Asian Carp Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Asian Carp - Essay Example Asian Carp are filter feeders, feeding on zooplankton, phytoplankton and organic particles that are suspended in water columns. They have a very large filtering capacity and their maximum size can reach greater than 3 feet long and 100 pounds (Butz, pg. 20). They have been found in the Illinois River since the 1990's. The problem is that to grow to that size, they have voracious appetites. The Long Term Resource Monitoring Program (LTRMP) have been catching them in the routine monitoring of the La Grange Reach, Illinois River since 1995 and 1998. The population has increased rapidly since 2000 and now dominates the fish community on the La Grange Reach (Sharp, pg. 42). They are in constant contest for the same feeding grounds with river fishes such as gizzard shad and bigmouth buffalo and the shad and buffalo are losing. In fact, the buffalo and gizzard are not being eaten, they continue to lose size and weight until they die so they are just being starved out. Most recently Asian Carp DNA has been found east of the Chicago lock which is just 8 miles from the entrance into Lake Michigan. There has now been a great deal of controversy over closing the Chicago lock and canal. The canal and lock manage most of the shipping business for the State of Illinois as well as the sewage from Chicago. This would lead to decreased shipping and a large loss of income for the people of Chicago and the State of Illinois but it would also affect other nearby States. The problem is that if the Carp get into Lake Michigan, there will be no controlling them and the Lake could be decimated of its fish population and the commerce related to it, which is already a fragile eco-system (Guarno, 2010). The Lakes have been a matter of eco-system work for some years. At one point, Lake Michigan was so dirty that it was not wholly safe to eat the fish. It has taken many years and millions of dollars to clean the eco-system up which is just beginning to thrive again. Recently in an effort to stop the invasive species without closing the Chicago lock more than a dozen Federal, State, and Local agencies got together to do some major poisonings and held a press conference in November. Biologist fear the fish will devastate the lakes to the tune of $7 billion in destruction of fishery so it was allowed to dump 2200 gallons of poison in the Chicago canal. The total cost of the poison and those to perform this task was 3 million dollars. Dead fish were dragged from the water and there was only one Asian Carp among them. However, this does not mean they did not exist and the they have not reached Lake Michigan. It is believed that they will have to adapt the Lake because they spawn in fast moving water but studies prove that they adapt quickly. They also have the advantage of being a non-native species in the sense that studies now show that non-native species have a better chance of surviving in climate changes which are occurring because they have already adapted once. The White has held the Asian Carp Summit in a effort to deal with the fish as well as the methods of bringing non-native species of animals to the United States under any circumstances. A secondary issue that is being discussed is the fact that this species would not be moving into the Lake if man did not consistently change eco-systems to provide for themselves and the Chicago canal is an example. Though it does have fish blocks up, they may get

The origin of species Essay Example for Free

The origin of species Essay John Keats is also poet from the 19th century just the same as Charles Darwin. Keats has the artistic, colorful approach to life. Keats writes expressively and in short punchy sentences that are full of meaning and conciseness. MY heart aches, and a drowsy numbness pains My sense, as though of hemlock I had drunk, These are only a couple of phrases that can be used to describe Keatss approach to life. Both of these quotes are from his poem, Ode to a Nightingale, that was written in 1884 and published in 1888. It is obvious throughout this poem, that Keats is thinking carefully about the words that he is using and the way in which he can produce this text as being heart felt and sympathetic as possible. Keats writes as though he is in a dream time and is trying to find a way out. Throughout the poem, you start to get a feeling that he is going to commit suicide or do something terrible that will affect his life forever if he goes through with it. This is seen in the following two quotes. Tis not through envy of thy happy lot, But being too happy in thine happiness,- Keats also uses the form of writing that involves the adventurous type of writing. Keats does this in the way that he can capture his readers in a way that makes it exciting for us to read as a reader. This is done through many lines including all of the beginning, ending and the body of the poem. But on the viewless wings of Poesy, Though the dull brain perplexes and retards: Already with thee! tender is the night, And haply the Queen-Moon is on her throne, Throughout the poem, Keats, makes reference to the fact that he is planning to commit suicide. This comes up too many times to let fly by. The fact that Keats makes reference to this is a problem in itself. This problem is that he is a famous writer and very well known for his pieces. It would be a shame for him to now be known as a suicidal freak who couldnt handle the pressure of his family and his work. That I might drink, and leave the world unseen, And with thee fade away into the forest dim: Keats also writes similar to Charles Darwin in the way that they both leave the paragraphs with you thinking of what is going to happen next and makes you get the feeling of should I keep reading. Keats does this in nearly all of his paragraphs and they are all successful. Chapter 1 Of perilous seas, in faery lands forlorn. Chapter 2 To thy high requiem become a sod. Chapter 3 The murmurous haunt of flies on summer eves Chapter 4 Through verdurous glooms and winding mossy ways. Chapter 5 Or new Love pine at them beyond to-morrow. Chapter 6 And with thee fade away into the forest dim: Chapter 7 Singest of summer in full-throated ease. Chapter 8 Fled is that music:-Do I wake or sleep? John Keats and Charles Darwin both have different styles of writing. Charles Darwin writes in the logical, scientific, rational way and Keats writes with the colorful, artistic and romantic style of writing. Although they both write in their own styles, they can relate their writing to the same thing in the same way. Artistical and Scientifical writing are both styles of writing and they can both be used in the same piece at exactly the same time. Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE John Keats section.

