Ga-Lin

They can, just as they can refuse going to the hosp, C-Spine, IV etc as long as they are able to understand all of the possible consequences IE an informed decision. If you look at the back of the PCR,refusal is for Treatment or transport. It's not that simple however. Most civilians don't understand the process. Most think it's just part of the service, (until they get the bill) just like calling FD to put out the barbecue fire that gets out of hand. Now take out west in most of the wilderness parks. They require you to sign a waiver agreeing to pay for any & ALL costs associated with any rescue &/or recovery operation which might be needed. And those costs are not the small change we're talking about here.

A very informative & interesting article, a must read for all of us. We tend to overlook the fact that, in the medical field, we're pretty unique. On the basis of our sole judgment (and unfortunately & frequently without oversite or review after the fact) we are able to mobilize a vast amt. of resources (med evacs,HAZMAT, additional manpower etc.) & spend thousands of $ on just a phone or radio call. No one else in the medical field, except for MD's can say that. Granted its not our money but someone has to pick up the tab. From what I gathered in reading the art. the responders were treating "what might" instead of "what is". Kind of reminds me of that recent post "Mechanism of injury" on you-tube. (very funny). It also appears that they didn't follow est. policy regarding Med evac guidelines. This also reminds me of another recent post about responding L&S where some stated they disregard est. policy based on their "knowledge" of location, pt etc. or just their "judgment" to disregard dispatch instructions or agency policy. Very dangerous, you could very easily find yourself standing alone holding the bag.

We used to call it the Munchies.

Exactly,couldn't have said it better myself! LOL

Exterior attack from 50 yards, protect everything/everyone outside the perimeter & let it burn itself out. Just make sure everyone is wearing SCUBA, wouldn't want anyone becoming overcome by the noxious fumes as the plants burn!

Absolutely, I loved it! Thanks for posting it we can all use a good laugh at ourselves.

Hamptonburgh does not have its own VAC. They, I believe, are currently served by Mobile Life Support Services.

The Times Herald Record reported today that "The only active black member of the 30 person volunteer Orange Cty HazMat response team has filed a discrimination complaint against the Cty Fire Training Center, alleging the Cty Fire Coordinator prevented him from taking training courses because of his skin color." The complaint was filed in March with the state Division of Human Rights. It includes a sworn affidavit from the Hazmat supervisor who stated that when informed of the complaint the Cty Fire Coordinator, who is white, referred to the individual as looking like a gorilla & used racial slurs to further describe the individual. Both the Cty Fire Coordinator & Cty Emergency Services Commissioner referred all questions to the Cty attorney. The Cty mouthpiece responded to the complaint in July, saying the claim was baseless since (get this) the Hazmat team is not a fire company or fire department & therefore can't file a complaint under the state human rights law. He declined further comment. The Hazmat supervisor, who is white, is the Cty Deputy FIRE Coordinator. The article goes on to allude a$$ covering, finger pointing, blame shifting & accusations of attempted intimidation. The member states that he was left off the list for training seminars at the state FIRE Academy in 2008 & 2009, despite submitting all the proper paperwork on time. The member finally stated "the only thing we want is to work."

What Federal Dept. West Point? Stewart Air Base? Otisville Correctional?

Studies have shown that blue lights are more visible across the spectrum especially during daylight hrs. I think all emergency vehicles should have them on the rear for safety reasons. I don't understand why EMS vehicles were excluded.

Sorry, I wasn't sure what forum to post this to since it concerns all emergency service responders, EMS, FD & PD. New American Heart Assoc. guidelines issued today now recommend 30 hard & fast compressions 1st, for all cardiac arrest victims. This had been the recommendation for the lay public it is now recommended for all lay public & professional rescuers.

I think you're right. I've seen it work in monitored arrests both prehospitaly & in the CCU during my initial training. If it's done right away & without delay.

Yea, well like Hyman Roth (the Meyer Lansky character) said to Michael Coleone in the Godfather II "this is the life we've chosen!"

