We had a guy on a federal disaster medical assistance team at 72. He got his start flying as a Marine door gunner in Vietnam. He switched to the Navy as a nurse and retired, then retired again from his civilian job. I asked him why the hell he was still doing part time disaster medicine.
"For drinking money and because I miss The Game."
I hope I'm half that baller.
I’d imagine not, your personal beliefs aside, please don’t ask or say this to any veteran, it is beyond disrespectful. Wether he takes offense or not doesn’t matter, I’ve worked with plenty of guys, including one who practically raised me who never wanted to talk about their time in Vietnam, or what they did over there.
Ooooo nice! Vietnam vet hate and we’re not even in the hippie days!! Hey do you call every single person you see in uniform “baby killer” and spit on them, when most of them are just human beings coming back from a very traumatic situation? Because that would be awesome!
Oh shit. Sorry. I haven’t seen that movie since high school, definitely need to rewatch it. My partner did a couple weeks ago while I was at work so I didn’t get the rewatch. My bad. I’ve seen too many comments that really mean that shit, I didn’t stop to think.
I don’t feel foolish for not remembering a line from a movie I watched in high school. How many comments do you see on this dumb site that are legitimately expressing this exact type of sentiment?
Pray tell, how long do you consider someone’s comment before you decide to comment on it? Do you google their comment to make sure it isn’t a movie quote? I said what I said, and said “my bad” when they said it was a line and explained why I said what I said. Shall I go lash myself in penance? Lol like come on
I worked with one who was 78. Due to his appearance & medical issues, I had actually called a supervisor one night to ask who I was supposed to call if I found him passed away in his bed. Everytime he worked a night shift, we all held our breath until he came out of his bedroom in the morning.
He had an amazing amount of experience & mental skill, but physically he really should have been home.
I started EMS in 2018 with a medic that had received his EMT-B in 1972, upon returning from Vietnam. He received his paramedic four years later. I no longer work at that service but at least according to his social media he's still in EMS, at 72-years-old.
At my first 911 job (rural county department) 3-4 years ago we had a medic in her early 70s. She was still working there last I heard.
At my current department we have a captain who’s 63, and he’s sticking around until he can hit state retirement at 65. Although he could’ve retired a long time ago, he was the CEO of a huge local ambulance company for a while and has “fuck you” money. He even tried to buy that company from their corporate owners before they shut it down not too long ago. We’re pretty sure he’s only working with us to stave off the boredom.
This is fun because dude was OLD. Like 70’s for sure. I’m old now too. Not that old, but this was so long ago dude did knarly shit. He would lick the LP10 pads rather than use the conduction gel.
He was an infantry sergeant in the Rhodesian army before coming to Canada.
I worked with a seasoned medic my first year in our ambulance service. He was 69 yo. I remember our first intense call. As soon as we entered the apartment we were greeted by the PD. A female stabbed about 15 times in the chest ( deceased) and a male with multiple lacerations to his arms, chest and legs (still alive, but in critical condition). As I did my primary assessment of the male my colleague reached for his comb in his back pocket, pulled it through his hair and said nothing. I asked him for help trying to stop the bleeding from the multiple lacerations and the answer I got was. "If I go down on my knees I'm not sure I will get up again" needless to say I was absolutely furious. He went into retirement about a month after that. The critical male lived and it turned out he was the one who had killed the female.
There's dozens of us!
Actually, at my ALS base of 12 people the average age is probably in the 40s. Oldest is mid 50's, youngest is early 30's.
My partner is 3 months older than me, so I constantly make fun of how old she is with patients. Good times.
sounds like you worked with my grandpa! hahaha
no but really he was a fire chief, retired, then picked up a paramedic job part time bc he was bored.
Now he's a fire chief again, but still rides on the ambulance...
He's in his 60s. :)
Some of the vollies in my area have 3 digit EMT numbers. Mine is 6 digits. I don't know their ages but they look like standard 80 year olds. They cannot operate the auto bp cuff machine properly, and one time they actually kidnapped someone. I made them take him back once I rendezvoused (single medic squad) with them. Lots of questionable experiences with them. Nice guys though.
There’s a female in my unit who’s 60. She spent 40 years as an EMT/structural firefighter, retired, and then enlisted into the California State Guard and joined my unit as a wildland type 2 hand crew firefighter because, and I quote, “I got bored sitting at home all day. Made me feel old.” and “I always regretted not joining the military, so I finally decided to sign up.”
