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http://www.kvue.com/news/top/stories/02020...h.10410368.html

The van vs. mod discussion has been split into it's own topic as to not hijack this thread. You can find the new thread in the "Apparatus Related Discussion" forum.

I don't understand why some fire districts don't require a Type I or III ambulance for their EMS contracts? With some of the transport times in Dutchess County, as well as the calls, and safety of the crew, I'm sure a mod would be a lot better off. You can get a Type III Chevrolet/Wheeled Coach Citimedic for a good price, and they are very nice units.

I liked working in a van when I worked in Mount Vernon, I swore by them. Everything was within your reach easily and they could be manuvered through tight city streets easily. But things change, and I guess it all depends on the system.Transport times, in my system even going Priority 1 traffic to the ED can be in excess of hour. We do everything from Urban 911 to Rural 911 to critical care transfers in a single shift, and often spend 24 hours in the truck. If you have a critical care patient with a vent, pumps, etc from one of the "band aid stations" way out in rural, and I mean rural, Texas, it can be more then that. It's not comfortable going to the hospital in a van, especially if you're a larger patient or paramedic. And if I have to do an ALS job to Dallas (3 hours-Parkland Burn Center), San Antonio (Brooks Army Medical Center Burn Unit, 2 hours) or Houston/Galveston (Texas Prison Hospital 4-5 hours), or hurricane evacuations, the van is impractical and just plain uncomfortable for all those involved. Also, with all the equipment I have to carry- vent, pump, CPAP, tubings, complete set turnout gear x 2, SCBA, in addition to two sets of ALS gear, etc, the van doesn't have enough room. (We don't have stairchairs, though- and I have yet to do one job that reqiured one down here!) The cost difference is not that much between a Type II and some models of a Type III, especially considering you can get a longer lifespan out of a mod because you can remount/refurbish it. An agency like Transcare can also have a price advantage due to the amount of units they purchase. Safety wise, a mod can take an impact better then a van, and can often be repaired in situations in which a van would be considered totalled. Additionally, I find the duallies found on a mod to make the ambulance more stable in evasive manuvers and when making a side to side movement. I see where it's economical for BLS transfers and simple ALS runs in an urban and suburban enviroment. But for the reasons mentioned above, vans are becoming more and more obsolete, just like the old "Station Wagon" style ambulances did, and over the next few years you're going to see some manufacturers start to phase out Type II from their offerings, as several already have.

FULL STORY: http://www.lohud.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009902010359

Seagrave does make a superior product. They tried to keep it simple and minimalize the electronic components for years, but now it's becoming the standard. A lot of the issue is with the sensor manufacturer, not the apparatus manufacturers. Another issue is dirt or neglect in the sensor or area of the sensor on the departments part.

Nassau County PD, if I recall correctly, pays one of the higest salaries for Police Officers in the nation. They charge $100 to even take the test. I know it's one of the most expensive places to live in the nation, but you have guys with less then 10 years on making over $150,000 a year wihout breaking a sweat. If they lay off police officers, crime is going to go up. You don't think the criminals are watching all the publicity about these layoffs and thinking about the oppurtunities? The unions need to work with the goverment. This isn't an easy situation, and it isn't easy going from a good, civil service job back into the private sector....trust me. Guys with 20-30 years on really should consider retiring with a good pension and that way I'm sure some layoffs can be avoided via attrition. And we may have this same situation with Westchester County PD in a few months if the state pulls funding for parkway patrols.....

FULL STORY: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/skydiver_death

Once the details are ironed out, the stickers will be available via an online store. Possibly also available at EMTBravo On The Road events and through select "dealers".

http://www.ameriburn.org/ABABPC2009PressRelease.pdf

http://www.nyc.gov/html/fdny/html/events/2009/012909a.shtml

Here's a really good desciption of the incident, via FFCloseCalls.com Story and photos by Paul Schaetzle, Gong Club Jersey City http://firefighterclosecalls.com/fullstory.php?79584

FULL STORY: http://www.wsbtv.com/news/18559784/detail.html

But, it's almost 40 years old? To anybody in Hastings FD, any reason why it's being kept in service as a first line rescue? I know the tools used to be kept on the ambulances, but wouldn't there be modern vehicle better suited for this purpose? Unless Riverview's 1984 Hahn is going to replace this- or maybe the new tiller will carry the tools?

