage has no cable tv, no internet and cell signal is weak at best. This is going to be a long 12 hours. #
• 11:35 Slow morning, but now only 4 ambulances metro wide. Guess people are waking up now #
• 13:41 2nd run Overdose Consious PT= nasal intubation x 3 attempts & IV #
• 14:24 3rd run 26yo M seizures = IV & transport. #

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• 05:10 Power came back on @ 22:24. Finally got some sleep. Now I'm up and off to work @ Firehouse today. 1st day back from vacation #
• 08:05 Drove Engine 31 to shop for PM. Only took 40min to get there. #
• 10:07 Why promote a guy to sergeant then not let him ride up as officer? Answer: Because he doesn't have enough experience #
• 10:08 Solution: Let the firefighter you didn't promote ride up as officer. WTF?!?! #
• 10:10 I'm disappointed in the lack of pride & ownership in my department today #
• 10:31 Power has been out almost 24hrs. Dry sprinkler systems losing pressure = lots of water flow alarms. #
• 11:42 Dr.'s Office - gas generator running in basement; CO 275ppm in basement. Yes patients were in waiting room #
• 12:09 Long lines at gas stations. Had to push our way in for fuel, guage says 1/4 tank. Why the rush on gas? #
• 13:26 Off work for 5 shifts. 5827 junk emails waiting for me. Spammers suck. I hope they die. #
• 16:16 Yesterday they did 38 runs. Today we only have 9 but we are having trouble keeping up with the paperwork. #
• 18:16 Going to eat dinner, then finish paperwork. Tomorrow should be a fun day for paramedic ride time (power still out everywhere) #
• 20:18 Washing cloths & bedding. Tired. #
• 21:54 Posted new blog. fyrdog21.blogspot.com/ I miss the job I loved. #
• 22:10 www.ted.com Great place for advanced thinking. Presentations are good too. #

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Day of Reckoning

The day after the day after. Yes That is what I said. The people who are experiencing life after a storm are not the brightest (although in my district they are are well educated). You will see the twitter log of the stupidity I have witnessed today, but I thought I might expand on a few.

Dr.'s Office - gas generator running in basement; CO 275ppm in basement. Yes patients were in waiting room
What on earth was this Doctor thinking? Her husband, a licensed electrician, made a valient effort to get the office open and wired a gas generator into the circut panel in the basement. I am not electrician, but it appeared that the wiring was correct and it would not back feed to the power grid (which would pose a danger to all the electricians working to repair the downed powerlines). This is a good way to ensure that you can power what is needed without running a mile of extension cord. Good thought perhaps, but to place the toxic fume emmiting power plant in the basement of the Doctor's Office is worthy of a Darwin Honorable mention. THey did make an effort to open the doors and try to naturally ventilate the basement (it had two exterior doors on either end of the building, with one leading up stairs to the office proper). We took our CO detector and found 305ppm of carbon monoxide. The experts recommend that no one is exposed to more than 35ppm over a 10 hour period (NIOSH) and not more than 200ppm. I would have hoped that the Licensed Medical Doctor knew the dangers of CO in her own business. I guess not. The patients that were waiting to be seen understood why we had to evacuate the building, but I don't think they were too happy. How would you feel if you were poisoned AT the Doctor's Office?

Why promote a guy to sergeant then not let him ride up as officer? Answer: Because he doesn't have enough experience
Well...Ok here is the scoop (yes a large lighting fixture used to produce broad soft light with no shapable beam), the person we just promoted to sergeant is not allowed to ride in the officers seat because he does not have enough experience. One of the candidates who was passed up for promotion DID ride as officer. WTF? Why promote someone then say they don't have enough experience to perform their job as officer? I have nothing against the two persons, I just do not understand the logic behind that decision. I did not apply for promotion and with this logic passing as leadership I don't think I am going to try any time soon.

I'm disappointed in the lack of pride & ownership in my department today
Seems simple enough. Today was my first day back from vacation. I knew this was going to be a difficult day with the storms that passed through yesterday. I tried to think about the greater good and suggested that we drive around and survey the damage in our district. My thought was to help clear roads that were blocked by trees (not with wires, I don't feel like playing with that much electricity) and provide good PR for our department by offering a hand to those in need. I was told that the Chief wanted us to clean up our parking lot. The lot was not in NEED of cleaning, it only would have improved the cosmetics of the station. A co-worker stated that he made that suggestion to the 1st Platoon Major and the response was "That's NOT our Job". That is a crappy attitude.