Forest Fire Danger Modelling Environmental Sciences Essay

Forest Fire Danger Modelling Environmental Sciences Essay Forests constitute a large part of the earths renewable natural resources. Besides serving as an important source of food, fuel wood, fodder, timber etc, it also plays a pivotal role in maintaining a near ideal environmental condition for life sustenance (Biswadip Garia et al., 2007). Forest fires are natural or manmade disasters that occur throughout the world. Controlled forest fire is a useful, efficient and legitimate tool for environmental management such as forest clearance, field preparation, regrowth for livestock, and reduction of fire hazard. If the forest fire is un-controlled then it becomes a disaster. It adversely affects on humans, animals and plants. Annual fires may decrease the growth of the grasses, herbs and shrubs, which may result in increased soil erosion (Kandya et al., 1998).Forest fires cause wide ranging adverse ecological, economic and social impacts. In a nutshell, fires cause: indirect effect on agricultural production and loss of livelihood for the trib als (Biswadip Gharai et al., 2008). In 1982-1983, fires burned 3.6 M ha of scrub and forests in East Kalimantan, Indonesia, alone. These fires caused local extinction of some plants and animals and economic losses in forestry, non-timber forest products and agriculture of approximately $9 billion (Kinnaird and OBrien 1998). Chemical reactions of the gases released by fire leads to an increase in atmospheric ozone and the deposition of acidic compounds downwind from fires, which in turn can affect the physiology of plants and ecosystems in these areas. The ecological and socio-economic consequences of wild land fires in India include -Loss of timber, loss of bio-diversity, loss of wildlife habitat, global warming, soil erosion, loss of fuel wood and fodder, damage to water and other natural resources, loss of natural regeneration (IFFN Report: 2002). Forest fires also pose serious health hazards by producing smoke and noxious gases. The burning of vegetation gives off not only carbon dioxide but also a host of other, noxious gases (Green house gases) such as carbon monoxide, methane, hydrocarbons, nitric oxide and nitrous oxide, that lead to global warming and ozone layer depletion. Consequently, thousands of people suffered from serious respiratory problems due to these toxic gases. Burning forests and grasslands also add to already serious threat of global warming. Recent measurement suggest that biomass burning may be a significant global source of methyl bromide, which is an ozone depleting chemical. In 1997 up to 5 M ha got burned in Indonesia. The smoke of these fires affected the health of 70 million people and disrupted the economies of Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore causing a total economic loss estimated at $4.4 billion (Kinnaird and OBrien, 1998). Fires affect animals mainly through effects on their habitat. Fires often cause short-term increases in wildlife foods that contribute to increases in populations of some animals. These increases are moderated by the animals ability to thrive in the altered, often simplified, structure of the post fire environment. The extent of fire effects on animal communities generally depends on the extent of change in habitat structure and species composition caused by fire (Smith et al., 2000). Forest ecosystems are capable of storing large quantities of carbon in trees, other organic matter, and soil. Forests may also reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere through increases in biomass and organic matter accumulation. Forest fires add the pool of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Thus, Forest fires contribute to increasing atmospheric CO2 concentration and, therefore, intensifying the greenhouse effect. The perturbation of atmospheric chemistry induced by global biomass burning is comparable in magnitude to the effect of fossil fuel burning (Lindesay et al., 1996). In June and July 1998 catastrophic wildfires had an estimated impact of $600-800 million in north eastern Florida, valuing the economic effects associated with category-2-hurricanes (Butry et al. 2001). Government policies: According to the Constitution of India, the central and state governments in the country are enabled to legislate on forestry issues. The implementation part of the forest policy/programmes lies with the state government. Thus, fire prevention, detection, and suppression activities are the responsibility of the state governments forest departments. The policy, planning, and financing are the primary responsibility of the Central Government (Ministry of Environment and Forests Report: 2007). Forest fire and its management have long history in Indian forestry. Forest fire occurs quite frequently during summer season. The conventional methods of fire protection cover an elaborate network of fire lines, fire watchtowers, block lines and guidelines (Roy et al., 2005). The monitoring and management of forest fires is very important in tropical countries such as India, where forests are prone to fires annually causing adverse ecological, economic and social impacts (Kiran Chand et al. 2006). Indian fire scenario: Forest fire is a major cause of degradation of Indias forests. It is estimated that the proportion of forest areas prone to forest fires annually ranges from 33% in some states to over 90% in others. According to the recent State of Forests report, the forest cover in India is 67.5 M ha, constituting 20.5 % of its geographical area, represented by 41.68 M ha (12.68 %) of dense forest and 25.87 M ha (7.87%) of open forest (FSI, 2003). Studies carried out by Forest Survey of India reveals that on an average 53 percent forest cover of the country is prone to heavy to light fire (State of Forest Report, 1997) and 6.17% of the forests are prone to severe fire damage.. Forest Survey of India estimated that about 1.45 million hectares of forest are affected by fire annually. In India there are very few cases of fire due to natural causes. The majority of the forest fires in the country are human caused. For getting information on forest fires in India in real time basis, Forest Survey of India is using satellite data procured on daily basis by the Forest Fire group of University of Maryland, USA. Forest Fire Group in association with NASA uploads information on active forest fires of the whole world on the Web Fire Mapper (http://maps.geog.umd.edu) on the daily basis. The updated information for the current date is available at around 10.30 AM for India on this website. U.S. based this group obtains information on global fires from the MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectro-radiometer) sensors that are on the board of their Terra and Aqua Satellites. In India we have our own space programme in place for detecting forest fires in real time basis. Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) through its array of IRS satellites, Environment Satellite (ENVISAT) and through its Defense Meteorological Satellite Program-Operational Line scan System (DMSP-OLS)a programme that helps in detecting fires during night, is helping the field mangers in identifying forest fire recurrence zones, forest fire risk assessment, potential areas for fire line alignment, fire watch towers locations, fire recovery analysis, monitoring fire progression, assessing near real time damage and in mitigation planning etc issues. As part of Disaster Management Support Programme of Department of Space, Decision Support center (DSC) is established at NRSC for working towards effective management of disasters in India. Under DSC activities of NRSC, considering the importance of forest fire management in India, a comprehensive system Indian Forest Fire Response and Assessment System (INFFRAS) integrating multi sensor satellite data and ground data through spatially and temporally explicit GIS analysis frame work is planned (NRSA Report: 2006). The INFFRAS is designed to meet the requirements of the forest department at following three levels. Pre fire : Preparatory planning for fire control; During fire : Near real time active fire detection and monitoring; Post fire: Damage and recovery assessment and mitigation planning. Information of fire locations on daily basis with in 1-2 hours of the satellite ground pass can be viewed on their web site (www.nrsa.gov.in) Fire Danger Rating Index: Fire danger is the resultant of factors affecting the inception, spread and difficulty of control of fires and the damage they cause (Chandler et al. 1983). If any of these factors are absent, then there is no fire danger (Cheney and Gould1995). the various factors of fuels, weather, topography and risk are combined to assess the daily fire potential on an area. Fire Danger is usually expressed in numeric or adjective terms. Fire danger indices are an important tool for fire and land managers. Effective Forest-fire management is based on sound knowledge of the potential for ignition, behaviour, difficulty of control, and impact of fire in a given situation. Forest-fire danger-rating systems provide a framework for organizing and integrating scientific knowledge and operational experience, and they are a cornerstone of modern fire management (S.W. Taylor et al 2001.) Fire danger rating systems are used by fire and land management agencies to determine levels of preparedness, to issue public warnings, and to provide an appropriate scale for management, research, and law for fire related matters (Cheney and Gould 1995). All these systems integrate weather variables to assess fire danger, calculated as a numerical index. A variety of fire danger ratings are used around the world, including the McArthur Forest Fire Danger Index (FFDI, McArthur 1967), used in the eastern parts of Australia, the Forest Fire Behavior Tables (FFBT, Sneeuwjagt and Peet 1998), developed for use in Western Australia, the Fire Weather Index (FWI, van Wagner 1987) used in Canada, the National Fire Danger Rating System (Deeming et al. 1977) used in the USA and the Nestrov Fire Danger Index System used in the Russia. Why Himachal Pradesh: Forests are an important resource of Himachal Pradesh. The forests of the state are rich in biodiversity and play a vital role inpreserving the fragile Himalayan ecosystem while also being a primary livelihood source for the rural population and prime source of fresh water for both urban and rural population (Report of Himachal Pradesh Forest Department 2005). Forest wealth of Himachal Pradesh is estimated at over Rs. 1,00,000 crores. Most of precious coniferous forests are of such nature that these cannot be truly regenerated by human beings if these are cut once (Annual plan 2006-07).Forest fires are occurred every year. Recently, in the year 2012, Forest fires have destroyed more than 20,000 acres of forest land and caused a loss of more than Rs 2.6 crores of green property in three weeks. The fires, which first started in the Hamirpur circle, were later also reported in the forests of Shimla, Nahan and Mandi (Madhuri Gaur et al 2012).

