The New York City fire department commissioner is reminding New Yorkers to only call 911 with life-threatening injuries, as it needs to concentrate its resources on emergencies.

Fire Commissioner Salvatore Cassano says the department has been slammed with non-emergency calls following Sunday's massive snowstorm.

He says the system is already taxed and that dozens of ambulances and fire trucks have become stuck on the treacherous roads.

"The streets are unpassable," said Cassano. "Our calls really are backed up and we want to make sure we can get the people who need to be transported to the hospital and life-threatening emergencies."

The FDNY says an additional firefighter was added on all 198 engine companies.

A New Jersey EMS task force is also being put together to send 15 ambulances to the city.

FDNY EMTs Save McDonalds Customers By AccidentEMTs Robert Fredette and Andres Miranda from Station 4 were on lunch break at around 2 a.m. on Dec. 20, when they decided to go to McDonald's on Cliff and Fulton streets in Manhattan.

Immediately when they walked in the door, their carbon monoxide (CO) meters started ringing, showing levels of 120 p.p.m. (they evacuate at 35 p.p.m.). They went back outside, to shut off the meters, and reentered the restaurant, again receiving the high reading.

They called dispatch and asked for the local fire company to respond as they evacuated approximately 10 people from the store. Luckily, the pair had found the condition in before any of the employees or patrons showed any symptoms, and none needed treatment.

EMT Fredette said at one point he walked up a few steps to go to the upstairs portion of the restaurant and his meter went over the limit. "I've never had that happen before, to that level," he said.

When asked how it felt to know the saved many lives, EMT Fredette said, "It feels great; they could have gotten really sick or died. It's nice to know we could help.

EMT Who Allegedly Ignored Dying Pregnant Woman Faces Criminal ChargesAn emergency medical technician who is accused of not aiding a pregnant woman who died inside a Brooklyn Au Bon Pain restaurant last year was arraigned Tuesday on charges stemming from the incident.

Melissa Jackson, 23, turned herself in to authorities this morning and was charged with official misconduct. She faces up to two years behind bars.

Another EMT involved in the incident, Jason Green, was shot and killed in an unrelated incident in July.

Witnesses say Jackson and Green, who were off-duty, refused to step in as Eutisha Rennix, 25, was dying of an asthma attack.

Jackson's lawyer maintains his client did nothing wrong and actually called the 911 dispatcher directly.

Both Rennix and her unborn child died at the hospital.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

A 31-year-old man had collapsed near the finish line of the New York City triathlon, in which thousands of racers defied the sweltering heat to swim, bike and run.Race Director Bill Burke says the London man was treated by NYC EMT's on scene and was rushed to the hospital to the ER.Eleven other people also were hospitalized, but didn't appear to have serious injuries.
Do you know your heat exhaustion protocols?

Angus Pascall was EMT by day, vicious sex stalker at night.A decorated EMT was charged Wednesday with a series of sick sex crimes - including an attack on an 11-year-old in an elevator he commandeered with his Fire Department key.WATCH THE VIDEO

FDNY Graduates Newest Batch Of EMTs
Hundreds gathered at LaGuardia Community College on Sept. 20 to cheer as 34 paramedics and 87 EMTs graduated from the EMS Academy.

"You are all the best - the future of the FDNY's Emergency Medical Service," said Fire Commissioner Salvatore Cassano. "I speak for the entire city when I say that we can all sleep a little easier knowing you're out there protecting the city."

The graduates speak 17 languages, including Spanish, Cantonese, Ukrainian, Serbian, Armenian and Polish.

"Your enthusiasm reflects your commitment to the FDNY," said Chief of Department Edward Kilduff. "This is a difficult program, and you deserve our congratulations."

The class valedictorians included Paramedic Benjamin Friedman, EMT Jesse Lipton, EMT William Morrocco and EMT James Paulson.

