"City Residents Only"
rf5t g6
[snip]
> firemen should also be ordered to check for resident id, rather than
> rushing to any commuter's rescue.
[snip]
.....................
If a commuter needs a rush rescue by the NYFD, he's either in a building
or he isn't, and the emergency is either fire-related or it isn't.
(Sometimes NYFD personnel handle medical emergencies unrelated to fire.)
Many American cities once had the following system for fighting fires.
The building's owner bought fire insurance. The fire insurer attached
conspicuous plaques (with the fire insurer's logo) to the building's
exterior. When there was a fire, independent fire-fighting companies
rushed to the fire, saw the insurer's plaques on the burning building, put
out the fire, then billed the insurer for putting out the fire. That's
not a bad system, especially when compared to the extremely expensive
fire-fighting system now used in New York City (namely, the NYFD). Every
fire-fighting system has flaws of course. I do not claim that the old
system was perfect. In that system, the cost of putting out a fire was
paid by the fire insurer, and thus indirectly by the building's owner.
Place of residence becomes irrelevant. Fire insurance could be mandatory
for all real estate in New York City. The fire insurer for each building
might be listed with a local government agency, it could be listed online
on the Internet, and the old system of plaques could also be used.
NYFD personnel sometimes rush to help people with medical emergencies.
Privately owned ambulance companies often treat and transport people with
a medical emergency, then bill the people who were helped. Medical
insurance often covers much of the ambulance expenses, I think. I don't
know if Medicare and Medicaid pay for ambulance expenses. When privately
owned ambulance companies bill the patient afterwards, no one cares
whether the patient is a resident. If the medical emergency was caused by
a fire, sometimes the fire insurer (of the site of the fire) will pay the
ambulance expenses of people injured in the fire.
I am not suggesting the total elimination of government-owned
fire-fighting departments. They should have a right (maybe even a duty)
to show up at fires. If a fire department is impressed by the way a
privately owned fire-fighting company is handling the fire, the fire
department might let the privately owned fire-fighting company continue.
The fire department might tell the privately owned company to stop
fighting the fire, and the fire department might fight the fire by
itself. Another possibility is that the fire department might fight the
fire and let a privately owned fire-fighting company help to the extent
that the fire department considers appropriate (under supervision of the
fire department).
Another possibility is volunteer, non-profit, fire-fighting companies.
Many American communities have such volunteer operations. I think that
Juneau's is the biggest in America. I think that volunteer operations are
much less expensive than, but usually not as expert as, full-time,
professional fire departments. I guess that, after a fire is put out,
volunteer operations might be allowed to mail bills to owners and fire
insurers of the burning realty.
........
Police emergencies can happen at any time and can last for many hours or
even for days but NYPD cops do not ordinarily live in police department
buildings. The NYPD does not provide cable TV for cops to watch while on
duty in police buildings. Many NYC ambulance crews work for privately
owned companies (both for profit companies and for non-profit companies).
Those ambulance crews do not normally live in their employer's buildings,
nor do they get to watch employer-provided cable TV while on the clock.
Right now, there is war in the former Yugoslavia. There are American
pilots in that war who live off-base. On a typical work day, they drive
from home to military base, go to a plane, fly a bombing mission, fly back
to the base, then drive home.
NYFD firefighters get extensive residential, TV, food, and other benefits,
I think. I am not sure. I am not expert about the details of their
on-the-job benefits. The firefighters also get extremely above-market pay
(because of the political power of their unions at election time), immense
job security, and (within limits) immunity from arrest and prosecution (as
shown, for example, by the way they were handled after the recent
firefighters' brawl and semi-riot in Bryant Park).
Alex, you suggested (jokingly, I guess) that firefighters check for
resident ID as a partial response to repeal of the commuter tax. I think
that NYC should carefully consider some limited changes in response to the
tax repeal, especially some of the changes that I discuss above.
danny burstein
"ujkm@-098.7jnhb.net (rf5t g6)" (but whose real id is readily discernable
in the original message) rambled as follows::
>Many American cities once had the following system for fighting fires.
