Richard B the EMT

I think Dusty's answer might be closest.

Perhaps it is a case of similar words for different things. At FDNY EMS, EVERYTHING has a priority, from an Arrest (Priority one, L&S response over most other calls then in the system for the nearest appropriate ALS, BLS, or both, to respond to), to an EDP (priority 7, with BLS response, no L&S, to be reassigned if a higher priority assignment comes in for that ambulance if not yet to the scene), to a unit down mechanical (priority 8 for administrative purposes). Perhaps I should refer to it as a "Prioritization System"?

While not the ambulances from the movie, the pictures are of the style door I was talking about. Also, as a reference, the power gurney lift was not in the movie, although I kind of like the concept. As stated, why don't we have this kind of stuff in current use here in the US of A?

I recently saw the movie "Knowing", starring Nicholas Cage. In this movie, his character is present at the scene, as a jetliner crashes near Logan International Airport, near Boston, and at a New York City Subway Station when a subway train derails at high speed. In both instances, the responding EMS units, supposedly from those respective city's EMS agencies, have totally different rear patient loading doors than anything I am familiar with. The ambulances shown had what I can best describe as rear lift hatches, such as might be found on some "fastback" cars, and a number of vans and minivans, such as my Chevy Venture. As in Cage's previous movie, "Ghost Rider", the film was shot in Australia. Boston and NYC use type 1 modular ambulances, but they have what is my usual experience of 2 side by side doors for the rear. Does Australia use ambulances with the lift hatch, as I described? I'm presuming that the film company used locally available ambulances, and merely painted them to look like Boston EMS, or FDNY EMS vehicles? On a tangent, I also mention that the movie is a good suspense movie, admittedly with some religious overtones. Lady J and I both enjoyed it, and recommend it.

Change them into what? lol As for the dad being in the hospital, is this one of those situations where "Mother and Baby are doing fine, the father is in the ICU"? lol Anyway, what is wrong with a frilly dressed girl with a firearm? (Imposing my personal standards, the firearm! Or perhaps that is just me?) Congrads on the future Paramedic in the extended family of the EMT City!

MVAs don't get priority? A potential major trauma from being ejected doesn't rate a priority, if the caller cannot phrase it beyond "2 cars ran into each other"? Or am I misreading the way the statement was written here? As for fire calls, are you referring to "Stand-by" at the scene (FDNY EMS Command level 7 priority- no L&S to respond to the scene), an injury/trauma from burns and falling debris, or the medical call of smoke inhalation?

By the standards under which I attended school, the 15 year old was probably left back. Should have been in 9th grade.

1) Cardiac call volume seems to increase in the 24 to 48 hour window after the snow stops falling, as that is when the people come out to shovel their walks, and develop chest pains and AMIs from overexertion. Same window for injuries related to folks falling in the snow, as they venture outside. 2) The time goes 23:59:58, 23:59:59, 24:00:00, 00:00:01, with some going 23:59:58, 23:59:59, 00:00:00, 00:00:01. Follow with your area's common usage.

Oscar: OK, my Oops on Bismark versus Fargo as the Capitol. What I was told, Grand Forks did all that building of the new diking system, which, as you pointed out, is perhaps about to be tested. Fargo, per my brother in Grand Forks, either didn't, or did much less. Do you live in Grand forks, or at least in North Dakota? You might know, or know of my sister-in-law, who runs the "United Way of Grand Forks ND/East Grand Forks MN, and environs, Inc", or at least that is what I think that local part of the United Way organization is called. Also, you might know of my brother, who is President of the North Dakota Historical Society.

