A new plan to cut as many as 2.4 million small trees from the New Jersey Pinelands has drawn criticism from some officials and environmental advocates.

By Steven Rodas Source nj.com (TNS) Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

A new plan to cut as many as 2.4 million small trees from a dense section of the New Jersey Pinelands as part of wildfire mitigation efforts by the state has drawn criticism from some officials and environmental advocates.

The initiative, officially called the “Allen and Oswego Road Fire Mitigation and Habitat Restoration Project,” was adopted by the New Jersey Pinelands Commission following a meeting Oct. 14 and is set to begin in 2023.

State officials said the tree cutting will focus on the smallest snow-bent pitch pine trees in a section of Bass River State Forest where trees have reached a density of about 2,000 per acre — compared to the average of 500 state officials say is elsewhere in the forest. The goal, according to the state, is to remove the small saplings that average about two inches in diameter as a way to bolster defenses against wildfires, which have only become more unpredictable over the years. While some activists say the cutting is justified, others worry about removing trees and the benefits of the carbon they store.

Environmental advocates said the plan is excessive and an uncommon step. One Pinelands Commission member said, especially in the age of climate change, the board approves tree cutting only in “rare circumstances” tied to fire control and diseased tree outgrowth.

John Cecil, State Parks, Forests, and Historic Sites assistant commissioner, said the project, which is expected to take a decade to complete, would represent the largest removal of small trees in the Pinelands “in recent history.” However, Cecil emphasized, that based on modeling his staff has performed — which takes into account factors like weather and other environmental conditions — a wildfire in the same section could mean the loss of or severe damage to between 4 and 12 million trees some of which are much larger than two inches.

“The selection of trees to be removed is a function of not only their number, but their size, position in the forest and the risks they pose by being susceptible to bark beetles and potential to carry wildfire from the ground to the forest canopy,” a DEP spokesman said in a statement.

As part of the plan, trees will be cut in an area that spans 1,300 acres in Bass River State Forest — a small portion of the 1.1-million-acre Pinelands National Reserve. About 90% of the trees will be cut within 1,100 acres of the forest section and 96% of the trees will be cut in the remaining area, which will total about 2.4 million trees, according to Lohbauer and fellow Pinelands Commissioner Edward Lloyd.

Of the 15-member Pinelands Commission, Mark Lohbauer and Theresa Lettman voted against the plan that includes the tree removal. Commissioner Doug Wallner abstained.

“I think it’s a bad precedent and goes against the state’s mandates with regard to climate change,” Pinelands Commissioner Mark Lohbauer, who voted against the plan in October, told NJ Advance Media over the phone.

“We have a state law in place, the Global Warming Response Act, that require us to do our utmost in terms of protecting sources of sequestration of carbon,” Lohbauer said. “Forest trees and other green plants in the forest are some of the greatest sources of sequestration that we have in New Jersey and I was not convinced that the Forest Service had a good reason for cutting down all of the trees that they are talking about.”

The tree cutting is expected to begin between April 15 and Nov. 15, 2023 when a threatened and endangered snake species is not hibernating, but not between May 1 and July 15, 2023 during peak bird breeding season, according to New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection spokesman Larry Hajna.

“We cherish these forest resources and really want them to be as healthy and thriving as they can be,” Cecil added. “We’re concerned about firefighters’ safety, about people and property and concerned about the condition of the forest. If the forest catches on fire we’re going to lose a tremendous amount of carbon to the atmosphere, which is not what anyone wants. If we can take proactive measures to protect the carbon resource, protect people and property, it seems like a smart thing to do.”

To fight a recent wildfire that began at the Mullica River, crews employed a variety of tactics including controlled burns that can create barriers to slow down wildfires and by using “fuel breaks” — strips or blocks of vegetation or other materials used to divert fires or protect certain areas. In the case of the Wharton State Forest fire, one such proactive measure was a 5-mile stretch of road carved into the landscape, known as the Washington Turnpike project.

A similar means to slow the spread of future wildfires will be made available through the new plan, officials claimed. “The fire break operation will include a 25-foot clearing on either side of the road,” said Hajna, a DEP spokesman.

While discussing how dense the designated section of Bass River State Forest has become, Hajna and Cecil said the latest data from 2019 indicates the average number of trees per acre throughout the Pinelands is about 500. There are approximately 2,000 trees per acre in the section of forest targeted in the plan, they said.

“It’s really not accurate to talk about 2 million trees being cut because they’re not trees in the typical sense. They’re all the tiny little bent over saplings that are only (a few) inches wide, and they don’t have a chance of ever growing up tall,” said Emile DeVito, a staff biologist with Chester Township-based non-profit, New Jersey Conservation Foundation, who is in favor of the plan. “They are beneath the regular tall trees that make up the canopy.”

An aspect of the plan DeVito and others are opposed to is the possible use of herbicides to prevent invasive species regeneration. Use of the chemicals, they fear, could impact the aquifer that lays beneath the Pinelands and holds fresh drinking water.

The state said, “If herbicide treatment is necessary, the Forest Service will be using herbicides which are designed to not travel through soil and contaminate ground water.”