Actually, at least in this century, very few.
>The building's owner bought fire insurance. The fire insurer attached
>conspicuous plaques (with the fire insurer's logo) to the building's
>exterior. When there was a fire, independent fire-fighting companies
>rushed to the fire, saw the insurer's plaques on the burning building, put
>out the fire, then billed the insurer for putting out the fire.
The modern day equivalent of this is the 'subscription' fire district. If
your building/household pays the yearly fee, you get a plaque.. and then
your fire coverage is paid for. If you don't pay the fee, then things get
a bit stickier.
>NYFD personnel sometimes rush to help people with medical emergencies.
>Privately owned ambulance companies often treat and transport people with
>a medical emergency, then bill the people who were helped. Medical
>insurance often covers much of the ambulance expenses, I think. I don't
>know if Medicare and Medicaid pay for ambulance expenses.
The "911" ambulance service in NYC is provided by both NYC
owned-and-operated units (formerly the EMS division of HHC, now the Bureau
of EMS in the Fire Department) _and_ by private hospitals which operate
under a most peculiar "contract" to the City. For example, in the original
poster's area, the primary ambulance response is provided by units owned
by, and staffed by, St.Johns Hospital/Queens Blvd. If those units are all
busy, the next available ambulances are City owned ones based out of
Elmhurst Hospital.
(This is completely separate from commercial ambulance services which,
except for very unique situations such as the NYC Marathon, are not part
of the '911' system)
>When privately owned ambulance companies bill the patient afterwards,
>no one cares whether the patient is a resident.
Err.... I guess you didn't know (not meaning in this case to dump on you -
most people have this misconception...) ALL the '911' ambulance services,
whether the unit was a City one or a private one, _do_ charge for their
services. The bill may or may not be covered by
insurance/medicaid/medicare/self-pay.
>Another possibility is volunteer, non-profit, fire-fighting companies.
>Many American communities have such volunteer operations.
Alas, a 'volunteer' fire department presupposes that you have a cadre of
people who are willing, and available, to drop whatever they're doing and
rush to the firehouse. While most of teh country _outside of metro areas
_is_ covered by volunteer firefighters, the changing demographics (along
with other issues such as much more training/time requirements) have made
it harder and harder to get staffing for these groups.
>I think that volunteer operations are
>much less expensive than, but usually not as expert as, full-time,
>professional fire departments.
THere's definitely a cost advantage since you've got free labor. However,
for the most part, the volunteer folk are every bit as qualified as their
paid, big city, brethren.
> I guess that, after a fire is put out,
>volunteer operations might be allowed to mail bills to owners and fire
>insurers of the burning realty.
Depends on local laws and practices. In NYState, for example, there's
actually a state law which (generally) prohibits fire departments from
charging for their services.
>Right now, there is war in the former Yugoslavia. There are American
>pilots in that war who live off-base. On a typical work day, they drive
>from home to military base, go to a plane, fly a bombing mission, fly back
>to the base, then drive home.
How can there be a 'war' when there's been no declaration of such by teh
US Congress?
>NYFD firefighters get extensive residential, TV, food, and other benefits,
>I think. I am not sure. I am not expert about the details of their
>on-the-job benefits. The firefighters also get extremely above-market pay
>(because of the political power of their unions at election time), immense
>job security, and (within limits) immunity from arrest and prosecution (as
>shown, for example, by the way they were handled after the recent
>firefighters' brawl and semi-riot in Bryant Park).
>Alex, you suggested (jokingly, I guess) that firefighters check for
>resident ID as a partial response to repeal of the commuter tax. I think
>that NYC should carefully consider some limited changes in response to the
>tax repeal, especially some of the changes that I discuss above.
--
_____________________________________________________
Knowledge may be power, but communications is the key
dan...@panix.com
[to foil spammers, my address has been double rot-13 encoded]