SOUSGT

LoHud is reporting that:
Authorities say they now believe two skydivers plunged to their deaths in upstate New York last week after the helmet worn by a first-time jumper struck his instructor in the throat, incapacitating him.
http://www.lohud.com/article/20120621/NEWS02/306210023/Helmet-hit-eyed-cause-skydive-deaths-Chappaqua-man-instructor?odyssey=mod|mostview
Sad that a piece of equipment that is intended to save lives may have done the opposite!

Guys, if the issue is a real concern you have a few options.
1) Equip your vehicles with an EZ pass and play catch up with the Thruway Authority (TA) at a later time. This could be a nightmare for you and the State if you enter and exit at the same toll plaza or enter from a gate and exit at a toll plaza.
2) Send an official Departmental letter to the Governor about your concerns with regard to delayed response due to having to wait in line in toll plazas for a ticket as you don’t have EZ pass on your trucks due to Departmental policy. Include the point that your drivers have concerns about the possibility of being arrested for toll evasion should they respond on an emergency and do not carry cash in their bunker gear. (This may be a stretch but toll evasion is a prosecutable offence.)
There should be a statewide policy and procedure for emergency vehicles responding to or using a toll road in order to save lives. Maybe as earlier suggested, the State should issue an orange EZ pass tag for all emergency vehicles. But that would be up to the powers that be to decide.

And a previous poster is correct, taking it out on a lowly toll collector is not the proper thing to do. It was a bit of sarcasm and I apologies for my suggestion.

Guys, if the issue is a real concern you have a few options.
1) Equip your vehicles with an EZ pass and play catch up with the Thruway Authority (TA) at a later time. This could be a nightmare for you and the State if you enter and exit at the same toll plaza or enter from a gate and exit at a toll plaza.
2) Send an official Departmental letter to the Governor about your concerns with regard to delayed response due to having to wait in line in toll plazas for a ticket as you don’t have EZ pass on your trucks due to Departmental policy. Include the point that your drivers have concerns about the possibility of being arrested for toll evasion should they respond on an emergency and do not carry cash in their bunker gear. (This may be a stretch but toll evasion is a prosecutable offence.)
There should be a statewide policy and procedure for emergency vehicles responding to or using a toll road in order to save lives. Maybe as earlier suggested, the State should issue an orange EZ pass tag for all emergency vehicles. But that would be up to the powers that be to decide.

And a previous poster is correct, taking it out on a lowly toll collector is not the proper thing to do. It was a bit of sarcasm and I apologies for my suggestion.

I had the opportunity in visiting the Normandy beaches a few years ago. Unfortunately the area has turned into a tourist area and is complete with gift shops, hotels and golf courses. There are a few small museums and a lot of WW II pieces scattered around. They did leave many of the bluffs and the American Cemetery alone. I have to say that the American Cemetery is a magnificent monument to all those who died. Someone (not sure who maintains it) does a wonderful of maintaining the site. And this is a fitting tribute to those who are buried there. When you are in the cemetery, the amount of loss of life hits home. You really can’t put the day into perspective until you see all those graves, row after row after row. It is truly a shame that so many people had to die so we can sit behind a computer and complain in English about someone or thing without fear of the secret police taping you on the shoulder. Each Memorial Day we have parades and services for those spilled their blood to give us these freedoms, but we should say a short prayer of thanks today for those who died in such large numbers for our freedom.

I had the opportunity in visiting the Normandy beaches a few years ago. Unfortunately the area has turned into a tourist area and is complete with gift shops, hotels and golf courses. There are a few small museums and a lot of WW II pieces scattered around. They did leave many of the bluffs and the American Cemetery alone. I have to say that the American Cemetery is a magnificent monument to all those who died. Someone (not sure who maintains it) does a wonderful of maintaining the site. And this is a fitting tribute to those who are buried there. When you are in the cemetery, the amount of loss of life hits home. You really can’t put the day into perspective until you see all those graves, row after row after row. It is truly a shame that so many people had to die so we can sit behind a computer and complain in English about someone or thing without fear of the secret police taping you on the shoulder. Each Memorial Day we have parades and services for those spilled their blood to give us these freedoms, but we should say a short prayer of thanks today for those who died in such large numbers for our freedom.

