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by Sound__Off from Sound Off!

Last Post 4 days, 15 hours Ago


In the wake of recent reports of problems with some response times with ambulances in Philadelphia, do you thing the criticism is warranted?

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Jersey_Friend
May 5, 2008 | 10:56 PM

Why can't the city see the problems? How many people will die before the city acts?

fighter read my blog
May 6, 2008 | 3:39 AM

fighter's Blog
by fighter from 1111

Last Post 6 minutes Ago

Archived Posts May 2008 911/ambulance problems
May 6, 2008 | 3:32 AM
Category: News

Edit | Delete First thing is obvious here, the Fire Comm needs to go away, way away from here. Putting aside all jokes for now, this guy is NOT QUALIFIED TO RUN/MANAGE OR DICTATE ANY EMS ISSUES OR POLICY. He is not, has not, nor will he ever be a Paramedic so why is he managing issues in EMS and Paramedic work. Obviously, he is doing a poor job, just the same as all previous Firefighter Commissioners have done in past concerning EMS issues. It makes no sense to place a person in command of something/someone that has never done, nor will he ever do that type of work. This is what citizens need to know.



The city will continue to foul EMS and ambulance deployment as long as they continually place uneducated, ill experienced and re-active rather than PROACTIVE people in ranks of Administrative commands.



Now, I hear and have read of a young lad in the PFD(A Medic) that has gone out of his way to address concerns with a real solid plan to help PFD EMS with both issues and solutions for the PFD and the City in an educated manner. He has reached out to and tried to voice all immediate pertinant issues for the people that need to know what is happening here with this. Will they listen?



I read his document on EMS, it is solid. The Mayor needs to talk with this guy. The Mayor should appoint him as the Deputy Commissioner of EMS in the PFD and then you will see changes. He works in a fireh

fighter read my blog
May 6, 2008 | 3:45 AM

The paper is called Common Sense in PFD EMS and it was sent to Mayor Nutter, City COuncil and Commissioner Ayers was personaly given a copy. It is a small step in the right direction a resolving issues which will begin the true creation of the re-birth of a good/great EMS system in Philadelphia.

fighter read my blog
May 6, 2008 | 3:47 AM

fighter's Blog
by fighter from 1111

Last Post 6 minutes Ago

Archived Posts May 2008 911/ambulance problems
May 6, 2008 | 3:32 AM
Category: News

Edit | Delete First thing is obvious here, the Fire Comm needs to go away, way away from here. Putting aside all jokes for now, this guy is NOT QUALIFIED TO RUN/MANAGE OR DICTATE ANY EMS ISSUES OR POLICY. He is not, has not, nor will he ever be a Paramedic so why is he managing issues in EMS and Paramedic work. Obviously, he is doing a poor job, just the same as all previous Firefighter Commissioners have done in past concerning EMS issues. It makes no sense to place a person in command of something/someone that has never done, nor will he ever do that type of work. This is what citizens need to know.



The city will continue to foul EMS and ambulance deployment as long as they continually place uneducated, ill experienced and re-active rather than PROACTIVE people in ranks of Administrative commands.



Now, I hear and have read of a young lad in the PFD(A Medic) that has gone out of his way to address concerns with a real solid plan to help PFD EMS with both issues and solutions for the PFD and the City in an educated manner. He has reached out to and tried to voice all immediate pertinant issues for the people that need to know what is happening here with this. Will they listen?



I read his document on EMS, it is solid. The Mayor needs to talk with this guy. The Mayor should appoint him as the Deputy Commissioner of EMS in the PFD and then you will see changes. He works in a fireh

fighter read my blog
May 6, 2008 | 3:52 AM

Fox 29 should seek out through the Philadelphia Fire Department a visit with him, he works at Medic 24. The fire house is Engine 72, 11th and Louden Street, in Philadelphia. I am sure if you don't have his paper he will give you one and meet with you if he hasn't already.

Bearmuscles
May 6, 2008 | 5:25 AM

i also am a paramedic with the PFD. As the other member commented on the commissioner and the problems, I believe that Fox 29 and the City of Philadelphia would be better equipped with knowledge if they do a ride-along and see the problems for what they really are and how unsafe it is to have a "real emergencey" in Philadelphia. The lady died on New Years Eve...Why is the PFD not held responsible. That is the busiest day of the year but still no extra ambulances where deployed and one ambulance from 4th and Girard was detailed to Penns Landing for fire works. PFD is poorely managed and it starts with the Ayers. You dont hire an electrician to do a capenters job. Ayers is not a paramendic and as long as EMS is guided under the Fire department, the systems is going to FAIL!

