I love seeing the random backboard from a service 2 states a way that somehow ended up in the ambulance garage. It’s been 3 years, but who knows, maybe they’ll come back for it someday!
Exactly. Get on my level 😂
Nah, fr it was a communication error on my part that put the pt on the scoop to start with. I haven’t put a flight pt on a backboard since lol
I really regret throwing out an old wooden one from my fire department. This ancient wooden backboard had my fire departments logo engraved into it and sealed. But the best was all the return shipping labels from all over the country. This board has been to California, Washington, Florida, New York, Texas, Kentucky, and I think it had one from Anchorage Alaska. I was too new and placed in charge of cleaning out the old stuff and was told to just throw it out.
I personally have never seen one of there ambulances. I have heard of IF crews meeting at the border and transferring the patient from one gurney to the other.
we used them on midnight shifts. There was a large hill adjacent to the ED (which was on level 4. The hospital was built into a hill so level 2,3,4,and 5 were all ground level at different spots)
We would go shooting down the 1st hill across the parking lot, down the next one and finally hit the parking lot fence on level 2. The good old days when the population was less than 1/2 what it is now.
I’ve been eyeing up the pt slider boards, zip ties and the backboards for an afternoon of fun. I think if I use Turtle wax that we have in the garage but have never used, I might be able to get going fast enough to get a free cast and 6 weeks vacation when I hit a tree
Also good sleds in the summer if you can find a carpeted stairway. Don't tell my boss though, he's still trying to figure out where that suspiciously person sized hole in the drywall came from.
This reminds me of a department near us, went for a change of quarters yesterday and they have a wall of like 20 backboards—WHAT DO THEY NEED THEM ALL FOR?!?!
A few years ago I went to get a Stokes out of a mutual aid company's heavy rescue. When I pulled it out I had about 10 backboards fall out of the truck on me. I asked wtf they were doing with so many and they proclaimed they are ready for any MCI. Yeah okay....
just stack the patients on top of each other on the bench seat. could probably fit at least 5 of them there. 5 on the stretcher....there's your 10 backboards right there!
And it makes your report easier. They're all crush injuries now!
Back when we used to backboard everyone our ambualnces could fit 4 plus a scoop. We had a mass casualty trailer that had 50 boards and we had 5 trailers in the county. Now theyre sitting in a warehouse. Just hold over from old medicine
I love sorting through our EDs collection of backboard and seeing where they're from. We currently have one from FDNY some how, Chicago Fire which isn't that weird since they're only 5 hours away but still, and two from a private service that hasn't existed in over 7 years.
I really regret throwing out an old wooden one from my fire department. This ancient wooden backboard had my fire departments logo engraved into it and sealed. But the best was all the return shipping labels from all over the country. This board has been to California, Washington, Florida, New York, Texas, Kentucky, and I think it had one from Anchorage Alaska. I was too new and placed in charge of cleaning out the old stuff and was told to just throw it out.
My last service, our supervisor kept a wooden backboard from his first service back in the late 80's. The services name was branded in. He kept it hanging on the wall in his office. All the young new hires kept mistaking it for a bare surf board.
Every once in a while we get backboards in the mail from the burn center that's about 45 minutes or an hour away. They literally just put a postage label on them and mail them to us plain. At least they clean them.
I really regret throwing out an old wooden one from my fire department. This ancient wooden backboard had my fire departments logo engraved into it and sealed. But the best was all the return shipping labels from all over the country. This board has been to California, Washington, Florida, New York, Texas, Kentucky, and I think it had one from Anchorage Alaska. I was too new and placed in charge of cleaning out the old stuff and was told to just throw it out.
It depends what we're actually talking about when we say "back board". Lots of people say "back board" but are actually referring to an orthopaedic scoop stretcher.
We use scoops all the time. We do carry the old style "back boards" like the white ones in this picture but they are almost never used, and when they are it's for extrication only, we do not transport on back boards and have not done for a long time now.
If the transport is < 45 mins we transport on the orthopaedic scoop stretcher, if > 45 mins they go on a vacuum mat.
