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I want to hear what you in the fire services (both as paid and volly) honestly think of this... OK, not too honestly or your post may never see the light of day! LOL! http://www.lohud.com/article/2009907210370

God, just too tragic. Too many kids. God bless those babies and a special prayer goes to to anyone who was on-scene for this disaster. Thank you for trying to save them but know their fate was decided before you even got there so anything you did wouldn't have changed the outcome. My heart hurts for everyone touched by this tragedy.

ALS, my friend, this is EXACTLY what you were referring to and prophesizing about in the Somers thread. Perhaps now we can standardize those ALS protocols so ANY medic (whether in cool jumpsuit uniform or NOT) can do everything for the pt. up to and INCLUDING the almighty RSI??? Induction is right, BTW... not intubation. I'm so grateful for that clarification...

LAPD covers all shifts, all days of the week, with several helicopters staffed round the clock with police pilots and TFO's. WCPD does not have nearly the staffing or the number of copters. And the 2 they do have are both too small for the amt of equipment and bodies necessary for pt tx. County PD aviation does fire calls?? Since when? They occasionally assist with brush fires by using the bambi bucket, but that is rare. If you know of a way to get a few million dollars into the county budget to cover a new, larger airship AND more full-time police pilots and/or TFO's, please contact chris192 and make his day.

Such an awesome story. Had to share it. MILWAUKEE -- Off-duty firemen, policemen and perfect strangers rushed to save a family from their burning car Sunday evening. http://www.wisn.com/cnn-news/20109954/detail.html

As a follow-up (and irrelevant aside): According to Lohud, the 19yo driver was charged today at his WMC bedside for DWI. Ah, well- it would explain at least some of the on-scene combativeness... http://www.lohud.com/article/20090716/NEWS01/907160481

Excellent posts, ALS, KHAS, Seth, and Chris. From your collective perspectives, it seems the primary argument for air transport should focus less on the skill level and judgments of the medic on-scene and more on the geographic area in which it is used and occasionally misused. Is that correct? If I am correct, I agree with you. During my years at WMC as an ER RN, receiving about 1 Stat Flight patient a day, we never ever got one that didn't need the rushed ride. They were always in bad shape, or were at least by mechanism of injury (fell off a roof, got hit by lightning, etc.) in need of quick transport. Not always in need of the bird, mind you, but always in need of quick arrival. More than a few of those patients brought by the red suits (back in the day when they were red and cool and still respected-LOL-sorry blue suits on this site) raised our eyebrows because the accident happened literally 5-10 minutes by ground from the med center. The minimum on-scene time was always 20minutes. That never made sense! Why sit on the road in the back of the copter for 20 when you could be rolling to the med center and AT the med center in under 15? Seriously! That said, though, I never even once in 3 years in that ER discharged a Statflight patient same day. They always stayed in-house for legit reasons. My point is that, while I do not have an issue with the occasional use of the bird, it just seems more like it is nearly always unnecessary down here in Westchester, where we have so many major highways/parkways that'll lead us to WMC. In the northern counties (Putnam north and NW), where that is not always the case, perhaps the air choice should be used.

I have to ask a question and will duck if I have to in order to ask it... and I'll direct it specifically at the medics here who take this debate to heart every single time it rears its ugly little head: Why is it that EVERY time the copter is called, a collective firestorm brews and rallies AGAINST those who called the bird? Every time, quite literally. Response time... road conditions... distance to hospital... "what can't I do that he can do?" It's as though, regardless of circumstances and the judgments of those ON-SCENE at the time, the call was the wrong one. Why does it always seem to be an "either/or situation where you chose the wrong one so now justify your choice to the rest of us" discussion? Perhaps, just once, this could remain a situation where EITHER a ground medic OR a flight medic could have been the right choice, but on THAT night the flight one was chosen. I maintain my previous position. Good choice. I'd say the SAME if he was in the same condition, went by ground and lived to get tucked in at the WMC ED.

Great job. The decision to fly was obviously the right one.