From the funeral home's website at http://www.elyfuneralhome.com/index.cfm Richard J. McAllan (July 4, 1950 - March 26, 2009) Sign Guest Book Richard J. McAllan, 58, of New York City formerly of Wanamassa, Ocean Township, died Thursday, March 26th at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center in Washington Heights. He died of complications following quadruple bypass surgery. He is survived by his two brothers, Robert, of Wall Township and Frank, of Ashville, NC, and his loving mother, Grace of Ocean Township. Richard was the former President of Emergency Medical Service Local 2507 of District Council 37, and a New York City EMS Senior paramedic. A member of the first Paramedic class to graduate from Jacobi Hospital in 1974, Richard was a dedicated street medic who fought passionately to save lives. An idealist, he became a foe of a City bureaucracy which he believed did not serve the best interests of the public by not adequately funding EMS services. As President, Richard made sensational news in exposing many cases of deadly delays that put New Yorkers lives in jeopardy. In the 1980s and 1990s he was part of a union team that forced the City of New York to shift budget resources, doubling EMS staffing and lowering EMS response times to critical emergencies from 12 to 15 minutes at its worst to six or seven minutes setting the stage for today’s typical 4 to 6 minute response times for category 1 calls. Many people who never knew Richard or were treated by him are alive today because he fought so hard on their behalf. In the 1980s he was pro active in identifying defects in the EMS ambulances the City had designed and put in service for unsafe conditions, including the tendency to catch on fire when left idling for extended periods of time. As a result the City replaced the entire fleet. A tenacious fighter for justice and workers rights, he never came across a cause that he believed was hopeless or a grievance that he felt he couldn’t win. He was a bitter foe of the 1996 takeover of EMS by the NYC Fire Department. He later challenged in court the City’s decision to buy substandard digital two way radios in the late 1990s, saying they would not be reliable in high rise buildings. Tragically, he was proven right on 9/11 with the loss of hundreds of NYC firefighters in the World Trade Center. That case was still pending upon his death. Richard’s battle against sometimes corrupt and unjust authority was a central characteristic dating back to his youth. A constant adversary of bullies in any form, he often put himself out to suffer the brunt of abuse. He was fearless in this regard. In grammar and high school he was a selfless supporter of anyone in distress. Often aligning himself with underdogs, he bore their retribution and remained undaunted. He was always a child and man of courage and conviction and compassion. For those who were his friends, when asked, their problems became Richard’s as well. He spared not time nor expense to help those in need. A hobby and favorite past time was his love of antique cars, from his first Pontiac Tempest convertible, to his Toyota Celica to his black Volvo. He also helped a close friend restore a 1967 Pontiac Catalina, an award winning fully restored muscle car of the 1960’s. Richard never married but over a 35 year span remained close to his dearest friend Debbie Cross of Elmsford NY. She stayed at his bedside throughout the 6 weeks of his ordeal giving him the strength, courage and love he needed to fight his final battle. Richard loved everyone around him and they, in turn, became part of his family. He will be missed by all. Friends and family are invited to call from 7 to 9 PM on Monday, March 30, 2009 and from 2 to 4 PM on Tuesday, March 31, 2009 at the Ely Funeral Home 3316 Hwy. 33, Neptune, NJ 07753. A funeral mass will be held at 4:30 PM on Tuesday, March 31, 2009 at Holy Spirit Church, Asbury Park.

This is an obituary for one of New York City's first Paramedics, from the first Paramedic classes locally famous as "Jacobi One" (class was at Jacobi Hospital, Bronx, NYC, NY) in 1974. I was proud to call him a mentor. Richard B. http://www.emsnetwork.org/artman2/publish/...cle_36297.shtml Richard McAllan - New York Richard McAllan - New York; circa 1978 both submitted by Alan Saly Related Newspaper Article: News article Emergency in the Emergency Service 1980 submitted by Alan Saly It is with tremendous sadness that I pass on this message of the passing of an EMS legend and good friend, Senior Paramedic Richard McAllan (FDNY*EMS ret).The information conveyed to me was that he had suffered a setback in his recuperation from cardiac surgery several weeks ago, and was readmitted to the hospital near his home, then transferred back to Presbyterian where he died earlier tonight.No arrangements have been announced.For those of you who are relatively new paramedics, Rich was a graduate of Jacobi 1, the pilot paramedic program in 1974. Suffice it to say, that if not for the dedication and creativity of that class, the paramedic program would not exist today in NYC. You cannot imagine the obstacles to making this new concept work in the beginning.I will always address him as Senior Paramedic, though no official designation would ever be admitted by FDNY. He earned his White Patch refresher after refresher for 30 years, wearing it as a sign of pride and accomplishment, until his retirement in 2004. For the majority of his years with New York City EMS and FDNY, he remained the senior paramedic in the title. Rich remained a tireless advocate for both quality patient care and for the Paramedics and EMT's working in NYC. His service to Local 2507 included the Board of Trustees and Local 2507 President.His past activities included several litigations which resulted in system improvements and contract improvements, while others simply kept the EMS administration from having unbridled control over work rules that were mandatory items for negotiation.While some may not have always agreed with his methods, there is no question about his motives.Even in retirement, Rich has pursued a number of court cases which the city has managed to stall for years. It would be unfortunate to note that the Guiliani and Bloomberg administrations have stalled this litigation long enough to outlive him.Richs website remains: www.nycemsauthority.com

Try going to link http://www.mettag.com/ That is the type I am used to using in Metro NYC area.

I forgot to mention, in my last posting, that the personnel in the FDNY EMS EMD are, at minimum, EMTs, with a few Paramedics on extended light duty.

Honeysuckle Rose, Honeysuckle Rose, Honeysuckle sat on a tack... Honeysuckle rose!

