Introduction

Brought to you by the letters C2H5OH

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H - C - C- O - H

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Gear Review: Notebooks

Rite-in-the-Rain notebooks

Pros: Durable, waterproof, clear and effective

Cons: Cost, needs a pencil or sharpie etc to work

 

Memo books

Pros: cheap, can write on anything, can tear pages out

Cons: not durable, not waterproof, etc.

 

Field Notes

Pros: cheap, accessories, variants

Cons: falls apart, not good for tearing out pages

 

Phone/Tablet

Pros: easy to use, already have it, some detailed fancy apps for note-taking

Cons: risky to use on scene, require battery charge, may get busted

 

Premise

Reasonable and intelligent courses of action that may differ from the standard or norm.

 

 

Case 1: Hazmat spill

Call: E5, M2, E7, BC2, TR1, R5: crash with injuries, interstate 70, urban area- vehicle into tanker truck (time 20:00, Monday PM)

 

Conditions on arrival:  SUV vs tanker truck with placard 1993 (Diesel fuel).  Driver of SUV trapped in vehicle, driver of truck reports no one else in truck, believes the fuel is leaking.  You observe a leak from the tank onto the ground/snow

Highway is shut down by state police, and are asking about evacuations and such.

Crash is located near an apartment block (just off the freeway), and other housing and commercial structures adjacent to freeway.

Weather

Cold! Air temp of 5F, 3" snow on the ground, light winds (0-4 mph).  RH 20%

 

What would you do ?

 

What the book (ERG) says:

Initial isolation: 150 ft

Large spill: Isolate 1000 ft downwind

Affect rescue and then later deal with spill

 

What actually makes sense:

Flashpoint of diesel fuel: 136F

What actual risks exist to the responders?  What risks to the public?

Fire?  No, not really.  Temp is far below the flashpoint so not a real concern

Tox?  Limited

Crash?  Yes, driver is trapped

What actions make sense?

Affect rescue - PPE: full structure gear with SCBA

Plug the leak

Keep highway closed.

 

Case 2:

glucagon for bb overdose

Intentional overdose of benzos

La protocols

Opiate for chest pain

Opiates for anything

CaCl for neurotoxin

Prophylactic bicarb/CaCl

Therapeutic hyperventilation

 

Case 3: Training with Failure as the Only Result

Classic example: Kobayashi Maru exercise

The notional primary goal of the exercise is to rescue the civilian vessel Kobayashi Maru in a simulated battle with the Klingons. The disabled ship is located in the Klingon Neutral Zone, and any Starfleet ship entering the zone would cause an interstellar incident. The approaching cadet crew must decide whether to attempt rescue of the Kobayashi Maru crew – endangering their own ship and lives – or leave the Kobayashi Maru to certain destruction. If the cadet chooses to attempt rescue, the simulation is designed to guarantee that the cadet's ship is destroyed with the loss of all crew members.

 

From

 

Attempt to rescue the Kobayashi Maru's crew and passengers, which involves violating the Neutral Zone and thereby provoking the Klingons into hostile action or possibly an all-out war; or

Abandon the Kobayashi Maru, preventing war with the Klingons but leaving the crew and passengers of the freighter to probable death.

 

From

 

 

Training too often has a happy ending - switching to contingency isn't required, nothing unusual is required