You Make the Call...Stop the blog?


You are a Firefighter Paramedic in a metro service with a rather dry sense of humor. Frustrated and angry with the status quo you chose to start a blog. Not a blog to change things, but a blog to vent your frustrations and blow off some steam.

You have been trying to make a change to your system, but no one up the ranks will listen to new ideas.

Then a person you have known for a little while comes forward with an opportunity to help you advance your concepts in a way that will make the higher-ups take notice and prove the ideas could work.

The Only drawback is that you must reveal your identity and association with your blog, possibly ending your cheap therapy.

Although anyone with basic internet skills knows whereabouts you are, the details could bring consequences should the brass not appreciate your tone in some posts.

Keep quiet and keep posting or go for broke and get things changed? You make the call.

Comments

TBChick said…
I’m not a firefighter or a paramedic, but I do know a few. I like reading your blog. It gives me a better understanding of what you go thru, and a good laugh now and then, so I would certainly miss the Happy Medic. However, if you have a real opportunity to try and improve the system, perhaps you should take it. It is not often we are given such a chance. Tough decision, so think about it. As for therapy, (your's and your followers) start another blog with a new moniker. A name change we can handle but we don't want to lose the Happy Medic.
The Road Doctor said…
Oh man... This is a tough one.Why would you have to reveal your identity?
Anonymous said…
Love your blog HM, but I have to say that, in the spirit of what we do, you need to choose what will provide the greatest good. The blog is awesome for you and amuses us a lot, but if the people will greatly benefit from what you have to offer, and that is only possible by the end of the blog... well, I wouldn't hold it against you. Thanks for the laughs (and a few sweet memories), and good luck.

- F4

(Maybe it can be fully handed off to the Angry Captain and he can funnel stories to us?)
Michael Morse said…
Let freedom of speech roll, without doing anything stupid. Get your point across, make yourself known and do it in such a way your bosses have no choice but to listen.

"The blog is mightier than the sword!" *

I just decided to take full credit for that quote, any future use must have prior written permission from me.
Anonymous said…
HM GO for it. We do what we do, be who we need to be, usually for the greater good. If you have the possiblity to change things for the better, that is what we do. I will truly miss your blog.
Little Girl said…
Your blog is cheap therapy for everyone!!

Are you looking for a pair of brass bars now??

Why would you have to reveal your secret identity??
MotorCop said…
1st amendment, baby! It's easier said than done, though. I've often worried about prying eyes with evil intentions. I think as long as you stay professional and keep your patients anonymous, you have every right to continue. You're a human and you have reactions, physical and emotional, to your experiences. Seems okay to share to me.

Unless someone who gets paid more than you says, "HM. Knock this shit off.". Then you're pretty much screwed.
The Bus Driver said…
Thats a tough one. Its a 50/50 chance that the superiors will either like or dislike a blog. Many negative reactions come with blogging. Very few people in my circle of friends even KNOW I have a blog, even though I change names of people, it can still be recognized.

Speaking from what I've seen, it could go either way. "Kelly" from A Day in the Life of An Ambulance Driver found success when he turned his stories into a book. But another law enforcement blog that I know of has been told by his superiors to stop posting, so the blog has gone dead.

A teacher I'm familiar with hosts her public blog and also a private blog for invited readers only, but that was mainly due to administration finding out she had a blog in the first place and she didnt want to offend the admins.

From a personal standpoint, I enjoy your blog and wish i had found it sooner. On the other hand, i'd love to find out where you're at to see if theres any online police fire ems radio transmissions i can eavesdrop on lolol. <-- still getting the 10- codes down.
Anonymous said…
I say have your cake and eat it. There is a way to both do what you want and keep annonymous.
There is always a way around it and I have some good ideas on the subject. A similar thing happened to a friend of mine and he managed to come to a happy conclusion.
Bitter Blonde said…
Aw, you can't leave! Well, you can if you have to but I personally will be sad. Hopefully you can accomplish your goals without revealing your identity.
Generally, public safety agencies are uncomfortable when their employees blog about the job.

