A few folks wrote in last night:
“any idea what’s happening on 13th and Clifton?”
Alan Henney tweets the bizarre/frightening situation:
“PERSON TRAPPED IN TRASH CHUTE/COMPACTOR, 1312 Clifton St NW-DC. 2 rescue squads attempting rescue now.”
“u/d WOMAN DOWN TRASH CHUTE- Wardman Ct Apts @ 1312 Clifton St NW. 3sty fall to sub-basement-in compactor for 90mins.Conscious/going to Med*”
Updates when/if more is known.
A reader reports:
“Around 9:30 this morning there was an awful hit and run accident on Georgia Ave between Otis & Princeton with a huge EMS response. I spoke to a bystander, who said the victim had been unloading his car (parked in a space facing northbound on Georgia) when a distracted driver moved into the parking lane and hit him, severing the victim’s legs. The driver then reversed and left the scene. He was described as older and a ‘distracted driver.’ Apparently MPD has a license plate, so maybe they will catch the driver soon.
I hope the victim gets the very best healthcare available. Might be a good time to remind everyone: Please remember- PAY ATTENTION when you are driving! Conditions change in an instant and without your full attention things can turn tragic very quickly.”
14th Street.
Thanks to all who emailed and tweeted us:
“Same block as the fire over the summer (this one 1626). Firefighters arrived at 7:45am. Had to break down the door and through all of the windows on each level. Sawing through all of the window bars. Unsure if anyone was home or injured. Now at 8:05 there isn’t anymore smoke billowing out of the house and firefighters are coming out.
Update – thankfully no one was inside.”
Photo by PoPville flickr user Eric P.
“Dear PoPville,
I was just wondering if we could get an update on the recommendations made by the Task Force on Emergency Medical Services developed after Rosenbaum’s death in 2007.
The Mayor seems to be capitulating on actually reforming DC FEMS and looking for quick fixes that pad private sector wallets.”
From the Mayor’s office:
“Mayor Muriel Bowser presented a plan to the DC Council to reform the emergency medical response system. Year after year, the District’s Fire & Emergency Medical Services (FEMS) Department has experienced a significant increase in calls and inadequate investment in training and equipment. Annual calls have increased by nearly 28% since August 2011. Increasing call volume – setting a record in each of the last three months – and a lack of sufficient investment in training and equipment over the years is straining response and quality of care.
In order to reform the EMS system, FEMS will overhaul training for emergency medical responders, improve system processes, and enhance communications, which will ensure that the right resources are dispatched on every call. In addition, the Mayor will propose emergency legislation that will enable FEMS to work with third party providers to transport lower acuity patients. The emergency legislation will put more ambulances on the street by authorizing FEMS to contract with third party service providers to transport low-priority calls (e.g. cold symptoms, ankle sprains, and general non acute sick calls).
While emergency medical responders are dutifully serving the District, they have an aging fleet of ambulances that is unreliable. That is why, in Mayor Bowser’s first budget, the Administration invested $8 million to improve the District’s ambulance fleet in the coming year. However, the ambulances FEMS is purchasing, refurbishing and leasing only maintain the status quo as demand rises. In short, current resources are outpaced by the unprecedented demand for ambulance transport.
“My emergency legislation represents a pragmatic solution to a very real and pressing challenge,” said Mayor Bowser. “Once we have these EMS enhancements in place, FEMS can better train our providers, maintain our current fleet, and improve our dispatch and deployment. My team has looked at all the options, and this is the best way to improve quality of care.”
Emergency procurement will be open for 120 days, followed by a long-term competitive bidding process. FEMS will continue to respond to ALL 911 calls – and will determine when to request a third party service provider for transport. If a patient being transported by the service provider deteriorates and becomes a higher priority call, the provider will be required to call 911/FEMS.
“This legislation will help FEMS ramp up our ambulance availability in a short period of time,” said FEMS Chief Gregory Dean. “This will free up our current fleet for scheduled and unscheduled maintenance, and will enable FEMS to improve our EMS service delivery overall and to better train our team.”
Third party providers will have to meet high performance requirements, including response times – and will be regulated by the Department of Health, just like all transport companies that currently operate in the District for special events.”
