Tough Calls and Sunshine

Publicity is justly commended as a remedy for social and industrial diseases. Sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants; electric light the most efficient policeman.

                                                                           -  Justice Louis D. Brandeis

“Yes?”

The quiet, almost mouse-like voice on the other end of the line was nearly imperceptible, and required me to say “Hello?” one more time to be sure that I heard something above the noise of work in progress at Allegheny County’s 9-1-1 center.


After another minute or so, I was able to get the small child’s first name, and from there was able to establish a better line of communication. The next step was to get a responsible adult on the phone – something my child caller was having difficulty with: 
Operator: “You need to get Mommy or Daddy.”


Child: “Mommy’s sleeping.”


Operator: “You need to wake her up.”


Child: “She won’t wake up.”


Thus began what I would describe as a tough call – one that would require all of the components of a best practice – technology, processes, and people – and a little bit of creative thinking to help bring the call to some kind of tangible resolution. 


Technology provided us with the location that the call was coming from – an apartment complex -  but no apartment number. Processes had to address one of the limitations of that technology – because the phone had no regular cell service, it was important to keep the child on the line, because we couldn’t call the phone back.


Lastly, effective People skills – creating an atmosphere of trust with the child, so much that he would open the apartment door to see if there were numbers on the outside of it – helped to keep him calm and cooperative, and also helped direct responders to the correct apartment. 


Mommy woke right up for the nice police officers. 


This type of call is indicative of many calls that 9-1-1 operators receive every day - “open line” calls caused by children playing with an old cell phone that doesn’t have service any more, that adults often give to the child as a toy – not realizing that every cell phone can call 9-1-1, so long as it has power and a signal.  


Dealing with these calls ties up critical human resources, and the sheer volume that are accidental can create an unreasonable burden on specialized personnel resources that are already difficult to hire and retain. That’s one of the reasons calls like these are tough – they can frustrate in the face of so many other ‘real’ emergency situations.


Tough Stuff, Out in the Open


As the New York Times reported last month, some of these calls can have tragic circumstances associated with them. Listening and keeping an open mind is part of the process of trying to distinguish between what is an open phone in a teenager’s pocket and the subtle signs of a critical incident. 


This is not the easiest thing to do – sometimes even more so when presented with a scenario that can appear to be mundane and routine, when in fact the individual circumstances can be anything but. 


9-1-1 personnel in Pierce County, Washington found that out the hard way in early February, when Josh Powell took his 2 sons from a social worker who was there to do a supervised visit. He attacked the boys with a hatchet, then blew his house up, killing his sons and himself.


In the days following this incident, it was reported that the 9-1-1 calltaker that spoke with the social worker may have not correctly understood the seriousness of the incident. This report was corroborated by the recordings and transcripts of two 9-1-1 calls, obtained and released by local media under the open records laws in Washington state.


In listening to the call, I could almost hear the wheels of repetitive experience grinding away at the foundation of an open mind and common sense. I thought what he might have thought - "more child custody drama". This is an easy trap to fall into. 


Within a few days, numerous media outlets had picked up the story,  some for what they no doubt consider the sensational nature of when things go wrong - which appears to be MUCH more interesting to them than when they go right. Other media sources, including those dedicated to the trade, attempted to gain a greater understanding of the issues at hand, and to leverage what appears to be a very public, straight up, head-on approach to dealing with the situation. 


The Pierce County 9-1-1 agency issued a brief, yet eloquent statement that expressed sympathy for the family, respect for the employee involved, and a commitment to investigate fully and report back to the community. The 9-1-1 operator that received the call was interviewed on national TV – and took responsibility for the manner in which he handled the call. 


Even in situations where the system functions without problems, the ability of the public to hear exactly what transpired has the potential to educate, as well as reinforce the trust of citizens in their public safety system. The recent shooting at Chardon High School in northeast Ohio is such an example, with recordings of 9-1-1 calls during the incident released for public review.


Running Into the Wall


Take the short drive from Chardon into Pennsylvania, and you will find an entirely different atmosphere altogether.


As I've written previously, recordings of emergency communications are locked down by state law, unless the agency in control of them or a court determines that the public interest will be served by their release.


Unfortunately, we have a local equivalent of the Chardon incident to compare the response of our public institutions to. The March 8 shooting at Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic was a tough call. Numerous calls came in to the 9-1-1 center. Would the public interest be served by the release of the recordings?


When government can unilaterally make that determination, the answer is too often no, as it is with the recordings of 9-1-1 calls from the Western Psych incident. The family of the lone innocent fatality, WPIC employee Michael Schaab, has taken to speaking out in the media, which could reasonably be attributed to UPMC's failure to communicate with them in a meaningful way.


To its credit, the local media has done the best it can with what is being given them, including some informative and engaging reporting about the private descent of a promising young man who became the shooter, John Shick. 


This is why transparency and openness are so important in the majority of our interactions with government. When it isn't present, you can really tell the difference.


Sunshine on my Shoulders..


This past week was designated as National Sunshine Week, described by its organizers as “a national initiative to promote a dialogue about the importance of open government and freedom of information”.  


It’s a given that information related to critical public safety responses can be controversial if not sensational, depending upon the level of ethics present among those involved as a victim, responder, or reporter. That fact, in and of itself, does not justify government from restricting or withholding access to this information by citizens or the media.


Members of the fourth estate have expressed frustration to me about this as well. Sewickley Patch Editor Larissa Dudkiewicz passed along her memories as a reporter for the Sharon (Pa.) Herald, covering crime stories in Ohio as much as in Pennsylvania:

"It was strange going to cover court hearings in Sharon or Farrell and not being able to photograph or record, and then go over to Ohio and be able to take pictures and record..so long as you did not disrupt the hearing". 

Lillian Thomas, Sunday Editor at the Post-Gazette, echoed the same concerns with the lack of open records, especially in major public safety incidents:

"Too often we have to establish relationships with others who can relay only pieces of information. This does not allow us to do the kind of job we could if we were able to evaluate the information on our own..compared with the experiences we have had when covering stories in places such as Ohio or Florida".

Ms. Thomas also lamented what she termed "a long history" of a lack of openness on the part of government officials, as well as "no strong advocates in the Legislature" to assist those in Pennsylvania seeking to further the concept of open, transparent government here.


What Are We Afraid Of?


