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Detroit Suburb Votes to Eliminate Police and Fire Departments

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These Bumblers Popped Up Last Year

THE CITY OF ALLEN PARK, MICHIGAN, is back in the news again.  One of the nation's most inept city councils voted last night (Tuesday) to balance their budget by completely eliminating both the police and fire departments.

Firegeezer readers were acquainted with these financial wizards in February of last year when they threatened their firefighters with elimination unless they renegotiated their salary structure way down.  (See the Firegeezer video report HERE.)  An agreement was made that included a tax increase on the citizens if they approved of it in a vote.  But that measure failed at the ballot twice, back in November and again this month on May 8.

You may recall that the primary act that bankrupted the city was the city council’s falling for the song-and-dance of a film maker who told them that if they would provide a suitable location for his big-time movie studios and film production school, then he would give the city $2 million to balance the city budget. The council then sold $24 million in bonds to purchase a property and industrial building that was only assessed at $14 million. The studio maven, Jimmy Lifton then took his act to Detroit without “donating” the $2 million and reneging on the deal to make Allen Park a motion picture home.  This all took place in 2009.

Allen Park's $24 million baby

The stunt led to a Securities and Exchange Commission investigation into the validity of the city's bond sale with the threat of fraud indictments.  Ever since then the city has been drowning under the debt load of having to pay off the bonds for near-worthless property and unable to provide basic city services.

Now the council has a $4 million deficit and has decided to balance their budget by eliminating the public safety services, police and fire, and contract with a neighboring municipality to provide the services.  They voted last night to pass that budget which includes the public safety layoffs.

There is only one tiny little problem… none of the other towns are interested in taking on Allen Park's emergencies.  All of them are struggling as it is just to cover their own calls.  WJBK-TV was at the city council meeting last night and prepared this video report:

 

The Detroit Free Press adds:

Adding to the appearance of disarray in City Hall, the council voted 6-1 to accept the resignation of the city's top staffer, Administrator John Zech.

And still to be resolved is how the city will pay its bills this year. Appointment of a state emergency manager remains possible, city officials have said.

The city's annual budget had been projected to be $19 million in the next fiscal year, 2012-13, but must drop to $15.8 million because of skidding property-tax revenues combined with $2.6 million in annual bond payments for the city's failed movie studio, according to budget documents. The studio sits largely empty next to City Hall. "Nobody knows what's really going to happen," Mayor William Matakas said before the meeting. None of the cities that Allen Park has approached about contracting for police and fire services has responded, he said.

News Herald photo

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Posted by on May 23, 2012 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, EMS Topics, Fire Rescue Topics, Funding & Staffing, Videos • Tagged: ,

Making Paramedicine a Profession

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Time to build our paramedic profession infrastructure

It appears that our physician colleagues accomplished more than paramedics since 1968, establishing Emergency Medicine as a specialty in 1979 and Emergency Medical Services as a subspecialty in 2010. (How EMS physicians became recognized and rewarded)

The development of the National EMS Educational Standards in 2009 is a more significant development. (EMS Future is HERE)

Emergency Medicine built upon an existing graduate medical education structure

The significant physician accomplishments were built upon a well-established graduate medical education infrastructure.

A September 2006 article in the New England Journal of Medicine describes the foundation of medical education:

Almost a century ago, Abraham Flexner, a research scholar at the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, undertook an assessment of medical education in North America, visiting all 155 medical schools then in operation in the United States and Canada. His 1910 report, addressed primarily to the public, helped change the face of American medical education.

American Medical Education 100 Years after the Flexner Report

Two physician members of the National Emergency Medical Services Advisory Committee referenced the Flexner report when discussing update options to the 2009 National EMS Educational Standards in an all-day roundable on March 28, 2012 (agenda).

All professions with significant academic preparation go through this type of review process.

I used the results from evaluation of the Masters in Business Administration program to discuss the state of EMS Education in 2009.

The Ford Foundation and Carnegie Corporation criticized business graduate education in 1959 as filled with:

  • Weak Students
  • Inappropriately trained faculty members
  • Unintellectual curriculum
  • Poor research

What Direction for EMS Education?

From "sticky side down" first aid mechanic to health care professional

The 2009 Educational Standards vaults paramedicine out of the vocational training arena. It will have the same impact as the Flexner report had on physician education and the Ford/Carnegie reports had on Masters in Business Administration programs.

But we have signficant gaps to fill to satisfy the medical professional model.

Need appropriately trained faculty members

I will never forget talking to a community college assistant dean about the Educational Standards. An experienced paramedic with years as a state-credentialed paramedic instructor, she shared that she recently got her associate degree. The associate degree was from the same paramedic program she was running. Not sure she could complete a bachelor degree.

Most community college leaders are required to have master's degree, often they have a Ph.D. or Ed.D. terminal degree.

I have no doubt she is a dedicated, passionate and effective paramedic instructor … but she needs better academic credentials.

The biggest push back to CoAEMSP accreditation of paramedic programs was the requirement that the program director have a bachelor degree. (2008 fact sheet)

In the academic world, those with terminal doctorial degrees "create knowledge" and impact professional/graduate educational programs.

Will you step up?

Mike "FossilMedic" Ward

Posted by on May 22, 2012 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, EMS Topics, Patient Management, Training & Development • Tagged: , , , , , , ,

How EMS physicians became recognized and rewarded

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How our physician colleagues got respect

To follow up on last night's discussion on compensation, a board-certified emergency medicine physician with five to ten years experience earns an average of $258,000 per year, or $124/hour. (2009 data)

It was not always so. Forty years ago emergency medicine was a low-pay, low-prestige side job. The mom-and-pop community hospital with a dozen beds maintained a poorly equipped "Emergency Room" staffed by part-time or fill-in physicians.

