Sun, 12/07/2008 - 11:54pm

Ok...I see what you are saying and it happens! Sometimes police make bad or wrong choices and that goes for fire and rescue as well. Nobody is perfect. If you want us to step back then fine by me! I remember this time I suggested to rescue not load an accident victim on a backboard a certain way because it did not look safe. He looked at me like I had three heads and said, " I do it all the time" just as the board slipped off the curb and the victim let out a loud scream. Huge ego if I ever saw one! I just walked away. This is the problem. Everyone thinks they know it all.

Sun, 12/07/2008 - 3:24pm

10:20 AM There is no doubt you guys must provide patient care when first arriving but when the proper agencies arrive step back and assist. When EMS request's additional unit's such as the fire dept. there should be no question! That was the concern on this scene, your officers felt the victim could be pulled out -not extricated. As far as ego's go there was little attitude problem that night. We were told by officers on scene, (this is ridiculous you guy's do not need to be here). Oh Yeah, yes I was there , I am a firefighter!

Sat, 12/06/2008 - 10:20am

Although many egos get in the way on an accident scene at times, they are handled professionally and effectively. Yes I am a police officer. In most cases...when a dispatcher receives a call of an accident, he/she gathers as much information as possible. From that information, the dispatcher may dispatch the proper authority on his/her own. Many times I have been dispatched to an accident and while enroute, asked dispatch to have rescue respond because the information given sounded like it was a bad accident. Many times they advise me that they are already on their way. Dispatchers are the first to get the information and they are not fools. If someone calls and says that a car flipped over on Fulling Mill Rd., no dispatcher is going to wait for an officer to show up on scene to access injuries before rescue is dispatched! Dispatch will send EMS on their own! Come on people! Oh and 10:45 PM...you are wrong my friend. If the police are first on scene, it is their responsibility to treat the patient the best they can until EMS arrive. Police carry first aid kits, oxygen, and defibulaters (to restart the heart). We are taught how to use all and updated when required. We do not show up and provide traffic control while someone is sitting in their car hurt! Again come on! As many said before...get the facts and don't be in a rush to judge. Oh and the coffee and donuts thing is so 80's. At least say coffee and a bagel or late' and a danish. Either way...whatever gets a laugh is fine with us. Happy Holidays and stay safe.

Wed, 12/03/2008 - 11:43pm

Is this piece of work indicative of the kind of education that is received in Bushnell, Florida?

Wed, 12/03/2008 - 8:20am

i can not belive you people in nj. you have nothing better too do. run the firemen down. and im sure if they wanted to be police men they would of.its like you get upset if no one dies in a accident. thank god she dident. like the lady on indian trail did.if you all have so much time on you handa to sit and run people down well why dont you go help the firemen get ready for xmas. and help them fight the nexted house fire or car accident. you will see just how hard they work to save our life.the thing that hurts is a lady ask was the animal okay. in a truck fire. omg. you should of ask was the driver okay. you people need to get a job or a life. may god be with all our firemen.and thank you for all the lives you did save. bushnell fla.

Wed, 12/03/2008 - 1:03am

12:40 Yes, saying that someone is dead when they are not isn't what anyone wants to hear, but instead of attacking the Herald go after the person that made the comment. If the posts allowed on this site bother you, you have every right not to read them. The fact of the matter is, you are not only reading them, but you are commenting also. If you and the so called many others don't appreciate what is allowed to be posted, and don't read it, maybe there wouldn't be any posting going on. Afterall, there wouldn't be anyone to make the posting right?

Mon, 12/01/2008 - 12:40pm

This comment is directed to the person who wrote below.

""the Herald allowing" ??? What communist country do you live in??? Why would you expect the Herald to censor someones constitutional rights to free speech?
We do live in a FREE country anyone can say what ever they want!
It's the LAW!!! "

Yes, censorship is acceptable when defamation of character & libel is a factor. Stating that a victim is deceased (that means dead, for those who don't know~) when she in fact IS NOT is not acceptable. This forum is acceptable if it were in another location, posting right on an article is irresponsible by the newspaper.

