Thoughts On Public Safety...

EMT Crashes Ambulace Enroute to Parent's House Fire

2010-01-28T12:12:00.005-05:00

Cape May County - This is a sad story all the way around. An EMT who heard the fire department dispatched to a house fire at his parent's address, took an ambulance to respond to the call with lights & siren and unfortunately crashed en route seriously injuring the other party involved. Sadly, his father died in the fire.

Read the whole story at PressOfAtlanticCity.com

Trooper Fired At Drop Of A Hat

2009-11-30T08:24:00.003-05:00

Wake County, NC - I gotta tell ya, I love the SHP. Every time I've ever dealt with them they've been nothing but professional. But Lord help them, they've got some issues.

A NC State Highway Patrol Trooper in Craven County was dismissed for lying about loosing his campaign hat. Of all the things to lie about, why would you lie about a stupid hat? I mean, it's not like he was doing a cavity search on a blonde on his cruiser when his hat blew off! (Oh, wait! That was another trooper!)

With all the things that Troopers have done in the past few years (and kept their jobs), this almost seems trivial by comparison. I guess the moral of the story is: don't tell a lie.

Get the full story at the News & Observer.

Ladder-4 Jinxed?

2009-11-26T15:26:00.004-05:00

Wake County, NC - Since the Raleigh Fire Department switched to a new apparatus numbering system (albeit a nonsensical numbering system) in June, Ladder-4 (formally Ladder-1, formally Truck-1) out of Station-1 has had some rather unfortunate luck.

The first incident was when Ladder-4 overturned en route to a house fire in July.

Later its replacement ladder ripped off a compartment door when it left the station with the door open.

Then a passing motorist called 9-1-1 to report that a fire truck inside Station-1 was smoking! (and it was).

And just this week Ladder-4 (the 2nd replacement ladder) tore out the rear end.

For now RFD has moved another ladder to Station-1 to cover downtown but they're refusing to call it Ladder-4. Makes sense to me.

Firefighters Rescue Officer, Fugitive

2009-11-23T12:52:00.002-05:00

Luzerne County, PA - This is kind of funny. A Pittston Township Officer gets out on a vehicle stop when the driver does the "jump & run" thing. And of course the officer follows suit. He pursues the suspect into a drainage ditch where he catches and cuffs the suspect, then realizes that he and the suspect are stuck in the deep ravine. The local fire department had to be called to use their ropes to rescue the pair.

Officers later learned that the suspect was wanted out of Louisiana.

Get the full story at the CitizensVoice.com.

PD Is All Ears

2009-11-16T08:31:00.007-05:00

Santa Clara County, CA - You've heard of dash-cams? Now there are ear-cams! The San Jose Police Department has become the first agency in the country to use ear-mounted cameras. The cameras will give an officer's perspective of driving and one-on-one contact with citizens. The earpiece is designed to stay on even during a struggle. Theoretically the ear-cam could be interfaced with GPS and real-time video to the communication center to enhance officer safety, and even provide legal documentation for court cases.

Get the full story at San Jose Mercury News.

K-9 Killed; Second Dog Beaten

2009-11-10T10:38:00.002-05:00

Spalding County, GA - There are few things in life that make me angrier than stories like this: An off-duty K-9 and his playmate, both German Shepards, were abducted from their kennel at their handler's home. They were located the next day. The K-9 was shot and killed then dumped in a ditch. The handler's personal canine was found badly beaten by a neighbor.

Get the full story at Griffin Daily News.

The "Permanent Marker" Burglars Nabbed (No Big Surprise)

2009-10-29T12:44:00.011-04:00

Carroll County, IA - Nobody ever said that crooks were smart. And that certainly holds true for a couple of bumbling burglars in Iowa. Wanting to disguise themselves they used a marker to blacken their faces - presumably unaware that it was a permanent marker. The drunken duo attempted to break into a home but were seen by the resident and fled the scene. They were caught by police just a couple of blocks from the residence. Oh, by the way, the driver was also charged with DWI.

