Richard McAllan

[Richard B the EMT]

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

Edited March 28, 2009 by Richard B the EMT

[Dustdevil]

God bless Richard McAllan for all his service to his fellow man, and his outstanding contributions to our profession. This is a significant loss. I can tell from the website that he was a tireless crusader for professional excellence. Medics with that kind of dedication come along all too rarely in this business.

Adios Bro. See you at the big one.

[Richard B the EMT]

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.

[mediccjh]

Rest in peace brother; we'll take over the watch.

[tskstorm]

RIP

God Bless,

Hopefully he will be looking over us guiding us on the job

[FireMedic65]

R.I.P

Surely he will be missed.

[fireflymedic]

rest in peace

[medic82942003]

rest in peace

God Bless-We need more people like him.