Richard B the EMT

Local Laws and protocols will prevail, but keep in mind New York State's Vehicle and Traffic Law #1104. It boils down to the simple fact that you operate your vehicle with "due regard" for any and all other traffic on the roadways.

1) A former FDNY EMS partner of mine also rode with the Broad Channel (NY) VFD/VAS, actually within our unit's service district. He related to me, one night, at 3 AM, with him responding in his POV to the VFD House (he was an Engine Company chauffeur in addition) for an alarm, under the blue light authorized by the VFD, and stopping to check cross traffic at all the traffic lights on the one and only north/south roadway in the community, he would then go through the red traffic signals. One block from the "house" a cop pulled him over, berated him for over 10 minutes, as he sees all his VFD companies leave the house to do the fire response. The NYPD Officer never wrote him a ticket, just jabber-jawed him on going through the red signals. 2) In 1974, in a failed experiment, the US Government tried to make all ambulances and fire companies paint their vehicles the new color, which I think I recall as being "International Fire Engine Lime-Green Chrome". In Brooklyn, at least one fire fighter I recall overhearing talking about it, lamented, "How could they do that to a (ladder) Truck Company?" Broad Channel VFD/VAS had just had their newest Engine Company repainted in the new lime-green color. They have to come over the Cross Bay Bridge, which is a toll bridge, from "the channel", to the Rockaway Peninsula side of the Jamaica Bay, to their gas station. On attempting to return to the channel, they stopped, and spoke to the toll collector, giving their company name and unit number, which, under the bridge's operating authority, is usually recorded, and a free transit over the bridge given. This toll collector refused, and asked for the money for the trip. His reason? "That ain't no fire truck, it's GREEN, and fire trucks is RED!" The BCVFD crew radioed their base, and a few minutes later, the toll booths were surrounded by the other engine company, both ambulances, and all the available members in their POVs, blue lights engaged. The bridge authority Sergeant, hearing the commotion, came out of the building, and up to the toll booth in question, heard the story, and had the toll taker relieved of duty until a department hearing could be called, and let the engine company come through, no charge! 3) Under New York State Vehicle and Traffic Law #115C, a VFD or VAS Chief or president, as long as the POV has specified items from the NYS DoH Ambulance Equipment checklist, can be authorized to be a "first responder" car, with RED Lights and siren, as long as the operator followed VTL #1104, stating operating the vehicle with "Due Regard" to other traffic on the roads. I was in my POV, going southbound on Cross Bay Blvd, and was proceeding over the North Channel Bridge, when I saw numerous NYPD vehicles stopped at the highest point of the bridge, in the northbound lanes, including NYPD Emergency Services units. When I came off of the south end of the bridge, where legal, I turned around, pulled into the blocked lane, activated my red lights, and identified myself as an off duty EMT carrying equipment to the first NYPD officer I saw. He declined my services. I got back into my car, turned off the reds, proceeded off the bridge, and made another legal turnaround to go south. I never found out what the condition had been. As I was slowing down for the red traffic signal on the south end of the bridge, I noted an RMP pacing me. A speedometer check indicated I was doing at least 5 miles under the posted limit. I stopped, and the RMP stopped far enough that I could see it, wheels to beacon, in my rearview mirrors. The traffic signal changed to green. At the same moment, the RMP's beacon lit up, and they "blipped" me with their siren. I pulled over. The LEO saw my 2 way radio and scanner sitting on the passenger seat. He asked, specifically, to see the scanner. OK, technically, non LEOs are not supposed to have radios that can listen in to Police frequencies mounted in their vehicles, so there, the LEO might have had a legitimate gripe against me. But he wrote me a ticket for both the scanner, and the red "Kojac" light on my dashboard, claiming I was "impersonating" a "duly authorized emergency vehicle". Admittedly, I had misplaced my authorization for the reds. Following the ticketing, I went to the precinct house, and got photocopies of the VTLs I had violated. When friends of mine at the precinct saw who wrote me up, they declared their brother officer many derivatives of a Jerk. I attempted to plead "guilty with explanation" by mail. The traffic courts declared me to not be their case, and sent me to state supreme court! When I was called, I made a point of showing the authorization paperwork for the red lights, and the Judge dismissed that ticket, and on looking at the ticket for the scanner, played with his glasses, as if he was trying to read the ticket, and declared it an illegible document, and threw it out. I discovered 2 things afterwards. The first was, for the 2 infractions, they were written up on traffic violation tickets, instead of misdemeanor paperwork, and as such, were improper documents all the way. The other was never proven. I volunteer for a local politician, who was then an underdog candidate. He told me someone had heard the ticket issuing LEO boast that he had "gotten that fat (expletive deleted) who works for the candidate. Had I been able to prove that... Oh, well.

Just tell me that you are not referring to the notably most dangerous part of any vehicle: The loose nut behind the wheel.

Did our patient make any statement that they felt like killing themselves, others, or both? Any emotional trauma, like missing a promotion at work, getting fired, blowing a career starting final class exam, or having Maury Povich tell them they are/are not the father? Did they damage the "daddy-lac"? Close family member died? Rich close family member NOT die, and the patient needs money? Is, or was, the patient "acting out"? Did you and your partner witness any of this, or did the patient say so themselves? Or is the information totally from the friends/family/bystanders, and possibly not accurate? Possibilities are endless. Document what the patient, family or bystanders tell you that may seem to be relevant to the case at hand. Momma B just reminded me that I am not a psychiatrist. What information I get, however, I document, and hope it will help the "shrink" with making a diagnosis.