Anyone who follows fire service talking circut is familiar with Al Brunacini former Chief of Pheonix Fire Department (AZ), and Rick Lasky Cheif of Lewisville Fire Department (TX). Chief Brunacini championed the high end constomer service (not unlike Disney's idea of Guest Service). Brunacini is known for stories about this philosophy. One run PFD made was a medical call on a male. He was having some medical problem and needed to be in a hospital. The man was pouring a new sidewalk when the medical emergency happened. The Pheonix FD engine that made the run, returned to the mans house and poured the remainder of the person's sidewalk. Now that is service. Chief Lasky has taken this to the newer generations of Fire Chiefs. Chief Lasky makes the talk circut with his "Pride and Ownership - A Firefighters love for the Job" book and subsequent seminar presentation. Lasky's approach is the same as Brunacini's (and Disney's).

Two days ago I had a similar experience during my paramedic ride time. We made a run on a middle age man who fell down the stairs. He was helping move a washing machine up from a basement. The man refused transport to the hospital. My perceptor suggested that we move the washing machine for the man (so we don't have to come back when he hurts himself again). The whole process did not take more than 5 minutes (we took the machine to the street) and we went on our way. I admit that I did not want to perform heavy lifting (we did have a furniture dolly that they were using), but I understood how important that was for the patient. We not only treated him with respect, but we moved the washer for him (not That's Constomer Service). We got good PR and we were assured not to return when he tried to move it again.

That is what we should be doing. Going above and beyond for the community. Somedays I forget the good Karma that we can spread with much ease. I am ashamed for all the times I took the lazy way out. I hope to be a better person in the future.

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• 09:01 Morning. Sunday. My one day off. Hopefully we can relax and Ike remnants won't be too bothersome. #
• 14:27 Wind hit us hard. Power out all over city. Multi working fires. Expect to go to work early tonight. #
• 14:54 75 mph wind gust. Should calm to 40-50 mph in an hour. Most of city w/o power. Cell towers are extremely busy. No Wx nets on yet. #
• 16:48 Wind calmed down. T-storms 2nite. 145000 people w/o power in Louisville. Mayor to speak in 10 min. #

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• 05:47 Hello world, it me. Waiting to see what you have today. i'll do my best paramedic impersonation and treat the sick. I'm ready. #
• 07:05 06:57 Fire run w/ middletown. Sump motor over heated, no fire #
• 08:33 Meaning in life is arbitrary. Why ruin the universe with rigidity? #
• 09:58 Ok listen, your nausea is NOT worse than the PT who is intubated. There are priorities & breathing trumps nausea. #
• 10:32 Here's one for you squeekers (audio techs) you you run you power supply cable along side of you snake? #
• 10:34 Oh yeah and the power supply is standard outdoor 3 prong plug powering a rack & console. #
• 11:51 What do you want to do when you grow up? No really I am taking a poll. Let me know. #
• 15:46 Your heart does not like you when consuming Red Bull. Don't let Paul drink them. #
• 17:11 Big brown won another race (not by much). Was it all steroids? One more race then he retires to stud farm. #
• 19:36 I can't believe the UK vs MTSU game is only on pay-per-view. Freaking stupid ESPN #

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• 07:20 Daily chores done at EMS. Time to test the lazy boy's #
• 11:00 Driving Med 933 today. Busy during downpoar (4 runs). #
• 11:39 Eating at Red Pepper Deli 4 lunch. Watching Ike coverage. #
• 13:36 Had awsome corned beef & coleslaw sand. Peaceful lunch then got a run. I like to stay busy. #
• 15:51 It is amazing how the standard of living can be so poor in a wealthy area. Poverty is a social disease. #
• 16:07 Young drivers: Put down the phone, pull 2 the right and stop for emegency vehicles is this that freaking hard 2 understand? #
• 20:48 Dairy Kastle has the best Sundae w/ real hot fudge! Watching Ike on weather channel. #

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• 23:58 Going to sleep. I've got tomorrow off! WooHoo! Need to go for a swim tomorrow. #
• 10:46 Uploading Vacation photos to Flickr. New App. @ Facebook should see pics on profile page. #
• 11:17 Upload complete. See photos here tinyurl.com/FLA08. #
• 11:47 cooliris looks a little like Adobe Lightroom (which BTW is the best photo editing /mgmt software out there IMHO). Testing Twhirl. Very nice #
• 13:23 Added SPB mobile shell to my Tilt. Always looking for best GUI for WM6.1 (which is crap). #
• 15:34 Off to the Mary T Meagher pool for a water workout. It is hurricane season afterall. #
• 15:41 I need to do that more often. It's been a long time since I swam for excersize #
• 17:46 Enough flying and dying. Time to surf the web and creat chaos #
• 19:06 Checking the facts and trying to spread the word about www.Factcheck.org. Educate yourself. #