I had the opportunity in visiting the Normandy beaches a few years ago. Unfortunately the area has turned into a tourist area and is complete with gift shops, hotels and golf courses. There are a few small museums and a lot of WW II pieces scattered around. They did leave many of the bluffs and the American Cemetery alone. I have to say that the American Cemetery is a magnificent monument to all those who died. Someone (not sure who maintains it) does a wonderful of maintaining the site. And this is a fitting tribute to those who are buried there. When you are in the cemetery, the amount of loss of life hits home. You really can’t put the day into perspective until you see all those graves, row after row after row. It is truly a shame that so many people had to die so we can sit behind a computer and complain in English about someone or thing without fear of the secret police taping you on the shoulder. Each Memorial Day we have parades and services for those spilled their blood to give us these freedoms, but we should say a short prayer of thanks today for those who died in such large numbers for our freedom.

I had the opportunity in visiting the Normandy beaches a few years ago. Unfortunately the area has turned into a tourist area and is complete with gift shops, hotels and golf courses. There are a few small museums and a lot of WW II pieces scattered around. They did leave many of the bluffs and the American Cemetery alone. I have to say that the American Cemetery is a magnificent monument to all those who died. Someone (not sure who maintains it) does a wonderful of maintaining the site. And this is a fitting tribute to those who are buried there. When you are in the cemetery, the amount of loss of life hits home. You really can’t put the day into perspective until you see all those graves, row after row after row. It is truly a shame that so many people had to die so we can sit behind a computer and complain in English about someone or thing without fear of the secret police taping you on the shoulder. Each Memorial Day we have parades and services for those spilled their blood to give us these freedoms, but we should say a short prayer of thanks today for those who died in such large numbers for our freedom.

Having a member of the public see a Face Book page open in a vehicles computer may be embarrassing. They may call into question the necessity of computers in the vehicles, but let’s broach a more serious issue. If someone can see a Face Book page, what else can they see? Does your vehicle computer have access to sensitive information? Can they get building plans, homeowner’s information, employee records, past call database with patient information? Do you see were I am going with this? With the improvements in information technology an emergency provider’s computer may have almost unlimited access to some very sensitive and confidential information. What steps have you taken to secure your lap top?
· Is the password protected (with a strong password)? Is it changed at regular intervals?
· Screen saver automatically engages and locks requiring a password after a few minutes?
· Device installed to limit the screen angle of viewing?
· Do you have software to encrypt the hard drive so that if someone steals the computer or hard drive it’s useless?
I m not looking to start a new thread asking for what security measures that you use, they should be part of the department’s security policy and not revealed to the public (or EMT Bravo). You should have a security policy in place before you turn on a single computer including those in a vehicle. But if your department does not have a security policy or taken measures to safeguard your data and computers, you are asking for more serious issues than someone reporting that a MOS was wasting resources by viewing Face Book or playing Solitaire on a municipal computer.

Having a member of the public see a Face Book page open in a vehicles computer may be embarrassing. They may call into question the necessity of computers in the vehicles, but let’s broach a more serious issue. If someone can see a Face Book page, what else can they see? Does your vehicle computer have access to sensitive information? Can they get building plans, homeowner’s information, employee records, past call database with patient information? Do you see were I am going with this? With the improvements in information technology an emergency provider’s computer may have almost unlimited access to some very sensitive and confidential information. What steps have you taken to secure your lap top?
· Is the password protected (with a strong password)? Is it changed at regular intervals?
· Screen saver automatically engages and locks requiring a password after a few minutes?
· Device installed to limit the screen angle of viewing?
· Do you have software to encrypt the hard drive so that if someone steals the computer or hard drive it’s useless?
I m not looking to start a new thread asking for what security measures that you use, they should be part of the department’s security policy and not revealed to the public (or EMT Bravo). You should have a security policy in place before you turn on a single computer including those in a vehicle. But if your department does not have a security policy or taken measures to safeguard your data and computers, you are asking for more serious issues than someone reporting that a MOS was wasting resources by viewing Face Book or playing Solitaire on a municipal computer.