I don't care who you are, that's funny right there...

Get the whole story at the Daily Times Herald.

Woman Makes Fake 9-1-1 Call; Calls Again As She Is Crushed By Garage Door

2009-10-26T15:03:00.004-04:00

Canyon County, ID - Under the heading of karma, a former paramedic called 9-1-1 to report a fake motor vehicle collision then attempted to sneak into her former EMS station, possibly to steal medication stored there. Unfortunately for her drugs dull the psychomotor response. While trying to slide in under the closing garage door she was knocked down and pinned to the ground. Just minutes after the initial false 9-1-1 call, she called again to report that she was trapped under the garage door.

When police arrived she was unconscious and not breathing; she was later pronounced dead at the hospital.

Full story at NWCN.com.

EMS Charges Fat Rates For Obese Patients

2009-10-23T09:05:00.005-04:00

Shawnee County, KS - Seriously?! Is this what health care has come to in this country? By their obese definition, anybody over 350 pounds gets charged almost double what a "normal" person is charged. So what happens when they pick up a person who is just big like a football player or a body builder? I can't help but think that they are going to be a little perturbed for being charged $1,172 and being called fat!

I wonder if they are going to charge half price for anorexic patients?

Get the full story at the Topeka Capital-Journal.

Car Upright After Crash

2009-10-22T13:03:00.003-04:00

Wake County, NC - This just struck me as funny. An apparent drunk driver ran up the guide wire to a pole and ended upright. I wonder how they got him out of the car?!

Full story at WRAL.com.

Officer Not Wearing Seatbelt Before 93 MPH Crash

2009-10-20T11:21:00.005-04:00

Mecklenburg County, NC - Last Friday a Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer responding to a burglary call wrecked while traveling at an estimated 93 mph. The vehicle went airborne and burst into flames. The officer was ejected and suffered critical injuries. As many of you know, belted occupants do not get ejected and, comparatively speaking, suffer less serious injuries.

I don't say this to disrespect the officer. I hope he makes a full recovery. However, this is a cautionary tale for all field responders: WEAR YOUR SEAT BELT! Whether you are in a ambulance, cruiser, or engine, just buckle up. It only takes a few extra seconds at the most and yet yeilds so much if you are in a crash.

Here's the full story about the officer at the Charlotte Observer.

Wreck Spills 41K Pounds of Little Debbies

2009-10-17T08:21:00.003-04:00

Edgecombe County, NC - Question: If a tractor-trailer is traveling west at 60 mph and arrives at a sharp curve at 2:20 p.m., how many pounds of Little Debbies will end up on the road? Answer: 41,000 pounds.

Full story at The Daily Southerner and WRAL.com.

Four Fire Stations May Close

2009-10-16T16:13:00.006-04:00

Wake County, NC - I suppose that this is just another sad sign of the times. One that has been repeated over and over throughout the country in the last few decades: The demise of the volunteer fire department.

A city greedily annexes so much land that it eats up almost all of the county fire department's jurisdiction, and alas the County can't justify paying $x-amount per year for 3 square miles of land. "We (the County) can just pay the City fire department to cover it and save 2¢."

In Wake County, the Fire Commission (a board that serves the Wake County Board of Commissioners) is looking at closing some of those money-wasting, non-return on investment (N-ROI) fire stations.

Last year, on the recommendation of the Fire Commission, Western Wake FD Station-2 (formerly Yrac FD) closed. Now Western Wake FD Station-1 is on the chopping block, along with Bayleaf FD Station-3 (formerly Six Forks FD), Falls FD, and Wake-New Hope FD Station-1. Things don't look so good for the home team. If I was a betting man I'd say BFD Station-3 won't be with us much longer, followed not too far behind by WNHFD Station-1.

Read the full story at Wake.MyNC.com.

