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— Gov. Mark Dayton ordered flags to be flown at half-staff to honor Marina DeSteno Challeen.

SAINT PAUL, Minn. — The governor of Minnesota has ordered all flags to be flown at half-staff in honor of a fallen EMT.

Twin Cities reported that Gov. Mark Dayton has ordered all state and federal buildings in Minnesota to fly flags at half-staff to honor EMT Marina DeSteno Challeen, 24, who was killed in an ambulance crash Oct 9.

DeSteno Challeen was a Minnesota native and a graduate of the University of Minnesota. A celebration of her life will be held Wednesday at St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church.

The flags will be held at half-staff from sunrise to sunset, according to Gov. Dayton’s order.

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— A new partnership between schools and first responders allows students to pursue EMS careers right out of high school.

TOLEDO, Ohio — A new partnership will allow Ohio high school seniors to gain their EMT certification while finishing high school.

Gov Tech reported that the partnership between Toledo Public Schools, police and fire departments, Owens Community College and ProMedica will allow high school seniors to be a full-time EMT students while finishing their senior year.

Superintendent Romules Durant told the 40 seniors who will kick off the program that the EMT certification will give them the ability to pursue a career or higher education in the medical field right out of high school.

“Once you complete, you will be certified and you can truly say, ‘I am career-ready. Because I have a certification that allows me to be employed within the sector of EMT,’” Durant said.

Students will learn the necessary skills for the EMS field while taking regular high school classes twice a week, and tuition will be covered by the school district’s College Credit Plus program.

They will also spend time in ProMedica’s clinical sites for hands-on experience, and be able to interview with ProMedica for possible employment after they are certified.

“It’s going to challenge you mentally, physically, and emotionally. It’s a lot of work, but it’s very rewarding,” Owens’ criminal justice and emergency services chair Mark King said. “You will be job-ready when you graduate.”

City councilmember Cecelia Adams said she’s been working with Toledo’s first responders for two years to get the program started.

“Now we have a pipeline for young people who can come and work in our city and be firefighters and police officers,” she said.

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— First Responders have been called to a crash involving an ambulance in Saginaw county.

SAGINAW COUNTY, Mich. — Two paramedics are in critical condition and one man is dead after an ambulance crash Monday.

The accident happened at 6:25 a.m. Monday, Oct. 16  on Gary Road near Lincoln Road on the border between Maple Grove and Albee Townships.

WNEM reported that the ambulance went through a stop sign and crashed into a car, causing the ambulance to go off a bridge and fall 30 feet into a creek.

Police said the two paramedics in the ambulance and the driver of the vehicle were all transported to the hospital, where the driver of the vehicle later died.

The paramedics both suffered critical injuries and hypothermia from the water; their names have not been released.

Police said they are investigating whether fog played a factor in the crash.

“A Mobile Medical Response ambulance was involved in a collision early this morning at the corner of Lincoln and Gary roads in Maplegrove Township,” a Mobile Medical Response spokesperson said. “At this time, Michigan State Police remain on scene completing their investigation. MMR is cooperating fully with authorities. There are no other details available for release at this time.”

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— Since she was a big fan, Marina DeSteno Challeen’s partner wants to bring the Flash costume to her funeral.

BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn. — A fallen EMT’s partner wants to do something special for her funeral by contacting TV stars.

KSTP reported that Marino DeSteno Challeen’s partner, Eric Morcos, became friends with her while they worked together for eight months.

“I was with her around the time her mom passed away and so I helped bury her mom and go through all that. It was a rough time,” Morcos said. “The family has just been having a hard time lately.”

EMT DeSteno Challeen was killed when the ambulance she was in collided with a stalled semi. At the time of the crash, Morcos said he was on his way to the station to work out when his wife called him to tell him about seeing a HealthEast ambulance crash on TV.

“Called Marina, it went right to voicemail. I texted her, ‘Are you OK?'” he said.

Morcos knew that DeSteno Challeen loved dressing up as her favorite comic book character, Flash, so he wants to plan something special for her funeral.

“I honestly don’t think there’s anybody in the world who’s a bigger fan of the Flash than her, if we could get the costume from either the new Flash or the TV show,” he said.

Morcos reached out to “Flash” actors Ezra Miller and Grant Gustin in the hopes that they could help him out.

He knows there’s no guarantee that they will respond, but he said it was DeSteno Challeen who taught him to look at the bright side of things.

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— The Emergency S.O.S. feature on the new IOS 11 calls 911 if the sleep/wake button on the side of the phone is tapped five times.

