# Northfield ambulance's doors glued shut (New Jersey)



## MMiz (Oct 10, 2009)

*Northfield ambulance's doors glued shut*

NORTHFIELD - The debate over switching the city's EMS service from the Northfield Rescue Squad to AtlantiCare was intense and heated, but at least it wasn't juvenile - until recently, apparently, when a Northfield Rescue Squad crew arrived at a transport job and discovered the back doors to its ambulance had been glued shut.

Northfield police are still investigating the Sept. 29 incident, which was discovered when the squad, now handling transport for private doctors and other clients, arrived at a patient's house for a scheduled pick-up.

*Read more!*


----------



## medichopeful (Oct 10, 2009)

Unbelievable.  When they find the culprits, I hope they don't have a job for much longer.


----------



## firetender (Oct 10, 2009)

Back in the 60's, Brooklyn, NY each funeral home would have one hearse adaptable to haul living patient's in emergencies. We're talking stretcher, O2 (maybe!), bandage box and kidney basin. Their "customers" came from connections with families who needed help to get primarily elders to the hospital. Emergency calls were doled out by the Police Department on a rotation basis to prevent any one funeral home from cornering the DOA market. Sometimes, bored FH employees would cruise the streets at night, red light flashing on top, looking for accidents. Sometimes, a couple would be at the same one. Fistfights for who got the "victim(s)" often occurred.

In the 70's it was pretty much the same thing, as "Mom and Pop" local services and funeral homes got overrun by newly emerging private companies. Yes, there were races to the scene to get first dibs on the patients because, well, we were better than those guys, weren't we?

And then, in the 80's, sad to say, I found myself playing the same games with Fire Departments seeking to expand their services.

I believe this is a continuation of an ancient tradition that started sometime when the first two chariots went to pick up a wounded Gladiator.


----------



## High Speed Chaser (Oct 10, 2009)

Disgusting, makes it harder to access equipment that may have been necessary to save a person's life.

It remind me of a time when some idiot broke into an airport and slashed the tires on the entire Air Ambulance fleet. There should be tougher laws on damage to emergency vehicles.


----------



## Tincanfireman (Oct 10, 2009)

firetender said:


> I believe this is a continuation of an ancient tradition that started sometime when the first two chariots went to pick up a wounded Gladiator.


 
Hey Tender, did you run that call? I'd heard about it, but I was off that day... Good to see you back my friend!!


----------



## BLSBoy (Oct 11, 2009)

First off, I am writing this as a paramedic who works in Atlantic County. 
The following has nothing to do with my employment or employer(s).
Couple points to ponder.....
They don't do emergencies. 
They "lost" a lot of city owned equipment after they lost the contract for City of Northfield EMS.
They should NOT be using the name Northfield, as they have NOTHING to do with the City, outside of being a social club, excuse me, volunteer EMS agency who does nothing but interfacility transfers, if that. 
AtlantiCare should NOT have been mentioned in this article. At all. 
Mentioning them is nothing short of inflammatory. 
There is no indication that AtlantiCare has/had anything to do with this crime.


----------



## dewd09 (Oct 11, 2009)

So with all that said, BLS, are you suggesting it was okay to glue their doors shut? That's not a prank. That's destruction of owned property. I hope someone is arrested, loses their job and if certified, loses their certification. They should be charged with endangering lives, since, it is an ambulance.


----------



## ffemt8978 (Oct 11, 2009)

dewd09 said:


> So with all that said, BLS, are you suggesting it was okay to glue their doors shut? That's not a prank. That's destruction of owned property. I hope someone is arrested, loses their job and if certified, loses their certification. They should be charged with endangering lives, since, it is an ambulance.



I don't see where he's saying that at all, only that the other company shouldn't have been named because there is no proof at this time that they were involved in any way.


----------



## rescue99 (Oct 11, 2009)

MMiz said:


> *Northfield ambulance's doors glued shut*
> 
> NORTHFIELD - The debate over switching the city's EMS service from the Northfield Rescue Squad to AtlantiCare was intense and heated, but at least it wasn't juvenile - until recently, apparently, when a Northfield Rescue Squad crew arrived at a transport job and discovered the back doors to its ambulance had been glued shut.
> 
> ...



Well, it sure isn't a gag now but, someday it will make a good urban legend. 
This kind of nonsense has always gone on from time to time. :glare:


----------



## BLSBoy (Oct 11, 2009)

dewd09 said:


> So with all that said, BLS, are you suggesting it was okay to glue their doors shut? That's not a prank. That's destruction of owned property. I hope someone is arrested, loses their job and if certified, loses their certification. They should be charged with endangering lives, since, it is an ambulance.



I ask you to point out where I even suggested that. 
I pointed out that their previous actions. There are many people who they have pissed off who could have done it. 
Singling out AtlantiCare because they took Northfield's EMS contract is juvenile. 

Endangering lives?
Not so sure about that one. All they do is, at most, interfacility transfers. NO ONE will be calling them for EMS assistance.


----------



## MCGLYNN_EMTP (Oct 11, 2009)

Yeah, I don't know if I'd consider this a prank either. We are famous for practical jokes in EMS but Glueing the doors shut on the unit??? Thats really a little out there almost as good as putting a spineboard strap in the cab of the unit to hold the 2 doors together so no one can open the door to the unit.

Should they have charges booked against them? yeah...deffinatly
Should they loose their Certs? I'm not too big on that Idea
Should they loose their job? If it was affiliated with a company, yes...if this was a person who took it upon his/her own to do this...no


----------



## BLSBoy (Oct 11, 2009)

Is it a prank?
Absolutely NOT. 
Charges should be pressed. 
Just because I don't like them and think they are cry babies doesn't change the fact what happened was wrong, and delayed a pt from getting to her apointment.


