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Charging For "NON-Emergency" Calls
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TakingItBack
December 20, 2011, 11:27am Report to Moderator
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Quoted from Box A Rox

Since it wasn't in the paper, could you post the source of this information.


Being in the paper doesn't make it fact.  Common sense is the source.  People with brains, transportation and money don't make these calls.  Thats not too hard to figure out.  If you think I am wrong or missing something, please provide an example of a situation that this law would benefit from that doesn't fall under this list.

The missing remote does.....Mental Obviously
The tooth ache situation does.......not going to the dentist or can't.  Beleive it or not, the tooth ache thing might be a legit reason to call one.  An absece can cause delirium and or even lead to a heart attack.  The wife maybe doesnt drive or have a liscence.  The city would spin something like this to make it happen.

The cheif said he had  50+ pages of addresses of potential offenders yet only provided 2 examples to the people who are going to vote something into law.  Unacceptable and/or lazy.  


Life is tough, but it's tougher when you're stupid - John Wayne


TIP TO NEW VISITORS TO THIS FORUM - To improve your blogging pleasure it is recommended to ignore (Through editing your prefere) the posts of the following bloggers - DemocraticVoiceofReason, Scotsgod08 and Smoking Bananas.  They continually go off topic, do not provide facts and make irrational remarks. If you do not believe me, this can be proven by their reputation scores or by a sampling of their posts.  
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Box A Rox
December 20, 2011, 11:34am Report to Moderator

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Quoted from TakingItBack


The majority of the people who make these calls.....

1. Are mentally ill
2. Don't have any money
3. Won't pay when billed later.
4. Don't have anything to lein if they don't pay.
5. Don't live in Schenectady
6. Aren't citizens of the United States.
7. Dont have Identification
8. Won't give their identification.
9. Don't speak english.
10.  Aren't paying their rent.
11. Was called by one of their children


So apparently you made up these "facts" and posted them as if they were fact.
Again, pathetic.



The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral
philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.

John Kenneth Galbraith

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CICERO
December 20, 2011, 11:40am Report to Moderator

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Just another example of legal extortion.  Who will be the arbiter of "frivolous"?  Will certain "frivolous" calls be swept under the rug depending on who you are or who you are related to?  This is a lawsuit waiting to happen.  If I was a property owner in Schenectady and paid the exorbitant taxes they pay for ambulance service, and they tried to nickel and dime me for what they considered a "frivolous" emergency, I would tell them to sh*t in their hat.  You will have droves of people in court disputing the fines.  Which may wipe out any wild dream of savings.  

Government is notorious for goofy ideas like this.  It's a politician doing something just to do something without cost analysis, but at least they can say they did something.


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CICERO
December 20, 2011, 11:44am Report to Moderator

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Quoted from Box A Rox


So apparently you made up these "facts" and posted them as if they were fact.
Again, pathetic.



Hey box, reread the article.  The whole thing is made up.  There are NO FACTS in the article.  The whole article is just a reprint of a persons opinions and conjecture.  That's what the Gazette does, they are a mouth piece of the Democrat controlled government.

Do you go through life believing newspaper opinions as fact just because they are in the newspaper?


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Box A Rox
December 20, 2011, 11:45am Report to Moderator

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Cicero's vote is to continue to pay for  the unnecessary 911 calls for TakingItBack's list of callers.  

By the always partisan nature of this board, I would guess that if this idea were floated by a Republican officeholder,
the opposition would disappear.


The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral
philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.

John Kenneth Galbraith

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TakingItBack
December 20, 2011, 11:54am Report to Moderator
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Quoted from Box A Rox
Cicero's vote is to continue to pay for  the unnecessary 911 calls for TakingItBack's list of callers.  

By the always partisan nature of this board, I would guess that if this idea were floated by a Republican officeholder,
the opposition would disappear.


Box A Rox.  I totally understand and agree with the premise and reason they are proposing this law.  It just shouldnt be proposed without more examples.  More accurate projections of savings.....a true cost benefit analysis.  What are the Pros and CONS.  None of the CONS were truley discussed.  

My fear is that in the end it may come back to haunt us.  The elderly will be confused by this law and not understand it and may not call due to the fear of being billed.  

Please provide an example of a situation that this law would benefit from that doesn't fall under this list.  I may be missing something.