CUPERTINO, Calif. — A new iPhone feature allows users to call for help without actually dialing 911.

WQAD reported that the feature on Apple’s IOS 11 operating system allows users to tap the sleep/wake button five times to contact emergency services.

The updated Emergency S.O.S. function tells the user to “Rapidly click the sleep/wake button five times to quickly call emergency services.”

After this, a slider bar appears after you use the feature. The slider bar allows you to slide your finger across the screen to confirm the call.

“This new feature will alert 911 and anyone else you have designated as an emergency contact. You can set your emergency contacts in the health app.”

Another feature of this iPhone update is the Touch ID is also disabled when you use Emergency S.O.S so that someone else cannot enter your device without your passcode.

To set up the feature, open the Settings App and scroll to “Emergency S.O.S.” You can switch the toggle to “Auto Call,” so that the alert goes through as soon as you make the clicks instead of waiting for you to slide your finger across the screen.

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— Faisal Mohammed Alzahrani was accused of trying to stop an ambulance that was transporting his wife to a hospital.

STILLWATER, Okla. — A man was arrested after allegedly chasing down an ambulance transporting his wife and assaulting an EMT.

STW News Press reported that Faisal Mohammed Alzahrani allegedly tried to break into the ambulance, telling the EMTs that his children were crying and needed their mother.

Alzahrani allegedly “became irate” when the EMTs would not let his children ride in the ambulance. He then began following the ambulance, “driving erratically … very close to the back of the ambulance,” according to the arrest affidavit.

According to the affidavit, the EMT opened the rear door of the ambulance and motioned for Alzahrani to leave more space in between the two vehicles. Alzahrani then allegedly pulled his car in front of the ambulance, forcing it to stop. Police said he then tried to enter the ambulance and push past the EMT who was pushing him backward.

Alzahrani’s wife allegedly joined in the chaos when an EMT had Alzahrani in a headlock, causing the entire group to fall on the ground.

Alzahrani and his wife both left in his vehicle, and were later pulled over by police. Alzahrani is charged with assault and battery on an EMT and faces two years in prison if he is convicted.

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— Nicholas Poliseno withdrew money from the Hinal Patel Scholarship Fund to gamble in Atlantic City.

SPOTSWOOD, N.J. — A former mayor was accused of stealing money from a scholarship fund honoring an EMT to gamble in Atlantic City.

NJ.com reported that Nicholas Poliseno turned himself into authorities and is facing a third-degree account of theft after allegedly withdrawing money from the Hinal Patel Scholarship Fund to gamble.

The scholarship is given to high school students every year in memory of Patel, a 22-year-old EMT who died in 2015 when a car hit the ambulance she was in. My Central Jersey reported she was working her final shift for Spotswood EMS when she died, as she was leaving to pursue her dream to become a doctor.

“It is a terribly sad situation he has put himself in,” Councilman Curtis Stollen said. “This is not an example of the fine people that do step up in our community to serve and do good things for our citizens.”

 

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— REMSA Health and Flirty Company partner to dispatch drones with portable defibrillators.

CARSON CITY, Nev. — A start-up company is partnering with an emergency health services provider to deliver portable defibrillators to cardiac arrest victims via drones.

CNBC reported that Flirtey, a company that has delivered orders by drone for Domino’s and 7-Eleven, teamed up with REMSA Health to develop a plan to dispatch drones equipped with portable defibrillators whenever symptoms of cardiac arrest are reported to 911 dispatchers.

REMSA’s chief of health care operations J.W. Hodge said the goal is to help patients quicker than an ambulance.

“Many communities have done a good job of deploying defibrillators, so you will have them on airplanes, in some office buildings and schools and so on,” Hodge said. “Yet they’re not always within reach. 

At the same time, every minute someone suffers cardiac arrest without some intervention like CPR or an electrical shock, their chance of survival dips 10 percent.”

Flirtey CEO Matthew Sweeny said the portable defibrillators can be used by anyone and weigh about 5 pounds. The drone will lower them down on a line so a bystander can unbox it and follow instructions on how to use it.

Sweeny said the program will start in Nevada because they are an FAA-approved drone test site.

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— Marina DeSteno Challeen, 24, died after the ambulance she was riding in struck a stalled semi.

BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn. — Police identified the EMT who died Monday while riding in an ambulance that crashed into a stalled semi. 

Minnesota State Troopers identified the EMT as 24-year-old Marina DeSteno Challeen.

