Moultonboro island first responder

[Lakesrider]

Not being humorous. Completely serious. Taking it right from the first posting. She made the Moultonborough Department sound like a bunch of ass clowns while touting the Tuftonboro department as being a professionally trained emergency squad, (so much so that she is more than happy enough to add in that she is so glad HER island is in Tuftonboro). Which I am certain they are. If I was a Moultonborough Fire Department or EMT person I would feel that this exemplifies how I was seen, now that such a posting, as the first one, is now on a local forum visited by people not from the area. A clown. A clown that "drops" women into chairs, can't run a Jon boat to save their lives, etc...Which is not the case as anyone whom has ever needed the Moultonborough Fire Department would know. Myself being one of them. I am not disrespecting either Department. More so showing what an unfair posting the first one was without all the facts. So things didn't go quite right that night. Is Tuftonboro without it's bad days as well or is Tuftonboro perfect? The webmaster can pull my pictures if he wants.....But maybe the first post which is highly disrespectful and accusatory, of the men and women who protect and serve us to be shown in such a bad light, should be taken down as well.

[Chaselady]

Originally Posted by Lakesrider

Not being humorous. Completely serious. Taking it right from the first posting. She made the Moultonborough Department sound like a bunch of ass clowns while touting the Tuftonboro department as being a professionally trained emergency squad, (so much so that she is more than happy enough to add in that she is so glad HER island is in Tuftonboro). Which I am certain they are. If I was a Moultonborough Fire Department or EMT person I would feel that this exemplifies how I was seen, now that such a posting, as the first one, is now on a local forum visited by people not from the area. A clown. A clown that "drops" women into chairs, can't run a Jon boat to save their lives, etc...Which is not the case as anyone whom has ever needed the Moultonborough Fire Department would know. Myself being one of them. I am not disrespecting either Department. More so showing what an unfair posting the first one was without all the facts. So things didn't go quite right that night. Is Tuftonboro without it's bad days as well or is Tuftonboro perfect? The webmaster can pull my pictures if he wants.....But maybe the first post which is highly disrespectful and accusatory, of the men and women who protect and serve us to be shown in such a bad light, should be taken down as well.

Wow, someone is certainly turning this into a personal battle. I feel like this forum should allow for information freely given about life on the lake. As an islander, I think it's important to know what their expectations should be. As a person who spent a lifetime in critical care nursing, I would be the last person to " disrespect " first responders. But I also found it frightening to discover such limitations in services. And so did the numerous people who witnessed what happened that night.

[tis]

Fll, I apologize, I read your post wrong. You said towns other than Alton DO charge for service and that is what I thought, although I didn't know for sure.

[dave603]

Everyone here who happens to live out on one of the islands, and even those ashore needs to remember.
It's NOT always a good thing to move someone that's been hurt.
Depending on the injury, you could be causing more damage than you are helping. Sometimes even in a case of a broken leg, depending on how bad the break is. I've seen bones out in bad breaks. Moving those is tricky at times.

That's what first a responder is trained to access.
If this case had been a... let's say a back or neck injury, I'm sure they would NOT have thrown her into a jon boat.

[Chaselady]

Originally Posted by dave603

Everyone here who happens to live out on one of the islands, and even those ashore needs to remember.
It's NOT always a good thing to move someone that's been hurt.
Depending on the injury, you could be causing more damage than you are helping. Sometimes even in a case of a broken leg, depending on how bad the break is. I've seen bones out in bad breaks. Moving those is tricky at times.

That's what first a responder is trained to access.
If this case had been a... let's say a back or neck injury, I'm sure they would NOT have thrown her into a jon boat.

Thanks for clarifying that. I do know, it was late, MP was present to help for support, and it appeared to be a bad break.

[Coolbreeze]

You are pretty ignorant for the post that bashes people who helped you...you should feel pretty low right now.
I have lived on a island for almost 40 years, I have experienced fires, medical emergencies, boat accidents even people falling through the ice in the winter during that time. Common sense has taught most island dwellers that any help from the mainland is a long time away. As islanders and neighbors, we have fought the brush fires, tended to the medical emergencies ourselves until the troops arrived. In several occasions we have met the ambulance at the town docks. If you live on an island and have a major emergency- plan on waiting for help. Question, was it the ambulance service that came or the fire department?
I am amazed that anyone who has ever lived on the island or in a rural area wouldn't already know this.
For everyone bashing the responders; instead of complaining about how the system didn't do for you, learn how to use the system. Most 911 operators will walk you through simple first aid. If you think transporting yourself is the safest way to go, then prepare for it even in your mind before the crisis arises. (Side note, a lawn chair is a great way to move a injured person. Remember the picture of the FDNY chaplain who was killed in the 9-11attacks, he was carried for several city blocks in a desk chair from an office. Kudos to the responders for that idea.)
I have come to the conclusion in my life while at the island, that if I have a heart attack- I am going to die. Simply put, any help from the mainland can't get to me within the golden hour. Any chance of my survival will come from the people who can render aid immediately- my neighbors and family members.
It isn't going to be the first responders; it is foolish to think otherwise.
The same fact holds true if my island house catches fire... plan on it burning to the ground. A garden hose won't stop a cottage on fire.
In a life medical emergency, humans have a golden hour to get professional medical help in order to keep the upper hand of survival. A fire doubles in size every thirty seconds.
The reality of a response from 911: It takes an average of 5 minutes to take a 911 call and for the dispatcher to direct it to the right department. Add to that, the response time of the volunteer after being paged; seven minutes -at least- before the truck hits the road. Now we are into the call and responding in 12 minutes. Add to the time to get to the boat, don protective gear, get GPS coordinates, man the boat with enough help and motor out. Now add more time to find the dock without a street number... in the dark. In the case of the responding department they did pretty well in my book.
Not everything is as instantaneous in our lives as you would expect or want. Prepare yourself to be self-reliant in a crisis. Stop looking to bashing your neighbors who helped you and take some responsibility for your own survival.