Well said!

CEO Mike Witkowski is no longer at or with HVP. Anyone Know when this happened? Did I miss something?

You got a good response and a lot of info on your inquiry, but allow me add my two cents. It takes more than throwing a jump bag & 02 in your car to make it an Emergency service vehicle (ESV). On carrying oxygen in your POV, while there is little risk in administering O2 it is still a medication requiring authorization from a MD., which your agency probably has. They can then authorize you to carry & administer it under them as an ESV. However there are a few other issues that you should be aware of. Other than the required equipment needed, which has already been posted, there are other specific requirements which must be in place. You must be authorized as an ESV by your organization just as they auth. the use of blue or green courtesy lights. This is important & I'll return to it later. Another requirement can be found in part 800.21 (E) which states that all ESV must have the organization ID'd on both sides & rear of the vehicle with lettering not smaller than 3 inches. In all my travels throughout the NY metro & Hudson Valley area I've only seen one agency do this right (there may be others, but I only know of this one) and that's Lewisboro VAC. They made up huge magnetic signs which are then placed on the authorized POV's, and not everyone in the organization has them. Other than the obvious there is also a safety issue involved. Many, many years ago I remember an unmarked van which crashed & burned out on Long Island xway. It was carrying tanks of compressed gas. I'm unfamiliar with the thermodynamics of what happens when gases are heated or whether the heads failed due to heat or damage. The end result was the tanks flying through the back killing & injuring firefighters. This might be academic to you but is, I'm sure, one of the reasons which ESV's must be ID'd. Take a look at 800.26 it requires the agency to authorize, have policies, & insure ESV's. Now, some agencies might tell members not to worry that your insurance will cover any accidents or that you are covered under the agency's insurance when responding. One, what would your insurance company say if they knew that the family car they are insuring is being used as an emergency vehicle. I'd ask to see a copy of the agencies policy which states I'm covered if responding in my car on their behalf. I hate to rain on your parade, you sound like someone who wants to help, but there's never a problem until there's a problem. If you should get into an accident where someone is injured or, God forbid the nightmare we all fear, a fatality & all the requirements of State regs. & law are not meet.... you will very quickly find yourself an only child alone in the cold. That's my view.

I'm a little confused, not living in Westchester cty. and up on all events, the issue for me would this.... when was the refusal to respond given. I don't think that commercial vs volunteer is relevant. While it is true that commercial services don't usually respond to stand - bys (if you don't transport you don't get paid), it also depends on their relationship with the agencies they serve/work with, contracts and, as in 9/11 where a commercial service responded & members of that EMS only organization also gave their lives at ground zero, responding on their own because they believed their services were needed. (Unfortunately, we know now that this was not to be the case, either you walked away or didn't). Volunteers are often quoted as saying "I'm a volunteer but I'm also a professional". Well if the crew (or organization) refused to respond after being informed what their role was to be ("the hell with that, I'm not going to sit on my A** while others are at the scene") this is the height of unprofessional behavior. Unfortunately I've witnessed this behavior many times when everyone & his brother turn out for "the hot jobs" Cardiac arrests or big trauma jobs that get the adrenaline flowing, but takes multiple tones to assemble a crew for the sick old lady vomiting up in a bucket because she just went through 6 wks of chemo & radiation. I also don't by "leaving our district uncovered" excuse either. If you're part of the mutual aid system, after responding you call the next agency to cover & so on as everyone cascades in. Even not being part of a cty plan, every agency faces times where events overwhelm resources & outside help is needed. I would hate to be the agency (weather part of mutual aid system or not) when asked for help, refused & were then the ones overwhelmed the next week asking for help. I'm guessing, at 2am, that this was an individual crew decision, in which case they do need to be spanked and the organization needs to do a little "begging your pardon" to their neighbors. That's my view.

Rest in Peace

I'm an EMS person but I though subscription fire services went out with transporting the sick & injured in funeral cars.

