helicopper

You mean the ceremony wasn't streamed live via EMTBravo? You could have had thousands in 'virtual' attendance and set a new record!!! Seriously, congratulations and good luck!!!

It is an issue if the patient is discharged from the trauma center with little more than an emergency room visit being required (and this does happen) and the insurance company refuses to pay the exorbitant bill because it was medically unnecessary. Another question is what happens to the bill when someone is transported for other than an MVA and does not have medical insurance? Are they receiving a bill directly? Does anyone give the patient the option of being flown or going by ground? If they are conscious don't they have the right to be informed of, and provide consent for, such a decision?

Rule 5: Make yourself look good online Take advantage of your anonymity I don't want to give the impression that the net is a cold, cruel place full of people who just can't wait to insult each other. As in the world at large, most people who communicate online just want to be liked. Networks -- particularly discussion groups -- let you reach out to people you'd otherwise never meet. And none of them can see you. You won't be judged by the color of your skin, eyes, or hair, your weight, your age, or your clothing. You will, however, be judged by the quality of your writing. For most people who choose to communicate online, this is an advantage; if they didn't enjoy using the written word, they wouldn't be there. So spelling and grammar do count. If you're spending a lot of time on the net and you're shaky in these areas, it's worth brushing up on them. There are plenty of books available, but you'll learn more -- and possibly have more fun -- if you take a course. If you're an older adult , you don't have to take a "bonehead grammar" course with a bunch of bored teenagers. Instead, look for courses on proofreading and copyediting; they usually cover the basic rules of grammar pretty thoroughly, and they'll be filled with motivated students who are there because they want to be. Check your local community college and university extension catalogs -- you'll be amazed at what they offer. A side benefit is that taking courses involves meeting people you can actually see. Know what you're talking about and make sense Pay attention to the content of your writing. Be sure you know what you're talking about -- when you see yourself writing "it's my understanding that" or "I believe it's the case," ask yourself whether you really want to post this note before checking your facts. Bad information propagates like wildfire on the net. And once it's been through two or three iterations, you get the same distortion effect as in the party game "Operator": Whatever you originally said may be unrecognizable. (Of course, you could take this as a reason not to worry about the accuracy of your postings. But you're only responsible for what you post yourself, not for what anyone else does with it.) In addition, make sure your notes are clear and logical. It's perfectly possible to write a paragraph that contains no errors in grammar or spelling, but still makes no sense whatsoever. This is most likely to happen when you're trying to impress someone by using a lot of long words that you don't really understand yourself. Trust me -- no one worth impressing will be impressed. It's better to keep it simple. Don't post flame-bait Finally, be pleasant and polite. Don't use offensive language, and don't be confrontational for the sake of confrontation. Q. Is swearing acceptable on the net? Only in those areas where sewage is considered an art form, e.g., the USENET newsgroup alt.tasteless. Usually, if you feel that cursing in some form is required, it's preferable to use amusing euphemisms like "effing" and "sugar." You may also use the classic asterisk filler -- for example, s***. The archness is somehow appropriate to the net, and you avoid offending anyone needlessly. And everyone will know exactly what you mean.