Sun, 11/30/2008 - 11:46pm

To: Sun, 11/30/2008 - 10:52pm

"the Herald allowing" ??? What communist country do you live in??? Why would you expect the Herald to censor someones constitutional rights to free speech?

We do live in a FREE country anyone can say what ever they want!

It's the LAW!!!

Sun, 11/30/2008 - 10:52pm

HERE WE GO AGAIN> with the Herald allowing Rumors to tear a town apart!!! Nobody died; but the Herald's Blog said someone did!! There was no delay in calling for Jaws: but the Herald's Blog said there was!! The Cops hate the Firemen and the Firemen hate the Cops; that must be the truth also because I read it in the Herald's Blog!!!
When stories and Blogs start getting crazy, why doesn't the Herald lock out the blog and the "BULL ***" ???? This paper along with it's SPOUT OFF does nothing but print rumors and falsehoods. Can't your paper see what it is doing?? I am not the only one who feels this way!! You have some good points but the rumors must stop!!

(The views and opinions expressed in this blog are strictly those of the person that has posted them. -Herald Staff)

Sun, 11/30/2008 - 4:41pm

CANT WE ALL JUST GET ALONG??

Sun, 11/30/2008 - 10:29am

As a taxpayer in LT I'm wondering if my life is in danger because of this policy. I came from an area where the police had an emergency services unit that could handle such incidents without FD assistance. LT police do not have such a unit. It is far easier to tuirn around FD units that are enroute to an incident than it is to call them out once you discover that you need them. If the LT police have a problem withg the way the volunteers respond then they should deal with THAT problem but don't put MY life in jeopardy because you have a problem with the FD. Are we waiting for someone to die before we make changes. I don't call a carpenter to do my plumbing repairs, why would I want a cop to do a firefighter's job...

Sat, 11/29/2008 - 7:39pm

Most vol. firemen do it because it gives back to the community. I know most people cant believe that, but think about when you and your family are sitting eatting dinner or at 3:30am when you hear that siren. They are one of the only people that dont get paid to leave what they are doing to help someone out. Would you go around and bash people that donate money to a cause??? Well think of the men and women that put their personal life on hold to deal with someone else's problem. P.S. not that the PD and EMS wouldn't, but come on, 24/7 and for free. Thanks to everyone who helps. One of these days something will happen to someone and the community will find out the truth.

Sat, 11/29/2008 - 6:33pm

Firefighters wanting to be cops. Thanks for that comment i needed a laugh!!

Sat, 11/29/2008 - 3:00pm

when will the firemen just give up trying to bash the cops all the time. i believe that fireman are just people that cant be cops.

Sat, 11/29/2008 - 1:20pm

Well FOOL ( 12:30 am ) you were wrong. Go fluff your feathers with your family and tell them how important you think you are but leave us adults alone please.

Sat, 11/29/2008 - 11:33am

actuallly, not everyone gets dispatched right away, hense the discussion. good to hear the woman is ok, bad to hear it took so long for the jaws to get called. not bashing, ALL facts. sorry people dont like to hear the truth.

Sat, 11/29/2008 - 10:59am

I also have first hand knowledge of the "dispatching world", I don't know how it works in your township but I can tell you that in lower twp Ems is only dispatched to an accident when injuries are reported. As far as fire responding to an accident, they are only dispatched when requested by police or ems after they have arrived on scene. not from the beginning of the incident. When someone is injured a few moments can mean life or death... just think how much time is wasted with the protocols that lower currently has in place.

Sat, 11/29/2008 - 6:47am

If any of you know how the dispatching world works you would already know that when there is an accident the fire dept and ems are dispatched. Alot of time you do not know the patient is trapped in the car till you get there. It takes time to cut a patient from a car. WHY DONT ALL YOU PEOPLE THAT ARE BASHING THE FIRE DEPT, EMS AND THE POLICE STEP UP AND HELP SOLVE THE PROBLEMS OF LOW MAN POWER AND OTHER THINGS INSTEAD OF BASHING THEM.