big bang theory :: essays research papers

Big Bang Theory We certainly know that our universe exists, however, this knowledge alone has not satisfied mankind's quest for further understanding. Our curiosity has led us to question our place in this universe and furthermore, the place of the universe itself. Throughout time we have asked ourselves these questions: How did our universe begin? How old is our universe? How did matter come to exist? Obviously, these are not simple questions and throughout our brief history on this planet much time and effort has been spent looking for some clue. Yet, after all this energy has been expended, much of what we know is still only speculation. Yet in 1927 a man by the name of Georges Lemaitre from Belgium proposed that the universe began with a bang. â€Å"He proposed that a primeval atom exploded and that is how the universe formed itself. His proposal came after observing the red shift in distant nebulas by astronomers to a model of the universe based on relativity.† Before I was enrolled in S urvey of Astronomy I wasn’t sure what to believe. But after sitting through the class I started to realize that all the pieces are starting to fit together like, why the galaxies are increasing in velocity away from us and also explaining the cosmic background radiation.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  About 15 billion years ago a tremendous explosion started the expansion of the universe. This explosion is known as the Big Bang. At the point of this event all of the matter and energy of space was contained at one point. What existed prior to this event is completely unknown and is a matter of pure speculation. This occurrence was not a conventional explosion but rather an event filling all of space with all of the particles of the embryonic universe rushing away from each other. The Big Bang actually consisted of an explosion of space within itself unlike an explosion of a bomb were fragments are thrown outward. The galaxies were not all clumped together, but rather the Big Bang lay the foundations for the universe. Even more recently, NASA’s COBE satellite was able to detect cosmic microwaves emanating from the outer reaches of the universe. These microwaves were remarkably uniform which illustrated the beginning of the early stages of the universe. How ever, the satellite also discovered that as the universe began to cool and was still expanding, small fluctuations began to exist due to temperature differences.

Coyote Blue Chapter 20~21

CHAPTER 20 Nevermore Santa Barbara When Sam walked into his office Gabriella met him with a cup of coffee. â€Å"Mr. Hunter, I'd like to apologize for my behavior yesterday. I don't know what came over me.† â€Å"That's okay. I do.† â€Å"I hope you were able to resolve the difficulties at the Cliffs.† Sam wasn't prepared for civility from Gabriella; it was like encountering a polite scorpion. Life was changing before his eyes. â€Å"Everything's fine. Any calls?† â€Å"Just Mr. Aaron.† She checked her message pad. â€Å"He would like you to stop into his office if it wouldn't be too much trouble.† â€Å"Exact words?† â€Å"Yes, sir.† â€Å"My my, has the Sugarplum Fairy been through here today?† Gabriella checked the pad. â€Å"No message, sir.† Sam smiled and walked away. Down the hall Julia told Sam to go right in. Aaron stood and smiled when Sam entered the office. â€Å"Sammy boy, have a seat. We need to talk.† Sam said, â€Å"Forty cents on the dollar, plus interest. You keep the office. I want out. That's it. You talk.† Aaron dismissed Sam's comment with a wave. â€Å"That's all behind us, buddy. Cochran's lawyer called. There isn't going to be any lawsuit. You and I are square.† â€Å"What happened?† Sam knew he should be elated at the news, but instead he felt dread. For a moment he had relished the idea of giving up all the pretending. Now what? â€Å"No explanation. They just backed off. They apologized for the mistake. You'll get a formal apology in the mail tomorrow. I never doubted you, kid. Not for a minute.† â€Å"Aaron, did you talk to Spagnola today?† â€Å"Just briefly. Just a social call. He was pretty heavily medicated. I'm not sure I trust him, Sam. You want to watch your back around that guy. He's unstable.† Sam felt his ears heat up with anger. Aaron expected him to act like the betrayal had never happened. There was a time when he would have, but not now. â€Å"Forty cents on the dollar, plus interest.† Aaron lost his friendly-guy salesman's smile. â€Å"But that's behind us.† â€Å"I don't think so. You're a shit, Aaron. That doesn't surprise me. But it does surprise me that you went after me when I was down. I thought we were friends.† â€Å"We are, Sammy.† â€Å"Good. Then you won't mind having the papers on my desk by midweek. And you can pay the attorney fees. They're tax deductible, you know. And if you're late, you will need the write-off.† Sam got up and started out of the office. Aaron called after him. â€Å"We don't have to do this now.† Without turning Sam said, â€Å"Yes we do. I do.† Sam nodded to Julia as he passed but he couldn't muster a smile. What have I done? he thought. In his outer office Gabriella was kicked back in her chair with her skirt up around her armpits. She seemed to be hyperventilating and her eyes were rolled back in her head. â€Å"Gabriella! Again?† She pointed to his office door. Sam threw the door open, banging it against the wall and disturbing a raven that was perched in the brass hat rack just inside. Sam stormed over to the bird, barely resisting the urge to grab it and rip its feathers out. â€Å"Goddammit, I told you to stay off my secretary!† Sam shook his fist at the bird. â€Å"And what kind of bullshit did you pull over at Motion Marine to get them to drop the lawsuit? Can't you just leave me alone?† â€Å"Why are you yelling at the bird?† The voice came from behind him. Sam looked around, his fist still threatening the raven. Coyote was standing in the opposite corner of the office by the fax machine. Sam's anger turned to confusion. He looked at the bird, then Coyote, then the bird. â€Å"Who's this?† â€Å"A raven?† Coyote speculated. He turned back to the fax machine. â€Å"Hey, what is this button that says ‘network'?† Sam was still looking at the bird. â€Å"It sends simultaneously to the home offices of all the companies we represent.† Coyote pushed the button. â€Å"Like smoke signals.† â€Å"What?† Sam dropped his fist, ran to the fax machine, and hit the cancel button a second too late. The display showed the transmission had gone out. Sam pulled the paper from the machine and stared at it in disbelief. Coyote had obviously lain on the copy machine to get the image. â€Å"You faxed your penis? That machine prints my name at the top of each transmission.† â€Å"The girls in the home office will think highly of you, then. Of course, they will be disappointed if they ever see you naked.† The raven squawked and Gabriella appeared at the open door. â€Å"Mr. Hunter, a gentleman is here to see you from the police department.† Coyote held the Xerox up to Gabriella. â€Å"A picture of your friend,† he offered. A sharp-featured Hispanic man in a tweed sport jacket pushed his way past Gabriella into the office. â€Å"Mr. Hunter, I'm Detective Alphonse Rivera, Santa Barbara PD, narcotics division. I'd like to ask you a few questions.† He held out a business card embossed with a gold shield, but did not offer to shake hands. â€Å"Narcotics?† Sam looked to Coyote, thinking he would have disappeared, but the trickster had stood his ground by the fax machine. On the hat rack, the raven cawed. â€Å"Nice bird,† Rivera said. â€Å"I understand they can be trained to talk.