Co-op City killing blitz!
Police say a disgruntled former employee shot and killed one person and injured two others Thursday at a massive apartment complex.
The shooter, identified as Paulino Valenzuela turned himself in to authorities shortly after the shooting at the Co-op City apartments in the Bronx.
Police say Valenzuela shot and killed his former supervisor 60-year-old Audley Bent.
The gunman had been fired about a year earlier from his job at the apartment complex, then lost his arbitration hearing on Wednesday, said police spokesman Paul Browne
At about 8 a.m. Thursday, the shooter entered a basement office at the apartment complex and shot and killed another employee, possibly his former supervisor, police said. After leaving the basement, he shot two other people.
One of the surviving victims was taken to Bronx Lebanon Hospital by NYC paramedics in critical condition with a neck wound. The other was shot in the arm and was released.
The sprawling Co-op City was built in the late 1960s on the site of a former amusement park. It including 35 high-rises and seven town house clusters, and has its own security force and power plant.
FDNY EMT's rushed NYPD officer to Bellevue Medical Center
A police officer investigating a stolen car was smacked to the ground by a hit-and-run driver in the Williamsburg Brooklyn.
The officer, a 10-year-veteran assigned to the 90th Precinct, was hit near the intersection of South 11th Street and Kent Avenue just before midnight.
This all happened when he was checking vehicles with his partner when he was hit by a Honda, traveling at the a high rate of speed.
"We heard a car screech," said Devon McCutcheon, who reported the stolen car. "There was a huge smash. A huge sound, he was going so fast."
Police say the injured officer sustained a head injury when he was knocked to the ground. He was found clinging to the rear of his vehicle, spitting up blood.
"He was holding his head. He was really traumatized," McCutcheon said.
The officer was rushed to Bellevue Medical Center by NYC FDNY EMT's, where he was listed in stable condition.
The striking vehicle, described by witnesseses as a silver Honda Odyssey, sped off. The Honda's sideview mirror was recovered on the street by the large number of police officers who responded to the scene.
Blast Lung Injurys Symptoms
Current patterns in worldwide terrorist activity have increased the potential for casualties related to explosions, yet few civilian health care providers in the United States have experience treating patients with explosion-related injuries. Emergency care providers are urged to learn more about the physics of explosions and other types of injuries that can result. Basic clinical information is provided here to inform practitioners of the presentation, evaluation, management, and outcomes of BLIs.
Clinical Presentation
Symptoms may include dyspnea, hemoptysis, cough, and chest pain.
Signs may include tachypnea, hypoxia, cyanosis, apnea, wheezing, decreased breath sounds, and hemodynamic instability.
Associated pathology may include bronchopleural fistula, air emboli, and hemothoraces or pneumothoraces.
Other injuries may be present.
Management
Initial triage, trauma resuscitation, treatment, and transfer should follow standard protocols; however some diagnostic or therapeutic options may be limited in a disaster or mass casualty situation.
In general, managing BLI is similar to caring for pulmonary contusion, which requires judicious fluid use and administration ensuring tissue perfusion without volume overload.
Clinical interventions
All patients with suspected or confirmed BLI should receive supplemental high flow oxygen sufficient to prevent hypoxemia (delivery may include non-rebreather masks, continuous positive airway pressure, or endotracheal intubation).
Impending airway compromise, secondary edema, injury, or massive hemoptysis requires immediate intervention to secure the airway. Patients with massive hemoptysis or significant air leaks may benefit from selective bronchus intubation.
Clinical evidence of or suspicion for a hemothorax or pneumothorax warrants prompt decompression.
If ventilatory failure is imminent or occurs, patients should be intubated; however, caution should be used in the decision to intubate patients, as mechanical ventilation and positive end pressure may increase the risk of alveolar rupture and air embolism.
High flow oxygen should be administered if air embolism is suspected, and the patient should be placed in prone, semi-left lateral, or left lateral positions. Patients treated for air emboli should be transferred to Jacobi Hyperbaric Center or Brookdale University Hospital
To find out more go to The Bureau of EMS web page it is designed to provide members of the EMS community with a place to turn with questions regarding the pressing issues of disaster preparedness and preparing for a possible Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) incident LINK
Funeral Mass for Joseph Graffagnino and Robert Beddia
The visitation for Firefighter Joseph Graffagnino will be from 2 to 5 p.m. and 7 to 10 p.m., on Tuesday and Wednesday, at Andrew Torregrossa & Sons Funeral Home, 1305 79th Street in Dyker Heights, Brooklyn.
The visitation for Firefighter Robert Beddia will be from 2 to 5 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday at the Harmon Funeral Home, 571 Forest Avenue on Staten Island. The procession and funeral Mass will be at 9:45 a.m. on Friday at St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
Firefighter Beddia, 53, joined the Fire Department on Oct. 24, 1983, and Firefighter Graffagnino, 33, on May 9, 1999.
