AFD at Kennedy Dorm for ETOH female
The exciting thing about living in a "college town" is every year around this time we absorb a tidal wave of new exuberant youths making Amherst their home for 7.5 months out of the year over the next four years.
The not so exciting thing is the learning curve involved with them fitting in.
Last year (9/6/13) between 6 PM and 7 AM Friday-into-Saturday-morning Amherst Fire Department transported 7 "college aged youth" from UMass for "substance abuse". This past Friday (9/5/14) into Saturday morning, one year later, AFD transported 13!
And another 3 transports from just off-campus that in all likely hood were UMass students.
So why the dramatic difference?
This year (9/5/14) the average temperature between the hours of 11 PM and 1:30 AM, when the majority of ETOH calls occurred, was 23 degrees higher than last year (75 vs 52 degrees). Warmer weather brings out the herds to roam the streets in search of a party.
And beer does not help with hydration.
Even with four extra firefighters paid for by UMass to cover the peak weekend demand, we still had to rely on surrounding fire departments five times.
Like for instance the cyclist who crashed his bike on North Pleasant Street and sustained a serious head injury. Northampton FD transported him to Baystate Critical Care unit in Springfield.
Cyclist down North Pleasant Street (awaiting ambulance) 12:45 AM
How many more warm weekends can we look forward to before winter sets in? How many more seriously injured citizens will have to wait for an out-of-town ambulance to arrive?
Left column humidity, right column temperature
4 comments:
Larry, can you ask for a real camera (or photography lessons) for Christmas this year? I've ssen been shots from toddlers who accidentally push the buttons on an iPhone.
Going for the boots-on-the-ground gritty look.
How much worse do things have to get before people will concede that perhaps -- just maybe -- Dr. Ed is right?
Your current approach isn't working. You put more and more resources (read: $$$$) and even if you don't consider the UM students to be human beings worthy of your concern, everything that you DO care about isn't getting any better, is it?
Those of you who know me personally know that I tend to be a tad assertive and not one inclined to back down from confrontations -- I say this in that light -- it is time to stop fighting with the UM students and to start compromising with them. that means that you aren't going to get everything you want.
I go back to the Amethyst Initiative -- it has been against the law for college kids to drink longer than these college kids have been alive -- and laws and arrests have been so effective in preventing them from drinking to excess, haven't they?
A 130 lb woman is not going to *stop* a 200 lb aggressor -- even given infinite physical strength, she simply does not weigh enough -- she's going downrange. She can however, re-direct the attacker, she can use his own momentum to send *him* downrange.
Larry, remember all that Karate you used to teach???
Folks, you are no more going to *stop* the college kids from partying than you are going to *stop* the fist of someone trying to punch you. You are going to spend more and more money to live in a town that is less and less like the one you want to live in.
Much as Karate teaches one to redirect the inbound fist, I suggest you consider redirecting the partying so as to avoid the worst things -- and living with lesser ones.
hahahahha LARRY! These kids will never stop partying....and there's nothing you can do about it!
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