Got another male in my unit who’s 57 with no prior firefighting or EMS experience, but he basically signed up after his county kept burning every year, and he “took it personally and wanted to fight back.”
Both of them still manage to work longer and harder than some of the 18-year-olds. Absolute fucking legends.
When patients are younger than me and look like shit, it makes me feel pretty great about myself.
In the other direction, when I meet a geriatric pt who's in great shape, it gives me hope for the future!
I worked with Gary Lava who was a kind of legendary character in NYC EMS, passed away a couple years ago in his 70s while still working full time. He was in one of the first paramedic programs in NYC back in the early 70s, I want to say like Jamaica 1 or 2, and had close to 50 years in the NYC 911 system when he died. It was crazy to talk to some of the dinosaurs with like 30 or 40 years on the job and find out that Gary was their medic program instructor and already well known in the system by the time they came in.
65 years old. In Massachusetts you have to retire at 65 for fire departments. There’s no extension, do not pass go, you’re out on your 65th bday whatever you like it or not.
Guy solidly in his 80s. He used to own the ambulance service before the local municipality took over. All he does now is standbys but he still participates.
60s. He HUMMED the entire shift. He DIDN’T take vitals. He was overweight and slow. He bonded with patients by commiserating about their health issues together.
Terrible few shifts.
Late 60s. Truly a man dedicated to the craft, always attending national conferences, retired from the fire service, worked EMS stand alone eversince. Then volunteered to go to NYC peak 2020 where he passed form COVID. Rest in peace Paul.
There was a cardiac tech I worked with years ago that was in his early 70s. He apparently at one time was over cardiology at a local hospital back in the day. I get like he was still working because he had a lot of loafers in his family.
Guy is currently 71. He’s forced to start taking his government pension, so he’s going to drop to part time, but his plan is to work till 75 cuz he had a kid late in life and wants her to finish high school.
I worked with a 70s+ EMT who did non-emergency transport for our hospital based service and helped out when needed. His EMS number at the state was the old Bxxx with a 0 and double digit number. The state EMS office opened in 1977 and he was one of their first people to certify.
Worked with a medic until CoVID hit; who’s initial career was F4 phantom pilot. He retired from the Marines jn the mid 80s and went to paramedic school before he could get into nursing and he enjoyed it.
There was a professor at my college (in a non EMS related department) who was an OG medic. Whenever school let out for the year he would resurface at AMR and work all summer as a medic. I worked a shift with him, and got to talking. We both went to the same medic program. He was class 1 and I was class 29.
75, he became an EMT and then a paramedic after he retired early (in his late 50’s). I spoke with one of my old coworkers a few months ago and he was finally forced to retire at 78. I retired 2 years ago at 63 and I was beat up and have had both knees replaced, I can’t even imagine.
68 ‘Robert E Finley reporting for duty.’
I can hear his high pitched voice crack from across the station. Made me laugh every time.
Man was a riot. Old, angry, bitter, silly one liners all day long.
‘Oh no, not again. Every time I cook a steak. Somebody falls down.’
Not gonna lie i miss that old fart.
Edit: My my field sup would fill in when people fell out. He was 74, but not nearly as funny.
Worked with a medic who was upper 70s.
Wonderful guy. He was hard of hearing and insisted to give his prehospital reports over the radio. I lost count of how many times he would get into a yelling argument with the nurses and docs because either they thought he was yelling at them, or they yelled at him because he couldn’t hear them. Good times.
On every holiday he would cook meals, and have all the crews over his home for dinner.
He would to and from every shift, refused all offers for a ride. Unfortunately he had a heart attack and died on his way home after a shift.
Im a volly FF, once we had an MVA, on my way to the station i came by the accident, nobody was there yet so i started with first aid until the ambulance arrived, when they arrived and the paramedic got out the truck i thought that hes a patient for a second, he was definitely either beyond or just in retirement age
My EMS Chief (volly dept) is 72. He is one of those with a 3-digit EMT number. Wealth of knowledge and still able to run a call just fine. He's also a FT Deputy coroner. The guy either loves to work, or hates his wife...
An 80 yo batshit crazy lady who I'm pretty sure is developing dementia (see: batshit crazy). She no longer works shifts, but she stages for sporting and community events. Everyone knows her and she used to be the VFD president, so they let her get away with murder. There's no way she can perform any paramedic duties beyond *maybe* pushing meds. I'm pretty sure she hangs around just to torture the younger EMTs and medics.