Life is tough, but it's tougher when you're stupid - John Wayne


TIP TO NEW VISITORS TO THIS FORUM - To improve your blogging pleasure it is recommended to ignore (Through editing your prefere) the posts of the following bloggers - DemocraticVoiceofReason, Scotsgod08 and Smoking Bananas.  They continually go off topic, do not provide facts and make irrational remarks. If you do not believe me, this can be proven by their reputation scores or by a sampling of their posts.  
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CICERO
December 20, 2011, 11:59am Report to Moderator

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Quoted from Box A Rox
Cicero's vote is to continue to pay for  the unnecessary 911 calls for TakingItBack's list of callers.  


WRONG AGAIN!  My vote is to privatize ambulance service and let the private business bill for frivolous calls.  Don't force me to pay for a service up front, then turn around and tell me what is and isn't frivolous, then bill me again!!


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TakingItBack
December 20, 2011, 12:48pm Report to Moderator
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Quoted from CICERO


WRONG AGAIN!  My vote is to privatize ambulance service and let the private business bill for frivolous calls.  Don't force me to pay for a service up front, then turn around and tell me what is and isn't frivolous, then bill me again!!


Even better.....

I think the real issue is that the firemen are getting to the police and health related issues before the ambulances and police.  4 fire trucks at a slip and fall.   4 fire trucks, 15 police and 3 ambulances at a cat in a tree.  

Someone, preferably Vince Riggi needs to see this data, with names removed whatever to protect people "health" records.  It will tell the story.  The Municipal Housing Authority gets the lions share I assure you.  

Another thing.  There is no reason why the cops need to drive around with 2 people in the car ALL the time.  They swarm every single incident with 8 cars (16 cops) anyways.


Life is tough, but it's tougher when you're stupid - John Wayne


TIP TO NEW VISITORS TO THIS FORUM - To improve your blogging pleasure it is recommended to ignore (Through editing your prefere) the posts of the following bloggers - DemocraticVoiceofReason, Scotsgod08 and Smoking Bananas.  They continually go off topic, do not provide facts and make irrational remarks. If you do not believe me, this can be proven by their reputation scores or by a sampling of their posts.  
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benny salami
December 20, 2011, 1:07pm Report to Moderator
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When you refuse to cut ANY spending, socialize more functions and hire more City employees {to save money-lol} you have to come up with these constant nit wit ideas. The problem is old call boxes and false security system calls. TIB is right it will cost more to try and collect these. It's another whiff like selling 800 foreclosed hulks that no one wants to balance the budget. But one person might maybe want one property on Union Street so jump and and down like a moron about it. No other Occupy member would support this outrage which hurts the poorest the most.
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Box A Rox
December 20, 2011, 2:38pm Report to Moderator

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Quoted from TakingItBack

Please provide an example of a situation that this law would benefit from that doesn't fall under this list.  I may be
missing something.


I would be interested to see a more complete list of non emergency calls but I can imagine several that might apply:
1. An Ohio man called 911 in May 2009 after his live-in adult son refused to clean his messy bedroom. Andrew Mizsak,
a 28-year old member of the Bedord, Ohio school board who lived in his father's basement, was reportedly "crying
uncontrollably" when he promised police he would clean his room. His father declined to press charges, saying he
didn't want to hurt his son's political career.

2. On Memorial Day 2009, Raibin Osman, a 20-year-old man from Aloha, Ore., called 911 with an unusual
complaint: a box of orange juice had been omitted from his younger brother's order at a McDonald's
drive-thru. Upset that the teller declined to rectify the alleged mistake, Osman called the cops to complain

3. If only every rescue were this easy. A Florida woman called 911 saying she was stuck inside her car with
the windows up in a Walgreen's parking lot. Her engine wouldn't start, and it was getting hot. The 911
operator's advice? Unlock the door, and pull the handle.

4.Apparently miffed at being stuck in traffic, presidential candidate John McCain's younger brother Joe called
911 in the fall of 2008 after getting stuck in traffic near Washington's Wilson Bridge.
When the operator chided him for the decidedly non-emergency call, the younger McCain cursed at him and
hung up. His lesson clearly unlearned, McCain later called 911 again, this time to complain about a message
left on his voicemail by the first emergency operator.






The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral
philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.

John Kenneth Galbraith

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CICERO
December 20, 2011, 3:07pm Report to Moderator

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Would threats of fines imposed by government for calling 9-11 possibly cause somebody to hesitate or not call 9-11, which in turn results in further injury or death, all  because they didn't want to get fined and have a public record of a frivolous emergency?