"I applaud the dedication of these men and women," said Chief of EMS John Peruggia. "You are the backbone of the Emergency Medical Service, a critical component to the system."Among the graduates was EMT Ryan Blackwell, whose father, Firefighter Christopher Blackwell from Rescue 3, was among the 343 FDNY members killed on Sept. 11, 2001.

Four of the graduates also served in the U.S. Armed Forces. Paramedic James Bresnahan served in Iraq with the Marines Corps; EMT David Kojac served in Baghdad, Falluja and Al Asad with the Marine Corps; EMT Phillip Browning served in the National Guard; and EMT Ruben Licona served in the Navy.

The members will be assigned to units throughout the five boroughs.

"I'm excited to graduate and excited to start my career," said Paramedic Eric Ozechowski.
NY1 VIDEO: Fire Commissioner Sal Cassano presided over the graduation ceremony

FDNY EMT CHOKES A WOMAN ON THE STREET

FDNY EMT Worker Accused Of Ignoring Dying Woman Killed In SoHo

An EMT worker who made headlines last year for allegedly refusing to help a dying, pregnant woman was killed Sunday morning in a shooting in Manhattan.
Police say Jason Green, 32, was shot in the face around 2 a.m. at the corner of Vandam and Hudson Streets in SoHo.

He was pronounced dead at New York Downtown Hospital.

Investigators say he was leaving the Greenhouse club at the time.
Advertise On YWN »

Representatives for the Varick Street establishment said those involved in the shooting were not customers.

The New York City Fire Department confirms Green was one of two EMT workers who were suspended in connection with the December death of a woman who worked at a Downtown Brooklyn Au Bon Pain.

Officials say Green and Melissa Jackson were off duty when Eutisha Rennix collapsed, and instead of helping, told onlookers to call 911.

Rennix and her unborn child died shortly thereafter at a hospital.

It’s unclear what the circumstances were surrounding the shooting.

No arrests have been made.

Police Release Video Of EMT's Alleged Killer

Two Wounded In East Harlem Shooting
Video LinkThe shooting happened shortly before 1:30 a.m. at Second Avenue and 122nd Street.

Police say the teenager was shot in the leg and is in critical condition.

A 19-year-old man who was shot in the back is also recovering.Both were treated on by NYC paramedics

FDNY Begins Diverting Ambulances From St. Vincent's
As St. Vincent's Hospital prepares to close, some patients will be sent to other hospitals.

As of 10 a.m. today, the New York City Fire Department is only taking psychiatric patients to the Greenwich Village facility.

Fire officials say all other patients will be taken to different hospitals.

The hospital says it will continue to care for walk-in patients for now.

The hospital's board voted Tuesday to close inpatient services after a six month attempt to save the institution, which is estimated to be $700 million in debt.

The move ends the hospital's acute care, rehab and behavioral health services.

Outpatient services like cancer care and HIV and AIDS treatment will be saved.

There is still no official closing date for the 160-year-old facility.

In response to the impending closure of Saint Vincent's, many local hospitals are expanding their hours and services to accommodate its patients and staff.

Bellevue, a seven-minute ride away from St. Vincent's, says it has already seen an increase in patients. NYU Langone Medical Center just next door to Bellevue, has already made some changes.

"We've already seen a significant impact at Bellevue in their emergency department, so we're up about 13 percent compared to last year,” said Alan Aviles, president of the Health & Hospitals Corporation.

"Our emergency department, unfortunately, is small and overcrowded, but we do have a certificate of need on file with the Department of Health right now in order to expand it,” said NYU Langone Medical Center’s Dr. Andrew Brotman.

The New York Daily News reported Thursday that at least two health care companies, Mount Sinai Medical Center and Continuum Health Partners, are still in talks to take over the emergency department and community clinics.

A spokesperson from Continuum released a statement saying that its hospitals are prepared to take on the extra needs of the community by expanding the hours and services at its existing facilities.

Beth Israel and Roosevelt Hospital will also allow for immediate, temporary admitting privileges for St. Vincent's patients.

Additionally, Continuum has initiated a temporary hiring freeze and will work to place St. Vincent's workers in any job vacancies.