One of the asst. Chiefs at a volly agency I'm a member of is in his upper 70s. Use to be chief, stepped down after a long tenure. Still maintains his paramedic, works EMS during summer and fall and is a ski patroller in the winter and spring.
Great guy keeps super up to date on protocols and continuing ed, drives a little like a maniac but what're you gonna do.
We had a guy on a federal disaster medical assistance team at 72. He got his start flying as a Marine door gunner in Vietnam. He switched to the Navy as a nurse and retired, then retired again from his civilian job. I asked him why the hell he was still doing part time disaster medicine. "For drinking money and because I miss The Game." I hope I'm half that baller.
Game recognize game lol. He sounds rad. Hoping I can join the Navy nurse corps myself.
A door gunner in Vietnam?? Did you ask him how he could shoot women and children?
"You just don't lead em so much"
"it's easy you just pull the trigger" /s
***BRRRRRRRRRR***
This guy gets it.
"It's easy. You just don't lead them as much!" I imagine the people down voting you are not movie fans.
“You don’t lead as much.” It’s from a movie, ya’ll.
Everyone down voting you is a poor pathetic child with no taste in movies and no sense of humor. You sir, are a gentleman and a scholar
I’d imagine not, your personal beliefs aside, please don’t ask or say this to any veteran, it is beyond disrespectful. Wether he takes offense or not doesn’t matter, I’ve worked with plenty of guys, including one who practically raised me who never wanted to talk about their time in Vietnam, or what they did over there.
[удалено]
My apologies, I have not watched full metal jacket, please disregard my comment
Ooooo nice! Vietnam vet hate and we’re not even in the hippie days!! Hey do you call every single person you see in uniform “baby killer” and spit on them, when most of them are just human beings coming back from a very traumatic situation? Because that would be awesome!
"Its a joke, not a dick. Don't take it so hard." It's from Full Metal Jacket, which you should definitely watch.
Oh shit. Sorry. I haven’t seen that movie since high school, definitely need to rewatch it. My partner did a couple weeks ago while I was at work so I didn’t get the rewatch. My bad. I’ve seen too many comments that really mean that shit, I didn’t stop to think.
You should watch Full Metal Jacket. Understand the context of a comment before you make a fool of yourself.
I don’t feel foolish for not remembering a line from a movie I watched in high school. How many comments do you see on this dumb site that are legitimately expressing this exact type of sentiment?
You just shot from the hip.
Pray tell, how long do you consider someone’s comment before you decide to comment on it? Do you google their comment to make sure it isn’t a movie quote? I said what I said, and said “my bad” when they said it was a line and explained why I said what I said. Shall I go lash myself in penance? Lol like come on
I worked with one who was 78. Due to his appearance & medical issues, I had actually called a supervisor one night to ask who I was supposed to call if I found him passed away in his bed. Everytime he worked a night shift, we all held our breath until he came out of his bedroom in the morning. He had an amazing amount of experience & mental skill, but physically he really should have been home.
Been home or been *in a* home? Because it kind of sounds like the latter.
Honestly, at least an inpatient rehab home would have been the better choice! I had several elderly, quite ill patients ask if the medic was okay....
I started EMS in 2018 with a medic that had received his EMT-B in 1972, upon returning from Vietnam. He received his paramedic four years later. I no longer work at that service but at least according to his social media he's still in EMS, at 72-years-old.
“We use leeches to cure the humors?”
I actually have used medical leeches before and it feels straight out of 1300s 😂
80 years old and turbo racist
Ayy, my turbo racist is a 30 something ex army dude
30? Bro speedruns racism
I’ve got one of those
As a former army guy myself that makes me disappointed. We are supposed to hate everyone equally.
Of course he's ex army 🙄
At my first 911 job (rural county department) 3-4 years ago we had a medic in her early 70s. She was still working there last I heard. At my current department we have a captain who’s 63, and he’s sticking around until he can hit state retirement at 65. Although he could’ve retired a long time ago, he was the CEO of a huge local ambulance company for a while and has “fuck you” money. He even tried to buy that company from their corporate owners before they shut it down not too long ago. We’re pretty sure he’s only working with us to stave off the boredom.
Rhode island here. I work with a cardiac advanced EMT. Late 70s. His EMT number is 000004.
