bad box

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Posts posted by bad box

  1. Posted · Edited by bad box

    Yes. I've witnessed this with FD personnel, PD personnel, and even EMS personnel.

    I'm sure you have too.

    Your post seemed to speak only of F.D. personnel, thanks for clarifying it for me. While waiting on the civil service list for firefighter, I worked for NYC EMS for three years back when it was part of HHC. Way too many of the EMS employees back then 'hid' from calls (didn't call back in service for extended periods, didn't answer the radio, walked diff. breathers & chest pain pt's. down multiple flights of stairs, transported trauma pt's. from auto collisions in stair chairs rather than taking spinal precautions, I even had a 'partner' who refused to assist me with CPR at the scene of a witnessed (by CPR certified civilians) arrest with civilian CPR in progress... It was not uncommon back then for those members of NYC EMS who gave a s--t about their pt's. as well as civilians who knew how to get help quickly in an emergency to pull the corner fire alarm box or dial the 7 digit # for the FD Boro office. I never found the responding FD personnel to be anything other than professional & helpful (as a matter of fact, over 2,000 FDNY Firemen back then attended EMT training on their days off voluntarily and became certified). Often the FD transported pt's. on their apparatus due to very extended response times for EMS buses. The PD did not provide pt. care & many officers would admit openly that they didn't understand why they were sent on medical calls. I guess it just depends on where you work, I'm sorry to hear of the experiences that you are having in your response area. I can't imagine that any municipality in this day & age would tolerate PD, FD & EMS personnel who refuse to provide the level of care they are certified for. Stay safe ...

  2. Posted

    The key is also having FF's that want to be there and take action. Having a crew of four guys stand there with you while all five of you wait the 20 minutes for a bus is not much of a step up from waiting by yourself.

    Are you saying that you have personally witnessed F.D. personnel who responded to the scene of an EMS incident and did not provide the level of care that they are certified by the state to provide?

  4. Posted

    I agree 'Grumpyff'. I've been a member of the GOP for 35 years. Over that period of time, the GOP has more & more become the party of wealthy CEO's. Early on I wondered why these rich draft dodgers would want a job that paid less than $200,000; then the reason became obvious: the goal of the GOP is to elect a sufficient number of rich corporate types so as to be able to crush the middle class by ridding the country of unions, privatizing government services, ending defined benefit pensions, reducing or eliminating employer support for medical benefits and cutting taxes for wealthy Americans and wealthy corporations on the backs of the middle class. These are the same politicians who sought out every chance for a photo op with their arm around the shoulder of a cop or firefighter post 9/11. They all suck.

    grumpyff likes this

  6. Posted

    Bad box, over time things have surely changed. Since the late 1980's DOH has been known to do surprise vehicle inspections at ERs on ambulances and placing them out of service for deficiencies. The simple fixes would be met with short out of service time to correct them with either an agency warning or fine. The major ones received the dreaded red "Out of Service" sticker placed on the outside of the right side windshield over the yellow and blue DOH sticker.

    It's good to hear that this was corrected as it was a common practice back then. As a matter of fact, it was also being done by N.Y.C. (H.H.C.) E.M.S. back then (I worked for them as a Corpsman from 1978 -1981). I also found it necessary while working for H.H.C. - E.M.S. to make friends with the ER nurses in order to stock my kit with 'luxury items' such as B.V.M.'s, non-re-breathers, kling and combine dressings. And then it was off to save lives driving my 'Bread Box' Ambulance Truck ... Ha-ha-ha ...

  7. Posted

    I believe that those are Chemical Protective Clothing (CPC) support units. Basically a stockpile of PPE that can be brought to HM/Chem-Bio jobs with the ladder company.

    My question is if they're not staffed, who drives 'em?

    All personnel assigned to the company (in this case 17 Truck) are trained to wear CPC. If required at an incident, the Ladder Company responds with their regularly assigned rig as well as the CPC vehicle.

  8. Posted

    Back in 1977 -1978 I worked for a private ambulance company in Brooklyn. They maintained one complete set of equipment that met the N.Y.S. requirement for certification. When an ambulance was due to be inspected, they would equip it. As soon as it passed, the equipment was removed and placed into storage. Many of their units carried no B.V.M., no medical kit, just a stretcher, an 'E' tank with a regulator, a medium concentration O2 mask & cannula, 'chuck pads', emesis basin, urinal and a few gauze pads. I carried my own kit which was stocked with supplies provided by friendly ER nurses. Back then it didn't appear that being N.Y.S. Certified meant anything at all.