fighter read my blog
May 6, 2008 | 9:07 AM

On this topic, it must be made clear that a real big issue is that the general public is just out of the loop on what happens is this city. Sure, the PPD members know what is going on the the PPD and the PFD members know the inner workings and corruptions which occur DAILY!!!!!!!!! But the public just sees another B.S "happy to please the public smile" from the Administration when interviewed. NO!!! Everything is not ok in Philadelphia, you are (public) made to believe this with the jargon and propaganda they speww into the media. The PFD Administration (guys at top) lie about everything (in my opinion) to the Mayor, Council and the public!!!! Why is this tolerated. When government was created, the holiest of motives on the basis of government was/and forever should be is TO SERVE THE PUBLIC!!!!! However, in this city the wrong people get the wrong jobs which they are not/nor will they ever be qualified for due to political favors and back deal backscratches. It is true, end of stroy, period. This is how it goes down. Just because a Mayor goes to church with a person or has a neighbor or a wifes brother and they ask for something , they get it. All the public gets is just another inept smiling face who does zero and is educated for nothing. Fire Comm Ayers could have come of the streets as a sanitation worker and been appointed to Fire Comm for all we know. Just as long as he is/was/still is friends with the right people or goes to the same church. It is B.S.!!!!!! Now , who suffers? We do, we always do.

fighter read my blog
May 6, 2008 | 9:08 AM

.....The public, the hard workers and all the true city depts, that somehow manageto keep this city together which always is thru the cost of OUR BLOOD, never yours!!!! Yeah, Ayers, keep smiling andf talking about smoke detectors, Big Accomplishment. Thats all he has?, Thats is what he gets top salary for? To tell people to put smoke detectors in homes? NO BLEEP!!!!!! We knew that when we were two years old!!!!! Why dont we actually start to help and serve some of the people that actually contribute to this city, rather than everyone that just takes,takes,takes abd never ever contributes ANYTHING> The public needs to know that the EMS systems is being sucked up, the medic units getting sucked into the communities of the abusers and takers and this withholds resources from the real emergencies and the PEOPLE THAT ACTUAL PAY TAXES!!!!!!!

fighter read my blog
May 6, 2008 | 9:09 AM

Ayers, (in my opinion) you and your selected appointees administration are the brutal representation of the reality of city government....dishonest/disloyal/ and out of touch. You, and your staff(more nonsense favored appointees) are just more of the same , ,,backwards paycheck collectors that do zero and dont even look good in your shiny monkey suits. What, because you are in a shrap uniform you thing you are something....you are nothing to us. We hate you for ruining something so good, so great. More of the same, lazy ignorant and poor performers. Leave us, leave this city and go away and destroy somewhere that embraces putting a turkey in a shiny suit. They say you cant polish a turd, I guess they found a way.

disgustedmedic
May 6, 2008 | 9:31 AM

Does the public know that the new medic units that were added are staffed with EMT's not paramedics. Or that they are only on duty Monday to Friday from 8am to 6pm.

fighter read my blog
May 6, 2008 | 10:23 AM

Dear disgustedmedic,

You must understand that the words/terms/phrases of all occupations are easily confused by people on the outside. For you, obviously, you know what an EMT and a Paramedic is. Most people are unclear of the terms and/or think they are one in the same.

fighter read my blog
May 6, 2008 | 10:30 AM

What the public really needs to know is a concept or philosophy which should be titled , "What the Public Really Needs to Know". This, an educational platform for the true inner workings and guts of the current City Depts. Common, lets give it to 'em, why not- the City is giving it to us(right up the ...)

So, here it is. An awakening......The main issue both the PFD and PFD members (both fire and medic) have in this city is that the public only cares when either something tragic happens (such as the murder of Officer Liczbinski) or a firefighter gets hurt/killed during rescue. All to often, the normalcy suggest you (the Public) dont care for us unless we are needed. That hurts.

fighter read my blog
May 6, 2008 | 10:35 AM

Then, when something horrible happens such as the death/murder/injury of Police,FIre or EMS personnel we see this MASSIVE display from the "leadership" and city government officials that get on the air and express to you guys (public) how much they too support us. My question is, why is it only when something horrible goes down??? Why not always be working hard for the PPD/PFD? Why not be part of the solution instead of Monday morning quarterbacking everything. SO many of the EXPERIENCED PPD/PFD staff, from the street levels are telling you what we need. WHY THE HELL DONT YOU JUST LISTEN, WE KNOW THE JOB BEST!!!!! Oh, I know why...because it hurts your precious sense of self and reason to steal a paycheck from the citizens of Phila to take advise from anyone else because that would lessen your mislead value of your title.

fighter read my blog
May 6, 2008 | 10:40 AM

I got news for you, (average Joe out there) it isnt just these criminals on the street in ski masks and illegal guns wrecking this city. Theft is theft, dishonesty is dishonesty. We want reform so we can do our jobs and do 'em well. Why are we riskin our necks out here day in day out, we are doing it 4 you. Believe me, I know you have all been fed that city workers are overtime bandits and make a killing in salary....NOT TRUE. For most of us, we do what we do because we love what we do and helping people. But the main reason we see so much harm and injury within our field is because the upper management is not the BEST OF THE BEST.

