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Woman dies in crash on Sask. highway
Woman dies in crash on Sask. highway

CTV News

time15 hours ago

  • CTV News

Woman dies in crash on Sask. highway

A 66-year-old woman from Zenon Park has died in a collision involving a car and a truck on Highway 23 Thursday afternoon. Police say the crash was reported at around 3:30 p.m. east of Arborfield. Carrot River RCMP, along with paramedics and the local fire department, attended the scene, where the woman, who was the sole occupant of the car, was pronounced dead. Her family has been notified. Police say the driver of the truck, who was also the sole occupant of the truck, was assessed by paramedics at the scene. RCMP say they continue to investigate with the help of a Saskatchewan RCMP collision reconstructionist.

Too many seniors are falling and can't get up. So this Maine fire department hiked fees 2200% for a lift
Too many seniors are falling and can't get up. So this Maine fire department hiked fees 2200% for a lift

Yahoo

time2 days ago

  • Health
  • Yahoo

Too many seniors are falling and can't get up. So this Maine fire department hiked fees 2200% for a lift

A Maine fire department has hiked its fee for giving seniors a lift by 2,200 percent as it says too many of them are falling and can't get up. Health care facilities and nursing homes in Bangor, around a two-hour drive northeast of Portland, have called their local fire department at least 225 times this year to help lift a patient after falling, Fire Chief Geoffrey Low said, according to the Bangor Daily News. There were only 275 calls made in all of 2024. The calls are specifically related to instances where the patient does not need to be transported to a medical facility afterwards. It takes first responders about 30 minutes to complete one of these calls, Low said. 'That's a considerable amount of time just in six months where resources aren't available and we're filling a role that those facilities or housing complexes should be able to do,' Low said. Care facilities formerly had to pay $25 for the first three calls of this kind and then $125 if they made more calls. Now, these facilities will have to pay $550 for every call. Low said the facilities call the fire department out of concern staff may injure their backs when attempting to lift patients. The Independent has reached out to nursing homes in the area for comment. Low made clear the fire department is always willing to help seniors, even if they are not injured. 'It's not dignified to show up and say 'Well you're not hurt. We're going to leave you on the floor,' he said. The fire chief continued: 'That's just not right and I wouldn't expect my staff to do that. We're going to pick them up and treat them like people, like we should.' Falls among people 65 and older are quite common around the country. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says more than one out of four older adults fall each year, but fewer than half tell their doctor. Falling once doubles an older person's chances of falling again, the CDC warns. Falls can cause hip fractures and traumatic brain injuries, which could be deadly. The CDC came out with a report this month which found death rates from unintentional falls increased by more than 70 percent for adults aged 65 to 74 years. The data was collected over 20 years from 2003 to 2023.

Too many seniors are falling and can't get up. So this Maine fire department hiked fees 2200% for a lift
Too many seniors are falling and can't get up. So this Maine fire department hiked fees 2200% for a lift

The Independent

time2 days ago

  • Health
  • The Independent

Too many seniors are falling and can't get up. So this Maine fire department hiked fees 2200% for a lift

A Maine fire department has hiked its fee for giving seniors a lift by 2,200 percent as it says too many of them are falling and can't get up. Health care facilities and nursing homes in Bangor, around a two-hour drive northeast of Portland, have called their local fire department at least 225 times this year to help lift a patient after falling, Fire Chief Geoffrey Low said, according to the Bangor Daily News. There were only 275 calls made in all of 2024. The calls are specifically related to instances where the patient does not need to be transported to a medical facility afterwards. It takes first responders about 30 minutes to complete one of these calls, Low said. 'That's a considerable amount of time just in six months where resources aren't available and we're filling a role that those facilities or housing complexes should be able to do,' Low said. Care facilities formerly had to pay $25 for the first three calls of this kind and then $125 if they made more calls. Now, these facilities will have to pay $550 for every call. Low said the facilities call the fire department out of concern staff may injure their backs when attempting to lift patients. Low made clear the fire department is always willing to help seniors, even if they are not injured. 'It's not dignified to show up and say 'Well you're not hurt. We're going to leave you on the floor,' he said. The fire chief continued: 'That's just not right and I wouldn't expect my staff to do that. We're going to pick them up and treat them like people, like we should.' Falls among people 65 and older are quite common around the country. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says more than one out of four older adults fall each year, but fewer than half tell their doctor. Falling once doubles an older person's chances of falling again, the CDC warns. Falls can cause hip fractures and traumatic brain injuries, which could be deadly. The CDC came out with a report this month which found death rates from unintentional falls increased by more than 70 percent for adults aged 65 to 74 years. The data was collected over 20 years from 2003 to 2023.

Open hydrants across NYC causing discolored water, low water pressure in homes, DEP says
Open hydrants across NYC causing discolored water, low water pressure in homes, DEP says

CBS News

time2 days ago

  • Climate
  • CBS News

Open hydrants across NYC causing discolored water, low water pressure in homes, DEP says

With the recent heat wave, many are people are using fire hydrants to cool off, however the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is warning people not to. The DEP said their warning is not only for safety concerns, but because of the impact it can have on the water in your home. Beth DeFalco, deputy commissioner at the New York Department of Environmental Protection, says record numbers of open hydrants are causing a widespread issue among the boroughs with discolored water and low water pressure. "We saw almost a near record use of open hydrants and water flow. Probably the highest use that we've seen in at least a decade, if not more. It can cause brown water issues if you disturb some of the sediments because you're not using the right tools and opening it correctly. So that's another thing that we're concerned about. But the biggest concern that we're seeing right now is low water pressure," DeFalco explained. 1,000 gallons of water per minute The DEP is encouraging people to reach out to a local fire department and get the correct sprinkler head. DeFalco said firefighters will install the sprinkler heads for free, and the sprinkler heads will also help cut down on the amount of wasted water. "So an open hydrant that doesn't have a cap on it uses about a thousand gallons per minute of water. A hydrant that's got a cap on it uses about 25 gallons per minute. So yesterday we saw, you know, upwards of a million gallons a day," DeFalco said. Valerie McCray said there have been open hydrants in her Bronx neighborhood. "Yesterday was 20 kids, about 25 kids in that water. Today there's nobody. Look at him. He washing his car. That's the only thing they're doing," said McCray. McCray, who lives near one of the opened hydrants, noticed a difference with the water flowing out of her toilet and faucets. "Right now is not discolored but is so low you can't even wash the dishes," McCray said. According to the DEP, illegally opening a fire hydrant can result in fines of up to $1,000, imprisonment for up to 30 days or both. If you see a fire hydrant illegally open you are encouraged to call 311 immediately. Click here to learn more about the DEP warning about illegally opening fire hydrants. You can email Erica with Bronx story ideas by CLICKING HERE.

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