Tag: NYC

FDNY Ladder 102, Ambulance Collide Killing 1, Injuring 11

FDNY Ladder 102

FDNY Ladder 102 and an ambulance collided early Thursday morning killing one patient in the ambulance and injuring eleven, including eight members of FDNY.

Ladder 102 ‘T-boned’ the ambulance carrying a heart attack patient at an intersection at about 12:45 a.m. per local news. The patient was pronounced dead and his sister, who was in the ambulance with him, was seriously injured.

The collision caused the ambulance to strike a third vehicle; two people in that vehicle were transported and are in stable condition. Six firefighters and two EMTs were also injured; one EMT sustained a leg injury and another complained of pain. The firefighters’ exact injuries were not reported but were said to not be serious.

Family members said the man who died in the crash was Jamil Almansouri, 59, a local bodega owner, known to his friends as Mike.

Both FDNY vehicles had their lights activated when the crash occurred. Officials said the ladder truck was responding to a fire on the fifth floor of an eight-story building.

The FDNY EMS Union President recently complained about lives being at risk secondary to forecast budget cuts.

FDNY Ladder 102

Ladder Company 102 started out as Ladder 2 in the Brooklyn Fire Department on September 15, 1869. It became part of the Fire Department of the City of New York and was redesignated as Ladder 102 on January 1, 1913.

 

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Vice President Pence Takes Part in 9-11 Memorial

Vice President Pence will be taking part in Friday’s anniversary memorial of the 9-11 attacks. The Tunnel to Towers Foundation put out a statement noting they were honored the Vice President of the United States Mike Pence and Second Lady of the United States Karen Pence will take part in the Foundation’s memorial ceremony on Friday, September 11, marking the 19th anniversary of the attacks on our nation.

Vice President Pence

Tunnel to Towers took the unprecedented step to host an independent memorial ceremony  after the National September 11 Memorial & Museum announced the traditional reading of the names by victim’s family members would not happen at their ceremony this year, citing COVID-19 concerns.

“The horrific loss of life, from the largest attack on US soil, a terrorist attack, requires that we read these names out loud, in person, on this day, every year. We can never minimize that fateful day,“said Frank Siller, Chairman and CEO of Tunnel to Towers, who lost his brother FDNY Firefighter Stephen Siller in the attack.

“The Tunnel to Towers Foundation is honored that Vice President Pence will be in attendance at its Reading of the Names ceremony on 9/11. His presence signals the immense gravity of the day and so appropriately honors the fallen, who gave their lives for us 19 years ago. We are grateful to Vice President Pence for helping America to NEVER FORGET.”

Vice President Pence

Michael R. Pence was born in Columbus, Indiana, on June 7, 1959, one of six children born to Edward and Nancy Pence. As a young boy he had a front row seat to the American Dream. After his grandfather immigrated to the United States when he was 17, his family settled in the Midwest. The future Vice President watched his Mom and Dad build everything that matters – a family, a business, and a good name. Sitting at the feet of his mother and his father, who started a successful convenience store business in their small Indiana town, he was raised to believe in the importance of hard work, faith, and family.

Vice President Pence set off for Hanover College, earning his bachelor’s degree in history in 1981. While there, he renewed his Christian faith which remains the driving force in his life. He later attended Indiana University School of Law and met the love of his life, Second Lady Karen Pence.

After graduating, Vice President Pence practiced law, led the Indiana Policy Review Foundation, and began hosting The Mike Pence Show, a syndicated talk radio show and a weekly television public affairs program in Indiana. Along the way he became the proud father to three children, Michael, Charlotte, and Audrey.

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Heartbreaking: FDNY Says Forget Never Forget 9-11

Never Forget 9-11

Never Forget 9-11 events are discouraged according to a new letter sent by FDNY leadership. A letter sent to FDNY members from department leadership urged members not to attend events marking the 19th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks due to health and safety concerns surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.

The letter from Commissioner Daniel Nigro and Chief of Department John Sudnik, issued last week, states that members’ commitment to remembering the fallen must be balanced with an obligation to protect the health and safety of current and former members and their families.

