Today,  on the anniversary on one of the worst days in Firefighting history, 2 of Chicago’s Bravest perished during a building collapse. 14 others were injured during the initial collapse and subsequent search efforts.

May God Have Mercy on their Souls. May God Have Mercy.

About the deceased:

Title:                  EMT
Name:                   Paul Bazinet
Age:                    52
Date of Death:          January 3, 2010
Date of Funeral:        January 7, 2010
Cause of Death:         On Duty Cardiac Arrest

About the deceased’s EMS Agency:

Agency:                 Empire Ambulance Service
Agency City:            Glens Falls
Agency State:           NY

May God have mercy on your soul.

Title:                  Paramedic
Name:                   Paul D. Holmes
Age:                    37
Date of Death:          December 28, 2009
Date of Funeral:        TBA
Cause of Death:         Ambulance Involved MVC

About the deceased’s EMS Agency:

Agency:                 Douglas County Fire Department
Agency City:            Douglasville
Agency State:           GA

Comments:

Paramedic Holmes was responding to a call on Saturday evening when the
collision occurred. He was transported to Atlanta for treatment where he
succumb to his injuries earlier today. Funeral and Memorial Fund
information is forthcoming and will be posted as a follow-up to this
notification once released.

URL:

http://www.celebratedouglascounty.com/view/news/view1news/&cnews=3D431

Here is information just submitted on a Line of Duty Death:

About the deceased:

Title:                  EMT Chief
Name:                   Harry Moore
Age:                    77
Date of Death:          November 22, 2009
Date of Funeral:        November 27, 2009
Cause of Death:         Cardiac event at scene of call

About the deceased’s EMS Agency:

Agency:                 City of Duquesne EMS
Agency City:            Duquesne
Agency State:           PA

Comments:

Harry R. Moore, Chief of Duquesne Emergency Medical Services died while
responding to a motor vehicle accident in Duquesne, PA on November 22,
2009.  Chief Moore lived his life of service to our nation and to his
community.  Chief Moore was a US Army veteran who served during the time
of the Korean War; Vice Chairman of the local Planning Commission;
Member of the Duquesne Crime Watch; a life member of the NRA; father and
grandfather.

Chief Moore had always served his community with pride and distinction.
Shortly after the passing of his wife Patricia, Chief Moore and his
daughter Carol together entered an EMT Basic training program.
According to his family – it was his way of giving back to his
community.   Once certified as an EMT, Chief Moore became the most
active volunteer in the history of Duquesne EMS.  On more than one
occasion, Chief Moore had the distinction of taking the most calls out
of his agency in any given period of time.

A funeral mass and burial was held with a full EMS Honor Guard ceremony
by agencies around Allegheny County, PA EMS on Friday November 27, 2009.

Memorial contributions may be made to Duquesne Emergency Medical
Services, PO Box 572, Duquesne, PA 15110

Via NEMSMS

Godspeed, Brother. Be safe out there.

You may have heard about this already, but I’ll repost it for your information:

The Mountain Lifeflight aircraft was returning to its base in
Susanville, CA after dropping off a patient at a Reno, NV area hospital
when it crashed into a hilly area north of Reno near the
Nevada-California state line. There were no survivors.

Source

Remember to follow the EMS LODD feed from EMS1, located at the bottom right of my site, or follow @EMSLODD on twitter for EMS LODD notices and follow @medicNEWS on twitter for all EMS related tweets on Twitter.

I’ve always found it important to inform my readers of EMS LODD notices. I use an email alert to do so, but found this wasn’t always easy when I was away from my computer. Thus, I contacted Kris Kaull at ems1.com and asked them to add an RSS feed for their LODD notices. I’ve added it to my site at left, and here are the links you need for them. There is both now an LODD page and and LODD RSS feed.

