Latest news with #RichardSullivan


CTV News
7 days ago
- CTV News
Concerns rise over battery safety after fire at Halifax e-bike store
A fire at an e-bike store in Halifax is under investigation. They are quick and convenient part of the daily commute, but a fire at a Halifax e-bike store is raising new concerns about the risks that come with battery-powered travel. Crews were called to BMG E-Bikes just before 9 a.m. Tuesday after multiple residents in the same building reported smelling smoke. 'Around 8:50 residents phoned in from the same building because they can smell smoke,' said assistant chief Philip Thorburn with Halifax Fire. By the time firefighters arrived, the store was already filled with smoke. Crews were able to evacuate the building and extinguish the fire. Capt. Richard Sullivan, executive officer with Halifax Professional Fire Fighters, said the fire took roughly 30 minutes to extinguish – an unusually long time for a fire of that scale. 'The resources required to fight a battery fire in a vehicle are greater than that of a regular combustion engine,' said Sullivan. 'Generally, we are going to need multiple tankers.' The reason, Sullivan explains, is lithium-ion batteries, the kind that power e-bikes, e-scooters and other personal mobility devices. Once a battery ignites, it can go into what's known as thermal runaway, a self-sustaining reaction is difficult to extinguish and can reignite even after the fire appears to be out. 'They require copious amounts of water and a lot of time,' he said. 'It's more water than we have onboard our fire truck.' Lithium-ion batteries are used in phones, tablets, laptops, power tools, and nearly all electric vehicles – and the larger the device, the larger the battery. That means if something goes wrong, the consequences can be more severe. Halifax Fire said the cause of Tuesday's fire is still under investigation. However, Thorburn noted that improper charging is a recurring concern. 'Some of this is attributed to the improper use of a non-OEM chargers,' he said. 'The charger gets damaged and somebody just buys another charger online.' Firefighters say battery-related fires are on the rise in Canada, particularly as more people turn to electric vehicles and devices to get around. With high-density housing becoming more common, Halifax Fire believes the city needs to move quickly to address the growing risks. 'The city has to take a look at our bylaws and what we allow folks to bring into their homes, especially, in multi-unit residential units,' said Sullivan. As battery-powered mobility becomes more embedded in daily life, Halifax firefighters say conversations around battery safety need to be part of public planning. E-bikes E-bikes in Halifax are pictured. (Source: Hafsa Arif/CTV News Atlantic) For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page


Scoop
23-07-2025
- Health
- Scoop
Nelson Hospital Review Fails To Hold Leadership To Account
The review of Nelson Hospital released by Health New Zealand today is little more than a 'plan to make a plan' the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists says. The review just restates well-established problems with leadership and severe understaffing at Nelson Hospital which are causing delayed care for hundreds of patients. The Nelson Review was commissioned after Senior Medical Officers spoke to media in March about the poor working conditions. Doctors, fed up with inaction, described massive wait times for first specialist appointments, and repeated refusals from leadership to address staffing shortages across many departments. This prompted Health New Zealand's chief clinical officer Richard Sullivan to commission a review. He said, "I would hope we will have some answers within weeks." "Four months later and all we have is a a plan to make a plan," ASMS executive director Sarah Dalton says." Doctors, nurses and patients want solutions to these ongoing problems, not a bland description of known issues leadership should have addressed years ago. "The review lacks timeframes, holds no leaders to account for these failures. Just last month Nelson Hospital was again in the news for booking "ghost clinics" in what appears to be an attempt to game the system in regard to first specialists' appointments numbers. "There is a worrying trend of poor management and poor leadership at Nelson Hospital which the review fails to address."ASMS is disappointed there has been little engagement with hospital staff - and no consultation as to the review's findings and recommendations. "We understand regional deputy chief executive Martin Keogh and National Chief Clinical Officer Dame Helen Stokes-Lampard presented the report to just a handful of senior staff and gave other staff just 24 hours' notice to a 30-minute briefing. "This is a wasted opportunity to make positive change," Dalton says the real finding from the review is that the issues at Nelson are present in other hospitals around the motu. "The review uses comparative data that paints the dire picture of medical staffing gaps in similar sized hospitals across the country too. This aligns with our own findings. We simply need more doctors," she says. "Short staffing and increased acute patient demand, coupled with a lack of accountability from our health leaders that allow hospitals to be so poorly staffed has bred a culture of getting by instead of getting ahead." Additional information ASMS has been working with senior doctors and managers to conduct in job-sizing activities independent of the Nelson Hospital Review. The following are findings from these activities: - ASMS has completed 17 service reviews (job sizing) across