Now, dont we all know it should be though. Nope, people get hired because of favortism. People get hired because of gender and race and quotas that the media nevr talks about.

fighter read my blog
May 6, 2008 | 10:44 AM

So, the point of that is that when you hire someone to fill a quota for gender or race to"represent the city and its diversity" you are not getting the BEST OF THE BEST or the MOST QUALIFIED. You are getting , plain and simple, a potential hiree that we hope and pray will turn out to be a dedicated and hard worker. All while the men and women that truly scored high/above average on the exams to be employeed as PPD or PFD are left behind and nevr hired. Funny, the media never talks about this though???? Political correctness and this idea of diversity is participating in the cities destruction. Look deep, balck/white/red/yellow...whatever. You know it is true.

fighter read my blog
May 6, 2008 | 10:47 AM

Now, what happens when all of these people hired for the wrong reasons get a few years on the job. Same as usual, hand shakes/backscratches/deals/ are made. The undereducated and underqualified person that was hired because of his color or gender becomes promoted for the same reasons/methods....because "hey , we would like to get a female or at least x amount of minorities in these positions" and politicians dont want this "bad press" and dont get involved in sensitive racial matters. so eventually, they are they underqualified and uneducated leadership of the PFD and so on and so on and so on. Yet we all wonder, so perplexingly ......why is the city and its structural components failing?????

fighter read my blog
May 6, 2008 | 10:50 AM

That is only the start of why this city will always creep to the lowest of the lows. I look @ Mayor Nutter, and I really see an extremely educated and naturally gifted mind.. He is legitimate, in my opinion, and god bless him cause he has his work cut out for him. I just dont get how he could keep such a zero such as Ayers in the PFD position as Commish. Man, let me hear...let me have it. I know you all have something to say.

fighter read my blog
May 6, 2008 | 11:11 AM

For the public, average Joe out there.....What do you think happens to a PPD or PFD (Fire or Medic) member once he/she leaves the offical training at the academy and it is discovered that he/she is a weak link or bum or such a liability to the City (in legal terms) to have him/her perform on the street in the profession and publicly viewed arena????

Guess what, they take 'em and hide 'em somewhere.. The city demands nothing from them in return for the paycheck they are getting from you!!!! So some bum that is always faking an injury is making the same salary and takin home the same $$$as FF brothe Harvey (R.I.P) and honorable Officers such as Skerski/Cassidy and Liczbinski.

Then they put em in administration positions to get em off the street. Jeeezzzzz. Why doesnt the public do more. Or should I say why doesnt the administrations do more....Oh, I know...because they are these people!!!!!!!!!!!

mrgeelou
May 6, 2008 | 4:45 PM

The measly addition of five new units to the overworked, overtaxed, strained, abused and maligned crop of ambulances, and the money offered to hire new paramedics is a pathetic and unhelpful solution to a tremendous, systemic problem in this city.

The "Call 911 For Real Emergencies Only" billboards and PSAs that were shown during this report are laughable, condescending and will be totally ineffective at "educating the public" because they already KNOW that it's wrong to call 911 when you've got a cotton ball stuck in your ear-- the fact of the matter is that they're poor, they don't have a General Practitioner and they don't have the money to see one even if they had one. So, they call to get schlepped to the ER. It's not about education, it's about poverty and entitlement-- unfortunately, nobody wants to come out and say it, but it's true. That's why the EMS system gets abused, and the protocol of "always send a unit, first-come-first-served" is leaving the door wide open for this type of abuse.


Until the Philadelphia Fire Department overcomes its attitude that it can handle everything on its own 100% of the time without any assistance from ready, willing and able private ambulance companies, who could, under a specified arrangement, work as second responders in the event that a PFD unit is unreasonably far away, people in Philadelphia will continue to die while waiting for ambulances.

A mutual aid or second responder system can and would work, but nobody wants to take the risk of implementing such a plan. Either it's "too hard" or "too risky" or the Unio

mrgeelou
May 6, 2008 | 4:45 PM

or the Union is afraid that, if the privates start handling calls and cut down on the 911 volume the brass will start shutting down fire houses-- the answer to this is: too bad. The people of this city have a right to a reasonably rapid ambulance response to true medical emergencies.

To me, the most telling part of this story was when the reporter asked the representative of the Fire Department, "Why do you continue to send out a unit for calls that aren't true emergencies?" The response, "Because that's the protocol that we operate under." This captures the essence of the unthinking, closed-minded, Neanderthal-like mentality of the Fire Department in this city. Why? 'Cause that's the way it is.

Brilliant.

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