As a public safety communications professional for most of my adult life, I must accept the additional scrutiny as part of the critical nature of the job. Having practiced that trade in a state where public records were more readily accessible, that includes the possibility of hearing yourself on the evening news. This has not always been easy.


In an age where the weight of symbolism and reputation appears more important than the system and standards those symbols represent - when managing the message seems more important than managing the problem - how can we effectively deal with anything of significance if we are preoccupied with how it will be perceived more than than how effective we will be in responding to the issues at hand?


I fear that much of this reticence (at least in Pennsylvania) may have at its root the innate desire to maintain the status quo of organizations and other hierarchies that present a veneer of responsibility, but are largely hollow underneath that surface. One moderate impact to that shell, such as negative publicity over a response delay, and the entire structure is at risk. 


Are we too afraid of change, or too comfortable in the trappings of the past, to see that going forward is much more conducive to thriving in the future than standing still?


Great Power, Great Responsibility


In the end, all of this is not to say that everything that happens should be out in the open - by this I mean the personal tragedies that impact families just like mine and yours every day. Some may be worthy of news coverage, some not. That is the job of those empowered in both government and the media to determine what is in the public interest, without rules that can be arbitrary and capricious in both their interpretation and application.


Let's take the case of young Howard Nicholson, late of McKeesport. Howard was on this earth for only three days last month when a family dog maimed his tiny body so severely that his injuries were incompatible with survival.


This was a tough call.


This incident has generated, and continues to generate, considerable public debate about the plight of dangerous dogs, irresponsible owners, and the ability of the state to do anything earthly about the consequences when the two wind up together. 


Knowing what I know, do I think that the 9-1-1 call would provide any greater measure of understanding for the general public? Would the manner in which these issues are addressed  be changed significantly, or would the recording just fuel those fringe aspects of what claims to be journalism on too many cable news channels? Would Nancy Grace be going live from Tube City? 


I don't believe that the recording would help at all. However, that's not my call. Nor should it be that of government to arbitrarily restrict access to these types of records. 


Responsible governance, just like responsible journalism, must possess a level of maturity and commitment to service that transcends fearmongering, sensationalism, and subterfuge.


Enjoy the nice weather. Be safe.

Temporary Improvement - Permanent Inconvenience

The Allegheny Station of the new light rail North Shore Connector, with Rivers Casino in the background.
When the new rail line opens March 25, the Port Authority's 14 Ohio Valley bus line will end service here instead of continuing into Downtown.        (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

By now, most of us who live in the Ohio River Valley of Allegheny and Beaver Counties (and follow the news) are aware of the threatened end to Port Authority bus service to our area by September of this year. The long-time public transit provider, citing continued shortfalls in funding and a lack of commitment by the state to establish a sustainable funding plan for the future, announced their intent to eliminate the 14 Ohio Valley and 21 Coraopolis routes, along with many others.

This is just the start of what looks to be an interesting year for transportation in our area. "Interesting" as in the old Chinese curse, "May you live in interesting times". As local media and government officials have already begun to touch upon this week, the effects of the imminent closure of the Ambridge-Aliquippa Bridge at the end of this week are likely to be compounded by repaving work on the very stretch of Route 65 that will see increased traffic loads as a result of the closure.

While recent local focus on Port Authority service has been on the threatened cessation of the 14 Ohio Valley route, a planned change of service to coincide with the opening of the new North Shore Connector stands to impact commuters in different ways - not all of them good.

As the Post-Gazette reported in January, when the new light rail line opens on March 25, the 14 Ohio Valley will end service at the line's Allegheny Station, near Heinz Field. Commuters will then have to transfer to the light rail to continue their commute into Downtown, or in my case, points east.

As I've written before, I don't always take public transit. But when I do, I have my route nicely planned. A one-block walk from home to catch the 14 Ohio Valley, which currently ends its route at the East Busway station near Grant and Liberty. From there, East Busway route P1 or P2 will whisk me to the Homewood station, and it's about a 2-block walk to the 9-1-1 center from there.

After March 25, I would have to transfer to the light rail at Allegheny Station, disembark at Wood Street or Steel Plaza, and then walk to the East Busway station or to the US Steel Tower to catch the P1 or P2 to Homewood.

Perhaps this "adjustment" is meant to soften the blow of the 14's apparent demise if the Corbett administration doesn't man up and decide to do something by September. However, other factors may be contributing to this lack of attractiveness. Consider the criticism leveled at the entire North Shore Connector project since its inception.

One recent new development has been the enlistment of financial support from several stakeholders on the North Shore - the Stadium Authority, Alco Parking Corporation, Rivers Casino, and the Steelers - to provide enough funding to make the entire new connector part of the existing free fare zone that allows riders to travel the subway under the Golden Triangle without cost.

While that's pretty cool for the occasional weekend excursion or date night, what is the practical impact for the Sewickley area commuter? It seems to me as if the powers that be are making the use of public transit so difficult or impossible that they are hoping commuters just opt to drive into town and park on the North Shore, so that some of these forward-thinking enterprises can recoup some of their investment in the form of parking fees and other spending. That is, if you have a car, or can drive at all. 

An "improvement" such as this only serves to make things more cumbersome in the long run.

On average, using public transit would take me about three times longer than driving, with minimal cost savings at current gas prices since I don't have to pay to park. In my case, it seems as if Port Authority is deliberately trying to get me to rule out public transit as a viable option for commuting.

There are, however, other potential options available to commuters in this area. One is the bus service currently operated by the Beaver County Transit Authority. It's not as easy as it would seem at first blush, however.

According to Kristin Sheleheda, BCTA's Manager of Planning and Technology, the authority is making no plans to increase service in the wake of the impending Port Authority cutbacks. She also stressed that while BCTA makes stops in Allegheny County, all riders must board and/or depart from a location in Beaver County. For many Sewickley commuters, this would mean a "back track" to the Ambridge Park and Ride lot on 11th Street (jointly operated with Port Authority) to board BCTA Route 1 there.

Ms. Sheleheda also stated that current ridership on this route, as well as available parking spaces in Ambridge, doesn't make for a lot of space for additional commuters from Allegheny County. One must also consider the potential impact of the closure of the Port Authority Park and Ride in Moon Township, also slated to occur in September.

