Goose

I watched the liveleak video...i'm not really sure where the ambulance failed to yield. Once it got around that car (we all know ambulances can't stop on a dime, so it appears getting ahead of that vehicle was the right call) it pulled to the shoulder. Or, am i missing something?

Yes, Tower Ladder 2 is.

The X62C series electronic control device manufactured by Taser International is what i've seen all cops use. That taser pulses 1,200 volts into your body. It makes sense to get an ALS work up...at the very least cardiac monitoring. That said, even from a sheer standpoint of liability it's a no-brainer. As far as billing...i couldn't tell you. Maybe one of the LEOs can elaborate on that. Maybe it's the perp's responsibility because he/she was being a moron?

Glad to see the light at the end of the tunnel on this very sad case. Didn't know John well but worked along side him many times. Again, glad to see the hard work of all the law enforcement agencies involved paying off.

You take a trip into New York City, go to the respective hospital's human resources department and inquire about positions within their EMS division.

Correct me if i'm wrong, but Nassau PD pretty much runs the show. I know places like Rockville Centre and Baldwin have Cops...but i was actually told they don't have much authority...like i said, Nassau pretty much runs the show. Again, this is just what i've been told...if someone can correct me or expand on it it would be appreciated. Not knowing a whole lot about how Nassau and Suffolk work...they do seem to provide a more realistic solution then having 50 police departments. Additionally, any expansion on Westchester's 911 dispatch capabilities (ie: can they take over all dispatching with the new radio system, is there a plan in place to do that, etc...) in terms of what they can offer to the county would be appreciated.

I think a lot of the hesitation in terms of separating from PD dispatch has to do with knowing the area well. At least thats a common reason i have heard time and time again. Giving you additional information like "124 main street across from xyz school, or ifo the sams restaurant." Maybe you wouldn't get those two additional items from county? Dutchess 911 is a great example. Granted, i don't know much about what goes on on their side of the radio and how many PSAPs exist in Dutchess. But, i know they have a decent number of dispatchers on shift regularly, they have a solid radio system (which i believe is being or has already been upgraded) with great coverage, and so much of what goes on is pre-arranged. My understanding is that if a certain mobilization (i believe they have MCI levels and obviously alarms of fire) is requested they push a button and the appropriate units are dispatched and backfill units are sent in to cover territories. No clue if westchester has that (i assume it's capable).

I really don't know a whole lot about radios and that sort of tech stuff or how our new radio system works, how it was set up, what it was designed to do and what it actually is capable of. When i use it, it works and someone usually gets back to me. I understanding and appreciate your hesitation about fully county dispatch. Ultimately, i think it's a good thing (in fact, it's the way things should be done....Westchester should not have 48 [whatever the # is] PSAPs). Granted, i have no clue if the new radio system could handle dispatching every fire and EMS agency (with exception of the cities that chose to opt out and empress), maybe someone could comment on that. But, County dispatch offers some serious benefits. The two biggest i can think of at this ungodly hour is 1) EMD and 2) proper documentation/recording/tracking (no more starting the clock when you put the ambulance in drive, conveniently ignoring your 15 minute crew assembly time...) that may help make the case for some sort of action (either holding agencies accountable or looking towards another option). I do know one thing, however....it seems to me that they are very understaffed up there.

It was good while it lasted. Made a lot of good friends, learned a lot, grew a lot and did some pretty hot jobs. Always loved working with City fire and City PD, great bunch of men and women. Guess the old ID and uniform shirt will be a nice memory of days past.

There are agencies that have CPAP....but it's (disturbingly) by no means a mandatory therapy.

I think this bill is great. Hopefully the Governor signs this bill and consolidation begins. Westchester and Long Island are prime candidates for some serious change. I know it probably won't happen soon (maybe not at all) given the infatuation so many Westchester residents have with their hamlet, village, or town. Step in the right direction though. As a side doesn't Nassau PD provide ALS in their county? Seems they have a Greenburgh-like system as the medics ride solo and i've seen patrol officers drive for them.

Chrome, could you expand more on where dispatch falls short for the fire departments (hilarious signature by the way!)? Also, even if Spano demanded the creation of something like a county fire department (consolidation of all town/village departments minus cities) it wouldn't matter, right? I mean, there exists no authority for anyone to consolidate anything because home rule is how we run the empire state. No? I would be curious to see how Nassau and Suffolk managed to create such strong county PDs in such a strong home rule place like NY. Anyone have any insight there?

Couldn't agree more with ALS, education is everything. From an EMS perspective, it never stops. Anyhow, in the midst of brushing up on some local protocol stuff for an exam i have, i figured i would take a look at the Westchester/Hudson Valley Air Medical Service protocol. The protocol outlined by the helicopter committee is as follows: Sorry for the length, just thought it may give a bit of perspective.

Sound's like at least a step in the right direction, the convention that is.

Consolidation on any level of government in Westchester is a good thing. There is so much duplication of services and waste in every corner it's mind boggling.

It is always a good time to discuss that. Problem is the powers that be are concerned that 1) it will cost too much and 2) piss off too many vollies. I'm not making that up either. It's so far beyond me how the residents of places like Westchester (with as much money as the governments have) or Dutchess (with as much money and problems/ambulance turf wars) allow the status quo to continue. It's abysmal. That aside, i don't see how discussing rumors is beneficial here. We can all speculate until our fingers start to bleed. I've worked under the looming cloud of a takeover before and it's not exactly a pleasant experience.

I was referring to wether or not the DOH spot checks - on their own accord - certified providers during the 3 year life of their certification.

Sad, but very true. As far as NY...not sure exactly how the DOH goes about dealing with checking up on certified personnel.

Bro, it's dutchess county...you always have to be prepared to potentially throw a different shirt on. It's just the way it is up there. Like Celtic said, don't take it personally just do a good job out there and WHATEVER happens, you'll have nothing to worry about. And company/agency pride is fine, nothing to be ashamed of. Can't tell you how many times i stayed late just because i hated the thought of jobs going mutual aid.

Hopefully that doesn't happen. The health quest benefits are pretty solid.

Chris - i understand where you are coming from and you have a different way of looking at this particular situation (as a officer) than i do. I can't speak for anyone but myself but i am not anti-cop or am one to throw them under the bus. I actually pride myself in having great relationships with the cops i work side by side with. God knows they've saved my rear a few times. That said, no one is above criticism or investigation. Given what i've read and seen concerning this incident, i just can't help but feel that this was a complete over reaction on the part of the officers. The circumstances surrounding the traffic stop seem a bit silly and the altercation that occurred afterword is disturbing. They treated the paramedic like a perp - even before he (arguable i suppose) resisted arrest. Again, knowing what i know (very little and who knows how its been twisted) it looks to me like there was some degree of fault on all sides.

Sounds like a lot of EMS to me...but nice to see some in the media have the wherewithal to come out and see what some of this stuff is like.

We are all leaping to judgement because some of us have disagreed with the way the cops handled this? Give me a break. No one claimed the paramedic was a saint or was free from any blame and there are obviously details we are not privy to. But, unless it's Oklahoma protocol to pull over and accost every driver who doesn't sufficiently yield to an emergency vehicle, i am confident in my opinion that this was not handled properly by the police.

Appears that PD dropped the ball on this one. That's probably one of the most absurd things i've ever seen - even if the ambulance didn't yield the right of way, to pull it over and disrupt patient care in that manner....seems asinine. This was nothing that couldn't have been dealt with in a calm an cool manner at the hospital and frankly, i'm not even sure there was anything that needed to be dealt with.

Good call, just saw that when i grabbed the paper.