Defining a Profession:

Medicine considers five factors in defining a specialty:

  • Unique body of knowledge
  • Professional association
  • Peer-reviewed vetting of knowledge acquisition
  • Testing of competence
  • Institutional training: internship, fellow, clerkship

Three organizations have pushed emergency medicine and EMS physicians into the light.

1968: American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP)

The first professional organization, established Annals of Emergency Medicine in 1972 as their peer-reviewed scientific journal.

Establishing a scientific journal is a major component in establishing a specialty, from the Annal's website:

Annals is the emergency medicine journal most frequently cited by authors and has the highest impact factor over the years of all 19 journals in the emergency medicine category of the SCI (Science Citation Index). The impact factor (the average number of citations per published article) is the commonest measure of journal influence; the 2010 impact factor for Annals was 4.14, placing it in the top 12% of all 8,005 science and medical journals tracked by the SCI.

Not only is Annals most frequently cited, but it is cited more promptly and longer than any other emergency medicine journal (9.5 years, 83% longer than its nearest competitor). In the past 5 years, more than1,200 different journals in the ISI science journal database cited an article in Annals, and in a typical year, Annals articles are cited by more than 400 different scientific journals, most of them from a broad range of specialties outside of emergency medicine.

In 1979 Emergency Medicine becomes the 23rd specialty recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties.

1984: National Association of Emergency Medical Service Physicians (NAEMSP)

One hundred emergency physicians established NAEMSP to define the needs and specialties unique to an EMS Physician. The first effort was a task force started in 1992 to establish EMS as an emergency medicine subspecialty. Their efforts moved the ball forward, but not enough to achieve recognition. The task force disbanded in 1996.

In 1997 Prehospital Emergency Care (PEC) was created as the scientific journal for emergency medical service physicians.

From the 2011 NAEMSP annual report:

In July, PEC received its third Impact Factor, which increased to an impressive 1.889. This Impact Factor placed PEC as the 8th most oft-cited Emergency Medicine journal out of the 23 that are currently rated by the ISI Web of Knowledge.

PEC had an even more impressive Immediacy Index, which indicates how rapidly articles that are published in PEC are cited in the same year. PEC had an Immediacy Index of 0.533.

This ranks PEC 4th out of the 23 EM journals that are ranked in terms of being rapidly cited. PEC continued to be placed ahead of such well-established journals as Journal of Emergency Medicine, Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Journal of Emergency Nursing, Emergency Medicine Clinics of North America, and European Journal of Emergency Medicine.

PEC is also the official journal of the National Association of State EMS Officials (NASEMO), the National Association of EMS Educators (NAEMSE) and the National Association of EMTs (NAEMT).

1998: United States Metropolitan Municipalities Medical Directors Consortium

Known as the "Eagles," this group is comprised of most of the jurisdictional EMS medical directors for the nation's largest cities 9-1-1 services. Read more about them HERE (510 minutes that shape EMS: The Eagles speak in Dallas)

Establishing a unique body of knowledge

By 2005 the professional, peer-reviewed literature was sufficient to make a second effort at establishing EMS physicians as an emergency medicine subspecialty.

NAEMSP members wrote a four volume Emergency Medical Services Clinical Practice and Oversight publication that covered four areas:

  1. Clinical aspects of prehospital medicine
  2. Medical oversight of EMS
  3. Evaluating and improving quality in EMS
  4. Special operations medical support

The books were published in 2009.

The content and organization of EMS Clinical Practice and Oversight matched the proposed curriculum for the EMS subspecialty fellowship.

EMS was recognized as an emergency medicine subspecialty in 2010. You can go HERE (How medicine approaches EMS credentialling) for details of the ems physician fellowship. The first board exam is anticipated in late 2013.

You get what you invest in.

I appreciate Skip Kirkwood's response to yesterday's article. It provides an appropriate conclusion to today's example:

My frustration comes from the failure of, or the unwillingness of, so many EMSers to "engage," to spend even a few minutes or a few dollars to advance their profession.  MANY are willing to speak, but a willingness to speak without the willingness to WORK on what you are speaking about is just whining.  And as a kid I learned (whap!) that there are few things worse than a whiner.

My second source of frustration comes from the "What's in it, or what's easy, for me" focus. Improving the stature of EMS in our communities, and improving the lot of EMTs and paramedics, is not rocket science. It involves improving educational standards, becoming active in political regulator affairs, and stepping up to take control of our profession and our work environment. Unfortunately, the response seems to be "If they're not going to pay me more, up front, I'm not going to make any additional effort in this arena."

Folks, you make the investment first, then you get the dividend. It works that way in the stock market, and it works that way in the economic, political, and academic environments.

Mike "FossilMedic" Ward

Posted by on May 21, 2012 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, EMS Topics, Training • Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Free eBook for EMS Week

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Offer Expires Midnight Tuesday

OUR BLOGGING COLLEAGUE GREG FRIESE has found us a great deal on a new EMS eBook.  A free download until midnight Tuesday night.  Here in Greg's words he tells us about the book and the author of 2 Weeks a Year:  Finding Humor While Deployed in Iraq, Chat Trent Cherin.

In this episode of the Medical Author Chat Trent Cherin tells us about his book 2 Weeks a Year: Finding Humor while Deployed in Iraq which is about his deployment to Iraq as an Army National Guard Medic. Unlike most authors being a medic wasn’t something Trent did full-time. Rather it was something he did away from his normal work because he enjoyed helping others and being part of the National Guard. He describes being a medic as "a nice break."

2 Weeks a Year is a chronicle of Trent’s 548 total days of deployment. Much of which he spent on a base in Iraq just north of Baghdad. The book was put together from photos and emails he sent to family and friends during his deployment. He also wrote the book as a way to remember his experience.

EMS Week Special: Trent is graciously offering a free download of 2 Weeks a Year from Amazon for the Kindle e-reader or Kindle app during EMS Week 2012. This download is only available from midnight Sunday to midnight Tuesday. Make sure to take advantage of this opportunity to download the book.