Another possibility is the involvement of the private sector in providing transportation. Ohio Township-based  Lenzner Coach Lines stepped in to provide bus service to and from the outer North Hills and Cranberry, after Port Authority service cuts last year. While it's unknown if demand, cost and/or market viability would permit Lenzner to establish a profitable route to replace the 14, Lisa Finigan, Lenzner's Charter Manager, told me that they are "watching".

Perhaps a better question would be how all of this translates into an improved system of moving people around the city and the region, and what this all means to our attractiveness as a destination for prospective employers as well as visitors. I think about this a lot whenever I travel through the North Hills, the North Boroughs, or my old neighborhood in Aliquippa. In my mind's eye I can still see where the streetcars used to run.

You can ask some of the same questions of PennDOT when looking at some of the remnants of the past that they still lean on heavily to support the transportation needs of the future. Consider that the Ambridge-Aliquippa Bridge, opened in 1927, carries about 12,000 cars a day, while the Sewickley Bridge, originally built in 1911 and replaced in 1981, carries around 19,000 cars.


It would seem that the Ambridge Bridge is due for replacement, or at least a plan to do it, but no one seems to be talking about that at all. Jim Struzzi of PennDOT District 11 told me that there are indeed no plans to replace the now 85-year-old span.

Considering that Ambridge is enjoying a revitalization of sorts through the reclamation and redevelopment of older industrial sites, and Aliquippa may be in the running to do the same, the importance of a reliable river crossing here seems hard to understate. 


It took years of politicking and economic uncertainty to replace the first Sewickley Bridge; what will it take to help assure that when Aliquippa and Ambridge are ready to grow in earnest, a strong and reliable bridge will be in place to facilitate it?

I haven't been back here long enough to understand all the nuances of transportation funding in Pennsylvania, but according to several sources one of the main reasons behind all of this trouble is the refusal of the federal government to allow the state to make I-80 a toll road. This was a key part of Act 44 of 2007, which also established a funding partnership between the Turnpike Commission and PennDOT.

The federal refusal to allow the tolling of I-80 is what appears to be pinching both PennDOT and the Port Authority now. This sounds to me like building the casino and buying all of the slot machines before the gambling law is passed. Why rely so keenly on something that doesn't exist yet, and is risky to boot?

This analogy probably has something to do with the fact that the bulk of this post is being written in Las Vegas. I don't gamble, however, and neither should those we as citizens entrust with being stewards of critical infrastructure and services.

Governor Corbett has recommendations in hand from a commission that he appointed, but seems content to not act upon them thus far. How do we as a society and a state plan on improving anything when that is the example being set by our leadership?

Have a good week ahead.


Postscript, 2/29/12 12:43 PM - Port Authority is holding a required public hearing on their proposed service changes today at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. Testimony is expected to continue through 8:00 PM tonight. Check the P-G or Trib websites for more information. 
Also, Port Authority has an online public comment form available. It can be accessed by clicking here.

Construction Creates Chopper Confusion, Communication Challenges

The greater Sewickley area, with the Hospital and its most recent medical helicopter landing zones indicated. (Bing Maps)

On a quiet Sunday afternoon last October, I was doing some household chores when the unmistakable hum of rotors overhead shook the house. I knew the sound – a light twin-engine helicopter, most frequently used locally for EMS purposes. Not having heard the fire department across the street responding anywhere, I turned on the scanner and jumped in the car.

What was happening should be a fairly routine occurrence for any community that has a hospital such as Heritage Valley Sewickley. Interfacility transfers from smaller hospitals to larger facilities with specialized capabilities make up the lion’s share of the air medical transport business in this region. A helicopter had been summoned to transport a patient from the Sewickley hospital to a specialty facility in Pittsburgh.

This is a more complicated process than in most communities; Sewickley is one of only two full-service hospitals in Allegheny County that is not served by a licensed heliport (the other is UPMC McKeesport). Typically, the use of this type of Landing Zone (LZ) requires a Police, Fire, and EMS response - scene safety and security issues need to be addressed, and an ambulance is needed to transport the helicopter crew to the hospital, and bring them and the patient back to the aircraft. 

The radio traffic revealed a lot. The helicopter was circling Quaker Valley High School’s stadium, but was telling its dispatcher that all they saw was an athletic event. They could not make radio contact with anyone on the ground. The helicopter’s dispatch directed them to the field at the Sewickley Valley YMCA, across Blackburn Road from the hospital. Upon my arrival there, families were playing soccer together, but nothing indicated that the field was to be used for emergency purposes.

I found the collected public safety resources of Sewickley Borough assembled at the Quaker Valley Middle School, awaiting an aircraft that never came. The STAT Medevac chopper elected to land at the Valley Ambulance Authority headquarters, across the river along Route 51 just south of the Sewickley Bridge.

Construction activity at the Middle School had just begun in earnest; I heard additional radio traffic that indicated that the Middle School, which apparently was the "regular" LZ for the hospital, was not going to be available for use because of the work going on. I chalked up the confusion to this logistical uncertainty, and figured that the powers that be would have it straightened out in short order.

However, two similar situations occurred during the third week of January. On the first occasion the helicopter elected to land at Valley Ambulance again. The following day, the landing occurred at Osborne Elementary School.  I thought it necessary to look into the situation a little further. What I found presented an opportunity to learn more, and perhaps identify some issues that may need to be looked into down the road.

Aerial view of Heritage Valley Sewickley, with the YMCA and its soccer field across Blackburn Road. 

(Google Maps)

When I lived in the area before 1995, helicopter landings for patients at what was then Sewickley Valley Hospital were relatively infrequent. When those landings did occur, the LZ of choice was the soccer field at the Sewickley Valley YMCA, as illustrated.

During 1993 and 1994, controversy ensued about the lack of a heliport at the hospital, along with issues related to noise and safety as it impacted residents of the neighborhoods surrounding both the hospital and the YMCA. I contributed my own opinion at the time, which was that if the hospital intended to fly people out of their facility, then they should work toward building a heliport on their campus.

I wondered why the YMCA was apparently no longer being considered for landings, and found two public servants willing to shed more light on the subject. Cochran Hose Company Chief Jeff Neff stated that the YMCA field has become "tighter" for landings due to the facility's expansion encroaching upon it, and the field's location against a wooded hillside. When the "Y" added a row of parking to its lot south of the field, the decision was made to use the Middle School field along Ohio River Boulevard as the "official" landing area. Sewickley YMCA Executive Director Trish Hooper did not respond to a request for comment.