Since you sell items through the blog it may further complicate your relations with the department ... remember your first days on FFN.

Do you have enough seniority?
Would revealing your idenity endanger your desire to be the Happy Captain or Happy Chief?

Will coming out from behind the keyboard make you happier?

The health care issues that are driving you crazy are driven by Medicare and other national issues, is there a way you can tackle those issues without revealing your Happy Medic activities?

I look forward to your blog entries and will support you either way.

Mike, who can show my name because I am retired.
Jake said…
It's significantly cheaper and involves less mental effort for them to destroy your career and reputation than make any effort to address the issues you raise. You're probably doing more good with this blog than by going public.
Chris said…
Get the changes made
Jean said…
That's borderline "between two hard rocks" to me. I've been wanting to blog about my FF experiences along with publishing my fire photos but.... I got gunshy after trouble stirred up a time ago over me doing just that. If I'm to pick this up again, I'd keep my lips zipped. Not confiding even to those I trusted the most. No tell single soul, nobody knows unless they found it anyway on their own. I'd be making sure all tattletale names are blurred out. No names named anywhere unless it is always one name for male and other name for female along with "Anytown, anystate". I do appreciate this blog! I read it like a book... just like rest of my collection of EMT/FF novels. It taught me. I learn. It'd be a sad day for me that you need to shut this down.
The Happy Medic said…
Thanks everyone.

Looks like I need to find a clever way to do both.

Now back to whatever it is you should be doing!

HM
The Bus Driver said…
Ok, so i had a thought occur to me the other day, and have a couple questions for you..... maybe you can help answer them?

1. Do medics/firefighters/ems/police look at the contacts list in a persons cell phone in help of identifying a person they're trying to help that is unconsious or otherwise unable to provide information?

2. My cellphone contacts list has an "ICE" - In Case of Emergency option. Basically 3 contact spaces to assign, and a space for personal information to go... The contacts I understand, but the personal info... Do Emergency Personnel look at that personal information area in a cellphone's ICE contact?

and 3.. if so, What kind of personal information do emergency personnel need in that area?
The Happy Medic said…
Driver,
Check this dispatch from the archives:http://yourhappymedic.blogspot.com/2009/01/for-not-alert.html

The ICE listing in your phone is mainly for someone we can talk to to help you. As far as information, if you don't wear a medical alert bracelet, we can probably wait on that info.
We only go for the phone if we're out of ideas on ID, age, name or someone to drive you home.

I would refrain from adding any personal medical information. And the number should be to someone who is most likely to A. Know you and B. Answer the phone.

I've come across it again recently and will be posting on it soon, but it is still seen as a "silly waste of time" by some. (Actual quote from a supervisor when I suggested it, found it, used it and got the mother of a guy to meet us at the ER)
The Bus Driver said…
Thanks HM -

I've got my 3 numbers set, and in the personal info I have basic things like DOB, name, age, Allergies (medications and food), and medical conditions (asthma, Sleep apnea)

i figure that will give info to anybody who finds me should i be incapacitated.

on a side note, i had the opportunity to thank a local medic last night, he stopped in at the store i visit on the way home from a 36 hr shift... yeah there was some scheduling mess up.. poor guy!
brendan said…
I guess I must be 100% cynic now- my first thought was "What's the @#$%in point, they won't listen anyway. Nothing changes, and we lose a great blogger."
mrs. fuzz said…
I hope you can figure out a way to do both. This blog makes a lot of peoples happy and is great for cheap therapy.
medussa said…
Hey, HM, I've been following the blog (and lurking) since the memorable shift we worked together that rated 3 entries to the blog...
I say go for broke if there's a chance of making a difference. If you really have to kill the blog, there's nothing to stop you from starting another one, and even alerting some of your more loyal contributors to the new location....
Best of luck. I'm sure I'll see you out there again soon...