Does Hastings still have the 1980 Hahn, Engine 43?

Simple solution. Proper priority/EMD dispatching. Don't send FD when not needed.

Interesting article. FULL STORY: http://www.emsresponder.com/web/online/Top...udy/1$8881

Definetly a spacious and convient enough place to dismantle this jet and ship away the parts. Also, a great photo op! FULL STORY: http://www.lohud.com/article/2008901310369

LOL, way past my bedtime, I would have loved to seen peoples reactions though! I love this city! That would have been a priceless photo op. For those who don't know, Austin's City motto is "Keep Austin Weird". It's a really fun, upbeat town. Oh the shennanigans! Also being home to the University Of Texas, Dell Computer, we have a high concentration of computer engineers. But, I wouldn't be suprised if there were actually zombies. And then if the city changed the message, and somebody got attacked by a zombie? Seriously, those signs are always changing with construction moving so fast, and never any real traffic. You have to pay attention to them usually, because one day there's a bulldozer and the next day there's a new flyover built or a new intersection bypass open.

That really is nothing if you think about it and his responsiblities. He has to pay for his own food most of the time, his family, clothing, amongst other expenses that are associated with the job. He's the leader of our nation, and some CEO's of some companies in this country make that in a week. Also, a lot of these crooks are residents of Westchester.

Dual medic has it's advantages, but also it's disadvantages. It allows weak Paramedics to get by, and robs EMT-B's a chance of getting ALS experience and a good foundation for becoming a Medic. If FDNY*EMS implements it right, which they probaly won't, there should be a "ALS Interface" class for the EMT's, and new, strong clinical oversight of all Paramedics. Also, as far as MI's go, the way it is going, at least down here, is time is muscle....and treating it like a trauma and getting them to the cath lab as quickly as possibly and doing everything else enroute. EMT-I is also another route.

I know I'll get some for saying this, but Bloomberg is a smart guy with money...he made himself a billionare and built an international empire. He's probaly most suited to be mayor during this tough time. Also, is double medic staffing really neccesary in NYC? In most cases, transport times to hospitals are short and a lot of the calls are BLS. I think the city's mistake was taking away units from the private hospitals providing EMS, as they technically were getting those ambulances for free, but all those hospitals seem to be cutting EMS staffing too. As the mayor emphasized during his speech, a lot can change between now and July 1st....let's just pray it's for the better.

I must ask what else the state inspector found, and how many other EMS "Stations" have this issue? I'm sure that there are more drugs then just narcotics that aren't being stored properly. I still don't understand why "FDNY"*EMS doesn't have the funding for better support services? And also, I put EMS station in quotes, because the only time FDNY EMT's and Medics see them are at shift change, because they're either sitting at a CSL or on a call.

This is why van ambulances should be phased out, ESPECIALLY in areas with snow and ice are common. The van is cheap and useful for transports and BLS in certain situations, but a Type I or III offers much more stability and weight on the rear wheels- not to mention added crew and patient safety. I did my time in a van in Yonkers and many other municipalties during snow and it is not fun!

I don't know MKVAC's reasons, BUT, I know a lot of people and agencies that have recently purchased "Medium Duty" chasis. Some of the reasons I've been told were: -More room for additional crew and equipment(important in a volunteer agency with a flycar ALS), especially if you have more then one patient -Ford, and problems with the Ford chasis and engines -More cabroom and better driver visibilty -Easier to service and access engine by flipping a hood rather then having to remove ten thousand component in a van engine just to make a quick repair -In an impact, and I hope I never have to see proof of this, you are a little higher then your typical sedan or SUV impact point. -More acceleration power -Better braking -Chasis able to handle the weight of the module -Better ground clearance