Share, use, and most importantly thank ems1.com for their help on this. They always seem to have the most up to date notices.

http://www.ems1.com/DutyDeaths/

http://www.ems1.com/ems-rss-feeds/duty-deaths.xml

From the NEMSMS LODD notice:

EMT dies in ambulance crash
NEAL P. GOSWAMI, Staff Writer
Posted: 06/16/2009 02:59:37 AM EDT

Tuesday, June 16
BENNINGTON — Longtime Bennington Rescue Squad member Dale R. Long
responded to emergency calls and saved numerous lives over 25 years. On Monday, his
colleagues were called upon to save him, but the impact of the ambulance
Long was driving and a large pine tree on West Road proved too great.
Traveling at regular speed
The ambulance was heading to the Southwestern Vermont Medical Center with
its emergency lights on, but was traveling at regular speed, according to
Bennington Police Lt. Paul Doucette. “Speed was not a factor in this,” he
said.
Three others, including a patient being transported in the ambulance when
the crash occurred, were rushed to area hospitals. Mitchell Vincelette, 42,
a paramedic, was treated and released at SVMC. A female training to be a
paramedic is receiving continued treatment for non-life threatening injuries
at the Bennington hospital, according to Doucette.
The 60-year-old female patient, who has not been identified by police, was
being transported from the Hoosick Falls Health Center in Hoosick Falls,
N.Y. She was taken a short distance by ambulance to Route 279 where she was
transferred to a helicopter and brought to Albany (N.Y.) Medical Center,
with potentially life-threatening injuries that were not specified, according
to Doucette.
The highway was closed for several hours after the crash.
Long, 48, was employed by SVMC as an emergency room clerk, according to
interim CEO Dr. Mark Novotny. He said Long was named the Bennington Rescue
Squad’s EMT of the year in 2008, and also received the Star of Life award last
year from the state of Vermont, which is awarded to an EMT who shows the
greatest commitment to the job.
Rescue personnel were alerted to the crash by Vincelette, who sent a
chilling radio transmission around 3:30 p.m. pleading for immediate police, fire
and rescue squad members to respond. Vincelette also sought a helicopter,
but rescue personnel had trouble initially securing one because of poor
weather conditions.
Doucette said the crash occurred when the ambulance, which was heading east
on West Road, veered right, causing the front passenger side of the
ambulance to strike the driver’s side front quarter panel of a 2008 Toyota pickup
truck driven by William Hill, Doucette said. Hill was at a complete stop
at the intersection of West and Pleasant Valley Roads.
The impact caused the pickup to spin clockwise. Meanwhile, the ambulance
continued moving forward off the travel portion of West Road and into a large
pine tree, causing “extensive intrusion” to the driver’s seat, according
to Doucette.
Mark Tronson, who lives across the street from where the crash occurred,
said he heard the crash and dialed 911.
“It sounded like an explosion of glass and metal. Right then I knew it was
a car accident,” Tronson said.
Police do not yet know why the ambulance veered off the road and the crash
remains under investigation, Doucette said. Evidence from the scene and
eyewitness accounts indicate no sudden movements by the ambulance, he said.
“We’ve got to try to determine what happened. At this point in the
investigation the paramedic and the trainee are not able to offer us any
information. They just know that there was an impact,” Doucette said. “The vehicle
just kind of veered off to the side.”
Members of the Bennington Rural Fire Department were able to extricate Long
from the front of the ambulance, which was severely compacted. Rescue
personnel had to fight through a sustained heavy rain with thunder and lighting
as they worked to save their colleagues and the patient they were caring
for.
“It’s heart-wrenching. This crash is truly tragic for the Long family, for
members of the Bennington Rescue Squad. I would go as far as saying it
affects all of the emergency services personnel in the area,” Doucette said.
“You just never know, and it’s devastating when it’s one of your own, but you
have to keep your composure and you have to keep driving forward. That’s
what my hope is for all of the people that are involved.”
Novotny said he had known Long for about 25 years and had worked with him
on the Manchester Rescue Squad. “Dale is one of those people who is always
ready to help. Always positive and really good at what he does,” Novotny
said.
Long was “just a wonderful man,” according to Novotny, who said he met with
ER staff Monday evening to see how they wanted to honor Long’s life.
Novotny said the hospital will hold a memorial service some time this week.
In an interview with the Banner in November 2008, Long said he found his
passion when he became an EMT about 25 years ago.
“I started working here because it just felt like something was missing in
my life,” Long told the Banner. “I took my first class, went out on my
first call, and a light bulb went off. I found what I was looking for, and I’ve
been doing it ever since.”
Doucette said police will continue to investigate the crash to help answer
questions family, friends and the community have about why it occurred.
“A lot of times, when investigations are complete and you can share
information, all of the information with people, it kind of puts them at ease. It
puts people’s minds at ease. That’s what we’re hoping for,” Doucette said.
“We know how the crash itself occurred, but now we need to know why it
happened. What caused him to veer to the right?”
The Bennington Rescue Squad held a mandatory meeting Monday evening for all
members.