  9. Posted

    I have friends on the FDNY and retired from FDNY... a few of them have comedown with vatious types of cancers... and all of them worked in the recovery effort on the pile. Those who haven't think that it not a matter of "if", but "when"...

    Bloomberg doesn't give a fat rats arse about our brothers or anyone who worked on the pile.

    Jut wait .. the day that Christie Todd " the air quality at Ground Zero is fine" Whitman and the other polticians who showed up at "the Pile" for their photo ops come down with arare cancers and respiratory problems, it will be attributed to the time when they at Ground Zero and will be taken care of while our Brothers suffer.

    You are so right Gonz. Today's elected officials are mostly millionaires (many are CEO's) who have no contact with the middle class and look down upon all of us as mere 'serf's'. I will never forget last December when congressional and senate Republicans held the 'Zadroga - 9/11 Health Bill' hostage and refused to vote for it until Democrats agreed to support the Republican demand to continue tax breaks for the wealthiest 2% of Americans. Once the Republicans got what they wanted for their wealthy campaign contributors they then cut the funding in half for the 9/11 Bill and finally passed it with some Republicans still not in support.

  10. Posted

    I know its something I keep in the back of my head. I know too many people who have gotten sick from working down there, as well as having some problems of my own. It just amazes me though that Mayor Bloomburg continues to deny, deny, deny. Just look at his backing of the Medical Examiner in re-taking the body of retired Police Officer George Wong during his wake, due to wording on a death certificate. Even after all his service to the City of New York, they delayed his funeral, and interrupted his relatives grieving, due to wording. They had every chance to examine the body before it was released to the funeral home.

    My linkhttp://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2011/03/30/2011-03-30_family_of_nypd_cop_george_wong_who_died_of_cancer_rages_at_city_for_taking_body_.html?r=news

    http://www.nytimes.c...ner=rss&emc=rss

    http://www.nypost.co...3esGUwFqrlXV1OI

    If you remember, Detective James Zadroga was treated in the same fashion after his death, vilified by Bloomburg as someone who abused drugs.

    It's sickening to see how 9/11 responders have been basically ignored by 'our' elected officials. It's been said time and again that we are being treated the same way that our Vietnam veterans were when they became aware that they had been exposed to agent orange. The government dragged its feet until a sufficient number of these American war heroes had died before they began to take any action at all.

  12. Posted

    The money behind the union busting

    by Metro-Broward Professional Firefighters Local 3080 on Friday, April 1, 2011 at 5:50am

    The Koch brothers inherited their company, "Koch Industries" from their father and are worth over 20 billion dollars each. They own a "small business" that has over 80,000 employees and grosses over 100 billion dollars per year, and they are fighting to keep their taxes down by financing the TEA Party, Republicans and many projects which support the most right-wing groups in the country. They can't afford to pay taxes, but they can afford to give millions to Republican and TEA Party candidates and elected officials, and to groups which make and distribute the most vicious attacks on the working class people of America. You may have heard that the richest 400 Americans own as much as 150,000,000 Americans. These are two of that 400. How much is enough?

    Here is a list of Koch Brothers products. The money behind the union busting and the war on the middle-class in Wisconsin, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, New Jersey, Florida and many other states!

    • Angel Soft toilet paper
    • Brawny paper towels
    • Dixie plates, bowls, napkins & cups
    • Mardi Gras napkins and towels
    • Quilted Northern toilet paper
    • Soft 'n Gentle toilet paper
    • Sparkle napkins
    • Vanity fair napkins
    • Zee napkins
    • Georgia-Pacific paper products & envelopes
    • All Georgia-Pacific lumber & building products (INVISTA Products)
    • Lycra Stainmaster Carpet

  17. Posted · Edited by bad box

    You really have to wonder what makes some people who choose this field of endeavor tick? I feel for the young lady's family but the blame lies squarely upon the retired P.O. / EMT rather than on Facebook. When citizens read articles such as the ones written about the actions of this guy, it puts a black mark on lot's of good folks who do the right thing.

    My link

  18. Posted · Edited by bad box

    March 25th is the 100th Anniversary of this horrendous tragedy. The deaths of these innocent workers resulted in strengthening collective bargaining, as well as Building Codes.