Rule 4: Respect other people's time and bandwidth It's a cliché that people today seem to have less time than ever before, even though (or perhaps because) we sleep less and have more labor-saving devices than our grandparents did. When you send email or post to a discussion group, you're taking up other people's time (or hoping to). It's your responsibility to ensure that the time they spend reading your posting isn't wasted. The word "bandwidth" is sometimes used synonymously with time, but it's really a different thing. Bandwidth is the information-carrying capacity of the wires and channels that connect everyone in cyberspace. There's a limit to the amount of data that any piece of wiring can carry at any given moment -- even a state-of-the-art fiber-optic cable. The word "bandwidth" is also sometimes used to refer to the storage capacity of a host system. When you accidentally post the same note to the same newsgroup five times, you are wasting both time (of the people who check all five copies of the posting) and bandwidth (by sending repetitive information over the wires and requiring it to be stored somewhere). You are not the center of cyberspace Presumably, this reminder will be superfluous to most readers. But I include it anyway, because when you're working hard on a project and deeply involved in it, it's easy to forget that other people have concerns other than yours. So don't expect instant responses to all your questions, and don't assume that all readers will agree with -- or care about -- your passionate arguments. Rules for discussion groups Rule 4 has a number of implications for discussion group users. Most discussion group readers are already spending too much time sitting at the computer; their significant others, families, and roommates are drumming their fingers, wondering when to serve dinner, while those network maniacs are catching up on the latest way to housebreak a puppy or cook zucchini. And many news-reading programs are slow, so just opening a posted note or article can take a while. Then the reader has to wade through all the header information to get to the meat of the message. No one is pleased when it turns out not to be worth the trouble. See "Netiquette for Discussion Groups" on page 65 for detailed rules. To whom should messages be directed? (Or why "mailing list" could become a dirty word) In the old days, people made copies with carbon paper. You could only make about five legible copies. So you thought good and hard about who you wanted to send those five copies to. Today, it's as easy to copy practically anyone on your mail as it is not to. And we sometimes find ourselves copying people almost out of habit. In general, this is rude. People have less time than ever today, precisely because they have so much information to absorb. Before you copy people on your messages, ask yourself whether they really need to know. If the answer is no, don't waste their time. If the answer is maybe, think twice before you hit the send key.

Netiquette point of the day... Rule 3: Know where you are in cyberspace Netiquette varies from domain to domain What's perfectly acceptable in one area may be dreadfully rude in another. For example, in most TV discussion groups, passing on idle gossip is perfectly permissible. But throwing around unsubstantiated rumors in a journalists' mailing list will make you very unpopular there. And because Netiquette is different in different places, it's important to know where you are. Thus the next corollary: Lurk before you leap When you enter a domain of cyberspace that's new to you, take a look around. Spend a while listening to the chat or reading the archives. Get a sense of how the people who are already there act. Then go ahead and participate. _________________________________________________________ My editorial comment - just don't lurk forever! Join in and express your thoughts and ideas!

Unless I'm mistaken, the PAPD staffs the emergency squad at the bridge so they can cross train and rotate people between the bridges, tunnels, airports, and other facilities. There's a LOT more training and actual incidents at the PA than the TA. The PAPD staffs the fire response at the airports and other PA facilities so they already have a well established fire division. Don't get me wrong - I like the idea. I just don't think it will have very broad support.

I don't know how the unions are down there in the sunny South but does your union or FOP have any objection to a requirement to carry a firearm? I personally think that if they're requiring it then they should issue it and there have to be some serious exemptions if you're going to the beach, out drinking with the squad, taking the kids to the playground, etc. Maybe one of our NYPD brothers can enlighten us - didn't NYC have a policy requiring you to carry a long time ago? Is that still the "rule"? If you're gonna carry the shield, I agree with other posters, you better have more than your smile to back it up!!

Continued... Rule 2: Adhere to the same standards of behavior online that you follow in real life In real life, most people are fairly law-abiding, either by disposition or because we're afraid of getting caught. In cyberspace, the chances of getting caught sometimes seem slim. And, perhaps because people sometimes forget that there's a human being on the other side of the computer, some people think that a lower standard of ethics or personal behavior is acceptable in cyberspace. The confusion may be understandable, but these people are mistaken. Standards of behavior may be different in some areas of cyberspace, but they are not lower than in real life. Be ethical Don't believe anyone who says, "The only ethics out there are what you can get away with." This is a book about manners, not about ethics. But if you encounter an ethical dilemma in cyberspace, consult the code you follow in real life. Chances are good you'll find the answer. One more point on Netiquette ethics: If you use shareware, pay for it. Paying for shareware encourages more people to write shareware. The few dollars probably won't mean much to you, and they benefit all of cyberspace in the long run. Breaking the law is bad Netiquette If you're tempted to do something that's illegal in cyberspace, chances are it's also bad Netiquette. Some laws are obscure or complicated enough that it's hard to know how to follow them. And in some cases, we're still establishing how the law applies to cyberspace. Two examples are the laws on privacy (see Rule 8 and "Email Privacy -- a Grand Illusion" on page 125) and copyright (see "Copyright in Cyberspace" on page 133). Again, this is a book on manners, not a legal manual. But Netiquette mandates that you do your best to act within the laws of society and cyberspace.

