Stories featuring suburban families in Pennsylvania. In Marfa Lights, a woman becomes allergic to electricity, Darwin in the City is on a man going blind, and Siding deals with a father's confusion on discovering his son is a transvestite.

Tim Booth is shocked when his first emergency callout for someone short of breath turns out to be an adult man with a blocked nose. Far from beginner's luck, this turns out to be an omen for the rest of his paramedic career. Between the obligatory stories of objects lodged in body cavities and grown men who can't look after themselves when their wives are away, Tim finds that the promised life-saving moments are far outweighed by the trivial, frustrating and bizarre ambulance callouts. He and his colleagues battle fatigue, abuse and burnout - treated with coffee, occasional moments of heroism, and a healthy dose of dark humour. Told with cutting wit, pathos and disarming insight, You Called an Ambulance for What? is a comedic behind-the-sirens look at the challenges, absurdities and shocking reality of life as an Australian intensive care paramedic.

Exploding pressure cookers, a thwarted wife's deadly revenge and transvestites in distress - manning an ambulance in the seventies kept you on your toes. Having survived the rites of passage as a probationer, Les Pringle now has to face up to the reality of life as an ambulance man in Thatcher's Britain. He does this with humour and fortitude - two qualities which are essential if he is to cope with cases ranging from the absurd to the heart rending. From attending murder scenes to delivering babies ... it's quite a life for Les, and one that he and his shift mates tread with warmth and humour in equal measure.

This book constitutes the thoroughly refereed post-workshop proceedings of the Second International Workshop on Mobile Information Technology for Emergency Response, MobileResponse 2008 held in Bonn, Germany, in May 2008. The 12 revised papers presented together with 2 kenote lectures and 1 invited paper were carefully reviewed and selected from 25 submissions. The papers are organized in topical sections on emergency alerting systems and indoor navigation, spatial and visual information for site exploration, collaboration and information management, as well as communication and security concepts.

This project developed and tested an analytic method for extracting useful info. from suspicious behavior reports that were voluntarily given by concerned citizens using 911. The objectives were to: (1) Apply data mining approaches to a commonly available data source in order to produce operationally relevant findings; (2) Develop and document an analytic process that identifies, analyzes, prioritizes, and visualizes suspicious activity data that law enforcement agencies or fusion centers can incorporate into their standard operating procedures; (3) Identify successful processes that allow state and local agencies to integrate and analyze multiple data sources related to potential terrorist threats. Charts and tables.

Fed up with the high tolls charged by your ordinary telephone service? If you're itching to cut the copper cord with your costly, traditional phone service, you need Talk is Cheap, the new, easy-to-understand guide to understanding and using Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and other Internet telephone options.Technologies such as VoIP are gaining a great deal of attention these days as more people switch from standard telephone service to phone service via the Internet. But while the cost savings are outstanding, there are some issues with Internet telephony that you should know about. Are the connections reliable? Is the quality comparable? Will it include 911 services?James Gaskin's Talk is Cheap addresses these issues and many more by explaining how to make the switch and what the tradeoffs will be if you opt for Internet telephony over traditional phone services.Talk is Cheap focuses on the increasingly popular services from Vonage, which uses VoIP, and Skype--a free service that operates as a peer-to-peer (P2P) network with the ability to turn any PC, Mac, or Pocket PC into a telephone. The book explains your options; explores the background behind, the workings of, and differences between VoIP and P2P networks; and discusses the advantages and drawbacks of both technologies (including service offerings, quality, capabilities, completion rates, and more).Talk is Cheap then goes into detail on what you can expect in Internet service from traditional phone companies such as Verizon and AT&T. In addition, you will learn more advanced techniques, including how to turn your Palm or Pocket PC into an Internet phone and how to work with Wi-Fi phones and videophones.A straightforward, quick introduction to the ins and outs of using Internet telephone services, this book provides everything you need to make informed telephone decisions--whether you're thinking about the switch from traditional phone service or have already made it and want to get the most out of your new Internet telephone.

“Globally, emergency services are witnessing a period of unprecedented uncertainty and change caused by pressure on their budgets, reduced manpower and changing patterns of demand and service delivery. Such challenges are also having huge implications on the workforce health and wellbeing. This book is a timely, well-researched addition to improve our understanding of the governance and collaboration issues in the emergency services.”Steve McGuirk, Chairman, Warrington and Halton Hospitals Trust, Former Chief Fire Officer and CEO, Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service “Good governance, collaboration and sound leadership are easy qualities to take for granted in the Emergency Services. However, given the increasing complexity of the challenging political and operational environments these organisations work in, it is not reasonable to assume these qualities will always emerge as a natural phenomenon. This book is a welcome addition that provides invaluable, evidence-based insights for leaders who are seeking to raise the quality of their services for both the public and their workforce alike.”Andy Newton, Immediate Past Chair, College of Paramedics and Former Paramedic Director, South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Trust (SECAmb) This unique text provides fresh insights and understanding of the governance and collaboration issues between emergency services in a dynamic policy and organisational environment in a global world. The book offers critical insights into the theory and rationale behind the interoperability and collaboration between the emergency services and examines in detail, important themes around trust, leadership, workforce wellbeing and resilience and professional culture(s), each having great significance for the success of the interoperability and governance agenda. The chapters cover new materials, including the research conducted by the authors and are written in a style that is easily accessible. This book caters to a wide audience of researchers, academics, students, emergency services staff, leaders and public managers, both in the UK and internationally.