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Screening emergency calls can save lives

Re: Recent firing of two Clearwater paramedics.

There may be two very important points being overlooked with regard to the two paramedics who were recently fired from the Clearwater Fire Department for sending police to investigate an EMS call rather than responding in their fire-rescue vehicle.

First, the greatest risk to paramedics is the actual response itself. Firefighters are much more likely to die on the way to an emergency than at the emergency itself. Countless private vehicles have been damaged and people injured as they attempt to yield to these emergency vehicles. 911 responses should be initiated only for true emergencies.

Given that the 911 caller was a known system abuser, it is easy to understand why the paramedics would adjust their response. Perhaps they could have made a nonemergency response; that is, without red lights and sirens. But either way, a situation like this requires a police presence first.

This "emergency" was a woman uncertain whether she had been raped or not. It would have made much more sense to send the police out first to investigate because an alleged crime was being reported. From what we hear in the news, the woman just wanted a ride to the hospital. Where is the EMS emergency here?

Which brings us to the other point: Has anyone looked at how or why this call was dispatched in the first place? Surely they were aware of the "frequent flier" status of the caller. Given the danger to the public of sending enormous firetrucks through traffic, why are we not screening these calls more carefully?

I am certain that when dispatching emergency 911 responses, it is better to send help to a false call than withhold assistance from a true emergency. But when a known system abuser calls 911 and states that she may have been raped because she found her door open ... well, I don't think it takes a genius to recognize the difference between a police matter that is not life-threatening and a life-and-death EMS emergency.

When you dispatch fire rescue to a false call, you have automatically extended the response time for any legitimate emergency near that fire station, since the closest paramedics are now responding to someone else's bad judgment. Why make these congested roads of ours even more dangerous by sending emergency vehicles out unnecessarily?

Firing these men didn't make the public any more safe. When you fire someone, you don't just ruin careers; you can ruin families. If it's a policy dispute, then seek out a rational punishment, but be reasonable ... and consider re-examining the policy.

Being a firefighter or paramedic is dangerous enough. These men and women expect that they will face hazardous situations. Now, thanks to overzealous administrators who would rather ruin men than counsel them, it appears that emergency workers might need to spend more time watching their backs.

Why not believe deputy's account?

Re: Off duty, but was deputy in line?, story, May 1.

The Times' tendency to report the conduct of police officers suspiciously, before the facts are in, is eroding the confidence of the public in the men and women who are sworn to protect us. The most recent case is the conduct of Cpl. James Fresh of the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office.

I have known his family for three generations. His grandfather was Jim Fresh, a pastor and founder of St. Mark's Lutheran Church and St. Mark's Village. His other grandfather was J. Wendell Nolan. It was my privilege to call both my friends. I have witnessed the development of both the families through the years. They were raised to tell the truth.

I don't know what happened at the restaurant in Tarpon Springs, but I would believe Cpl. Fresh's account of the events because of his upbringing, professional education and training as a sheriff's deputy.

Simple steps create functional city charter

Re: the recent Largo City Commission decision to appoint a charter review committee.

In 1992 the Belleair Bluffs City Commission requested that the city attorney, John Hubbard, review the city's charter, adopted in 1963. In response to the request, Mr. Hubbard reported that the charter was not repairable and suggested that the city instead create a new charter to be voted on by the citizens.

The commission also agreed that ex-officio members of the committee created to accomplish this task would include the city clerk, the chairman of the planning board and a member of the sitting commission to provide liaison responsibilities. The committee included five citizen volunteers as well. I was the appointed commission liaison.

Under the guidance of Mr. Hubbard, the committee members agreed that the KISS principle - Keep It Simple, Stupid - should be applied. Consequently, we adopted a boiler-plate version of a charter obtained from the Florida League of Cities and created a bare-boned charter text that met the needs for the governance of our city. We agreed that the needs would then be fleshed out through adoption of ordinances, which could be altered or changed as called for through time.

Since the adoption of this charter by referendum vote in February 1993, the document has guided the city's deliberations and actions with clarity and efficiency. The only alteration to the charter's text occurred as the result of the 2000 mayor's race when a prohibition was inserted against closing the fire district without a referendum vote. I opposed this idea out of a concern that it would open a floodgate of referendum ideas that would put us back to 1963. Fortunately, to date this has not happened.

The most important provision within the charter is the requirement that every five years the commission appoint citizens to a charter and ordinance review committee to keep the language of the charter and city ordinances relevant to changing governance needs in this city. This provision was completed in 1998 and again in 2003 when extensive fine-tuning of ordinance language occurred. No change has been made in the charter itself.

So, to Mayor Bob Jackson and the Largo city commissioners, I say apply the KISS principle in your deliberations, use only a small committee of involved residents with ex-officio support from city staff, and produce a document that clearly outlines the governance for your city. If you do this, then you will achieve citizen approval in the most necessary referendum vote.

Yes, Belleair Bluffs is a small entity when compared with Largo, but the dynamics associated with producing a more functional charter remain a responsibility of equal weight for cities of all sizes. Best of luck as you move ahead in your deliberations.

Parents must show, not tell, healthy habits

Re: Don't let small fries be couch potatoes, guest column by Mike McGinnis, May 6.

The well-intended philosophy and clever pun of guest columnist Mike McGinnis may fall short of the stand-up, foot-stomping ovation that the column subject deserves.

Everyone knows that honing good computer skills has a time and a place, but it is still no replacement for a good physical workout. And we all know that the leaves on the family tree usually do not fall far from the branch. So parents must be the first to set a good example for their children.

As obesity rises to epidemic proportions and complacency sets in, I am afraid that McGinnis' friendly persuasion may not be enough to stop the small fries from growing up into Big Macs. Hold those fries - please!

[Last modified May 23, 2005, 01:23:18]