Friday, January 12, 2007

Nothin' like a truck check.....

I had to go into work early today as the critical care truck I work on was inspected this morning. A representative from the New Hampshire EMS Bureau checked out two other trucks besides ours, and I was not surprised at how thorough it was. It was an inspection from the outside in, from making sure it started (you think?) to verifying expiration dates on medications we carry. It took about an hour and a half to get it done. We now have a new sticker on the back of our truck.

We are currently posting at one of the Manchester hospitals, and I have access to a computer until we have to go on a call. Last night, while we were working, we went to a class on Penetrating Trauma. The physics of ballistics is always fascinating, but some of the pictures that the surgeon who gave the presentation showed were really detailed, slow shutter-type pictures that were like "slices" of the action a projectile takes. There was also discussion about hollow-point versus full metal jacket rounds, and he talked about center-of-balance with bullet designs, which I had really never given much thought to until then. And it never occurred to me that whether a projectile is pointed or rounded at the tip has an effect on the stability of the round.

More to follow over the weekend, at some point.

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