† Rivera walked to the bird and studied it. â€Å"Pig,† the raven said. â€Å"He's not mine,† Sam said quickly. â€Å"He belongs to-† Sam looked around and Gabriella was gone from the doorway. â€Å"He belongs to this gentleman.† Sam pointed to Coyote. â€Å"And you are?† Rivera eyed Coyote suspiciously. â€Å"Coyote.† Rivera raised an eyebrow and took a notebook from his inside jacket pocket. â€Å"Mr. Hunter, I have a few questions about what went on at Motion Marine a couple of days ago. Would you prefer to talk in private?† â€Å"Yes.† Sam looked at Coyote. â€Å"Go away. Take the bird with you.† â€Å"Nazi scum,† the raven cawed. â€Å"I'll stay,† Coyote said. Sam was on the verge of screaming. Sweat was beading on his forehead. He composed himself and turned to Rivera. â€Å"We can talk in front of Mr. Coyote.† â€Å"Just a few questions,† Rivera said. â€Å"You had an appointment with James Cable at ten. Is that correct?† â€Å"I was there for about an hour.† â€Å"I was there too,† Coyote said. Rivera turned his attention to the trickster. â€Å"Why were you there, Mr. Coyote?† â€Å"I was raising funds for NARC.† â€Å"Narc!† the raven said. â€Å"Narc?† â€Å"Native American Reform Coalition.† Rivera scribbled on a pad. Sam said, â€Å"I don't understand. What does this have to do with narcotics?† â€Å"We think someone put hallucinogens in the coffee over at Motion Marine. Two days ago James Cable claims he was attacked by someone fitting Mr. Coyote's description. He had a heart attack.† â€Å"I just asked him if his company would make a donation,† Coyote said. â€Å"He said no and I went away.† He had taken the Xerox of his penis from the desk and fitted it back into the fax machine. He searched the buttons. â€Å"‘Insurance commissioner, † he read as he pushed the button. â€Å"No!† Sam dove over the desk for the cancel button. Too late. He turned to Rivera. â€Å"That document wasn't signed.† He grinned and tried to move the conversation away from his panic. â€Å"You know, I was thinking – we've got an Indian, a policeman, and an insurance broker. We're only a construction worker away from the Village People.† Rivera ignored the comment. â€Å"Did you have any coffee while you were at Motion Marine, Mr. Hunter?† â€Å"Coffee? No.† â€Å"And you didn't drink from the watercooler?† â€Å"No. I don't understand.† â€Å"Today, three people at Motion Marine, including Frank Cochran, claim that they saw a polar bear in the offices.† Sam looked at Coyote. â€Å"A polar bear?† â€Å"We think that someone slipped them some LSD. We're testing the water and the coffee now. We just wanted to talk to anyone who has been in the building in the last two days. You didn't see anyone strange hanging around while you were in the building?† â€Å"I only saw Cable's secretary and Cable,† Sam said. Rivera flipped the notebook closed. â€Å"Well, thanks for your time. If you have any strange reactions or see anything strange, could you give me a call?† Rivera handed a card to Coyote. â€Å"And you too, if you would.† â€Å"Cabron,† the raven said. â€Å"He speaks Spanish, too,† Rivera said. â€Å"Amazing.† The detective left the office. â€Å"‘Santa Barbara News-Press advertising, † Coyote read as he pushed the button. The fax machine whirred. Sam started to go for the machine, then stopped and sat down in his chair. He sat for a minute rubbing his temples. â€Å"If that cop runs a background check on me, I'm going to jail. You know that, don't you?† â€Å"You wanted your old life back.† â€Å"But a fucking polar bear?† â€Å"Well, you have your old life back, whether you want it or not.† â€Å"I was wrong.† It felt good saying it, the honesty in it. He wanted a new life. â€Å"I just want you to go away.† â€Å"I'm gone,† Coyote said. â€Å"The girl is gone too.† â€Å"What does that mean?† The feathers on Coyote's shirt turned black and his fingers changed to flight feathers. In an instant Coyote was a raven. He flew out the office door followed by the raven from the hat rack. CHAPTER 21 All Happy Families Santa Barbara Calliope stood in the driveway, holding Grubb, waiting for Lonnie to return. Nina had been right: she wasn't very good at worrying, but she was giving it a good effort. She was sure that Lonnie wouldn't hurt her or Grubb, but then again, Lonnie had never acted the way he had the night before. She wished that she could have asked Sam to stay with her and help her with a decision, but it would have been too much to ask so soon. She wished, too, that there were phones at the ashram and that she could call her mother for advice. And she couldn't just jump in the car and drive to see her mother as she always had before. She had her job, her house, and there was Sam now. She was trying to push the dark specter of the unknown to the back of her mind when she heard the Harley approaching. She looked up to see Lonnie rounding the corner a block away, his new girlfriend clinging to him like a leech. Lonnie pulled into the driveway next to her and killed the engine. â€Å"I'm late for work,† Calliope said, wiping a trail of drool from Grubb's face with her finger. The woman behind Lonnie glared at her and Calliope nodded to her and said, â€Å"Hi.† Lonnie reached for Grubb without getting off the bike. Calliope hugged Grubb close. She said, â€Å"I don't want him riding on the bike with you.† Lonnie laughed. â€Å"The way you drive? He's a hell of a lot safer on the bike.† â€Å"Please, Lonnie.† The woman reached out and took Grubb from Calliope. The baby began to cry. â€Å"He'll be fine,† Cheryl hissed. â€Å"Why can't you just stay at home with him?† Calliope asked. â€Å"Places to go, people to meet,† Lonnie said. â€Å"I could get Yiffer to watch him.† Calliope felt her breath coming hard. She didn't like the look of this hard woman holding her Grubb. Lonnie said, â€Å"You tell Yiffer to watch his ass or I'll shoot it off.† â€Å"Lonnie, I have to go. Can't you just stay here? I'm only working the lunch shift today.† Lonnie grinned. â€Å"Aren't you going to stop by the hospital on your way home?† â€Å"Hospital? No. Why?† Lonnie fired up the Harley. â€Å"No reason.† He laughed and coaxed the big bike around in the driveway. As he gunned the engine and pulled into the street Cheryl shouted, â€Å"Don't worry, bitch, we'll put a dollar on black for you.† Over the roar of the Harley, Calliope could hear the woman grunt as Lonnie elbowed her in the ribs. Calliope saw Grubb looking at her as they rounded the corner. Panic tore at her chest as what the woman had said sunk in. She turned and ran back up the steps. -=*=- By late afternoon the contractors had replaced Sam's sliding glass door and patched the bullet holes in the walls. Sam canceled the week's appointments, which gave him time alone with his thoughts. He soon found, however, that his thoughts, like monkeys in church, were bad company. He tried reading to distract himself, but he found that he was simply looking at the pages. He tried napping, but as soon as he closed his eyes, images of Coyote and the police filled his head. When the worry became too much for him he thought of Calliope, which set off a whole new set of worries. What had Coyote meant, â€Å"The girl is gone†? Did it matter? She was trouble. Too young, too goofy, probably too attractive. And the kid – he didn't need a kid in his life either. Trouble. If she had gone somewhere he probably was better off. He didn't need the hassles. That thought still bouncing through his mind, he grabbed the phone and dialed her number. No answer. He called information and got the number for the Tangerine Tree Cafe. She hadn't shown up for work today. Where in the hell is she? Where in the hell is Coyote? The fucker knew where she went and he wouldn't tell. What had started as a niggling irritation turned to dread. Why in the hell does it matter? he thought. Terrifying and black, a word rose in his mind that matched his feeling. He recoiled from it, but it struck him again and again like an angry viper. Love: the sickest of Irony's sick jokes. The place where logic and order go to die. Then again, maybe not. It was only bad if you were hiding, pretending to be something that you were not. Maybe the hiding could end. Sam got up and headed out the door in what he knew was a ridiculous effort to find Calliope. He drove to the cafe and confirmed what they had told him on the phone. Then he drove to Calliope's house and found Yiffer and Nina getting out of the van as he pulled up. Nina said, â€Å"I don't know where she is, Sam. She left a note saying that Lonnie had taken Grubb and she was going after him.