The axe falls

The New York Times reported today that John Peruggia, the EMS chief for New York City's fire department, has been demoted due to his agency's performance during the Christmas weekend blizzard. He will be replaced by Abdo Nahmood, who was previously in charge of overseeing emergency medical dispatch for the department. An unnamed source added that Chief Peruggia has also received scrutiny from the city Conflicts of Interest board, which may have contributed to his reassignment.

If Chief Peruggia has indeed violated conflict of interest regulations, then that's a completely different matter that needs to be dealt with, but I disagree with demoting him because of the disruption in service during the blizzard. As the president of the union pointed out in the article, Chief Peruggia is being punished for things he couldn't control. It seems the city felt it needed a scapegoat, and perhaps the risk of being put on the chopping block like this comes with the territory when you are in a leadership position like Chief Peruggia's. Still, the whole thing leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

On a more positive note, the following article appeared on NewCastleNow.org, a community-interest news site covering my hometown. In addition to serving as an adjunct to the volunteer ambulance corps's fund-raising drive, it also highlights the numerous members who have used their experience as a jumping-off point for further medical endeavors. I must point out that I never served in the Youth Corps there--I joined as an adult member following high school--but otherwise it's a nicely done piece.