Detroit Paramedic Won't be Suspended in 'Blanket Scandal'

[News]

The fire commissioner said Gaglio was not disciplined for giving away property but "for failing to follow department policy related to inventory accounting for an ambulance."

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[paramedicmike]

So what does, "failing to follow department policy related to inventory accounting for an ambulance" mean?

[Medicman14]

So what does, "failing to follow department policy related to inventory accounting for an ambulance" mean?

It means giving away property.

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[paramedicmike]

So he's not getting in trouble for giving the guy a blanket but he's getting in trouble for giving the guy a blanket. Got it.

[eb1040]

Considering it was the crew followig the Paramedic in question who initiated this, it means he didn't restock and do the supply paperwork to replenish what was missing.

What it really means is Charlie LeDuff has more publicity for his new book which is to be out soon.

Edited October 18, 2012 by eb1040

[paramedicmike]

I missed that little gem about the coworkers in the other articles I've read about this incident.. [sarcasm]Sounds like a great place to work.[/sarcasm]

[Chief1C]

The blankets were donated to give away. So it's not like these bastards are out of a few bucks. And we all know that the free shit you get at some ER's doesn't qualify as a warm blanket.. Yanno, unless it's 85deg (F) outside, and you're cold b.c you have a 103F temp and just need that "covered up" feeling to calm down.

If he forgot to restock.. Put another one on. It's not like he took the monitor batteries out and forgot to replace them. Forgetting a blanket won't cost someone their life. You can always sit them in a vehicle and turn the heat on.

[eb1040]

Do you mean by the sarcasm that a crew shouldn't expect a truck to be left in good order from the previous shift? It would not have looked good either if they didn't have a blanket to give someone who needed it either because someone else failed to restock and they failed to check. This may also not be the first time this has happened and they may have gotten tired of his shit. The department may have been well within their right to discipline the guy but with the other issues, things got turned on them. There is probably still much more to this story.

Anyone who knows this reporter expects to be entertained and shouldn't bother wading through the dramatics to see what the point is.

I thought the video was embarrassing for EMS to have a Paramedic in orange pajamas with the footies in bed with a reporter lying in his bed literally curled up next to him.

The headline said "suspended" but in bed it was stated the Paramedic called in sick on the day of the interview.

Also, the video actually makes a case for "inventory control" of donated property intended for the patients since it shows the blankets being used as drip cloths while painting a fire truck.

http://www.firehouse...m-of-house-fire

If you want to make a public statement, be professional. Get out of bed and put on clothes that make you look like a professional. Have a union rep with you or at least your statements should be reviewed by the union rep. Reporters like LeDuff don't really care what they make you look like as long as they can get a story to support their own agenda with liberties taken with whatever facts there are.

edit:

The guy got his blanket. It is the paperwork and follow through on seeing the restocking gets done. Even though the blankets are donated, that doesn't mean they should not be treated like any other property. For those living in cold weather, a warm blanket is valued especially if homeless. The example of the drip cloths is a good one for inventory control where the homeless won't see those blankets until they fish them out of the trash. I'm sure some here may have one or two in the trunk of their cars to protect the surface from tools or have grabbed a handful when moving furniture.

Edited October 18, 2012 by eb1040

[Chief1C]

Read into it, doesn't matter. But then they should discipline the crew that comes on shift, for failing to ensure that the unit was equipped properly.

[eb1040]

Read into it, doesn't matter. But then they should discipline the crew that comes on shift, for failing to ensure that the unit was equipped properly.

They did check the unit and that is when they found what wasn't done. We don't know how many times this has happened to them prior to this and what else might also have been missing. It was the blanket which the reporter chose to use.

If this Paramedic has given a statement to a more credible reporter with his union rep present in uniform or something other than pajamas and not in his bed, I might be more willing to believe this was all just about a blanket.