Goose

I wish career EMS got LOSAP, i would be rolling in retirement dough...

Bunch of places in Westchester already use them with great success. Been using them for over a year, generally love them but they have their quirks.

They shut it down and put a cease and desist on all Dutchess/Putnam EMS discussion....something about criminal and inflammatory comments...not sure what they were referring to but someone made a post about it...

The problem here is that they were wearing a uniform and on city time and they did nothing. If they were in street clothes and off of work, you can't blame them as there is no obligation - just as there is no obligation for me, or any of us, to stop at a car accident. When you are uniformed you may as well be an agent of whatever authority you represent. When you're eclamptic to the point of seizing there is not much that can be done from the BLS perspective, let alone without gear. But, at the very least, someone should have called 911 and the other person at least give the illusion that he/she was making a concerted best effort for the patient. Clear the area of any potential hazards and unnecessary bystanders and do what you can when she stops seizing... The job probably got sent out as a routine seizure or OB call which is BLS in the city.. Crummy situation all around...

did you check the Hudson Valley REMAC website?

Like the last part of the answer regarding how quickly help generally lives - "depending on where you live." Tough question, especially in this County,but you gave a solid and very professional answer - as was previously mentioned. I can't imagine the frustration you guys experience regarding some response times... Nice to see a piece on the 60 Control dispatchers - all too often they (and probably all dispatchers more generally) don't get the recognition they deserve. Radio systems may occasionally be problematic, dispatch information may be scant despite best efforts and locations may be slightly incorrect - but it is always nice to talk to talk to 60 control.

I think the point billfitz was making was the fact that career departments are staffed 24/7...it doesn't take a disaster or impending weather condition for them staff apparatus ...and from where i stand, you can't really argue a whole lot with that

Amen to that. Some other fun facts: For the majority of EMS agencies in this county, 1 EMS request - ONE request - overwhelms said system... The national standard for an EMS ambulance response time is 8 minutes 59 seconds. You can't use ALS responses to stop the clock

The problem in westchester isn't so much the County, in my eyes, it's the local municipalities. The County can't do anything in the way of consolidating towns, villages, hamlets etc. and their services. Combining highway, refuse and public safety services on the local level is where you will see the biggest dollars saved, if you ask me. This is just posturing by a bunch of ignorant legislatures to make it appear as if they are addressing the public's concern regarding the tax situation.

So you can guarantee that absolutely no tax payer monies go towards the upkeep and fueling of the vehicles not owned by the municipality? Let's not play ourselves, there probably was no official business being conducted - maybe the guy was picking up his kid or bringing his kid to visit the school, frankly i don't care. It's a fire department not a social club - tax payer money or no tax payer money - you have a municipality name scrawled on the side of your truck and you're acting as an agent of that municipality when you take in runs...you should ensure that you're operation is run with some degree of good business practice.

The problem is the AFL-CIO will never affiliate with EMS because the IAFF wants all EMS to be provided by the Fire Department. They recently put out another position statement that outlines this very desire. There was a report that came out back in 2003 that was written by GW University and it stated that the Country needed to take EMS out of the DOT back office and create a national office for EMS on par with those bodies that represent fire and pd - the fire agencies were the chief opponents. On paper it sounds nice, but i just don't see it happening. Ive talked with colleagues who are career firemen and moonlight as career paramedics as a B job and they speak of a "separate but equal" situation. Put EMS under the FD but have it separate - FFs stay on their trucks/engines and EMS has the ambulances we all work together, we all get good bennies, pay, etc. I would be down for that, if it were ever possible - i think the planets would need to align and you would need to have the right personalities for it to ever work. So many firemen hate EMS and so many EMS members resent firemen, there would need to be some serious peace talks lol

I'm not sure what you mean by pointless lights...this seems pretty modest compared to some vollie battle wagons i've seen...

There are definitely times when there are two many people at an emergency scene (ie: when the buffs come out of the woodwork for a pin or something juicy) and there are other times when it's nice to have a second set of well TRAINED and EXPERIENCED hands (ie: on an arrest - but again, dumb hands can complicate things). Sounds like Jersey has some serious issues, glad i don't live there!