Sat, 11/29/2008 - 12:30am

To 4:45 most of the time Fire and EMS are made aware that a patient has died because of the reports that get filed wth the state. Get your facts straight before you make comments! Whose the fool now????

Fri, 11/28/2008 - 10:09pm

its ashame that because you dont have anything going on in your family you have to pass judgement on a family who is in a crisis right now,stop and think about if it was your family.

Fri, 11/28/2008 - 9:01pm

I am glad to hear the woman is stable. I live in lower twp. and hope the chief's of all three depts. can work their problems out if these comments are true. A friend of mine is a firefighter in middle twp. and says fire,ems and the police all work well together. Maybe lower should look into middle's protocall's.

Fri, 11/28/2008 - 5:27pm

The only fools here are the idiots saying what they think happened. Maybe the Herald should do an updated story on all of this hear-say.

Fri, 11/28/2008 - 4:55pm

11-27 @ 12:30 PM, FYI FYI you must feel pretty stupid now that the family has said she is stable. You are obviously a fireman and now the credibility of your comrads are zilch. You fooool !!!

Fri, 11/28/2008 - 1:22pm

You know that last comment about the donuts and coffee was just rude! I can assure you I am not a cop or fireman and to judge them, get a life....How many cups of coffee do you drink? How many donuts have you ate? Last night I'm sure you plowed down some Turkey are they going to get critized for that too. Leave the Police Department alone already they are just doing there jobs. When they come to your door and answer your calls do you critize them than? I can almost bet you don't - go shove a donut in your fat mouth and shut up!

Fri, 11/28/2008 - 11:12am

I dont think ALL these comments are from police and fire workers, because Im sure if that was the case you wouldnt be here talking about them. And if they are they should all be ashamed of themselves for making these comments without knowing the facts. But who knows, Maybe they are just cranky from not eating enough donuts and drinking enough coffee.

Fri, 11/28/2008 - 10:59am

RIGHT ON!! 11/28/2008 - 10:33am You hit it right! Join us instead of being against us,
Stop by your local EMS, Fire or Police Department and find out how to join us.
we could use the help and in turn you will be helping the community in which you live be the best it can be.

Fri, 11/28/2008 - 10:41am

all of the comments here ARE from the police and fire departments.

Fri, 11/28/2008 - 10:33am

You are all *** for posting on an article about an 80 year in car accident. If issues like this are that important to you maybe you should join the police or fire department if you want to know the facts of issues like this, instead of sitting on your fat asses and writing comments on articles that you have no idea about. I think its time you all get a hobby instead of writing comments on newspaper articles.

Fri, 11/28/2008 - 8:28am

No cop bashers here! It is fact, that EMS requested the jaws of life and the officers on scene did not relay the info to the dispatchers. The GOLDEN HOUR was spent on scene because of such ignorance! This is not the first time and won't be the last. It's a shame that it has to be this way. Again there is no cop bashing, this problem could easly be resolved.

Fri, 11/28/2008 - 6:19am

I am a lower twp. firefighter. I think the police do a great job in what they do, day in and day out. They are normally the first ones on scene and they do put their life on the line. The problem is when their "higher ups" have to be on scene to make decisions. With the mva most of us heard the whole thing on the radio. It seems as if the pd thought the ems could just get her out. This would have been true if her leg wasnt pinned and if she didnt have to be placed on a backboard. What they dont think about is Mechanism of injury, when a car hits a pole so hard that the dash board and pedals impede on the driver there is a lot of force. That means the drivers body went from 40mph to 0 in a split second. That means her internal organs went 40mph to 0. EMS has to take every precaution to treat for injuries that you cant see, ie backboard, c collar. Jaws of Life are used to take the car away from the driver. This way the EMT's can treat the victim without moving her the "wrong way" and doing more damage.

Fri, 11/28/2008 - 4:34am

Hello, this is a family member of the victim. I would like to inform you that she did not pass away. She is in the hospital in critical but stable condition. And for all the people commenting on her age and that she shouldn't be driving I would just like to say that ACCIDENTS HAPPEN! This could have happened to anyone regardless of there age. And I hope that none of you would ever have to go through this. Please when posting your comments think about the family and friends that might be reading this.

Thu, 11/27/2008 - 11:54pm

Its great to get these news reports online so quickly...BUT how about some updates. Did she really pass away? Were there really issues about how the accident was handled? I cant believe any police,fire or emt would let this woman lay dying in her car for 40 mins!! I wish the Herald would look over these comments and have some kind of quick reply to them. Rumors and Bashing in this county is way out of control!!!

Thu, 11/27/2008 - 11:41pm

what i would like to know is where everyone is getting there information about how long it took LTPD to get jaws out there.. it says firefighter worked for 30 min trying to free her from her vehicle... Once again cop bashers! Dont forget who keeps this town safe and who are the first to respond when something bad happens... what we need to do is get all the low lifes out of here!!

Thu, 11/27/2008 - 11:40pm

It is sad that a Towship should indure such ridicule to thier police department. I was at the scene of this accident ( I was driving down the road and stopped )and the jaws of life came and cut the woman out of the car, she was coherent upon extrication and the only visible injuries she had a broken ankle. The police responded within minutes of the accident and did a good job, a helicopter was dispatched to take her to the hospital. Support your Township and stop making up stories. We the taxpayers do not need to pay more money to investigate insinuations made by disgruntaled criminals.

Thu, 11/27/2008 - 10:45pm

If this is the truth that the police delayed the fire dept. response there should be an investigation. The police officer's job on an accident scene is traffic control and investigating not rescue or patient care. This is a discrace to lower twp. public saftey! I don't think the cops would like a firefighter or EMS telling them what to do about a police matter!!!!!!!

Thu, 11/27/2008 - 6:08pm

sad it always takes someone to lose their life before changes get made.

Thu, 11/27/2008 - 4:41pm

The state should look into what is happening in Lower Twp. The Chief of Police is turning this into a dangerous game. Wake up people it isnt the patrolmen, its the leaders that are feeding them the B.S. and now the people of the township want to know why. So WHY Chief?????

Thu, 11/27/2008 - 4:28pm

Is this really true that this woman passed away?

Thu, 11/27/2008 - 5:45am

Come on people, lets forget about the age of this woman and think about the family of this accident victim. It is the holidays and I am sure that if it was a relative of yours in the hospital in critical condition you would not want anyone putting them down for driving when they are elderly. Just remember everyone will be there one day God willing. Lets hope that no one wants to take your drivers license away when you think you can still drive. Please be kind on this Thanksgiving Holiday and be thankful it was not your relative and pray that this woman makes it through and then maybe her family will take her drivers license away. I am going to pray for her and I hope you do to.

Wed, 11/26/2008 - 8:56pm

It is a dangerous intersection...but it could happen to anyone, young or old. And does any family prepare themselves for a loved one to be in an accident. NO I DON'T THINK SO!

Wed, 11/26/2008 - 5:51pm

This could happen to young and old. Dont be so critical when you dont know what happened Accicdents happen to the young and elderly.

Wed, 11/26/2008 - 5:47pm

This can happy to anyone young or old dont be so critical when you dont know what happened..

Wed, 11/26/2008 - 1:19pm

An 80 year old shouldn't be driving without being re-tested. The elderly have more medical issues that limit their ability to drive safely. I'm sorry the woman was hurt but I'll bet her family knew this would eventually happen.

Wed, 11/26/2008 - 11:58am

old an driving is as bad as drinking and driving

Wed, 11/26/2008 - 9:35am

You are right! However, this accident happened just north of Bennets and had nothing to do with the intersection. The article is wrong. The Press is right.

Wed, 11/26/2008 - 12:53am

bennets crossing has always been so dangerous...