helicopper

According to most, a series of tragic crashes were the reason for the removal of all of CT's tolls.

Did we get transferred to southern California and I didn't know it??? On the Sprain? Really?

OK, let's see if any of you share this particular pet peeve. This afternoon on my way to work I stop at a green light to yield to an ambulance coming from the side with lights on (but no siren but that's another issue) on the wrong side of the double yellow lines on its way to the Medical Center. Alright, I can live with that even though 90% of transports to the hospital don't need lights and siren. They should have used their warning devices more effectively but that's not my issue here. Following the ambulance (about 30 seconds behind it) is the ALS fly-car, also on the wrong side of the road, with lights flashing and siren yelping! The fly-car also caused traffic to come to a grinding halt in order to follow the ambulance onto the Grasslands Reservation. Why on earth does the volly driving the fly-car need to use red lights and siren to meet the ambulance at the hospital? It is completely unneccesary and in all likelihood illegal as well. Don't tell me its to reunite the medic and fly-car faster in case there is another call because the medic has to do paperwork and restock before going back in service and if there's another call he/she could always go with the ambulance. Where are the EMS supervisors/managers/line officers or whomever that allow this nonsense to go on? Rant concluded (for now!).

They ration the fuel when I'm working!!!

Gotta highlight the fine print here! If you're not part of the solution you're only part of the problem!

It was Air TWO and because we wanted to!!! Actually we were testing microwave downlink equipment with units at the Traffic Management Center. They were viewing video being shot from the helicopter in a regular patrol vehicle, command post vehicle, and eventually they'll be able to watch from the EOC in the TMC directly. Cool toys, good weather, why not fly????

Look at that, they even needed a four foot bumper to hold all the cr4p!!! To answer your question, party, it's because the agency 1/2 a mile down the road had one roto-ray and five airhorns! The truck is also six inches bigger than theirs so !

There are some benefits to requesting stand-by or at the very least checking availability before you arrive on scene. First and foremost, it allows the pilots (the forgotten part of this equation) to check the weather, complete pre-flight procedures that need to be completed before anything else, and determine the course, flight plan, etc. Having all this done while you're still enroute saves time on both ends of the request! If it is not available for whatever reason, you're now armed with more information - and that's never a bad thing. Once you arrive and determine that it is appropriate to use air transportation, the response is expedited because all the other groundwork is done. They should simply fire up and take off... As for who calls for helicopter, the decision is a medical one and should be made by the highest trained medical provider on the scene who is providing care to the victim in question. Just because a cop or a fire chief is an EMT doesn't trump the responsibilities of the paramedic on scene or the EMT who is actually providing care to the victim. This may be a contentious opinion but the provider caring for the patient is the one responsible for their care and transport. Regarding abuse of the service, there have been several threads on this subject in the past and I strongly believe that there are very few places or situations in Westchester County that benefit from helicopter transport. Certainly there are exceptions but for the most part I stand by the opinion that you can get there just as fast (or faster) by ground. Just another two cents...

And here I thought it was for aerodynamics... One rotating to the right, and the other rotating to the left so the truck wouldn't keep wanting to make turns from just one of them...

This is true - the plate reader doesn't distinguish states. It only reads the plate number and compares the plate number against the database. The operator has to verify the information after the "hit". Our job has had lots of "hits" that were actually out of state plates and not the NY vehicle we had. If a Canadian license plate or other country's plate is in the system, it will be in the readers database. As we discussed before, the plate reader uses a downloaded database from DMV for stolen or otherwise wanted vehicles so it doesn't "check" plates in real-time. On the other hand, if you want to run a foreign plate through NLETS, you can do that but it has nothing to do with the plate reader. As for Canadian provinces, I think you can run them all - some may not be automated systems so that may slow (significantly) the response. Working through glass is an interesting question. I don't know why they wouldn't work as long as they're able to view the plates as they go by.

