NJMedic

It is with deep regret that on behalf of the Princeton First Aid and Rescue Squad, Mercer County Central Communications announces the Line of Duty Death of Emergency Medical Technician and Rescue Technician Michael Kenwood who passed on Sunday August 28th shortly after 2200 hours. Michael answered his last alarm on Sunday August 28th, 2011 at 0437 while operating at Rescue Box 168/Fire Box 0630 located on Rosedale Road during a swift water rescue assignment in Princeton Township. Michael selflessly gave of himself that early morning so others may live, may Michael rest in peace with the rest of our Nation’s fallen heroes. Services will be held at the Robert Shoem Menorah Chapel, number 150 Route 4 in East Paramus, NJ 07652 Wednesday August 31st, 2011 at 1330. Please contact the Princeton First Aid and Rescue Squad at the following email address memorial@PFARS.org if your department wishes to attend these services. Our thoughts and deepest sympathy go to the family, friends, and fellow brothers and sisters of EMT Kenwood. -- Frank Setnicky Director

Delivery this morning was the first of 11 Medical Ambulance Buses slated for delivery to 8 counties and two cities in the Northern NJ UASI. Bus 1 is operated by the EMS Division of the Elizabeth Fire Department on behalf of the NJ EMS Task Force.

Word on the street (take that from where it comes from) is that FDNY ordered 9. I've been in the MERVs and the design of the Buses is different from the MERVS as is the mission. The MRTU is closer to the design of the Buses then the MERVs are.

"Read Direct" is used when a mobile unit calls the dispatcher to relay a message for another unit. Rather then have the dispatcher repeat the message the intended unit will simplt say "Read Direct" if the already heard the message Some agencies do not allow unit to unit communications. FDNY might be such an agency because you almost never hear unit to unit communications on the dispatch frequencies.

Lets take the passion out of this for a minute. At best the City handled this latest development poorly. What did the NJ Daily News quote as the number for responders to the WTC....roughly 91,000. Even if you halfed that number that's 45,000 people. There is no way the area around the WTC could currently handle 45,000 people and have it not be a logistical nightmare. I was at the WTC on 9/11 and in the two weeks following, had collegues that died and rarely discuss or mention it. I have never had a desire to feel I needed to be there every 9/11 and I don't have a burning desire to be there this September 11. Hopefully when the Memorial opens to will provide a suitable setting for remembrance but basically the WTC area is what it is intended to be, a construction site for now. Let the date be for the family members of those killed on 9/11. With 343 FDNY, 23 NYPD, and 37 PANYNJPD and those from the other public safety agencies, those families should be the representatives of the uniformed services. I can go to the WTC any time of th day or night to make my peace.

Indiana fair tragedy was no 'fluke,' expert says Weather Channel challenges governor's assertion with detailed look at events In a recent AP article, Governor Mitch Daniels of Indiana was quoted as saying that the blast of wind that toppled the stage rigging at the Indiana State Fair, killing 5 people, was a "fluke event". A "fluke" by definition is an unlikely chance occurrence. The destructive and deadly wind gust on Saturday evening in Indianapolis was no chance occurrence. Let's stop bucketing meteorology and weather in general into some magical mystery science that can't be explained. When a tragic accident due to existing extreme weather conditions occurs, there is a notion to just throw your hands up in the air and say, "Well, nothing could have been done to avoid this" or "Nobody could have seen this coming" or "It was just a damn fluke". In many instances, that just simply is not the case and it wasn't the case in the tragedy at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. Powerful, damaging winds were a known threat several days before and during the minutes leading up to the stage collapse. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44166368/ns/weather/t/indiana-fair-tragedy-was-no-fluke-expert-says/

I can't imagine the officers are too excited about having their names on the side of their cars.

I remember seeing a article, I think it was rep orting on paint colors for a department in Florida, and they determined that a dark painted car was not hotter then a light painted car. Don't the Texas Rangers have Black and White colored cars? Is a black color car or fire apparatus cab any warmer in the winter because its painted black?

I'v seen borderline second/third degree burns from the Sun.

Bus 2 arrived today. Going to the Shark River Hills First Aid Squad in Neptune Township, Monmouth County

Correct, there are no stand alone NJEMSTF vehicles. All are operated by different agencies.

I don't have any inside pics yet but they have portable stretchers for 26 patients, a couple of wheelchair mounts, pre-piped oxygen and suction, equipped to the BLS level. We be used for Incident Rehab, MCI Response, on-scene treatment, medical facility evacuation, Haz Mat dressing, whatever anyone wants it for within reason. I heard FDNY has order nine.

Sorry it took so long. Finally ran into someone from Pres. He told me the same story.

Very Nice, Well Done!

This an be said of most emergency responses be it over land or sea.

That's a negative. HUMC was one of the first paramedic units in the state and has been providing ALS since the late '70's. Vanguard has never provided ALS in NJ.

Yes

I guess he is turning towards Canada to supply the 25% of the electric needs the IP present fills. I hope the infrastructure is in place to supply the need.

