helicopper

Nothing more than an aided case like dozens of others that happened the same day. Like bnechis said, how about focusing on the hundreds of land based emergencies that happen every day? A fishing hook in someone's scalp is just another BLS call. What would a dive rescue team have done that wasn't already being done? Whether received via 911, VHF radio, or smoke signals its just another call. It just happens to be on the water.

The overwhelming majority of responses on the water are simply calls for disabled vessels. They get handled by SeaTow or other service organizations with no fanfare at all. A lot like HELP trucks on the highway. No big deal, they handle disabled vehicles all day long without emergency services responses. Other calls like boating accidents require a police response for reporting but generally that's it. Actual fires and life safety responses are definitely a small percentage. There is little need for a new specialty team with two guys standing by "like a VAC". In the event of a true emergency, we get a lot of resources on the water very quickly with what we've got. Could it be improved upon? Sure, what couldn't be better? Unfortunately as we're seeing everywhere there is no money or interest in doing what would "be great to see". We're having enough trouble supporting what's absolutely critical to life safety and day to day operations. Who would fund a team that may only go out once or twice a summer? Who's going to want to give up there time to stand by for that?

I'm not sure how well trained or equipped the USCG auxiliary is for the "rescue" part of search and rescue. They can certainly do the search part and if someone is in distress on the surface, they can assist them into their vessel but I don't think they have anyone that is going into or under the water (swimmers/divers). The benefit of the auxiliary is the fact that they're out there and have a quick response time. They can get to a vessel in distress call before it becomes people in the water and lend assistance before a "rescue" is necessary.

HIPAA is often thrown around but it is very often out of context. A fire department that is not a certified FR or EMS agency is usually not a "covered entity" under HIPAA regulation. The hospital is probably a "health care provider" under the definition in HIPAA but they can still participate in a QA/QI program with EMS agencies. Identifying patient information is seldom required to have a useful discussion about a call in the QA/QI setting so HIPAA shouldn't be an issue. 50-65, I would say work with your local EMS agency and participate with them in the QA/QI process and you should be able to get most of your questions answered. Of course this pre-supposes that your local EMS agency has a bonafide QA/QI program but that's another issue for another thread. Good luck!

JOB114 wrote:

It's a colossal waste of money but it isn't tax dollars that were wasted. The company built it as a tribute to the local FD and it would appear that it is nothing more than an advertising ploy.

http://www.local12.com/News/Local/story/Police-Find-Alligators-Guarding-Pot-Stash-in/W_uJBHJO2ECRLVP7TX07nw.cspx

New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo released the following statement about the loss of Trooper Anna:. RIP Trooper Anna. Condolences to your family and the New York State Police.

Date: 05-26-12 Time: 0330 (approximately) Location: County Route 37, Hastings Frequency: Units Operating: New York State Police, Hastings FD and EMS Weather Conditions: cloudy Description Of Incident: Marked SP Tahoe left roadway and overturned several times. Trooper transported to hospital with severe head trauma. Pronounced at hospital later in AM. Reporters: helicopper http://www.wivb.com/dpp/news/local/nys-trooper-killed-in-oswego-county

I thought squads were more than just a traditional rescue on an engine platform? Don't they also have haz-mat/collapse/CBRNE training and response capabilities? To call all engines with a tool or more complex rescue-engines a squad would make it even more confusing (at least to me). Why not simply call them "RESCUE-ENGINE"? Just two more syllables, no more numbers, and it clearly identifies what they are? Considering how much chatter their is on the radios anyway, two more syllables would hardly be noticeable.

Probably for state contract or bid pricing.

