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Peeping Tom

LAFD Responds With Motorcycles

LAFD Motorcycle Response Unit

photo courtesy of LAFD

Los Angeles, CA -Los Angeles (City) Fire Department is giving its Motorcycle Response Unit another try. First rolled out last year during the so-called Carmageddon, LAFD is using them again with Carmageddon-II (Hollywood vernacular).

The motorcycles are Kawasaki dirt bikes outfitted with medical kits, defibrillator, and a fire extinguisher. 

LAFD is planning to make this pilot program permanent saying that the motorcycles have a faster response time to medical calls and can scout those infamous California wildland fires.

I'm still on the fence on this one. Check out the whole story:

• Los Angeles Fire Department Tries Out A Motorcycle Response Unit

Check out other firefighting motorcycles from Wikipedia:

• Fire Bikes

Japanese Fire Bike
photo courtesy of Wikipedia

Update: Detroit Fire Department

LeDuff: The Big D is Burning (Video):
"You don't get rid of a negative image by making movies. You get rid of a negative image by fixing the problems."


Detroit, MI - The Detroit Fire Department has moved forward with its so-called "firefighter tourism" program where firefighters from outside of Detroit can pay to ride on the rigs and fight fire Detroit style. Ten firefighters from Belgium have reportedly paid $2,000 each to do just that. Unfortunately, one of the Belgians fell through a roof of a burning building. Fortunately he survived to tell the tale. Unfortunately the City of Detroit doesn't have any insurance.

On a related note, film makers have made yet another documentary about the Detroit Fire Department. The City of Detroit is a disaster and the epitome of how not to run a municipality. The U.S. debut of the movie premiered in Detroit last night. Check out the trailer:

Nobody Ever Said Cooks Were Smart, Part Deux

Is it just me or are his eyes red?
Picture courtesy of The Montana Standard 

Butte, Montana - A "medical marijuana" shop was burglarized and 14 jars of the magically healing hash were taken. The case was at a standstill until weeks later two high school students were fingered for posting and boasting about the high heist on Twitter.

The two students were subsequently charged with burglary, possession, and distribution among other charges.

Picture courtesy of The Montana Standard

• Students Face Felonies In Pot Theft

And on a separate but related tangent...

These medical marijuana shops are little more than head shops. I don't understand how or why the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), which is under the Department of Justice, will bust people for sharing their prescription drugs but allow businesses to operate with impunity when they clearly are breaking Federal drug laws. 


And before you start with the sob story about grandma smoke'n for her glaucoma, let me ask you this: what other drug do you "smoke"? As harsh as the Surgeon General and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are about regulating smoking tobacco, why are they so lax about smoking marijuana? Smoking marijuana doesn't cause lung cancer? Sure it does.

If cannabis is such a great wonder drug, why haven't the pharmaceutical companies developed a pill form? Don't you think they'd want in on that market? 

The whole thing is a sham! OK, I'm off my soap box now.

Nobody Ever Said Cooks Were Smart

Drug user posts picture of self doing drugs.
picture - CBC News

Australia - Aussie cops are using the internet to locate drug users who are stupid enough to post photos of themselves doing drugs. Not only are they posting pictures of themselves, they are proudly displaying their stash of hash and agricultural skills.

Using hashtags (pardon the pun) like #weed, #marijuana, #420, #weedstagram, #globalganjagirls, and my personal favorite, #girlsgoneweed, Australian police are tracking down these law-breakers and prosecuting them. 

Some of the #potheads are so #stoned that they forget to turn off the automatic geo-location feature making it even easier for the vice squad.

• Instagram Hashtags Help Aussie Police Crack Down On Marijuana

Ah, another fine crop for the cops to confiscate.
picture - CBC News.

National 'Thank You' Day For Police Officers

National Tell A Police Officer "Thank You" Day
picture - PoliceOne.com

United States of America - Today is National Tell A Police Officer "Thank You!" Day. 

Go out of your way to thank a cop, because they do a job that I don't want to do. God bless them.

• National 'Thank You' Day For Police Officers

Is The Future of HazMat & USAR A Cockroach?

Cockroach first responder.
picture - foxnews.com

Raleigh, NC – Scientists at North Carolina State University (NCSU) have successfully created a cyborg, remote-controlled Madagascar Hissing Cockroach. What’s the advantage to this you ask? These roach controlled hissers can (theoretically) be outfitted with sensors that can collect and transmit information from inside a “hot zone” such a hazardous materials incident or a collapsed building. A company of cockroaches could even create a network of smart sensors. 

• Cyborg Cockroaches To Be Future Emergency Responders 

Tourist Paying To Help Fight Detroit's Fires

picture - tunein.com

Detroit, MI – I don’t know how many of you have been keeping up with the goings ons with the Detroit Fire Department, but this beats all. 

