Re: Helicopter use

February 20, 2006

Wow, did a nerve get stepped on? Not the intention, promise. Oh, and I'm

glad that you have some personal protection but sorry you've had to pull it.

That's always a sticky situation to be in. Off the subject, I have the same

Ruger with the stainless bull barrel; very nice target gun. In fact, I have

a very nice collection of military and target weapons. I spent the weekend

with my family, so no, don't believe you had any MORE fun..and I own, free

and clear, my home (125k +) and one 2006 vehicle (Z71 Tahoe)

I hope we all have a good day!

Gods Speed,

BB

_____

From: [mailto: ] On

Behalf Of Red

Sent: Monday, February 20, 2006 5:09 PM

To:

Subject: RE: Re: Helicopter use

ok..... I just read this one.... 50 is not old....and I have a handgun.....

I live in Houston.......carry it whenever I travel alone, have had to pull

it twice.....women cannot be stranded for any reason on the side of the road

anymore without being at risk.....

And competition shooting is fun... I have a competition stainless steel

Ruger with a bull barrel, it's a 22 and I like the steel targets... lots of

fun..so is 50....

Bet my weekend was more fun than yours.... and bet I had more money to

spend...that's the beauty of 50......

Bobby Brinson wrote:

Doc, first of all, you're old! Secondly, I am glad you told us about the

gay

bar thing!! Thirdly and lastly, very professional and sincere statement.

Education is the key to all success. Sometimes that education hurts! I say

all of that with nothing but respect!

_____

From: [mailto: ] On

Behalf Of Bledsoe, DO

Sent: Sunday, February 19, 2006 6:00 PM

To:

Subject: RE: Re: Helicopter use

I'll be serious now. There is a saying in medicine: " Good judgment comes

from experience; experience comes from bad judgment. " I am now 50-years-old

and lucky to be here. When I was young, I did all sorts of stupid things. I

used to drag race motorcycles. I have ridden a motorcycle at over 130 MPH on

Loop 820 in Fort Worth. When I was a paramedic and EMT, we only used gloves

to pick up bodies. I have had more blood on my hands than the curator of the

Coliseum in Rome. I once ran an MCI for a knife fight in the most notorious

gay bar in Fort Worth before we ever heard of AIDS. I was covered in blood

(I was on-duty--not in the bar). We used to volunteer for all sorts of

stupid experiments when I was a medical student. I took one of the first

Hepatitis B vaccines ever developed--made from the serum of Oklahoma

prisoners with antibodies to hepatitis B. I was a helicopter medic. We used

to rappel from helicopters for the fun of it. I was once in a Bell 206 that

flew under a highway bridge in Fort Worth. I have a bullet fragment in my

right forearm from entering an apartment complex (oh well, " projects " ) cause

I was macho and didn't want to wait for the cops. I used to collect hand

guns. In 1999 I was so ill I received Last Rites from the Catholic Church.

Fortunately, I survived and my outlook on life changed.

I learned through all this that life is precious and medicine is a calling

and a privilege as is EMS. While we all have to learn through our own

experiences, it never hurts to heed the experiences of others. Now, I am

very careful about wearing gloves. I am very cautious riding motorcycles and

will not ride one outside of a rural environment. I am cautious in bad

neighborhoods and on streets that look unsafe. I gave up hand guns and now

collect something I will be glad to pass on to my grandson-first editions of

Mark Twain's books. I am not for taking anybody's handguns away, I just

don't feel anybody but the cops and military need them. I just have seen too

many dead teenagers on my ED bed due to a gun shot from another teenager.

You can interpret the second amendment as you want, that is just how I see

it. I have seen more people die than most people would see in a millennium.

Human life is precious. We all must believe that or we would not put up with

the poor wages and other bullshit inherent in EMS.

The counteracting mechanical forces of a helicopter make for a wonderful

device. As Igor Sikorsky said, " If you're in trouble anywhere in the world,

an airplane can land and drop you flowers; a helicopter can land and save

your life. " Helicopters can save some lives. We need perhaps 10 medical

helicopters for all for Texas. There are 17+ in DFW and that is why you hear

stories like the one earlier today about the patient with the brain tumor.

As you mature, you measure risks against benefits for everything--not just

your family, but yourself. I was supposed to go to Cuba last year to do a

series for JEMS. Castro was cracking down on dissidents. I decided it safest

not to go. Ten years ago I would have been there and maybe never heard from

again.

The helicopter issue is a major problem in the US. I love helicopters. I

like looking at them. I love riding in them--I have even landed one once.

But, when you choose to take a mission, as occurred recently in Indiana, you

are making a decision for your crew (which I know the mantra, " Three to go,

one to stay. " ), but you are also making a decision for the patient who does

not know the risks and benefits you do. And if you tell me that all

helicopter EMS services practice safety first, I can direct you to over 70

NTSB reports that say they don't. Helicopter EMS has a macho culture--some

of which due to the military influence. Now that I am older I have found

myself giving eulogies for friends and co-workers. There is nothing more

sobering. The JEMS article I linked was my way of dealing with the loss of

life that contacted me. Each of us has a way of doing that. That was mine.

Make your own mistakes. Learn. Don't place anybody else at risk while you do

so. This comes from one with experience in doing so.

And don't forget that there is more to life than EMS and helicopters. As

Mark Twain said, " So throw off the bowline. Sail away from the safe harbor.

Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. " Just don't

endanger.

February 20, 2006