Norm Rooker | Cat Wrangling (Part 1)
It’s snowing again just a couple of hours before Vicki, my bride of 28 years & sister paramedic are about to hit the road for a weekend getaway. No big deal, we live in the mountains of southwestern Colorado and knew snow was part of the package when we relocated here seven years ago. But as I loaded the truck and prepared to head out, after all, that’s why we have 4-wheel drive, I started to...
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Rick Tobin | Root Cellar Prosperity: A message for the New Year
Jan 9 2012 Each January I attempt to bring a message for the year ahead. Perhaps the strongest message I can offer for 2012 is one of hope. One of the projects I completed this year was a booklet about my Father’s struggles in life from his early year’s on a farm in the Great Plains, through his time in the battles for the Pacific while serving in the Seventh Fleet during World War II. It gave me...
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Newman | Stranger Danger
I won’t miss 2011. It was a rugged year and I don’t mind saying that I’d have kicked it into a pig-manure-slurry-filled ditch if the option had presented itself. Hell, I’d have put the year to bed in late November because right after that is when I became aware of a whole new meaning for the words ‘Stranger danger.’ ‘Stranger danger’ is how many parents teach...
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Newman | Leadership lessons
Stanstead QC | Lessons in leadership often are unexpected. This past summer, our daughters Emma and Sophie played soccer in Stanstead. Stanstead is a small town. In Pointe Claire, where we used to live, there were more than 2,000 kids in the soccer program. In Stanstead, there were probably less than 300. So the girls played on a mixed team – boys and girls – aged 12 to 16 years. That’s...
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Newman | Playlist for The Big One
Stanstead QC | December 13- Big Update to Announce: The quest to build The Playlist for The Big One now includes an opportunity for artists to submit their tunes to Big Med on Sonicbids. http://www.sonicbids.com/BigMedicine2 For those of you who don’t know, Sonicbids helps bands get gigs and promoters book the right bands. The list of folks who are booking great music on Sonicbids is pretty damned...
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Most Recent Articles
Cheshire | Elderly woman dies after house fire in Elton
Alvanley Road, Elton | 3 Feb 2012
Just after 5.30am the Service were called by the police to a house fire in Elton near Chester with reports that people may still be in the property.
Two fire engines from Ellesmere Port and one from Chester went to the mid townhouse in Alvanley View, Elton, Chester and discovered a fire in an upstairs bedroom.
Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus entered the property and rescued an elderly woman from the bedroom before putting out the fire using one hose reel jet.
The casualty was handed over to the care of paramedics. Sadly she was later confirmed to have died.
Residents on either side were evacuated while fire crews checked that the blaze had not spread through the roofspace. They were subsequently allowed to return after it was confirmed that the fire had been contained.
There were smoke alarms in the house that were activated by the fire which caused significant smoke damage to the property.
An investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing. However the fire investigation is focusing on the cause being accidental possibly relating to electrics. The fire is not being treated as suspicious.
Avon | Dog rescued from frozen lake by firefighters
Avon | 3 Feb 2012
Firefighters have rescued a dog from a frozen lake after the animal fell through the ice.
When crews arrived they found Clifford the Collie/Jack Russell cross, in the middle of the lake treading water. It’s thought he had been there for around 45 minutes and the water was approximately four feet deep.
Firefighters wearing dry suits broke the ice on the lake and waded into the water with their rescue sled. When they reached the animal they assisted it on to the sled and brought it to safety. It was then reunited with its owner and appeared to be unharmed.
Avon Fire & Rescue Service would like to praise the actions of the owner who did not attempt to rescue the dog and risk falling through the ice. Instead she dialled 999 and asked for the fire and rescue service.
Avon Fire & Rescue Service would like to remind people of the dangers of frozen lakes and ponds. As the winter weather takes hold the service is urging people to take care when out and about.
Fortunately in this case the dog and the owner were unharmed but had the owner entered the water it may have been a different story.
While the ice may appear to look thick and able to take your weight, that may not be the case and just a few seconds in freezing water could quickly lead to hypothermia and unconsciousness.
London | Firefighters urge caution during ‘severe cold weather’
London | 3 Feb 2012
With freezing temperatures hitting the capital and the Met Office issuing a severe cold weather warning fire chiefs are today urging people to take extra care and stay safe as the icy weather looks set to last into the weekend.
As ever, firefighters across the capital are on standby to undertake water rescues if people get stuck on icy lakes and to tackle any blazes caused by people going to extreme lengths to keep warm.
To help prevent people from being seriously injured, or worse, if they fall through ice in frozen ponds and lakes, London Fire Brigade is on standby with equipment including emergency rescue boats, inflatable rescue paths, mud lances, thermal clothing and dry suits.
Fire chiefs are also urging people to be careful in how they go about heating their homes during the cold snap. Just this week a man was taken to hospital with burns and smoke inhalation following a fire caused by his electric heater being left too close to his bed.
Dave Brown, the Brigade’s Assistant Commissioner for Operations and Mobilising, said:
“When freezing weather strikes, people often put themselves in dangerous situations. If you think wandering onto a frozen pond is a good idea, it’s not. You run the risk of hypothermia, or even worse.