The FDNY EMS EMD uses a system that I think is based on Dr. Jeff Clawson's dispatching principals. I do not recall the exact name of the program. Most here who follow my postings, know the FDNY EMS EMD uses something like 50 call types, each with BLS, ALS, both, or both with a CFR Engine company, as well as the level of priority the ambulances respond at. A Cardiac Arrest would be a Pri One, with ALS/BLS/CFR, while a vehicle broken down is a priority 8, which is more of a record keeping thing than anything else. Both Dr. Clawson's and the system used by FDNY EMS EMD also allow for calls to be upped in priority by the call taker, based on patient's age, or other information not covered in the algorithms that the call takers perceive from the callers. Following getting the call into the Computer Assisted Dispatch system, the call takers then attempt to give the caller instructions of what to do prior to the EMS arrival on the scene, as per the same algorithm charts. I understand the system is now fully computerized with touch screen activation, which is an improvement over the flip page books I was using, back in 1996. Guess what, people? Folks calling in to 9-1-1 seem to know the "key" words, like "Heart Attack", "Cop Shot", or "My baby isn't breathing, and is turning blue", to get a "quicker" response of an ambulance. Gee, do you think they might be lying?

Just a reminder that, remembering how one of their mothers had said that a dog could pick up "vibrations" from people, and tell if they were good or bad, led to the creation of the Beach Boys song, "(I'm picking up) Good Vibrations"!

Wether it's rain, or wether it's snow, we will have weather, wether or no.

scubamedic stated Actually, you do. It wasn't that long ago a hurricane came into the DC area, which got the US Army unit at the Tomb of the Unknowns, at Arlington National Cemetery, additional fame, as, when offered the chance to stay in shelter, they proudly declined, and continued the usual honor patrol, even in the extreme weather. As for tornadoes, why would DC be exempt, the hot air coming from Congress push them away? New York City suffered damage from one, on August 19, 2007. One doesn't think of Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, as being on Hurricane Alley, but we had that tornado, and, while I cannot be as exact as to when, I know of 3 others that hit here, over the years. Earthquakes? I am sure that there are currently undiscovered fault lines all around the country, and the world. My personal scariest is the one known to lie under the Indian Point Nuclear Power Station, in, I think, Buchanan, NY. Floods could be from coastal tidal surges, storms overwhelming water drainage systems, or simply a busted pipe. As I write this, the residents of the capitol of North Dakota, in Fargo, are filling sand bags, as they are expecting flood waters from melting snow overfilling the Red River of the North. My brother is in Grand Forks, 70 miles north of Fargo, and I admit I am worried about him and his wife if conditions deteriorate (The Red River is a rarity in the US, as it runs North, into Canada. Most run at some degree of South, East or West into the Atlantic or Pacific Oceans, or the Gulf of Mexico).

If I was deleted, then how am I here now? LOL Information sent in an E-mail, Terri. Terri, verify the E-mail, the Daemonmailer says your Yahoo account doesn't exist.

Nothing to add yet, but I'll be monitoring.

I feel sheepish that I watched that. As for the waste of my time: Baaaaa! lol

Why are these 2 obvious shooting victims not fully immobilized, with Long backboard, C-Collars, headbed, and placed, as previously noted, onto supplimental Hi Con Oxygen? Besides, it is Wabbit season, Duck season, or Elmer Fudd season?

We are coming to the hurricane season, and the New York City Office of Emergency Management always encourages everyone in coastal areas, like mine, to have a "Go" bag, should the order to evacuate come in. I'll supply the suggested items link on request. My issue is, they tell us if the order comes in, we'll have something along the lines of 72 hours notice to "Get out of Dodge". Where I live, I have to drive to the Aqueduct Racetrack, to meet up with the busses that are supposed to then move us evacuees to the "host" area. Now, when you realize the number of people that are going to be moved, and each has some variant of a "go" box or bag, that is going to be a lot of room needed, especially if this is going to be done in a route or school bus. Something, or someone, is going to be thrown off, to make room for evacuees. I mention a bit of history: When the Long Island Lighting Company (LILCo) was planning to open the Shoreham Nuclear Power Station, the plan called for some evacuees to go to the Nassau (County) Coliseum, home of the New York Islanders hockey team, other teams, and the Ringling Brothers Circus when they are in town. Here is the problem: The Coliseum wouldn't accept any evacuees IF A SCHEDULED EVENT WAS IN PROGRESS! Shoreham couldn't spring an atomic leak if the circus was in town. Damn! All hail the almighty dollar! Thank God the Shoreham plant never opened (I have other information on how a "problem" at Shoreham would have been addressed by EMS crews, but that is another topic and string). Back to Aqueduct, now. In NOLA, for Katrina, someone forgot to tell the school bus drivers they were supposed to get into their busses, and pick up evacuees to move them out of the danger area, famously stranding all those people at the Superdome. That is an enclosed structure. Aqueduct is wide open, exposed to winds, and possible blown glass panels from it's "roof". For the eastern end of the Rockaways, the site is the Belmont Racetrack, of "Belmont Stakes" triple crown fame, which the Rockaways, an area of Queens County, are expected to share with coastal areas of western Nassau County. For those who don't know the area, all roads leading out of the potentially impacted areas leading to Belmont Racetrack, with the big blue "Coastal Evacuation Route" signs along the way, are the routes that flooded during the 1993 "Nor'easter". Great, the evac routes are going to be underwater when we need them.

You said it, brother!

Heck, if set up with a stick of dynamite, any vehicle, not just a toy car, can BE blown up!