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Box A Rox
December 20, 2011, 3:17pm Report to Moderator

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Quoted from CICERO
Would threats of fines imposed by government for calling 9-11 possibly cause somebody to hesitate or not call 9-11, which in turn results in further injury or death, all  because they didn't want to get fined and have a public record of a frivolous emergency?


YUP!
That's why acting Mayor Gary McCarthy said the council would have to decide if the first call would be free, and then
have a sliding fee scale for what he called "frequent fliers."

If the first call will always be free, no one would have to worry if the call would be charged to them in an Emergency.
Paramedics could offer a list (similar to the one below) to assist anyone who did call with a non emergency.

What Is A True Medical Emergency?
According to the American College of Emergency Physicians and other national organizations, the following are
some of the warning signs of a medical emergency:

Difficulty breathing, shortness of breath
Chest or upper abdominal pain or pressure
Fainting or loss of consciousness
Unresponsiveness when talked to or touched
Drowning
Unexplained seizures or convulsions
Sudden dizziness, weakness, or change in vision
Mental change (such as confusion, unusual behavior, difficulty waking or speaking)
Unexplained severe headache
Sudden or intense pain
Bleeding that won't stop
Severe vaginal bleeding
Coughing up or vomiting blood
Suicidal or homicidal feelings
Choking
Severe burns
Allergic reaction
Trauma (injury)
Hypothermia or abnormally low body temperature
Heat stress or exhaustion
Motor vehicle accident injury
Industrial accident
Drug overdose or poisoning
Neck or back injury


The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral
philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.

John Kenneth Galbraith

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CICERO
December 20, 2011, 3:26pm Report to Moderator

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How about if you think you smell smoke, but don't see smoke or fire?  Can you call the fire department in that case?  What if they show up and the responders do not smell smoke and see no evidence of fire?  Is that the one "frivolous" emergency call and a second call you would be billed $55?  What if I witness a person trip and fall, and I think it looks serious enough to call 9-11, and then the person turns out not to be seriously injured and refuses treatment or an ambulance ride?  Would I, the Good Samaritan be fined or would it be the person that refused the medical attention.  If I get fined, I won't call 9-11, because I don't want a public record of emergency service abuse, because some paper jockey at city hall decided it was frivolous.


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Box A Rox
December 20, 2011, 3:34pm Report to Moderator

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Quoted from CICERO
How about if you think you smell smoke, but don't see smoke or fire?  Can you call the fire department in that case?  What if they show up and the responders do not smell smoke and see no evidence of fire?  Is that a "frivolous" emergency call and you would be billed $55?  What if I witness a person trip and fall, and I think it looks serious enough to call 9-11, and then the person turns out not to be seriously injured and refuses treatment or an ambulance ride?  Would I, the Good Samaritan be fined or would the person that refused the medical attention.  If I get fined, I won't call 9-11, because I don't want a public record of emergency service abuse, decided by some paper jockey at city hall decided it was frivolous.


Cicero is in such a quandary... his common sense seems to be damaged.

Cic... if you smelled smoke and thought there was a fire... Thinking that there is a fire and finding out it was instead,
someone cooking fried chicken... is not frivolous is it.  It's a mistake.
No one is promoting charging for mistakes.
~ Cicero posts:
What if I witness a person trip and fall, and I think it looks serious enough to call 9-11?

As posted in the Daily gazette:
"A fee to be billed to people who summon fire department paramedics to a scene when there appears to be
no good reason to do so.
"


It's not that difficult to understand Cicero... just try... forget your agenda and just try...


The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral
philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.

John Kenneth Galbraith

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PlateUmp
December 20, 2011, 3:53pm Report to Moderator
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Cicero,

*City taxpayers do not pay for an ambulance service, Mohawk Ambulance is a private company which bills the patients for services rendered.

*There are not 4 fire trucks in the City of Schenctady only 2, there are 4 fire engines which are all ALS.  I can't belive you would every see that much apparatus on the scene of a cat in a tree or a slip and fall type accident.

*According to the newspaper the fee would only be charged for frivolous EMS calls and not FIRE calls, so your theory regarding the smell of smoke with no visiable flames would not apply to this fee

Hope this clears some of the confusion
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