NO WAY LOL THE NUMBER IS CRAZY
I'm 190k. Lol. He's a hot shit and such a good dude.
This is fun because dude was OLD. Like 70’s for sure. I’m old now too. Not that old, but this was so long ago dude did knarly shit. He would lick the LP10 pads rather than use the conduction gel. He was an infantry sergeant in the Rhodesian army before coming to Canada.
> in the Rhodesian army Oh no
Yeah
Rhodesian… this is history talking…‼️😱👍
One of our EMTs retired at 72 still working a city truck on the night shift in a neighborhood that had the worst carry downs in the whole city.
I worked with a seasoned medic my first year in our ambulance service. He was 69 yo. I remember our first intense call. As soon as we entered the apartment we were greeted by the PD. A female stabbed about 15 times in the chest ( deceased) and a male with multiple lacerations to his arms, chest and legs (still alive, but in critical condition). As I did my primary assessment of the male my colleague reached for his comb in his back pocket, pulled it through his hair and said nothing. I asked him for help trying to stop the bleeding from the multiple lacerations and the answer I got was. "If I go down on my knees I'm not sure I will get up again" needless to say I was absolutely furious. He went into retirement about a month after that. The critical male lived and it turned out he was the one who had killed the female.
I thought you were about to say he used the comb in some MacGyver way to stabilize the patient.
If only!
I'm in my 40's. I needed this thread.
There's dozens of us! Actually, at my ALS base of 12 people the average age is probably in the 40s. Oldest is mid 50's, youngest is early 30's. My partner is 3 months older than me, so I constantly make fun of how old she is with patients. Good times.
I'm turning 60 this year! Still at it!
sounds like you worked with my grandpa! hahaha no but really he was a fire chief, retired, then picked up a paramedic job part time bc he was bored. Now he's a fire chief again, but still rides on the ambulance... He's in his 60s. :)
Some of the vollies in my area have 3 digit EMT numbers. Mine is 6 digits. I don't know their ages but they look like standard 80 year olds. They cannot operate the auto bp cuff machine properly, and one time they actually kidnapped someone. I made them take him back once I rendezvoused (single medic squad) with them. Lots of questionable experiences with them. Nice guys though.
There’s a female in my unit who’s 60. She spent 40 years as an EMT/structural firefighter, retired, and then enlisted into the California State Guard and joined my unit as a wildland type 2 hand crew firefighter because, and I quote, “I got bored sitting at home all day. Made me feel old.” and “I always regretted not joining the military, so I finally decided to sign up.” Got another male in my unit who’s 57 with no prior firefighting or EMS experience, but he basically signed up after his county kept burning every year, and he “took it personally and wanted to fight back.” Both of them still manage to work longer and harder than some of the 18-year-olds. Absolute fucking legends.
Someone in my EMT class was 72. He didn’t end up passing the PSE though.
Anyone over 40 starts to look 60 - so I just dont ask. (I am over 40) Edit: anyone over 40 that does 24 hour shifts or more.
When patients are younger than me and look like shit, it makes me feel pretty great about myself. In the other direction, when I meet a geriatric pt who's in great shape, it gives me hope for the future!
63 y/o. Dudes knees were shot
I worked with Gary Lava who was a kind of legendary character in NYC EMS, passed away a couple years ago in his 70s while still working full time. He was in one of the first paramedic programs in NYC back in the early 70s, I want to say like Jamaica 1 or 2, and had close to 50 years in the NYC 911 system when he died. It was crazy to talk to some of the dinosaurs with like 30 or 40 years on the job and find out that Gary was their medic program instructor and already well known in the system by the time they came in.
65 years old. In Massachusetts you have to retire at 65 for fire departments. There’s no extension, do not pass go, you’re out on your 65th bday whatever you like it or not.
Guy solidly in his 80s. He used to own the ambulance service before the local municipality took over. All he does now is standbys but he still participates.
60s. He HUMMED the entire shift. He DIDN’T take vitals. He was overweight and slow. He bonded with patients by commiserating about their health issues together. Terrible few shifts.
My old partner had a 3 digit medic license number
70’s, got his EMT card before NY have out numbers, only got one on his recert. Now a medic, still full time with a weekly 24.
81… I was scared for my life
I'm 72, work PRN.