Never Forget 9-11 - Twin Lights Replace Twin Towers

“While our workforce has a high level of health and fitness, we must remember that many of our September 11th families and retired members – who we would normally welcome and encourage to attend September 11th events – are in groups that are most at risk for COVID-19 due to age and health,” the letter states.

Nigro and Sudnik wrote that the department is strongly recommending that members forgo the events but that units who still decide to participate in events must follow guidelines set to prevent the spread of the virus, including holding any events or gatherings outdoors only, limiting gatherings to 50 people maximum and requiring all attendees to wear face coverings.

The statement does not mention the 400 expected layoffs to FDNY EMS – many of whom have been on the front lines of the current disaster.

Never Forget 9-11

The concept that FDNY leadership would be so tone deaf to their front line responders – many of whom signed up because of September 11 is unsurprising from this administration per one engine captain. “Once again there is a stark difference between the firehouse and the clubhouse,” he continued.

 

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FDNY EMS: Lives Are At Risk

FDNY EMS Respond

The FDNY EMS union President says “lives are at risk” as the City of New York plans to cut 400 EMS positions.

FDNY EMS Local 257 President Oren Barzilay said in a statement to NBC News, “Even with the threat of a second wave of COVID19 looming and two recent outbreaks in Brooklyn, Bill de Blasio and his team at City Hall wants to balance the city’s budget on our backs, eliminating some 400 emergency medical responder positions and placing every New Yorker’s life at risk.”

FDNY EMS Respond To Trouble Breathing

Mayor Bill de Blasio’s press secretary did not deny that the city was preparing to lay off FDNY EMS providers, and said in a statement that the city is dealing with a budget hole due to a lack of stimulus funds and borrowing authority. He said the city is working with unions to avoid some layoffs where possible but that every city agency is facing layoffs.

De Blasio previously said in May that FDNY EMS layoffs were “on the table” due to an estimated $7.4 billion in revenue losses from the pandemic.

FDNY EMS

The FDNY has seen historic call volumes during the COVID19 pandemic, with EMS providers responding to up to 6,500 calls per day, the most since 9-11. At least eleven FDNY members, including four EMS providers, have died secondary to COVID19.

“Yesterday, we were praised as heroes, essential workers saving lives. Today, the city government treats us like zeros,” Barzilay told NBC. “New Yorkers who lived through this deadly pandemic know otherwise.”

Some responders liken the situation to September 11 when responders were universally praised only to be forgotten when the smoke cleared.

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FDNY Fire Hydrant Justice Served

Fire hydrant justice isn’t just for the movie Backdraft. A video is circulating of FDNY firefighters breaking the windows on a BMW to reach a hydrant during a building fire last week.

Crews responded to a three-story building fire in the Bronx at about 3:30 a.m. Friday, the New York Post reports. Once at the scene, they tried to run a hose but found a 2005 5-Series BMW blocking a nearby hydrant.

Firefighters needed to break the front side-door windows and pull the hose through to get to the hydrant. The move upset the car’s owner, though.

“They didn’t have to do that!” the car’s owner told the Post.

“They (expletive) up my car, and it is going to cost me a bag of money,” he added.

To add insult to injury the owner was also given a $180 ticket for parking in front of the hydrant. He had been parked there for four days after the battery in the car’s key fob had died, according to local accounts.

Crews worked for nearly two hours of get the building fire under control. Two firefighters suffered minor injuries.

Fire Hydrant Code – New York

Readers should keep in mind this is not every day, but there are circumstances where firefighters need these hydrants for water supply. IT is not only illegal, but dangerous for firefighters too when water supply comes into question. Never forget firefighters need these hydrants to keep you and others safe.

Fire Hydrant Laws

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Colorado Paramedic Dies In COVID19 Response

A Colorado paramedic dies in the COVID19 response. Paul Cary, 66, volunteered to go to New York with Ambulnz’s coronavirus response team, his employer confirmed to KDVR News. Paul from the Denver metro area died Thursday after treating COVID-19 patients in New York City.