The list price for the eBook is $4.99, but you can download it for FREE to your Kindle or your Kindle app on your smartphone or computer.

Just CLICK HERE to get the order page and download NOW (remember, offer expires at midnight Tuesday).  Thanks, Chat!

Firegeezer sez:  I just downloaded one for me.

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Posted by on May 21, 2012 • Filed under: EMS Topics, Kindle, shopping

Another Stolen Ambulance

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Party Doll's Weekend Comes to Quick Conclusion

ANOTHER RURAL/METRO AMBULANCE was stolen Sunday morning in the Buffalo suburb of Amherst, New York.  It all began around 6:30 am when a policeman brought Heather Sullivan, 37 and drunk, into the emergency room of the ECMC hospital.  Once she was left unattended, she dashed out the ER entrance where she found the ambulance, also unattended and with  the keys in the ignition.  WGRZ-TV continues the tale:

She started heading east down Kensington Ave. with police in pursuit. Once she reached the first traffic circle, she lost control of the ambulance and went straight through the circle and continued towards the Walgreens. She slammed into a brick wall surrounding the parking lot, slowing her down before the ambulance came to a rest.

WIVB-TV

"Thank God she missed the building though. The brick wall stopped her, otherwise, she would have been definitely into the building," said Amherst Police Senior Investigator Scott Lawida.

The ambulance was heavily damaged due to the impact of the brick wall.

The woman has been arrested and charged with reckless endangerment, grand larceny, criminal possession of a stolen vehicle and other charges.

A Rural/Metro spokesman says that the ambulance will probably be a total loss with damages estimated at $80,000 to $100,000.  The police said that she was driving at an extremely high rate of speed.

WGRZ-TV filed this video report:

 

The Buffalo News has the STORY.
WIVB-TV has MORE.

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Posted by on May 21, 2012 • Filed under: ambulances, crime, EMS Topics, Vehicle Operation & Ambulances, Videos • Tagged: , , ,

Keep Yourself Safe!

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Another excellent music video from Farooq Muhammad (KingFarooq Productions)

from FireEMSRescue:

A music video showing the potential hazards EMS professionals face on a day to day basis. It emphasizes the importance of safety while working under these dangerous conditions.

Blauer provided the funding for this project and is a huge supporter of EMS, Fire and PD all around the country. Please visit www.blauer.com for more information on their wonderful products and services

Mike "FossilMedic" Ward

Posted by on May 21, 2012 • Filed under: EMS Health & Safety, EMS Topics, Training, Videos • Tagged: , , , , , ,

Is EMS REALLY a calling?

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How do WE get engaged?

This video shows how a population was motivated to participate in their first free elections.

YouTube Preview Image

The Return of Ben Ali. On January 14th 2011, we chased former Dictator President Ben Ali out of Tunisia. Since then many had lost interest in politics.

After many uneffective attempts to push Tunisian people to go out and vote for the upcoming elections, a new campaign was set up in La Goulette, to the shock of residents.

Their reaction was filmed. Results: On October 23rd, there was 88% turnout when 55% were expected.

EMS: More than a job (??)

This year's theme selected by the American College of Emergency Physicians is: EMS: More than a Job, a Calling

If you have been following the posts by National EMS Management Association President Skip Kirkwood, you may have a different observation. He is not a snarky pundit, but someone who has been doing heavy lifting for EMS. I would say he is a little frustrated.

Working conditions for many paramedics are grim, near minimum wage.

The US Department of Labor identified 2010 median pay for 226,500 "paramedics and emts" at $30,360 per year ($14.60 per hour).

As a contrast, the 310,600 firefighters 2010 median pay is $45,250 per year ($21.76 per hour). Police and detectives make more than firefighters.  Registered nurses even more than police and detective, at $64,690 per year ($31.10/hour).

I appreciate that this year's theme is:

… reflecting the idea that EMS practicioners don't choose this field for big salaries, comfortable working conditions, or 9-to-5 hours; they have a true calling to help and care for others in their hour of need.

Over the same 38 years, physicians dedicated to the practice of emergency medicine have significantly improved their compensation and professional status within the universe of medicine.  Nurses have transformed their profession.

Why are medics still near minimum wage? Why are some single-role ems providers engaged in 9-1-1 service without the same worker compensation presumptions that fire and police have?

Celebrating working for free does not pay the rent

My three passions; teaching, writing and emergency service, are not known as wealth builders.

When I went to work full-time as a community college fire science program director, I was making less money than the rookie firefighters I was teaching … with a master's degree and a dozen years experience as a part-time college instructor.

At the beginning of every academic year, one of the college leaders would celebrate that a retired federal worker was teaching for free. After four years I left the college because of poor pay and threadbare resources.

This week we are going to look at issues affecting the profession of out-of-hospital care that will probably make you annoyed or uncomfortable.

Mike "FossilMedic" Ward

Posted by on May 20, 2012 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, EMS Health & Safety, EMS Topics, Videos • Tagged: , , , , , , , , ,

2 Dead as Race Car Drives Into Spectators

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At Least 18 More Injured

A RALLY CAR PARTICIPATING IN A ROAD RACE in Southern France near Toulon left the course and struck several spectators killing two of them on Saturday.

AFP

The race was the annual Pays des Maures rally at the Plan-de-la-Tour road course, and the accident happened at 4:30 pm local time.  The car was coming to an intersection and was supposed to turn right, but instead the driver made an error and drove straight ahead into a row of spectators.  One of the dead is reportedly one of the track marshals.  At least 18 people were injured, four of them critically, including a 21-yr.-old woman who suffered a serious spine injury.

Several of the spectators who were all behind the security tape barrier, were pitched several meters into a vineyard. The driver of the car, Yann Buron, is "shocked" but unharmed. His co-driver Jean-Luc Ferrero, injured his chest.

When the dispatch for the mass casualty was sent, the emergency services in the area were initially overwhelmed.  More than 60 firefighters were dispatched along with 20 ambulances and several helicopters.

