By O’Ryan Johnson
The Boston Herald
BOSTON — A campaign video by the city’s firefighter union blasting Mayor Thomas M. Menino for blocking them from responding when elderly people fall is full of “lies,” the head of Boston’s EMS told the Herald, while documents show jakes have resisted responding to the calls for years.
“The statements in these ads are outright lies,” said James Orsino, president of the Boston Police Patrolmens Association/EMS Division.
Firefighters Local 718, which backs City Councilor Michael F. Flaherty in the mayoral race, has run a YouTube ad showing an elderly woman unable to get up. The ads blame Menino for barring jakes from responding to their calls for help.
But Orsino said firefighters are involved in deciding who responds to those calls.
“The fire department is involved in the decision-making process, and yet they ran these ads anyway,” Orsino said.
Orsino also took issue with the firefighters’ use of the helpless older woman.
According to EMTs and internal e-mails between firefighters and Boston EMS, city jakes have long complained on the rare occasion they are required to go to what are known as “lift assists.” The caller is rarely injured and needs nothing beyond help getting up.
"(It’s) just another attempt by the firefighters to distort the truth and draw people’s attention away from the real issues of drug and alcohol testing,” said Menino’s campaign spokesman Nick Martin.
Firefighter union boss Edward Kelly defended the YouTube ad.
“If you’re hurt and you need help, your firefighters want to respond,” said Kelly, who complained the restriction against responding to lift calls is part of Menino’s overall plan to marginalize firefighters.
But documents obtained by the Herald show fire and emergency responders decided that jakes would only go to the “lift assist” calls if no EMS units were available.
In January 2004, under the title “Proposed EMD/Dispatch Changes,” Fire Superintendent John Henderson refers to the fallen elderly calls as a “nuisance” that Local 718 members are overqualified to deal with.
However, Kelly insisted that regardless of what has happened in the past, jakes are best equipped to respond.
“We’re trained and equipped to help people,” Kelly said. “It’s not happening right now because of politics and that’s wrong.”
Copyright 2009 Boston Herald Inc.