khas143

Quite simply, you can't please all of the people all of the time. Now, people are angry that they lost power and if we switch underground, people will be angry that their lawns will be dug up fixing underground power lines. It would be chepaer for Con-Ed customers to go out and buy a small generator than to convert the entire system underground. People need to be prepared to lose power. It is a fact of life and we all need to be prepared to deal with it.

The reason that the claim was orignially denied by DOJ was that he was listed as a social (not active) member of his fire company and did not qualify for the benfefit under DOJ guidelines. That being said it is obvious that the spirit of the Line of Duty Death applies in this case. Due to that, Gov. Pataki signed legislation reinstating (or declaring) him as an active firefighter (in 2005) so that he could qualify for the death benefit but DOJ has still not acted on this legislation.

Common sense should be applied when requesting stat flight or any medevac. Who should be able to call for a medevac should be the question. Should it me the paramedic on scene or the fire chief who has no EMS knowledge. I would like to know whom the decision lies with. In my job, only a supervisor can call for stat-flight, EMS experience/knowledge or not. First line officers can only put Stat-flight on standby. There is no centralized standard for this. If Valhalla VAC calls for a medivac will they respond? It would be asinine for STAT flight to respond unless there was a very, very, very extended extrication. Just wondering what type of policy everybody else has.

Just because something is sold does not mean that it is legal. You can buy scanners and if you put them in your car it is illegal. Hell, you can buy window tint at the auto supply store and if you put it on your windows it becomes illegal. Ignorance is not an excuse, however, it would be nice to have some sort of formal clarification concerning badges for EMS. I would think that if a badge was issued by a governmental agency there should be no problem at all. However, when it comes to personally purchased badges we should all know the law or interpretation thereof. I'll be the first one to admit that I do not know exactly what the law states but the overriding factor in all of this should be common sense on both the parts of law enforcement and EMS providers.

Here is what I feel, the new Impala is at the bottom of the list. It had no pickup and could not handle any of the sharp turns. The Charger leaves a lot to be desired, I expected more, due to its traction control, when coming out of turns it hesitates in acceleration. In addition, the gas pedal of one of the Chargers broke off during the first run of the day (probably due to the fact that the pedal mount was plastic). The Magnum was excellent, good handling, and exceptional stopping ability (blows all the others away). Finally, there was the Crown Vic, which I would say is much improved over the 2003-2005 models. The wheelbase is wider and the tires on the demo car were 18 inches, which I believed improved its performance over previous model years. As far as I am concerned the Ford and the Magnum are pretty much in a dead heat. The other two vehicles leave a lot to be desired. All in all it was a very educational and informative experience.

WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND!!!!

In New York City if your doing more than double the speed limit, there is a city ordinance that allows the city to seize your car. They should have that law up here too.

I would have to say that the only way that a P.D. could truly be part of an EMS system is that they would have to have an agency code and fill out PCR's (ACR's) on all aided cases (along with the officers being certified, and adhere to DOH regs). Otherwise, they would just have to be considered part of the chain of survival. The liability and the economic strain on the P.D.'s budgets in Westchester prohibit the vast majority of them from becoming First Response Agency's.

The Westchester County Police Bomb Truck does have a Roto-Ray. To be honest, I think it is more of a conversation piece than an effective piece of lighting equipement.

A large number of police vehicles utilize push bumpers to push disabled vehicles out of lanes of traffic. I would think that the dangers posed by vehicles disabled in a lane of traffic far outweigh the potential "dangers" of the push guard or brush guard on all vehicles.

The nearest fishing area is about 2 hours away.... unless you want to fish in the sand.

The fact of the matter is that local courts in Westchester, Putnam, Rockland, well pretty much the whole Hudson Valley could not function if it were not for plea barganing. The Vehicle and Traffic law legal system in the Hudson Valley relies upon plea barganing. Unless this region becomes like New York City where there is no plea barganing and everybody goes to trial I highly doubt there will be an end to plea barganing. This region just does not have the resources for that kind of undertaking. So, if this were going to become a reality either our taxes are going to go up astronomically or there will be a lot of dismissed traffic tickets.

Just a few facts about the U.S. Congress. The 535 men and women (100 Senators and 435 Representatives) who comprise the United States Congress are the core of our democratic system — the people we elect (and pay) to represent us to our federal government and make the laws that regulate our society. We therefore somewhat unrealistically expect them to be paragons of virtue, selfless public servants dedicated to the task of making our country a better place for everyone, into whose heads the very thought of wrongdoing never intrudes. That being said here are a few statistics about the U.S. Congress... the leaders that we elect and expect to represent us. 29 members of Congress have been accused of spousal abuse, 7 have been arrested for fraud, 19 have been accused of writing bad checks, 117 have bankrupted at least two businesses, 3 have been arrested for assault, 71 have credit reports so bad they can't qualify for a credit card, 14 have been arrested on drug-related charges, 8 have been arrested for shoplifting, 21 are current defendants in lawsuits, P.S. - Truck 4 - Thanks for posting the article.

Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney strikes a Police Officer and she is not immediately arrested. While the congresswoman talks about racially motivated actions and "inappropriate touching", she walks free of charges. Why has this woman not been arrested? She struck a police officer, that fact is undisputed. Anybody else would have been already arrested and charged. The course that this story has taken is a slap in the face to police officers across the country. We as a public safety community should be outraged. I can only hope that Congresswoman McKinney is charged, as she would be in New York with a Class D Felony of Assault on Public Safety Officer.

I was sleeping when one of my roomates at the time came in and woke me up and told me I had to see what was happening. As I came outside into the livingroom, I saw the second plane hit the towers (I will never forget that image). My roommates and I sat there in disbelief and didn't say a word. We were just in awe by the moment. Maybe five or ten minutes after that (I don't remember, time was just a blur) the phone rang and I got called into work. After that, I don't really remember sepcifics but later that evening I remember sitting at Dunwoodie Golf Course up on a hill and looking at the city and the smoldering remains of what was once the New York City skyline. I remember Z-100 was on the radio talking to people about what was now the new world that we live in. The next few days were like a blur, I worked a lot and don't remember a lot but I will tell you this... this will be our genereations JFK assasination. We will never forget where and when we were and that is undoubtedly a good thing. NEVER FORGET those that have fought and died for us, our freedom, and our safety....

A large number of meth labs are booby-trapped and due to that fact the local bomb squad will most likely be involved in the initial entry. In an ideal world, hot, warm, and cold zones would be set but let's face it... we don't live in an ideal world. Unless you have specialized training, the best thing that EMS providers on stand-by can do is just that, stand-by. Remain at a safe distance (at least 300 feet) and keep your fingers crossed while the scene is secured.