BBC News

Varmatin has the STORY.
BBC News has an English language report HERE.

AFP has filed this video report from the scene:

 

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Posted by on May 20, 2012 • Filed under: EMS Topics, Mass Casualty Incident, rescue, Rescues, Videos • Tagged: , , ,

LAFD Response Times Dip After Station Shutdowns …. (No! Really?)

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Anybody Besides the Fire Chief and Mayor Surprised at This?

THE LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, CONTROLLER Wendy Greul released the report yesterday of an audit her department conducted into the Fire Department's response times.  Using a 2-year baseline from June 2007 to July 2009, the auditors found that after the fire station closings and rotating brownouts took place in July of last year, the response times for ambulance calls increased an average 12 seconds citywide and as much as 20 seconds in certain areas including the San Fernando Valley.  The Daily News reports:

The report found response times for emergency medical calls increased an average of 12 seconds to four minutes, 57 seconds. However, the response time to fires and non-medical emergencies dropped about 21 seconds — also to four minutes, 57 seconds.

Pat McOsker, president of the United Firefighters of Los Angeles City, said the audit confirms his warnings over the past several years.

"You cannot cut the department by the 15 percent it has been cut and not have an impact," McOsker said. "In emergencies, seconds count and we have a system that delays the response."

Not to be overlooked in the report is this observation by the Controller:

She also expressed concern about the quality of the department's response time data, noting that about one-third of the incidents reviewed were not coded properly and it was unclear whether they were emergency or non-emergency calls.

"It's unacceptable that the LAFD has not been able to accurately track its emergency response times," Greuel said, adding she hoped the audit would lay the groundwork for city officials to make improvements.

In her report Greuel also pointed out that 650,000 of the 1.9 million incident reports they reviewed were coded "unclearly" rendering their study unable to be compared with the NFPA response standards.

KNBC-TV Ch. 4 tells more in this video report:

 

View more videos at: http://nbclosangeles.com.

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, left, and Fire Chief Brian Cummings
discuss response times and deployment at a March 13 news conference.
(Barbara Davidson, Los Angeles Times / March 13, 2012)

It has been pointed out that part of the problem is created at the dispatch center where calls are taking longer to be processed before the alarm is dispatched. Again from the Daily News:

(Local President) McOsker said part of the problem is dispatchers are required to go through a list of more than 20 questions before an emergency call is placed with paramedics. The protocol was developed to try to reduce the number of calls made for nonemergencies.

"There was a time that once they determined the nature of the emergency, they could send a unit out," McOsker said. "Now, they have to go through the entire list of questions before they send anyone to the call."

Using their own resources to analyze the raw data, the Los Angeles Times has concluded:

(Times staff writer Ben) Welsh crunched data from more than 1 million dispatches from the department's database and found that the Fire Department falls far short of the standard that rescue units be alerted within one minute on 90% of 911 calls. And average call-processing time has increased, most notably for medical calls, which account for the overwhelming majority of responses.

Five years ago firefighters were dispatched to medical calls within a minute 38% of time, the analysis found. By 2011, that number dropped to 15%.

The Times also found that in the more than 250,000 medical dispatches last year, the department took 75% longer, on average, than the national standard.

You can read the entire 46-page Controller's report (.pdf file) HERE.

On March 18 Firegeezer reported on the surprising announcement that LAFD had been using phony numbers to calculate their response times.  Read that posting HERE where we also addressed the vehicle maintenance problems that are affecting the response times as well.

It was also last March when McOsker opined:  "This department is being held together with bubble gum, baling wire and duct tape."

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Posted by on May 19, 2012 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, dispatch, Dispatch & Communications, EMS Topics, Fire Rescue Topics, Response times, Videos • Tagged: , , ,

Congratulation EHS Graduates!

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Class of 2012

Prior to our reorganization, I would use my faculty web page to recognize and celebrate the achievement of students enrolled in the Emergency Health Services program.

Lacking that resource, let me tell you know how happy and proud I am of the following folks:

Master of Science in Health Science: Emergency Services Management

Kashif Cheema

Andrew Mader

 

Bachelor of Science in Health Science: Emergency Health Services  (also called EMS Management )

Michael Beller

Aaron Botteron

Paul Cissel

Andrew Ecker

Bobbie Rogers

Heather Shymansky

Ronald Taylor

 

Because these are distance education programs, I will be meeting many of these students for the first time this weekend.

Except for locals Paul and Ronald :)

Mike "FossilMedic" Ward

Posted by on May 19, 2012 • Filed under: EMS Topics, News, Training & Development • Tagged: , , , , , , , ,

Man Steals Ambulance, Uses it For Taxi Work

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Called It Working "Side Jobs"

A 24-YR.-OLD MAN IN IZHEVSK, RUSSIA, stole an ambulance that was sitting unattended and drove it around for two days before he was caught.

Typical Russian Ambulance (Flickr photo by Barry)

The ambulance was at a repair shop and had been fixed, then left parked outside with the keys in the ignition.  RIA Novosti news agency reports:

The car theft took place on Monday, but was not discovered until Wednesday, when the medics were due to pick up their vehicle, the report said.  The car turned turned up in a nearby yard, where police staked out to apprehend the driver, who was caught with the car keys on him, the report said.

The man faces up to five years in prison over the incident. It remained unclear what prompted the theft, but the vehicle added 540 kilometers to the odometer, and the man’s cellphone had outgoing messages saying: “Doing side jobs with the ambulance.”

The "side jobs" refers to a common, yet illegal, practice in Russia where ambulances will collect taxi passengers and by using their redlights and sirens, they get the riders swiftly to their destinations when there are heavy traffic jams.

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Posted by on May 18, 2012 • Filed under: ambulances, EMS Topics • Tagged: ,

What Do You Do When the Wreck is So Bad That You Can’t Extricate the Victims?

