Addressing the NYC 12-26-2010 Storm

[Richard B the EMT]

The link shown here is Patrick J. Bahnkin, President of Local 2507 (Uniformed EMTs, Paramedics and Fire Inspectors of the FDNY) District Council 37, AFSCME AFLCIO, testifying at the NYC Council's investigation of the bungling of the response by numerous city agencies and the Office of Emergency Management, to the 20 inch blizzard of December 26-27, 2010.

FYI, some of the snowfall was still being cleared today, as we get ready for a possible 12 inch snowfall on top of the previous one.

[tniuqs]

Snow Chains ... enough said.

[TylerHastings]

Having watched this now that I am home and can, I must say that first all of these points are valid and second this guy was seriously pissed off at some people. (probably management)

[tniuqs]

Agreed Tyler he calls it the way he saw it.

That said hindsight is 100 %.

[Richard B the EMT]

As the Union Local's president, isn't he supposed to be pissed off at management? Actually, Pat has a way of turning a phrase.

[TylerHastings]

As the Union Local's president, isn't he supposed to be pissed off at management? Actually, Pat has a way of turning a phrase.

I guess that is the Union Presidents job is to be pissed off at management. IDK I try to stay out of the politics of things it makes my professional life easier that way.

[NYCEMS9115]

It was an unfortunate event. Mother Nature always wins. There was nothing anyone can do to stop the storm but a Snow Emergency should have been activated. Was it FDNY EMS's fault; I guess. I mean rear wheeled drive vehicles are the best for snow, right? The little shovels given to all emergency personnel was ridiculous; it was the little foldable shovel; similiar to what the military used in WWI & II. Come on; isn't EMS persons suppose to be able to trek over 2feet of snow through the sidewalks and courtyards?

I guess EMS was Emergency Mover of Snow that night. The only thing FDNY EMS can be criticized about, is that they waited until 3am before activating the Mutual Aide Plan. It was impossible for me get any units out; I could have helped, earlier. Oh well.

Chief Peruggia isn't the greatest of all men; he wasn't very popular. The pending investigations involving him, is another conversation for another time. He being the first head to roll was a tad inappropriate. Commissioner Doherty of the NYC Dept of Sanitation should have been the first to go. Especially, for giving his employees an A for their job on the snow removal. We had streets that was not plowed until 3 days later. Many streets were purposely left unplowed. Director Bruno of NYC Office of Emergency Management; didn't know how to activate the Snow Emergency for NYC; he didn't know he could do that. I guess that's fair that the 2 persons immediately involved in the clearing of snow & making that the citizens of the city were safe; did their job.

NYC is sooooo freaking retarded. I am the first to criticize the city but not the last.

[Medic2588]

It was an unfortunate event. Mother Nature always wins. There was nothing anyone can do to stop the storm but a Snow Emergency should have been activated. Was it FDNY EMS's fault; I guess. I mean rear wheeled drive vehicles are the best for snow, right? The little shovels given to all emergency personnel was ridiculous; it was the little foldable shovel; similiar to what the military used in WWI & II. Come on; isn't EMS persons suppose to be able to trek over 2feet of snow through the sidewalks and courtyards?

I guess EMS was Emergency Mover of Snow that night. The only thing FDNY EMS can be criticized about, is that they waited until 3am before activating the Mutual Aide Plan. It was impossible for me get any units out; I could have helped, earlier. Oh well.

Chief Peruggia isn't the greatest of all men; he wasn't very popular. The pending investigations involving him, is another conversation for another time. He being the first head to roll was a tad inappropriate. Commissioner Doherty of the NYC Dept of Sanitation should have been the first to go. Especially, for giving his employees an A for their job on the snow removal. We had streets that was not plowed until 3 days later. Many streets were purposely left unplowed. Director Bruno of NYC Office of Emergency Management; didn't know how to activate the Snow Emergency for NYC; he didn't know he could do that. I guess that's fair that the 2 persons immediately involved in the clearing of snow & making that the citizens of the city were safe; did their job.

NYC is sooooo freaking retarded. I am the first to criticize the city but not the last.

The problem wasn't they waited till 3am, they actually desperately tried to activate the mutual plan earlier. But considering their mutual aid plan was to get ambulances from Long Island and New Jersey they were trying to get resources from areas that were already snowed in.

I'm a little late on this, but did anyone from NYC Sanitation get sacrificed?

[Richard B the EMT]

The problem wasn't they waited till 3am, they actually desperately tried to activate the mutual plan earlier. But considering their mutual aid plan was to get ambulances from Long Island and New Jersey they were trying to get resources from areas that were already snowed in.

I'm a little late on this, but did anyone from NYC Sanitation get sacrificed?

1) While the general impression is that the FDNY EMS doesn't like the concept of Volunteers in their coverage, they tried activating the VACs within the city, after what little snowplowing that had been done plowed in the VACs, before they (FDNY) reached out to Long Island, and New Jersey.

2) Best of my knowledge, nobody from Sanitation got sacrificed. Nasty-grams into their service records, perhaps, but no firings.

3) The Chief in Charge of FDNY's EMS Command was removed from post, and reduced in rank, but it was just the timing of announcing it made it seem as if it was storm response related. He actually got removed and reduced for violation of a NYC Board of Conflicts rule: He was being paid by the company that makes the RAD 57 Carbon Monoxide blood gas detectors, for which he, as head of the FDNY EMS, had signed the purchase orders for those units.

Edited April 3, 2011 by Richard B the EMT

[Medic2588]

1) While the general impression is that the FDNY EMS doesn't like the concept of Volunteers in their coverage, they tried activating the VACs within the city, after what little snowplowing that had been done plowed in the VACs, before they (FDNY) reached out to Long Island, and New Jersey.

2) Best of my knowledge, nobody from Sanitation got sacrificed. Nasty-grams into their service records, perhaps, but no firings.

3) The Chief in Charge of FDNY's EMS Command was removed from post, and reduced in rank, but it was just the timing of announcing it made it seem as if it was storm response related. He actually got removed and reduced for violation of a NYC Board of Conflicts rule: He was being paid by the company that makes the RAD 57 Carbon Monoxide blood gas detectors, for which he, as head of the FDNY EMS, had signed the purchase orders for those units.

I knew about the RAD thing, but didn't know if that was still speculation.