Wednesday, March 24, 2010

March 23, 2010


On March 23, 2010, Pittsburgh Paramedics went to City Council to shun the blame for the failures during a disastrous, historic, snow storm on the weekend of Feb. 6, 2010, when sadly a man died.

Due to the failure of the Mayor of Pittsburgh and his appointed Public Safety Director to implement a snow emergency plan, ambulances and police were crippled in their abilities to carry out their duties.

Know the facts!
Be informed!

There was NO plan for the emergency that was made known to the leaders, as well as, the citizens of Pittsburgh and the entire Northeast....they, powers that be, simply ignored it....and now this disaster still haunts them!

7 comments:

  1. Thank you for posting this.

    It is great to be able to hear something from people not named Huss.

    Excellent speeches.

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  2. Thank you for making this available

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  3. We appreciate the fact that you can bring this to the attention of us all. A lot was learned here. Thanks for sharing

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  4. Amen! As someone who worked in EMS dispatch during this snowstorm in Ohio, all I can say is that we were much luckier than you were. I only hope that ALL public safety systems will take a look at the issues this incident created and learn from it. Thank you for sharing! Everyone be safe.

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  5. An open letter to city of Pittsburgh residents and city council
    April 2. 2010
    I am a paramedic working in the Pittsburgh area and I would like everyone to reflect on these thoughts. The events in Hazelwood during the 2010 storm were a tragedy and reflect the failure of an entire city. I send my condolences to the family that lost a loved one; however that is not the reason for this letter. Today Pittsburgh Paramedic Josie Dimon was fired even after the State of Pennsylvania investigated and found that no law was broken. This is a travesty.
    In order for a person to choose a career in public safety he or she must have a level of compassion and desire to serve that few will ever know. We spend our days and nights dealing with trauma, tragedy, and the grotesque underbelly of human society. In order to cope and continue to deal with the ever present stress of our jobs we become calloused and jaded. These are natural defenses that are a necessity to preserve our emotional well being. The comments that Dimon made on the telephone, not the radio, could have been made by any Paramedic, Police Officer, or Firefighter. In fact if the general public heard the conversations that take place behind closed doors in the field most would be disgusted. Anger and frustration are the armor that allows us to climb back on the trucks after a dead baby is cradled, or a son is told that his mother is dead. Consider walking a mile in our shoes.
    I call to the city of Pittsburgh residents: don’t Judge this person by the words of one night but by the 11 years of service she gave to you. To city council you must reverse you decision.


    Simon Taxel
    Paramedic
    FAPP local 7

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