** Colorado firefighter retiring after derogatory remarks about female EMT said on open mike; EMT still off work
** Ontario paramedics in Essex County cry foul over in-ambulance video cameras
UNITED STATES NEWS
** A Colorado EMT, who was subject to derogatory sexual remarks over a firefighter’s open dispatch microphone, has not returned to work since the April incident. That is the word from ABC 7 Denver (Russell Haythorn/May 11) which said the female medic remains embarrassed by the untrue comments and is considering a variety of actions to redress the situation. According to the news service, the woman’s attorney said she may sue the Aurora Fire Department for wages lost and emotional distress. She is also pondering the possibility of filing discrimination charges with the State of Colorado. The firefighter, meanwhile, is set to retire in June. Though an internal investigation did find there was misconduct on the firefighter’s part, it remains unclear whether he was disciplined over the matter.
CANADA NEWS
** Ontario paramedics in Essex County are sounding the alarm over closed circuit television cameras installed in ambulances. The Marketwire (May 12) said practitioners are concerned that rear compartment and driver’s cab cameras compromise the privacy of both patients and practitioners. CUPE Local 2974 president and paramedic Ian Nash said the rear cab cameras have been in place since December 2014. He said both the video and audio recorded by the monitors is inappropriate, given that people being treated by EMS are often in a vulnerable medical state and would not likely consent to being filmed. In addition, Nash said no signs indicate that monitoring is occurring. National CUPE representative Suanne Hawkins agreed. Hawkins said medics do not know who is viewing the video/audio footage and for what purpose it is being collected. Essex-Windsor EMS Chief Bruce Krauter, meanwhile, said the cameras, which are not yet active, have been installed to ensure both patient and provider safety. CBC (May 12) quoted Krauter as saying patient compartment cameras do not record data and are there for the driver to monitor what is going on in the rear cab. As for medics’ concern about audio recording, he said the black box like function can be turned off manually.
