theroofable said:
Do all hatzolah members get to run red lights and sirens?
Well, here is the deal. Long time members here know my stance on this, but I'll relay it again. If your not from the immediate NYC/NNJ area, it may be a foreign concept, but here we go.
Hatzolah
EMS is a volunteer Jewish
EMS response organization. They are most prevelant in the NYC, northern New Jersey area. The medics tend to be pretty decent, many EMTs not so much. Between the NYC culture, and the Orthodox Jewish culture, things get interesting.
New York
law provides for volunteer
EMS members to be equipped with green lights only with no right of way rights. New York
law also allows for red lights/sirens to EMT-B, EMT-I and EMT-P's PROVIDED that their vehicle is inspected by the department of health and allowed by the
EMS agency policy. Its NOT a given right.
By
law (last time I checked) they are required to display the NYS Inspection sticker on their vehicle, but you never seen one (in violation of the code).
(NJ and most other states are simialar but NJ runs blue instead of green just like the fighterfighters with no ROW rights).
Now, in 99% of New York State, just about everyone is allowed the green lights and not so much red lights are used by "rank and file". For whatever reason, Hatzolah management tends to hand out the "permits" like candy to just about everyone. We have (and I personally) have seen CFR's who can only drive an ambulance to rabbi's with no medical training running l/s to calls, and usually in a haphazard manner. Not all, but all I have personally seen is 0-90. In fact, in my county working the desk one day our undersheriff was litterly in pursuit of a hatzolah members land crusier who was doing 95mph to a call.... The call was a 20 year old "not feeling well" with a headache. Not really a life/death situation.
Red is offically the only allowed color, but since police have been allowed to run blue to the rear, hatzolah members (as well as some other services) started running blue all over like its the new model of the iPhone.
With the amout of cash flowing in the Jewish community and the Hatzolah members, there is no shortage of people completly wacking out their Suburbans and minivans. It amazes me how NYPD can get thru Manhattan with a dash light and wigwags but the personal cars require no less than 20 LEDs, multiple sirens, airhorns etc.
Basically, with the connections, the reglious angle and political connections, they go almost unchecked and run wild. Any one of us in a volunteer capacity would have our balls cut off in about 10 seconds.
I wish the video of the "Red Light Rabbi" was still up on the web. Kinda shows the point I am making.
Personally, I don't see the "Demo/
POV" story, but I could be wrong. Everytime I have heard that line I see if running multiple color lights to calls vs the state authorized colors.