† â€Å"Nothing about where she was going?† â€Å"Any note at all is a big step for her. She used to disappear for days at a time with no note at all.† â€Å"Fuck.† Sam started to get back in the car. â€Å"Sam,† Nina called. He paused. â€Å"The note said to tell you she was sorry.† â€Å"For what?† â€Å"That's all it said.† â€Å"Thanks, Nina. Call me if she shows up.† Sam gunned the Mercedes out of the driveway, having no idea where he was going. He needed help. All his machines and access to information wouldn't help. He needed a place to start. Twenty-four hours ago he would have given anything to get rid of Coyote. Now he would welcome the trickster's cryptic, smart-assed answers – at least they were answers. He drove around town, looking for Calliope's Z, feeling hope rise each time he spotted an orange car, and feeling it fall when it turned out not to be Calliope's. After an hour he returned home, where he sat on his sofa, smoking and thinking. Everything had changed and nothing had changed. His life was back to normal, and normal wasn't enough anymore. He wanted real. -=*=- At the Guild's clubhouse Tinker was digging at a flea bite on his leg, trying to pull his grimy jeans up over heavy boots to get at the tiny invader. â€Å"Fucking fleas,† he said. The Guild's president, Bonner Newton, let out a raucous snort. â€Å"You know what they say, bro,† Newton said. â€Å"Lie down with dogs†¦Ã¢â‚¬  A din of harsh laughter rose in the room from the other Guild members. â€Å"Fuck you guys,† Tinker said, feigning anger while enjoying the attention. It wasn't that he liked ugly chicks, but who else would have him? Nineteen of the twenty full members of the Guild were draped over furniture and sprawled on the floor, smoking joints and cigarettes, drinking beers and feeling at the few old ladies present. Outside, two strikers, members who had not earned their full colors, sat on the front porch watching for the law. The house was a ramshackle stucco bungalow that had been built in the 1930s as part of a housing tract, before the term housing tract was part of the language. The walls were stained with blood, beer, and vomit. The carpet was matted with motor oil; the furniture was minimal and distressed. Only Tinker actually lived at the clubhouse. The rest of the club used it for meeting and partying. The Guild had paid a hundred thousand dollars in cash for the house. The deed was registered under Newton's married sister's name, as was the ranch house the Guild owned in the Santa Lucia Mountains above Santa Barbara, which housed the lab that provided their income. Ironically, the ranch's nearest neighbor was a wobbly-headed ex-president who had declared a war on drugs, and who, from time to time, would stand on the veranda of his palatial ranch house sniffing the odor of cooking crank and calling, â€Å"Mommy, there's a funny smell trickling down out here.† The lab produced enough income to support all of the Guild's members and ensure that none of them had to work except to man the counter of the Harley-Davidson shop that Bonner Newton used to launder drug money. Newton held an M.B.A. from Stanford. In an earlier time, before he fell from grace for smuggling cocaine, he had stalked the glass-cube buildings of Silicon Valley, wearing Italian suits and commanding crews of brilliant computer designers who could define the universe in terms of two digits, explain the chaos theory in twenty-five words or less, and build machines that emulated human intelligence – but who thought a vulva was a Swedish automobile. Newton's experience in coddling these genius misfits served him well as president of the Guild, for the members of the Guild were nothing more than nerds without brains: fat, ugly, or awkward men who found no acceptance in the outside world and so escaped into the security and belonging of an outlaw biker club. A Harley-Davidson and blind loyalty were the only requirements for membership. â€Å"Listen up, you fucks,† Newton said, calling the meeting to order. â€Å"Bitches outside.† He paused and lit a cigarette while the women filed out the door, glaring at him over their shoulders. He was not a large or imposing man compared to the other members, but his authority was not to be questioned. â€Å"Lonnie's not here yet,† Tinker said. â€Å"Lonnie's running an errand for us,† Newton said. â€Å"We're going to take an impromptu road trip. A little business and a little pleasure.† â€Å"Fuckin' A,† someone yelled. Newton gestured for quiet. â€Å"Seems like someone forgot to tell me that we were running low on ether up at the facility.† Newton always referred to the crank lab as â€Å"the facility.† Tinker stopped scratching his leg and hung his head. â€Å"Tink, you fucking idiot,† someone said. â€Å"Anyway,† Newton continued, â€Å"I wasn't able to arrange a delivery, so we have to go get it. There's a rally in South Dakota in a couple of days. At Sturgis. The Chicago chapter is going to meet us there with a couple of barrels. I want three fifty-five-gallon drums rigged with false tops so if we get stopped by the law it looks like we're hauling motor oil. Tinker, you'll drive the pickup.† â€Å"Aw, come on, Newt,† Tinker whined. â€Å"Warren,† Newton said. A thin biker with curly red hair looked up. â€Å"You fix one of the barrels for weapons, and make sure no one is packing. I don't want any weapons on anyone while we're riding.† A series of snorts, moans, and â€Å"Oh, fucks† passed around the room. Newton dismissed them with a wave. â€Å"Advice from the Gator,† he said. Gator was short for the litigator, the Guild's attorney, Melvin Gold, who handled all their criminal cases free of charge in exchange for the assurance that he could also handle their personal injury suits. Bikers got run over a lot. â€Å"Look,† Newton insisted, â€Å"half of you are on probation. We don't need some rookie pig looking for glory to fuck us on a concealed-weapons charge. Are we clear?† Newton paused until someone answered, â€Å"We're clear.† â€Å"All right, then. Lonnie's making a run to Vegas with his old lady to get the money to pay for the ether. He'll meet us in South D. We're out of here at nine tomorrow morning, so don't get too fucked up tonight. Bring your camping shit. Let your bitches carry your stash.† Newton dropped his cigarette and ground it out on the carpet. â€Å"That's all,† he said. The room filled with conversations about the trip. A few of the members got up to leave. When they opened the door a single flea hopped out with them. Once past the steps the flea changed into a horsefly and took flight. A block away the horsefly changed into a raven and headed toward the mesa and the Cliffs condominium complex.