Chief Neff also stated that he had received an e-mail from "someone on the medical side" indicating that until the work at the Middle School was complete, all landing zones for patients being flown out of the hospital will be established at Valley Ambulance's headquarters. This landing area is located between Route 51 and the railroad tracks, in a largely industrial area. Sewickley Borough Manager Kevin Flannery, who has been directly involved in the planning efforts to establish an acceptable designated landing area, confirmed Chief Neff's statements. When asked about any community concerns regarding more recent arrangements, Mr. Flannery stated that his office has not received any complaints in recent years.

Landing Zone at Valley Ambulance Authority headquarters along Route 51 in Moon Township.

Acceptance by the community is but one of a two-pronged approach to the problem of where to establish an area to land what is, for many areas, a critical means of accessing emergency care. According to Frederick V. Peterson Jr., Vice President for Emergency Management at the Hospital Council of Western Pennsylvania, the state has "strict licensure criteria" that govern exactly where and how a heliport is constructed, maintained, and monitored, including assuring that the landing area is "sized to accommodate the size of the aircraft that intend to use it". Mr. Peterson added that an unlicensed LZ designated by a hospital for patient transfers may only be permitted a certain number of landings before attracting some type of regulatory attention. 

As you would expect, the government has lots to say about heliports. The FAA has published detailed guides with recommendations on heliport design, and one of the nation's foremost authorities on fire safety and emergency preparedness has just issued updated standards for the nation's heliports, most of which are owned and/or operated by hospitals.

In Pennsylvania, evaluating and licensing heliports falls under the purview of PennDOT, and its Aviation Division. Spokesperson Erin Waters characterized her agency's approach to an unlicensed hospital LZ this way:

While we evaluate heliport situations on a case-by-case basis, in general, if the hospital's stated "intent" is that the designated site will be used approximately four times a year then no licensing action would be required. The municipality may have local zoning requirements that must be met as well for this "infrequent" use. Upon owners' request, we would be willing to review sites. We work to facilitate a cooperative relationship with aviation stakeholders.

The amount of use that LZs get in the Sewickley area would appear to fit that profile. When asked about any concerns that the Quaker Valley School District had regarding the use of their property for this purpose, Dr. Joseph Marrone, Director of Administrative Services, stated in an e-mail:

Safety which has been addressed by all concerned.  The other is disruption to the teaching and learning process.  The use of the fields is very infrequent, a few times a year.

Another factor to consider is the role that Heritage Valley Sewickley plays as the closest hospital with an Emergency Department to Pittsburgh International Airport. In the event of a Mass Casualty Incident (MCI) there, or anywhere proximal to the Sewickley area, how would the lack of a licensed heliport impact the hospital's ability to receive and/or manage patients? 

According to Knox T. Walk, EMS Manager for Allegheny County Emergency Services, the impact would be negligible. "No hospital destinations (specific to the severity of a patient's injuries) are written into the Airport MCI plan", Mr. Walk stated. This is designed to prevent any particular hospital or group of hospitals, i.e. trauma centers, from being inundated with victims it could not handle. Given the hospital's proximity to Pittsburgh and its trauma centers and other specialty facilities, Mr. Walk added that he thought it "doubtful" that helicopters would be used to transport patients from Sewickley Hospital in an MCI scenario.

Considering that it takes me about 20 minutes, absent rush hour traffic, to get into downtown Pittsburgh from Leetsdale, one can see very quickly the validity of Mr. Walk's assertions. In addition, our area is served by one of the county's largest and most competently run EMS agencies. The availability of rapid ground transport, combined with the direct traffic routes and drive time at emergency speeds, literally makes a helicopter trip from Sewickley into Pittsburgh more time-consuming in comparison.

With these factors in mind, why are any patients flown from our area hospital? This is where incident-specific circumstances and patient care issues begin to muddy the clearer waters we seem to have explored thus far.

It's been reported that some of these most recent helicopter trips involved the transport of pediatric patients or premature infants. The specialty centers that receive and treat these types of patients often send their own personnel and equipment with the helicopter to effect the patient transfer. These "specialty teams" help to assure that the patient receives specialized care at the earliest opportunity, and helps the referring hospital meet its obligations under federal law to effect the transfer with "qualified personnel and transportation equipment", which the referring hospital may not have or be able to spare.

In some cases, the hospital receiving the patient is the one that makes decisions on the mode of transport. This appears to be the case with one of the recent landings; according to Mr. Flannery, the staff at Heritage Valley Sewickley were not aware that a helicopter was being sent. In the early 90's, a medical helicopter with a Children's Hospital transport team responded for a child in distress at the Edgeworth Commons outpatient surgery center, landing in the parking lot with little or no prior notification to local Police, Fire, or EMS. Incidents such as this helped to create the emphasis on a coordinated, multi-disciplinary response to help assure proper coordination and protection of patients, responders, and community assets.

So where was the ball dropped here? As it is so often in many, if not most jurisdictions across the country, problems arise when essential communication pathways are under-utilized or ignored. Something as simple as the lack of a common radio frequency for contact between ground responders and the aircraft continues to hamper air medical responses, and diminishes their effectiveness when time to definitive care is a factor.

A change in the availability of an infrequently-used landing area - recognizing that change, identifying an alternate contingency, and communicating it to all stakeholders in advance of a pressing need - these are all things that I have encountered in my years in EMS, air medical, and public safety communications.

I would have preferred to obtain a greater perspective from what would appear by all aspects to be the key local stakeholder, but attempts to secure a statement from, or an interview with, a representative of Heritage Valley Sewickley were unsuccessful. J. Daniel Murphy, Vice President for Institutional Advancement, stated in an e-mail that he tried to obtain a statement for a week after my initial call, but didn't have any luck.

Mr. Murphy referred me to Mr. Flannery at Sewickley Borough, who seems to be the official most responsible for assuring that some form of communication took place across multiple jurisdictions, institutions, and disciplines. Multiple messages left for representatives of the region's air medical service providers,  STAT Medevac and Life Flight, also went unanswered.

It seems that we as citizens, and especially as health care consumers, are faced with an escalating risk-versus-benefit equation when it comes to managing the type of health care services we seek out, receive, and are able to reasonably afford. As these concerns continue into this presidential election year and beyond, it's my hope that we can have some assurance that the community's public safety net - and that includes hospitals and helicopters - will all be on the same page about what is needed, how to get it here safely, and how to make sure the community's risk profile is not impacted negatively by a lack of coordination or communication.