I seem to also remember that, until he recorded both the audio and video for "Thriller", he was a practicing Jehova's Witness.

OK, KNOCK IT OFF! Stop attacking each other, and face that we are going to have different opinions, as some will feel that a frequent flyer needs social services, others think they need the return of the "drunk tank", others feel the need to find some common middle ground that will keep ambulances available, or keep the ambulances available for the "real calls". There are probably more opinions, and I won't state which one I mentioned is mine, or if I'm one with a yet unpublished opinion. I have heard many, both here, and from my working comrades, and know we won't solve them for an undetermined time from now.

Huntley/Brinkley Report was NBC, and Cronkite was CBS. After NBC broke up the duo, Chet Huntley died, and David Brinkley moved to ABC until his death. Hence, I somewhat doubt they are "back" together.

I feel more respect towards "Uncle" Walter, than MJ. Chet Huntly and David Brinkley just brought in another chair for the celestial news cast.

Re the wearing of a lifting back belt under street clothing or work uniform, while I don't recall anything pro or con by the FDNY EMS, I do know that it is NOT in the guidelines for uniforms. If personal choice is to wear one, it cannot be visible over the uniform. Yeah, I know that may not be helpful, but it would explain why you never see a Fire Fighter, EMT, or Paramedic in FDNY wearing one on duty.

I think it was already released, or else how would I remember seeing it on the NBC Nightly News, the day after it happened?

The town council is asking for the merger. What say the members of the EMS and the LEOs serving the town?

Another string mentions an elderly female, covered in 2 days worth of her excrement, asking if she has enough time to put on her makeup before transport to the ER. In 1999, I had an Alzheimer's patient, found in the middle of a roadway, in a section of the Gateway National Recreation Area, several miles from habitation, couldn't tell us how she got there, possibly walked over 5 miles, at 2 in the AM. She could tell us her name, but not her address. As a test to determine how good her mental processing was, I engaged her in conversation, asking if she liked the way my partner and I were treating her. She enjoyed the attention from us, the NYPD and the Federal Park Police, all on the scene. I then asked her if she would write a letter to the department, complimenting us for our work with her. She said she would write a letter to the mayor. The only problem was, she was going to write to Mayor John V. Lindsey, NYC Mayor back in the mid to late 1960s, and at the time of the incident, already deceased for at least a decade! She was transported without incident to the nearest appropriate psych facility for further evaluation.

Has anyone established if the patient visited said lab for "samples" of meds, such as "X", or other sick bird recreational pharmaceuticals? (Sick Bird= Ill Eagle, or illegal)

I am sure that, given enough time, you could do similarly for the Republicans.

Bug sprays have been getting into the food chain for several decades. The reason we stopped using DDT was, it was getting into fish, and the poisoned fish were being eaten by American Bald Eagles. This living emblem of the United States almost went extinct because of it.

Perhaps I am cynical, but it breaks, on the anecdotal, to two camps, 1)those who feel that the intox on the street is in acute need of medical attention, and 2) "Get that...that THING off of my nice street in my nice community before someone else sees them!" I have had both type persons who admitted to calling 9-1-1 convey these things to me.

Spenac, are you a "First Nations/Native American"? What tribe/band? I'm not one, but I dated a Deneh Navajo a couple of decades ago, before either of us knew she was Navajo (details and file on request). My girlfriend, Lady J, was raised in a "Project", was already planning on moving out, when the plan "went to the front burner", following the two of us getting robbed at gunpoint as I escorted her home. She now rents in a 2 family private house (landlady lives on second floor) about a mile and a half from the old project. As for people in any neighborhood, the unfortunate thing is, no matter how nice, or hardworking the locals are, let one negative thing happen in the neighborhood, and everyone residing there gets "labeled" as being as bad as whatever that negative incident happened to be.

Read the article in full. As noted, they know the key phrases to tell the call takers. There is another side to the coin, which I know has been addressed in other similar strings in the past. John Q Citizen sees a homeless person, and, unbidden, calls 9-1-1 for an unknown medical condition, resulting in a "person down in the streets" type call.

OK, nicipoo, after hugging the individual for finding them in good health, then are you going to whip their butt for causing you the headaches and heartaches?

Richard Pryor was badly burned in a hash pipe explosion. Michael Jackson's hair caught fire from a pyrotechnical device during filming of a soda commercial. George Carlin had a heart attack. Jokes from then included... Carlin commented...

(Samuel Clemens/Mark Twain, American author and philosopher.)

(Slowly leaves room, turning off light, closing door, and locking it from the outside...)

I lost a classmate under similar circumstance, back in 1968. Big difference, his younger brother ran for assistance, and the nearest door that opened, the resident decided the boy was lying, and closed the door without taking any further action. When help finally arrived, my friend had been buried for over an hour.

Re Castrati singers: There was a video that I saw of a Castrati soprano singer, that I saw on the Public Broadcasting System. As this included an interview with the person, and sound films have only been around from roughly 1927 (Al Jolson in "The Jazz Singer"), somebody's facts might need reexamination. The question if MJ was a Castrati has been being asked from at least 1980, and if there is a definite answer, I wasn't privy to it.

Samuel Clemens/Mark Twain, noted American writer.