People I respect

[cjsmith]

I respect EMTs and paramedics. Seriously. I respect the hell outta people who do that work.

For years I've had an itch to get more and better crisis-response medical training. First aid, First Responder, paramedic, EMT... I don't even know all the designations, but I've wanted the training. People who do this work save lives. It's not only useful, it's vital, in the root sense of that word.

Naturally these thoughts of mine are in sharper focus lately.

Me, I probably couldn't be an emergency medical responder full-time. I have more than one chronic pain condition that could disable me just enough to keep me out of that line of work completely. My Bay Area mortgage also pushes for a high-tech job. So OK, not full-time, not unless a lot changes.

There's still quite a bit I can do. I could refresh my medic first aid training, keep my CPR training up to date, look at first responder courses, organize a workplace emergency response team... Stuff. Y'know. Stuff that could be useful. Stuff that could, for someone I happen across some day, be vital.

Comments

[dafydd.livejournal.com]

When I did disaster education for the Red Cross, years ago, I used to advocate that everyone should know one- and two-person CPR, and basic first aid. One person in 50 should be EMT or better. One person in 200 should be LVN or better. One person in 500 should be MD or better. That's my idea for making sure that adequate disaster medical care is available when needed. Obviously, it's a pipe dream, but it's my pipe dream.

(I can't do much volunteer work any more. Since I started working for me, rather than for any specific employer, everything I do needs to provide me with some sort of income. Otherwise, I starve.)

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

I like that pipe dream. We're never going to get a population where 100% know CPR and first aid, but we can keep moving in that direction -- the closer we get the better off the group is.

As for income, I hear ya.