"Larry,
I was wondering if you still want to swap patches. Thanks.
Rob"
Social and Professional Network
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Larry Davis
- Male
- Cocoa, FL
- United States
- Firefighter/Paramedic
Last On: 6:30AM, 2 Mar 11
- Blog Posts
- Discussions (1)
- Events
- Groups (4)
- Photos (103)
- Photo Albums (2)
- Videos
Larry Davis's Groups
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Older Medic's in EMS
121 members
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Good bad and funny in EMS
179 members
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EMS Instructors
507 members
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Nationally Registered EM…
377 members
Larry Davis's Page
Latest Activity
Larry Davis commented on B.J. Jones's group Older Medic's in EMS"I began my EMS career in 1977 working for Ralph's Ambulance, Used Cars, Wrecker Service, & Auto Parts in Pike County Kentucky. The funeral home discontinued ambulance service & Ralph knew a opportunity when one landed in his greedy…"
Larry Davis replied to Dave Springer's discussion Who is the longest serving EMT you know? How about the oldest EMT? Any level counts here. in the group Older Medic's in EMS"I'm a NREMTP in Florida (perfect place for an old paramedic) & I've served since 1977. It's been an honor to witness the evolution of EMS into the profession it is today. I'm 54 and I still love it. I'm not as fast as I…"
Larry Davis joined B.J. Jones's group
Older Medic's in EMS
This a group for those of us over 50 years young and work in EMS. Everyone is welcome here to share thoughts, stories, ideas, tips, etc.See More
Larry Davis added a discussion to the group Good bad and funny in EMS
1977 EMS
I began EMS in 1977 working as an EMT Basic for Ralph's Ambulance, Used Cars, Wrecker Service, and Auto Parts on the Kentucky/West Virginia border. We had a CB radio and a bag of dimes. Why dimes? To stop at every pay phone between the hospital & the station to see if we had a response of course. Young medics, remember EMS has come a long way in a short time. Pass the torch to the next generation. Larry Davis, Cocoa, FloridaSee More
Larry Davis joined Michelle's groupGood bad and funny in EMS
Come and share some of your most memorable experiences in EMS whether they are good, bad, funny sad or insane.
Larry Davis replied to ProfessionalEMS's discussion Is pain management really a big difference when comparing Paramedic to EMT?"Pain management? Absolutely! Give as much as necessary and then some. If you have ever been on the receiving end of 10 out of 10 pain, you know what a God sent relief can be. 1000 years from now our civilization will be looked upon as a cruel and…"
Larry Davis commented on Michele Logue's photo
First Ambulance
"OMG! I began my EMS career in a Dodge ambulance identical to this. It would take 5 minutes to get it out of the station because it stalled every time we put it in gear. Zero to 60 in ten minutes (if we were going down hill)."
Rob Lambert left a comment for Larry Davis"Larry,
Thanks for your quick response. Any you could send me would be appreciated. I can send you the same number in return if you'd like. Take care and be safe.
Rob Lambert
215 West End Avenue
Shirley, NY 11967"
Profile Information
- Employer/Affiliation
- Firefighter/Paramedic
- Primary Agency/Department Type
- Paid Fire/EMS Department, Industrial, Educational
- Primary Department/Agency Name
- Kennedy Space Center Fire/Rescue
- Years in EMS/Public Safety
- 33
- Other Past or Current Departments
- Ralph's Ambulance, Used Cars, Wrecker Service, & Auto Parts, Stone KY, 1977 - 1979 (True story)
Marmet Fire/Rescue, Marmet, West Virginia, 1979 - 1981.
Kanawha County Emergency Ambulance Authority, Charleston West Virginia, 1981 - 1989.
EVAC Ambulance, Daytona Beach, Florida - 1989.
Kennedy Space Center/Cape Canaveral Air Force Station EMS 1989 to present.
