# In which I pit my EMT saviour **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 27, 2006, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-i-pit-my-emt-saviour/370463 "2006-08-27T22:47:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![duffer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duffer/32/1026_2.png) [@duffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duffer)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2006, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-i-pit-my-emt-saviour/370463/21 "2006-08-28T04:44:28Z")
[QUOTE=Paul in Saudi] As a policy, I cut people who are ill or in emotional distress a great deal of slack in what they say. Betenoir’s comments do not seem out of line. I am sure any EMT hears worse most days. [/QUOTE] This was exactly what I thought of reading the OP. It would suck to no end to lose all that, then have someone uncaring and indifferent tell you to “suck it up”, as it were. **betenoir** , please keep in mind that while this may be a serious inconvenience/setback in your life, the EMT was there to keep you alive until you got to a doctor. While you were being examined, that same EMT was out saving another person’s life. Or at least trying to. Now for the mini-subhijack Pitting. Who the fuck are you to say “Fuck you” to the person that may have helped save your life?!? The EMT isn’t your caregiver and likely didn’t sign on as the person to protect you from all evil in the world. The EMT kept you alive long enough to post here, so he/she must have gotten the job done in a reasonably competent fashion. You were in NYC. A toddling burgh of 7 or 8 million people. If he/she didn’t devote available time to your possesions, well shit happens. If he/she wasn’t skilled in social work to the point of focusing on you alone, counseling may be in order. I realize it was important to you at that moment, but there were plenty of people that were probably in more need of an EMT than someone trying to find their checkbook. Again, I can understand the frustration. But try to understand the pressure the EMT was under to get out and save lives instead of helping you to find lost luggage. Seriously, when it comes to EMT’s, if you’re breathing on your own and not bleeding from the jugular, the EMT is probably thinking about getting to the next person dying because he’s not there. Don’t waste his time. Call whoever you have to to get replacement peices of paper. ---
**Author:** ![betenoir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@betenoir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betenoir)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2006, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-i-pit-my-emt-saviour/370463/22 "2006-08-28T05:51:40Z")
Well geez duffer, I thought I was pretty clear. There’s no way in the world I was expecting the EMT to look after my luggage. It never occured to me. I just wasn’t expecting him to waste his own time to come back and be unpleasent over my attempt to track it down on my own. And I don’t enjoy being called a lier. That’s pretty much all. ---
**Author:** ![St.Urho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8e7dd6/32.png) [@St.Urho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/St.Urho)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2006, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-i-pit-my-emt-saviour/370463/23 "2006-08-28T06:33:40Z")
[QUOTE=duffer] \ **betenoir** , please keep in mind that while this may be a serious inconvenience/setback in your life, the EMT was there to keep you alive until you got to a doctor. While you were being examined, that same EMT was out saving another person’s life. Or at least trying to. \ The EMT isn’t your caregiver and likely didn’t sign on as the person to protect you from all evil in the world. The EMT kept you alive long enough to post here, so he/she must have gotten the job done in a reasonably competent fashion. You were in NYC. A toddling burgh of 7 or 8 million people. If he/she didn’t devote available time to your possesions, well shit happens. If he/she wasn’t skilled in social work to the point of focusing on you alone, counseling may be in order. I realize it was important to you at that moment, but there were plenty of people that were probably in more need of an EMT than someone trying to find their checkbook. Again, I can understand the frustration. But try to understand the pressure the EMT was under to get out and save lives instead of helping you to find lost luggage. Seriously, when it comes to EMT’s, if you’re breathing on your own and not bleeding from the jugular, the EMT is probably thinking about getting to the next person dying because he’s not there. Don’t waste his time. Call whoever you have to to get replacement peices of paper. [/QUOTE] This is 100% wrong. If **betenoir** ’s bag was still with her there’s no excusable reason not to bring them with to the hospital. As EMTs/Paramedics we absolutely are caregivers for our patients. Our job entails more than just taxiing people to the hospital: we need to help keep them calm and comfortable. Anyone who can’t be nice to someone for the \<30 minutes we’re typically in contact with a patient has no business in an ambulance. In addition, the patient that I’m with is my primary responsibility until we get them to the hospital. Having other calls pending is no excuse for shoddy care. To **betenoir** , I’d take that to mean that you’re bag wasn’t there when they arrived. I would have phrased it differently, I’m sure. Unfortunately, we do get accused of theft on a disappointingly regular basis so he may have read more into your questions than you meant, especially if someone had already helped themselves to your stuff before the ambulance got there. St. Urho Paramedic ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2006, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-i-pit-my-emt-saviour/370463/24 "2006-08-28T08:17:15Z")