P.0. R. Dube discharged from hospital today. States he eventually wants to return to work. May God keep him safe. Very few get a second chance like this. He's very, very lucky.

Everyone seems to be avoiding asking the really one important question. Why did the FBI/DOJ think it necessary to test its (already) agents on what they are legally allowed to do in the first place? These are not the beat cops of yore. The majority have advanced degrees, indeed many are lawyers themselves, so it begs the question...why. As for hiding behind the 4th amendment I don't have to hide behind anything, it is my right. Many of you might be unfamiliar with the Mc Carthy era. Many honest, law abiding American citizens were disgraced, ruined, forced to flee their country, and some even committed suicide. All because one man whipped the county into a frenzy of fear & distrust in the name of "National security" all of which, ultimately, proved to be false & unnecessary. The part of the Pledge of allegiance "one nation under God" was not part of the Pledge as originally written & "In God we trust" on $ are two remaining reminders of that time in our history. As to living in post 9/11 America & the so called "Patriot Act" there are 2 final comments. 1.) Watergate would have never happened. The President could have (as he tried to do) classify the event under "National security" & he would have gotten away with what amounted to a petty crime. 2.) In present day, if you leave the country with your laptop (or any other electronic device Ipad, Ipod etc), upon your return the government may confiscate such devices for no other reason other than "suspicion" & keep them until they are ready to return them sometimes months. I agree with the post which quoted Ben Franklin, people who give up their freedoms in exchange for greater security will get neither.

Hi everyone, Allow me to finally introduce myself. My full screen name is Ga-Lin Yar as in Qui-Gon Jinn, it is my "Jedi" name. I sometimes feel I am one of the last of the Jedi, having been trained a long time ago in a place far away. Well maybe Queens isn't quite that far. I became interested in EMS while doing my community service project for boy scouts at my local VAC. At that time there were no youth squads but I was able to join at the tender age of 16 as a dispatcher, the corps self dispatched. A year later I was allowed to ride as an asst ambulance attendant. I took my first EMT course at LIJ Hospital (all 40 Hrs of it) the following year at 18. That was 1972, don't laugh it was a very good year. At that time NYS was not yet issuing numbers with our cards. Some weren't even sure what to call this new thing (it was not yet considered a job much less a career or profession) my Nys VAFAA, District 4 patch states "Medical Emergency Technician". After serving 4 years USN, corpsman I came home & began working for a commercial service. I became a medic in 1978. The program cost was $100.00 plus books, but my employer at the time paid half the tuition so I was out 50 bucks! Two years later I completed my Instructor Coordinator cert & I have been working, teaching & occasionally volunteering in the greater metropolitan & Hudson Valley every since. I've witnessed many changes over the years. EMT courses are no longer 40 hrs & 50 bucks might get you one of the smaller textbooks in the current medic programs. I have no excuse for not joining these forums sooner & I'm truly sorry. In reading through the comments I've missed out on a lot. In any event I will attempt to be an active participant & contribute what little I can to the general buzz. Thanks for putting up with the long winded intro. One last thing for those who are interested, I'm an advice hiker & also a minor history buff and & Ga-Lin (Galen) was a physician back during the early Roman empire. I'm not a physician & although Galen was supposedly ahead of his time I would match my medical skills. For those who are also fellow Sci-FY buffs Yar is Tasha Yar from Star-Trek the next generation (She was killed off early in the series) That's enough for now, thanks & we'll be talking to ya.

Sounds like me & my type of guy. Wasn't looking for anything just getting use to the forum & chatting. Like I said no offence or disrespect intended. It never ceases to amaze me, with as long as I've been in EMS there are still people of this longevity that I haven't met yet. Thanks for responding & hope I haven't broken any of your rules. Sounds like a great guy. I wish him well with his new challenge.

Unknown to me. No disrespect intended, but other than being honcho at HVP his claim to fame is.... what?

It does seem the more things change the more things stay the same, doesn't it?