Eagle Fire Department Staffing Analysis Health And Social Care Essay

The job was the Eagle Fire Department lacks the cognition of whether or non a staffing alteration in 2003 has been effectual in run intoing the demands of community stakeholders by dramatically cut downing the mean clip it takes firemans to â€Å" turnout † for a call for service to an exigency scene. The intent of this research was to find if the staffing theoretical account that the Eagle Fire Department presently employs is effectual in supplying for a sufficient figure of forces when volunteer/paid-on-call employees are out of the community working at their regular occupations and are unavailable to reply exigency calls for service. This undertaking would carry on quantitative research to find to find if the 2003 staffing alteration resulted in a lessening of turnout clip to exigency calls for service by the organisation. The research would uncover a important lessening in turnout clip when the section was staffed with on-premises forces.IntroductionThe Eagle Fire Department is a preponderantly volunteer/paid-on-call municipal fire section located in rural southwesterly Waukesha County, Wisconsin. A sleeping room community to the Milwaukee and Madison, Wisconsin metropolitan countries, Eagle lacked a sufficient degree of staffing during daytime exigency events in the community. To decide this, the community began funding paid-on-premises staffing in 2003. The job is the Eagle Fire Department lacks the cognition of whether or non the staffing alteration in 2003 has been effectual in run intoing the demands of community stakeholders by dramatically cut downing the mean clip it takes firemans to react to an exigency scene. A quantitative survey would necessitate to be conducted to turn to this issue. The intent of this research is to find if the staffing theoretical account that the Eagle Fire Department presently employs is effectual in supplying for a sufficient figure of forces when volunteer/paid-on-call employees are out of the community working at their regular occupations and are unavailable to reply exigency calls for service. If a staffing lack is identified, this research would show the demand for the Town and Village of Eagle to increase staffing beyond what is presently being provided. This undertaking would carry on appraising research to reply the undermentioned inquiries: a. ) what was the turnout clip during responses from 1996 – 2003 prior to the paid-on-premises staffing? B. ) what was the turnout clip during responses from 2003 – 2010 after paid-on-premises staffing was added? c. ) does the information discovered through research demonstrate that the Eagle Fire Department is run intoing province and federal guidelines that govern fire section staffing and response? e. ) Based on these consequences, should the Eagle Fire Department urge staffing alterations to the Town and Village of Eagle boards?Background and SignificanceEagle, Wisconsin is a diverse community located in rural southwesterly Waukesha County, Wisconsin, about 35 stat mis from business district Milwaukee. The community is surrounded by the pristine lands of the Southern Kettle Moraine province wood which is regionally revered for its stat mis upon stat mis of hike, biking and sno wmobiling trails. Because 40 % of Eagle is province Department of Natural Resources or nature conservancy land, the community is stifled by its inability to turn to the West and north and as a consequence, Eagle retains much of its small-town quaintness and capturing entreaty to occupants looking for an flight from the bunco and hustle of large metropolis life. Eagle is 36 square stat mis and is comprised of two separate municipalities: the Town and Village of Eagle, each of which retains full liberty from one another but works together and financess several joint community ventures such as the fire section, library, and park and diversion scheduling. The combined population of the community is 5,471. Like many little southeasterly Wisconsin communities, Eagle is considered a sleeping room community for the Milwaukee metropolitan country as most of the occupants work outside of the community during the twenty-four hours. Eagle is home to many concerns and industries and has a strong touristry base due to the province wood and Old World Wisconsin, which is a â€Å" life museum † tourer attractive force that accurately depicts the history of rural life by securing historical edifices and so traveling them to the museum site. Actors and actresses depict Wisconsin colonist life to funny and frequently baffled invitees. The community is served and protected by the preponderantly volunteer/paid-on-call Eagle Fire Department [ EFD ] , a full-service combination fire section. The section operates out of one fire station that is centrally located within the community and responds to all exigencies within the Town and Village of Eagle, every bit good as common assistance aid to adjacent communities. The Eagle Fire Department protects critical substructure which includes State Highways 59 and 67 every bit good as the Wisconsin and Southern Railroad, each of which bisects and transverses the full community. The section was originally organized in 1927 by a group of husbandmans who saw the demand for a fire section to protect the community. The mission of the organisation did non alter until about 50 old ages subsequently when in the early 1970 ‘s the section began supplying exigency medical services to the community through an ambulance plan. With the execution of exigency medical services, the preparation demands to go a voluntary fireman and exigency medical technician began increasing and the one-year call volume doubled from about 75 to 150 calls. The rank of the organisation remained strong with between 40 – 50 voluntaries on the roll at any given clip. During the 1980 ‘s and 1990 ‘s, province mandated preparation demands continued to increase and lodging developments began to shoot up as available farming area began to slowly lessening. Many more occupants of the community were transposing to work and were non able to volunteer as much clip to the organisation. As a consequence of the needed addition in preparation hours, rank began to easy worsen. In 2003 the organisation reached a hamlets and was holding trouble staffing for exigency calls that occurred during the twenty-four hours. A determination was made to staff the fire station with paid-on-premises firefighter / exigency medical technicians who would work from 6:00 am – 6:00 autopsy Monday through Friday. This staffing agreement allowed at least one individual to reply a call for service while trusting on the voluntaries who were able to react during the twenty-four hours for extra work force. In 2006 the section hired a full-time calling Fire Chief to pull off the twenty-four hours to twenty-four hours operations. The section is still staffed for 12 hours a twenty-four hours with paid-on-premises forces. During the eventide and nighttime hours, the community is entirely protected by its dedicated voluntary work force. Because the current staffing theoretical account still relies so to a great extent on the voluntary work force, it can be highly hard to foretell concern hours staff handiness which complicates the section ‘s ability to efficaciously react to exigency calls for service. There has ne'er been a conclusive survey done to find if the bing staffing theoretical account utilized by the Eagle Fire Department is effectual. As a consequence, the section is powerless to find if it should seek extra support to spread out the bing paid-on-premises plan, hire extra calling firemans, or remain position quo.Literature ReviewThe literature reappraisal for this applied research undertaking focused on reexamining anterior research conducted on staffing preponderantly volunteer/paid-on-call fire sections and ordinances that exist at the province and federal degree that regulate or dictate fire section staffing. Staffing Models Harmonizing to Wilson ( 2009 ) , the stating â€Å" Do more with less † seems to hold been the unofficial slogan of the fire service for more than 200 old ages. Wilson affirms that there will come a clip when firemans will be able to make merely so much before on scene resources are depleted. From fires to EMS calls and everything in between, no affair how a individual looks at it, the fire service is the last line of defence when it comes to a community in an exigency state of affairs. So the outlook of making more with less is non appropriate to this occupation. Varone ( 1995 ) held that surveies have been