concerns about driving

[AnthonyM83]

[Richard B the EMT]

I was wheelman on the ambulance a while ago, on a heavy rain day, during a new moon lunar flood tide. The usual streets flooded out, and I usually know where these streets are, as well as my partner.

We had driven out into ponding water that was not going down the storm sewers due to stuff collecting in the catch basins blocking it, or high tide water from the Atlantic Ocean or Jamaica Bay back-flowing INTO the streets, to rescue at least 5 people from 3 separate incidents where the people misjudged how high the water had really arisen, and stalled out their cars in the middle of the temporary lakes.

We got a "low priority" call, I forget what type, but by then, NYPD had put up barriers on several of the flooded streets, and what usually leaves that sector via about 10 traffic lanes on several now closed streets was redirected through 2 that remained open.

Someone on this site, but a now forgotten string, posted an ambulance, perhaps in Italy, that was fighting traffic so heavy, other drivers couldn't move out of the way, causing the ambulance, with all lights lit, and sirens and air horn blasting, still took about 10 minutes to go an estimated 3 blocks.

This bottleneck I was just talking about, with 2 lanes? Almost as bad.

However, the Computer Assisted Dispatching system the FDNY EMS EMD uses, gives an estimated time of travel, from where the ambulance is supposed to be sitting, to where the patient is supposed to be, or gives the crews a 20 minute "window" to get there, before radioing the "delayed" unit for an update. I advised of the delay, later documented it on my unit activity logbook, yet, the next day, my Captain called my partner and myself in to his office to be scolded for the delay, and we barely avoided getting "Command Discipline" charges placed against us, on a priority 4 or lower call!

I'll presume the computer's programming goes with some semblance of "normal" travel times, but doesn't allow for inclement weather, like the tornado that hit Brooklyn 2 weeks ago on the time of this posting.

[kyle308]

well im enrolled in an EVOC class for october the 26, i think it will be fun and helpful