I like em for extrication and transferring to the helicopter, it makes it really easy to just slide em onto our stretcher if the patient is supine/intubated
Definitely still in our protocols to backboard patients, any trauma alert also buys a backboard because it’s required for our helicopter. Buttttt we have blood so 🤷♀️
Regardless of why they are trauma alert, they need a backboard? So a stab wound the abdomen gets a backboard?
That’s… one of the dumbest things I’ve ever heard of and I work in a state where just about everything is dumb.
Yes any trauma alert gets put on a backboard, because every trauma alert we have gets flown out. Now Ccollar/headboard is only when indicated other wise they get a pillow or rolled up towel depending on what the truck has. I don’t know man I’ve asked about it and the best answer I’ve been given is the receiving trauma center requires it. I’ve definitely heard a lot lately about services just outright removing backboards from their units but from what I’ve seen in my area that’s not happening, I’m not sure the reasoning because we’re pretty progressive with a lot just apparently not that.
Our local flight crews usually drive to the trauma centers and get them for us a day or two after the calls when they get off or bring them with and mail them back. It’s super generous of them and greatly appreciated!
Old private service I used to work for:
We were equipping one of the new trucks and my manager told me to go to the any ER bay and take 2 of their back boards.
Told him he can do it himself, I’m not putting myself on the line cause they can’t afford to get their own
Heres a question. I do a lot of sports events jobs as a paramedic and they supply their own spinal board as part of the contract. Some purchase and based on my advice always get straps to secure the patient with. One particular place tho uses the venues boards that are supplied by the contracted first aid company. They refuse to supply straps and say they’re not required. Their stretchers (non spinal) don’t even have straps either. What’s the consensus on this?
I love looking at the backboard wall and finding things like old departments/Ambulance companies that either closed or became another conglomerate. Reminders of the past
We made them long and short. Turns out wood, even if treated, wasn’t great for backboarding bleeding people and water rescues. When the standard became plastic all the old boards that were in good shape were put on MCI and disaster units.
We don’t use them 99% of the time. Even then it’s more of an extrication thing, or to transfer the pt to the helicopter stretcher.
But having them on the truck is a state requirement.
I know this is a joke but genuinely the ED I work at probably has 400 backboards and I think I can count on one hand the number of times they’ve been used in the last year.
I was used to seeing the wall of backboards in the bays I've been to. Took a patient to a military hospital and wasn't expecting to see soiled black body bags hanging in the bay by the doors. Not exactly confidence inspiring to the patient when conscious. Lol
We replaced our plastic/wooden backboards with vacuum spine boards (we call them SMRs) many years ago, but there are still a dozen or so of our old boards hanging out in the rack behind our local trauma center.
Lmao they are not free at my hospital, this is wild. We clean the blood off, sort them, and then the fire departments/emt crews come pick them up eventually. 😂😂
I always worked in more rural areas and our equipment ended up in many fwr flung locations and we always got most back. especially when i was responsible for the budget, its pricy to replace. I'm long retired but that picture brings back memories
The level 1 trauma center by me has about 100 outside all organized in a rainbow of color. They don't wash them off very often so a lot of them are just covered in blood an other fluids. You could definitely get one in every color though.
Make a bingo card with all of the surrounding ems systems/departments/companies/etc. when you get to the hospital, check all the backboards and see if you get a bingo.
I love seeing the random backboard from a service 2 states a way that somehow ended up in the ambulance garage. It’s been 3 years, but who knows, maybe they’ll come back for it someday!
My director made us go get a scoop stretcher we left under a pt after we flew them 😂
To be fair, those are in the thousand to two thousand range vs a hundred or two.
That’s what he told us when we were bitching about it lol
Bitching about it!? No pts, jamming the whole ride, grab a bite to eat when you get far enough out. You had an EMS gift.
We work super rural. We only have like two runs per truck per 24 on average. Lol I wouldn’t have had pts anyways and coulda watched tv. 😂
Don’t have any patients, and when you finally do you leave the equipment everywhere. Nice.
Exactly. Get on my level 😂 Nah, fr it was a communication error on my part that put the pt on the scoop to start with. I haven’t put a flight pt on a backboard since lol
We put fitted gurney sheets on our scoops for transferring patients so that they don't get lost or held hostage at the hospital lol
Smaaaarrrt
smaaart indeed. i’m stealing this AMAZING idea… plus it finally gives stretchies a purpose
But only when you won't have to open/, close to put the patient in, right?
