EMS: Courage And Compassion In Action

By Shawn GodfreyPrint Story | Email Story
Shawn Godfrey is a certified paramedic and the operations manager for the Village Ambulance Service Inc. in Williamstown, Mass..
Taser Devices: Humane or Harmful? The use of taser-devices by law enforcement agencies has continued to spark nationwide debate over whether they are a humane means of subduing an attacker, or even necessary in the field all-together. According to a published report by Amnesty International, 152 taser-related deaths have been reported since 2001, therefore prompting the call for a ban pending an investigation on their long-term medical and psychological effects. Many human rights and civil liberties organizations have also questioned whether the high-voltage electrical charge that a taser-device delivers is potentially deadly. Conversely, many law enforcement officials argue that although taser-devices are not solely responsible for the reduction in police-related deaths, they claim the devices have made a significant impact. Supporters say the devices are humane and, more importantly, save lives, like protecting officers and suspects in standoff scenarios that may have otherwise left someone dead or critically injured. What Are Tasers? Taser International, the Arizona-based manufacturer of the device, claims their stun-gun, typically purchased by law enforcement agencies, can accurately strike a target between 15 and 21 feet away. The gun discharges two hook-like probes, which penetrate the skin and deliver an electric shock for approximately five seconds. The wires, which transfer the high-voltage energy to the hooks, deliver a charge of 50,000 volts or 1.36 joules of electricity. By comparison, most external cardiac defibrillators, like those used on an ambulance, can deliver an electrical shock of 200 to 360 joules. Once the high-voltage electrical charge is delivered, it interacts with the body's own electrical impulses, subsequently causing muscular interference and forcing them into an immediate chaotic state or contractions. This rapidly uses up the muscles supply of blood sugar by converting it to lactic acid, thus making it difficult for one to move and often making it hard to comprehend speech or follow verbal commands. Some taser-devices have adjustable energy settings. A half-second shock from a taser-device will deliver a painful shock that will startle an attacker. A one or two second shock will normally daze the attacker and will often trigger muscle spasms. If a shock of more than three seconds is delivered, the attacker may become disoriented and lose his or her sense of balance. He or she may also lose voluntary and involuntary muscle control. Taser-devices, like those used by law enforcement agencies, are typically calibrated to deliver a five-second shock, which is ample enough to temporarily incapacitate an individual. Disorientation and loss of balance usually lasts about 10-15 minutes following receipt of a five-second shock by a taser-device. Stunning Debate In 2005, a 14-year-old boy, shocked by a Chicago Policeman’s taser-device, was the first taser-linked cardiac arrest to be documented in a medical journal. In a paper published in the New England Journal of Medicine, physicians claim the high-voltage energy delivered from the taser-device caused the boy to suffer a serious, potentially lethal heart arrhythmia, known as "ventricular fibrillation." Ventricular fibrillation is when the lower and most vital part of the heart ceases to adequately pump blood to the body, including reperfusion of the heart muscle itself. This conclusion was made by two cardiac specialists at a Chicago Hospital, where the boy was treated following the incident. The physicians argue that law enforcement agencies utilizing taser-devices should also carry appropriate medical equipment to treat patients, should a heart-related aberrancy, like ventricular fibrillation, occur. Taser International disputed the claim and challenged the physicians' conclusion by stating the paper does not offer any scientific evidence of a causal relationship between the use of a taser-device and ventricular fibrillation. Taser International also declared that the outcome implied by the physicians is purely speculative and not sufficiently supported by scientific evidence. An electrophysiologist, who studies heart arrhythmias, said he believes the taser-device was undoubtedly the cause for the teen's heart to stop because the boy went into cardiac arrest immediately after being struck by the taser-device. Those close to the teen say there is no evidence the victim was taking illegal or prescription drugs, or suffered from any underlying heart disease that may have caused ventricular fibrillation. Shocking Statistics The teen was fortunate that paramedics were on the scene; they had been called to treat a hand injury the boy had sustained during an earlier altercation with the police officer. If they weren’t able to administer a shock to him with a defibrillator in less than two minutes of his collapse, statistics prove that there is a high probability he would not have survived. Taser-devices are now being used by more than 6,000 police departments across the nation and, in a growing number of cities, each police officer carries one. Approximately 200 more departments are purchasing the high-tech stun-guns every month, and the U.S. Military continues to use them in Iraq. I certainly support the use of taser-devices as a sub-lethal force to subdue an individual. I also believe that law enforcement agencies should carry external cardiac defibrillators in addition to taser-devices. If someone's heart stops as a result of a taser-induced shock, the chance for survival decreases approximately 10 percent for each minute elapsed without defibrillation treatment. A paramedic-level ambulance can sometimes take up to 10 minutes to arrive on scene, depending on geographical location, weather conditions, traffic, or a host of other variables.
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BRPC Committee Mulls Input on State Housing Plan

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Regional Planning Commission's Regional Issues Committee brainstormed representation for the county in upcoming housing listening sessions.

"The administration is coming up with what they like to tout is their first housing plan that's been done for Massachusetts, and this is one of a number of various initiatives that they've done over the last several months," Executive Director Thomas Matuszko said.

"But it seems like they are intent upon doing something and taking comments from the different regions across the state and then turning that into policy so here is our chance to really speak up on that."

The Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities and members of the Housing Advisory Council will host multiple listening sessions around the Commonwealth to hear input on the Healey-Driscoll administration's five-year strategic statewide housing plan.

One will be held at Berkshire Community College on May 15 at 2 p.m.

One of Matuszko's biggest concerns is the overall age of the housing stock in Berkshire County.

"And that the various rehab programs that are out there are inadequate and they are too cumbersome to manipulate through," he explained.

"And so I think that there needs to be a greater emphasis not on new housing development only but housing retention and how we can do that in a meaningful way. It's going to be pretty important."

Non-commission member Andrew Groff, Williamstown's community developer director, added that the bureaucracies need to coordinate themselves and "stop creating well-intended policies like the new energy code that actually work against all of this other stuff."

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