I thought the specifications come from the FDNY and the City is mandated to go with the lowest bidder?

quick answer = not enough communities are covered by a fully career/paid solution

Just out of curiosity, does the FDNY UFA contract define sick leave as it relates to this trigger number?

http://gizmodo.com/5416389/att-comes-in-last-in-consumer-reports-study-that-surprises-no-one

Have fun on edge LOL.

As far as network size and capacity: 1 - Verizon 2 - AT&T 3 - Sprint NEXTEL 4 - TMobile 5 - Alltell Handset choice will differ, but AT&T typically has a large selection of smart phones given they run a GSM network. However, in recent months Verizon has been pumping out some exciting handsets.

Who cares? There are young men and women, true American heros, sacrificing life and limb every day in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere and we waste time on this crap? Seriously?

From where i stand, there really isn't any union worth having in EMS right now. In the five or so years i've been working career EMS i've never had or felt the need to have a union and have always had a solid working relationship with the bosses - i've worked a number of systems and locales and have never been screwed by a shift boss or management. That said, would a union that fought for better wages, benefits, equipment, vehicles, safety, etc. and raised the bar for patient care be nice? Sure, no question. If there was a union that existed for EMS like that i would surely vote for it in a heart beat. But right now, nothing exists that has the power and command to get the above stated done. I don't want to be part of the PBA, IAFF, Teamsters, or anything of the sort because i'm not a police officer, firefighter/fire officer or a tradesman - and as such i'm not sure those organizations would have the best interests of my partners and i in mind. That said, the EMS Union issue is tightly linked to a number of other issues concerning EMS. Until some serious change happens in washington or albany concerning EMS, i just don't see any organization capable of representing me.

You want proactive? Everyone stop working their "B" job and well see how many ambulance calls get answered in this county... If EMS is you're sole source of income you probably work 2 jobs (assuming you're a field provider and not management) and, if you're like me, you don't want to be bothered with EMS when you get time off after working insane hours. I don't know about you, but i surely don't have the time or the energy to try and fight a battle that will never be won and most don't give a crap about. Things will either change piece meal (ie: when someone's loved one dies b/c an ambulance does not get out) or in the wake of (God forbid) a major disaster where life is lost and said loss could have been prevented. Look, the powers that be know the issue exists - i am convinced they have to...ask any 60 Control dispatcher about mutual aid EMS requests, i am sure they have more than a handful of stories...the tapes are there, the data is there...but they can't do a damn thing about it...

It sounds good in theory, but honestly, there really isn't a good EMS union. We have nothing that is on par with the PBA or IAFF/UFA and in my opinion nothing that is worth my money.

It has little to do with being the youngest emergency service - i mean, how could you explain Boston EMS, Wake County EMS and Austin-Travis EMS? There are a number of issues at New York and while i am no expert some of the things i feel that have set us back a few eons: 1) Under the NYS constitution no municipality is legally obligated to provide EMS - only ensure the existence of police and fire protection (you're from Dutchess, remember the Pawling fiasco?) 2) NY is a home rule state where county's have no jurisdiction over the smaller municipalities (city, town, village, hamlet, etc) 3) Poor education - general ignorance as to what EMS is and what we provide as well as ignorance to the fact that EMS costs money as well as soaking up the "volunteers do it for free" talking points (but we can't get a bus out if you're life depended on it) 4) The volunteers themselves - the lobby is so huge and powerful, i am sure my colleges in suppression can speak to this better than i can - but the second you start advancing the conversation into providing a better service (which is always going to entail paying someone) they go ballistic 5) General lack of a unifying voice that speaks for EMS (right now you've got FDs, third service not for profits and commercials)

A county system will never happen in Westchester for two reasons: 1) It will cost too much (in the eyes of the politicians and majority of the populace) 2) The volunteers would go over the deep end if the county even spent a nano-second considering the idea