FDNY Foundation/FF. Joseph Graffagnino Children's Fund
c/o FDNY Foundation
9 Metrotech Center
Brooklyn NY 11201
For more information please call 718-999-0779
Deadly stabbing at Strata
An argument sparked a deadly stabbing at a sprawling downtown Manhattan nightclub early Saturday, police said.
The victim, a 25-year-old man, was wounded in the torso shortly before 3 a.m. at Strata, a multilevel dance club and restaurant in the Flatiron district. Police said the stabbing followed a dispute, but other details weren't known.
Police had taken one person in for questioning early Saturday, but it wasn't clear whether the person was a witness or a suspect.
The victim died shortly after being taken to St. Vincent's Hospitalby St. Vincent paramedics. His name wasn't released because police hadn't contacted his family.
The deadly stabbing came amid heightened attention to nightclub safety in New York, and less than six months after the City Council passed a measure requiring security cameras at nightclub doors.
The city trained a spotlight on club security after a woman was abducted, raped and killed in February 2006 after a night out at a SoHo bar. An unlicensed bouncer at the bar was charged in her death.
This February, a shoving match at another Chelsea club sent one patron tumbling down an elevator shaft to his death. Another clubgoer was initially charged with criminally negligent homicide, but the charges were dropped.
Flesh Eating Bacteria Necrotizing Fasciitis
Necrotizing fasciitis is a rare bacterial infection that can destroy skin and the soft tissues beneath it, including fat and the tissue covering the muscles (fascia). Because these tissues often die rapidly, a person with necrotizing fasciitis is sometimes said to be infected with "flesh-eating" bacteria, especially Streptococcus pyogenes.
Necrotizing fasciitis is very rare but serious. Around 30% of those who develop necrotizing fasciitis die from the disease.1
Many people who get necrotizing fasciitis are in good health prior to the infection.2 Those at increased risk of developing the infection are people who:
* Have a weakened immune system or lack the proper antibodies to fight off the infection.
* Have chronic health problems such as diabetes, cancer, or liver or kidney disease.
* Have cuts or surgical wounds, including episiotomy.
* Recently had chickenpox or other viral infections that cause a rash.
* Use steroid medications, which can lower the body's resistance to infection
What causes necrotizing fasciitis?
Necrotizing fasciitis is caused by several kinds of bacteria. The most common cause is infection by a group A streptococcal (GAS) bacterium, most often Streptococcus pyogenes, which also causes other common infections such as strep throat or impetigo. Usually the infections caused by these bacteria are mild. In rare cases, however, the bacteria produce poisons (toxins) that can damage the soft tissue below the skin and cause a more dangerous infection that spreads through the blood to the lungs and other organs. The disease also may be caused by Vibrio vulnificus. Infection with this bacterium can occur if wounds are exposed to ocean water or the drippings from raw saltwater fish, or through injuries from handling marine crustaceans such as crabs. These infections are more common in people who have chronic liver diseases such as cirrhosis.
Another type of necrotizing fasciitis may be caused by multiple bacteria found in the intestine; this type most often affects people with diabetes or peripheral arterial disease. Occasionally people who have gunshot injuries or tumors in the lower digestive tract develop necrotizing fasciitis.
A break in the skin allows bacteria to infect the soft tissue. In some cases, infection can also occur at the site of a muscle strain or bruise, even if there is no break in the skin. It may not be obvious where the infection started, because the bacteria may travel through the bloodstream to other parts of the body.
The bacteria that produce the toxins that cause necrotizing fasciitis can be passed from person to person. However, a person who acquires the bacteria is unlikely to develop a severe infection unless he or she has an open wound, chickenpox, or an impaired immune system.
What are the symptoms of necrotizing fasciitis?
A person may have pain from an injury that lessens over 24 to 36 hours and then suddenly becomes much worse. Other symptoms may include fever, chills, and nausea and vomiting or diarrhea. The skin commonly becomes red, swollen, and hot to the touch. If the infection is deep in the tissue, these signs of inflammation may not develop right away. The symptoms often develop suddenly (over a few hours or a day), and the infection may spread rapidly and can quickly become life-threatening. Serious illness and shock can develop in addition to tissue damage. Necrotizing fasciitis can lead to organ failure and, sometimes, death.
How is necrotizing fasciitis diagnosed?
Usually a person is very sick with necrotizing fasciitis before a doctor is seen. Your doctor may suspect necrotizing fasciitis based on the speed with which the infection progressed and symptoms developed. A sample of the infected tissue may be taken to identify the type of bacteria causing the infection. X-rays, CT scans, or MRI scans may be done to look for injury to the organs or to assess the extent of the infection.
How is necrotizing fasciitis treated?
Immediate medical care in a hospital is always necessary. Supportive care for shock, kidney failure, and breathing problems is often needed. Most people will need surgery to stop the infection from spreading. Extensive use of antibiotics is needed to kill the bacteria.