Both Mount Sinai and Continuum had bids to take over the entire hospital, but pulled out to avoid taking on the West Village institution’s $700 million in debt.

Local leaders and residents say they worry the hospital’s closure will leave a dangerous gap in medical care for the Greenwich Village area.

In response, Governor David Paterson said the state will begin seeking grant applications for the development of a new urgent care facility in the neighborhood.

"While I am disappointed that St. Vincent's will close its inpatient services, I am committed to ensuring that the health care needs of the community it serves continue to be met. This project will help maintain access to needed urgent care services in Greenwich Village," said the governor in a released statement. "I am confident that the other providers in the area will come forward with resourceful proposals to ensure that St. Vincent's patients continue to receive timely and high quality care."

Meanwhile, nurses and staffers from St. Vincent's held a rally Thursday to protest the hospital's closing.

They say they're not only concerned about losing their jobs, but also for their patients.

"This community has to know, when you have that difficulty breathing, when you have that chest pain, do not go to an urgent care center, it means your life, you need a full service hospital here in Manhattan, at St. Vinny's and nothing less will do," said St. Vincent's nurse Barbara Cane.

"I really would like to help St. Vincent's stay open and care for this community. I think if we get together strong enough we can stop this," said St. Vincent's nurse Rosemary Rogers.

"I'm here to support the hospital but I think it's a done deal and I think it's a criminal done deal," St. Vincent's nurse Dorothy O'Neill.

About 150 people turned out for the rally, including dozens of neighborhood residents.

Also affected by Tuesday's decision to close up shop are the hospital's 345 residents and interns.

They now have to find somewhere else to finish their training programs. Some are just two months away from finishing.

About 40 of them have already been uprooted once when Mary Immaculate Hospital and St. John's Queens Hospital closed last year.

The Committee of Interns and Residents has been working with all the residents and interns since the problems began at St. Vincent's.

Long Island College Hospital EMTs Fired for Online Postings
Ben Duchac
Franco Colon
Two goofball emergency medical technicians played Chatroulette and lost.

The pair had goofed around in their gas masks and flirted with girls in online chat rooms inside their ambulance between 911 emergency assignments and posted photos of it online before getting fired for their capers.

Medics Ben Duchac and Franco Colon of the Long Island College Hospital EMT corps took pictures of their antics. And Duchac posted the images on the photo-sharing Web site Flickr.

The EMTs were in their parked ambulance when they signed on to the Web site ChatRoulette, in which random strangers chat.

One of the images shows a laptop screen chat between a sexy brunette and the two medics wearing their gas masks.

In another, captioned "Franco Likes Safety," Colon steers with his left hand while texting with his right. It's not clear if the ambulance is moving.

"I made a mistake," Duchac told The Post. "It was unprofessional."

"The EMTs involved in this incident were immediately terminated once we became aware of their actions," said hospital spokeswoman Zipporah Dvash

Hospital Workers Rally State To Keep St. Vincent's Open

Elected officials, nurses and hospital workers rallied in front of cash-strapped St. Vincent’s Hospital today.

They are urging state officials to keep the Greenwich Village hospital open.

St. Vincent’s is currently $700 million in debt.

Governor David Paterson had given the hospital a month to develop a viable rescue plan. But the month is almost over and a task force made up of hospital officials, lawmakers and labor leaders has not been able to come up with a solution.

Workers say not only is this a crisis for the actual employees, but it is also a major problem for the community.

"The nurses need to rally because we need to be together. This has been a very stressful situation for all of us for the last couple of months,” said St. Vincent's Nurses Association President Eileen Dunn.

“I've been employed here for the last 20 years, so basically I grew up here at St. Vincent's; it's a family," said another hospital worker. "It's sad what's going on. But the real issue is the impact it's going to have on the community."

Union employees have already agreed to a 10 percent pay cut for the next four months and non-union workers have agreed to slice salaries as much as 25 percent.