Last month the City of Detroit laid off 27 more firefighters, demoted almost 150, and enacted a 10% pay cut across the board. Now DFD is considering charging volunteer firefighters who want to ride on their rigs and fight some real Detroit-style fires to help make up the shortfall in their budget. They call it “firefighter tourism!” 

• Tourist Paying To Help Fight Detroit's Fires

Dancing Cops Direct Traffic At DNC

Mecklenburg County, NC – Law enforcement officers in town this week for the National Democratic Convention had an impromptu dancing contest as they directed traffic in uptown Charlotte. Moves included the mandatory pea whistle and the optional construction flags. 

Should traffic directing dancing become an Olympic event? For now I think it should stay a DNC event…

TX TERT Deploys to Isaac-Ravaged LA

St. John the Baptist Parish, Louisiana
- picture courtesy of Wikipedia.com 

St. John the Baptist Parish , LA – Hurricane Isaac officially made landfall on Tuesday, August 28th in Louisiana near the mouth of the Mississippi River after churning off the coast for almost 24 hours with a forward momentum of just 5 miles per hour. Isaac produced an 11-foot storm surge, sustained winds of almost 70 mph, produced substantial flooding, and left over 600,000 customers without electrical service just in Louisiana. Over 13,000 homes were damaged and at least five people died in the storm in Louisiana.

On Thursday, August 30th, the St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff’s Office PSAP (Public Safety Answering Point) requested assistance for its telecommunicators who had been on-duty in their 9-1-1 center for 40 hours without relief. Most of the telecommunicators were also victims of Hurricane Isaac’s damage but they had been unable to leave to check on family or their property.

Eight members from the Texas TERT (Telecommunicator Emergency Response Taskforce) were deployed to assist St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff’s Office PSAP. 

Telecommunicator Emergency
Response Taskforce
- picture courtesy of NENA

TERT is 9-1-1’s version of mutual aid. It was created to provide assistance when a local PSAP or its personnel are severely affected or overwhelmed during times of catastrophe or disaster. It was first conceived after the 9/11 attacks. Six North Carolina PSAPs came together, and with the approval of the North Carolina Chapter of the National Emergency Number Association (NC NENA), NC TERT was formed and officially adopted by late-September 2001.

NC TERT’s first out-of-state deployment was September 2005 when it deployed for ten days to St. Tammany Parrish, Louisiana for Hurricane Katrina. The successes of this deployment lead to the National TERT Initiative and later the National Joint TERT Initiative which had the support of both NENA and APCO (Association of Public-Safety Communications Officers). Within a year, over half of the States had developed and adopted TERT programs based on the NC TERT model.

• TERT Team Provides Support To Isaac-Affected Louisiana PSAP

First Responders Barred From Photographing Victims

This picture is illegal in New Jersey.
- Photo John W. Franks

Trenton, NJ – New Jersey just passed a new law prohibiting “first responders” from taking and sharing photographs of victims without their explicit permission (so I guess that pretty much rules out any pictures of unconscious patients). Violators could get as much as six months in prison. (“Hey Mack, what are you in for? Photography.”)

First, let me say that we firefighters (and paramedics and officers) are often our own worst enemy. Posting graphic and embarrassing pictures of patients on the internet (yes, this includes Facebook, emailing, and phone-to-phone sharing) is a violation of the sacred trust that the public bestows upon first responders in general, and firefighters specifically.

Outwardly this appears to be a common sense law, but it seems to me to have some glaring grey areas. For example, if I’m a fire department photographer (which I presume would fall into the “first responder” definition) I am now prohibited from taking pictures of victims. However, a fellow photographer from the local newspaper is not prohibited from taking pictures of victims because it would be a violation of his First Amendment right. We’re both professional photographers but one is constrained and the other is not? How is that right? And what about by-standers taking pictures with their phones and sharing them on the internet? Again there seems to be some disparity in this law.

Secondly, the new law allows pictures of wrecks once the victim is removed, but speaking as a photographer, that’s after all the “action” is gone. I often take pictures of “victims” (but I don’t show their faces; see above photo). This is to show the action of the scene and to give the picture more authenticity. Which is a better photo, one of a banged up car or one with firefighters around a wrecked car with power tools?

I’m sure some of you are saying that the point is the victim’s rights and not the photographer’s rights. But when the government takes away one group’s rights, it’s just a matter of time before they take away your rights. I’m just glad I don’t live in New Jersey.

• First Responders Barred From Photographing Victims Under New Jersey Law

Coastal Communities Eye Remote-Control Lifeguards

EMILY to the rescue.
- Photo Hydronalix Company

Sahaurita, AZ - The Hydronalix Company has introduced a remote controlled buoy that can power through waves to rescue distressed swimmers. The buoy is called EMILY (Emergency Integrated Lifesaving Lanyard). It is 4 feet long, can go 22 mph, and has an 800-yard recovery line.