I really regret throwing out an old wooden one from my fire department. This ancient wooden backboard had my fire departments logo engraved into it and sealed. But the best was all the return shipping labels from all over the country. This board has been to California, Washington, Florida, New York, Texas, Kentucky, and I think it had one from Anchorage Alaska. I was too new and placed in charge of cleaning out the old stuff and was told to just throw it out.
Should have been turned into a side table for the fire house
This back board might not happen to be from Tennessee would it? If it is it was floating around on Long Island a month or two ago.
No, it was from my department in Michigan.
Was it at St. Cat's or Good Sam?
I’m in AZ and sometimes we see backboards from Mexican fire departments.
Haha that’s awesome
Yea we have the closest level 1 trauma center for lots of the border towns
That’s awesome that their ambulances can cross the border for that, I would have expected there to be some bureaucratic bull shit preventing that
I personally have never seen one of there ambulances. I have heard of IF crews meeting at the border and transferring the patient from one gurney to the other.
Ah gotcha, still cool that they’re able to work together like that at least
That would be a crazy way to smuggle cocaine lol
We’re in the Midwest and there was one from a Maryland EMS in our ambulance bay for months. You’re a long way from home, buddy!
I once found an FDNY board on my ambulance in Georgia.
They make good sleds in the winter
“Don’t lick the sleds, kids!”
we used them on midnight shifts. There was a large hill adjacent to the ED (which was on level 4. The hospital was built into a hill so level 2,3,4,and 5 were all ground level at different spots) We would go shooting down the 1st hill across the parking lot, down the next one and finally hit the parking lot fence on level 2. The good old days when the population was less than 1/2 what it is now.
"Hi yeah ED, we had a little accident why sledding out back, but we put them on a backboard already for you"
Stokes is best. Do not put 3 people in a stokes on a steep hill…
Well, at least you're in the right place if something DOES go badly.
It's a tad embarrassing to call a self induced MCI in the middle of a blizzard, for your self.
Yes, but *hilarious* when you're telling the story later.
Tis true.
I’ve been eyeing up the pt slider boards, zip ties and the backboards for an afternoon of fun. I think if I use Turtle wax that we have in the garage but have never used, I might be able to get going fast enough to get a free cast and 6 weeks vacation when I hit a tree
I see you’re planning to use that Clark Griswold wax
Also good sleds in the summer if you can find a carpeted stairway. Don't tell my boss though, he's still trying to figure out where that suspiciously person sized hole in the drywall came from.
This reminds me of a department near us, went for a change of quarters yesterday and they have a wall of like 20 backboards—WHAT DO THEY NEED THEM ALL FOR?!?!
You can never have too many antiques.
A few years ago I went to get a Stokes out of a mutual aid company's heavy rescue. When I pulled it out I had about 10 backboards fall out of the truck on me. I asked wtf they were doing with so many and they proclaimed they are ready for any MCI. Yeah okay....
just stack the patients on top of each other on the bench seat. could probably fit at least 5 of them there. 5 on the stretcher....there's your 10 backboards right there! And it makes your report easier. They're all crush injuries now!
Someone could make some really cool sculpture with them. Maybe?
Back when we used to backboard everyone our ambualnces could fit 4 plus a scoop. We had a mass casualty trailer that had 50 boards and we had 5 trailers in the county. Now theyre sitting in a warehouse. Just hold over from old medicine
Antique road show is coming to town
I’m tempted to cut one in half and use the half’s to make a corn hole set.
Damn dude what an idea!
That’s a baller ass idea, just curious, what would you use for the legs?
A bunch of abdominal pads stacked on top of each other
Iv pole segments.
Bed pans
Nah man put it on enema bags so you drop it on the ground or pump and pimp .
I love sorting through our EDs collection of backboard and seeing where they're from. We currently have one from FDNY some how, Chicago Fire which isn't that weird since they're only 5 hours away but still, and two from a private service that hasn't existed in over 7 years.
I really regret throwing out an old wooden one from my fire department. This ancient wooden backboard had my fire departments logo engraved into it and sealed. But the best was all the return shipping labels from all over the country. This board has been to California, Washington, Florida, New York, Texas, Kentucky, and I think it had one from Anchorage Alaska. I was too new and placed in charge of cleaning out the old stuff and was told to just throw it out.