What if I know someone with the disease?
Most people will not get necrotizing fasciitis. You generally do not have to worry about getting the disease, because the bacteria that cause the disease usually do not cause infection unless they enter the body through a cut or other break in the skin.
In very rare cases, the bacteria can be spread from one person to another through close contact such as kissing. People who live or sleep in the same household as an infected person or who have direct contact with the mouth, nose, or pus from a wound of someone with necrotizing fasciitis have a greater risk of becoming infected.
If you have been in close personal contact with someone who develops necrotizing fasciitis, there is a small chance that your doctor may recommend that you take an antibiotic medicine to help reduce your chances of getting an infection.3 If you do develop any symptoms of an infection after being in close contact with someone who has necrotizing fasciitis, see your doctor right away.
The dangers of MRSA in your ambulances
Do you wash your hands before and after every patient contact? How about the ambulance cot? Are all surfaces of the cot disinfected equally? Does your disinfection include the side rails, straps, and buckles? When was the last time you cleaned the blood pressure cuff and stethoscope that hang in the patient care compartment? How about the provider bench and other working surfaces in the ambulance compartment?
A recent research study published in the Prehospital Emergency Care journal assessed for the presence of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) in an ambulance fleet of 21 vehicles. MRSA is a strain of bacteria that is resistant to beta-lactam antibiotics such as methicillin, amoxicillin, and penicillin, which are commonly used to treat bacterial infections.
The research found MRSA contamination in 10 of 21 ambulances. Some of the areas that tested positive for MRSA growth were the steering wheel, left patient stretcher handrail, patient stretcher cushion, work area to the right of the patient, and the yankauer suction tip.
The authors concluded, The ambulance environment may be significantly contaminated with MRSA and that the EMS system could represent an important reservoir in the transmission of MRSA to patients. As a provider you are at risk of becoming a MRSA carrier and bringing MRSA home to your family.
For more info....check out EMS RESPONDER.COM
Into a spray of bullets
Four people were shot, one of them killed. It happened at 2:30 a.m. at the Dyer Avenue stop.
A dispute between groups of teenagers spiraled into a spray of bullets on a subway train Sunday, leaving one young man dead and three others hospitalized, police said.
The family of the 19-year-old who was killed has been here since shortly after the shooting happened. They got that phone call in the middle of the night that no parent wants to get. They rushed over and have been here all morning. They just left for the precinct.
Now the No. 5 train, where this deadly shooting happened, is still on the track. Investigators are carefully examining every inch of it searching for clues.
Just a little while ago, the medical examiners' office brought his body down from the train and took it away. The family had to watch that.
A single young gunman shot the four - in front of other passengers - between stops on a northbound No. 5 train in the Bronx shortly after 2:30 a.m., police said.
The other three were in stable condition because of fast thinking NYC EMT and PARAMEDIC'S.They were taken to Our Lady of Mercy Medical Center but 19-year-old died at the scene.
"They started fighting at the party, and whoever was up there, they followed them to this train station," said Tornette Story, who said she was the mother of one of the victims.
"If anybody knows anything, please come forward. Let the police know something or let us know something," said victim's uncle Fred Brown. "Anybody, we don't care."
At this point, the investigation is still on going and police are still searching for the suspects. There is still a lot of police activity at the scene.
Vital Signs October 18-21-2007
Continuing Educational Credits
Preconference Sessions to choose from this year!!
New York State-Department of Health
Bureau of Emergency Medical Services
Vital Signs Conference
BLS Core Content Refresher
ALS Core Content Refresher
Advanced Medical Life Support (AMLS)
EM-STAT Patient Simulation Center
National Renowned Speakers and Educators!!
38 Sessions to choose from
Educational and Entertaining
Over 100 Vendors for everything from T-Shirts to Ambulances
Great Networking Opportunities
Vital Signs 2007 web page
Pinned to the storefront
An elderly man was killed Tuesday when a car jumped a curb on Long Island.he incident happened in Lawrence, where Nassau County police say the car jumped the curb, struck a pedestrian and crashed into a storefront along Central Avenue.
It's a tragic story. The driver of a black SUV, which is a rental car, was trying to get into a parking space. But because she was unfamiliar with the vehicle, police say she hit the accelerator instead of the brake.
While she was in reverse, the car backed into a real estate agency located at 315 Central Avenue. But before it hit the office, it struck a 69-year-old man on the sidewalk, driving him into the business as well.
Before the paramedics reached the scene, a woman walking down the street tried to give the victim first aid.
"He was pinned to the storefront, he lost a lot of blood," she said. "People who worked in the office ran and got towels. I tried to control the bleeding. He was conscious. He gave me his first name. A woman came over a bit later on and said, 'I hope that's not my husband.' It was."
The man later died in an ambulance on the way to the hospital. The woman who was driving also had her pregnant daughter in the car. She has been taken to the hospital for precautionary reasons.
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