conducted in respect to firefighter staffing and the increased efficiencies found with the addition of forces staffing but no conclusive surveies have been done to find if there is a correlativity between fireman staffing and on scene incident safety of forces. Varone discovered that informations from the Providence ( RI ) Fire Department staffing survey in 1990 – 1991 showed that reported hurts in the studied firefighting companies decreased from 42 during the control period when staffing was three members per setup [ fire truck ] , to 31 during the survey period when the survey companies were staffed with four members. This represented a 23.8 per centum decrease in hurts. Bay City, Michigan is no alien to cutbacks, holding closed a fire station in 2009 that led the firemans brotherhood and other outraged citizens to proclaim that shuting a fire station would do an addition in response times which would impact the quality of life for all occupants of the metropolis ( Editorial Board, 2011 ) . Harmonizing to the Bay City Times ‘ ( 2011 ) column board, Fire Chief Gregory Michalek told the City Commission that in 2009, the mean response clip was 5 proceedingss and 48 seconds. In 2010, the clip had plummeted about a minute, to 4 proceedingss 43 seconds. The National Fire Protection Association recommends response in less than 6 proceedingss. The betterment in Bay City is even though the quicker response would look to undersell the chief statement that the firemans brotherhood has made in recent old ages whenever metropolis functionaries bring up fire section budget cuts – that fewer Stationss and fewer firemans would be longer delaies until aid arrived at a fire or medical exigency. The Bay City Commission early in January 2010 decided to do lasting a impermanent closing of Station 5 at 1209 E. Smith St. in the Banks country. This was after a argument in 2009 over the shutting in which the firemans brotherhood warned, and occupants worried, approximately predicted longer delaies as fire crews responded to the country. That seemingly has n't happened. Fire crews from the Central Fire Station at 1401 Center Ave. on the East Side and at Station 4, 212 Dean St. , on the West Side each are about three stat mis off from Fire Station 5 ( Editorial Board, 2011 ) . Internationally, Australia utilizes a nationalized voluntary fire system dwelling of over 60,000 voluntaries. These firemans, who respond in the rural countries of the state, supply the first line of defence against the 100s of 1000s of shrub fires that burn yearly. Because volunteer/paid-on-call firemans work in the field because they want to instead than depending on the occupation as a exclusive agency of income, voluntary keeping and occupation satisfaction is paramount ( Rice & A ; Fallon, 2011 ) . Harmonizing to Rice & A ; Fallon ( 2011 ) , unpaid motive can be conceptualized within the model of societal exchange theory – in order for voluntary attempts to be sustained over clip, the wagess to the voluntary must transcend, or at minimal, balance out the costs. The determination to go on volunteering is typically re-evaluated throughout the voluntary ‘s term of office, where appraisals are made about the comparative wagess and costs of their engagement. There must be a delicate balance when measuring staffing in a preponderantly volunteer/paid-on-call section. The demands of the community must be balanced with the keeping involvement within the voluntary corps. An extra factor that assists with voluntary keeping is acknowledgment and recognition. Despite high degrees of service bringing, it has been argued that those working within the exigency services in Australia experience a wide deficiency of acknowledgment. Recognition of voluntaries is of peculiar concern to exigency service bureaus given that organisational surveies repeatedly find that staff often quit in cases where they feel undervalued. Harmonizing to Janke ( 2009 ) and Compton & A ; Graninto ( 2002 ) , staffing strategies are by and large a local issue and are dependent on the frequence of fires, budgetary considerations, the community hazard degree, and the demand for services. Other factors include the population protected, denseness of the population, and the type of constructions protected. In the terminal, staffing degrees may change widely from section to section. Keeping an unfastened duologue with members of the organisation is built-in to the success of any staffing theoretical account alteration. Laws and Standards Governing Fire Department Operations The United States fire service is efficaciously governed by a set of criterions that are established and reviewed every four old ages by the National Fire Protection Association [ NFPA ] . There are legion criterions that exist that govern fire section operations and the minimal figure of firemans that must be present on an exigency scene to prosecute in operations. NFPA 450, the Guide for Emergency Medical Services and Systems, Chapter 5, Section 5.5.2.3.4 provinces, â€Å" most experts agree that four respondents [ at least two trained in advanced cardiac life support ( ACLS ) and two trained in basic life support ( BLS ) ] are the lower limit required to supply ACLS to cardiac apprehension victims † ( National Fire Protection Association, 2009 ) . While it is by and large acknowledged by most fire sections that exigency medical services is the staff of life and butter of their operations, construction fires and incidents necessitating specialized deliverance accomplishments are really dependent on work force. NFPA 1720, the Standard for the Organization and Deployment of Fire Suppression Operations by Volunteer Fire Departments, Chapter 4, Section 4.3.1 provinces that, â€Å" the fire section shall place lower limit staffing demands to guarantee that a sufficient figure of members are available to run safely and efficaciously. † Further, based on NFPA 1720, a matrix has been developed which indicates that the Eagle Fire Department should hold a minimal staff of six firemans respond to the scene within 14 proceedingss of the call for service and be able to run into that standard 80 % of the clip. However, one time on scene, National Fire Protection Association relates that between 19 and 23 forces typically constitute the first-alarm assignment to a confirmed single-family brooding fire, as observed by rating squads. However, non fewer than 24 firemans and two head officers, one or more safety officers, and a rapid intercession squad ( s ) should react to high-hazard tenancies ( schools, infirmaries, nursing places, explosive workss, refineries, high-rise edifices, and other high-life jeopardy or tenancies with big fire possible ) . Not fewer than 16 firemans, one head officer, a safety officer, and a rapid intercession squad should react to medium-hazard tenancies ( flats, offices, mercantile, and industrial tenancies non usually necessitating extended deliverance or firefighting forces ) . Not fewer than 14 firemans, one head officer, a safety officer, and a rapid intercession squad should react to low-hazard tenancies ( one- , two- , or three-family homes and scattered little concerns and industrial tenancies ) . At least 12 firemans, one head officer, a safety officer, and a rapid intercession squad shall react to rural dismaies ( scattered homes, little concerns, and a farm edifice ) ( National Fire Protection Association, 2008 ) . The Occupational Safety and Health Administration [ OSHA ] mandates that two firemans be equipped in full protective equipment with a ego contained take a breathing setup be stationed outside of an environment that is imminently unsafe to life and wellness. Dearly, this is known as the two in/two out regulation which requires a lower limit of four firemans to prosecute in structural firefighting operations. There is an exclusion to this regulation if a life safety jeopardy exists and if firemans moderately believe a deliverance can be made it is allowable to go against this regulation ( Occupational Safety and Health Administration, 2008 ) . At the Wisconsin province degree, there are several steering administrative codifications that affect fire section scene operations. Wisconsin Comm. 30, the Fire Department Safety and Health Standards, do non proclaim a minimal staffing degree for operations straight, instead, the codification references antecedently cited NFPA and OSHA criterions. Based on the literature reappraisal, there is no constituted minimal degree of staffing that must be present expecting a call for service. Rather, systems must be designed such that when a call for service is received, the