Colorado Paramedic Dies In COVID19 Response

Cary tested positive for the virus about one week ago.

Like September 11 attacks, responders from across the nation are joining their comrades from across the country. “He risked his own health and safety to protect others and left this world a better place. We are at peace knowing that Paul did what he loved and what he believed in, right up until the very end,” his family said in a statement.

Colorado Paramedic

Before working as an EMS paramedic for Ambulnz, an ambulance services provider, Cary spent more than 30 years with Aurora Fire Rescue as a firefighter and paramedic. Cary is survived by two sons and four grandchildren. Funeral details have not yet been announced.

COVID19 Line of Duty Deaths

Fire and police associations are working towards creating a Line of Duty Death – LODD list for confirmed deaths secondary to COVID19.

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Conquering COVID19 – FDNY EMS Responds

Conquering COVID19

The New York Times profiled two paramedics conquering COVID19 in a piece about EMS response to COVID19 in New York City. The article which looks at the lives of Kenny Cheng and Sean Mahoney responding to “regular” calls and COVID19. The surprise in the reporter’s voice seems to hit the mark again and again: ‘Such is the disturbing new normal for the city’s paramedics, whose days can be mundane until — suddenly — they are not.’ It’s as if the media does not realize this is day to day responding to other people’s worst day.

Conquering COVID19

Conquering COVID19: From classroom to emergency room

The two paramedics, Cheng and Mahoney, are instructors at FDNY Fort Totten (Queens) Station 60. Like 9-11 and Superstorm Sandy, the two have been called back to the streets to alleviate staffing responding to the numerous calls in New York.

Each day the two EMS Instructors with their colleagues gather for a moment of silence. The article recounts the updates on friends and co-workers who contracted COVID19. One comrade in fighting the ugly disease, Idris Bey, was named on Monday, but died by Friday, just four days later.

This pandemic is a reminder that the bravest are often forgotten in their fight against silent killers which are far less spectacular than gun fights or high rise fires.

Conquering COVID19: Protocols

The article also talks briefly about the bizarre symptomology of this disease which has confounded both medics and ER staff. Standard ACLS protocols do not seem to be as effective – and may be inapproppriate according to some researchers.

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What’s Hart Island Hiding?

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[et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text”]Hart Island Mass Burial of COVID19 Patients

Hart Island, sometimes referred to as Hart’s Island, is located at the western end of Long Island Sound, in the Bronx Bourough of New York City. It measures almost a mile and is used as New York City’s Potter Field gravesite.

The remains of more than one million people are buried on Hart Island. Since the start of the 21st century, there are fewer than 1,500 burials a year. Burials on Hart Island include individuals who were not claimed by their families or did not have private funerals; the homeless and the indigent; and mass burials of disease victims.

Access to the island is restricted by the Department of Correction, which operates an infrequent ferryboat service and imposes strict visitation quotas. Burials are conducted by inmates from the Rikers Island jail. The Hart Island Project, a public charity founded by visual artist Melinda Hunt, has tried to improve access to the island and make burial records more easily available. Prior to 2019, several laws to transfer jurisdiction to the Parks Department had been proposed to ease public access to Hart Island.

In the linked article Steinmetz says, “To me, I start wondering if the word is out: ‘Hey, keep people out of Hart Island, because it makes us look bad.’”

While Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration claimed this is an issue of protecting privacy there are several holes in that story. First, the persons buried on Hart Island are unclaimed by family or friends. Second, there are no open caskets. The journalists are simply recording the numbers and size of trenches to correlate to COVID19 data which indicates a pandemic much worse than publicly stated.

On Wednesday plain clothes officers with New York Police Department seized a drone being flown by award winning photojournalist George Steinmetz. Steinmetz has spent four decades shooting news for National Geographic and The New York Times Magazine.

Hart Island Grave Trench

Hart Island History

The island’s first public use was as a military training ground in 1864. It has also been a Union Civil War prison camp, psychiatric institution, a tuberculosis sanatorium, and its current day use as a potter’s field[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column]
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