Help Us Help You ~ The D.C. Firefighters Burn Foundation from Capital City Lightworks on Vimeo.
From a press release:
The D.C. Firefighters Burn Foundation (The Foundation) announces the launch of its first-ever fundraising campaign and aims to raise $50,000 from September 15ththrough November 15th with 100 percent of funds raised going to much-needed pediatric equipment for the new burn unit at Children’s National Medical Center.
For the past 11 years, the Foundation has provided financial, emotional, and survivor support programs for youth and adult burn survivors along with injured firefighters throughout the Washington D.C. metro-area by purchasing and upgrading equipment at Washington Med-Star Hospital Center and Children’s National Medical Center, sponsoring burn survivors to the Adaptive Sports Camp and the World Burn Congress and providing educational materials for firefighters, health professionals, and the D.C. community.
“With Children’s National the only true pediatric facility in the D.C. metro area, it’s essential that we support this new specialized pediatric center and to ensure that young burn survivors from our region receive a level of care that is second to none,” said Jason Woods, D.C. Firefighters Burn Foundation president. “This new pediatric burn facility will serve pediatric burn patients from Northern Virginia, Montgomery and Prince George’s County, Southern Maryland and of course, D.C. We plan to continue helping young burn survivors throughout the area for decades to come and to ensure that they can now receive the level of care that they deserve close to home.”
Donations are accepted via the Foundation’s website at www.dcffburnfoundation.org. The fundraising campaign culminates in a fundraising party on Saturday, November 7, 2015 at the Dubliner on 520 N. Capitol Street, N.W.“
Photo by PoPville flickr user District Shots
Thanks to a reader for sending:
“While on Third Street NW waiting to turn onto NY Ave by 395, I noticed something that is sadly typical. A driver lowered his window and proceeded to throw an empty water bottle onto the street. I proceeded to roll my eyes, mutter under-breathe curses towards said driver and wonder why nothing ever happens to people that litter, despite the ample signs warning of nominal fines.
As I crept up 3 feet and stopped for the 15 second light, something unusual happened. My hero of the day arrived on the scene. A man wearing a DCFD shirt got out of the drivers’ side of his car and proceeded towards the litterbug’s car. Without any words exchanged, Mr. DCFD shirt picked up the bottle and threw it back in the litterbug’s vehicle. He then strode back to his car and I flashed him the thumbs up sign of approval.
Though the litterbug unsurprisingly threw the bottle back out on the street, Mr. DCFD shirt stood up for those of us that wish we could take the action he took. And, that’s why this gentleman is my hero of the day.”
You can see previous nominees here. Should you spot a quiet act of heroism along these lines please do send an email with a brief description and the neighborhood where it was witnessed to [email protected] or tweet @PoPville.
Meanwhile in AdMo. Fire on Euclid between 17th and Ontario
Posted by Megan Henszey on Monday, August 3, 2015
Thanks to a reader for sending the video to the PoPville facebook page.
@IAFF36 tweets:
“Working fire 1700 block Euclid St NW Engine 9 reporting fire 2nd & 3rd floors”
“Update 1700 block Euclid St NW fire fighters are reporting the fire is knocked down. Extensive overhaul still needs to be done”
A reader writes:
“a photo of the smoke from the fire at 17th & Euclid. This was taken around 8:15pm, shortly after the first firetrucks went racing by. Taken from the 16th & Columbia Rd intersection.”
Photo by PoPville flickr user D.B.
From the Mayor’s Office:
“Mayor Muriel Bowser announced reforms at the DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department (FEMS) and the Office of Unified Communications (OUC) that will improve emergency response times and quality of care for residents and visitors to the District.
The reforms come as FEMS released an investigative report on the delayed emergency response that occurred March 13, 2015 in Tenleytown. That day, at approximately 8:36 a.m., OUC received a 911 call for a one year old male in distress. Paramedics arrived on scene at 8:47 a.m. and provided advanced life support care, but unfortunately the child subsequently died.
Mayor Bowser tasked FEMS and OUC with conducting a top-to-bottom review of the incident, as well as their overall emergency response processes and procedures. The months-long internal investigation found that human error along with technological and training issues – related to a new dispatch system – contributed to a breakdown in emergency response communications.
A redacted version of the FEMS report can be found HERE. (more…)
