Lock-Boxes Would Give Firefighters Access To Buildings

MILFORD — Fire Dept. officials and the Borough Council discussed a new law regarding a proposed lock-box key system that would allow volunteers to gain commercial-building access in emergencies when no one is in the building.

Milford Fire Chief Tony Mann and Department President John Crespo asked for local legislation supporting the department’s recommended entry system, the Knox Box.

The system would provide a building key to the chiefs and fire truck drivers. Every few months, the key would be changed for security purposes.

Mann said that the department considers the liability to the department is too high if no such entry-system is available. He said, “I am above all concerned about the safety of the volunteers. I am responsible for 20 lives. I don’t want to have to talk to a wife and three kids if a volunteer dies.”

Mann noted that when the volunteers can’t gain entry because they have no key, they might have to leave if they don’t detect a problem, such as rising temperatures or visible smoke.

The department uses infrared technology and heat sensors, but not every problem is immediately identifiable without physical inspection inside the building.

Mann recalled an incident years ago when the department responded to an automatic alarm at a commercial building on Route 6/209. It was after hours. No one was in the building. No key was available.

Firefighters checked all around the building. They found no smoke, heat, or any other indication of a fire brewing. They left and 45 minutes later, the building was fully engaged in a fire. The flame was so hot and chemical burning so intense that firefighters could not enter the building and the building was destroyed.

Mann said that in today’s legal landscape, a lawyer for the building owner could sue the fire department for walking away. He said, “We won’t detect heat in every incident. An attorney could ask, ‘Why didn’t you do something?’ If we were called, if we were there, then we could be liable.

“Also, in some buildings, these automatic alarms are going off all the time. (One Milford business has had eight false alarms recently.) What if the alarm keeps going off at 3 a.m. and it turns out to be false alarms. At some point volunteers might not get up and respond. A lot of us have to be at work in a few hours. It’s like crying wolf.”

Council Solicitor John Klemeyer said, “If an alarm keeps going off, they (building owner) pay a penalty. We have an ordinance for that.”

Mann and council then discussed whether the law should be voluntary or mandatory.

Council President James Price said that he was not in favor of mandatory because it could encroach on property-owner rights. However, Price said that he favored a voluntary program. He suggested the borough needed to look more deeply into volunteer liability... for complete story, get this week's issue.

More Than 80 People Attend Port Jervis Drug Workshop

PORT JERVIS — City Police and Neighborhood Watch held a “Drug Abuse in Our Communities” workshop to warn the public of the rapidly growing negative outcomes of abuse, such as 26 reported overdose deaths in the city in the past two years, and to mobilize public support to mitigate the problem.

The workshop, attended by more than 80 people (including presenters), was held last week at Deerpark Reformed Church on East Main Street in Port Jervis. The event was co-sponsored by city police and Neighborhood Watch.

James Conklin, executive director of the Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Council of Orange County, moderated the panel, which included representatives from Port Jervis School District, Catholic Charities, Restorative Management, Bon Secours Community Hospital, Child Death Review Team of Pike County, and Port Jervis Police. A question and answer period followed the panel presentation.

Police Chief William Worden said that the problem in the city is part of a national trend exacerbated by the lengthy poor economy. He and City Detective Michael Worden noted that crimes stemming from prescription drug abuse and heroin addiction are the most rapidly growing problem. The negative outcomes not only affect the abuser and families, but the entire community, noted Chief Worden.

Detective Worden said that what makes prescription drugs so challenging to police is that those who use them illegally typically obtain them from family members or friends. This makes it much more difficult for police to track.

Such drugs could create a physical and psychological dependence or a physical addiction. Heroin use rapidly leads to addiction. Chief Worden noted that some heroin users have reported that they have become addicted after only a few uses. The addict must feed the habit or face severe withdrawal symptoms. The symptoms are so severe that addicts would do almost anything to get money pay for their next fix.

Detective Worden said that addicts typically steal from their families and friends first. If unsuccessful, they might resort to stealing from people on the street, stealing from big box stores, or to burglary, even though the risk of getting caught would be high for each of those activities.

Overdoses (OD) don’t have to be fatal. Chief Worden said that the city police responded to 46 non-fatal ODs in the past two years. OD can occur when an addict ingests too much of a drug.

Chief Worden said the statistics about drug-related deaths came from death certificates listing causes of death that were filed in the City Clerk’s office. In 2010, a total of 198 Death Certificates were filed. Of those, 11 deaths were listed as a Drug/Combination of Drugs as immediate cause of death.

In 2011, a total of 203 Death Certificates were filed. Of those, 13 listed drugs/combination of drugs as immediate cause of death, with an additional two listed as drugs having a contributing factor:

The statistics did not distinguish between deaths from legal prescription drugs or from illicit drugs.

Detective Worden said that fatal overdoses are usually triggered not so much by too much of a drug, but when drugs are used in combination, such as when an opiate is used with two or more central-nervous-system depressants. Also, if a prescription drug is a stimulant and is used with other stimulants, fatal OD is more likely to occur. Alcohol, prescription drugs, and heroin would be a particularly bad combination.

According to Detective Worden, before opiates are used, some students might experiment with gateway products. Bon Secours treatment program specialist Vicki Landman said, “We’re seeing young kids getting medication from their grandparents. So children are becoming the drug dealers. These children are not bad people. They are sick and need help. Some teens go to health-food stores to get Valerian (a muscle relaxant and sedative). Parents, please check the receipts, which could be a warning sign.”

Pike County Child Care Information Services’ Jill Gamboni said, “We are now even seeing kids drinking hand sanitizers, which are 50-percent alcohol.” Others snort forced-air containers used to clean computer parts. Farming, a new trend for kids, could be akin to Russian roulette, except drugs are used instead of bullets. Farming, refers to putting a pile of prescription pills in a bowl and randomly picking one or more pills to get high. This could lead to OD.

Reality Tour

Gamboni began seeing a rise in overdose deaths in the Tri-state area over 10 years ago. So, she formed the Child Death Review Team to better address prevention and social problems associated with drug abuse. In 2007, she obtained a grant for Reality Tour, a program held at the Presbyterian Church in Milford,

The program is a dramatic re-enactment of kids who abuse drugs, end up in jail, or OD. According to Gamboni, more fatalities occur from prescription drugs than heroin and (crack) cocaine put together.

Since the Reality program uses federal funds, any one can participate, not just Pike residents. She said, “The program is meant for kids 10 and older to attend with their parents. We cover 20 drugs.” Some PJ and Deerpark residents who attended the workshop expressed interest in bringing their kids to Gamboni’s program... for complete story, get this week's issue.