----------



## flhtci01 (Oct 12, 2009)

I agree this was not a prank.

Why was it not discovered until they went to pick up a patient?  I would think a good rig check would have discovered the doors not operable.


----------



## rescue99 (Oct 12, 2009)

flhtci01 said:


> I agree this was not a prank.
> 
> Why was it not discovered until they went to pick up a patient?  I would think a good rig check would have discovered the doors not operable.



Glad someone finally picked up on this one! Guess the crew thought the truck would check itself that day. 

It was a poorly thought out prank. Malicious mischief. Bad taste. Bad idea. Bad business. But, the intent was probably supposed to be a gag.


----------



## medicdan (Oct 12, 2009)

This is straight out of Mother Juggs and Speed!!


----------



## BLSBoy (Oct 12, 2009)

There is no daily shifts or rig checks. It is a social club that does interfacility transports, wishing to get back into prehospital EMS.


----------



## firecoins (Oct 12, 2009)

BLSBoy said:


> First off, I am writing this as a paramedic who works in Atlantic County.
> The following has nothing to do with my employment or employer(s).
> Couple points to ponder.....
> They don't do emergencies.
> ...




shouldn't you update you name to ALSboy?


----------



## BLSBoy (Oct 12, 2009)

firecoins said:


> shouldn't you update you name to ALSboy?



Yea, but that requires asking if I can do it, and then I'll forget what my login is, and then I'll just get confused and frustrated. 
^_^


----------



## fortsmithman (Oct 12, 2009)

BLSBoy said:


> They should NOT be using the name Northfield, as they have NOTHING to do with the City, outside of being a social club, excuse me, volunteer EMS agency



I know of plenty of business that use the name of their city or town as part of their business name.  As long as the squad does not use City of before their name then in my view it's perfectly legal for them to use the name of their city in their name.


----------



## BLSBoy (Oct 12, 2009)

fortsmithman said:


> I know of plenty of business that use the name of their city or town as part of their business name.  As long as the squad does not use City of before their name then in my view it's perfectly legal for them to use the name of their city in their name.



Northfield Rescue Squad, Inc. is their name.


----------



## BLSBoy (Oct 12, 2009)

http://www.shorenewstoday.com/news.php?id=4649


> NORTHFIELD – It has been a little more than four months since the Northfield Rescue Squad Inc. was replaced with AtlantiCare as the provider of emergency rescue services here.
> 
> Even though it does not have the contract to cover the city, the local squad is up and running, providing services for those who call.
> 
> ...


----------



## BLSBoy (Oct 12, 2009)

> NORTHFIELD - Two months after AtlantiCare was awarded a joint emergency medical services contract for Northfield and Linwood, the councilmen on the Northfield rescue committee say they are pleased with AtlantiCare's EMS service so far, while the still-existent Northfield Rescue Squad is searching for ways to stay in business and move forward.
> 
> Squad president and City Council candidate Frank Perri, however, did say that if elected in November, "If I thought service was lacking, I would definitely recommend going back to the old way. Absolutely."
> 
> ...



Its a family affair. Frank is also running for city council, so he can play EMT again. 

AtlantiCare is moving an ALS ambulance in the area to serve both cities. 
He wants to play volunteer EMT. 
AtlantiCare's response times are better, in addition, the resources AtlantiCare has to bring are much greater, with close to a dozen BLS ambulances, 4 ALS/BLS/SCTU ambulances, Special Operations, field supervisors, I can go on. 

They have one 1998 ambulance. 

Does the fact they were vandalized become any less? No. But they are playing it up for all its worth. 

That said, I work, or have worked with a number of their former EMTs. Some of them are quite good, and I enjoy working with them, and BSing around with them afterwords. 
Its the ones in the paper I can't stand, who are standing in the way of progress.


----------



## Hal9000 (Oct 12, 2009)

Sounds more like a social club than any attempt at professional medicine.


----------



## firecoins (Oct 12, 2009)

Hal9000 said:


> Sounds more like a social club than any attempt at professional medicine.



isn't that what most VAC and vollie FDs are?  Social clubs?  Some basic training, some people do most of the actual emergency work and fewer people do the administrative work. Than there is the politics and parties.  The politics is mostly about the parties anyway.


----------



## Hal9000 (Oct 12, 2009)

From my experiences, I would say you are generally correct.  I know a few people that have real jobs in medicine, but who live in small towns and volunteer a little bit.  I've also seen them depart in disgust at the greed (Paid-per-call "volunteer."), lack of education, and absurd power trips they encountered. (Once again, this was from personal experience.)  

I can't judge this thing too well, but I can make an educated guess from the articles.


----------



## Jon (Oct 12, 2009)

rescue99 said:


> Glad someone finally picked up on this one! Guess the crew thought the truck would check itself that day.
> 
> It was a poorly thought out prank. Malicious mischief. Bad taste. Bad idea. Bad business. But, the intent was probably supposed to be a gag.


Me too.

I would think at the very least that they would want to like... check the oxygen before leaving base.

So... here's my question - if they are billing, does that mean they have a State inspection sticker on the truck? They can't bill as First Grade Council folks, can they?


----------



## redcrossemt (Oct 13, 2009)

MCGLYNN_EMTP said:


> Thats really a little out there almost as good as putting a spineboard strap in the cab of the unit to hold the 2 doors together so no one can open the door to the unit.



That's a good one.


----------



## medichopeful (Oct 26, 2009)

redcrossemt said:


> That's a good one.



Maybe good to do to an out-of-service unit, but not do an in-service unit.  It could greatly delay patient access.


----------