the Nelson Marlborough district since are nine further services still to assess. - Our findings so far - which Nelson Hospital management has accepted - show these departments are short a total of 48.7 senior medical officers. - Only 14.7 vacant SMO roles, identified in job sizing, are currently budgeted to be replaced. - Nelson and Wairau hospital district do not provide recruitment or retention allowances, or "public-only" allowances to senior medical and dental staff. This measure would help fill vacancies. - Senior doctors are routinely working beyond their contracted FTE with large amounts of unpaid overtime being gifted to the hospital to fill staffing gaps. Leadership is aware of this. - Senior doctors are not being allocated their non-clinical time (this is non-patient facing work, including teaching, planning, audit, research, and the like) due to the acute patient load and short staffing. - Nelson district has been in breach of its obligation to have formal recovery time arrangements since 2020. This measure allows senior medical staff to safely recover after working overnight calls. The district has been in breach of this SECA clause since 2020 with most departments having no formal arrangements in place. - All reviewed services are currently understaffed Services we've reviewed to date (job-sized): Nelson anaesthesia , Child and adolescent mental health services, Cardiology Nelson general surgery, Nelson ED, Wairau ED, endocrinology, Nelson general medicine, Wairau general medicine, Nelson pediatrics, Wairau pediatrics, respiratory, Nelson O&G, Wairau O&G, older persons' health, vascular surgery, neurology
Yahoo
14-07-2025
- Yahoo
Teen girl hit, killed by commuter rail train in Worcester
A 14-year-old girl was hit and killed by an MBTA Commuter Rail train in Worcester Thursday night, MBTA Transit Police said. The girl was part of a group of kids trespassing on the right-of-way of the Framingham/Worcester line around 8 p.m. Thursday near the 100 block of Atlas Street in Worcester. Investigators determined the girl was "positioned within the [gauge] of the right of way" and hit by a commuter rail train, Transit Police Superintendent Richard Sullivan wrote in an email. The girl was pronounced dead of her injuries. Police did not immediately identify her Friday morning. "On behalf of the Transit Police and the entire MBTA organization we offer our most heartfelt condolences to the decedent's family and friends," Sullivan wrote. 'Our thoughts and prayers are with them during this most unimaginable difficult and profound tragedy.' Fenway Park, MGM employees prepare for strike 'at any time' Mass. AG Campbell vows to fight on after Supreme Court hands Trump birthright citizenship win Iconic rock drummer hasn't spoken with brother in 6 years: 'Think about him all the time' Healey slams Trump for canceling $45M to protect farms, forests and wetlands in WMass and beyond Officials ID Worcester man who died in Route 9 motorcycle crash Read the original article on MassLive.


Global News
22-05-2025
- General
- Global News
Dartmouth firefighters help give pair of orphaned raccoon kits a second chance
Everybody's heard of firefighters rescuing cats stuck in trees — but what about baby raccoons left in a parking lot? That's exactly what the crew at Fire Station 13 in Dartmouth faced on Sunday when they discovered a baby raccoon abandoned beside the wheels of a parked car. A second one was found the following day. 'It was cold, it was wet, and it was shivering,' said Richard Sullivan, an executive officer with Halifax Professional Firefighters Local 268. 'So, the firefighters brought the baby raccoon inside, they dried it off and they warmed it up, and then they called Hope for Wildlife.' When he arrived at Hope's, the baby was severely dehydrated. 'It needed fluids, to be warmed up, and all that good stuff,' said Hope Swinimer, founder of Hope for Wildlife. 'But it's really doing well now, and the next day they found another one, so arrangements were made to have that one brought into us, too.' Story continues below advertisement The pair of bandits were brought to the nursery, where they joined about 23 other orphaned raccoons that are being given a second chance. View image in full screen The two kits will be on milk for 4-5 more weeks. Ella Macdonald / Global News According to Swinimer, the rescue gets hundreds of baby raccoons a year — mostly due to human error. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'Probably 70 per cent of the time, it's a case where a raccoon has gone into someone's attic and given birth,' Swinimer explained. 'But they trap the mom out, not knowing she has babies up there, and release her far far away. So, the babies are orphaned from that point on and there's no way to reunite.' But there are ways to avoid the risk, Swinimer said. 'It's really simple, they pick the attics 'cause they're dark and quiet. By putting a light and radio up there, we're giving that mom the exact opposite of what she wants, and over the next week she'll move her family unit to a site that she finds a little bit better for her to nurse her young.' Story continues below advertisement Another common way kits become orphaned is when their mothers are hit by vehicles. 'We usually see the dead mom on the road with the little baby still curled up with mom, so it's really sad.' Swinimer said. She adds if you see a raccoon dead by the side of the road, it's a good idea to pull over and check for kits when safe to do so. 'People will often gather up those babies and bring them to us,' she said. 'It's always good to check because this is the time of year everything has babies.'

