Medics Caught on Tape Allegedly Decided Disabled Man Not Worth Saving

Medics Caught on Tape Allegedly Decided Disabled Man Not Worth Saving
Wednesday, December 31, 2008


Two EMT workers in Britain were arrested after they were heard allegedly discussing whether they should bother to resuscitate a disabled man who had collapsed at home and subsequently died.

Barry Baker, 59, who lived alone, dialed 911 saying that he thought he was having a heart attack. An ambulance was sent to his house while a controller kept him talking on the line.

By the time the ambulance arrived at the house in Patcham, Brighton, Baker had collapsed, but the telephone line was still open and was being recorded.

It is alleged that staff in the control center heard the two medics making disparaging comments about the state of the house.

A police source, who asked not to be named, said that the medics were then heard discussing Baker and saying “words to the effect that he was not worth saving."

The source said that the two men were allegedly first heard commenting on the untidy state of the house and then saying that it was not worth bothering to resuscitate Baker.

They are said to have discussed what to tell ambulance control and decided to say that Baker was already dead when they got there.

“Obviously the crew did not realize that the phone was still connected and, of course, the 999 call was recorded on tape,” the source said.

Sussex Police confirmed that two men had been arrested and that a full-scale investigation into the incident was being carried out by the major crime team.

Baker, who used sticks to help to him walk after undergoing hip replacement surgery, made the emergency call to the South East Coast Ambulance Service headquarters in Lewes in the early hours of Nov. 29.

EMT-HERO DAD DIES OF HEART ATTACK

EMT-HERO DAD DIES OF HEART ATTACK
By REUVEN FENTON and ALEX GINSBERG

From The NY Post


December 25, 2008 --
A Queens EMT who had saved at least two lives while off duty died suddenly after suffering a heart attack as he unpacked his car, his devastated wife said yesterday.

Wendell O'Brien, 42, who had been with the FDNY since 2001, had just returned home from Florida with his wife, Marcia, and children, Wendell Jr., 13, and Amanda, 11, when tragedy struck Monday.

"He made me want to live my life better," said Marcia, 40, a hospital administrator. "He was just amazing."

O'Brien, of Rosedale, was recognized by The Post for saving the life of a neighbor's child in 2003.

He rushed to the aid of Hannah Holguin, 9, who was choking on a bottle cap. He performed the Heimlich maneuver, then accompanied her to the hospital.

"I just feel heartbroken," said a tearful Hannah, now 14 and living in Tennessee. "We were so close. He was like a second father to me. He was my hero. If he wasn't there that night, I wouldn't be here."

Two years later, O'Brien helped stop a suicidal woman from throwing herself into the East River.

O'Brien's death "is a great loss to the department," said FDNY spokesman Steve Ritea. "He was a model employee and will be greatly missed."

A wake will be held from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. Monday at the J. Foster Phillips Funeral Home, 179-24 Linden Blvd. The funeral will be 11 a.m. Tuesday at the Church of God of Prophecy, 194-15 Linden Blvd.

35 Rescue Saves the day!!!!!!

This post is a reprint from the FDNY EMS rant board ( though this is definitely not a rant...lol)


Rescue Medics save 14 from CO poisoning
« Thread Started on Dec 11, 2008, 11:53am »

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Rescue Medics Save 14 from CO Poisoning


Rescue Paramedics Brian Frayne and Zarina Ronay of Station 57 saved the lives of 14 people who were ill from carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning in their home on Dec. 8, with the help of their newly issued CO detector tools.

“It was a horrible situation,” said Paramedic Frayne. “But we were able to use our training and our tools to help people when they needed it most.”

At 8:01 a.m. the paramedics were called to 433 Pulaski St. in Brooklyn for an unconscious victim. After walking three steps into the apartment, the paramedics’ new CO detectors sounded the highest possible alarm.

They called for backup and work quickly to vent the first floor apartment and get the five adults and 12-year-old girl out.

“Everyone thought they were fine,” said Paramedic Ronay. “We needed to convince them they needed to leave - don’t grab anything, just come.”

Once they evacuated the family, Paramedic Ronay treated them as Paramedic Frayne ran to the second-floor apartment. When he received no answer, he forced entry and was able to pull another family to a second ambulance that had arrived.

Five children were among those living in the second-floor apartment, including an infant who was “cherry red” from the CO exposure.

Once outside, the grandmother from the first apartment said her son was still inside. So Paramedic Frayne returned to search the apartment.

In a small room under the staircase, Paramedic Frayne found a man sleeping. He tried to wake him, but the man was unconscious from CO, so the paramedic dragged him from the apartment to the street.

Firefighters had arrived at that time and finished the searches. Although they vented the apartment for 10 minutes before fire units arrived, firefighters still were getting CO readings of 500 parts per million (ppm), a dangerously high level (FDNY members consider levels more than 9 ppm dangerous).


Rescue Paramedics Brian Frayne (left) and Zarina Ronay of Station 57.


Paramedic Frayne and Ronay transported the family of five from the first-floor apartment to Woodhull Medical and Mental Health Center in Brooklyn.

After arriving at the hospital they also learned a young boy in the family also had been feeling ill that morning, but was sent to school. The paramedics sent an ambulance to pick him up and bring him to the hospital for treatment.

“This would have turned out to be a really bad job later on in the day,” said Paramedic Ronay. “I’m just glad it turned out the way we wanted it to turn out and I hope they’ll all be OK.”

In all, 14 patients were transported to area hospitals. It was determined the high CO levels were caused by a faulty gas burner in the basement.

“The rewards you get on this job are fantastic,” said Paramedic Frayne, who spent 10 years working in retail. “You don’t always get a thank you, but you feel good [after jobs like this one] and it reinsures you that you made the right choice to join EMS. I’ve been with the FDNY for 15 years and I’ve loved every year of it.”

The Department recently received a grant from Homeland Security for the purchase of CO meters for all EMS members.

Learn more about how to keep your home safe from CO poisoning.


Brian and Zarina are on 35R2. Both are excellent medics. I ended up getting assigned to the job after they called for help. In the text it read that there were only 2 pt's,boy,was everyone in for a surprise when they got there. In the end,everything turned out for the good. Job well done to all