**betenoir** , have you contacted Lost Luggage at Penn? Sometimes LL gets full suitcases or suitcases that have been rifled through but still have most of the clothing. A friend of my cousin who works at a Lost Lugagge office calls the place “the umbrella collective”. ---
**Author:** ![Fir\_na\_tine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Fir\_na\_tine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fir_na_tine)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2006, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-i-pit-my-emt-saviour/370463/25 "2006-08-28T16:57:05Z")
[QUOTE=betenoir] Not “We didn’t find your bag” but…“There wasn’t any bag”. WTF??? Did he think I was accusing him of something? It never occured to me. I certainly never intimated anything of the kind. I’m sorry but after an extremly disorienting experence that I still don’t understand and involving losing vital possessions (which apparently you think I hallucinated) I don’t need my sanity further questioned for no good reason. What was the point? So thank you. And fuck you. [/QUOTE] He made a statement “There’s wasn’t any bag”. From his point of view, the statement is correct, the bag didn’t exist. From what you posted, I assume that all the implications about hallucinations are in your mind and not statements he made. Read this quote from Athena, > [@](#): > > When my sister was killed in a car accident going on 25 years ago now, her rings disappeared off her fingers. When we asked about them, we were told that people seldom showed up at the hospital after an ambulance ride with purses/jewelery/etc, at least not in that section of California. EMT’s and other first responders are accused - directly or by implication - every day of stealing from the public. 99.999% of the time, the accusation is wrong. But it still stings. Athenea and her family still have this in their mind after 25 years. It’s easy to see why an EMT could read into your question an implied accusation and be snippy. (For the EMT, cop or fireman that does steal from the public - tar and feathers is perfectly in line.) IMHO you took great offense over nothing. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2006, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-i-pit-my-emt-saviour/370463/26 "2006-08-28T17:09:37Z")
[QUOTE=betenoir] Yes I did. I just don’t know how to cancel my SS card! [/QUOTE] Die. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2006, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-i-pit-my-emt-saviour/370463/27 "2006-08-28T17:12:06Z")
[QUOTE=betenoir] Yes I did. I just don’t know how to cancel my SS card! [/QUOTE] You can’t. You should never carry you’re social security card like it was and ID card. There is a process for getting a new SSN, but I hear it’s a very difficult and drawn out process. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2006, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-i-pit-my-emt-saviour/370463/28 "2006-08-28T17:27:52Z")
I wonder how often EMTs get accused of theft? The EMT’s reaction may have been because some of their charges are not above trying to scam the system, accusing EMTs or hospitals of losing items they never had. Not having been there, I cannot speak for anyone’s tones of voice, motivations, phrasings, etc. I’m just pointing out one option. ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2006, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-i-pit-my-emt-saviour/370463/29 "2006-08-28T18:31:07Z")
[QUOTE=Fir na tine] EMT’s and other first responders are accused - directly or by implication - every day of stealing from the public. 99.999% of the time, the accusation is wrong. [/QUOTE] Not to pick nits, but do you truly believe that only one out of every 100,000 EMTs would take something off an incapicated patient? I find that highly dubious. This is not to say that you’re wrong in asserting that a few bad apples spoil the bunch as it were, but I think you need a more reasonable perspective on the inherent honesty and goodness of people. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2006, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-i-pit-my-emt-saviour/370463/30 "2006-08-28T21:39:38Z")
[QUOTE=Eonwe] but I think you need a more reasonable perspective on the inherent honesty and goodness of people. [/QUOTE] So you want him to revise his estimate upwards? 99.99% maybe? I never, ever rely on inherent goodness or honesty. When I actually encounter it, I will be very, very suprised. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Weird\_One](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@The\_Weird\_One](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Weird_One)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2006, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-i-pit-my-emt-saviour/370463/31 "2006-08-28T21:53:14Z")
