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There can't be justification for ignoring 911 call

Re: Ignoring 911 call gets 2 paramedics fired, story, May 10.

I understand that abusing the 911 emergency system is a waste of taxpayer dollars as well as Clearwater city workers' time. What I don't understand is how two paramedics can be justified for not attending to an emergency call for any reason.

While the calls might have come from a previous prank caller, who is to say that this time it wasn't for real? Would there still be room for argument had a death resulted from the ignored call? Although this time nothing happened, who can say the same for the next?

No call is unimportant when someone's life could be at stake.

Crank calls may be symptomatic

Re:Ignoring 911 call gets 2 paramedics fired, story, May 10.

What might be perceived as a crank call could in fact be the real thing - a person in distress. A paramedic's job is to respond quickly, not to pass judgment on the caller and decide whether or not to respond.

The two paramedics who ignored the 911 caller (even though she dialed often for no apparent emergency) properly received their just due: a pink slip. The act of firing them will also set precedent. Even though the woman caller was not experiencing a life-threatening situation, her constant calling might be indicative of another type of health issue. Instead of scolding her, perhaps the fire department or some other health agency could assist in finding her the help that she might actually need. This might explain the reason behind her frequent 911 phone calls.

Writer is narrow-minded about Largo

Normajeanne Anderson's comments that Largo is no longer considered a "hick" town because of the three-day music festival (Music Fest makes Largo "hick" town no longer , letter, May 3) show her narrow-minded opinion of our city.

It does not take pop culture for one to recognize all the advancement the city has made through the years. Our beautiful parks, state-of-the-art cultural center, athletic facilities, aquatic center, skate park, summer camps... I could go on and on. Largo is not a beach community and therefore is often ignored. We are a family community.

So, Normajeanne, not to know all this about our city and labeling it the way you did can lead to only one conclusion. Where does the "hick" label belong? Perhaps we can put it on you.

Positive articles a pleasure to read

How marvelous that you would have two stories on the first page of the April 25 North Pinellas Times about men who have a strong obligation to serve their communities: Fire Chief Jeffrey Malzone (Fire chief started on first rung ) and Dunedin City Manager John Lawrence (Looking back at 25 years in Dunedin ). It's a pleasure to read such positive articles in your newspaper. We can only admire people with this devotion to the public. Please keep these type of leadership people in the news.

Superintendent is doing a great job

School superintendent Clayton Wilcox, hats off to you!

I commend you on the job you are doing. Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to address several issues. Thank you for your commitment to making things work out for the best for our children so they can become good citizens of the United States and be able to help themselves and someone else.

Things will improve in the many areas you are working on. Thank you again for all your efforts.

[Last modified May 16, 2005, 01:12:02]