    This act of mass murder allowed the labor movement to kick into gear. Business owners who looked upon their hard working employees as nothing more than petty servants now were going to be forced to do what they would never do voluntarily: create and maintain clean / safe workplaces and compensate the people (who made their great wealth possible) with a living wage, fair benefits and the chance to retire with a pension at the end of their productive careers.

    Now it's 100 years later and the rich corporate thugs and greedy (corporate supported) politicians of our country are trying to undue all of the good that grew from this terrible tragedy.

    Republican elected officials across our country who were elected on the backs of expensive (corporate financed) campaigns are now following through with their payoffs to their wealthy campaign contributors in the form of:

    -Attacks on unions, pitting the middle class against one another ... non-union vs. union, private sector vs. public sector in an effort to 'divide and conquer' the middle class.

    -Taking away pensions or making the employees contribute more than what they contractually had agreed to.

    -Taking away health benefits or charging the employees more than what they contractually had agreed to.

    -Raising the retirement age to force employees to work way later in life then they should have to.

    AND ... They are attacking fire departments by closing down firehouses, eliminating units, laying off firefighters, cutting staffing on units, etc.

    NEVER FORGET ...

    -The fire department was the first line of defense for those terrified, trapped, dying workers 100 years ago on March 25th.

    -The fire department was the first line of defense for those terrified, trapped, dying people killed 21 years ago on March 25th (87 dead: Happyland Social Club, Bronx, N.Y.)

    -The fire department was the first line of defense for those terrified, trapped, dying people in the World Trade Center both in 1993 and 2001.

    -The fire department was the first line of defense for those terrified, trapped, dying victims in the plane and on the ground on November 12, 2001 (266 killed) in the crash of American Airlines Flight 587 Rockaway Queens, N.Y.

    -The fire department was the first line of defense at nuclear disasters in Russia on April 26, 1986 and currently in Japan.

    The middle class needs to wake up and not allow the far too wealthy of our country to destroy the health, safety, financial future and the way of life of America's backbone ... The Middle Class

  19. Posted

    Throughout my travels in the fire service, I take note of what gear/equipment used and carried by firemen on a daily basis..and something I see far too little of, is members equipped with personal flashlights. I carry two...a Streamlight Survivor that is a good 18 years old on my coat, and a Power Plus handlight. These lights are with me at all times...for any structural run, fire or not and on all night runs. I will never be without a light by personal design. BOTH were purchased out of my own pocket, as I feel they should be considered a part of your PPE.

    So..I pose these questions;

    Do you carry a light with you on each run?

    If no; why not?

    What style light?

    How do you wear it?

    No firefighter should get off the rig at a run without reliable portable lighting for personal safety as well as operational efficiency. I too always had a Streamlight Survivor on my coat, and a Power Plus handlight on a seatbelt. In addition, I kept a small halogen (2 AA battery) streamlight in my coat pocket (useful at lengthy operations in subway tunnels as well as long walks up in high rise buildings) You never know when you will operate at an incident that outlasts the charge on your primary light.

  20. Posted · Edited by bad box

    FEMA's NYTF-1 is comprised of members of the FDNY, FDNY EMS, and NYPD ESU... definitely not NYRRT.

    Apparently these kids are 'wanna be's' who either can't pass the test for P.D., F.D. or E.M.S. - OR - who don't want to be on the job at all ... maybe they just want to dress the part, run around in an official looking vehicle with flashing lights and a siren and hang out inside police & fire lines 'looking important'.

  21. Posted

    Anyone trained in police tactics knows there must (or at least should) be more to the story. No officers are trained to fire just because someone yells gun. While this retired guy might have some complicity, I'm eternally hopeful the MTA officer didn't fire solely on these grounds. I suspect there will be more details coming out.

    I agree ... I feel for all of the law enforcement folks who responded to the incident. This is a traumatic event that will never leave them. As far as what (if any) part the retired N.Y.P.D. sergeant played in the events that led to the officer being shot ... I certainly don't know. From the statement of the Nassau PBA president it sounds like this guy is a buff who follows the officers around with a scanner and sticks his nose where it doesn't belong. I assume that he hadn't been charged with interfering in the past as a 'professional courtesy'.