Gorham firefighters wore breathing apparatus to avoid possibly getting high while fighting a fire at a medical marijuana growing facility.

By Bonnie Washuk Source Portland Press Herald, Maine (TNS) Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Dec. 4—Firefighters wore breathing apparatus to avoid possibly getting high while fighting a fire Saturday at a medical marijuana growing facility in Gorham.

The fire severely damaged one of the grow rooms and a foyer, but didn’t spread to the other grow rooms, Gorham Fire Chief Kenneth Fickett said Sunday. “It’s a huge facility. There are 10 grow rooms,” he added.

No one was injured in the fire, he said.

The call came in around 7:30 p.m. after temperature monitors alerted a facility worker, Fickett said. The worker investigated and found the grow room was filled with smoke. He slammed the door and called for help.

When firefighters arrived, the grow room, which is about 20 by 40 feet, was filled with black smoke and a foul smell of plastic burning. The fire was caused by older grow lights that had malfunctioned, the fire chief said.

Firefighters wore a breathing apparatus to protect them from getting high in the smoky room, Fickett said.

“Luckily these weren’t full-fledged plants. We didn’t have that issue,” he said. “But that’s why we would never enter that building without a breathing apparatus.”

Gorham received mutual aid on the scene from Westbrook, Windham and Standish.

Flames erupted in a Lowe’s hardware warehouse structure in San Francisco’s Bayview neighborhood Sunday.

By Nora Mishanec Source San Francisco Chronicle (TNS) Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Dec. 5—Flames erupted in a Lowe’s hardware warehouse structure in San Francisco’s Bayview neighborhood Sunday, authorities said.

The fire started where construction material was being stored, and a crew of 70 firefighters, who were called around 3:50 p.m., had it out by 4:15 p.m., said Capt. Jonathan Baxter of the San Francisco Fire Department.

No injuries were reported in the blaze, which was at 491 Bayshore between Cortland and Waterloo, and no cars were involved, Baxter said.

The cause of the fire was under investigation Sunday.

A suit filed in Manhattan federal court claims that Empress Ambulance did not notify patients that their data system was hack for four months.

Source Firehouse.com News

A lawsuit has been filed against Empress Ambulance in New York after hackers accessed patient information.

According to the class action lawsuit filed in Manhattan Federal Court last week, Empress Ambulance – one of the state’s largest private ambulance services – failed to notify customers about the information that hackers were able to obtain. 

Ransomware group Hive Gang, known for infiltrating security systems, hacked the system in May but it was not realized by Empress officials until July, according to the New York Post.

About 318,000 customers were not notified about the data breach until September, the newspaper reported.

In the suit, it stated that the social security numbers and medical records of at least 100,000 has been compromised. 

According to the FBI, Hive Gang has received over $100 million from companies they hacked.

Investigator said customer data has since been found on the internet.

Penn Hills Paramedic Joshua Smith said Nicholas Theofilis would go on ride-alongs as a teen and shadow medical personnel

By Michael DiVittorio The Tribune-Review, Greensburg Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

PITTSBURGH — Penn Hills resident Nicholas Theofilis dedicated his life to public service.

The Eagle Scout had dreams of working in the medical field, and while in high school, already had begun training as an emergency medical technician.

Those dreams were cut short when the 23-year-old paramedic died on Nov. 27 while on duty driving an ambulance in Pittsburgh.

While in high school, he was a member of Penn Hills High’s Navy Junior ROTC program; he graduated in 2017.

Theofilis became a volunteer firefighter at the Rosedale Fire Department and showed an interest in his hometown ambulance company.

“He was one of the few people that were so interested he would show up here on a regular basis,” said Penn Hills paramedic Joshua Smith. He recalled Theofilis going on ride-alongs as a teenager and shadowing medical personnel.

“He just kept pushing forward and forward and never looked back from there,” Smith said.

Constantly working and learning, Theofilis became an EMT.

He started working part-time for Penn Hills EMS in January 2019.

He also worked for Oklahoma EMS in the Apollo area before he was hired full-time by White Oak EMS in March 2019.

“Nick was a very light-hearted guy, but had the ability to be professional and serious when he needed to be, which seems to be a good quality for everybody in this field,” White Oak EMS Chief Paul Falavolito said. “Nick was one of the instrumental EMTs during the pandemic. When everything was just very bad with covid, Nick wasn’t fazed by that. He didn’t mind going out on those types of calls.”

He continued his studies at the Penn State Fayette-Eberly Campus and eventually got his paramedic certification through the state Department of Health.

Theofilis left his left position in White Oak to become a Penn Hills paramedic this past June.

“I knew that he was leaving for a long time,” Falavolito said. “He’s a Penn Hills guy through and through. It was hard when he left us in May, but I knew that was coming, and I can’t fault him for wanted to return to his home community. He loved White Oak. He loved our community. He loved our residents and those he worked with here. That’s why he chose to work here part-time as well. … He didn’t want to shoulder the burden of feeling he abandoned us.”

