EatsMeat

Buried but I hope you find the time to get to me!

I'm a fireman in another large US city (obviously dwarfed by FDNY). The rest of the country looks up to FDNY and you have an incredible reputation as a group of professionals and excellent training resources.

However, I attended a seminar earlier this year by a FDNY guy who was also a soldier. Based on his story, it seems like he's been with you all for about 6 years but has spent most of the time deployed and/or doing military work. He gave us the most bull-shit 8 hour seminar I've ever heard comparing firefighting to desert combat. While there were takeaways to think about, it was painfully obvious that he was leaning heavily on: "I'm with FDNY so I have the authority to say whatever I want without being challenged." One of his caveats was trying to talk us OUT of wearing our masks while venting a roof.

You have some EXCELLENT fireman and teachers. But are there many guys on the department who use the FDNY reputation to make money on the teaching circuit without having any real original content? What's the attitude towards guys like that?

I understand the mechanics of an LVAD and why dislodging the pump is near instantly fatal. But without compressions and assuming the arrest doesn't happen on the surgery table, is there really any survivability for a PT with an LVAD going into arrest? Are drugs even helpful?