[pcmc]

OMG, CoolBreeze, I feel as though I have just been exposed to the true spirit of the NH motto, " LIVE FREE OR DIE". Bravo!

Imo it starts a tad strong. We can all voice our opinions, some come out in print well, some not. fine.

There are most likely two very different sides to this story. Hearing the side in need will never come across well.

What I find over the top is the post with the images. That is a public kick in the face to the entire department. If we were talking about a product that didn't perform as expected is one thing. Bashing people that did what had to do, with what they had to do it with, at 11PM at night. REALLY!

Why not everyone take a boat onto the lake, around midnight, pick a random island and walk around carrying a chair with 80lbs in it while looking graceful.

Imo, as someone said early on, hopefully the dept will view this and make a positive from it. What were the issues, what can help solve them, and how do they implement the equipment and ideas into service?

[wifi]

Idea: Does your island association have AED(s)? Do you know where it is? Not the OPs original problem, but CB thought they would die, maybe not. I'm fortunate enough to know of one within 1000 feet of my house. Family members/friends would have no problems getting to it if needed.

Get a few, sprinkle around the island, on the neighbors front porches, for example. I'm not trying to create a debate point.

[dave603]

Originally Posted by wifi

Idea: Does your island association have AED(s)? Do you know where it is? Not the OPs original problem, but CB thought they would die, maybe not. I'm fortunate enough to know of one within 1000 feet of my house. Family members/friends would have no problems getting to it if needed.

Get a few, sprinkle around the island, on the neighbors front porches, for example. I'm not trying to create a debate point.

This is the best thing to come from this thread so far.

[Lakesrider]

I took the pictures out. Even though it was a close representation of the original posts descriptions.

Are you saying it is a fact they "grabbed" a woman, a fact that they "dropped her into a chair", a fact that they tried to start the engine 13 times? Really? She counted?.....Fact is this probably did not happen. And BTW it was never determined that Chaselady was actually standing there. Fact is that the original posting is disparaging and should never have been posted with the last sentence she put up. Fact is these better be facts, because I would be asking if that first posting was slanderous if they were not...

[JDeere]

Seems to me that no matter what a person posts there will always be a back lash. Had Chaselady posted that Moultonborough was the finest EMT's in NH I can guarantee someone would have written to counter that.....which is fine UNTIL people start to get nasty.

The facts from the witness was that the EMT's were not equipped to deal with the emergency...and unless her post was a total fabrication I am not sure how anyone can argue the veracity of that since they were not there.

MFD or better said the town of Moultonborough has plenty of tax dollars and islands/water on both Winni and Squam to deal with. Seems reasonable to question why they seems so ill prepared to deal with this emergency.

[wuwu]

Originally Posted by JDeere

Seems to me that no matter what a person posts there will always be a back lash. Had Chaselady posted that Moultonborough was the finest EMT's in NH I can guarantee someone would have written to counter that.....which is fine UNTIL people start to get nasty.

The facts from the witness was that the EMT's were not equipped to deal with the emergency...and unless her post was a total fabrication I am not sure how anyone can argue the veracity of that since they were not there.

MFD or better said the town of Moultonborough has plenty of tax dollars and islands/water on both Winni and Squam to deal with. Seems reasonable to question why they seems so ill prepared to deal with this emergency.

I somewhat agree with this JDeere, although, I would had hoped that the patient would have complained to either the Chief or BOS. We shouldn't forget that these men and women are volunteers, training on their own time, put themselves in harms way everytime they respond.
Did someone ask why the patient couldn't go to a certain hospital? Maybe the ER was extremely busy, or understaffed? Would she get the care needed at another hospital?
These are the questions to be ask at the time of the emergency.
We have used MFD many times, and they have been most courteous and professional.
I am proud to be a resident of Moultonborough, and very proud of our MFD!

[Coolbreeze]

I was harsh with my opening comments and I do understand the urge to share such experiences through the use of public forums like this; but the frustration as I read the following posts adding to the bashing made me angry...nothing good was coming from it.
The more productive thing that could have been done prior to the opening of the post would be to contact the Chief of the department that responded to discuss the response. Some Chiefs will openly talk with you, others concerned for liability will offer a meeting with a town official. Air your concerns, listen to the Chiefs reply and find the opportunity for everyone to see the short comings and to improve them. Ask for a meeting maybe over a cup of coffee. Keep in mind during the discussion that challenging and being aggressive to the Chief will get you no where. You may find that this would be the more productive way to discuss/resolve the situation you had. The Chief will also educate you more on what to expect and how he/she on their end can improve the way things are to be handled in the future. Rather than beat the war drum on the forum first, educate yourself with what to expect if something should happen again... and IT WILL HAPPEN AGAIN. If you don't get a favorable response from the officials, then it begin your campaign to get the publics support to change things via. the forum.
As Paul Harvey would say- Good Day

[secondcurve]

I am curious. How did the lady break her leg?