The hospital has already laid off 300 unionized workers.

A previous deal to buy the hospital and phase out its emergency care facilities was abandoned after much criticism.

EMTs accused of ignoring dying pregnant woman Eutisha Rennix back on job after 30-day suspensionFDNY EMT Jason Green, 32, and Melisa Jackson, 23, returned to work after a 30-day suspension.

Two EMTs accused of ignoring a dying pregnant woman because they were on a break returned to work Thursday proclaiming their innocence.

Smiling and laughing, Jason Green and Melisa Jackson reported to FDNY headquarters at the end of their 30-day suspension for abandoning Au Bon Pain worker Eutisha Rennix.

"I'm relieved I still have a job," said Green as he hugged a co-worker and playfully swatted another on the shoulder outside Metrotech in downtown Brooklyn.

"This whole thing's been stressful," said Green. "I'm just hanging in there."

The dispatchers, who still face a criminal probe, were grabbing a bagel at a nearby Au Bon Pain when a worker told them 25-year-old Rennix was having trouble breathing. Rennix, who was six months pregnant, had collapsed and was in the back of the store.

Jackson called a fellow dispatcher to report the incident, but witnesses said she and Green did not try to help Rennix themselves. The mom and her premature baby died hours later.

Green, 32, and Jackson, 23, denied they left the coffee shop and insisted they did all they could to help.

"Hopefully, the truth will be unveiled, and me and Melisa will have our names cleared," said Green.

The Department of Investigation and the Brooklyn district attorney's office are probing the incident. The Fire Department has yet to interview the EMTs, but Fire Commissioner Salvatore Cassano said he could not comprehend a member of the FDNY not stopping to help.

"We help, that's what we do - no matter what," Cassano said. "When you raise your right hand and take that oath, that's what you're pledging to do."

Rennix's co-workers were outraged that the pair was allowed to return to work.

"A girl is dead. I think they should still be off," said Tarsheen Brown, 29. "I asked them for help and they just looked at me like I was stupid."

Regional EMS Council of NYC

Ambulance Committee meeting

475 Riverside Drive
Orthodox Room- Ground Floor
New York New York 10115
Date:1/26/2010
Time:5:00 PM

Contact Information:
Organization:Regional EMS Council of NYC
Name:Marie Diglio
Phone Number:212-870-2301
Email Address:mcdiglio@nycremsco.org

12-year-old boy found slasheda 12-year-old boy was found slashed Saturday night in Queens.

Investigators say the boy was found just before 10 p.m. where the Jackie Robinson Parkway intersects with Cypress Hill Street.

He had several slash wounds.He was treated & trasported by NYC EMS to a Queens hospital

,where he is said to be in stable condition

DA probes EMTs in mom's death



Two EMTs accused of callously refusing to help a dying, pregnant mom during their coffee break became the target of a criminal probe by the Brooklyn DA's Office yesterday -- as the FDNY moved to fire them.

Prosecutors met to determine whether EMTs Jason Green, 32, and Melisa Jackson, 23 -- who sources said are romantically involved -- had a legal duty to aid Eutisha Rennix, 25.

The criminal investigation began as the Fire Department suspended Green and Jackson without pay for allegedly ignoring the frantic pleas of Rennix's co-workers to help her after she suffered a seizure Dec. 9 at the Au Bon Pain shop in 1 Metrotech Center in Brooklyn. That's the site of FDNY headquarters and where the pair work as dispatchers.
TRAGIC: Eutisha Rennix, here with twin brother Eudane, died after collapsing in a Brooklyn cafe.
TRAGIC: Eutisha Rennix, here with twin brother Eudane, died after collapsing in a Brooklyn cafe.

Rennix, who had a 3-year-old son, died at Long Island College Hospital after being transported there by a paramedic crew. Her premature baby was delivered at the hospital but died two hours later.

Sources said the FDNY wants to boot Green, a six-year veteran, and Jackson, who has four years with the department, over the debacle, a story that The Post broke Sunday.