This was posted on another group and I thought it fit the theme here... Rule 1: Remember the human The golden rule your parents and your kindergarten teacher taught you was pretty simple: Do unto others as you'd have others do unto you. Imagine how you'd feel if you were in the other person's shoes. Stand up for yourself, but try not to hurt people's feelings. In cyberspace, we state this in an even more basic manner: Remember the human. When you communicate electronically, all you see is a computer screen. You don't have the opportunity to use facial expressions, gestures, and tone of voice to communicate your meaning; words -- lonely written words -- are all you've got. And that goes for your correspondent as well. When you're holding a conversation online -- whether it's an email exchange or a response to a discussion group posting -- it's easy to misinterpret your correspondent's meaning. And it's frighteningly easy to forget that your correspondent is a person with feelings more or less like your own. It's ironic, really. Computer networks bring people together who'd otherwise never meet. But the impersonality of the medium changes that meeting to something less -- well, less personal. Humans exchanging email often behave the way some people behind the wheel of a car do: They curse at other drivers, make obscene gestures, and generally behave like savages. Most of them would never act that way at work or at home. But the interposition of the machine seems to make it acceptable. The message of Netiquette is that it's not acceptable. Yes, use your network connections to express yourself freely, explore strange new worlds, and boldly go where you've never gone before. But remember the Prime Directive of Netiquette: Those are real people out there. Would you say it to the person's face? Writer and Macintosh evangelist Guy Kawasaki tells a story about getting email from some fellow he's never met. Online, this fellow tells Guy that he's a bad writer with nothing interesting to say. Unbelievably rude? Yes, but unfortunately, it happens all the time in cyberspace. Maybe it's the awesome power of being able to send mail directly to a well-known writer like Guy. Maybe it's the fact that you can't see his face crumple in misery as he reads your cruel words. Whatever the reason, it's incredibly common. Guy proposes a useful test for anything you're about to post or mail: Ask yourself, "Would I say this to the person's face?" If the answer is no, rewrite and reread. Repeat the process till you feel sure that you'd feel as comfortable saying these words to the live person as you do sending them through cyberspace. Of course, it's possible that you'd feel great about saying something extremely rude to the person's face. In that case, Netiquette can't help you. Go get a copy of Miss Manners' Guide to Excruciatingly Correct Behavior. Another reason not to be offensive online When you communicate through cyberspace -- via email or on discussion groups -- your words are written. And chances are they're stored somewhere where you have no control over them. In other words, there's a good chance they can come back to haunt you. Never forget the story of famous email user Oliver North. Ollie, you'll remember, was a great devotee of the White House email system, PROFS. He diligently deleted all incriminating notes he sent or received. What he didn't realize was that, somewhere else in the White House, computer room staff were equally diligently backing up the mainframe where his messages were stored. When he went on trial, all those handy backup tapes were readily available as evidence against him. You don't have to be engaged in criminal activity to want to be careful. Any message you send could be saved or forwarded by its recipient. You have no control over where it goes.

Having a dedicated TZB brigade wouldn't have changed the outcome of the accident Sunday night. Maybe they would have gotten the fire out more quickly - MAYBE - but the wreck still needed to be cleaned up, accident investigated, body removed by the ME, and bridge inspected for structural integrity before traffic could flow again. For run of the mill stuff like your average car fire, perhaps they could knock it down more quickly by virtue of their response time but is it worth the investment? How many incidents that require a career FF/rescue tech/wrecker operator occur on the bridge in a year? Even if it's twice a month, can you tell me that is sufficient to maintain their skills and proficiency? And it's not just ONE guy (or even two) but at least 4-5 per position that needs to be staffed around the clock so you're really looking at more like 10-12 people to staff this. Is that worth it when Nyack and Tarrytown are both just minutes away? I see your point but don't think it's got the legs to make it through the bureaucratic process.