As I said on Lohud (I hate the rag but it's all I've got for local news)... my heart breaks for the family and friends of such wonderful, brave, selfless human like Mr. Johnson, but I thank every single one of you for sharing him with the world for as long as you did. He's now up in Heaven, surrounded by equally heroic comrades, going, "Wow! So THIS is Heaven. NICE! Is there beer up here? Anyone up for a game of craps??" God bless all of you, and again, thank you, for sharing such a great man with the world. By doing so, you both provide the rest of us with the perfect role model AND you restore our faith in mankind. Gratefully and with only the utmost respect, Your brothers and sisters in public service

Wow, how horribly tragic. He didn't hesitate to help someone and died in the process. Another hero in Heaven. My condolences to his family and friends.

Great story!!!! Thanks for sharing it... I agree she's either a FF or the kid of one. Regardless, very brave on her part and what a heck of a story to tell her kids/grandkids... the reason her white wedding dress has black shmootz all over it.

I have no Myspace page. I have no Facebook account. I Don't do Youtube and I'd rather poke myeself in the eye with a pen than "tweet" on Twitter. Is it just me or is anyone else on the "anti-follow me around 24/7" bandwagon? I'm old, I realize, but I feel that if you really want to reach me then flipping CALL ME! Again, is it just me?

My folks just moved to Kent, CT in an area covered only by a resident trooper. This trooper works M-F, 9-5, and is apparently paid close to $100k per year to do little else but be around during those work hours. The town is run by penny-pinching, no crime ever happens here so why bother locking my house or car doors- types. They are actively considering eliminating the resident trooper program so as to save the town the equivalent of this trooper's salary. But without this trooper available, the typical response time to a 911 call of any sort will be at least 30-45 minutes. Imagine that as they are being burglarized or their house is burning down. Please let me know your thoughts and views for and against eliminating this resident trooper program. Thanks in advance! Check this out! The resident trooper runs this new site: www.kentcrimewatch.com Tapout

From the www.kentcrimewatch.com site: Sadly, 112 out of approximately 3,000 of Kent's residents voted tonight to accept the budget without the Resident Trooper Program. 112 decided for the rest of those residents who could not attend tonight's budget vote meeting that there will be no more Resident Trooper in Kent. Our Resident Trooper Program is now a thing of the past. ----------------------- Sad loss for the town. And, for the record, BMeehan, I'm not Scott (the letter writer on the crimewatch forum and former RST). Not even close! But I agreed with his letter, too. Oh, well. Sign of the times, I guess. Tapout

The RST saga continues... Apparently there are grants the town of Kent may be entitled to in the amount of $100,000-- oddly the same amount cut out of the town's budget, thereby eliminating the RST program after summer 2009. Perhaps someone over there should have determined the town's eligibility for this money before the program was cut... OR maybe, just maybe, this was done intentionally to get the town to stop having to pay for the resident trooper in lieu of the FEDS footing the bill? Sounds to "conspiracy theory" for me, but nothing would shock me at this point. I'll keep you updated, but until then, I met the temporary resident trooper this weekend and he seemed like a good cop and genuinely good guy. He tried to explain the politics of this RST program to me, but even he was confused by it- he feels "it's gotta hit the fan with a spike in crime--and it's gonna-- sooner than later" before anyone truly wishes there was a more permanent and local police presence.

Agreed 100%-- truly disgusting. This stupid, disrespectful POS probably took this pic and posted it because the decedent was pretty. You know, in this business you develop a pretty morbid sense of humor and way of seeing things, but this guy crossed that line into the realm of "Oh good god- oh no he didn't!" Now, regarding previous actual crime scene and/or AI pics... I've seen some doozies. None pretty-- all gruesome and definitely NONE for public viewing. There's this 1 guy that comes to mind... hit on the Hutch several times... nothing recognizable except for ONE EYE looking directly at whoever was unlucky enough to come across that photo!!!!! Ugh!