Here's the deal The Hackensack Volunteer Ambulance Corp covers the City at night and on the weekends. For years the Hackensack Fire Department provided EMS coverage during the day. The HFD were one of the first paramedic providers back in the 1970's. Paramedic response was eventually transfered to the Hackensack University Medical Center in the early '80's. About 5 years ago HUMC contracted with Vanguard (http://www.vanguardhealthcare.com )to operated ambulances on behalf of the hopsital in the same fashion that private companies are contracted to provide EMS to the voluntary hospitals in NYC. Their ambulances, thier uniforms all reflected HUMC but EMTs are hired by Vanguard. In 1998 the City decided after much debate the City of Hackensack gave EMS to the Hospital. The story was the Hospital needed a variance to build an addition to the hospital and in the world that is government in NJ one hand washed another and lo and behold the hospital got the variance after they picked up the cost and responsibility for providing EMS. I really don't know what day to day to day operations are like but that is the general background.

The EMS Section of the EFD also has a large Frightliner/Rescue 1 MCI truck and a Logistics trailer for use with the NJ EMS Task Force. I don't have a picture of their vehicles here in the office but here is the deliver photo from PL/Rescue 1 (Strip is now red and EFD graphics since added. http://www.plcustom.com/recentdeliveries/fullimage.aspx?imid=2052&gid=279&year=2010&archive=1&template=rescue1

http://www.mycentraljersey.com/article/20110621/NJNEWS/306210023/Union-launches-new-EMS-squad?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE Union launches new EMS squad One of two such county operations in N.J. Written by Mark Spivey | Staff Writer Filed Under News UNION COUNTY — Despite what was described as an “overwhelming” cry for help in improving emergency medical service coverage, those involved with the launch of one of New Jersey’s first county-sponsored EMS squads still weren’t quite sure what to expect until the switchboard started lighting up on June 1. “I honestly thought it would take a little while longer to catch on,” Union County Director of Emergency Management Christopher Scaturo admitted. “The first couple of days they (municipal emergency response personnel) were like ‘Who are you?’ But each day it’s pretty much been three-plus (calls for service).” The new squad is a one-year pilot program, with an estimated cost of just under $213,000 recently approved by the Union County Freeholders. But emergency officials across the county are hopeful it can become a permanent shot in the arm for a mutual aid system that has been stretched to its breaking point due to high call volume. At more than 5,000 residents per square mile, Union is one of the state’s most densely populated counties. But sagging volunteer support and the closure of several local hospitals — most critically the 2008 shuttering of Muhlenberg Regional Medical Center in Plainfield — have contributed to the squeeze, officials said. “When we first looked into this project ... I was shocked learning what the response times could be,” county Division of Intergovernmental Policy and Planning Director Cherron Rountree said, noting that in severe cases, 911 calls for medical service are being followed by waits of 45 minutes or more. “We had various administrators, elected officials from municipalities and even residents approach us about it ... judging from all of that, clearly this need is real.” The service currently consists of one ambulance and crew based at the county’s Public Safety Building in Westfield; the squad will operate from 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, ready to respond to emergencies in any municipality in Union County (less than two weeks after its launch date, crews already had responded to dozens of calls from 10 of the county’s 21 municipalities).

But remember in the end of that the Rockway crash had was no survivors and several buildings on fire. Really no special aircraft training required. A better example would be the Avianca #52 crash out in Nassau County back in 1990. From Wikipedia a short nartaive on problems encountered during the response. The recovery efforts for Flight 52 proved to be difficult since the aircraft had crashed into the hilly, sparsely populated North Shore, making it difficult for emergency crews to reach. This was compounded by the narrow, winding roads that lead into the hamlet. Rescue squads from all over Long Island responded to the crash. The weather conditions and the darkness of night made the search crews' task even more challenging. The first ambulances to arrive performed triage, selecting the most critically injured passengers for transport to area hospitals. But so many other ambulances had arrived that a traffic jam developed, and some rigs were unable to leave the site immediately. Ambulatory passengers walked to other ambulances and arrived at hospitals sooner than critically injured ones. Its one thing for agencies to have extra training if they are located near an airport and another thing for the random area where a plane might make an unexpected descent into terrain. I've read alot on the board questioning how WC agencies could be better prepared for a large scale incident. I think the discussion in this board have to move from the internet to the round tables in firehouses and EMS stations around the County. A common operating picture has to be established and everyone should know their role and what is not their role. Exercises, not just full scale but tabletops and functions should be used so everyone gets to know the players in the area. It can be done. its not easy and it is sometimes a full time job getting everyone on the same sheet of music.

Being a volunteer firefighter won't buy you any points getting into a career department, with very few exceptions. What it will do is keep your hand in the game and introduce you to firefighting "America" style. In fact once you were to get ona career job I would do everything to downplay your volunteer service. Right or wrong that is how the game is played. Becoming a volunteer in a busy, agressive company and being a professional will lead to other benefits that might help you out in the long run.

There are several career FD around Newark. All basically undergo the same hiring process (NJ Civil Service). Almost everyone of them will require residency in their town. The follow department are all career, try.... Elizabeth Fire Department Union Fire Department Linden Fire Department Rahway Fire Department Harrison Fire Department Jersey City Fire Department Bayonne Fire Department North Hudson Regional Fire Department East Orange Fire Department South Orange Fire Department West Ornage Fire Department Irvington Fire Department Kearney Fire Department Passiac Fire Department Paterson Fire Department Hackensack Fire Department New Brunswick Fire Department Edison Fire Department Plainfield Fire Division Perth Amboy Fire Department All these deppartments are within a 30-40 minute drive from Newark. Plus there are dozens if not hundreds in the same area that are volunteer. if you want to keep in practice. it might take two years or longer to get on a career department.