But two are fighting back, unleashing a union rep to defend them yesterday.

"These are people that are not in the field," EMS union exec Jeff Samerson said. "They have not had patient contact in years."

Still, even Samerson had to concede, "they could have acted better."

Fire Department officials have already referred the case to the state Health Department, which could revoke the EMTs' certification.

The shocking scandal, which has infuriated Mayor Bloomberg, FDNY brass and the public, even led the union chief to call for punishment for the pair if they failed their duty.

"The entire rank-and-file is mortified by these allegations," said Pat Bahnken, president of Emergency Medical Services Union Local 2507.

Bloomberg raged at the two EMTs for a second day, saying, "There's no excuse whatsoever, as far as I can tell."

FDNY investigators have obtained a videotape from the Au Bon Pain on the day of the incident, department sources said.

Employees said they approached Green and Jackson for help for Rennix.

Shop worker Tareen Brown, 29, said the EMTs initially told workers that "if they reacted, they could get in trouble. They said they weren't allowed to touch her unless a call was made to 911 first."

His co-worker, Lourdes Colon, 19, said, "They said they couldn't do anything. They said they were trainees. They showed no sympathy at all."

Brown said that after Jackson and Green did not go to help Rennix, he went outside where there was a group of about 10 FDNY employees, and told them, "Somebody has fallen out. There's an emergency."

"They said, 'What do you want us to do? Call 911.' "

Jackson actually did call 911 from the Au Bon Pain, according to the union's Samerson.

But sources said Jackson told the dispatcher that Rennix had difficulty breathing -- despite the fact that the EMT never physically examined the stricken woman -- and left before the LICH crew arrived. Based on the information Jackson provided, the call was initially not treated as a critical emergency.

EMTs who refused to help dying pregnant mother

A furious Mayor Bloomberg yesterday blasted two EMTs who allegedly refused to help a dying, pregnant mom because they were on break at a Brooklyn coffee shop.

"It was unconscionable, [an] outrage, pick some adjectives and stick it in," the fuming mayor said at a news conference a day after The Post broke the scandal involving tragic mom Eutisha Revee Rennix, 25."The Fire Department, including EMS, is responsible for life-saving, and their first responsibility is to do that," the mayor said. "But even if they weren't part of the Fire Department sworn to protect all of us, just normal human beings, drop your coffee and go help somebody if they're dying. C'mon."

The two EMTs -- identified for The Post as Melisa Jackson and Jason Green -- were buying bagels in the Au Bon Pain at the Metrotech Center in Downtown Brooklyn on Dec. 9 when Rennix collapsed there -- and they allegedly ignored her.

Her toddler son has been crying, "Where's Mommy?" since her death, said her stunned and grieving family. Rennix's mother, Cynthia, angrily added that the FDNY hasn't offered one word of explanation -- or sympathy -- for the fiasco.

"It's disgusting," Cynthia Rennix said.

"We've heard nothing from the city. No one has called to apologize or explain. Her [3-year-old] son, Jahleel, senses what is going on . . . He keeps asking, 'Where's Mommy?' "

Witnesses have said the two EMTs -- trained medics working as dispatchers at FDNY headquarters at Metrotech -- were more interested in getting to their breakfast than helping the dying woman amid the panicked screams of her fellow workers.

Their cold advice: "Call 911," the witnesses said.

They then allegedly left the cafe before help arrived.

Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta yesterday reiterated that the matter "is under investigation."

A union official said EMT members are not contractually entitled to a responsibility-free meal period; members on duty and in uniform have an obligation to act in an emergency, and leaving a patient is "an act of abandonment," he said.

Frantic employees who were waiting for help after calling 911 had approached the medics standing in line at around 9 a.m. and asked for help for Rennix, who was apparently suffering a seizure and struggling to breathe. The EMTs, who were not identified, allegedly blew off the workers.

At 9:13 a.m., two other EMTs, William Martinez and Robert Suarez, were dispatched from Long Island College Hospital and arrived at 9:24 a.m. to what they believed was a noncritical call.

