Raindogblue

FIU Folly

 

Since the Vic is the shop, I grab what ever FIU is available.  There is a shortage of prowlers. A portion of Days has to come in early, so Afternoons has cars. Yesterday's car had an empty tank and an under inflated tire. Today's rig had 15 pairs of dirty gloves and two partial consumed Coke bottle, among other garbage under the driver's seat. 

 

 

MAV No More

 

The MAV cars, the mobile audio and visual cars, are no more. The department is no longer paying for the software. The data is no longer accessible and one by one the systems are being removed from the FIUs. 

 

 

Pinballing

 

Off 20th, in the Burl, I covered Ranger on a slumper. The target Silverado was parked between two cars on the south side of the street. Ranger, as primary, took lead. The canted his FIU against the driver's side of the Chevy. I blocked in the back.

A mope, the sole occupant, was on nod behind the wheel. Three by four inch strips of foil with burnt centers lay out like badges to a fentanyl addiction.

The man woke as Ranger spoke to him, fumbled for the car keys on the center, between the seats, console, started the Chevy, jammed the Silverado in reverse, and rammed the car behind him. Move away from the passenger side of the truck, I caught eyes with Ranger, still in the center of the street and told him, Get to cover!

Slamming the Silverado into drive, the mope rammed the passenger side of Ranger's prowler, pushing the SUV forward at least six feet. The driver shifted back into reverse and smashed into my Vic. Hitting the square face of the PIT bumper, the back of the Chevy bounced up, and the under-carriage of the truck hooked on the top of the PIT bar. The impact set my Ford four feet back.

The mope shifted forward, careened into the curb, jumping it. Sliding between a parking kiosk and the sidewalk the driver, corrected and blasted down the sidewalk. 

Sliding between a line of parking strip of trees and rock retaining wall, the truck launched rocks the size of grapefruit into the air until the front of the Chevy collided into the trunk of a mature, deciduous tree.

Air-bag blown, driver stunned, we took the driver into custody. 

 

 

 

Cars

 

Per the Department's Auto Servicer, there will be no new cars this year. There is a backlog and we are down on the list. 

 

 

13

 

Last night, in the wee hours, I emptied out 13 old notebooks, each at least five years old., from my locker. The experience is liberating. 

 

 

Rules: Tourniquet

 

1) If possible, apply it against bare skin. Use trauma shears to remove clothing.

2) The higher on the limb, the better.

3) It is going to hurt the patient, but keep turning until the flow of blood stops. 

4) If one does not work, use a second. 

5) Do the best you can. Medics will arrive soon. 

 

 

 

Lacking Gear

 

The shift used three tourniquets on Monday.

I used one to stop the bleeding from a femoral artery.

 

In the last few weeks, I've used three doses of Narcan. 

Restocking is hard, the stores are bare.

Evan IFAK kits are on back order.

 

The LT gave me her tourniquet, I

"work in stab city" and am likely to use it.

 

 

Lacking Gear

 

The shift used three tourniquets on Monday.

I used one to stop the bleeding from a femoral artery.

 

In the last few weeks, I've used three doses of Narcan. 

Restocking is hard, the stores are bare.

Evan IFAK kits are on back order.

 

The LT gave me her tourniquet, I

"work in stab city" and am likely to use it.

 

 

On Fourth, On the 6th Floor

 

Dale is dead. He's not breathing. His face is blue. There's a cap at his shoulder, a needle at his elbow. He used a speaker cord as a tie-off. 

I pull out the narcan from my med bag, remove the packaging, and put the expelling end in his nose. I press the plunger.

In a five count, Dale breathes. It's snorting, snoring breath, but he's breathing. 

By the time fire arrives, I canned the rig and pulled his ID from his pocket. 

They give him an IV and two more doses down the line.

Twenty-five minutes later, he's awake and talking, lucky his "date" called dispatch to keep him alive.

 

 

Rule #64

 

Paper scissors make poor trauma shears.