From www.cnn.com : Staff Sgt. Bartek Bachleda doesn't consider himself a hero, but passengers on a recent jumbo jet flight might beg to differ. One of 300 passengers on a United Airlines flight from Chicago, Illinois, to Tokyo, Japan, in April, Bachleda noticed white "smoke" billowing from the left side of the Boeing 747-400 jet on takeoff and then again at cruising altitude of over 30,000 feet. He said he was sure it was a leak, a big one that could lead to a potentially dangerous situation. Bachleda, 30, should know. He serves in an air refueling squadron in the U.S. Air Force. For the full (awesome!) story, go to http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/05/21/plane.lea...ref=mpstoryview

Really great pics- thanks for sharing them. Driver ok?

Izzy, again you were right- Troop L will now provide coverage to Kent. According to the www.KentCrimeWatch.com web site: "Recent budgetary issues and anticipated retirements have effected all State and Municipal agencies and have drastically impacted Troop L operations and staffing. In in effort to ensure the Residents of the town of Kent as well as the other communities Troop L serves are met with the highest level of service, Tfc. Asman has been reassigned to Troop Operations. Tpr. Dennis Keane Badge #401 has been assigned to the town of Kent as the Resident Trooper effective 05/19/09 for the remainder of the contract period. Tpr. Keane has been serving with the CSP since 10/01/04. Prior to that he was a member of the New Britain Police Dept. where he was assigned to a number of community policing projects and patrol for ten years. " I wonder 2 things: 1.what is the contract term for the temporary RST (and why even re-assign Asman? Keep him till the end of the contract term, you'd think) and 2.what will happen to this same web site? It was recently created specifically for the RST and run by the RST Tfc. Asman. It's a great site for the local residents in the absence of any local newspaper or media outlet.

Hello, Izzy... No, no constables. My fear for my parents there is the response time- they are almost 2 miles off a back road up in the woods. Really pretty on a good day, but when needing 911 help in the form of a police officer, not so pretty. Kent VAC is right around the corner, as is the FD, but no trooper to deal with a burglar now for at least 30-40 minutes, minimum. Hey, it's fine. By the time the trooper arrives, the bad guy will be dealt with and buried somewhere on their 30+ acres.

I'm not blaming anyone. I merely quoted someone else. My folks were 2 of the 112 who bothered to show up for the meeting, but obviously their vote was not of the majority (they wanted the RST to stay).

