STAT213

Heard from someone who works for AEV that Ford has ceased production of the Econoline (E Series) chassis completely. He said they have something like 20 left to build, then no more. Anyone else heard this, or have thoughts? I certainly hope that more people don't lean towards monster chassis like the Int'l. Those things are a menace to EMS.

I think a rascal would suit you!! And, that you could fix all up with your strange color for apparatus and the blue stripes. Probably could get a larger battery and have some decent lights on the thing.

All I can say is that its about damn time. Committing your entire department (or for that matter a front line piece of any kind) for a parade is nothing but a betrayal of the public trust you are supposed to hold so dear. All you people who think that it is your right to go march in a parade and show off your trucks should be asking yourselves why you are in the fire service. Is is to help people or to march and look pretty? This is total pet peeve of mine as you may guess, but I am glad to see that some town administrators finally got on the ball with this and pulled the plug on a ridiculous tradition. I have heard people say that "well that's what mutual aid is for". Wrong, sonny. Mutual aid is for when you are stretched to your limits and unable to cover your call or calls b/c you are already tied up, not so you can go march in a parade. Sorry for the rant lads and lasses, but this really bugs me. If someone can come up with a reasonable offering for why I am wrong, jump on it but you can't tell me you have the public's best interest in mind by tying up apparatus paid for with tax dollars in a parade.

Its quite funny that many, many years ago Westchester County Medical Center started a small ground transport team based out of the hospital that grew into STAT Flight. Back to the future...

Yeah, apparently there were a number of problems with the 6.0 Power Stroke. We had some issues with fuel filters. So, I guess they aren't ditching the whole econoline series, but no more diesels. The 6.5 won't fit unto the E series chassis, I guess. Seth is right, this will change things significantly until they sort it out, if at all.

I hope this works...front view of said Big ol Rescue.

From what I have heard, LifeNet/Air Methods wanted zippo/zero and nada to do with the ground aspects of the program. So, according to one of those "cuties" - and she truly is...the STAT Ground team is alive and well, operating out of what she calls a closet with two RNs and a driver, mostly made up of those team members that wanted nothing to do with the pay and benefits package Air Methods threw their way. I only assume that Metrocare/Transcare is still providing the buggies and now the drivers as well. The pilots from the STAT Team no longer have to hang their heads in shame as being the only ones who have to fly and drive the program's ambulances. I did see the other day a posting on www.flightweb.com from a medic who was implying he got hired there to work on the ground team. But, bottom line they are separate entities and sadly Seth I can't tell you what they are wearing. TCD this transition was years ago when WMC failed to pay Air Methods. Air Methods took over the program and now controls all aspects of it. Those who were in the employ of WMC and wanted to continue to wear the red suits and play helicopter were given the opportunity to interview with Air Methods. I am not sure how ground hiring/selection is or was done.

My AEV buddy said its now gonna be Chevy, Dodge or GMC. No more Fords. I bet there was a lot of similar discussion and surprise when Chevy dropped the caprice...

Yeah, I was pretty shocked to hear it too. He was pretty insistent though, saying that Ford is ditching the whole line, and that AEV only had access to 20 more E series chassis. Guess we'll just have to wait and see.

Check out this thread for the skinny on BFD apparatus. They have an ancient fleet, apparently with few plans to get new stuff beyond this rescue and one engine. They are indeed running 93's and 94's as front line rigs. http://emtbravonewengland.com/index.php?topic=2.0

BVFDJC, Edited for the sake of your sanity? Too bad everyone copied your post before you could pull it. C'mon kid. Don't you get it yet? Stuff just ain't free. Be nice, but...it just ain't. You mentioned the Bill of Rights. First the Bill of Rights is from federal government, not state. Last time I looked on the side of an ambulance, it wasn't a federal service coming to my aid. Second, there isn't much in that there document about EMS. People didn't much care about EMS until oh...1966. Oh, and what fun it would be if this was a state system. Oh wait...that is socialism where the government provides everything for everyone. Buddy, I feel your pain. You seem passionate about this rant you are on. Passion is good. I can remember being your age and jumping up and down about things. I once convinced my dad that his buying a car with a/c would ruin the planet. Being a good dad, and a cool dad, he caved. I have since realized my folly. As a junior (meaning younger) of this board, watch, listen, look around prior to rants. Said behavior also is VERY helpful as a new guy in the fire service. VERY helpful. Also, please don't take this post as me trying to slam you. I am not. If I were, I would have been much more blunt and mean. Trying to offer some advice, cause I have been where you are. As we say, been there done that.

Ok, let me get this right... BVFDJC, you really think this is "utterly unethical?" Come on dude. Do you think it is unethical for this? Does the water department charge your parents for using water? How about electrical services? At the landfill, do you have to pay a tipping fee? Not everything is covered by your beloved tax dollar. Where do you think the money for services will come from? With tax cuts, the money is not there. You have to make it up somewhere else. Billing does this. It is not unethical to bill people for value added services. You may not like it, fine. But using words like "utterly unethical". C'mon. There are fire departments all over the state billing for transporting patients. Now, as I understand it, they have to set up a separate ambulance corporation to do it, but it is the guys from the FD in the ambulance.

I was wondering what the staffing patterns for the City of Peekskill are? I see on the website that there are 24 paid guys and 200 (holy crap) volunteers. Do the paid guys staff an engine and cover the stills and such, or are they spread out differently? Thanks!!!