Ambulance driver killed in crash
Neal P. Goswami
Posted: 06/15/2009 04:53:56 PM EDT

BENNINGTON – A Bennington Rescue Squad ambulance left the highway and
crashed into a tree off West Road Monday afternoon, killing the driver,
according to a Bennington Police Officer.
The officer said the driver, who had not yet been identified, was
pronounced dead at the scene, but transported to the Southwestern Vermont Medical
Center. At least two other passengers in the ambulance, including a patient
who was being transported when the crash occurred, were taken to the
hospital. Their conditions were unavailable.
Bennington County State’s Attorney Erica Marthage was on scene, indicating
the accident resulted in a fatality.
The crashed occurred near My Land Farm around 3:30 p.m. A law enforcement
officer at the scene said police did not know the cause of the accident.
Rescuers worked in a steady rain with thunder and lightning to free the
ambulance’s occupants.
Mark Tronson, who lives across the street from where the crash occurred,
said he heard the crash and dialed 911.
“It sounded like an explosion of glass and metal. Right then I knew it was
a car accident,” he said.
Read Tuesday’s edition of the Banner for more details.

Bennington ambulance driver dies in crash

Rutland Herald Staff – Published: June 16, 2009

BENNINGTON — A Bennington Rescue Squad member was killed when the ambulance
he was driving struck a tree off West Road on Monday afternoon and the
patient in the ambulance received serious injuries.

Dale Long, 48, was pronounced dead at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center,
according to the Bennington Police Department.

Long was transporting a 60-year-old patient from the Hoosick Falls Health
Center in New York to Southwestern Vermont Medical Center in Bennington at
the time of the accident. Police did not release the name of the patient,
who was taken by helicopter to Albany Medical Center in New York.

Police said Long left the health center around 3:20 p.m. and on East Road,
the ambulance Long was driving veered to the right side, colliding with a
pickup truck parked off the road, causing the truck to spin and the
ambulance to leavet the road.

The ambulance hit a large pine tree which caused extensive intrusion
damage to the driver’s compartment, police said. Officials said they didn’t know
whether a severe thunderstorm in the area played a role in the accident.

Ambulance Driver Killed in Accident

Photo by Neal P. Goswami/Bennington Banner
Photo by Neal P. Goswami/Bennington Banner
Dale Long

Bennington, Vermont – June 15, 2009

A longtime Bennington ambulance driver was killed Monday after an accident
while transporting a patient to the hospital.
Police say Dale Long, 49, was driving the Bennington Rescue Squad
Ambulance on West Road, when he hit a truck and then crashed into a tree during a
hail storm. The driver of the truck was not hurt. The patient in the
ambulance was seriously injured in the accident, and airlifted to the Albany
Medical Center.
Long had been an EMT for 25 years and has won numerous national and local
awards including Vermont’s rescuer of the year in 1998.
WCAX News
Vt. man dies after crashing ambulance into tree

(http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php)

Associated Press – June 16, 2009 5:05 AM ET
BENNINGTON, Vt. (AP) – A Bennington ambulance driver has died after
crashing his rescue vehicle into a parked truck and then a tree.
A 60-year-old patient in the back of the ambulance was seriously injured in
the crash Monday afternoon.
The Bennington Police Department says 48-year-old Dale Long was
transporting a patient to Southwestern Vermont Medical Center when the ambulance
veered off West Road and hit a parked pickup truck. Police say the ambulance
spun and struck a large pine tree.
Long was pronounced dead at the medical center. The unidentified patient
was taken by helicopter to Albany Medical Center in New York.
Officials say they don’t yet know whether a severe thunderstorm in the area
contributed to the crash.

Godspeed Everytone. Be safe out there.

My email alert from NEMSMS was delayed, so most of you have likely heard.

May God have Mercy on your Soul.