Why Am I Writing This On The Interwebs?

Hi there. If you're reading this, you probably already know me to at least some extent, primarily from working EMS in New York City but also peripherally as social media these days connects those of us with common interests and vocations across the world. Because how else would you have found the link to this site? Oh yeah, maybe da Google…

I've been a paramedic in New York City since 1995. Certainly, there are many esteemed friends and colleagues that have been doing this work longer than I have, but the clear majority of them have moved on to something else. Myself included: I’m a hospital safety & emergency management professional full time, seemingly the most fashionable way to re-imagine old ambulance drivers these days by giving us a desk, a computer, and a necktie. But for some bizarre reason, even though I don’t need to (as my wife reminds me frequently) I still work occasionally on an ambulance in the New York City 9-1-1 system. And I'm also an EMS instructor, enriching the future EMS blogger-minds of tomorrow.

In New York City, 9-1-1 ambulances are provided by either the Fire Department of New York, or by several private hospital-based ambulance services. I work for the latter. The job is the same, only the uniforms and the ambulance paint schemes are different, and I think I probably make better money working for a hospital, but that's a whole different blog about the disparities in pay and status in NYC EMS work.. anyway.... What’s also pretty cool is that my hospital-based service is active in numerous locations throughout the City, providing me with plenty of opportunity for picking my neighborhoods, my partners, and the time of day I want to work. Some of this will likely become more apparent in some of my articles here.

After 30 years of working in the EMS system in New York City, I am continually amazed at some of the absurdity we encounter in this field.  From the call triage system to the reality in the street, the work of EMS in the greatest city in the world is unbelievably ridiculous on so many levels. At some point, I started writing on Facebook about the “things I’ve learned on the nice NYC 9-1-1 ambulance” after getting home from work after 8, 12, 20, 30 hours of unrelenting nonsense, and usually (and with better effect) after a glass or two of wine at 3am... Seems I now have a 'following' among my Facebook pals when I write these pieces – an FDNY EMS lieutenant pal from Battalion 46 regularly comments that he spits his coffee out of his nose while reading my stuff on Facebook. I figure if he finds it that funny (and he's often a fairly critical guy) I must be a fairly snarky writer.

So here’s the cheap-ass GoDaddy website to bring this material to the masses. Most of this is peppered with references that only a NYC EMS person will recognize; other items are truly universal. I’m just trying to entertain. And inform. And laugh, hopefully. Sometime satire is the best vehicle to cause one to think critically, or not, about how crazy this system is, how it's used and abused, and how we survive working within it. Especially over the last 2 years in NYC.. Don't believe me? Read Anthony Almojera's book "Riding the Lightening", see links below.. we're on the same page...

After all, it's the "NICE" New York City 9-1-1 ambulance...and I still love it...now I'm gonna write about it while I sip my wine... took a nice accidental COVID break - honestly, I've just been pre-occupied with other stuff - but I'm still here and still on the ambulance and now I'm back hopefully better than ever.. so I'm re-starting my dumb commentary..

You’re welcome.