Broken Thermometer Causes 100 to Respond to Mercury Spill 1/2/2007 8:47:16 AM WSYR-9 CARMEL, N.Y. (AP) - It was quite a New Year's Eve at the home of Richard Berger in Carmel - in Putnam County. Someone in the house broke a rectal thermometer and the family called 911 around 10:30 to report the small mercury spill. Several dozen volunteers from the Carmel Fire Department responded to the house on Brookview Drive. Fire Chief Darryl Johnson says mercury is a hazardous material that can cause stomach problems if inhaled. Men wearing protective gear used wet sponges to clean up the puddle. It was packaged and brought to the Carmel firehouse where the county health department will dispose of it today. The Berger family was not hurt. HAZ MAT back to the firehouse?

I worked out of these for many year up at Eastern Paramedics in Syracuse, NY. BY FAR the best made, best laid out ambulance for city (2 person crew) work. Everything was within hands reach, very stable, low center of gravity. We switched to the cursed Wheeled Coach moduvan in 1994 or so, and they just plain sucked. You can do EMS in anything, but the Braun slope side was the cat's hind end.

Thanks for explaining that one, I appreciate it. RA

So, I take it this will replace the relatively new Metz Tower Ladder? Can anyone from Dept. 17 speak about issues with that piece? Are you getting rid of it?

Oh, yeah. We are in contract negotiations right now and amazingly, the same kind of list was circulated around the stations, and ended up in the press. When you have firefighters making over 85,000, the council gets a little edgy...

Finally getting a glimpse of the pictures - they wouldn't load @ work yesterday - that looks like a spare a/c, it is painted in the Life Net / Air Methods colors. The give away is that it doesn't have the CAMTS or Life Net of NY decals on it anywhere. A/C are few and far between right now, especially spare EC 135s, so whatever it is replacing is most like really broken or gone for refurb. It was always fun to wait and see what spare a/c was going to show up when one of ours was going to be down for a long time. Its not unlike working for a commercial service, in so many ways... One of the nurses told me that the 5th a/c - sullivan - won't be inservice until 117NY is fully refurbed, and that will be one heck of job, likely months...

All true. Life Net of New York - Parent company called Air Methods - now runs all the true medical evacuation aircraft in this part of the state. As has been mentioned before, Westchester Medical Center now has no control over the STAT Flight system. As has happened across the country, I would imagine that the STAT name will be dropped at some point for the Life Net name. Life Net runs the 4 current a/c, and is planning to add a fifth. They are: Life Net 7-1 in Albany which is an EC 135 a/c, tail number N535LN. This is a new a/c within the last couple of years, used to have a BK117 tail number N951AM. It is based at Albany Medical Center on the rooftop pad. Life Net 7-2 is located in Glen, NY. This is West of Albany on the thruway. They use a BO-105 tail number N485EC. The operate from a base at the Glen Fire Department. What was Air One is officially called Life Net 7-3, and is using the N117NY a/c. From what I have heard, this A/C is heading out for a much needed refurb. It needed it when I worked there a few years ago. Badly. N118NY will be moved down to WMC. (It was refurbed 4 years or so ago.) Life Net 7-4 (the Orange/Ulster county a/c) will be getting a new EC 135 A/C (this is what I was told by one of their nurses) and when N117NY comes back from refurb, it will move to Sullivan county to be the 5th a/c in the Life Net team. One question for people, have you noticed any change in service since the change from WMC to Life Net?

All true. Life Net of New York - Parent company called Air Methods - now runs all the true medical evacuation aircraft in this part of the state. As has been mentioned before, Westchester Medical Center now has no control over the STAT Flight system. As has happened across the country, I would imagine that the STAT name will be dropped at some point for the Life Net name. Life Net runs the 4 current a/c, and is planning to add a fifth. They are: Life Net 7-1 in Albany which is an EC 135 a/c, tail number N535LN. This is a new a/c within the last couple of years, used to have a BK117 tail number N951AM. It is based at Albany Medical Center on the rooftop pad. Life Net 7-2 is located in Glen, NY. This is West of Albany on the thruway. They use a BO-105 tail number N485EC. The operate from a base at the Glen Fire Department. What was Air One is officially called Life Net 7-3, and is using the N117NY a/c. From what I have heard, this A/C is heading out for a much needed refurb. It needed it when I worked there a few years ago. Badly. N118NY will be moved down to WMC. (It was refurbed 4 years or so ago.) Life Net 7-4 (the Orange/Ulster county a/c) will be getting a new EC 135 A/C (this is what I was told by one of their nurses) and when N117NY comes back from refurb, it will move to Sullivan county to be the 5th a/c in the Life Net team. One question for people, have you noticed any change in service since the change from WMC to Life Net?

It comes with a support trailer supplied with 1000 gallons of Clorox and a proportioner. Well, we would hope so...

Ok, all you NYC buffs. Fill the guy from the northlands in. What is a REP? A MALT? ESV? I think someone covered the differences already 'tween those little Fords and the B.A. Rescues. Thanks!!

Saw a picture in Seth's collection which made me think of something...Thanks Seth!! For those of you that use the leather radio holsters with the over the shoulder strap (so the radio hangs at your waist), how do you wear them with your turnouts? Inside, outside? We just got issued the things, and I am curious how the rest of the word uses 'em. Thanks!!

We have a mandatory seat belt policy in place. Rig doesn't move until all members are belted in. No exceptions. Our newest Pierce seems to have the buckles placed a little further out from the seat itself, which makes it easier. The older trucks are definately more difficult to use, but it is still mandatory.