Having a member of the public see a Face Book page open in a vehicles computer may be embarrassing. They may call into question the necessity of computers in the vehicles, but let’s broach a more serious issue. If someone can see a Face Book page, what else can they see? Does your vehicle computer have access to sensitive information? Can they get building plans, homeowner’s information, employee records, past call database with patient information? Do you see were I am going with this? With the improvements in information technology an emergency provider’s computer may have almost unlimited access to some very sensitive and confidential information. What steps have you taken to secure your lap top?
· Is the password protected (with a strong password)? Is it changed at regular intervals?
· Screen saver automatically engages and locks requiring a password after a few minutes?
· Device installed to limit the screen angle of viewing?
· Do you have software to encrypt the hard drive so that if someone steals the computer or hard drive it’s useless?
I m not looking to start a new thread asking for what security measures that you use, they should be part of the department’s security policy and not revealed to the public (or EMT Bravo). You should have a security policy in place before you turn on a single computer including those in a vehicle. But if your department does not have a security policy or taken measures to safeguard your data and computers, you are asking for more serious issues than someone reporting that a MOS was wasting resources by viewing Face Book or playing Solitaire on a municipal computer.

Bessides if you keep the screen closed, tou have a surface to keep your coffee on (old cops trick)

BRS Ballistic Parachutes makes parachute deployment system (Ballistic parachute system) that can be installed new or retrofitted into older aircraft. Currently they provide units for Cessna and Cirrus. They have a website for first responders:
http://brsparachutes.com/first_responders.aspx
In Cessna’s, when activated, the parachute is deployed by a rocket and blows out the rear window. An un-deployed rocket can be dangerous if disturbed or found at a crash site.
They also have a guide for emergency responders
http://brsparachutes.com/files/brsparachutes/files/First%20Responders.pdf

Bessides if you keep the screen closed, tou have a surface to keep your coffee on (old cops trick)

Bessides if you keep the screen closed, tou have a surface to keep your coffee on (old cops trick)

Bessides if you keep the screen closed, tou have a surface to keep your coffee on (old cops trick)

The only real winners in this action is the lawyers.

The only real winners in this action is the lawyers.

The only real winners in this action is the lawyers.

Sure, Now we will have to issue silver bullets, garlic and wooden stakes.

News video of a scary event.
http://www.ksdk.com/news/article/320366/28/On-camera-Firefighter-falls-through-roof-battling-two-alarm-fire

In the 80's my department tried switching from an 8cyl to a 6 cyl to save fuel. The cars did not hold up. They normally kept a vehicle for two years. The first year the vehicle was assigned to patrol and the second it kept as a spare or used by spare personel when they were on the roster. But they wound up replacing the 6cyl vehicles after the first year.
One has to remember that many police cars run 24/7. The only time the engine was turned off was when the vehicle was in for service, you were out of the car on a detail or in court. If you look at the current police rated vehicles, most have heavy duty everything, aircraft type hoses and a supersized alternator. These improvements all add weight to the vehicle.

Oh well there goes dinner!

In areas were EMS is provided by a commercial company or other fee for service group, is billing the patent for this type of call a consideration for a FD only response?

Oh well there goes dinner!

Very well said George. The simple fact is that the Law Enforcement field is one of the most scrutinized, Monday morning quarterbacked professions out there. The media sensationalizes stories involving Law Enforcement to sell papers which turns the general public against us. "Community activists" love to blame the PD for all the issues that support their own personal self-righteous agendas without using their influence in the community to address the real problems that plague low-income neighborhoods. And every Bob, Dick, and Harry who watches some Hollywood cop on the big screen and plays Call of Duty 20 hours a day is all of a sudden an expert marksmen and a tactical genius who can shoot a gun out of the hand from a fleeing felon at 50 yards and then questions why we don't do the same when confronted with a real life deadly force encounter; not some BS video game encounter while sitting around in the living room wearing nothing but a pair of stained tighty whities.
Then I have to come on here and listen to a couple FD guys who always have something to say about LE? It's the hypocrisy that kills me with the whole thing, plus it sounds like a bunch of bratty crybabies alot of times. I'm sorry to say it, but it is what it is. Simple fact is when FD screws up, how often do you see an LEO on here chime in with some stupid comment? So far I've had nothing but good working relationships with FD guys, and I hope to keep it that way. I don't have the time, the patience, or the desire to cry about every little thing. Now I love my job and I take a lot of pride in it; but in the end it's just a job that pays the bills.