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Horrific Crash in Germany Presents the Problem

A VIOLENT, FATAL CAR CRASH ON A HIGHWAY near Petersberg, Germany, Thursday evening created a unique problem for the police department.  Around 5:40 pm local time yesterday, a Honda Civic carrying a family of four people was going through a long curve in the highway at a too-high rate of speed.  The driver lost control and the car drifted to the right shoulder at the worst possible location.  The car smashed at speed into a stone highway bridge that carries another roadway over the path.

All photos credit Osthessen News

The impact destroyed the little car and a fire broke out immediately.

A passing off-duty paramedic stopped and managed to pull a 13-yr.-old boy out of the wreckage, but the other three people were trapped beyond help.  The boy was airlifted to the hospital, but is in extremely critical condition.

The Petersberg fire brigade was on the scene quickly, but were unable to do any more than put out the fire.  The victims were incinerated in the car which was wrecked so badly that extrication operations would have been tedious and lengthy. 

After a consultation with the prosecutor's office, the police decided that in order to mitigate the sensationalism that had created a media circus and spectator event, the car would be transported to a secure location where the bodies could be retrieved  and an investigation could take place without disruption or public display.  A roll-off container with high sides was brought in and the wreckage was placed inside and secured before taken away to the police yard.

The Petersberg Fire Brigade was very adamant in letting it be known that they did not agree with this decision.

Osthessen News has the story and an extensive, 41-image photo gallery HERE.
Osthessen TV has also posted a video report from the scene HERE.

Thanks to Christian Lewalter of Feuerwehr WebBlog.

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Posted by on May 18, 2012 • Filed under: EMS Topics, Fire Rescue Topics, rescue, Rescues • Tagged: ,

Woman Seriously Burned by Flaming Rocks

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Gives New Meaning to "Burning a Hole in Your Pocket"

A SAN CLEMENTE, CALIFORNIA, WOMAN is hospitalized with 2nd- and 3rd-degree burns to her leg after some rocks in her pocket spontaneously began burning.  The 43-yr.-old woman was visiting the beach with her family on Saturday and she picked up a collection of seven multi-colored stones and put them into her pocket.  Later on, they suddenly burst into open flames and burned through her shorts causing the injuries.  Her husband suffered some 1st- and 2nd-degree burns on his hands as he beat out the flames.

What caused this reaction is still being investigated, but the initial speculation is that friction caused by the rocks rubbing together as she walked generated the ignition.  At least two of the stones appear to have a quantity of phosphorus in them and are being tested by the health department.

A follow-up visit to the beach by health inspectors did not turn up any hazards related to this situation and nobody is able to determine where the stones came from.  KGTV Ch. 10 continues:

The rocks combusted and set the woman's (cargo) shorts on fire and continued to burn the wood floor of her Avenida Estrella house, according Capt. Marc Stone of the Orange County Fire Authority.

The woman, whose name was not released, was hospitalized at Western Medical Center in Santa Ana with third-degree burns to her right thigh and knee, Stone said. He added that the victim "stopped, dropped and rolled" in an effort to douse the flames, and her husband suffered second-degree burns to his hands as he tried to help.

The Orange County Health Care Agency is running tests on the rocks, but results could be days away, Stone said.

Two of the rocks were found to contain phosphorous, which can burn like a road flare when ignited, but the other five were cross-contaminated while in the woman's pocket, according to ABC7.

KABC-TV posted this video report on the unusual story:

 

The Orange County Register provided further details:

Her husband also tried to help and got second-degree burns when he tried to pull the shorts off, Stone said. The rocks, described as small, the size of a hamburger patty, smooth and orange and green in color, fell from the shorts onto the floor and continued to burn the wood floor and fill the house with smoke.

Firefighters responded immediately to the home on Avenida Estrella. When they arrived, the husband had successfully gotten the shorts off his wife and was hosing her down on the front deck with a garden hose, Stone said.

Paramedics treated the woman for severe second- and third-degree burns on her right leg from her thigh to her knee and on her right arm, Stone said. The husband also was treated for second-degree burns on his arm.

Read the entire report in the OC Register HERE.

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From Amazon:

Kershaw Hunting and Folding Sports Knives

Up to 50% off  – 3 days only

CLICK HERE to view complete selection and to order yours.

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Posted by on May 17, 2012 • Filed under: EMS Topics, Fire Rescue Topics, Videos • Tagged: , , ,

Amazing Academic Accreditation Adventure

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And you thought the fire service had turf wars and arbitrary rules

Spend $11,450 and three weeks at Harvard to attend the "Senior Executives in State and Local Government" program at the John F. Kennedy School of Government. You will receive no academic credit.

Possess a state or National Registry EMT-Basic card and some universities will grant three to six semester hours of transfer credit. Even if the instructor's level of education is a General Education Degree – the adult version of a high school diploma.

Welcome to the world of academic accreditation.

Click: "Academic Accreditation Details for "Firefighting 2.0" to read my article posted on the Fire Engineering website.

It is a response to Fire Engineering Editor-in-Chief Bobby Halton's March 2012, Editor's Opinion, "Firefighting 2.0."

Mike "FossilMedic" Ward

Posted by on May 17, 2012 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, EMS Topics, Fire Rescue Topics, Training & Development • Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Ambulance Crash in North Carolina

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At An Intersection …. Again

A DAVIDSON COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA, AMBULANCE was involved in a collision Monday morning while transporting a patient to the hospital.  The ambulance was destined for a hospital in Winston-Salem and had its lights and siren on as it approached the intersection shortly after 8:20 am.

The Dispatch reports:

Jeff Smith, director of Davidson County Emergency Services, said Medic 20 was traveling north on N.C. 109 with lights and siren on en route to Forsyth Medical Center when it approached the intersection. He said it appeared the driver of the ambulance, whose name was not released, did not see a Land Rover that was trying to cross N.C. 109 to get on Old Greensboro Road because of a line of cars leaving West Lexington Avenue Extension that were attempting to turn left onto N.C. 109 South.