[QUOTE=D\_Odds] So you want him to revise his estimate upwards? 99.99% maybe? I never, ever rely on inherent goodness or honesty. When I actually encounter it, I will be very, very suprised. [/QUOTE] I think you misread **Eonwe** ’s meaning. > [@Eonwe](#): > > Not to pick nits, but do you truly believe that **only** one out of every 100,000 EMTs would take something off an incapicated patient? I find that highly dubious. (bolding mine) ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2006, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-i-pit-my-emt-saviour/370463/32 "2006-08-28T22:16:07Z")
Mea culpa. I missed the only. One hundred lashes with a wet noodle for me - as long as I get to pick the ‘lasher’. ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2006, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-i-pit-my-emt-saviour/370463/33 "2006-08-29T04:01:26Z")
[QUOTE=Eonwe] Not to pick nits, but do you truly believe that only one out of every 100,000 EMTs would take something off an incapicated patient? I find that highly dubious. [/QUOTE] Having worked in the biz I would say that number is more like 1 in 50 or so, EMT’s are a pretty idealistic bunch that way. Something else to remember. EMT-1’s in many areas is little more than a minimum wage job. I still lived at home when I was doing it so I wouldn’t have stolen from a patient, I had plenty of cash in my pocket and could pretty much buy whatever I might want. Some of my co-workers had families and bill problems and it would not shock me to see some of them pocket some cash if the opportunity arose. If someone were actually caught doing it they would be reported and fired about the second his boots hit the deck in station. One of the things that was pushed hard from my interview to my departure was honesty. When weird stuff happened, you document it. I was told flat out in my company and saw it many times over when I was working there: No matter how bad you think you fucked up, we can live with it if you don’t do it again. IF you lied on your reports, even internal company only incident reports and were caught, instantly fired, no more questions, no second chances, no matter how small the lie. Part of the problem is its also very difficult to prove especially when you have large numbers of bystanders before EMS/PD arrive. Unfortunately EMS types are also often the ones with the most opportunity when you just have a patient and a paramedic in the back. EMS types bear the brunt of many complaints about missing items since many people like **betenoir** basically are out of commission for 10-15 min and their life went from, I was standing here holding my stuff to, I’m in the ambulance without it. The intervening time is difficult to account for. Like many HR problems, you look for the patterns. Everyone will draw a certain amount of complaints, the nature of the biz is, shit happens. When you have 50 employees and everyone has 1-2 complaints and one guy has 7, you need to start taking the complaints about him/her seriously, especially when they are for similar things. [QUOTE=dodds] I wonder how often EMTs get accused of theft? The EMT’s reaction may have been because some of their charges are not above trying to scam the system, accusing EMTs or hospitals of losing items they never had. Not having been there, I cannot speak for anyone’s tones of voice, motivations, phrasings, etc. I’m just pointing out one option. [/QUOTE] Happened to me 3 times in two years, out of around 3000 calls. All of them were also the same types complaining about how much an ambulance costs for the 3 mile trip to the hospital and that blood tests/xrays are just to fluff up the bill. Amazing how homeless people seem to claim to be carrying $800 :rolleyes: IMHO the EMT was being a bit of a dick if the OP presented his demeanor properly. EMT’s are in many cases the single most caring creatures you will ever come across, crude jokes now and then, yes, but until the bleeding stops, or the heart starts its all about that patient. ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2006, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-i-pit-my-emt-saviour/370463/34 "2006-08-29T04:21:39Z")
No one called you a liar. “There was no bag” could just as well mean “There was no bag when I got there.” Nothing in his words was offensive in themselves. Was it his tone of voice that you are not conveying that was offensive? I would be more concerned about what made you lose consciousness. Could that happen while you are driving? Hope you are okay. I quit carrying my SS card thirty or forty years ago and haven’t seen it or needed it in about that long. Sorry for your hassle. ---
**Author:** ![Jodi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7feea3/32.png) [@Jodi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jodi)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2006, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-i-pit-my-emt-saviour/370463/35 "2006-08-29T16:56:03Z")
> [@](#): > > Yes I did. I just don’t know how to cancel my SS card! A piece of friendly advice: A real social security card is a goldmine for an identity thief. I suggest you a register a fraud alert on your credit report(s) and then be sure to monitor them closely going forward to make sure no one has taken out additional credit in your name without your permission. If your identity gets stolen, you could quickly find your credit ruined for years to come. And as noted above, don’t carry your SS card with you. Keep it with other important but “don’t-carry-them-every-day” papers like your car title, birth certificate, and passport in a locked fire-proof box in your home or in a safety-deposit box at a bank. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-i-pit-my-emt-saviour/370463.md?page=1)