- My Training:
- Attended the first EMT course in West Virginia in 1977 courtesy of Federal Grant Money procured by the late Senator Robert Bird to save us toothless inbreeds from a life of poverty & cousin marrying. Now we all knew this was an ignorant stereotype by the rest of the United States, but for a butt load of free Federal money, hand me that banjo, cousin Rufus. Same thing when I went to paramedic school in 1980. I didn't spend a dime for a free education. Thank you Senator Robert Bird (may he rest in peace). He knew how to fund a project.
But this was much more than a bridge to nowhere or a 4 lane freeway in the middle of Mingo County West Virginia or putting the FBI Training Center in the middle of the boonies. (I told you Senator Bird was the king of funding).
We were kids fresh out of high school inspired by the TV show "Emergency!" We were fired up to fend off tigers with a CO2 fire extinguishers or deliver breech twins with prolapse cords by car headlights while mom has seizures. (Did I mention the tigers?)
These early courses laid the groundwork for what would become modern EMS. The program could have died many times on the vine from lack of money. But we realized we could make a difference given the fact that 99% of ambulance services were run out of funeral homes at the time. A lead foot and a strong stomach were all that was required.
We began to deliver viable patients to the Emergency Rooms with a pulse. Patents were beginning to leave the hospitals with an intact brain and a decent prognosis. But...hospitals had to play catch-up with EMS. Williamson Memorial Hospital in Mingo County West Virginia (remember their 4 lane freeway in the heart of Coal Country because of Senator Bird?) had one Registered Nurse in the ER and God help the bastard who bleed on their white starched dresses and white hoses and white shoes. Don't forget the nurses cap. (I often wondered how they kept those things on their heads). They called the physician at home for orders and permission to pronounce the patient DRT (Dead Right There). They also had to call an x-ray tech and a lab tech to draw blood. These people had to drive in from home to ply their trade. But an unusual thing began to happen. We were delivering viable patients into the hospitals. Sad part was they were leaving supine with a toe tag the next morning. The hospital entrances would be clogged with funeral home wagons every morning picking up last night's ER customers. It wasn't until the mid 80s, early 90s that emergency rooms became emergency departments with Emergency Physicians and Emergency RNs and lab/CT scanners/x-ray techs 24-7. Patients who would have been declared dead just 5 years earlier were surviving to make it to Physical Therapy and sometimes back to a normal life.
OK, one more war story. Ralph's Ambulance Station was about 35 miles from the hospital on the Kentucky side of the Tug River. We had no radio contact with Ralph. But... we had a BAG OF DIMES!!! Yes boys and girls we had to stop at every pay phone on the way back to Stone Kentucky and ask Ralph's wife if she had any calls waiting. I kid you not.
It's fun to look back and reminisce the stone age of EMS. But we had to pass the baton to a new generation of Professional, Licensed (not certified) Health Care Providers. Someday you will pass the baton to the next generation with a 4 year degree and licensed by the state. Senator Bird would be proud.
- About Me
- Paramedic/EMS Battalion Chief at the Kennedy Space Center Fire/Rescue EMS. I've lived in Brevard County Florida since 1989. I was born in West Virginia.
- Day Job
- EMS Battalion Chief Kennedy Space Center
- Personal Site/Profile
- http://Facebook/LarryDavis
- I Love Being in EMS Because
- We've nurtured this from the slack jawed, hairy back knuckel draggers to what modern EMS is now. It's fun to be on the front row witnessing life.
- Relationship Status
- Separated
Larry Davis's Photos
Comment Wall (3 comments)
- At 8:01am on April 9, 2011, Rob Lambert said…
Larry,
I was wondering if you still want to swap patches. Thanks.
Rob
- At 7:50am on October 5, 2010, Rob Lambert said…
- Larry,
Thanks for your quick response. Any you could send me would be appreciated. I can send you the same number in return if you'd like. Take care and be safe.
Rob Lambert
215 West End Avenue
Shirley, NY 11967
- At 11:33am on October 4, 2010, Rob Lambert said…
- Larry,
I am a Paramedic from New York and was wondering if you would like to swap patches. I would love to add them to my collection. Let me know if you would. Thanks. By the way, I like your pics of the shuttle launch. Take care and be safe.
Rob
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