Latest news with #firstresponder
Washington Post
10 hours ago
- Washington Post
Retired firefighter finds new hobby: Rescuing hikers on mountain trails
John Zeto Jr. thought he had put his career as a first responder behind him. But then he heard the echo of gunshots on an Arizona mountain trail. Zeto followed the sound to a man asleep under a bush who had fired the bullets as a distress signal. Colt Johnson was out of water and suffering heatstroke, having accepted he was going to die.
CBS News
2 days ago
- CBS News
Man arrested for indecent exposure ID'd as Miami firefighter-paramedic, sources say
A man arrested for allegedly following a woman during her morning walk and exposing himself is a firefighter-paramedic with Miami Fire-Rescue, according to two law enforcement sources who spoke with CBS News Miami. CBS News Miami first reported Tuesday that 34-year-old Demetrious Reshad Sams was arrested for indecent exposure after an incident that occurred around 8:45 a.m. on Saturday, June 7, near S.W. 86th Street and 58th Avenue in South Miami. Police say Sams followed the woman in his black 2021 Dodge Charger, exposed himself and touched himself in her presence. A witness provided police with the car's license plate number and the woman later identified Sams in a photo lineup. He was arrested early Tuesday morning at his apartment in Homestead, roughly 20 miles from where the incident occurred. Victim speaks out CBS News Miami spoke again Wednesday with the victim, who expressed disappointment and concern over the suspect's role as a first responder. "It's disappointing. He should be a trusted respected member of our community like all other firefighters are," she said. "It is just completely out of line. I would like other women to come forward just so no one else will have that type of experience." She added, "I have not gone walking since. I just want for everyone to be careful. Try to walk with a buddy and try to have someone you can call in case of an emergency." The woman said she enjoyed her walks and now feels robbed of a sense of safety. "I feel awful. I very much enjoyed walking through my neighborhood. It is a nice and safe community and I feel that has been taken away. It is very scary for many women who walk and bike ride and it's just not good," she said. She encouraged others to report any similar experiences. "If they can contact the police station and let them know if they experienced similar situations," she urged. Multiple cases investigated South Miami Police Sgt. Fernando Bosch told CBS News Miami that Coral Gables police, who assisted in the investigation, are looking into four to five similar cases in their city. Both departments are urging victims and anyone with information to come forward. "Not only do we have concerns but we know, we believe that he has done this in other municipalities close by," Bosch said. "Those municipalities are working cases and there are probably 4 to 5 cases with the same MO." "We believe this has been going on for a while, for a pretty long while and again we believe he has done it to other victims not known to police and we would like to hear from those victims," Bosch added. "These things tend to escalate." The woman also recalled her fear during the encounter. "I was terrified that he might put me in the car. I was very, very scared," she said. Fire-rescue responds Miami Fire-Rescue spokesperson Pete Sanchez confirmed the department is aware that a four-year veteran had been arrested and said contact would be made to begin an internal investigation. "Once contact is established, the department will initiate a thorough internal investigation in accordance with our policies and procedures," Sanchez said. Although Sams was not named in the statement, the department emphasized accountability. "The Department holds all personnel to the highest standards and does not tolerate conduct, on or off duty, that is inconsistent with the values of a City of Miami firefighter," Sanchez added. Sams remains in custody. An attorney CBS News Miami spoke with on Wednesday said a family member of Sams' had inquired about legal representation, but no formal engagement had been made. Anyone with information is asked to contact South Miami Police at (305) 663-6301 or Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at (305) 471-TIPS (8477).
