Emergency Service
Town Hall Meeting Video On Line
The unedited video of the GUARDIAN’S Monday Town Hall Meeting to discuss the ambulance issue is available on the ADA COUNTY website. Click on the notice appropriate listing. It is about an hour and a half with a 10 minute intro by the fat bald GUARDIAN editor. No allegations of bias please, we would gladly […]
Boise City Ambulance Plan On “Hold”
In a letter to Ada Commish chair Fred Tilman ( with the Commish’s name spelled incorrectly), Boise Mayor Dave Bieter said he and the council have put their plans to get an ambulance transport license on “hold.” They cryptically refer to the GUARDIAN revelations (and subsequent legacy media coverage) over the past three weeks as […]
Boise Officials “No Show” At Town Hall Meet
About 60 concerned citizens and a handful of Ada County EMS paramedics got together for the GUARDIAN Town Hall meeting at the library Monday to discuss the status of ambulance service in the county and city. Sadly, the Boise Firefighters union accused the GUARDIAN of bias on the issue and boycotted the meeting after previously […]
Sneaky Language In Revised Ordinance
Boise City Councilors have just come off an intense season of budget work and approvals during tough economic times, but it appears they don’t know the status of important city government issues. Councilors are about to approve an ordinance that will give the fire chief additional sweeping authority, including going into the ambulance transport business. […]
Boise Fire Contemplates Stretcher Purchase
While Team Dave sent a letter to a citizen signed by Mayor Dave Bieter claiming that “neither the council nor the mayor has authorized emergency transport…,” it would appear that plans are forging ahead to do just that without any public discussion or prior council action asking for staff to work on a BFD ambulance […]
EMERGENCY! Meeting At LIBRARY!
THE BOISE GUARDIAN WILL SPONSOR A PUBLIC MEETING TO DISCUSS THE PROS AND CONS OF A CITY OPERATED AMBULANCE SERVICE. LOCATION: Boise Library! on Capitol Blvd. auditorium (entrance around back) TIME: 7p.m. Monday August 24 FORMAT: Town Hall forum with BFD and EMS each presenting up to 10 minute openers. Since the GUARDIAN broke the […]
Boise Ambulance Deal Full Of Holes
Bids will be opened at 1:30 Wednesday for a new Boise Fire Department ambulance, but even at this late date it is not a “done deal.” The City is rushing to get an ambulance transport license from the State of Idaho in advance of anticipated new administrative rules that would require officials to consider the […]
Emergency Docs Oppose Boise FD Ambulance
The doctors group responsible for emergency room care at St. Alphonsus hospital, Idaho Emergency Physicians, has notified Team Dave they oppose a plan for Boise Fire Department to enter the ambulance business. In a letter to Mayor Dave Bieter and the Boise City Council, the docs pretty much say the emergency transport business isn’t broken […]
Boise Fire Goes After EMS Business
The GUARDIAN has learned the Boise Fire Department is seeking an ambulance transport license from the State of Idaho to compete head-to-head with the Ada County Emergency Medical Services within the city. Everyone in Boise lives within the countywide EMS district and residents are taxed for the service. If Boise also has ambulance service, it […]
Questions Arise From Tragic Copper Deaths
Recent deaths of sheriff’s deputies in Adams and Lincoln counties raise some interesting issues among coppers and civilians alike. In both instances, the officers died as a result of traffic accidents and it appears in both cases other drivers were NOT at fault. Neither copper was wearing a seat belt. The Lincoln County deputy was […]
Highway District Driver Saves Canyon Home
The folks at Lincoln Road and Middleton Road were visibly grateful to a Canyon County Highway District Driver who saved their home from advancing flames Monday afternoon. It appeared that a weed burning project got out of control, igniting a hedge of 20 feet tall arbor vitae running along the wall of the frame home. […]
Texting Crash Should Be Lesson For Coppers
When the young guy texting on his cellphone smacked a Boise copper’s patrol unit over the weekend, the incident became THE major local story. The TV newsies came up with facts and figures of the dangers of inattentive driving along with in-car video of what it looks like behind the wheel when one texts. Coppers […]
GUARDIAN Primer On Local Governments
A recent reader comment requested that we post some sort of organizational chart explaining local government. We will give it a go, but space will limit detailed explanations. We will be glad to made additions based on reader comments from those in the know. Click on MORE for the complete summary.
Missing Buses Located With BPD and BFD
The buses are all present and accounted for, but the manner in which possession of the government property has been transferred between agencies has caused concern for managers. The coppers have a couple of the exploding buses at a desert location where they will be used for–EXPLOSIVE training–and some SWAT team exercises. Boise Police command […]
Boise Coppers To Cut Code 3 Responses
If it seems like you can’t walk outside without hearing an emergency siren wailing, you are probably correct. Boise coppers made more than 10,000 high speed responses in the past three years, but an estimated 38% of those adrenaline charged car races will be eliminated when a new set of rules go into effect by […]
Detox Deal Done, Despite Dollar Drain
There is no doubt about the need for a detox center in Boise so the coppers can take people someplace besides the Emergency Room or the slammer to sober up. There was a lot of fanfare about an agreement and possible 2010 opening for a joint city, county, state facility known as “Substance Abuse and […]
Copper Rides Likely To Change
Boise Coppers are likely to have a slightly European flare with their ride matching their duties as Chief Mike Masterson and topper copper command staff look for ways to save taxpayer dollars in these tough times. Throughout Europe and South America, police use compact size vehicles which are used mostly for transportation rather than high […]
Will Boise Market Misery For Profit?
It looks like the squabble over who will run–and profit–from ambulance service in Boise is alive and well. Boise firefighters have been quietly adding trained paramedics to their ranks for a couple years. On the face of it, a way to save lives and generally improve the level of emergency service to citizens. Meanwhile, during […]
Self Inflicted Heimlich With Airbag
A motorist in Boise found a unique way to administer the Heimlich maneuver–she crashed head-on into another vehicle Thursday and deployed the airbag on herself. KTVB news reported, the female driver of the truck was headed eastbound on Overland at Hummel Dr. when she began to choke of a piece of food. She pulled into […]
BFD Brings Work To Station
Boise Fire Department has a new “crash” truck–Engine 8. A recent crash incident didn’t take them beyond the front door of Station 8 on Overland Road…in fact the crash WAS the front door! Seems the first responder heroes were showing their wares to a group of children visiting the station over the July 4th weekend. […]
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