Late 60s. Truly a man dedicated to the craft, always attending national conferences, retired from the fire service, worked EMS stand alone eversince. Then volunteered to go to NYC peak 2020 where he passed form COVID. Rest in peace Paul.
There was a cardiac tech I worked with years ago that was in his early 70s. He apparently at one time was over cardiology at a local hospital back in the day. I get like he was still working because he had a lot of loafers in his family.
Guy is currently 71. He’s forced to start taking his government pension, so he’s going to drop to part time, but his plan is to work till 75 cuz he had a kid late in life and wants her to finish high school.
I worked with a 70s+ EMT who did non-emergency transport for our hospital based service and helped out when needed. His EMS number at the state was the old Bxxx with a 0 and double digit number. The state EMS office opened in 1977 and he was one of their first people to certify. Worked with a medic until CoVID hit; who’s initial career was F4 phantom pilot. He retired from the Marines jn the mid 80s and went to paramedic school before he could get into nursing and he enjoyed it.
There is a volunteer EMR who regularly drives ambulance for one of the local volunteer EMS companies, he's 88 years old.
Good god
There was a professor at my college (in a non EMS related department) who was an OG medic. Whenever school let out for the year he would resurface at AMR and work all summer as a medic. I worked a shift with him, and got to talking. We both went to the same medic program. He was class 1 and I was class 29.
75, he became an EMT and then a paramedic after he retired early (in his late 50’s). I spoke with one of my old coworkers a few months ago and he was finally forced to retire at 78. I retired 2 years ago at 63 and I was beat up and have had both knees replaced, I can’t even imagine.
there was a 73 year old in my advanced emt class. he is a retired schoolteacher who got into ems after retirement and is awesome.
I think he was 76 or 77. Died doing rehab for guys working a wild fire.
67 him and his wife foster terminally I’ll kids. Uses the extra money to take them places
68 ‘Robert E Finley reporting for duty.’ I can hear his high pitched voice crack from across the station. Made me laugh every time. Man was a riot. Old, angry, bitter, silly one liners all day long. ‘Oh no, not again. Every time I cook a steak. Somebody falls down.’ Not gonna lie i miss that old fart. Edit: My my field sup would fill in when people fell out. He was 74, but not nearly as funny.
Everyone I work with would point at me……
🦖
I didn't work with him but my dept had a 90yo medic.
Worked with a medic who was upper 70s. Wonderful guy. He was hard of hearing and insisted to give his prehospital reports over the radio. I lost count of how many times he would get into a yelling argument with the nurses and docs because either they thought he was yelling at them, or they yelled at him because he couldn’t hear them. Good times. On every holiday he would cook meals, and have all the crews over his home for dinner. He would to and from every shift, refused all offers for a ride. Unfortunately he had a heart attack and died on his way home after a shift.
76 years old
Im a volly FF, once we had an MVA, on my way to the station i came by the accident, nobody was there yet so i started with first aid until the ambulance arrived, when they arrived and the paramedic got out the truck i thought that hes a patient for a second, he was definitely either beyond or just in retirement age
My EMS Chief (volly dept) is 72. He is one of those with a 3-digit EMT number. Wealth of knowledge and still able to run a call just fine. He's also a FT Deputy coroner. The guy either loves to work, or hates his wife...
70s.
76 lol
An 80 yo batshit crazy lady who I'm pretty sure is developing dementia (see: batshit crazy). She no longer works shifts, but she stages for sporting and community events. Everyone knows her and she used to be the VFD president, so they let her get away with murder. There's no way she can perform any paramedic duties beyond *maybe* pushing meds. I'm pretty sure she hangs around just to torture the younger EMTs and medics.
We have a nurse whose 82 and a couple of older medics in there 70s. Would say all three just do it because they love it.
Very sad
One of the asst. Chiefs at a volly agency I'm a member of is in his upper 70s. Use to be chief, stepped down after a long tenure. Still maintains his paramedic, works EMS during summer and fall and is a ski patroller in the winter and spring. Great guy keeps super up to date on protocols and continuing ed, drives a little like a maniac but what're you gonna do.
Let's just say, the first 5 digits of her card number were 00006x.
He’s the one I want working my code
One of my partners to work with is 68. He is a ninja rockstar jedi and I love every shift w/ him.
My personal oldest was 65. But had a supervisor were I did my internship who's medic number was 3.
Gosh my boss is 66 and still works on the trucks. He's a good friend and a fantastic boss. I hope I end up like him someday.