9-1-1 Calls Go Unanswered

2009-10-15T15:49:00.006-04:00

New Hanover County, NC - An interesting little story out of the Wilmington area about 9-1-1 calls not being answered. In the interest of full disclosure I must admit that my background is in emergency public safety communications so I tend to look at things from that perspective.

The ruckus started when numerous citizens called 9-1-1 simultaneously to report a structure fire. In the telephony vernacular that's called a cluster; not a charlie-foxtrot but a cluster of calls (almost always mobile callers). This occurs several times daily when, for example, there is a wreck on the highway and everybody and their grandmother does their civic duty and calls 9-1-1. When this happens demand exceeds the available resources, which in this case is the number of available call-takers to answer incoming calls. This has virtually nothing to do with the quality of the telecommunicators; it's a systemic problem. But there is an outcry from some for an investigation, and even to cut their pay or cut 9-1-1 jobs.

There is some heated debate in the comments posted to WWAY TV-3's online article.

City of Davis Fire Department, CA

2009-10-14T13:05:00.005-04:00

Yolo County, CA - At the City of Davis Fire Department's website you can take an interactive tour of a 1991 Ottawa/Beck fire engine, open all the compartment doors to see what's inside, and even turn on the lights and blow the air horn!

My thoughts on that are... that it's a really cool website!

City of Davis Fire Department Tour

Big Honk'n Fire Trucks

2009-10-13T22:41:00.007-04:00

Under the heading of shameless plug...

On Flickr.com I started a group called Big Honk'n Fire Trucks.

My thoughts on that are... those are some really big fricking fire apparatus!

Here are a few examples:

Big Honk'n Fire Trucks!

Man Sleeps Through House Fire; Wakes Up 2-1/2 Hours Later

2009-10-13T10:07:00.010-04:00

Allegheny County, PA - OK, I've been known to sleep pretty hard but this takes the cake! This guy slept through his house being on fire, a bunch of loud-ass firemen putting out the fire, and his house partially collapsing before he awoke from his lofty slumber.

I have two thoughts on this: (1) Why did it take 2-1/2 hours for firefighters to find him? And (2) does this guy have narcalepsy or what?!

Full story from the Pittsburg Post-Gazette.

Sergeant Hutchens Dies

2009-10-13T08:26:00.007-04:00

Forsyth County, NC - A sad update to my earlier post; Winston-Salem PD Sergeant Mickey Hutchens died last night from injuries suffered during a shootout with a suspect.

Statement from the City of Winston-Salem Police Department.

Full story from the Winston-Salem Journal.

Sign the Condolences Book.

Serial Killer In Edgecombe County?

2009-10-13T08:03:00.004-04:00

Edgecombe County, NC - I see where officials have released information that they have identified a seventh body in the last three years with the same M.O. in Edgecombe County, NC. Law enforcement is not my area of speciality (though I have seen every episode of Criminal Minds), but it doesn't take an Einstein to figure out that there is a serial killer stalking around Rocky Mount.

Full story from the Rocky Mount Telegram.

Officer Still In Critical Condition

2009-10-12T09:10:00.002-04:00

Forsyth County, NC - My thoughts and prayers are with Sergeant Hutchens and his family and brethren.

Full story at the Winston-Salem Journal.

Henderson FD Open House 2009

2009-10-11T18:53:00.004-04:00

Vance County, NC - I went to the Henderson Fire Department's Open House yesterday (Saturday, October 10, 2009). Kind of an overcast day and not too many people there when I was there, but it was a nice exhibition all the same.

The funny thing is that I took this adorable picture of this little kid in his little turnout gear using the hose to put out the (imaginary) fire. Much to my chagrin when I looked at the front page of The Daily Dispatch this morning they had an almost identical picture of the same kid doing the same thing. Of course mine is much better, but obviously he is better connected!

My picture (above)
The Daily Dispatch picture (below)

Additional pictures at my Flickr site.

Full story at The Daily Dispatch.