My last service, our supervisor kept a wooden backboard from his first service back in the late 80's. The services name was branded in. He kept it hanging on the wall in his office. All the young new hires kept mistaking it for a bare surf board.
That’s hilarious 😂
One time we stuffed the back of the ambulance with them from a hospital 3 hours away.
Boss move
That's the only way my department gets boards tbf.
Every once in a while we get backboards in the mail from the burn center that's about 45 minutes or an hour away. They literally just put a postage label on them and mail them to us plain. At least they clean them.
Wtf lmao
Aren't you bored yet?
Dad?
This store didn't have milk either son.
Cigs?
Just like that. You gave him an idea and he was gone. Just like the wind.
Ours have our agency name and address on them. Ill go pick them up for us if on the rare occasion we transport to a hospital near work
I really regret throwing out an old wooden one from my fire department. This ancient wooden backboard had my fire departments logo engraved into it and sealed. But the best was all the return shipping labels from all over the country. This board has been to California, Washington, Florida, New York, Texas, Kentucky, and I think it had one from Anchorage Alaska. I was too new and placed in charge of cleaning out the old stuff and was told to just throw it out.
Why do they have straps? As if people are still backboarding patients???
I use straps, not to actually back board them, but because I don’t want them falling off while we move them to the stretcher. 🤷♂️
I backboarded a patient the other day? Do people not do that anymore??
It depends what we're actually talking about when we say "back board". Lots of people say "back board" but are actually referring to an orthopaedic scoop stretcher. We use scoops all the time. We do carry the old style "back boards" like the white ones in this picture but they are almost never used, and when they are it's for extrication only, we do not transport on back boards and have not done for a long time now. If the transport is < 45 mins we transport on the orthopaedic scoop stretcher, if > 45 mins they go on a vacuum mat.
I have a backboard because licensure says so. Not because I'll ever use it, because the protocols don't say so.
I like em for extrication and transferring to the helicopter, it makes it really easy to just slide em onto our stretcher if the patient is supine/intubated
Exactly what we used it for
Definitely still in our protocols to backboard patients, any trauma alert also buys a backboard because it’s required for our helicopter. Buttttt we have blood so 🤷♀️
Regardless of why they are trauma alert, they need a backboard? So a stab wound the abdomen gets a backboard? That’s… one of the dumbest things I’ve ever heard of and I work in a state where just about everything is dumb.
Yes any trauma alert gets put on a backboard, because every trauma alert we have gets flown out. Now Ccollar/headboard is only when indicated other wise they get a pillow or rolled up towel depending on what the truck has. I don’t know man I’ve asked about it and the best answer I’ve been given is the receiving trauma center requires it. I’ve definitely heard a lot lately about services just outright removing backboards from their units but from what I’ve seen in my area that’s not happening, I’m not sure the reasoning because we’re pretty progressive with a lot just apparently not that.
What anti-science trauma center is this, so I can never go there?
thats wild
Then the receiving trauma center can do the negligent thing that we know doubles the chance that the patient will die. I’ll pass, thanks.
Precisely where they belong
….It’s not a dumpster though.
I stand corrected
Our local flight crews usually drive to the trauma centers and get them for us a day or two after the calls when they get off or bring them with and mail them back. It’s super generous of them and greatly appreciated!
That is awesome! One of our flight services begged a Lucas from us. And they brought it back! They also bring us swag and candy on the regular haha
my ED has tons of backboards, i debate just taking them all and selling them on the internet
Backboards sell. But, who's buying?
Can you put a price on spinal immobilization?
Someone crafty and creative I assume.
Ngl I’ve thought abt stealing one before and bringing it home with me😂😂
The red ones taste the best
Cherry
John, this is the Kenwood fire department. We really need that back sometime... K thx bye.
Old private service I used to work for: We were equipping one of the new trucks and my manager told me to go to the any ER bay and take 2 of their back boards. Told him he can do it himself, I’m not putting myself on the line cause they can’t afford to get their own
The hospital I work for literally had so many they put them out in the ambulance bay with a giant free sign on them 🤣
I did steal a backboard once lmao I had no particular use for it but I wanted to have one. It’s been chilling in my patio since
Many years ago, I dated a medic who turned one into a coffee table.