HealthEast, the owner of the ambulance, released a statement about the incident.

“Last evening, there was a tragic motor vehicle collision that involved one of our HealthEast ambulances. We lost a valued member of our HealthEast Medical Transportation Team. As we work with law enforcement to understand what happened, we ask for thoughts and prayers for our colleague, grieving family and friends and our team. The families involved are asking for privacy during this time.”

DeSteno Challeen’s family said she was an aspiring med student who wanted to work for Doctors Without Borders, according to KSTP.

“She was kind of a tough kid. She was independent and did things her own way,” DeSteno Challeen’s aunt, Nancy DeSteno, said. “She worked hard at reaching out to people. If she realized someone was upset. She would come up to you and put her arm around you and be close. You know? She was very good at that.”

 

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SALT LAKE CITY – Following the controversial arrest of a University of Utah nurse, one detective has been fired, and a Lieutenant has been demoted.

Detective Jeff Payne and Lt. James Tracy came under public scrutiny in July after they arrested Alex Wubbels, who refused to conduct a blood draw on an unconscious patient to help with a police investigation.

According to a notice of employment termination, the Salt Lake City Police Department stated that Payne violated numerous police policies, and “dramatically undermined public respect.”

“Based on the strong and compelling evidence as set forth above, I have lost faith and confidence in your ability to continue to serve as a member of the Salt Lake City Police Department,” Salt Lake City Police Chief Mike Brown said.

The decision comes after an internal affairs investigation and citizen review board. Both entities sustained findings of policy violations in the incident.

On Tuesday evening, Wubbels and her attorney Karra Porter responded to the news of the firing.

“I owe it to the body camera footage to really tell the story of what happened,” Wubbels said.

She left the rest of the statements to Porter, saying, “I currently don’t feel the emotional capacity to really speak to the allegations, or the statement that Chief Brown put out.”

Porter said she was pleased with Chief Brown’s decision.

“I do feel some relief, frankly, that Detective Payne was terminated,” she said. She said she hopes there are lessons that will be learned from the incident.

“I don’t see any way that someone thinks they can behave like that, and go out there and interact with the public,” she said.

Wubbels is still considering filing a lawsuit, Porter said, and they’ll make a decision later this month.

More details available at Fox13 Salt Lake City.

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— Suspected “lone wolf” shooter was killed by police on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino

LAS VEGAS — A gunman perched on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Cosino unleashed a shower of bullets on an outdoor country music festival, killing at least 50 people as tens of thousands ran for their lives, officials said Monday.

Associated Press

It was the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history.

More than 400 victims were taken to the hospital, authorities said.

Country music star Jason Aldean was performing Sunday night at the end of the three-day Route 91 Harvest Festival in front of a crowd of 22,000 when the gunman opened fire from inside the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino.

The gunman was identified as Stephen Craig Paddock, 64, of Mesquite, Nevada.

SWAT teams quickly descended on the concert and the casino, and officers used explosives to get into the hotel room where the suspect was inside, authorities said.

“What we are going to try to do as best we can is to get our first responders back on their feet and responding and conducting a proper investigation to ensure that we have the safety of this community at heart,” Sheriff Joseph Lombardo said.

Aldean was in the middle of a song when the shots came rapidly: Pop-pop-pop-pop. Video of the shooting then showed Aldean stopping and the crowd getting quiet as if it were unsure of what had just happened.

The gunman paused and then fired another volley, the muzzle flashes visible from the casino, as more victims fell to the ground while others fled in panic. Some hid behind concession stands, while others crawled under parked cars.

Kodiak Yazzie, 36, said the music stopped temporarily when the first shots began and the tune even started up again before the second round of pops sent the performers ducking for cover and fleeing the stage.

“It was the craziest stuff I’ve ever seen in my entire life,” Yazzie said. “You could hear that the noise was coming from west of us, from Mandalay Bay. You could see a flash- flash- flash- flash.”

As the bullets ran rampant, thousands in the crowd fled in every direction. Couples held hands running through the dirt lot. Faces were brushed with shock and confusion, tears and screams. Some were bloodied and others were carried out by fellow concert-goers.

Monique Dumas from British Columbia, Canada, said she was at the concert, six rows from the stage, when she thought she heard a bottle breaking, and then a burst of popping sounds that may have been fireworks.

She said as she made her way out, it was “organized chaos” as everyone fled. “It took four to five minutes and all that time there was gunfire.”