Nothing wrong with the concept of home rule? You must not be from around here! There are almost 200 separate and distinct political subdivisions in Westchester County from municipalities, school districts, water districts, fire districts, EMS districts, etc. Some towns have five different fire departments in them - each an autonomous body capable of levying its own taxes. That's absurd! I look at the examples in the South and West and realize how backwards we are. They have true SYSTEMS in other parts of the world. We have little fiedoms where more is based upon what we "want" than what we "need" and we don't care what's going on around us, we're doing it OUR way. There are definitely some benefits to regionalized services/systems and we could certainly benefit from many of them. Good post - hopefully the discussion will keep going!

It is pathetic that they make less than half of what a cop in Nassau or Suffolk makes. I think the kid from Brooklyn video rants are better than this guy - it's like he's a cheap knockoff. Want to laugh, check out the "other guy" at: http://www.thekidfrombrooklyn.com/ Kid from Brooklyn Website Bababoosky, I knew you'd have a good one!!!

Who has taken cameras away from people taking pictures at the dam? The dam plaza is a county park and unless you're taking pictures commercially (like a professional photographer taking pictures of a wedding), there is no restriction on photography within the park. The commercial photog needs a permit. That is, unless you count the law making it illegal to take pictures in the bathroom.

It was an eye opener or the physical trainers were eye openers??? I bet you got great turnout for that!!! Seriously, we almost all could benefit from cardiovascular endurance training - flying off the handle, jumping to conclusions, dodging responsibility, and pushing our luck is not actually exercise!!!

It was an eye opener or the physical trainers were eye openers??? I bet you got great turnout for that!!!

First off the radar doesn't record the speed so showing the motorist the radar is of little to no use to them. Second, at least on the parkways, there's a major safety issue with having people wandering around on the side of the road to "look at the radar". If someone wants to challenge the accuracy of the radar unit, the place for that is court (hopefully on overtime) not on the side of the road. The only thing you're legally entitled to is my autograph! As for requesting a supporting deposition upsetting some cops - maybe, maybe not. It really isn't that big a deal (to me anyhow).

It may be because fines go to the jurisdiction where the offense occurred (at least that's how it works in NYS) and the civil penalty would go to the State for the "road projects". Civil penalties exist in NY already - just let your insurance lapse and DMV will smack you with a $5.00 per day civil penalty. The lesson here is if you take a car off the road, surrender the plates BEFORE you cancel the insurance! Once you get the receipt from DMV for the plates, cancel the insurance so you don't get jacked for the penalty. I'm pretty sure that NYS also assesses civil penalties for DWI offenses - to the tune of several hundred dollars. So Virginia isn't the only one - we just haven't added $1000 penalties to speeding tickets yet! Safe driving!!

If you play by the rules "Road Safe" or other such systems will be a major blessing if someone accuses you of wrongdoing . If you're still dumb enough to screw around with Road Safe installed in your vehicle, shame on you. I know someone who got a speeding ticket on the Thruway in Ambulette equipped with a recording tach and he was able to prove that he was not going more than 60 miles an hour. He was accused of 70-something if I remember correctly. The judge accepted the printed tach record as proof of the vehicles speed. I think this was the same type of system that Greenburgh PD used to have - those big ol' ugly speedometers mounted in the cab or car.

How about I-Phones so you can access EMTBravo and build points from ANYWHERE!!!

I was told that the small number on the plate denotes a subsequent issuance of the same plate number - i.e. for a lost plate. Since the plate numbers correspond to the medallion numbers, they have to be reissued. Don't know if they have a system like SP's for the issuance of them. Interesting question.

I thought this post was about basketball...

By 2008 the STUDY will be completed? How about a rapid-study plan for the rapid transit?

What did the poor wolves do to deserve a rotten meal like that??? I'm with all you guys - dead is the best sentence for him!

If you wind the det cord right can you get firewood length pieces?

No, not at all. It's a part of their recruitment and diversity efforts. This is an ADA compliant engine! And yes, I am only kidding!