Fox News
5 days ago
- General
- Fox News
This Father's Day, I'm celebrating the two dads in my life
Print Close By , Saige Scheele Published June 15, 2025 For many young girls, their father is the childhood hero who carries their bike, puts the Band-Aid on their injuries, and – in my case – caught me when I fell off the horse. But when I was 15, Dad did a lot more than clean a scraped knee. On my way to softball practice, I was in a head-on collision that left me with a traumatic brain injury and in a coma for more than two weeks. I didn't know it at the time, but my father, who is a first responder for our county, was on the scene. He stabilized my neck as the emergency team extracted me from the car and lifted me into the ambulance. For many fathers, that might be the most heroic and most difficult thing they do for a child. A FATHER'S DAY PLEA: MY CHILD HAS BECOME A NUMBER IN HAMAS' HELL But a few months after the accident, Dad did something even harder: he told me that there was a bigger hero in my life – God – and that my recovery was between me and Him. In rural Nebraska, where I live, most 15-year-olds are learning how to drive, stressing over geometry and working on their family farms. That year, however, I was in a brain trauma rehabilitation facility, learning how to walk, identify colors and eat properly. It was the hardest thing I'd ever done, especially as someone who had played softball, raised horses and coached Special Olympian barrel racers. Now I needed help for things as basic as brushing my teeth, getting dressed and going to the bathroom. One day, I was done with it all. Discouraged, exhausted and resigned to a helpless existence, I told the therapist to take me back to my room at Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital. There was Dad, once again my biggest supporter, who literally had saved my life. BUILDING YOUR ADVENTURE: CIA VETERAN SHARES AN INSPIRING STORY ABOUT COURAGE WITH GRADUATES Only this time, he wasn't the hero. "I can't make you walk," he said. "This is a conversation you need to have with God." I was floored, but Dad was right. I was stuck in my own misery and had never taken my circumstances to my Heavenly Father. Part of it was pride. I had been the one who was competitive and took care of others. Now I was totally dependent on others. In total humility, I stared at the ceiling of my rehab room, and I asked God for help. The next day, I was ready to try again and to try and stand for the first time. Almost three years after that conversation, I still don't know why God allowed me to be in that accident. But I've come to realize that my story isn't about me – but about what it can do for others. AMERICA IS REDISCOVERING ITS SOUL AND REVIVING THE SACRED For example, I was ticked when I found out that 98,000 people on my Caring Bridge page saw images of me on a hospital bed. But I've also heard from some of those people directly that seeing my struggle gave them hope and increased their faith. I went to prom this spring with a young man named Carson, a friend I made at Madonna. He was in an accident like mine and is confined to a wheelchair. While his body is still struggling, it's clear that his light is very much alive. What he needs more than anything as he continues on his recovery is to feel a real connection with other people, especially those his age. And this summer, I'll be going to New Orleans with 20,000 teenagers, young adults and supportive adults for the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod Youth Gathering. CLICK HERE TO GET THE OPINION NEWSLETTER My story won't be plastered on the screens, but it'll certainly come up in conversation, especially since I attended the last Gathering just months before my accident. Answering "What have you been up to?" could help kids recovering from their own traumas, impacted by family abuse, or simply stuck in the mental health challenges common in my generation. On Father's Day, I'm eternally grateful that I get to spend yet another one with my dad, the man who held me as a baby and also when I was being loaded into an ambulance. And I'm even more grateful to the Heavenly Father, who is still the other hero by my side. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Print Close URL
Fox News
5 days ago
- Health
- Fox News
This Father's Day, I'm celebrating the two dads in my life
For many young girls, their father is the childhood hero who carries their bike, puts the Band-Aid on their injuries, and – in my case – caught me when I fell off the horse. But when I was 15, Dad did a lot more than clean a scraped knee. On my way to softball practice, I was in a head-on collision that left me with a traumatic brain injury and in a coma for more than two weeks. I didn't know it at the time, but my father, who is a first responder for our county, was on the scene. He stabilized my neck as the emergency team extracted me from the car and lifted me into the ambulance. For many fathers, that might be the most heroic and most difficult thing they do for a child. But a few months after the accident, Dad did something even harder: he told me that there was a bigger hero in my life – God – and that my recovery was between me and Him. In rural Nebraska, where I live, most 15-year-olds are learning how to drive, stressing over geometry and working on their family farms. That year, however, I was in a brain trauma rehabilitation facility, learning how to walk, identify colors and eat properly. It was the hardest thing I'd ever done, especially as someone who had played softball, raised horses and