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NEWS ABOUT: emergency responders

Iowa Plans Terror Drill With Immigrant-Hating Gunmen

Anti-illegal immigration groups say exercise builds prejudice

(Newser) - Anti-illegal immigration groups are furious over an anti-terrorism exercise planned in Iowa that will pit Pottawattamie County's finest against a pair of teenage white supremacists. The drill, which is scheduled for tomorrow, is built around a fictional scenario in which an 18-year-old, angered by the influx of minorities—both citizens... More »

Firefighter Filmed, Posted Video of Woman's Death

Parents sent link to gruesome online clip

(Newser) - A Georgia couple who discovered a gruesome video of their daughter's death posted online wants the rules changed so no other family will have to go through the anguish they suffered. The video was taken with a cell phone by a firefighter who arrived on the scene soon after the... More »

Technology Makes Us Really Bad Campers

You'd think that GPS would help, but it may not

(Newser) - Technology appears to be making some people a lot stupider when it comes to the great outdoors. Thanks to GPS, cell phones, and emergency devices, more people are heading into the wild ill-equipped…then, at best, wasting rangers’ time with their problems—or, at worst, getting injured or killed. The... More »

Firefighters Play ER Docs to Uninsured

Medical calls have more than doubled since 1980

(Newser) - Operating in a poor area where many lack health insurance, a DC firehouse battles far more than just flames: Some 80% of its calls are for medical emergencies. Because it is believed to respond fastest, Washington’s fire department zooms to almost all the city’s emergency calls alongside EMS,... More »

Invasion of the Buddhist Body Snatchers Hits Bangkok

(Newser) - In the chaotic traffic of Bangkok, the first to arrive on the scene of an accident is often not an ambulance but a Toyota pickup packed with volunteers in blue jumpsuits. These are the controversial workers of the Por Tek Tung Foundation, who haul the injured to hospitals and the... More »

9/11 Responders Show Increased Risk of Rare Blood Cancer

(Newser) - The incidence of multiple myeloma in 9/11 responders appears to be higher than in the general population, according to what one researcher calls "very preliminary" stats. Eight cases of the blood cancer were diagnosed in 28,000 emergency personnel followed between 2001 and 2007; statistically, that number should be... More »

Iowa 911 Now Accepts Texts

(AP) - An emergency call center in the basement of the county jail in Waterloo, Iowa, today became the first in the country to accept text messages sent to 911. "I think there's a need to get out front and get this technology available," the county's police chief says, adding... More »

NYC Gives Jumpy Citizens Heads-Up on Emergency Drill

'Lots of sirens' Sunday in Lower Manhattan

(Newser) - Mindful of the panic caused by the Air Force One flyover, New York is giving its residents fair warning of a massive emergency drill scheduled for Sunday, Reuters reports. The heads-up is “not necessarily” because of the scare, a spokesman said. But “people will see and hear lots... More »

3 Dead in Ark. Tornado

(AP) - A tornado that swept through the mountain community of Mena, Ark., killed three people and injured at least 30 others, authorities said today after a house-to-house search. The twister descended quickly on Mena shortly after 8 last night after a series of siren blasts warned residents of tornadoes in the... More »

Police Hunt Silicon Valley Phone Vandals

50K lose service in attack that highlights systems' vulnerability

(Newser) - Authorities in Silicon Valley are hunting for saboteurs who cut fiber-optic telecom cables, leaving more than 50,000 customers—including police and hospitals—in parts of three counties without phone and internet service, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Ten cables were severed, crippling 911 operations, cellphone service, and businesses depending... More »

911 Centers Easy Targets for Pranksters

Services not updated to handle fake caller ID

(Newser) - Using VoIP Internet-calling services, pranksters are easily duping outdated 911 call centers to disastrous consequences, Ars Technica reports. Using easy-access online services, callers can cover up their real locations, make up stories, and mobilize emergency teams anywhere. Updating call-center systems could fix the problem, but most such places can’t... More »

Kenya Oil Tanker Blast Kills 111

Explosion occurred as resident scramble for free fuel

(Newser) - At least 111 people were killed when a truck transporting oil crashed and exploded in central Kenya last night, reports Reuters. The explosion, one of the worst recent disasters in eastern Africa, occurred just as Rift Valley residents crowded around the crippled tanker to gather spilling fuel. Rescuers speculated that... More »

Pot-Growing Dad Busted After Baby Calls 911

Mounties led to operation by toddler playing with phone

(Newser) - Mounties responding to an aborted 911 call from a Vancouver home discovered a cute baby playing with a cordless phone upstairs—and 500 marijuana plants downstairs, the Globe & Mail reports. The boy's pop was arrested and the baby was returned to his mom, who is separated from the... More »

Storms Test New FEMA System

'Dynamic' approach distributes response burden

(Newser) - With three big storms hitting the US within about a week, FEMA is attempting to stay a step ahead, planning emergency response strategies and deploying supplies. The agency's new "dynamic regrouping" plan represents a real-time collaboration between military, civilian, and volunteer personnel, the Christian Science Monitor reports. "The... More »

Reaction to Medication Put Winehouse in Hospital: Rep

Troubled singer to be released tomorrow after ambulance trip

(AP) - Amy Winehouse was hospitalized this evening for a reaction to medication and was expected to be released in the morning, representatives for the Grammy-winning singer said. An ambulance took Winehouse from her north London home to University College Hospital, spokesman Chris Goodman said. "Amy Winehouse suffered a reaction to... More »

Satellite Tech Plays Larger Role for Emergency Crews

First responders use GPS, other tech to find victims

(Newser) - Emergency workers are increasingly turning to global-positioning and vehicle-tracking systems to find their way to victims and dispatch crews more efficiently, USA Today reports. "Clearly, we're in a business where seconds count," an Arizona fire official said. "If you're using GPS or automatic vehicle locator, it's a... More »

FCC Tries Again With Unsold Spectrum

Officials will take public comment before issuing revised plan

(Newser) - The Federal Communications Commission will try again to sell broadband spectrum space intended to include a national network for emergency workers, Ars Technica reports.The D Block failed to garner the required minimum bid from commercial interests during a recent auction after negotiations became bogged down. Said one commissioner: "... More »

Chilean Volcano Keeps Rumbling

Area evacuated as lava flies 12 miles into the sky from long-dormant Chaiten

(Newser) - The southern Chilean town of Chaiten has been totally evacuated after a volcano, active since Friday, belched molten lava and ash more than 12 miles high, the AP reports. Around 4,000 people have already left the area since the volcano—believed dormant for thousands of years—began acting up,... More »

Hospitals Can't Handle Terror Attack: Study

Trauma centers couldn't treat influx of victims

(Newser) - Hospitals in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and other major US cities don't have the emergency room capacity to handle even a moderate terrorist attack, a congressional committee says. A survey last month of 34 hospitals revealed they could not handle a sudden surge of trauma victims, a situation described... More »

Crickets Likely at FCC Discount Airwave Auction

Main waves to draw billions, but not so for public/private spectrum

(Newser) - What if the FCC held an auction and nobody came? In 2 weeks, the government will put a  nationwide airwave on the block starting at the low, low price of $1.33 billion. The catch? The lucky winner has to share the band with emergency responders. Right now, no company... More »

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