Smith said the ambulance was hit in the back quarter at the rear wheels. The ambulance spun around and struck the guardrail on N.C. 109.  "It was actually against the guardrail. They had to pull it up to get the patient out," he said.

The patient did not receive any injuries from the crash and was taken on to the hospital by another unit.  The medic in the back was taken to be checked, but does not appear to have any serious injuries.  The two drivers were uninjured as well as two children that were in the car.

The ambulance, a 2010 Chevrolet had "significant" damage and the Land Rover was totaled.  A state trooper said that the driver of the Land Rover will be charged with failure to yield to emergency traffic.

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Posted by on May 14, 2012 • Filed under: ambulances, EMS Topics, Vehicle Operation & Ambulances • Tagged: ,

Around The Fire Web

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Some Good Postings On the Web We Want to Share With You

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*  STATter911 posted a good video report over the weekend on a high-rise fire in The Bronx HERE.  Some good video included.

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*  Boron Extrication has posted the airbags and body graphics for the Dodge Avenger HERE.  (you should be checking this site regularly without me reminding you.)

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*  FirehouseZen publisher Mick Mayers sends off a close colleague who lost his battle with cancer the other day HERE.

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*  Wildfire Today has a good video report on an Ultra High Pressure foam system designed for wildland firefighting HERE.

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*  Mike Legeros' Raleigh/Wake Fire Blog has a couple of pix for you antique firetruck fans with a report from the Benson, N. C., fire department that displays a pair of beauties HERE.

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*  ChicagoAreaFire is running an occasional series on Chicagoland FD's that use color schemes for their apparatus that are not red.  Check out the latest installment HERE.  (Blue?  Orange?)

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*  LifeUnderTheLights presents the case for every medic unit equipped with 12-lead EKG capability.  He tells why and how to get it done HERE.

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Posted by on May 14, 2012 • Filed under: EMS Topics, Fire Blogs, Fire Rescue Topics

Pull Over For The Slambulance!

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Lax Vehicle Laws in Texas Creates Confusion

AN AMBULANCE-LOOKING PARTY CAR is creating some confusion and anger in Fort Worth, Texas, this week.  The curiosity showed up in a parking lot of an apartment building and generated some questions from the local news stations.

KVUE-TV

The apparently converted former-ambulance still has the flashing red/blue light bar on the cab along with the mirrored decal on the hood.  Along the side is a mighty star of life and in big letters:  DFW RESCUE with Cougar & Kitten written out in smaller script (DFW are commonly used to connote the Dallas – Ft. Worth region).  A peek through the rear windows reveals an array of lounge-bar leather seating and a dance pole.

KVUE-TV

NBC5 News made some phone calls:

A public database shows the truck was registered just last month to Fort Worth chiropractor Joe Ysbrand at the address of the medical clinic on Camp Bowie where he works.

"It's a limo," he said in a telephone interview.  (Yeah, right… a limo ….FG)

Asked what it's used for, he said, "There's a couple doctors who use it. We don't rent it… We just take friends and family out, that's about it."

Later, an attorney who claimed to work for the owner of the vehicle called NBC 5 to say Ysbrand doesn't actually own it — even if that's what the registration shows. The attorney, Fletcher Johnson, said, "It was inadvertent. They filled out the paperwork incorrectly."  (Oh, sure …. the bone-crusher just didn't understand what 'Your Name' means and accidentally wrote down his buddy's address?…FG)

Johnson wouldn't identify who does own the truck and added that it's not intended to look like a real ambulance. (Except for the flashing lights and ambulance decals all over the red body….FG)  The owners plan to use it for corporate and sporting events and even children's parties, he said.  (Children's parties?  With bar seating and a dance pole?  Where did they find this lawyer, at the Sleezeball wing of the state bar? ….FG)

Did we mention that this ambulance that is NOT owned by the bone-crusher, but registered to him at his work address, is also parked in front of HIS apartment building?

All of this is disconcerting to the local ambulance service, MedStar.  They are worried about both the reputation of their firm as well as the possibility that people will naturally think it's a real ambulance and expect it to stop and accidents and stuff.

KVUE-TV gives us a good look at the non-ambulance for cougars in this video report:

 

The Fort Worth police say that it is perfectly ok to have flashing red and blue lights on your truck, just so long as you don't turn them on.  Apparently there are no laws restricting the usage of ambulance decals of all sizes on your personal vehicle, either.  Don't mess with Texas.

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Posted by on May 13, 2012 • Filed under: ambulances, EMS Topics • Tagged: , , ,

Saturday Car-Toon: Undercover UK Paramedic

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From the "Police Interceptor" television series

A creepy encounter

Police Interceptors is a British TV documentary series that profiles the work of a police ANPR Intercept Team (now known as the Territorial Support Team) in Essex, United Kingdom and in series 4 profiles the work of South Yorkshire Police's Road Crime Unit and Derbyshire Police's Road Policing Unit.

Mike "FossilMedic" Ward

 

Posted by on May 12, 2012 • Filed under: ambulances, Car-Toon, EMS Topics, Vehicle Operation & Ambulances, Videos • Tagged: , , ,

The Last Thursday Night Walk

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An unhappy milestone

It is Finals Week at the university. This time next week I will be participating in my last commencement as a full-time faculty member.

Not my plan, but my reality.

I tend to work late on Thursdays, hustling to get promised work completed "… by the end of the week."

Thursday night is student party night

Sitting in a fifth floor office on K Street, at the edge of campus, the first floor of the building includes a trendy lounge.

On Friday and Saturday nights the crowd is urban and elite. Expensive cars at the curb. Occasional appearance of celebrities with red carpet, police and spotlights.

The Thursday night crowd is younger, with higher heels and shorter dresses. Generally louder and more emotional.

