The Quiet Outrage Over Lamborghini

The outcry is deafening.  I wish they would stop...or start in this case.

Earlier this week I posted about the tragic story of the 9 year old who shot a firearms instructor with the Uzi she was using.  I will leave the arguments for and against that topic in the previous topic, but as expected I immediately heard the calls to ban various firearms.  I have yet to hear anyone cry out for the banning of Lamborghinis after an 18
year old killed himself driving at too high a speed.  (It should be noted that while this was a joy ride, it was authorized and the car owner was in the vehicle too.)

I hope the point is obvious.  We call to ban certain things, but not others.  For instance, guns should be banned, but not Lamborghinis.  We legalize marijuana in Colorado and Oregon, but illegal drugs are dangerous too.  So what do the numbers tell us?

In the United States, firearms account for roughly 32,000 fatalities per year.  What is not indicated in this number though is 60% of these deaths are suicides.  In general I hear no call to make illegal drugs more illegal...just the opposite in fact, but overdose related deaths topped 41,000 in 2011 making drugs more dangerous than firearms...and that is only prescription drugs.  Let me take it a step further and ruin your Sunday football commercials.  You know the constant Sam Adams and Budweiser commercials?  Well, alcohol contributes to 88,000 deaths per year.

I dare you to send a letter to your local NFL team suggesting they cut back on the booze they serve.  I suspect their response will be something about a long walk down a short plank.

My point here is people are quick to jump on tragedy, but when you look at the things killing us in real life numbers no one wants to ban those items because it would deny their freedom.  However, a specific freedom mentioned in the Bill of Rights is discounted because it is politically unpopular.  It makes me a little dizzy sometimes trying to keep up, but maybe I am just dizzy from all the outrage over an 18 year old behind the wheel of a 600 HP vehicle.  For some reason it isn't quite as loud though, but perhaps it should be.

Hot Situations

...as Ferguson, Missouri boiled over last week a common theme was the over reach by local police for their response after the shooting with military grade weapons and actions that violate civil rights.  Tampa, Florida seems to have the other problem though.

According to at least two media reports (local and Washington Post) a Tampa area mother watched as her child got "redder and redder" as he was locked in a vehicle that Tampa dispatchers would not respond to when she called 9-1-1.  It took an off duty police officer to come to her aid by calling a second dispatcher and sending resources her way.

Given the number of heat related deaths per year in the United States I am amazed by the callousness of the initial call taker who said that responders would likely just smash her windows.  That is true...they may.  We knuckle dragging fire types though may also find another way in, but either way, that is a decision for responders who should be on the road immediately rather than waiting for a AAA locksmith to show up.

For me, this ranks up there with the DC Fire EMS scandals of non-response except it may be worse in this regard.  All the call taker likely had to do was press a button and/or speak a few words.  How lazy can you get?  You aren't even doing the real work.

You just need to send people willing to handle the situation and perhaps try to help the mother find ways into the car in the meantime.  I know a number of dispatchers who like to wear their career on their sleeve and talk about "I tell YOU where to go."  Maybe so, but if you act like this call taker did, you deserve to go find a new career.

This is one public safety story that has me hot.

Safety

News reports this afternoon tell the tale of a firearms instructor being shot by a student today.  I have few words to say on this one as I am in shock.

In this case, the shooter was nine and she was operating an Uzi Submachine Gun.  I believe that the firearm has a cyclic rate of 1200 rounds per minute.  I am having trouble computing how long it would have taken to run through a 32 round magazine.

Reports indicate that the child was handling the weapon after her father and it apparently did not have its safety engaged.  For those that argue that their finger is their safety...clearly not in this case.

Obviously this is going to start lots of conversations about guns in our society.  I still remain fervently opposed to government regulation, but...in this case the question has to be asked...why would this instructor pass a gun to a child with the safety disengaged?  Why did the parents even have her out to shoot an Uzi?

No, I don't want the government regulating who can and can not purchase a firearm, but it seems to me when you are trying to educate children about firearms, you start small.  Say a single shot .22 or single barrel shotgun.  Maybe I am wrong, but the results of this were self evidently disastrous to two families.  It makes me wonder who was considering safety.

Charge Me Up

Do you recognize the x-ray image?

I know, I know, it could be any kind of metallic disk that is obviously not where it is supposed to be. but today is National Battery Day.  Woo hoo...can you say excitement?  Okay, I don't know that my sarcasm is necessary today.  Let's face it, in 2014, who can get by without their battery driven cellular phone?  Or laptop, or watch, or any number of other items.

Having said that, I am going to use today to highlight a major issue, battery ingestion by youngsters.

Disk batteries contain mercury, silver, zinc, manganese, cadmium, lithium, sulfur oxide, copper, brass, or steel.  They also contain sodium or potassium hydroxide and range in size from about 8 to 20 mm, i.e. pretty and easy to swallow if you are in the everything goes in my mouth stage.

Unfortunately, when junior decides to swallow a battery the sodium hydroxide that is created as a byproduct of energy creation can cause tissue necrosis in the esophagus.  This then leads to perforation - sometimes in as little as six hours.

Even after ingestion and removal, there can be ongoing tissue damage due to residual chemicals.  For those fire guys interested in hazardous materials, these are caustic materials.  For everyone reading, remember caustics eat tissue, corrosives etch metal.

Again, do not get me wrong.  I need batteries as much as the next guy, but today being National Battery Day seemed as good a day as any to talk about accidental ingestion by our little folks.  Keep them and you safe and have a great day.

PS If you find yourself on the scene of a battery ingestion, like poison control, the National Battery Ingestion Hotline might prove useful.  They can be reached at (202) 625-3333.