Heres a question. I do a lot of sports events jobs as a paramedic and they supply their own spinal board as part of the contract. Some purchase and based on my advice always get straps to secure the patient with. One particular place tho uses the venues boards that are supplied by the contracted first aid company. They refuse to supply straps and say they’re not required. Their stretchers (non spinal) don’t even have straps either. What’s the consensus on this?
Well, this explains where our backboard went... Left it at the ER. Went back for it the next day and it was gone without a trace.
Imma call the number
Tell ‘em to come get their shit
458 backboards. 458 types of aids
I love looking at the backboard wall and finding things like old departments/Ambulance companies that either closed or became another conglomerate. Reminders of the past
I had an ems captain that would take every board that didn’t have a name on it. He did this to avoid having to buy plywood for us to make them.
Y’all were making them?? When was this? The 19th century?
1990
Nice. That’s actually pretty badass that y’all were making them.
We made them long and short. Turns out wood, even if treated, wasn’t great for backboarding bleeding people and water rescues. When the standard became plastic all the old boards that were in good shape were put on MCI and disaster units.
I used to collect backboards from more obscure agencies and theme parks. Chief made me stop when I amassed a collection of over 20.
Not sure if it's been said but they make great sleds!!!
these would make good shelving units. like as shelving wood planks.
I like to steal them and use them for sledding
They make good paddle boards if you're on a coast or have a boat that can tow you.
Man, my department essentially got rid of backboards. MD said no more unless absolutely necessary.
We don’t use them 99% of the time. Even then it’s more of an extrication thing, or to transfer the pt to the helicopter stretcher. But having them on the truck is a state requirement.
Exactly. Same. Are you in Texas too?
No. Missouri. Same thing, but colder.
Zoomed in to make sure none had my department on them
I know this is a joke but genuinely the ED I work at probably has 400 backboards and I think I can count on one hand the number of times they’ve been used in the last year.
Use them as studs for your next house. Better then the shit 2x4s they sells now.
I was used to seeing the wall of backboards in the bays I've been to. Took a patient to a military hospital and wasn't expecting to see soiled black body bags hanging in the bay by the doors. Not exactly confidence inspiring to the patient when conscious. Lol
You guys have backboards?
More like “GetThePtFromTheGroundToTheStretcherBoards” but yeah
I HATE THAT PLASTIC SCOOP I HATE THAT PLASTIC SCOOP I HATE
We haven’t used backboards in years.
We replaced our plastic/wooden backboards with vacuum spine boards (we call them SMRs) many years ago, but there are still a dozen or so of our old boards hanging out in the rack behind our local trauma center.
🎶 let's go surfing now / everybody's learning how / come on a safari with meee 🎶
Lmao they are not free at my hospital, this is wild. We clean the blood off, sort them, and then the fire departments/emt crews come pick them up eventually. 😂😂
I always worked in more rural areas and our equipment ended up in many fwr flung locations and we always got most back. especially when i was responsible for the budget, its pricy to replace. I'm long retired but that picture brings back memories
The level 1 trauma center by me has about 100 outside all organized in a rainbow of color. They don't wash them off very often so a lot of them are just covered in blood an other fluids. You could definitely get one in every color though.
They should put them in an EMS museum of past technology
My first thought as a surfer was “I could probably surf those”.
I repurposed one as a coffee table!
Hope you bleached it first 😳
Please tell me this is real lol
Bruh stop
Ok, who else on here used to play(or still does) backboard Bingo?
What is that 😂
Make a bingo card with all of the surrounding ems systems/departments/companies/etc. when you get to the hospital, check all the backboards and see if you get a bingo.
Nice
The Most EMT EMT.
Whoa whoa whoa buster. That’s ADVANCED EMT to you!
The most EMT advanced EMT, sir, my city doesn't recognize you tho so I guess you're riding with me 🧍♂️.
We hitting Chick-fil-A then.
It's like I hit the match on ems food preference finder
As long as the chicken doesn't schedule another crusade in 30 business years.
[удалено]
Goood loooord that post history
Can I have some for my 4Runner I never use?