But before they arrived, by 9:22 a.m., Rennix's condition had dramatically worsened, and 911 was again called about a critical situation -- triggering the dispatch of a FDNY paramedic crew, which arrived at 9:28 a.m.

Rennix was already in cardiac arrest.

She was rushed to LICH and declared dead at 10:17 a.m. Her baby girl was delivered and died 2 hours and 10 minutes later.

The source said that when the FDNY paramedics jumped into the chaotic scene, the LICH crew was running back to their ambulance to get a defibrillator, which they had left in the vehicle.

The family is considering suing over the debacle.

Additional reporting by Edmund DeMarche and Zoey Russo

cj.sullivan@nypost.com

A furious Mayor Bloomberg yesterday blasted two EMTs who allegedly refused to help a dying, pregnant mom because they were on break at a Brooklyn coffee shop.

"It was unconscionable, [an] outrage, pick some adjectives and stick it in," the fuming mayor said at a news conference a day after The Post broke the scandal involving tragic mom Eutisha Revee Rennix, 25.

"The Fire Department, including EMS, is responsible for life-saving, and their first responsibility is to do that," the mayor said. "But even if they weren't part of the Fire Department sworn to protect all of us, just normal human beings, drop your coffee and go help somebody if they're dying. C'mon."
SENSELESS: Eutisha Rennix (above) died of cardiac arrest at a Brooklyn Au Bon Pain after two EMTs allegedly refused to help because they were on break.
Helayne Seidman
SENSELESS: Eutisha Rennix (above) died of cardiac arrest at a Brooklyn Au Bon Pain after two EMTs allegedly refused to help because they were on break.

The two EMTs -- identified for The Post as Melisa Jackson and Jason Green -- were buying bagels in the Au Bon Pain at the Metrotech Center in Downtown Brooklyn on Dec. 9 when Rennix collapsed there -- and they allegedly ignored her.

Her toddler son has been crying, "Where's Mommy?" since her death, said her stunned and grieving family. Rennix's mother, Cynthia, angrily added that the FDNY hasn't offered one word of explanation -- or sympathy -- for the fiasco.

"It's disgusting," Cynthia Rennix said.

"We've heard nothing from the city. No one has called to apologize or explain. Her [3-year-old] son, Jahleel, senses what is going on . . . He keeps asking, 'Where's Mommy?' "

Witnesses have said the two EMTs -- trained medics working as dispatchers at FDNY headquarters at Metrotech -- were more interested in getting to their breakfast than helping the dying woman amid the panicked screams of her fellow workers.

Their cold advice: "Call 911," the witnesses said.

They then allegedly left the cafe before help arrived.

Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta yesterday reiterated that the matter "is under investigation."

A union official said EMT members are not contractually entitled to a responsibility-free meal period; members on duty and in uniform have an obligation to act in an emergency, and leaving a patient is "an act of abandonment," he said.

Frantic employees who were waiting for help after calling 911 had approached the medics standing in line at around 9 a.m. and asked for help for Rennix, who was apparently suffering a seizure and struggling to breathe. The EMTs, who were not identified, allegedly blew off the workers.

At 9:13 a.m., two other EMTs, William Martinez and Robert Suarez, were dispatched from Long Island College Hospital and arrived at 9:24 a.m. to what they believed was a noncritical call.

But before they arrived, by 9:22 a.m., Rennix's condition had dramatically worsened, and 911 was again called about a critical situation -- triggering the dispatch of a FDNY paramedic crew, which arrived at 9:28 a.m.

Rennix was already in cardiac arrest.

She was rushed to LICH and declared dead at 10:17 a.m. Her baby girl was delivered and died 2 hours and 10 minutes later.

The source said that when the FDNY paramedics jumped into the chaotic scene, the LICH crew was running back to their ambulance to get a defibrillator, which they had left in the vehicle.

The family is considering suing over the debacle.

Why we have jobs