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Factcheck.org

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• 06:41 Morning Metropolis, Paramedicc student is back on duty. Please keep hands and legs inside the ride at all times. #
• 10:15 First run of the day. Two students today and I'm on 2nd truck (which means we're up next). Pandora.com is very cool. need wm6 client for it. #
• 10:22 Hadron Collider will NOT cause destruction of the Universe. Really people, check your physics before ranting on about theories #
• 12:33 Pulled pork BBQ for lunch. Got 2nd run & was canceled. #
• 14:05 75 yo male Hypotension, but only occasionally. A-fib on the 12 lead #
• 15:06 Lazy team leaders in the combined special teams are making me angry. No one wants to see beyond themselves. #
• 23:38 Set up LoudTwitter to post daily log of tweets to my blog. This is cool. fyrdog21.blogspot.com #

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Addendum

The FEMA post was in response to a phone call that I had with a coworker and friend. He has been working on this issue since we were on standby for Gustav. The JCWRT was deployed back in 2005 for Katrina, and we thought we might get the call again.

He made several phone calls to local and state Emergency Managers to verify our status. According to Kentucky EM we are now a Type 1 Swiftwater/Flood Rescue team. We have the manpower, equipment and training to meet the FEMA guidlines for a Type 1 Team. Type 1 is the best you can be and many water rescue teams strive to be classified as type 1.

According to my friend, only three resources are dispatched directly from FEMA. US&R (Urban Search & Rescue teams, otherwise known as Task Forces), National Guard, and Coast Guard. All other teams are deployed via the EMAC.

Does this increase the possibility of deployment to Texas for Ike? I have no idea and neither will they until it happens. In hurricane aftermaths water teams mostly evacuate and search flooded areas. There might be a need for this (California already has two Type 1 water teams en route to Texas) and we might get the call. Until then we can train thoroughly and prepare for all possibilities.

FEMA and other four letter words

Most people are aware of the Hurricane Ike that is threatening the coast of Texas. Before Ike there was Gustav. And in between there was Hanna. There are rescue teams currently being staged in the area for Ike. My water rescue team Jefferson County Swiftwater Rescue (JCWRT) is still located in Louisville. Why?

I don't know. According to our command staff we are listed as a state resource. The only way to deploy us is for the State Emergency Management Agency (EMA) of the affected area to request us through an EMAC (Emergency Management Assistance Compact). In our case the Governor of Texas would need to declare a state of emergency, allowing the Texas EMA (technically it is the Governors Division of Emergency Management {GDEM}) to begin their search for resources through the EMAC. GDEM would have to call Kentucky EMA and ask them if we have resources for flood/swiftwater rescue. Should they need/want our assistance the JCWRT would get notified by Kentucky EMA to deploy to Texas (we would also get staging instructions for where to report to in the state of texas). This is how states request Mutual Aid from other states.

A rather complicated procedure, we can mix it up by adding a federal response. FEMA has different requirements for teams that wish to be of assistance. They have a whole host of lists and requirements, and forms to fill out to be listed as a FEMA Resource. For the purpose of full disclosure I do not know if there is a federal response for Ike. I do know that there is an official State of Disaster Declared by the Governor of Texas (as of the 7th Sept. 2008). I do not know the difference between State of Disaster and State of Emergency. I will look into these and report back (to all two of you who read my blog).

I am an emergency worker, and I like helping people. My job is to assist the general public and other emergency services personnel when requested. I like this, no in fact I get giddy when I get the opportunity to perform. Sitting around playing tiddlywinks (or mopping floors and cleaning bathrooms) is not why I show up to work. Janitorial services are, unfortunately, required but I really would rather be out there in the middle of all the disasters helping those in need (despite my wife not liking the thought of me being deployed and away from home). Idle hands do the devils work and this blog is proof.

Reunion of sorts

A few old technicians from the Magic Kingdom gathered this evening to visit and catch up with my wife and me. This is not unusual for people to meet and greet visitors but it felt different. I found that I was more comfortable sitting around the table with the people that I worked with more than six years past, than I am with my own platoon at the firehouse. The sub culture of the firehouse is known for it's family like atmosphere. The high stress events that endure during our tours are supposed to bring us together like a family (albeit a family of sweaty guys who desperately need a shower after a fire). The people who I worked with during my short three year tour at WDW are more like family than most of the people at my fire station. I do not know how or why and I am not sure if this will change. The stories we tell each other from hurricane ride out (Hurricane Floyd) to Grad nite confusions are fondly remembered by all. I have always felt like there was something special about my time at the Kingdom and tonight I found that other people had similar thoughts. Many people left the company or have moved into other positions in other parks, but during our time in the Kingdom we held court and will always remember.

Many thanks to Ralphy, Marni, Scott, Eric, Ben, Joey, Stacey, Nina, Jeanine, Carrie for spending an evening with us. Mike & Laura (our gracious hosts for the past three days) we cannot repay the kindness you have shown us, thank you for helping us feel welcome.

Tomorrow we tour Epcot (that was OUR favorite park to visit).