Be safe out there.

The Bus Is For All Of Us

Public transportation is on my mind. 

With regard to this topic, I must temporarily digress back to Grand Junction, Colorado for a moment.

Residents and business owners around the location of the proposed Greyhound station and Grand Valley Transit transfer center in the 24 1/2 Road and Patterson Road area are correct in their assertions that the proposed location is not a good one. They're just right for all the wrong reasons.

Recent reporting in the Daily Sentinel seemed to indicate that the basis for most of the complaints is rooted in classism, NIMBY, and/or financial self-interest. Not mentioned is the questionable appropriateness of a regional ground transportation hub so far removed from the centers of commercial activity and education, as well as the seats of government and location of essential social services.

As a property owner in the Downtown area, I continue to be amazed at the lengths that some will go to attempt to artificially gentrify this area and the surrounding neighborhoods. When the homeless shelter was moved from Downtown to North Avenue, did the homeless leave Downtown with it? How many of us honestly believe that flinging the Greyhound out will do the same?

I'm driven to recall the very first GVT transfer point, when the service was first instituted nearly 12 years ago. The former parking lot at 12th and Orchard, owned by the former Mesa State College, seemed a logical choice, and appeared to function well until the College's expansion plans forced a relocation.

Now that Colorado Mesa University appears poised to expand its campus all the way to 7th Street, an opportunity presents itself to re-establish a connection between the University and the remainder of the Grand Valley through development of such a transportation hub in the heart of the North Avenue multi-use district that the City has worked so hard to plan for.

A combined Greyhound / GVT transportation center on the CMU campus would serve all manner of people coming to Grand Junction to work, access government services, and learn. These people would find access to these services and facilities to be much more efficient than trying to reach them from the west end of town, and CMU students would have easy access to buses across town or across the state. Win-Win.

City and County government leaders, who do not have the authority to prevent CMU from doing what it wants with their property, should nonetheless consider expending some political capital in trying to convince CMU administration of the potential benefits of such an establishment. Groups who represent potential stakeholders and beneficiaries of such an arrangement, i.e. CMU's Associated Student Government, should also be discussing this and getting involved.

Regardless of some inaccurate public perception about those who utilize public transportation, these types of facilities should be considered for the benefit of the entire community, irrespective of social or economic status. I feel bad for those who look at the area and its needs with such narrow vision.

Best wishes to those tasked with bringing improved local and regional public transportation to a reality.

Public Loss, Private Pain

'Michael' left us yesterday.

With no notice and little fanfare, the small tree that graced the right-of-way in front of our house in Leetsdale was unceremoniously removed. After contacting the borough office, they quickly owned up to being responsible - Public Works Director Doug Ford stated that he removed it because it was "obviously dead", and that they would be replacing it with another come spring.

Leslie was somewhat upset about this. The tree was planted by the borough 5 or so years ago, when her younger daughter Michaela was still alive, and naming every tree, bush, and plant in and around the yard. She named the tree Michael. Leslie thought for sure that the tree had bloomed over this past spring and summer, and questioned how anyone could really say a small tree like this is "obviously dead" in the dead of winter.

I conveyed her concerns to Mr. Ford, along with an admonition that he could have at least left a note on the door. He was unconvinced about the tree's viability, but seemed mildly sympathetic to my concerns about communicating with citizens.

In reality, you can't fault the borough. They're just doing a job and providing a service. They had no idea about the sentiment associated with this particular lowly tree, and if it was dead, it needed to be removed. Like so many other impacts of this life, one's ability to absorb the shocks, learn from them, and move on is part of what defines life itself. As one friend on Facebook has brought to my attention of late, "Sooner or later you have to give up all hope for a better past".

Even with this in mind, however, I cannot personally begin to fathom the anguish of losing a child. All I can do is draw on what I know from my own life, and try to be as supportive and loving as I can. I got to see my own son over the New Years' weekend. After returning to Colorado, he promptly ate it while snowboarding, and found himself lamenting the Steelers' fate at the hand of Tim Tebow from the waiting room of Community ER. Luckily, he is making a steady recovery from the effects of just a pinched nerve.

The last several weeks, which encompass the passing of one year into another, seem fraught with all manner of stress points - political, personal, presidential, predictional. If the Mayan calendar is to be given any credence at all, and the possibility of apocalypse is upon us, will Mel Gibson direct it? 

Leslie and I watched the movie Soul Surfer last night - based on the true story of a champion teenage surfer whose faith and courage helps her to transcend the effects of a devastating injury. I'll take that kind of attitude and self-confidence into the abyss any day of the week.

In the course of life and work I encounter many whose lives are dealt tragic blows, and at the same time are thrust into the public perception - for a moment, sometimes longer. They must try to pick up the pieces as best they can, often with the cameras rolling.

Before Christmas, the line of duty death of East Washington (Pa.) police officer John David Dryer was tragic enough without the revelation that he was also a dedicated and respected veterinarian, who operated his own clinic in Washington proper. Leslie thought she had heard of him, but had never met him. 

As a volunteer firefighter and Game Commission officer as well, Dr. Dryer's commitment to service extended above what American society seems to think is a citizen's call to duty these days. His passing and legacy were something that touched us beyond the normal measure.

There are fundraising efforts afoot to honor Dr. / Officer Dryer's memory, and provide assistance for his special needs son. Please consider lending your assistance.

During one recent shift, I answered three 9-1-1 calls from three separate people who found loved ones deceased. It’s my job to get the most critical information – where are you, what’s the problem – in a calm, dispassionate way, while still conveying an attitude of compassion and caring toward the caller and their plight. It’s a delicate balance to maintain, especially with hysterical callers or other out-of-control situations.

People who work in public safety have reactions to these kinds of situations just like any human being does. There are specialized resources available for them to help deal with what is known as Critical Incident Stress. Over my career, acceptance of these resources has penetrated some of the cultural and social barriers that permeate these disciplines, and that’s a good thing.

Still, nothing can really prepare you for dealing with the death of someone close to you. From both a professional and personal level, the loss of co-workers and family members hits the hardest, and all of us need help at times. Inevitably we must all find our own path through the five stages of grief - hopefully a healthy path - until we come out a more "human" being on the other side.