“If you use heaters or fires in your home, please be extra careful. We’ve recently heard of people putting heaters and hairdryers in their beds to stay warm and this is a disaster waiting to happen.”
The Brigade is urging the public to take extra precautions in order to stay safe, including:
• Ensuring pipes in your home are properly lagged, in order to reduce the risk of flooding caused by frozen pipes. The number of flooding incidents often shoots up during very cold weather.
• Take extra care in the home to avoid fires. Make sure heaters and fires are well away from flammable items like curtains or bedding.
• Drive carefully on icy roads.
• Staying well away from frozen ponds and lakes. London’s firefighters are called to rescue people and pets who have fallen through or become trapped on ice every year.
London | Brigade’s new control centre ready for Olympics
London | 3 Feb 2012
The transformation of a potential white elephant into a hub for the capital’s 999 fire response service will be officially recognised on Wednesday 1 February when fire minister Bob Neill, MP opens a new London Fire Brigade operations centre in Merton.
The building was originally specified and built as part of the failed regional FiReControl project abandoned in December 2010. An agreement has been reached between London’s fire authority and the Department for Communities and Local Government that is expected deliver savings of around £600,000 to the Brigade. The government is also paying £2.25m towards the future purchase of a new ‘999’mobilising system.
The Brigade’s control centre has moved from its former home on the Isle of Dogs. Other occupants include the Brigade’s emergency planning team who are able to coordinate the emergency planning work of London’s boroughs when circumstances dictate a London-wide solution, such as the snow of previous winters. The building will also house the fire service’s National Co-ordination Centre, which is due to move from West Yorkshire to Merton in April this year, bringing London and national fire service emergency planning under one roof in time for the Olympics.
With the minister at the opening of the London Operations Centre will be Mayor of London Boris Johnson, London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority Chairman Councillor Brian Coleman and London Fire Commissioner Ron Dobson.
Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: “’The opening of this new operation centre is testament to our commitment to deliver a fire service that London needs, whilst protecting the pockets of hard-pressed Londoners. With the eyes of the world on the city this year, it is essential that we have the systems in places so that our response to any incidents will be quick and robust.”
Fire Authority Chairman Councillor Brian Coleman said: “I am delighted that we have been able to salvage this excellent facility from the wreckage of the regional control project whilst saving the London council tax payer money. This is a good deal”
• First planned in 2004 and expected to cost around £340m, the FiReControl project was beset with difficulties causing delays to the project’s implementation and projected cost overruns. The project was abandoned in December 2010 when it became clear that cost and delays were to increase still further to around £500m. The buildings to house the nine regional control rooms had by that time been built.
• Around 100 Control staff work a six-watch system. Taking over 250,000 calls a year, it is the busiest fire control in Europe.
• In the event of an incident that may have national implications requiring co-ordination of national resources, the Fire Service National Co-ordination Centre liaises with the government and fire and rescue services to mobilise the required resources.
• The Emergency Planning Team’s London Local Authority Coordination Centre coordinates the emergency planning work of London’s boroughs when a London-wide response is required. An example is during the past two harsh winters, when the Centre has been used to coordinate salt and grit supplies across the capital.
London | One man injured in house fire in Blackheath
Shooters Hill Road | 3 Feb 2012
Six fire engines and around 30 firefighters were tackling a fire in a house of three floors on Shooters Hill Road, SE3 this morning.
Two men escaped from the house before the Brigade arrived, one of them suffered from smoke inhalation and was treated by London Ambulance Service on the scene.
Half of the ground floor as well as part of the first floor was damaged by the fire.
Crews from Woolwich, Deptford, Poplar and New Cross fire stations were on the scene.
The Brigade was called at 1037 and the fire was under control by 1253.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Cumbria | Three people injured in flat fire in Barrow-in-Furness
Low White Close, Barrow-in-Furness | 1 Feb 2012
At 2321 hours on Wednesday 1st February 2012, appliances from Barrow, Walney and Dalton, including the aerial ladder platform, along with Station Manager Stuart Dolan and Watch Manager Mike Dobson attended reports of a fire in a flat on Low White Close, Barrow in Furness.
On arrival crews found a first floor flat well alight and the building heavily smoke logged.
Crews rescued three people and a dog and two casualties were transferred to Furness General Hospital.
Crews extinguished the fire in the bedroom using six sets of breathing apparatus, two hosereels, two 9 metre ladders, thermal imaging cameras, lighting and positive pressure ventilation.
Crews returned to home station at 0107 hours.
West Midlands | Boy rescued safely from Bloxwich pond
Willenhall Lane | 3 Feb 2012
At 08:58 this morning West Midlands fire service received an emergency call to reports of a .youth stranded on a wooden pallet in a pond at Willenhall Lane Bloxwich.
The incident involved one teenage boy who had become stranded on a wooden pallet in the frozen pond. Firefighters attending from Bloxwich and Walsall Community Fire stations, together with the water rescue unit from Perry Barr, used an air track – a bit like an inflated lie low – to lead the casualty to safety. He was assessed by paramedics at the scene and taken to hospital for a precautionary check up.
