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Croton looked great last night, however I was dissapointed that Engine 119 did not make an appearance :sad:

There's a GREAT book out on the Super Pumper System, written by John Calderone of FAJ and published by FAJ: http://www.fire-police-ems.com/books/bf1917.shtml From FSP Books And Videos: As far as the video goes, I'd contact FSP, if it's out there, they could get it.

A Truck should be the first to roll, after all, how is the Engine company supposed to get in, lol?

Interesting article published today in the NY Times about the problems going on in Suffolk County,Long Island with their EMS system. Some of their issues sound similar to ours. Also, they say Westchester has an average response time of nine minutes :roll: Yeah, maybe for clockstoppers, but I don't think ambulances? I think it is a good idea to mandate response times as far as dispatch protocol....how many times should an agency have to retone to get a crew....or looking at the other side....how long should we make a sick or injured person wait before care is delivered and transportation to definitive care is initiatied? It seems in this county people care more about their park or library then how fast their ambulance gets there. Why is ambulance staffing and response times still such a low priority, and why do the officers and boards of agencies put politics over people? I just dont understand, and I never will. It just seems to me that the majority feels the same way as I do, and it's only a couple of people in that "wall" thats preventing EMS from being where it needs to be.....maybe when those people leave EMS can be brought to where it needs to be. In the old days, some of the career fire departments were created to give their members jobs.....why can't we do the same with EMS, lol? It also has a "side" benefit.............faster and more consistent care.

I posted this in another thread, but it applies here as well. Let's not forget that the patients in nursing homes are human beings and deserve the same quality of care as anybody else. It's disgusting to see some crews take out the frustration of a nursing home call out on the patient and subsequently treat the patient like a fed ex package. As had been said here, the abuse of EMS by long term care facilities needs to be dealt with on a agency administrative and regional MAC level.......no matter what the call, as minor or BS as it may be, or as repetitive as it may be, your job is to CARE for human beings first and foremost.

Let's not forget that the patients in nursing homes are human beings and deserve the same quality of care as anybody else. It's disgusting to see some crews take out the frustration of a nursing home call out on the patient and subsequently treat the patient like a fed ex package. As had been said here, the abuse of EMS by long term care facilities needs to be dealt with on a agency administrative and regional MAC level.......no matter what the call, as minor or BS as it may be, or as repetitive as it may be, your job is to CARE for human beings first and foremost.

Keep in mind, these hospitals that are applying to do caths (I've only heard Sound Shore in NY, and Greenwich,Stamford and Danbury in CT personally) are only going to be able to do diagnostic caths, not interventional caths. Diagnostic caths are for patients with low index of suspicion, and can be treated with pharmaceuticals, such as Plavix. If the patient needs a stent, then they will need an interventional cath, which needs to be done at a facility that has the capability of open heart surgery, such as the Medical Center. There will be some benefits to these hospitals being able to do caths, but it does have some risks. These hospitals applying will probaly be leading to more "stat-cath" jobs. As far as ALSFirefighters comment, in MA, we transported to the hospital that had the MOST appropriate care available for the patient, IMO, the way it should be here too. (I.E. trauma patient to trauma center, MI patient to cardiac center....peds to peds....stroke to stroke, etc..except in arrest and closest facility cases) Hypothetically, if you have an suspected MI patient in Yonkers, on CPA by Best Buy.........you could take the patient to Lawrence or WMC.......chances are the pt would go to Lawrence, but why would you take the pt to Lawrence when he would probaly end up at the MC anyways? Why not save time and just go there first?

I found this excellent editorial (one of many contained on www.firefighterclosecalls.com) . Really has some good, pertinent points in the article and definetly worth the read. =D> Article by Chief Billy G.,"The Secret List" www.FirefighterCloseCalls.com www.FirefighterCloseCalls.com

Unfortunetly, EMS is one of the lowest priorities to politicians in this county, wheter it be on the local or county level of goverment. As has been said before on this forum, politicians are reactive. Just like it took that big "scandal" at fire control to SLOWLY and eventually start to change the County DES into what it is now, it's probaly going to take another big one to even make a small dent into the EMS issues. Trained, proffessionally-appearing, well equipped EMS personel arriving within a reasonable time......WHY IS THAT SO HARD? And while I'm at it, why cant we dispatch via GPS/closest available unit instead of "district"? Interesting article on FOOPS.org to supplement the above article: Cable Service Appointments vs. Response Times: Are we missing the point? From the above article:

I agree with the points in this article. It's definetly not worth it to go blasting to calls, the risks FAR outweigh the benefits in most cases. Theres way too much traffic, liability issues,job issues and media predators out there. But then again, theres the response time issues if you don't. My opinion, I'd rather be safe then sorry. If a response time issue is an excuse for "blasting" to calls, then it's the system that needs to be changed, not the driver.