Smith said his friends at the Penn Hills station would help him prepare for the exams. He believes Theofilis’ happiest day was becoming a certified paramedic.

“Everyone here was very impressed with him,” Smith said. “Very mature beyond his years. … We made sure he knew everything he needed to know.”

Then came the Nov. 27 crash that that claimed his life.

Theofilis was driving an ambulance at the intersection of Fifth and Morewood avenues in Pittsburgh shortly after 11 p.m. Nov. 27. There was no patient at the time, but Theofilis had a front-seat passenger.

Penn Hills EMS Supervisor Diane Fitzhenry said Theofilis died of blunt force trauma resulting in a traumatic cardiac arrest secondary to a motor vehicle accident.

Neither the passenger, whose name was not released, nor the driver of the other vehicle, were seriously hurt.

The crash remains under investigation.

Meanwhile, Fitzhenry tries to be strong for her department.

“To say Penn Hills EMS is devastated by this loss is an understatement,” she said. “This community and the entire region has been very supportive of Penn Hills EMS in this time of tragedy. I want to thank public services in Pittsburgh for their prompt and thorough care of Nick. He had the best opportunity by the care that was given to him by the Pittsburgh EMS Division and UPMC Trauma Team. Even with the best care scenario he wasn’t able to survive, but we are extremely grateful for the people who tried to save him.”

Fitzhenry said it’s the first line-of-duty death in her company’s 48-year history and prays it will be the last.

“He has accomplished more in his 23 years on this earth than people three times his age have accomplished,” Fitzhenry said. “Even in death, he’s a hero. “He continued to think about mankind because he is an organ donor, and they were able to use him to save other people’s lives. He was a good all-around kid.”

Falavolito said he will remember Theofilis as a brave and outgoing man.

“It hurts,” he said. “It hits deep and heavy.”

A GoFundMe page was created to help the family with funeral expenses. It had raised more than $9,700 toward its $15,000 goal as of Dec. 1.

There have been multiple social media posts offering condolences and messages of support for his family and Theofilis’ EMS departments. Others have commented on the official department pages.

“He’s loved by many, and if you take a look at social media I don’t think there’s anybody that can say a bad word about the kid,” Fitzhenry said. “He was a fine young man and certainly dedicated to making the community a better place.”

Theofilis is survived by his parents, Peter and Lori Theofilis; brother, Max Theofilis; paternal grandmother, Angela “Yia Yia” Theofilis; and maternal grandmother, Delores Patrizi; numerous aunts, uncles, and cousins.

Broward citizens now have a video upload through an app, but the new tool would let dispatchers send an invitation link to any cellphone call via text message

By Lisa J. Huriash South Florida Sun-Sentinel Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

BROWARD COUNTY, Fla. — Angst between the County Commission and the Sheriff’s Office over the regional emergency call dispatching center continues to mount as politicians plan to question the Sheriff’s Office about why the county lags in 911 technology.

County Commissioner Michael Udine, whose term as mayor ended Tuesday, said he’s interested in pursuing video-to-911 technology, which exists now in Volusia County and in Miami-Dade as a pilot project. The technology would allow the 911 call center to turn voice calls to live video, but recently told county commissioners “the problem that we keep having is the sheriff tells us he’s not ready for this just yet.”

The 911 video option allows a call taker to send an SMS invitation link to the caller. The caller can then accept the invitation to share device location information and activate the device’s camera. The technology would show a caller’s location, and a “breadcrumb depiction of movement” is updated every three seconds, “which is extremely valuable when the caller is in a moving vehicle or a boat on the water and requires assistance,” according to the business proposal.

“It’s great stuff; it’s stuff we should be doing,” Udine said at a public meeting. “This should be so easy to do. Let’s figure out a way.”

Dan Plunkett, a sales executive with Carbyne, a public safety technology company, told county leaders at the same meeting “this is life-saving technology that takes maybe an hour to install” and is technology comparable to a ride service or food delivery service.

He said there was no technology overhaul needed with Broward’s current system “so we’re a bit perplexed as to why the Sheriff maintains they are not ready for this.”

The Sheriff’s Office did not respond to a question about its concerns about 911 video capability, instead saying a citizen video upload portal has been available for months. The SaferWatch App allows people to report incidents and receive real-time safety alerts directly from law enforcement — but citizens need the app to do it.

County Commissioner Mark Bogen said this week the topic of 911 video will be added to his laundry list of grievances that he’s expected to broach at the Dec. 6 County Commission meeting, which includes recommending that the Sheriff’s Office be removed from running the 911 system.

“We’re going to talk about everything. We need to be using the best technology and why aren’t we?” he said. “Everyone is going to have to be accountable.”

“Look, the Sheriff has shown no leadership at 911,” Bogen said at a recent commission meeting discussing the 911 video option.

“We found out about the problem from the Sun Sentinel,” he said referring to a Sun Sentinel investigation in April in which the media company discovered a slew of 911 problems including unanswered calls and staffing problems at the Sheriff’s Office.

“He never came and said ‘My people are underpaid, I got a mess here, I need help,’” Bogen said. “We need to lead. Because there is no leadership in 911.”