In addition to Paddock, police said they located a woman who may have been his roommate — Marilou Danley, 62. Lombardo said they believe this was a “lone wolf” attack.

“It’s a devastating time,” Lombardo said.

More details and photos available at CNN.com.

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Copy of Press Release from EMS Flight Safety Network:

EMS Flight Safety Network, the people who keep air medical safe, releases its 5th Anniversary breast cancer awareness “Fly LIke A Girl” design on October 1, 2017. Further information can be found at http://flightsafetynet.com.

Announcing The “Fly Like A Girl” Breast Cancer Awareness 5th Anniversary Design

EMS Flight Safety Network is scheduled to release its 2017 breast cancer awareness design on Sunday, October 1st. Every year since 2012, EMS Flight Safety Network has released a new breast cancer awareness design, which fans and consumers within Emergency Medical Services, Air Medical, Fire and Police services anxiously await each year. This year marks the fifth anniversary of the Fly-Like-A-Girl breast cancer awareness campaign.

Here are five little known facts about the 2017 Fly-Like-A-Girl design:

The idea for creating the Fly-Like-A-Girl Breast Cancer Awareness T-shirts and Hoodies came about after a local paramedic lost her battle with breast cancer. Everyone who knew this paramedic, loved this paramedic. She was a great mother, sister, daughter, educator and caregiver. At the request of her family, her name remains anonymous, but her memory honors all who continue the fight against breast cancer. Each year, a new Fly-Like-A-Girl design symbolizes the continued fight. The Fly-Like-A-Girl campaign brings attention and awareness to a treatable and curable disease when discovered in early stages. EMS and air medical crews understand the benefits of early detection and diagnosis better than most. As professional caregivers, they see first-hand the lives early detection saves.

A new design is released every year with input from the EMS Flight Safety Network community, a network of professionals that boasts a followership in excess of 216,000 members. EMS Flight Safety Network is the people who keep air medical safe. The community is large in numbers, but still maintains a family-like focus and concern for fellow EMS, Fire, Police and air medical professionals. The annual Fly-Like-A-Girl breast cancer awareness campaign is just one example.

The Fly-Like-A-Girl designs almost didn’t see the light of day. EMS Flight Safety Network almost dissolved in 2009, a year after the air medical industry experienced the highest accident record in its history. A team focus beyond flight nurses, flight medics and EMS pilots (EMS flight crews) is what kept it alive. EMS Flight Safety Network grew bigger than the aircrews who staff the helicopters and airplanes. It now includes EMTs, paramedics, nurses, firefighters, registered respiratory therapists, dispatchers, mechanics, pilots, flight communication specialists, hospital security, trauma doctors, specialty transport teams, as well as the family and friends who support these professionals. This extended family of caregivers and lifesavers is the reason EMS Flight Safety Network continues today.

EMS Flight Safety Network is different than other businesses and services in the Emergency Medical Services space. The Fly-Like-A-Girl breast cancer awareness design is the only breast cancer awareness design made especially for EMS, rescue services and the people who support these professionals.

The Fly-Like-A Girl Breast Cancer Awareness T-shirts and Hoodies will be released as part of EMS Flight Safety Network’s greater plans to get everyone to “Fly-Like-A-Girl.” It’s hoped this goal will be achieved by 2025.

EMS Flight Safety Network got it’s start when Founder Troy Shaffer noticed a growing need for caregivers to look out for other caregivers. Breast cancer affects EMS and air medical professionals just like the patients they treat. The founder is a career EMS and rescue services professional. He is a prior Army medic, Army pilot, Coast Guard pilot and EMS pilot. Troy Shaffer founded EMS Flight Safety Network in 2012.

Troy Shaffer is quoted saying: “We share tips and advice about how to become a flight nurse, flight medic or EMS pilot. If your passion is to fly air medical, we’ll help you reach your goals faster than doing it all on your own. The annual breast cancer awareness campaign is just another way EMS and air medical family looks out for its own.”

Fly-Like-A-Girl Breast Cancer Awareness T-shirts and Hoodies are set to launch Sunday, October 1st. To find out more, it’s possible to visit http://shop.flightsafetynet.com

For more facts and further information about EMS Flight Safety Network, this can be discovered at http://flightsafetynet.com

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—Ian Dow said an epiphany inspired him to buy the ambulance.

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. — A man is traveling the world in an ambulance he renovated.

ABC News reported that Ian Dow bought the ambulance for $2,800 on eBay.

Dow said he was originally searching for a van to convert.