If I have nodded off or lost track of time, the throbbing beat after midnight will roust me … or the security officer ringing the office doorbell.

Timing is everything

The EMT lab instructors were the first to alert me to the 10 pm parade of party-goers walking through campus on Thursday night. I don't remember seeing such beauty when I was slogging through Enormous State University. 

If my walk was at midnight, the street scene was different. Almost adults in full party mode … silly, happy, angry, sullen.

Cabs would slow down, drivers would beep their horn and make eye contact.  I guess they figured the old guy with a tie is a good fare.  Where were these guys when I need a cab at 7:30 in the morning?

Direct relationship between time and diner food quality

My Thursday tradition since 2005 includes a late dinner at an all night diner. I order the same roast beef/swiss on a roll.

If I get there by 8 pm, the sandwich is a marvel of taste, texture and appearance. Fries are light, hot and fresh.

After midnight the meat resembles dark cardboard, fries are cool and stale. I think they use a brick to press the sandwich into the grill.  Too sloppy to try to eat as a sandwich.

At least the guys get me two sodas right away. (Decision point + 25)

I am going to miss all of this.

Mike "FossilMedic" Ward

Posted by on May 10, 2012 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, EMS Topics, Urban Commander • Tagged: , , , , ,

Another Bent Treasurer Goes Down

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Easy Money Leads to Easy Arrest

THE FORMER CHIEF AND TREASURER OF A NEW JERSEY volunteer ambulance squad was arrested Monday and charged with hindering apprehension, third- and fourth-degree theft, witness tampering, obstruction and unsworn falsification. The case will be presented to a Burlington County grand jury for indictment.

James Daly, 42, was the Chief of the Beverly-Edgewater Park Emergency Medical Squad when, in May 2011, the treasurer became gravely ill and Daly took over the duties of the treasurer.  The Beverly-Edgewater Park Squad is a volunteer organization that has paid administrative officers and 15 part-time employees.  Within a few weeks of taking over the books, Daly phoned the accounting firm that handles their payroll and told them that he had just been given a $15,000 yr. raise above his current salary of $53,560 to $68,500.  Next he began using the Squad's credit account to purchase gasoline for his personal cars.

When the county prosecutor's office began investigating Daly, he produced a letter purportedly written by another member stating that Daly had been given the go-ahead to use the county gas by the ill, and since deceased former treasurer.  That letter was soon determined to be a forgery.

Following his arrest, Daly was released on $25,000 bond.  He was dismissed from the squad's rolls in November 2011.

The Burlington County Times has  more details HERE.

Hat tip:  Ron Y.

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Posted by on May 9, 2012 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, crime, current events, EMS Topics, Law & Justice

Paramedics Injured by Red-Light Runner

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Both Medics Transported

TWO WICHITA, KANSAS, FIRE DEPARTMENT PARAMEDICS were injured, one of them seriously, Monday morning when a car ran a red light and crashed into their ambulance.

KWCH-TV

The collision occurred just before 4 am this morning as the ambulance was returning to its station following a routine call.  As they were traveling through an intersection, a car on the cross street blew through the red light and smashed into the side of the ambulance, knocking it onto its side.  Witnesses say that the car was traveling at a high rate of speed.  It ended up against a building nearby, but there was little damage to the structure.

KWCH-TV

Both paramedics and the driver of the car were injured and taken to the hospital.  Early reports say that one of the medics is in serious condition.

Police are still investigating and have yet to determine if speed and/or alcohol and factors in the wreck.

KWCH-TV has a video report and more photos HERE.
The Wichita Eagle has more details HERE.

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Posted by on May 7, 2012 • Filed under: ambulances, EMS Topics, Vehicle Operation & Ambulances • Tagged: , ,

Mock Wreck Turns Dynamic

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Safe-Driving Display Gains Unwanted Realism

YOU HAVE ALL PARTICIPATED in one of those mock car accidents designed to teach teenagers about the dangers of careless or drunk driving.  That is what was going on in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, Friday morning when the town's fire department and police department were staging a crash with injuries along with the safety lectures, plus the extrication and first aid demonstration by the firefighters, for the Detroit Lakes High School students.

WDAY-TV

With the entire student body of 400 gathered on portable bleachers, the demonstration began with a police officer giving the lecture and a few students and community volunteers acting as trapped, injured victims.  Without warning, the unmanned fire engine started rolling and it was aimed right for the "crash" scene.  It struck the two wrecked cars at a low speed (less than 5 mph) causing some minor injuries to the police officer, an EMT and two of the student actors.

The demo became real as the FD had to perform genuine extrications and ambulances were called for real-blood injuries.  Six people were transported, but all were treated and released for minor cuts and bruises.  It hasn't been determined yet for sure why the pumper started rolling.  At the time it was believed that the parking brake had been applied, but that has to be determined yet.

WDAY-TV has the story and more photos HERE.

Firegeezer notes:  This is why all departments must have a firm policy of always using a wheel chock whenever the operator is out of the cab, whether the motor is running or not (outside of the equipment bays, of course).

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Posted by on May 5, 2012 • Filed under: EMS Topics, Fire Rescue Topics, Training, training-fire-rescue-topics, Vehicle Operations & Apparatus

Ambulance Driver Charged in Fatal Crash

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Retired Firefighter Killed

THE DRIVER OF A CAMPBELL COUNTY, VIRGINIA, AMBULANCE was charged today (Friday) with reckless driving following a crash in Lynchburg Thursday afternoon.

WSET-TV

The crash occurred at a controlled intersection when the ambulance drove through a red light and collided with a pickup truck, killing the truck's driver, Dean Anders, 69, a retired Lynchburg firefighter who died on the scene.  The pickup had already entered the intersection when the ambulance came through and struck the truck on the passenger side causing it to flip over.

The Lynchburg News and Advance reports:

A witness at the scene said she was on Campbell Avenue heading into the city, when the ambulance passed her.