The oldest and most established team in the state is the NYS DEC Forest Rangers team. They were operating a Type 2 team but with recent retirements I'm not sure they're still organized that way. Though primarily wildfire oriented, they do all-hazard responses lately. NYC has a Type 1 FEMA USAR task force consisting of FDNY and NYPD but they don't have a consolidated IMT. FDNY has a Type 2 All-Hazards IMT that was established about 4-5 years ago. They may be working toward type 1 designation but I'm not sure they've completed that process yet. The NYPD may be in the process of developing something but it is not yet operational. NYS has a Type 2 IMT that was established in 2004. Several counties in western NY have established the "Western NY Type 3 IMT" and have met or are meeting all the requirements for FEMA designation as a type 3 AHIMT. The State OEM is currently developing five regional type 3 all-hazards IMT's following the federal model. These are going to be aligned with the SOEM regions (exclusive of NYC). Suffolk County, Westchester County, and Orange County are all working on county-level IMT's but they're still developing. Nassau County may too be working on a county level team but they're a bit further behind (started later). New Jersey has a type 2 team but it is primarily wildfire oriented. I'm not sure of regional or local efforts in the Garden State.

Absolutely true. Some areas are much more vulnerable though. One PD helicopter in our area had a seagull embedded in the nose cone but landed without incident. The seagull was not so lucky.

In the case of the Cobra crash, the bird struck a pitch change link on the main rotor system. This created a tremendous imbalance and vibrations that broke the rotor system apart. Once the rotors broke up, the aircraft came apart and crashed. There are several vulnerable parts of a helicopter beside the pitch change links but that's what the hawk hit. It was a fluke but all aircraft have their weaknesses. Think of the space shuttle; ceramic tiles lead to its ultimate demise.

Your point is well taken. If something like this happens again, we'll definitely put a post in it so everyone knows it has been restored.

At the request of some who were involved in the response to that incident, the thread was temporarily removed. The thread has been restored so the discussion can continue. On behalf of the EMTBravo team.

A red tailed hawk caused an AH-1W Cobra helicopter to crash last week killing both Marines aboard near Camp Pendleton, CA. The crash also started a 120 acre brush fire. I'm happy to see that the LifeNet crew was able to land safely.

You're right that the odds of getting a new CON anywhere in Westchester County are slim to none but your characterization that the commercial agencies are the reason why not is off base. Commercials are represented on REMSCO's but, as Barry pointed out in very small numbers, and their members are not permitted to vote on matters where there is a conflict of interest or they have a fiduciary interest. An executive from XYZ ambulance can't vote against 123 Ambulance if they're competitors. Conflicts of interest arise in these matters often and are the basis for many spirited debates. The volunteer agencies have as much right to contest a CON if they are going to be affected by it. Eastchester, Larchmont and Mamaroneck could all object to another agency being started in their back yard. It's not strictly commercial opposition. The process by statute only takes 60 days but appeals and other things could add time to that. The arbiter of an appeal is an Administrative Law Judge in an Article 78 hearing. They are objective and hear only facts in evidence not speculation or rhetoric. They don't base their decision on commercial entities desires or competition.

You'd have to approach them and ask. Really the only agencies with a volume that lends itself to research is Empress and TransCare. The others have much lower call volumes and fewer patient contacts so your sample may leave something to be desired. You can also approach some of the NYC 911 providers if you're looking for data but patient information is obviously going to be protected. Good luck.

They haven't yet but there have been some preliminary discussions. There are some scenarios where we could support them. Time will tell.

That's what I thought. We trained with them for a while until their funding was cut.

Barry summed it up very nicely. You can't just "start" an ambulance service (volunteer or commercial) without demonstrating the need for it, having the financial, human resources, and logistical capital to do so, and establishing these facts to the satisfaction of the applicable regional EMS council and NYS Bureau of EMS. Since some of the most well established EMS coverage in the county exists in the area you describe, I doubt very much you'd be able to demonstrate that need and I don't know who would support such a venture with the money necessary to start-up. If you want to do research on the efficacy of the existing systems, contact them and ask for data. Work with the region and BEMS to obtain information. You don't start a new agency to do research. Advocating a step backward in our already troubled EMS system won't be very well received by most and the system you describe may be advantageous for a university based volunteer system but even in Syracuse, Rural Metro provides the EMS service to the city. Not a VAC. It would make no sense from any standpoint to try and duplicate them.

I was speaking with someone about that very topic yesterday. It's truly pathetic that the budget games continue and the PD and FD are only pawns.

This is like the music sharing lawsuits that were so big a few years ago. Images and music files are not that much different and the music industry successfully sued countless people and won substantial damages for copyright infringement. Don't test the legal system; the precedent is well established and courts take a dim view of such actions.