Making this kind of transition all the more difficult is when ambiguity and confusion about a person or set of circumstances clouds the path by which we navigate our feelings. Another friend on Facebook offered me some sage advice in this area:

One way I put situations into perspective is to view them as if I or my family was inserted into them and ask myself how would I react...how would I feel...etc. It is a very sobering way of corralling my emotions.

Such seems to be the case with the untimely and tragic death of Charles "Chaz" Buswell, age 19, on January 5. Mr. Buswell's public life was a turbulent one in recent months. You can read more about this here.

Mr. Buswell chose to post a final farewell to family, friends and others via Facebook. While his page has since been taken down, his final post is still available here.

His family chose to observe and mourn his passing privately; I will not attempt to embellish any of these circumstances with any feeble efforts at analysis, or attempting in vain to achieve an earthly understanding of this tragedy. Such an understanding feels to me to be one for each individual and their God, "whatever you conceive Him to be".

Still, as many young people search for answers and understanding in their lives, and many in the public safety and criminal justice communities try to make sense of and learn from cases like John David Dryer's and Chaz Buswell's, there is a need to rely on each other, and on those who have trod the path before us. 

All I know is that if my family were inserted into these circumstances, I would want to try to spare others the same pain and anguish, with the knowledge that the God I believe in did not mean for us to feel alone and helpless, or to isolate ourselves.

I'll conclude with a clip from a movie that is one of my most recent favorites. I got it for Christmas - thanks, Gianna. While not the most technologically savvy or visually stimulating scene, it is by far the most significant - for me.

Leslie told me that she did not want another tree planted in front of the house.

Maybe they'll at least let us hold on to Michael's stump for a while.

Holiday Potpourri

I hope that everyone has had a blessed holiday season thus far.

It's been a somewhat hectic few weeks. Over the course of that time, I've been trying to catalog those stories, observations, and ideas that made for short stops on the bullet train of my attention span.

Like a simmering pot of subtle fragrances designed to provide a pleasant ambiance, these numerous topics of interest have presented themselves to me as a fragrance, an odor, an olfactory metaphor that stimulates the thought process in some way - either memory, contemplation, or an emotional response.

While not all connected to the holiday season (and not all subtle or pleasant), they are no less topical and appropriate to the time of year, as well as our immediate future:

Pine Boughs, Warm Shortbread, Melting Candle Wax

It's been many years since I celebrated Christmas in this area, but it was still good to see luminaria lining Thorn Street in Sewickley as well as adorning other locations. There is a certain comfort to tradition and ceremony, whether as part of a religious community or as someone who exercises their formidable kitchen skills for the benefit of family and stranger alike. Lots of homemade cookies are comforting to the psyche if not the waistline.

As I picked up the spent bags from outside of the house on Christmas morning, I was reminded of the last few years in Colorado, when the luminaria I placed in front of the houses on my block seemed to be a unique addition to the usual holiday decorations. I continue to cherish both the simplicity and profundity of the message that is symbolized by a bag, some sand, and a candle.

Brine and Benzene

A couple of significant developments in the continuing controversy over fracking:

• For the first time, the EPA identified fracking as the cause of groundwater contamination.
• Colorado passed and is set to implement new rules regarding disclosure of the contents of fracking fluid. The new rules are being touted as a model for the rest of the country - a model that Pennsylvania seems to have particular need of.

I normally try to resist making comparisons to Colorado and Pennsylvania, especially in terms of government and politics. However, chemicals and groundwater know not what state boundary they are flowing underneath, and contaminated water is just that, no matter where the humans that have to use it happen to reside.

Considering the revelation that the energy industry is employing public relations personnel with a background in military-style counterinsurgency tactics, it's more important than ever to get to the truth, and assure that the government charged with serving citizens understands that truth, and does their job accordingly.

Chalkboard Dust and Musty Textbooks

Back in 2009, I wrote about some of my memories of Mount Gallitzin Academy in Baden, upon the announcement of its closure. Now the sounds of schoolchildren will again fill those tall, old hallways and classrooms, thanks to the recent state approval of the Baden Academy Charter School. It's noteworthy that the school's approval at the state level was unanimous on the part of the charter school appeal board, overturning a unanimous disapproval (twice) by the local school board, Ambridge Area.

I don't know what to think of the whole charter school concept, especially as it relates to the local experience. What I know is what I see - many school districts experiencing much more difficult times in terms of declining enrollment, dwindling tax bases and state subsidies, and constant if not rising infrastructure and personnel costs. Many see merit in the ability to establish a school and receive public money for it, and the government oversight appears to be fairly robust.

Still, some of the methods with which many local charter schools are getting their message out and their faces in the public eye - such as high-profile advertising and corporate-style sponsorship - seem disingenuous to me as both a parent and taxpayer.

Nonetheless, I wish the school and its students the best, along with the ongoing mission of the Sisters of St. Joseph, who will rent their building to the school. As an overview on the school's website states:

The former Mt. Gallitzin facility offers superb classrooms in a safe, serene setting. Decades of successful education attest to the practicality of the facility as a desirable learning environment.

Can't argue with that.

Stale, Moldy Bread in these SOPApillas

It's been heartening to see how much coverage the mainstream media have been giving to controversial legislation of late. One particularly odious bill is the Stop Online Piracy Act, or SOPA. This bill is part of a continuing effort to place restrictions on the flow of information in an effort to combat copyright infringement and the sale of counterfeit goods online.

Proponents of the bill are those whose profits and livelihoods are tied to entertainment product - the MPAA and RIAA, and the AFL-CIO among others. The bill's opponents include the bulk of the Internet community, including Google, Yahoo!, Facebook, and on and on.

The core premise of the bill is to create an Internet blacklist - to facilitate the wholesale censorship of information deemed to "infringe". The bill infringes, all right - not only upon individual liberty, but free enterprise as well. The Electronic Frontier Foundation has an excellent overview of the subject matter, as well as links to take action.

As it happens, Politico reports that corporate support for SOPA and it's Senate counterpart, the Protect IP Act (PIPA) appears to be eroding in the face of continued vocal opposition and at least one boycott of the largest domain name provider.

SOPA puts over-reaching "protection" of a lucrative industry ahead of the fundamental rights of citizens.

New Car Smell

The National Transportation Safety Board has gone on record advocating for a complete ban on cell phone use while driving.

