Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Welcome back...
WELCOME BACK ARNOLD EMS
The Blah-g and your many community residents missed you !
ARNOLD EMS up and running
By Michael Aubele
VALLEY NEWS DISPATCH
The new Arnold ambulance service is up and running after getting its operating license from the state on Friday.
Service officials said in recent days that they expected to assume operations this week. Officials didn't want to comment publicly until they had the license in hand.
The nonprofit service, Arnold Fire-EMS, is run by Arnold No. 1 fire company and replaces the for-profit Arnold Volunteer Ambulance Service, which went out of business in July.
Ambulances will be housed at the fire department at the bottom of Drey Street. The service currently has one ambulance stationed there.
Pennsylvania Department of Health spokesman Richard McGarvey confirmed that a license was issued and said the service eventually will run a second ambulance, which needs minor repairs and an inspection before it begins service.
Ambulance service offices are located in the old firemen's club along Fifth Avenue. Alle-Kiski Medical Center spokesman Phil Grove said the service went live at 3 p.m. yesterday. AKMC employs the service's full-time staff: four EMTs and two paramedics, Grove said. Six part-time EMTs and paramedics are employed by the fire company, he said.
Grove said the service will run around-the-clock.
Mayor John Campbell said the service will be the city's primary responder. The city agreed more than a month ago that the service would be designated as the city's primary responder once it had its license. "I think it's wonderful to have the ambulance company up and running," Campbell said. "It's been sorely missed. It's an asset to the city.
"New Kensington and the surrounding communities have done a good job of helping us out," the mayor added.
Campbell said the fire company will operate the ambulance service without financial support from the city. The ambulance will be dispatched through Westmoreland County's 911 system.
Grove said that as of last night the service had responded to one call. Service official Dave Madeja said Arnold Fire-EMS would serve as backup for surrounding communities and currently is working on mutual-aid agreements. "Whoever needs us, we'll back them up," Madeja said.
Madeja said the service will support itself from revenue generated from responding to calls. The service will bill insurance companies, he said, and will offer a subscription plan.
Cost figures for a subscription were unavailable yesterday. Madeja said the service will honor subscriptions from the former ambulance service in Arnold as long as residents have proof of payment.
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WOW ! About time something NICE gets put in the Blah-g. Thanks to GMan who emailed me the Valley News Dispatch article !
Decoded,
K3SAM
http://800.k3sam.com - website
news@k3sam.com - email your tips / comments / inside info
Looky Mommy, Pictures !
Short one today but like my old menu’s, this one has some meat !
Not only did Rillton (Fire Station 14) get the new digital siren activation set up on Monday but so did Westmoreland City (Fire Station 3), Shafton (Fire Station 5), and Fairmont-Hahntown (Fire Station 6). At least they were in STALEY’S log book under "things to do".
Coming up for digital siren activation are the following Fire Stations: Hartford Heights (Station 4), Larimer (Station 1), Strawpump (Station 2), Circleville (Station 8) and Herminie (Station 15) HAS had the decoder for some time but word has it that several fire members have attempted to flush it down the toilet due to false activations and not activating when it is suppose to… AND I UNDERSTAND those things go for about $1,000.
Another $1,000 blunder by the Blunder Boys. I was asked the other day if I could say anything nice about the current 911 management. After thinking about that over the weekend I can honestly say ONE THING popped up.
THEY DO A GOOD JOB OF THROWING AWAY OUR MONEY ON NEEDLESS PROJECTS AND TOYS FOR THE BOYS AT THE TOP.
I use to give out Bad Boogie Awards however I used the last of them when Richard Matason announced ANOTHER A-TEAM VAN with high tech toys. No one has ever answered me when I ask the question “If this new van is suppose to act as a relay in areas where there are DEAD SPOTS” like R. Matason said, WHERE ARE THE T1 LINES going to connect to the van and where are we going to find a LINE LONG ENOUGH that will connect to the van that will enable it to go all around the county.
Oh course I'm kidding about the long line, however you see all the towers are connected together via ONE single T1 line to each ( NO BACK UPS ), so if this new $600,000.00 Van is going to act like a MOVING TOWER then it NEEDS a T1 Line.
Plus the van isn’t going to have much of a signal coming from it sitting on the ground, you know. We are going to have to tie the van to a Hot Air Balloon… something else that needs to be put in the budget alone with a new fishing reel for Mark.
Ok, that’s it. I leave you with PHOTOS of the NEW DIGITAL 800 Mhz Siren activation module and the Installation there-of, there-for, and there-goes-more-money-down-the-drain.
That's it folks, $1,000 radio add-on that takes the place of a 33.70 Mhz tone activation. Look CLOSELY for the words "MADE IN AMERICA" stamped on that module !!
Ahh, how much is the LABOR to connect this baby up. Notice it's huge size !
Do the fingers stay with the siren module ? Let's see, which wire gets cut first ?
Couldn't pass this one up... a RARE VIEW of the inside of a STALEY TRUCK !
Can you find the 800 Mhz Radio we bought them ? (HINT: Near the 2x4 used to knock sense into unwilling customers who hate 800 Mhz.)
Tinted windows are NOT legal in PA. How many "L" are in Stalley ?
Rare photo of a radio technician !
Decoded,
K3SAM
http://800.k3sam.com – website
news@k3sam.com – email you comments / tips / hot inside gossip from the above-ground-bunker
CLICK HERE FOR THE NEW AUDIO CLIPS
DOGS ARE SMART ! PROOF: They aren't carrying 800 Mhz Radios For Protection !