“After getting burned by a Craigslist seller — he backed out after I drove 12 hours to buy his Sprinter — I was depressed and I crashed my motorcycle. Then I had an epiphany. I was in pain and needed some emergency help. Sitting on the couch that night with a busted shoulder, I searched eBay for ambulances, found a cheap one, and even Google Earthed the charity listed as the seller, finding the ambulance parked right outside.”

Dow said after putting some work into it, including a sundeck on the roof, the ambulance makes him “comfortable and happy.”

“Considering the Sprinter would have cost me $8,000, I felt like I got a screamin’ deal,” said Dow. “I finished it with materials I like. The teak floors, subway tiled kitchen, exotic hardwood table, cedar-lined closet, bamboo cutting surfaces and guitar inlay accents all keep a smile on my face.”

How does he make a living to pay for his travels?

“I have been on the move for 10 years now and haven’t had a steady job the whole time,” he said. “I once was an art director on a film, a set designer and fabricator, an artist manager, music producer, graphic designer, painter. Life on the road is surprisingly cheap and I manage to survive with very little funds.”

His advice for others looking to do something similar?

“Just do it,” he said.

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—Firefighter relieved of duties.

EARLE, ARKANSAS  — A firefighter is off the job for saying on social media that professional athletes should be shot in the head if they kneel or stay in the locker room during the national anthem.

The fire fighter, Jonathan Marotti, issued a written apology Tuesday afternoon, saying he was wrong and childish and was sorry for the embarrassment he caused.

The fire department said in a Facebook post Monday evening that a firefighter had been relieved of duty indefinitely.

John Buford, assistant chief of the department, said in the post that the department “in no way agrees with the statements that were made and that type of behavior will not be tolerated by any employee of the Earle Fire Department.”

A call to the fire department confirmed that the post was legitimate.

More details available here.

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—The Salt Lake City police association said they are ‘extremely concerned and dismayed’ by how the investigation was handled.

SALT LAKE CITY — The Salt Lake Police Association on Monday broke its silence regarding the widely publicized arrest of a University Hospital nurse by two police officers.

The Salt Lake Police Association said in a letter to the mayor and police chief that it is “extremely concerned and dismayed” about handling that has “corrupted” the high-profile investigation, according to The Deseret News.

“The premature release of body cam footage is particularly demoralizing as it allows the public who have not trained as police officers to make what often amounts to biased and ill-informed judgments of the police,” association president Stephen Hartney said in a letter.

The mayor and police chief have apologized to nurse Alex Wubbels.

Nurse Wubbels was handcuffed and dragged from a hospital after she explained she couldn’t allow a blood draw on an unconscious patient under hospital policy.

Dramatic body-camera video of the July 26 incident turned into a national debate on police use of force. The video was released by Wubbels and her lawyer, who obtained it through a public records request.

Police Chief Mike Brown declined comment on the letter, though spokeswoman Christina Judd told The Associated Press that Brown recognizes the union works diligently on behalf of officers.

Brown is weighing possible discipline for the officers that could include firing.

More details about the on-going investigation here.

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WASHINGTON CO, PA – Muse, Pennsylvania Fire Department Chief Paul “Smitty” Smith expressed his frustration on facebook over Mike Tomlin’s decision to have his team sit out the national anthem.

According to Channel 11 News, several Washington county fire fighters contacted them saying they weren’t comfortable with a comment made by the Cecil fire chief on Facebook during Sunday’s Steelers game.

Chief Paul Smith was commenting on a post about the Steelers’ decision not to participate in the national anthem on the field and wrote:

“Tomlin just added himself to the list of no good n-words. Yes I said it.”

Smith is captain of Cecil Township Volunteer Fire Department Number 2 in Muse. He is currently out of the country on vacation, but said he regrets the statement.

“I am embarrassed at this. I want to apologize. I was frustrated and angry at the Steelers not standing for the anthem. … This had nothing to do with my fire department. I regret what I said.”

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—Tracy Lee was 17 months into her EMT position when she contracted HIV in the line of duty.

NEW YORK — The first Fire Department of New York (FDNY) Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) to contract HIV while treating a patient in New York City was honored 20 years after her death.

According to FOX News, Tracy Lee was 17 months into her EMT position when she contracted HIV from a patient who was bleeding to death. The station reported that a memorial stone marker was placed outside an East Harlem EMS station for EMT Lee.

Lee’s glove was ripped when she was pulling a man into a hallway for treatment, and her blood mixed with his. She tested positive for HIV in May 1994.