From a personal standpoint, I believe that texting while driving is dangerous. I'm also uncomfortable with trying to manipulate a phone while behind the wheel. This includes trying to hold the phone up to my ear.

I have a Bluetooth headset, and my phone has voice dialing. I believe that I can safely engage in a conversation with both hands on the wheel and eyes facing forward. The vehicle manufacturers that have incorporated Bluetooth hands-free into the sound systems of their cars would appear to feel the same way.

A complete ban on cell phone use while driving seems to me to have the same kind of government over-reach that SOPA does. Enforcement of such a law would also be difficult in my mind, especially if expanded to the entire spectrum of distracted driving.

A CBS News consultant and former NTSB member took this one step further, implying that the current board "missed the boat" by ignoring additional technology advances, such as frontal collision avoidance systems, that could help to mitigate accidents regardless of any inattentive behavior on the part of the driver.

I Love the Smell of Asphalt in the Morning

Sometimes there's nothing that can be done to prevent or protect yourself from life's pitfalls, whether on the roadway or not. One faulty valve on a truck loaded with liquid asphalt can really ruin your day (and your car) if you're in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Now it seems that the Nov. 22 spill along 40 miles of the Turnpike has damaged so many vehicles (including a couple of luxury models totaled) that the insurers are throwing up their hands or attempting to deny coverage, for which they're being sued.The driver of the truck apparently decided to leave the area after the State Police told him to stay so his truck could be inspected - a big boo-boo on top of everything else.

This is another example of how tenuous the nature of travel is - how dependent it is upon due diligence, attentiveness, and an attitude that is rife with a lot of patience - especially around here. This was brought home to me on the way back from work this past Friday, when a flatbed semi loaded with drilling rig assemblies, followed by a large tanker truck full of something (fracking fluid?), passed me inbound on the Parkway East.

Fresh Sausage

Thinking about this topic, I was reminded of the quote that is attributed to German chancellor Otto Von Bismark (1815-1898):

 "There are two things you don’t want to see being made—sausage and legislation."

That being said, it seems that there are similar goings-on in my former home and my current one that warrant some attention. Both have to do with the bumpy road of transition.

It seems that the City Council in Grand Junction, Colorado elected to force the resignation of City Manager Laurie Kadrich...just in time for Christmas. Ms. Kadrich, who held the post for five years, cited  “fundamental philosophical differences between me and City Council" as the reason for her departure.

Ms. Kadrich was a fine City Manager. She was the last one I had the pleasure of working for, and even after my departure from the City's employment she was accessible and straightforward, even in the face of disagreement.

Mayor Tom Kenyon was quoted in the Daily Sentinel story as stating, “The city manager has a lot of authority, but they have to remember they have seven bosses".

When some of those seven bosses change, the dynamics and priorities often change as well. This is something that is about to happen in Leetsdale. With not just the current Borough Manager, but the position itself, under threat of termination by the council members-elect, the future of the borough's day-to-day operational structure remains unclear, even if the stated intent of the incoming council members is not. 

The transition has already begun to impact those operations. Sewickley Patch reported that a sitting Council member questioned one incoming member's request for reimbursement from the borough for classes she and the other three newcomers are taking in preparation for their new duties.

These classes comprise the Newly Elected Officials Course, offered by the Local Government Academy, located on Pittsburgh's North Side. The academy has been in existence for over 25 years, and serves as a clearinghouse for training and information to help those elected and/or employed in the field of local government succeed on behalf of the citizens they serve.

It's a good idea that these incoming council members have this kind of baseline training. I personally don't have a problem with the new Council members requesting reimbursement from the borough - just so that request is accompanied by a copy of a certificate of completion. The course is scheduled to conclude on March 10.

Here's looking forward to that, and for more good tidings into the new year. Until then..

Public Recordings, Recorders, and Records

All censorship exists to prevent any one from challenging current conceptions and existing institutions. 

All progress is initiated by challenging current conceptions, and executed by supplanting existing institutions. 

Consequently the first condition of progress is the removal of censorship.  

                                                                           - George Bernard Shaw

Over the last 25 years, incidents of local, national, and international significance have been made more so by the increasing availability of portable recording devices.

Whether as part of a mobile phone or other platform, when combined with Internet access and ubiquitous social media networks these compact devices collect and disseminate information in a manner that has literally changed the way the world is perceived and governed.

Most recently, the so-called 'Arab Spring' and the Occupy Wall Street protest and its various offshoots across the country have demonstrated the power of instant messaging and video to document activities and mobilize citizens to action.

Issues have arisen locally and in other parts of the country concerning the recording of public safety and other government personnel in the conduct of their daily activities. The issues involve not only the practice of recording these personnel in public, but also the availability of the official recordings of their activities, and/or the 9-1-1 calls that precipitated them.

Here are some examples of how these activities affect us as citizens:

Your Right to Record the Police

From Long Island to Leetsdale to Las Vegas, this past year has seen public servants finding themselves on the wrong side of both the law and public opinion when confronted by a citizen with an audio or video recorder, and attempting to stop the recording. A recent federal court decision may put to rest any hint of ambiguity about the public's right to record public officials in the exercise of their official duties, including those in law enforcement.

The case involved Simon Glik, a Boston lawyer who recorded some questionable handling of an arrestee in 2007. He was himself arrested for doing this. The charges against him were dropped, and Mr. Glik successfully established in court that the attempt to prevent him from passively documenting the actions of the police flew in the face of our most fundamental liberties.

Here in the local area, law enforcement seems well aware of a citizen's right to record them in action, as well as a citizen's responsibility not to unlawfully interfere with police activities or jeopardize safety at the same time. Law enforcement training and legal bulletins, including this one, are getting the word out to police agencies about these rights and responsibilities, on both sides of the badge.

There are several online examples out there of how to record police, and how not to. A good overview is available here.

Pittsburgh CopBlock: Monitoring or Meddling?

Organized monitoring and recording of police activity has its roots in the time of the Rodney King incident in Los Angeles, when home video cameras were becoming an affordable reality for many. The first of many "Copwatch" groups was organized in 1990 in Berkeley, California. Their message and mission is clear:

Berkeley Copwatch is based on the idea that WATCHING the police is a crucial first step in the process of organizing. We do not attempt to interfere in police activity or to resist police misconduct physically. It is our hope that, one day, mass outrage at police and government violence will increase to a point where fundamental change in the nature of policing becomes inevitable.

