I've read your various posts concerning the NR. Sounds like you belive your 
own hype. The NR IS NOT an agency, merely an organization that offers a set 
of arbitrary standards to states who may elect to adopt them. My experience 
(22yrs) has taught me that 
an NREMT or NREMTP is no more skilled or highly trained than one who is not. 
In reality, many of the NR folks I've dealt with can't pound sand into a rat 
hole. Bit in fairness, most are capable medics. In 20+ years in EMS/Fire 
service, I have come to be
very suspiscious of the NR,AHA and all the organizations that give you more 
initials to place behind your name. Why, because in general they come up with 
"standards" that get changed and often come full circle in order to justify 
their own existance, and 
usually lead to cookbook medicine. Sure, standards of care are necessary, but 
when " deviation" from said standards occurs, thirteen kinds of hell are 
raised because "you didn't follow standards or protocol." Well that mentality 
IMHO is very dangerous.If 
you ask me, part of being a good medic is being able to look at the 
situation, and act according to what you have, not how some algorithm says 
you're SUPPOSED to. I can think of several patients where following the 
letter of the protocol would have made
the groundhogs be their mailman. Whan one takes all these tests, gets all 
these certifications etc. they get into mindsets that IMHO become very narrow 
and rigid, and by default removes much creativity, and receptivity to new 
ideas, procedures, protocols
etc. As for stopping at scenes, you must have more balls than brains. In my 
jurisdiction you'll get escorted to the side, if not to a police car. The 
last thing I want to deal with at some terrible wreck is some guy coming up 
and giving me the "I'm an EMT
drill. SInce you seem so lawsuit conscious, stopping at wrecks seems like a 
good way to set yourself up for one. If your out in the middle of nowhere, I 
can possibly see it, but not in a metropolitan area, not even. I've got my 
job, I'm not going to work 
anywhere else, why do I need it? I DON'T! The NR says it'll be easier to get 
reciprocity, sounds like a mechanism to keep turnover in EMS high and wages 
down. Sounds kind of like, oh, AMR, the American Ambulance Assn. might have 
some fingers in this pie. 
Low overhead makes for increased profits...
As to your comments regarding PFD, well I had one of Brunacini's peetie boys 
take the Chiefs job at my department, and it'll take two careers to undo the 
damage he did. Why would he get rid of an 85ft bucket and replace it with a 
75ft stick? You tell me. 
Why have most of the ex PFD guys who get Chief jobs around the country get 
run out of these Departments? I'll tell you why, because PFD is nothing but 
hyperbole, and the whole country bought it hook,line and sinker. This, 
however does not mean that there
aren't good people in the PFD, there are. Seems to me that once a guy puts on 
a white shirt down there his brain turns to mush and he becomes a mere toadie 
to Al, as his job is now subject to Bruno's whim. Why, pray tell does Bruno 
hand out questionaires
at seminars he gives? So, he can get as many ideas as possible, then have his 
staff distill them and put then into book form so he can claim authorship. 
This my friend DOES happen. The chief we had said so. 
Mark
P.S. How many Phoenix firemen does it take to put out a dumpster fire?
Answer: All of them!
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