“I was 31 when she died,” Lee’s widower, Victor Lee, said. “When you’re that age, you think you’re invincible. We were going to grow old together and have kids.”

Lee’s request to have her diagnosis listed as a line-of-duty illness was denied, but Lee continued to work in the offices of the FDNY until she died in Sept. 1997. The next year, New York passed a law requiring HIV contracted on the job to automatically be designated as a line-of-duty injury for responders.

“I still think about her every day,” retired EMS Lt. and Lee’s co-worker Adelaide Connaughton said. “I can’t believe it’s been 20 years. It seems like yesterday.”

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—And why NFL stars should get off their knees.

 

America is the best country in the world.

“Proud to be an American” is more than a catchy slogan.

It’s our way of life.

If you or someone you love serves our country in the armed forces, you get my instant respect and gratitude. No discussion or debate required.

And here’s the best part: I believe most Americans share this viewpoint. Most Americans respect and appreciate those who serve now, and those who served our country in the past.

Why NFL Stars Should Get Off Their Knees

Why should National Football League (NFL) players get off their knees and stand for the national anthem?

Because standing is about respect.

Standing for the national anthem is about showing respect for those who made the ultimate sacrifice and gave their lives for this country. It’s really that simple.

Stand to show respect.

NFL players who kneel before football games do so to draw attention to racism in America. But they disrespect everyone who ever served in uniform by doing so.

NFL players don’t see it that way, because they don’t really see anything through the same lens as regular people. NFL players believe in their cause and believe it’s their right to kneel if they choose.

And you know what? They’re absolutely right. It is their right to kneel.

The constitution and first amendment guarantees this right to every American. The irony is the service men and women who died to give them this right — is the group they’re disrespecting the most, by kneeling. That’s the rub, or at least part of it.

The bigger rub is how NFL players are completely out of touch with average Americans. How NFL players believe their opinions are somehow more valuable than the average American’s opinion.

Newsflash: the average American thinks football players should stick to playing football. The average American thinks NFL players are overpaid and out of touch with reality. The average American thinks kneeling during the national anthem (for almost any reason) is unpatriotic.

But none of that explains why kneeling during the national anthem is stupid.

Why Kneeling is Stupid

Is shining a spotlight on racism important?

Yes, of course.

But bringing attention to racism by disrespecting every American who ever served or died for our country, is a stupid way to do it.

But don’t take my word for it. How do you know kneeling during the national anthem is a stupid way to draw attention to racism? Easy answer. The NFL already proved it.

Colin Kaepernick, a free agent quarterback famous for kneeling before football games, can no longer find work in the NFL.

Why can’t Colin Kaepernick find work? Why won’t an NFL team hire him?

The answer has nothing to do with Colin’s skills as a quarterback. The answer is that Colin Kaepernick is damaged goods. No team will take him because of all the bad publicity that comes with hiring him.

The Cleveland Browns also proved how stupid it is to kneel during the national anthem. You can read how Paramedic and Police unions boycotted the Cleveland Browns opener for kneeling during the national anthem.

Watch the NFL Take a Stand This Week

If you’re bothered by all of this, stand-by for a little poetic justice to come your way this week.

The Pittsburgh Steelers forced the issue center stage.

The entire Pittsburgh Steelers team, except for Alejandro Villanueva, ex-Army Ranger, stayed in the locker room for the national anthem before their game with Chicago.

The backlash was quick and severe.

The American public is irritated and threatening to boycott the NFL. Now the NFL commissioner and team owners really have no choice but to start talking about the issue publicly. Even the president commented about the owner’s lack of control over the situation.

Stand-by to see the NFL commissioner and team owners ‘patriotism’ shine through like no other week this season. Now that their revenue is threatened, you’ll see a whole new appreciation for those who served.

Why EMS Stands for The Flag

It’s easy for Emergency Medical Services (EMS) to stand for the flag.

Why?

Because EMSers are patriots. EMSers live in the real world. EMSers work hard for a lot less money and appreciation than the average NFL player.

But those aren’t the only reasons.

EMSers identify with our service men and women.

EMS is different than serving in the military, but it is about service.

Service is the bond the two communities share.

It’s time for NFL players to stand with EMS and their fellow Americans. It’s time to give respect to those who made the ultimate sacrifice and paid for our freedoms and privileges with their lives.

What do you think? Should NFL players stand for the national anthem? Is it disrespectful not to stand? Leave a comment below. It’s important and we appreciate your input.

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