thomaspaine

Should gender be a issue?.... unequivically no. Is it? Well that's a bit harder to determine since it depends on personal choice. Most rational people are going to stand up and say "no of course, it's not about gender it's all about the qualifications" but deep down many harbor quite a different feeling. This dichotomy can play out in very subtle yet predjudicial ways. Sometimes in training women will be pushed to do just a little more than the guys to "prove" themselves, sometimes it shows as they are shunned or ignored in the group (like when conversations cease as the walk in), or sometimes they inadvertently become the center of negative attention when standards or expectations are lowered to "make sure the women can do it" even if they don't want or expect them to be.
The fact is women in the fire service are still something of a novelty. This isn't necessarily due to an institutionalized bias or attitude but more so by virtue of the fact that there just aren't many of them in comparison to men. In light of this and the fact that nature has given us inherent differences, women will always stand out in some way. What becomes important is that as professionals those differences become insignificant and herein lies the rub. It is virtually impossible to change how someone feels about a particular issue by force and maybe no more so than when it comes to what the average Joe FF believes a FF is. Tradition stills gives us the image of the quintessential FF as a white male and by and large this is still the vast majority of the service. Affimative Action and Equal rights initiatives have done much to open the doors to all, but these open doors have not come without resistance and in some cases outright revolt. Like minded officers and members can make life very difficult indeed for those they believe to be outsiders no matter the department. Unlike minority men, women being by nature and traditional roles very different then men, have a much higher hurdle to jump in many cases stemming from the view of them as the "weaker sex".
The fire service as a whole is still a boys club and many still hold on to that view no matter what they say in public. But as with all things progress and time continue to erode this bias as more women join and rise in the ranks whether by laws, quotas or actions.
BTW for many years I held on dearly to the notion that the firehouse was no place for a woman. Thankfully after being proven wrong time and time again even my dinosaur pea brain has opened to the reality that "no of course, it's not about gender it's all about the qualifications".
Cogs

Absolutely, everyone going home is paramount. However, I don't think that was his point.

You're young, so I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. Generally speaking, a smoking pile of debris 6 hours later does not count as a nice knock down or good job. Unless you're talking about the excavator that was used for overhaul, that did a good job knocking down what remained of the structure.

Not at all. Add to your official duties documenting mechanism of injury and patient condition during extrication via photography and voila it is allowed. want to play it safe, as long as no patient photos are included this doesn't appear to apply.
This seems pretty simple. It applies only to those summoned to the scene. If you're not responding as a provider you're not covered.
If you are on scene working, any images recorded must be in accordance with your job. If you're wearing your helmet cam, if its part of a dept training program you should be allowed. Still unsure, after everything is said and done. Reach out to the family, explain what was recorded and get a release signed.
No release signed, destroy all images. Release signed, utilize to the extent allowed by your agency's rules.
This just adds a penalty to what should already be common sense practice.

Well said, INIT915. Unfortunate that this issue even needed to be addressed by the legislature. The photography targeted by this bill is purely exploitative and hugely unprofessional. Glad they're looking out for patients rights.

http://www.vententersearch.com/?paged=2
Scroll down a bit, some good photos of hidden rooms that are relatively common.

There was a bulletin out several years ago clarifying that each agency was responsible for determining what was an acceptable method of soft restraint with their medical director. The rules are vague, but clearly put the liability on the agency. If pt's are escaping your cravats then you are tying them wrong. Its not easy, especially skinny people with narrow hands however if done right cravats are effective. I've long ago lost count between EDPs, head traumas and combative intox/od's how many, but after they escape a few times you figure out what you're doing wrong.

http://articles.latimes.com/2011/feb/07/local/la-me-texas-budget-20110207
After 2 years of republicans touting smaller government and free market economy saving the day, the best example of Republican policy in the US is forced to show its true colors. After balancing their budget with the evil economy crushing stimulus funds last year Texas is facing a $27 Billion budget deficit or 30% of the current state budget. This problem isn't an issue of healthcare, pensions, welfare, social reform, education or any other societal woe people try and peg this on. The problem is politicians spending money like a kid with daddy's amex during economic prosperity. Republican and Democrat led states have all fallen into the same hole and followed the same exact path into this nightmare. They spent more than they had and when faced with looming revenue shortages worked the numbers and shuffled their debts hoping the shell game would outlast the economic down turn. What is most distressing, is that since neither party has a proven solution and neither side is willing to negotiate it is becoming increasingly clear that the working class is going to get murdered. The left cares only about the poor and the right only wants what's best for the wealthy. Their version of compromise screws us royally and we continue to dig in behind these animals on the grounds that Obama is after going to tax us to death, Boner is going to take our pensions, Pelosi is gonna blah, Palin, is going to blah blah...and on and on we go. What is the solution? If all sides are apparently doing their best to sink us, who is going to screw us the most gently?

Get over yourselves. Stop arguing with each other. Start treating the victim and then get off the road. There's no reason to stay there with four trucks blocking half the road after the ambulance leaves.
The fire service isn't better than the police, just different.
Law enforcement isn't better than the fire service, just different.
EMS isn't better than either, every minute just sucks.
And a personal note for someone in this thread try spell check or a dictionary.

The 343 is very significant for the impact of that moment. What happened that day. The scores of people who have and will continue to suffer the effects of working there that day is only different in the sheer number. There was a massive fire at a Bell Atlantic property in manhattan years ago (sorry, on my phone can't look up the details) that a possible cancer cluster due to a massive exposure to asbestos and vaporized metals. At the time pulmonary function tests didn't exist and firefighters rarely wore breathing protection so the real damage will never be known.
For 9/11 the real death toll will also never be tallied. The majority of the people exposed also regularly expose themselves to a host of carcinogens every day. Construction workers, especially iron workers already have higher rates than average of a variety of illnesses. Every year it seems like there's a new study about just how unhealthy firefighting is.
Now keep in mind I am 100% behind the Zadroga act. It fills a serious gap in health coverage that people should already have, but when someone comes down with xyz cancer is it because of 6 months on the pile or 20 years of smoke filled hallways, sooty PPE and diesel exhaust?