1News
01-05-2025
- Health
- 1News
More than 5000 senior doctors strike over pay dispute
More than 5000 senior doctors have gone on strike following months of unsuccessful negotiations with Health New Zealand. Health NZ put forward an updated offer last week, but that was rejected by The Association of Senior Medical Specialists According to Health NZ, the rejected agreement would have meant senior doctors received increases to base pay ranging from $8093 to $29,911, depending on experience. Those on steps 4 to 15 would have received a $8000 lump sum payment. However, the union said Health NZ's offer, a 1.5% cap on total salary increases over the two-year term, amounted to a pay rise of 0.77% per year. The union said its proposed increase was crucial for attracting more doctors to fill understaffed roles in public health departments and keeping experienced doctors from moving overseas to places like Australia, where pay was much higher and departments are less strained. Health NZ said today's strike would lead to 4300 planned procedures being postponed. Hospitals and emergency departments would remain open, and other clinical staff, including doctors, would still be available to deliver services to those who needed them. On Breakfast this morning, transplant nephrologist Dr Helen Pilmore said "we don't want to strike". 'We've never wanted to strike in the 35 years I've been a doctor, and the 26 years I've been a senior doctor, this, as you say, is unprecedented.' She said the health system was in "dire crisis". "It makes me sad every day when I see what's going on. And what I think people need to understand is that the public healthcare system is crucial for the well-being of all Kiwis." She said 'people will die' if doctors didn't have sustainable conditions to work in. "This is an unsustainable system at the moment, and patients are already suffering." The College of General Practitioners says the country is already way behind Australia in doctor numbers and it's only going to get worse. (Source: 1News) Obstetrician and gynaecologist Dr Deralie Flower said those on strike today were actually fighting to save the public health system. 'People work hard. The ones who are on strike are actually the ones who are still here,' Flower said. 'They are the ones who actually believe our health system is worth fighting for.' Chief clinical officer at Health NZ Dr Richard Sullivan said the biggest challenge with negotiations was the 'financial gap' the system was experiencing. (Source: 1News) Chief clinical officer at Health NZ, Dr Richard Sullivan, said the biggest challenge with negotiations was the 'financial gap' the system was experiencing. 'We know these are pretty tough economic times, and we've been pretty public about our financial constraints. 'So, we've been working hard with the union to try and come to an agreement, and I guess we've just not managed to get there yet.' He said the organisation had been struggling up and down the country. Recruitment and retention were issues in places like Tairāwhiti. According to department head counts, the region experienced a 44% vacancy rate for senior doctors. Nelson was also experiencing staffing difficulties. 1News spoke to multiple doctors at Nelson Hospital, who had serious concerns that staff shortages were impacting patients. Sullivan said Health NZ was still 'really determined' to keep working with the union to try and reach an agreement. He said the organisation had applied to the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) for facilitation in the hopes of finding an agreement. 'I guess it's really about working with our teams to lift that environment and make sure we can deliver the best services and get to a place that is acceptable to both parties.' Nelson woman Alley Papadopoulos was supposed to be in the hospital today, recovering from a hysterectomy, but her surgery was postponed by two weeks due to the strike. Instead, she spent her day handing out ice blocks and cups of frozen fruit to union members at a rally in the city centre. She told 1News she had been on the surgical waiting list for more than a year but was "pretty joyous" to be at the rally. "I have been waiting a long time, and I was supposed to have had my surgery yesterday but, to be able to be here and then get my surgery, it means a lot." She said it was a "pretty good feeling". 'I would hope that people who have been put off, me being one of them, can really understand the importance of [doctors] being heard. "It's all for the greater good of all of us." Taupō mother Anya Devlin said her 4-year-old son was supposed to have an appointment with his paediatrician for an autism assessment and genetic testing. She told 1News this was the fourth appointment that had been cancelled since January. Despite the frustration around her son's cancelled appointments, Devlin backed the striking doctors. "I completely understand the position they're in and completely agree with the fact that they do need to strike. "We want to be able to do everything we can to retain our healthcare professionals in the country so they don't go off overseas' In a Facebook post last night, Health Minister Simeon Brown said today's strike would disrupt hospitals and delay healthcare, making waitlists longer. He urged the union to return to the negotiating table. Brown said the Government's updated offer reflected the desire to avoid any delays to healthcare. 'Instead of putting this offer to members to vote on it, the ASMS union has rejected it, deciding to go ahead with pre-planned strike action which will impact thousands of patients, rather than continued negotiations. 'The updated offer addressed a number of the key issues raised by the union to attract and retain Senior Doctors, including offering bonding of $25,000 for senior doctors who move to hard to staff regions for two years.' The Minister would not appear on Breakfast, saying the strike was operational and that Health NZ would be best suited to discuss it. Finance Minister Nicola Willis did appear and said New Zealand's doctors were valued. Willis said she was 'disappointed' that patients were having their procedures cancelled due to the strike. The Finance Minister says today's strike will have an effect on patients. (Source: 1News) 'We would really like to see doctors back at the negotiating table, in particular because in this case they haven't taken the offer that the Government has made to their members. The union has just decided to strike.' Willis thought the dispute could be negotiated and resolved. Labour MP Ginny Andersen said the Government was 'clearly' not doing enough. 'The problem we have is that in this initial couple of stages for doctors, yes, there is a pay increase, but there's not enough in that offer to keep the doctors who are employed in New Zealand here now. 'This Government has consistently made the wrong choices, they've prioritised tax cuts for landlords and tax breaks for the tobacco lobby over properly funding our health system.' The strike followed months of unsuccessful negotiations with Health New Zealand. (Source: 1News) Willis said the Government was investing significantly in health, calling it the "biggest increases to its funding it's ever seen", but there was no "endless money." "We do need to balance everything up."