A spokesman for West Midlands Fire Service said: “Incidents like this show why lakes that appear to be frozen solid are so dangerous. The ice is usually thinner than people think and being exposed to such low temperatures, even for a short, while can be lethal.
“People need to take care around lakes and pounds to avoid falling in and should never attempt to walk across or play on them.”
The rescue took just under an hour and crews left the scene shortly afterwards.
London | Community order for abusive patient
London | 3 Feb 2012
A man who verbally abused and tried to attack a St Helier medic has been sentenced to a six-month community order.
Christopher Tormey, 27, of Gaisford Street, Kentish Town, had been drinking when he began shouting abuse and throwing punches at Emergency Medical Technician Stephen Say.
Stephen, who has worked for the ambulance service for 20 years, said: “We had treated the man for a minor head wound and decided to take him home. I asked the police to follow the ambulance as something didn’t seem right. The patient was obviously intoxicated and was already swearing a lot.
“When we arrived at the address, we stopped and got the patient out of our vehicle. I thought he looked like he was about to walk out into a busy main road so I put my arm out to stop him. That’s when he just went for me. He was throwing punches, shouting and threatening to stab me.
“Luckily the police were there and they were on him in a shot. It could have been a lot worse.
“Abuse is a common occurrence. Some people see the uniform and think it’s okay to be aggressive towards us. I’ve been in this job a long time so I know how to handle these situations but that doesn’t make it right.”
Ambulance Operations Manager Bill Arkell said: “This case demonstrates that abuse towards our staff will not be tolerated. Ambulance workers like Stephen should be able to treat patients in their community without fear of being attacked.
“On average more than one member of staff was physically assaulted every day in the capital last year. This is wholly unacceptable, and is all too often becoming a regular part of the job.”
London | Ambulance service prepares for snowy weekend
London | 3 Feb 2012
‘Please use us wisely and only call 999 with life-threatening emergencies’ – that’s the message from the London Ambulance Service as snow is predicted to hit the capital this weekend.
Demand on the Service’s 999 control room is expected to rise if the wintry forecast proves correct, as icy roads and pavements are likely to lead to an increase in slips, trips and falls. Cold weather can also make existing medical conditions worse, like asthma.
When snow first hit London last winter, the Service’s control room experienced an increase in demand of well over 50 per cent. Control room staff usually take 200 calls an hour, but at the busiest times dealt with well over 300 as Londoners struggled in the conditions.
The weekend before Christmas a year ago staff answered 1,215 calls from people who’d slipped or fallen in the snow and ice, up 58 per cent on usual levels.
Almost all the Service’s fleet of ambulances and response cars have been fitted with winter tyres since October, and other contingency plans will also be put into place if necessary to help get staff to work.
Assistant Chief Ambulance Officer John Pooley said: “We are preparing as well we can for what might happen with the weather, but we would also ask Londoners to help us by using the 999 system wisely.
“Anyone with a genuine emergency should call us immediately, but those with more minor injuries should consider other healthcare options, such as calling NHS Direct on 0845 46 47 for advice, or going to a local pharmacist or NHS walk-in centre.
“There are a number of common sense things people can do to look after themselves so they don’t have to call us. If you’re going out wrap up warm, make sure you’ve got a well-stocked medicine cabinet at home and take extra care if you’re driving or walking on slippery pavements.
“Anyone who thinks that they need to go hospital for non-emergency treatment should also consider making their own way there – going in an ambulance does not mean that they will be seen any more quickly.”
East Midlands | Ambulance Service warns of dangers playing or walking on frozen water
East Midlands | 3 Feb 2012
An East Midlands Ambulance Service paramedic is urging people to be aware of the dangers of frozen water to help prevent an East Midlands tragedy.
Peter Lewin, EMAS Hazardous Area Response Team paramedic, is trained to respond to medical emergencies in a hazardous area, and in his own time supports Humberside Fire and Rescue Service with their water rescue training. He said: “Every year someone loses their life and there are many more near misses after people have ventured out onto a frozen pond or lake to play or save a pet dog which has got into difficulty.
“We are already experiencing freezing temperatures and forecasters have warned us they will drop even lower this weekend in the East Midlands. This may result in frozen ponds or lakes. Ice-related drowning is easily preventable and I urge parents to talk to their children about the dangers of playing on frozen water, and pet owners to keep their dogs on a lead to stop them from getting into difficulties.”
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents has researched frozen water deaths from recent years and found that the victim had been attempting to rescue another person or a dog in more than half of the incidents. Tragically, when a dog was involved, it was common for the pet to scramble out to safety when the owner did not.
“If someone falls through the ice it is important that people know what to do,” added Peter. “The first step is to call the emergency services so they can travel to the scene. Do not attempt to go out on to the ice yourself as you will get into difficulties too.
“Try to find something which will extend your reach such as a branch or rope and throw the object out to the person. Make sure you are stable on the bank either by lying down or having someone hold onto you and pull them in. Keep the person warm and talking until help arrives.
“Above all, make sure you keep off the ice at all times.“