Roseann Dickerson, of Lynchburg, said she saw the ambulance slow approaching the light, but continued through the intersection where it hit the pickup. At one point, the ambulance was sitting partially on top of the truck, she said.

Capt. Ryan Zuidema, of the Lynchburg Police Department, said the ambulance was transporting a patient to Lynchburg General Hospital.

That patient, a family member, Kidd and another Campbell County emergency worker staffing the ambulance were taken to Lynchburg General Hospital. None are believed to have life-threatening injuries.

WSET-TV reports in this video that Dean Anders was not wearing a seat belt:

 

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Posted by on May 4, 2012 • Filed under: ambulances, EMS Topics, Vehicle Operation & Ambulances, Videos • Tagged: , , ,

21st-Century Street Medicine

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A Few Years Too Late for Firegeezer

MEDICAL ADVANCES IN THE PAST 10 or 20 years have been astounding beyond description. Treatments and cures for this and that have improved countless millions of lives since the turn of the century. Take Dr. Jason Burke, for example. He is a board-certified anesthesiologist with a medical degree from Duke University and according to his website, he is the "first physician in the United States to formally dedicate his career to the treatment of hangovers."

He posts his philosophy of the mission: "I don’t believe someone should lose an entire day to a hangover because they decided to relieve stress and have a good time. After experiencing a few bad hangovers in my lifetime, I decided to apply my skills and develop a treatment protocol that would take someone from a semiconscious, porcelain-hugging, hit-by-a-truck hangover to feeling like you’re ready to take on the world in less than 45 minutes. I think this is a major development in medicine and solves a significant problem for people who like to have a good time."

Dr. Burke practices his craft in Las Vegas which seems to be the perfect place to kick off this medical revolution. He's not just kidding around here…. he is dedicated, as any good physician is, to making life better. Last month he put his mobile hangover clinic on the road in a 45-ft. former tour bus that has been outfitted to meet his specifications and dubbed it Hangover Heaven.

There is no need to try and find your way to the doc's, just a simple phone call brings the clinic to wherever you are and begins the treatment. The clinic has a suspension that provides a smooth ride and is furnished with a front lounge, a mid-section treatment center with bunks installed, and a rear lounge. It also has a bathroom and a "private interview room for people who have sensitive medical issues they wish to discuss." Greg Beato, a writer for Reason Magazine describes the clinic:

Inside the bus, it looks like a cross between an ambulance and a conference room at Embassy Suites. IV drips hang from the ceiling, patients are swathed in blankets, but there are also spacious leather sofas with built-in beverage-holders and flat-screen TVs. EMTs administer relief to patients in the form of branded medical cocktails. The $90 Redemption package contains one bag of saline solution, vitamins, and an anti-nausea medication. The $150 Salvation package includes a double shot of saline solution, the vitamins, the anti-nausea medication and an anti-inflammatory as well.

It needs to be noted that Dr. Burke is running a legitmate medical practice and does not sober up someone who is intoxicated.  He only treats the hangover that comes later.  Nor does he treat people for alcoholism or drug addiction.

It's only a matter of time before the techniques of treatment are refined and miniaturized to the point where everything is in a handy brief case that will be stored in the front left compartment of your fire engine or behind the front seat of the ambulance. We always meet such interesting people in this job.

Read more about Hangover Heaven on Dr. Burke's WEBSITE HERE.
Read the entire article from Reason Magazine HERE.

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Posted by on May 3, 2012 • Filed under: ambulances, EMS Topics • Tagged: ,

1 Dead, Dozens Injured After Wind Collapses Beer Tent

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Sudden Storm Cell Wrecks Sports Party in Seconds

A SUDDEN WIND BURST IN ST. LOUIS, Missouri, Saturday evening tore down a large tent being used to host a beer party near the city's baseball stadium.  There were between 150 and 200 patrons of Kilroy's Sports Bar inside the tent when the destructive winds of a thunder and lightning storm cell swept through the city center around 3:50 pm.  The tent was set up as a beer garden behind Kilroy's at 720 South Seventh Street. The storm wrecked the tent and blew it onto a railroad trestle next door.

KMOV-TV

"I thought a train fell off the track," Art Randall, owner of Kilroy's told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "We all ducked for cover. Everything was going sideways. I had metal chairs ripping across the beer garden." Witnesses said the incident lasted only seconds. They said a sudden gust lifted the tent up, sending metal poles flying. Patrons rushed to help each other, Randall said, including one man who administered CPR to another who had suffered a head wound.

"People were pushing and shoving," said Christy Eilermann, 42, of St. Louis. "The wind just picked up, and they started dragging people inside."  The DJ operating the music machine was struck in the head by a flying woofer and was knocked unconscious.

The Associated Press prepared this video report that includes an informative interview with Art Randall, the bar's owner:

 

One man died immediately, possibly from a heart attack, and more than 100 people suffered injuries ranging from mild to at least five critically  injured.  Most of the people were treated on the scene by Fire & Rescue personnel with about 17 being transported.

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

KMOV-TV reports:

Witnesses say more than two-hundred people, many who had attended the Cardinals baseball game at the nearby Busch Stadium, were packed into the large tent at Kilroy’s Sports Bar listening to music when the winds hit.

One witness told News 4's Mark Schnyder the music in the tent was so loud that no one heard the storm coming. When the tent ripped from its moorings tent poles were sent flying wildly through the crowd hitting many people in the head.

KMOV-TV

Several area fire departments assisted St. Louis FD, including Shrewsbury, Clayton and Richmond Heights, including 11 medic units.

RadioMan 911 has the dispatch and radio traffic posted:

 
Watch live video from Radioman911.com on Justin.tv

(Note:  Patience, the initial dispatch goes out at the 4:55 point in the tape.  Impressive dispatch of 11 truck companies on the first.)

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Posted by on April 29, 2012 • Filed under: EMS Topics, Mass Casualty Incident, rescue, Videos • Tagged: , , , , ,