According to Hydronalix, EMILY can reach distressed swimmers faster than human lifeguards. Even with a $10,000 price tag, some cities are looking at them and buying them such as Los Angeles - home of Baywatch.

Personally, I think it's odd that a company that specializes in water rescue equipment and maritime robotics is headquartered in the middle of the desert.

Check it out here: EMILY

County Fights Defunct Rescue Squad For Its Assets

Johnston County, NC – This past May Johnston County announced it would take over all EMS operations in the County, which meant that they were in effect putting out of business the volunteer rescue squads in Clayton, Smithfield, and Princeton. Johnston County EMS began county-wide ambulance operations on the first of July. However, the merger in Princeton has not been smooth.

Bad blood between the two entities began three years ago when Johnston County tried to shut down Princeton Rescue Squad after the Johnston County EMS Advisory Board found several problems with Princeton Rescue Squad, including falsifying records and patient care problems.

Johnston County contends that consolidating EMS operation county-wide will make it more efficient and cost effective for all of the tax-paying citizens of the county. Now Johnston County wants Princeton Rescue Squad's assets since it will be providing ambulance service to Princeton. 

But not so fast, Princeton Rescue Squad says that their funds belong to the good people of Princeton who generously donated to the squad over the last 32 years, and according to their by-laws they are legally prevented from arbitrarily giving away those assets.

And Princeton Rescue Squad apparently has significant assets (to the tune of $300,000 in the bank, plus vehicles, equipment, supplies, and real estate). 

According to Princeton Rescue Squad, they’ve been dealing in good faith, and basically their only requirement is that Johnston County place an ambulance in the Princeton town limits. 

That’s the Reader’s Digest version, but it’s much more complicated than that. This week Princeton Rescue Squad posted a 5-page open letter that outlines all the details and problems dealing with Johnston County. It’s worth reading. 

• Johnston County, Princeton At Odds Over EMS Merger
• Princeton Rescue Squad Press Release

Wake Forest PD Wins National Contest

Wake Forest (NC) Police Department Wins Grand Prize For Vehicle Design

Wake Forest (NC) Police Department
- Photo Law & Order Magazine

Wake County, NC - Law & Order Magazine has announced the winners of its annual police vehicle design contest. Out of 500 entries, the Wake Forest Police Department (not to be confused with Wake Forest University Police in Winston-Salem, NC) won the grand prize (which I can only assume are bragging rights and their car in the centerfold of L&O Magazine).

Law & Order Magazine awarded prizes to 61 law enforcement vehicles in 25 categories, including some of my favorites such as "Best Rear Warning" and "Best SWAT Vehicle."

Other winning North Carolina agencies were Randolph County Sheriff's Office (2nd Place for Best Motorcycle, and 2nd Place for Sheriff Over 25 Officers, East), Concord Police Department (1st Place for Municipal Police Over 50 Officers, East), and Statesville Police Department (3rd Place for Municipal Police Over 50 Officers, East).

The criteria for this year's contest were safety, identifiability as a law enforcement vehicle, and overall appearance. 

Randolph County (NC) Sheriff's Office
- Photo Law & Order Magazine

• 2012 Police Vehicle Design Contest Winners

Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System (MAFFS)

Last week two Lockheed C-130 Hercules aircraft from the North Carolina Air National Guard (145th Airlift Wing) from Charlotte redeployed to California to help with the wildland fires out west. (see story NC Air National Guard Announces C-130 Crash Victims).

The NCANG C-130s are equipped with the Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System (MAFFS) to drop water or fire retardant on the fire. According to Wikipedia, "the Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System or MAFFS is a self-contained unit used for aerial firefighting that can be loaded onto a C-130 Hercules, a military cargo transport, which then allows the aircraft to be used as an air tanker against wildfires. This allows the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) to utilize military aircraft from the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve to serve as an emergency backup resource to the civilian air tanker fleet."

Here's a video of the MAFFS in action:

145th Airlift Wing Returns To MAFFS Mission

Acronyms In Your Future: New Technologies To Save Firefighter Lives

GLANSER attached to a SCBA.
- Photo FoxNews.com

I came across this article while surfing the internet. Some of it is quite interesting. 

It talks about Honeywell's Geo-spatial Location Accountability and Navigation System (GLANSER) which works similarly to GPS but can track a multitude of firefighters on multiple floors of a building.

UCLA's & Department of Homeland Security Science & Technology Division's Physiological Health Assessment System for Emergency Responders (PHASER) monitors a firefighter's vital signs including body temperature then relays that information to the command post.

And Wireless Intelligent Sensor Platform for Emergency Responder (WISPER) works with GLANSER to guide Rapid Intervention Teams (RITs) to firefighters in need by way of leaving "bread crumbs" to follow.

Read the whole story at: 3 New Technologies To Save Firefighter Lives

It's been a while since I've posted anything. OK, it's been two years but I was busy! But I seem to have a little more time to post some thoughts on public safety...