As big as they're making ambulances these days you could put VOLUNTEER AMBULANCE CORPS and EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES end to end and not run out of space!!!! ALS is right, if you go changing your "name" you better check with DOH folks and repaint some forms too or you might be on the wrong end of a DOH inspection... I don't personally think that a VAC loses its "V" if it uses paid personnel to cover some shifts. If the agency is still operated primarily by volunteers and is incorporated as a non-profit agency, it is still a VAC in my book. Of course, that's my book and I'm the only one who reads it...

The plate readers can be transferred from vehicle to vehicle so don't be surprised to see them on other vehicles when they get switched around. The County PD doesn't have them assigned to a specific vehicle - they're assigned randomly... So you never know where they'll turn up.

The Civil Unit is staffed with Police Officers and police supervisors from the County Police as is the TLC unit. Police officers are assigned there for enforecement operations and they are augmented by regular county police as necessary.

The system checks plates on the road in real-time and compares them to the local database stored in the system computer. If I gave the impression that there was some kind of streaming data exchange I apologize. You're right - the data is stored locally.

Big red button? You mean this one???

Ditto, ditto, ditto, to all the previous posts! As for revoking their certifications, I think they did commit acts worthy of stripping them of their certification. EMS is all about judgment and prudence and these two morons proved that they lack both. I think the videotaping of patients is unethical and that too warrants their removal from the system. Unfortunatetly, in a cursory review of Part 800, I find nothing there about this type of behavior so they're probably just fine. Oh well, soon they'll be working in another system and responding to your calls too! Lucky us.

They're to help near-sighted drivers parallel park... Actually, they are the cameras for the plate readers installed by many departments. To answer the next question, the plate reader is able to scan license plates in parking lots, on highways, or local streets and compare them (in real time) to the DMV and other databases to identify stolen vehicles, other wanted vehicles, vehicles with suspended registrations, etc.

Did the EMS Council have to pay to use the Golf Course or did they get it for free like the Mahopac School District???

They didn't spare any expense relettering it, did they?

Is the door open? Too funny, Jet... You beat me to the post button again!

Mobile Canteen trucks should NOT have red lights or sirens. They're not in the VTL and they won't have much protection if they get into an accident while using them. Nor are they an emergency response asset - they don't NEED to get there urgently. Sure, we may WANT them there but they are not part of an emergency response. And unfortunately you're right about politicos! They are an ever present menace and have no protection under the law or training on how/when to use them. They are a nightmare waiting to happen!! Another $.02...

Seth, Making it an emergency vehicle is a reasonable idea. Unfortunately, it would have to be added to the Vehicle and Traffic Law as an emergency vehicle by the State Legislature. A faster option would probably be for Command to request an escort from PD be assigned to get it where its giong. Besides ConEd, alot of local DPW's or highway departments may also have similar vehicles alot closer than ConEd. Might be nice to have a list of such resources around the County.

Well said!!! Don't lower the standards or sue the FD!!! Sue the school systems for not educating people enough to pass an entry level civil service exam! Sue the parents for not making their kids go to school in the first place!

I agree that response time should be measured from the time 911 is called to the time some level of care is initiated. I don't think that has to be ALS for care to begin. Alot of benefits are realized in systems with tiered responses when the medic unit is cut loose to respond elsewhere by a BLS assessment. Your system may not have those issues but many do. As for public education, ALS stated it very well and to echo his point I'll add that public education is far from useless. It has very real benefits and those can be seen everytime someone walks away from an accident because they were wearing their seatbelt or gets out of a fire because theychanged the batteries in their smoke alarm. Public education is not intended for "during the emergency" it is intended to educate people about what to do or how to do it long before there is an emergency. How do you think people know to dial 911 when they need help? Public Education! That's right you get what you pay for and most people are paying enough to expect a reasonable response time and competent responders!

The purpose of the notification as I've always understood it is to provide a quick snapshot of what's going on so the ER staff can prepare for what's coming in vs. who they bring in from the waiting room next, etc. If you're bringing in a stable patient there is no need to give a five minute dissertation about all the pertinent negatives. Just tell them what they need to know - stable/unstable BLS/ALS vital signs/major findings and ETA. I don't think they need a radio call and a phone call for the same patient if they're stable, but that's just me. You're not being silly at all. It is a safe assumption that our communications can/are being monitored so limiting personal information is a good idea.