coached Special Olympian barrel racers. Now I needed help for things as basic as brushing my teeth, getting dressed and going to the bathroom. One day, I was done with it all. Discouraged, exhausted and resigned to a helpless existence, I told the therapist to take me back to my room at Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital. There was Dad, once again my biggest supporter, who literally had saved my life. Only this time, he wasn't the hero. "I can't make you walk," he said. "This is a conversation you need to have with God." I was floored, but Dad was right. I was stuck in my own misery and had never taken my circumstances to my Heavenly Father. Part of it was pride. I had been the one who was competitive and took care of others. Now I was totally dependent on others. In total humility, I stared at the ceiling of my rehab room, and I asked God for help. The next day, I was ready to try again and to try and stand for the first time. Almost three years after that conversation, I still don't know why God allowed me to be in that accident. But I've come to realize that my story isn't about me – but about what it can do for others. For example, I was ticked when I found out that 98,000 people on my Caring Bridge page saw images of me on a hospital bed. But I've also heard from some of those people directly that seeing my struggle gave them hope and increased their faith. I went to prom this spring with a young man named Carson, a friend I made at Madonna. He was in an accident like mine and is confined to a wheelchair. While his body is still struggling, it's clear that his light is very much alive. What he needs more than anything as he continues on his recovery is to feel a real connection with other people, especially those his age. And this summer, I'll be going to New Orleans with 20,000 teenagers, young adults and supportive adults for the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod Youth Gathering. My story won't be plastered on the screens, but it'll certainly come up in conversation, especially since I attended the last Gathering just months before my accident. Answering "What have you been up to?" could help kids recovering from their own traumas, impacted by family abuse, or simply stuck in the mental health challenges common in my generation. On Father's Day, I'm eternally grateful that I get to spend yet another one with my dad, the man who held me as a baby and also when I was being loaded into an ambulance. And I'm even more grateful to the Heavenly Father, who is still the other hero by my side.
New York Times
21-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Inside the high-stress environment that is working for a Premier League club's medical team
As a physio, when you run onto the pitch to treat an injured player, you've usually got about 30 seconds to a minute to work out what's going on. Sitting pitchside, you've seen the incident — a tackle, a collision, a kick — and experience gives you a good idea of what the diagnosis is likely to be but only clinical assessment can tell you the severity and, crucially, whether that player is fit to continue. Advertisement It can be a very stressful situation. A crowd of 60,000 people or more may be watching. You might also be live on television around the world. The match has stopped and everyone is waiting. Your earpiece is buzzing with added information from pitchside colleagues and questions from the coaching staff. Any decision you make could change the outcome of the game, so the pressure to get it right is high. Players are often in shock and pain following an injury. As athletes, they have a strong awareness of their bodies and can sense when something feels wrong. However, they may not fully grasp the severity of their injury or the potential consequences of continuing to play. While self-assessment is a valuable part of the evaluation process, it cannot always be trusted for a complete diagnosis. Players will often push to stay on the pitch if they believe it is humanly possible. This is where the first-responder physio plays a critical role — staying vigilant, trusting their training and instincts, and having the courage to make the tough decision to remove a player when necessary. In the case of Taiwo Awoniyi, who collided with the goalpost in Nottingham Forest's draw with Leicester 10 days ago and who sustained an internal abdominal injury and subsequently underwent emergency surgery, it was clearly a very tricky decision. I worked in the medical department at Tottenham Hotspur for 20 years, so I worked with Forest head coach Nuno Espirito Santo during his time at Spurs. He is calm and composed, with a strong understanding of the game. Aware that Awoniyi expressed a willingness to continue playing, he recognised that his player was involved in the decision-making process after consulting with the medical team. He had witnessed the incident first-hand and trusted the initial assessment of his medics that it was reasonable for Awoniyi to continue. Advertisement Regardless of whether the decision was right or wrong — and of course, we do not know the exact nature of the conversations involved in this specific incident — the medical team initially found no clear reason to remove the player from the pitch following the collision with the post. He passed their initial assessment. Unfortunately, his condition deteriorated later. In a quieter, more controlled environment, with time for thorough clinical assessment and consultation, they identified an injury that may not have been immediately apparent on