As the years and technology have provided a means to instantly transmit video over the Internet from any number of small devices, some concerned with the behavior of their local police have taken this concept and tried a different approach.

Copblock.org states that it exists in part to:

"..highlight the double standard that some grant to those with badges. By documenting police actions – whether they are illegal, immoral or just a waste of time and resources – then calling the police stations involved (ideally while recording and then later sharing your conversation), we can work together to bring about transparency and have a real impact".

This national organization has several affiliates, including one locally. Pittsburgh CopBlock has taken the strategy of the national organization one precarious step further - engaging in direct action that appears designed to elicit, or perhaps provoke, an emotional response from the officers involved. You can check out one of these activities here, and several more here.

Sewickley Patch, Beaver Countian, and other media have attempted to cover the local Copblockers and their activities, some of which have run them afoul of the local law. This occurred most recently in Leetsdale at Magistrate Robert Ford's office. The national CopBlock group has taken issue with some of this news coverage.

CopBlock Pittsburgh's efforts thus far consist largely of attempts to antagonize local law enforcement - by local I mean mostly Ambridge and the Quaker Valley departments - instead of calmly documenting their public activities in non-confrontational ways. Cops have to eat like everyone else - why go after them in a convenience store?

Despite the counterproductive nature of their rhetoric and tactics, I believe that Pittsburgh CopBlock has a valid point to get across, especially as it relates to our rights as citizens to document the activities of public servants. They're just going about it in a way that will serve only to isolate them in the larger arenas of public discourse.

Police officers have a very difficult job. I like to believe that the majority of them perform their duties with a healthy balance of respect for citizens, while possessing a situational awareness that sometimes makes it necessary to use force and aggressive tactics to mitigate a threat to themselves or others.

I also believe (but don't like to) that there are police officers out there that exceed the boundaries of both their authority and responsible conduct as a public servant. Citizens such as Simon Glik, along with excellent bloggers such as Carlos Miller, have demonstrated and brought attention to this on several occasions. The most recent affront to reasonable police actions, on the campus of the University of California at Davis, embellishes the point even further.

Perhaps CopBlock will consider joining the efforts of Copwatch, the ACLU, and others who seek to assure that police do their jobs within the boundaries set by law, while continuing to assure that their own behavior is protected by those same laws themselves.

The Official Record - Your Right to Know

Pennsylvania is one of only six states where the official recordings of 9-1-1 calls and public safety radio traffic are confidential, unless an agency or court decides that their release is in the public interest. These recordings and other information were specifically exempted in the Pennsylvania Right to Know Law of 2008.

Computer and written logs that provide information on response times are public, however, as is information regarding 9-1-1 callers, their phone numbers, and location information. This was reaffirmed by Commonweath Court in February of this year, reversing a lower court decision after a reporter filed suit to obtain records in York County.

In response to the Commonwealth Court decision, in March State Rep. Joseph Hackett (R-Delaware County) introduced HB 1174, which would specifically exclude the information about callers to 9-1-1 and their geographic location.

The bill was marketed as an attempt to protect crime victims and witnesses from possible retribution from the release of this information. It gained the immediate support of the bulk of the emergency response community and crime victims groups alike. With this support, and perhaps the looming approach of their summer recess, the state House unanimously passed this bill at the end of June, and sent it to the Senate.

The bill has remained in the hands of the Senate Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee since then, perhaps in response to fairly loud voices in opposition to the bill. This includes the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association, expressed through the editorial pages of its member newspapers, including the Post-Gazette and Tribune-Review. The Trib seemed to sum up these concerns best when it wrote:

"We can't support them unconditionally if they hide from us this critical information about their work," says Trib legal counsel David A. Strassburger about first responders, speaking on behalf of both newspapers and the public...The Senate must not fall for this rollback of transparency masquerading as aid for a victimized group.

If there is a true, genuine concern that criminals, abusers, and stalkers will resort to showing up at a police station or other government office to obtain this information through a Right to Know request, then build amendments into the law to specifically exclude information related to certain criminal cases from release without a court order.

Otherwise, the media and general public should have the ability to obtain information on how their public safety agencies respond to requests for assistance. A big part of this is being able to independently assess response time data to all areas of the communities that these agencies serve.

This information can also provide insight into additional resources requested to an emergency scene, how long it took those resources to arrive, and the appropriateness of the resources requested. This is important to assure that the most proximal resources needed for the job are the ones being requested and sent.

HB 1174 will allow government agencies to withhold much of this information.

As a public safety professional for most of my working life, I strive to make sure that the job I am doing can be held up openly before the public as an example of conscientious, professional service. I believe that accountability and transparency trump what seems to me to be an over-reaching effort to "protect" crime victims and witnesses. I also believe that there are those who seek the same "protection" whose aim is to conceal from the public examples of less than professional 
service.

In the process of researching this bill, I requested comment from the ACLU of Pennsylvania regarding their take on it. Legislative Director Andy Hoover responded, "At the moment, we have no position on this bill but will continue to monitor this legislation and offer our input when appropriate".

As this bill has a potential direct impact on the ability of citizens to independently assess the accountability of police and other public servants, I would think that some kind of analysis and positioning on the part of the ACLU is well overdue, especially since police accountability is one of their stated priorities.

Contacting your state senator, and encouraging them to closely evaluate these factors when considering whether to support or oppose HB 1174, is definitely a good idea.

Why Does This Matter?

If you're interested enough to have read this far, then you're probably someone who values their ability to question government, assemble peaceably to voice concerns collectively, document the response of public servants, and not be subject to violence or criminal prosecution as a consequence of those actions. You can even deliver a relatively anonymous screed to a talk show host, or express your feelings responsibly online, and feel confident of your freedom and safety.

You can thank the Bill of Rights, and those like the ACLU who make it their mission and passion to defend the liberties granted under it. You can also thank laws that make government activities part of the public record, and prevent attempts at secrecy in the large majority of those activities.

We all have an obligation as citizens to be responsible stewards of these freedoms - not to take them for granted, not to set them aside just because someone thinks we should. 

One of the linchpins of a free society is a strong and vibrant news media. The media needs to have the tools at their disposal to report to the citizens, and as a consequence encourage public discourse and the means by which citizens engage in participatory government, whether as a public servant or an informed member of the electorate. 

With that in mind, enjoy your freedoms, and your week ahead.