  22. Posted

    before i post this article, i just wanted to say my heart goes out to the downed officer, his family, his department and the officer who fired the shot. That said, here's the latest article appearently a retired cop with a scanner may have caused this sad incident to occur. it doesnt matter whether you're off duty, retired, just a buff, etc. If you're going to listen to a scanner, you really shouldn't chase calls. If you do chase a call for pictures or whatever, you need to be responsible and held accountable for your actions. Never get in the way and always stay by the sidelines. In this incident, nobody but the cops should have been there in the first place.

    http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/li_police_slay_guy_meddler_Yi3NDp5N3hS7mXaHDErnkJ

    joe

    WOW ... if this is true, I wonder what if any action will be taken against the N.Y.P.D. Emergency Services Officer (retired) who allegedly 'buffed' the call and then interfered with the police officers who were handling a dangerous scene...

    Condolences to the family and friends of the deceased officer, may he rest in peace. What a terrible and possibly avoidable tragedy.

  23. Posted · Edited by bad box

    They appear to be a small group of buffs who have taken their hobby to a ridiculous level. I am not aware of them having any official affiliation with any N.Y.C. agency. It seems like these (Police - Fire - E.M.S. - Search & Rescue - Command Post - Scene Lighting, etc. "Fans", Sparks", "Buffs", "Impostors" ...) have found themselves with too much time on their hands and spare cash in their pockets and decided to purchase a large quantity of official looking stuff (radios, lights, vehicles, etc.). They have creatively lettered their somewhat official looking vehicle to look like an F.D.N.Y. SUV and put together a Facebook page and a website full of photos of the same couple of young looking kids standing in the background at various emergency scenes. How long it will take for the N.Y.P.D. or the Fire Marshall's to look below the surface and figure out that they are not on scene in an official capacity and should not be inside Police or Fire Lines ... They seem to be similar to this 'group': My link

    waful, firedude and mreis95 like this

  25. Posted

    All I can say to this is timing is everything. Saturday morning and not much else happening in the Bronx. I would sure hope FDNY could get all of those resources to that location. The only thing that your run down doesn't show is the on scene time of ALL of the units. How long does it take to get ALL of the apparatus and manpower on the scene. It was almost at the farthest Northeast point of the Bronx.

    You mentioned Pelham Manor FD and what can they do. Back in the early 1980's on a hot Sunday afternoon around 4 PM of the 4th of July weekend, there was a 2 car MCI at almost that exact spot. Actually it was at the turn-a-round about 100 yards east of the bus crash site. There was 9 total patients, of which 4-5 were critical with the remaining patients, none were walking wounded. All patient were boarded. 2 of the critical were in respiratory arrest on the scene. Both from blocked airways. NYSP and NYPD were on scene. New Rochelle Amb 1 was dispatched and was the first unit other than the 1 NYSP unit and the Hwy 1 unit on the scene. Because the accident was in the Bronx, The Hwy 1 unit was advised to have FDNY, and NYC EMS respond to the scene. The HWY 1 unit had already called for emergency services and he advised that NYC had no EMS units available in the Bronx that could respond. A triage unit out of Jacobi was en route. At this point NR Amb 1 requested through NRPD dispatcher that 4-5 additional ambulances were needed. 3 additional ambulances from Westchester were on scene in 10 minutes and while waiting for an update of the ETA of the 4th ambulance, a BLS unit from Misericordia Hospital showed up. All of the Westchester ambulances (4) were ALS. The Bronx unit advised that if they weren't needed they were to become available because there were no other in service units for the entire Bronx.

    At this point fire units started to arrive. 2 engines from Pelham Manor. They were asked if FDNY was on the way. They stated that FDNY called them and requested that they respond because no fire units available in the Bronx. Units from Queens were responding.

    The triage unit from NYC EMS had the Misericordia unit take the 2 least injured to Jacobi. The triage unit then advised the remaining on scene ambulances that Jacobi can not handle any other patients and to transport the remaining patients to Westchester hospitals. The remaining 7 patients were transported to New Rochelle Hospital.

    The total on scene time was less than 25 minutes from arrival of the 1st ambulance till the last patient was transported. At the time that the last patient was removed from the scene, no FDNY fire units were on scene. It is not know if they were still en route from Queens or they were told to go in service.

    As I said at the beginning of my comments....."timing is everything"

    July 4th back in the 1980's would generally find F.D.N.Y. strapped for resources due to a tremendous amount of fireworks related structural fires. Even with additional reserve companies in service, the workload was ridiculous. That being said, barring very unusual circumstances the F.D.N.Y. is a tremendous resource that can arrive at an incident within minutes with trained, experienced personnel and the equipment that goes along with it.

    KFIYL2000, M' Ave and efdcapt115 like this