Lad12derff: For those of us not in the fire service, what does it mean to "pull a 1 3/4 off his Crown Vic for a quick knockdown?" I agree with most of what you stated, BMeehan, and I thank you for the input. This particular RST does live in Kent, and has for most of his career. Here is his excellent post in support of the program (for you to all draw your own conclusions): A quoted post from www.kentcrimewatch.com Dear Fellow Kent Residents, Business Owners, My name is Scott, and for those of you who do not know me I am a member of the Kent Board of Education, a 30 year member of the Connecticut State Police, and I live in town. I am a Sergeant stationed at Troop "B" in North Canaan, where I also supervise three Resident Troopers, and 7 patrol Troopers. I began my career in 1979 and spent 9 years at Troop "L" in Litchfield, which provides police coverage for Kent. While assigned at Troop "L" I was assigned the patrol that covers Kent, Warren, and Washington many times. As a Trooper I had the opportunity to observe and work with the Resident Troopers that worked at Troop "L". In my experiences I came to realize that a Resident Trooper provides a valuable service to their towns and residents. The information and knowledge that a Kent Resident Trooper has about the town and its residents is utilized by the Troopers at Troop "L", surrounding Police Departments, other Connecticut State Police Troops, New York State Police, and the Dutchess County Sheriff Department in their investigations. The information often results in arrests of people that have or could have committed crimes in Kent. Those of us that have spent many years living and working in Kent realize that the town has grown in population and business activities, especially in the downtown area. With this growth comes a greater need for keeping the Resident Trooper Program in Kent. We have all also seen the increase in visitors on weekends, which has helped our town's economic growth. Traffic along Route 7 has increased, it is a main road from the Danbury area to Massachusetts, and beyond. Kent is home to three prep-schools with a student and staff population of approximately 1,000. When these schools have a Parents Weekend, Alumni Weekend, or a graduation the need for the extra police coverage that the Resident Trooper increases. The Kent Fireman's Fair Weekend, Pumpkin Run, Memorial Day Parade, and the upcoming Litchfield Jazz Festival, to name a few, have all shown to be popular events. With this increase in weekend and evening activity the town may be better served with a schedule that has the Resident Trooper working weekends and evening hours. The number of incidents that a Resident Trooper, on patrol has stopped from happening will never be known. The town can negotiate a Resident Trooper schedule that will better serve the needs of our town. The Resident Trooper Program is Community Policing, a community based program that many town Police Departments are going back to. We are even seeing this type of program in some schools with the School Resource Officer Program. I am assigned to Troop "B" and not aware of the details of the issue that information about recent Burglary/Larceny/Vandalism investigations was not conveyed in a timely manner to the residents. I can see that residents and businesses would be concerned about it. With the Troop "L" Commander, Supervisors and Troopers being made aware of the issue, we will see better communications between Troop "L" and the town. With the establishment of a Kent Crime Watch site, the likes of which I have never seen before, in my 30 years in the Connecticut State Police, where the Resident Trooper and concerned citizens can post information is a great start to keep the problem from happening again. The town may also want to consider establishing this on the town web page. Many of the towns surrounding Kent without a Resident Trooper have had some issues. They have seen some serious crimes/incidents: The recent bank robbery and burglaries in Cornwall. A 4 year old unsolved murder, the Burglary at the Sharon Pharmacy, and a past history of bank robberies. In Warren, the suspect in a daytime murder in Southbury returned to Warren, causing the lockdown of the Warren Center School and a two day search for the suspect. The town of Goshen saw an increase in Burglaries. The benefits of a Resident Trooper Program in Kent are but not limited to: Provides all residents, adult and children alike with a familiar face to discuss their questions and concerns. People go to the Resident Trooper with many private/sensitive issues involving their children, families, and neighbors. Provides all businesses in Kent with a Trooper that they can discuss their private and sensitive issues they may have with other businesses and customers. Teaches D.A.R.E., provides services for a safe environment, and assists the Students, Teachers, and Staff at Kent Center School, with many issues involving the students. Assists the officials at the Town Hall, the Highway Department, and the Fire/Ambulance Department with their needs, and acts as a liaison with other agencies. Provides for a quicker response to all types of emergency and non-emergency calls. The Resident Trooper also carries an AED, and is often the first one there for medical calls. Fingerprints those residents who need them taken for a pistol permit, or other application that needs them. There is no need to drive to Troop "L" to have them taken. Being a member the Board of Education I can appreciate the work of the people who serve on town boards. I would like to thank the Board of Selectman and Finance for their work. I am writing this with all due respect to them for their work. I feel that the Board of Selectman should look at the budget, and fine tune the budgets of the offices under their jurisdiction. The Board of Selectman should identify and make the $80,000.00 cuts in the budget that the Board of Finance requested. I believe that the money for the Resident Trooper Program should be put back into the town budget. Thank you for your time, please feel free to pass this e-mail along to others. Scott

To all of you who posted awesome, happy, sad, and entertaining posts to this thread: Please remember ONE thing from an ICU/ER/and now happy, quiet, mellow nursing home RN who has coded more residents, family members, and fellow employees than she can count on all hands and feet and who has also broken more ribs than ALL of you posters COMBINED... NEVER, EVER assume the outcome of a code. Go all out like it's your own mom, grandma or kid. The least likely to survive your crazy, aggressive thumping WILL survive, and the one you mentally wrote off on-sight before even touching their sternum will pull through, survive, and bizarrely find you just to thank you for saving them. Been there, done that, didn't know what to say and felt guilty for months afterwards! Learn from me. Never assume the end. Crank out the means like your own life depends on it. If you cheat death, great. If not, you'll know nothing else but what you did could have been done. Tapout

LO-flippin-L!!!!!!!!!!! Yup, but those needing cookin' will promptly be addressed (and dressed and marinaded) by his lovely culinary school-graduate wife!!!