I actually used this drug today (Natrcor-Nesitiride) I found it interesting that upon arrival at WMC, they did not carry the drug and the patients theraputic course would have to be discontinued, although it was found to be very effective on the patient. Also, I learned later that WMC had a clinic for this drug, but, along with many other things, was cut and closed. In regards to drawing bloods, I see 5-10 years down the line, with the advances in technology in the lab field, EMS being able to run some basic pertinent labs in the field and getting the results prior to hospital arrival.

Unfortunetly, no matter how much public education there is, denial and macho-ism will still alway be prevalent, leading to more muscle loss, especially in firefighters.

There are several disaptcher certification curriculums from APCO. I'm not saying the class has to be long and drawn out, but there are several things that should be covered to provide a solid foundation in which agencies can build off of. Introduction to Fire, EMS and/or PD:(not all come from the background), Caller interviewing and information gathering techniques, voice lessons (lol), managing multiple units and calls, dealing with equipment failures, E911 consoles (plant equipment is pretty much universal in NYS),EMD,......and practical skills using simulators. I've got to go now, but the list can go on and on. Thumbs up to the Telecommunicator Certification.

To further my point: I think both first response, ambulance, and medic on scene times should be monitored, evaluated, and tracked seperately. What good is care rendered if your are waiting 20-30 minutes (hypothetically) for an ambulance, especially if it is a trauma or stroke, especially considering some transport times from more remote areas? IMHO,a capable first response unit, promptly arriving,properly staffed and well trained BLS transport unit, a well trained,staffed and equipped Medic Unit arriving in a reasonable time should be the definitive on scene times that we look at when determing a systems efficiency. Joe schmo arriving on scene with no training or equipment should not stop the clock.

The above post brings up another thought to mind.........should a dispatcher be a certification, just like an EMT, Firefighter, or Police Officer is certified in their profession???? I think so, Dispatching is a profesion nowadays...and should be treated as one.

Well, maybe not such in Yonkers,where SSM and staffed buses allow for a target <8 minute response time 98% of the time, but in other areas of the county, there are very poor response times (AKA "Third Tone For A Driver" or the city will only pay for one ambulance...not only a Westchester exclusive problem though)but considering where the acceptable level should be for a county as populous and wealthy as Westchester. As far as the doctoring times go, some agencies (and people) still do it NATIONWIDE. Whether its to hide the problem (Which, IMO, by doing that harms the public....as politicians are reactive, poor response times may equal better funding or improved EMS legislation and leadership. Well, I can hope, cant I?) Or some agencies just use clockstoppers, whether it be a flycar or medic on scene. IMO, response time should be determined by when the AMBULANCE arrives.

I was leaving to go to a job when I saw the footage on "News" 12, but did I see TL-15 there?

Just thought I'd let you all know that A&E has changed the timeslot for the Third Watch reruns. Whereas it used to be on at 2300hrs, it now can be seen Monday-Friday at 1100 (AM) and 1700hrs (PM).It appears it will be the same episode shown twice a day, starting with the pilot, "Welcome To Camelot", which was shown today. Crossing Jordan now fills the Third Watch 2300hrs slot. :roll:

Interesting Article. One thing mentioned is that due to the black eye Zackheim gave Metrocare, all Metrocare ambulances are going to be repainted to the Transcare paint scheme and labeling.

Well, another awesome Katonah Parade despite the heat! 80 Photos are submitted and now posted,www.emtbravo.com Be sure to check out both pages.

I caught the episode on at 11am today, and it's an earlier one from the first season. I forgot how great the first season was. Alot more realistic,entertaining, and "in touch", compared to the most recent episodes we've been seeing.

Photos here: http://www.incendie.com/Reportages/200406/...a_Mvc-001s1.jpg

So, anyone remember who the Westchester area dealer for Macks were and where they were located? Also, while I'm on the subject, how about the Maxim dealer?

And Hartsdale too. :paper: