Wednesday, April 3, 2013

** New York paramedic arrested for allegedly assaulting cop at call scene

** New York media continues to hammer FDNY, this time over gruesome Facebook snaps on educational site

UNITED STATES NEWS

** Charges are apparently pending against a Brooklyn paramedic who allegedly assaulted a police officer at a cardiac arrest call scene. That is the word from DNAinfo (Ben Frachtenberg/April 1) which said the unidentified practitioner was arrested by the NYPD following the 8:34 a.m. incident Monday. According to the newspaper, little information is available on the nature of the altercation. The patient in question, however, was transported to Long Island Hospital in critical condition despite the fracas.

** New York’s news media continues to hammer at the Fire Department of New York, this time feigning horror at the publication of graphic on-scene photos on an educational Facebook site. The Huffington Post (April 1) said the pics, which have apparently gleaned 233,856 likes, have been deemed as potentially violating the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. According to the newspaper, the photos cross the line because in some instances the faces of patients are clearly visible. The page entitled EMT/Paramedic is identified as being  for educational and training purposes and advises readers to keep comments professional. The latest brouhaha comes mere weeks after FDNY commissioner Salvatore Cassano resigned after alleged racist tweets. In another instance, EMT Timothy Dluhos was also suspended for similar Twitter issues.