Every year, on an unsuspecting day in August, a plague descends upon the shores of New Jersey. Those who speak of it in hushed tones refer to it as…. Beatstock. The music (mostly techno) is barely acceptable. The fans are beyond obnoxious. The feeling that the EMTs get from working this (very busy) concert is priceless not worth the money.
Beatstock is taking place tomorrow, August 15th, and despite my many valiant efforts, there is no way of getting out of it. So, in preparation for the big day, I thought I’d share some pictures (and related links) from Beatstock 2007:
Continue reading ‘Latest Dispatch: Beatstock part I’
These past few weeks have been excellent ones for New Jersey. Out of concern that people in the other 49 were running out of reasons to make fun of New Jersey, we went and got an astounding number of public officials arrested. It was a national news scandal, to be sure. The icing on the cake was the realization that the New Jersey Attorney General’s office is so corrupt that the FBI had to conduct the investigation instead. For those of you wondering, the answer is yes, political affairs in New Jersey are more of a Charlie Foxtrot than in Rhode Island. Astonishing, yet true. Continue reading ‘Scene Safety: the importance of police in EMS’
Beep beep beep. July has been a wonderful month in the Garden State. The sun has shone at last, and my bruises have finally healed. (See Rascal Flatts.) So I think now is as good a time as any to share stories of the wonderful drunks who visit the fine town of Holmdel to see concerts:
Continue reading ‘Garden State Concertgoers’
[Ed note: Dispatches From NJ is new column from Dani Levine, Brown EMS emeritus and EMT-of-the-Year 2009, and Tim Satty, Brown EMT at large and Satty Says author, both originating from New Jersey and currently providing care to the Garden State. These are their stories.]
Most of you probably know that if you want to maintain your EMT license, you are required to complete a refresher course every couple of years. Now, this is not a problem if you are a Brown EMS affiliate recertifying in Little Rhody, for you have the likes of Mark and Brendan to review EMT course material with you and help you on your way to becoming one of those lifelong EMTs. However, those of us lucky enough to be licensed in a less advanced (though totally cooler) state must complete a refresher with instructors who last practiced EMS during the Jurassic Age and currently acquire their facts about the world from Snapple bottle caps.
[Keep reading! More after the jump:]
Continue reading ‘Gee Willikers! Another featured column!’