the field, which meant he was taken for urgent surgery. It is recognised that some injuries can evolve and worsen over time, which is why medical teams consistently monitor and reassess injured players. After urgent surgery, Awoniyi was placed into an induced coma but is now conscious and, hopefully, on the road to recovery. Forest put out a statement two days after the game in which they said Marinakis going onto the field of play — when he had an intense conversation with Nuno — was only through 'shared frustration between all of us that the medical team should never have allowed the player to continue'. Such a statement is easier with the advantage of hindsight. Medical teams are integral to a football club, balancing the crucial responsibility of ensuring players perform at their best while protecting them from injury. They serve as advocates for both the players and the club, making critical decisions that can impact the game. One of their toughest challenges is deciding when to remove a player from the field. If they make this call prematurely, they risk a backlash — returning to the dressing room only to have the player question their choice. 'Why did you take me off? I'm fine.' Such moments can strain relationships with the player and the club, while potentially altering a game's outcome. Advertisement Working with players on a daily basis allows medical teams to develop strong relationships with them, but this can intensify the pressure to make the right decisions. Players, caught up in the moment, often want to continue playing, but medical staff must prioritise their long-term health, availability, and overall fitness. It can be unwise to let them play on with a minor muscle injury when it's likely that doing so will make it worse and potentially result in them being unavailable for an extended period. With a head injury, the Premier League allows three minutes to assess a player. There are clear guidelines around suspected concussion. In such a situation, the player's input becomes secondary because a concussed person may lack the capacity to accurately assess their condition. However, for musculoskeletal or other non-head injuries, such protocols are not available, placing even greater responsibility on medical teams to make informed, often difficult, decisions. For internal abdominal injuries, the risk of serious harm is significant, requiring a cautious approach that prioritises patient safety, as such injuries can be difficult to detect at the moment of impact. You have to be very careful not to get influenced by what you think has happened from watching an incident from afar. Some injuries are immediately obvious — you see them and instantly recognise their severity. But in other cases, what appears minor can turn out to be far more serious upon closer examination on the pitch. That's why it's essential to approach every situation with an open mind. In the Premier League, medical staff are supported by Hawk-Eye technology. This system provides one of the medical team members off the pitch with a tablet displaying multiple camera angles of each incident. They can fast-forward, rewind and review the footage at different speeds, allowing for a thorough analysis of the event. The insights gained are then communicated directly to the first responder out on the pitch via an earpiece, ensuring a more informed and accurate on-field assessment. For a medical team, continuous reflection is essential to ensuring player safety and improving decision-making. Following every game, our staff at Spurs had two types of debriefs: a 'hot debrief' immediately after the match to review our decisions while memories are fresh, and a 'cold debrief' later, allowing time for deeper reflection. This process helps us self-audit, regulate our practices and identify areas for improvement. Advertisement There are incidents when a player is removed from the field but makes a rapid recovery and is fit to play the next game. In such cases, we must ask ourselves: 'Did we make the right decision?'. Conversely, there are instances where an injury proves more serious than initially thought, highlighting a missed opportunity to act sooner. Some managers I've worked with were initially resistant when told a player needed to be substituted, unless the injury was unmistakably severe, like a visible fracture or loss of consciousness. In such cases, they could show resentment for several days. However, most managers are respectful — once a decision was made, they trusted the medical team's judgment. One notable incident I was involved in led to a transformative change in Premier League regulations. In 2013, during a match between Tottenham and Everton, our goalkeeper Hugo Lloris was knocked unconscious. Despite the club doctor and I insisting Lloris be substituted for his safety, the manager at the time, Andre Villas-Boas, overruled us. Footage captured an eight-minute exchange, during which we repeatedly argued, 'Look, he can't continue.' But the referee deferred to the manager's decision, and Lloris was allowed to play on. This incident directly led to a rule change, giving doctors the final authority over player removal, rather than the manager. It's important to understand that managers often lack the medical expertise required to fully grasp the basis for clinical decisions. Clear communication is key — explaining the situation in detail helps them understand why a decision was made, which includes acknowledging mistakes and learning from them rather than concealing them. (Top photos: Justin Tallis/AFP via Getty Images)