system responds in an expedient mode within the guidelines established at the province and federal degree.HypothesissThe void hypothesis is that the 2003 staffing alteration of the Eagle Fire Department had no consequence on norm turnout clip. Alternate hypotheses include: ( a ) the staffing alteration in 2003 did hold an consequence on diminishing the norm turnout clip. ( B ) call type ( EMS, Fire, and MVA ) had an consequence, either positive or negative, on the norm turnout clip. ( degree Celsius ) winter months had an consequence, either positive or negative, on the norm turnout clip.MethodologyThe original research for this undertaking was initiated via the cyberspace where a cursory reappraisal of literature related to volunteer staffing both domestically and abroad was sought. Beginnings were so identified in an effort to find what guidelines and criterions exist at the province and federal degree to modulate fire section staffing and response. Eagle Fire Department staff were assigned to roll up and analyse run study statistics for calls for service that the organisation responded to from 1996 – 2010. With the exclusion of 2008 and 2009 calls for service, which were recorded electronically, all informations had to be entered into a database manually, from manus written records. Data sought was the day of the month of the call for service, the twenty-four hours of the hebdomad, the clip the call was dispatched, the clip the first unit responded en path to the call for service, the clip that the first unit arrived on scene, and the figure of forces that responded to the call for service. Because a alteration in staffing occurred in 2003, the information was analyzed to find if the alteration caused a lessening in the norm turnout clip – the elapsed clip between when the call is dispatched by the 911 centre until the clip that the first unit acknowledges en path. The information could be so be analyzed to find if the organisation was run intoing province and federal guidelines with respect to exigency response, if any exist. The dependant variable in this analysis is whether or non the station was staffed at the clip an exigency call for service was dispatched. Several independent variables were identified. First, the type of call for service is of import to find whether or non call fluctuation has an impact in the turnout clip. For this undertaking, calls for service were grouped into three chief classs: Fire, Emergency Medical Services ( EMS ) , and Motor Vehicle Accident ( MVA ) . Calls for service coded as â€Å" EMS † were all calls necessitating exigency medical services, whether it was advanced or basic life support. Calls were coded as â€Å" Fire † if the call for service was fire related such as a edifice fire, field fire, natural gas leak, or other public aid call. Finally, calls were coded as â€Å" MVA † if the call for service was for a motor vehicle accident. Other independent variables identified involved the month that a call for service occurred. This was of import because the conditions could play a important factor in response efficiency when the fire station was unstaffed. For the intent of this survey, the months of November, December, January, February, and March were identified as months that would hold the highest likeliness of snow and icy conditions which would halter the section ‘s ability to react quickly when volunteers/paid-on-call firemans had to react to the fire station to obtain equipment and setup. So that accurate statistics were identified as related entirely to the Town and Village of Eagle, common assistance calls to other organisations were excluded from this survey as they would ‘ve increased the mean response clip well due to the geographic location of the Eagle Fire Department and the distance the section must go to supply aid to other communities. While reacting common assistance to help another bureau, 20 – 30 minute travel times are non uncommon. From the information collected, arrested development analysis was conducted to find if the void hypothesis should be rejected or accepted. Arrested development analysis was chosen because it allows the research worker to show the strength of the relationship between the identified independent variables against the dependent variable of turnout clip. Multicollinearity would be investigated to find if two or more independent variables are extremely correlated. Based on the information gleaned from the survey, consequences would be presented to the Eagle Fire Commission and Town and Village of Eagle boards to inform them whether or non the section ‘s bing staffing theoretical account is effectual, and, if non, urge alterations for the hereafter.ConsequencesThe first research undertaking sought to find the norm turnout clip of respondents prior to the paid-on-premises plan being implemented in 2003. The 2nd research inquiry dovetails on the first and sought to find the mean response clip after the paid-on-premises plan was implemented in 2003. There were 4084 instances, or calls for service, that the Eagle Fire Department responded to 1996 – 2010. From this information, it was determined when the station was and was non staffed. Turnout times were calculated from by deducting the clip the first unit went en path to a call for service from the clip that the call was dispatched. This was known as the TD to ER clip. Based on the information evaluated, it was determined that the Eagle Fire Department ‘s norm turnout clip was 4:02 for all calls for service that occurred 1996 – 2010. However, when the independent variable of staffing is introduced, there was a important decrease in the norm turnout clip to 2:23. When comparing the dependant and independent variables, the r-squared value is.404. Therefore, 40 % of the fluctuation in turnout clip can be explained by the independent variable which is the station being staffed. The incline between the dependant and independent variable of the station being staffed is -1.815. This indicates that when the station was staffed during a call for service, one can anticipate an mean clip turnout clip decrease of 1.815 proceedingss versus when the station was non staffed. Is the relationship between the dependant and independent variable statistically important? The t-score of -52.603 corresponds to a significance degree of 0.00, intending that there is a less than one in 1,000 opportunity that the relationship between turnout clip and the station being staffed is due to error. Insert table 1 here Insert table 2 here Based on these consequences, we can reject the void hypothesis and accept the alternate hypothesis. Staffing does hold an impact on the norm turnout clip of the Eagle Fire Department. There are several other variables that could hold an consequence on the norm turnout clip of the Eagle Fire Department. One illustration that could hold an consequence is the type of call for service that is being responded to. Calls for service such as construction fires or motor vehicle accidents require particular protective cogwheel that must be put on, or donned, prior to go forthing the fire station. Would these types of calls have an impact on turnout times? Harmonizing to the informations analyzed, exigency medical ( EMS ) calls for service were the baseline analyzed at 4.02. Calls affecting â€Å" fire † took somewhat longer to turnout for, with an norm of 4.134. The incline is somewhat different between the dependant and independent variables. For FIRE, the incline is.114 which indicates that when a call for service is related to fire, it takes an extra.114 proceedingss to turn out versus a standard EMS call. The t-score of 2.574 corresponds to a significance degree of 0.010, intending that there is a 10 % opportunity that the relationship between turnout clip and fire calls for service is due to error. Calls for service affecting motor vehicle accidents ( MVA ) took less clip to turnout for, averaging 3.998 proceedingss. For these calls for service, the incline is -.022 which indicates that when a call for service is related to MVA, it takes.022 fewer proceedingss to turn out versus a standard EMS call. The t-score of -.419 corresponds to a significance degree of 0.675, intending that there is a 67.5 % alteration that the relationship between turnout clip and fire calls for service is due to error. Insert table 2 here One other country that could hold an consequence on informations involves the clip of twelvemonth that a call for service is dispatched. Apparently, calls for service that occur in the winter months would hold an impact on unstaffed response times as the volunteer/paid-on-call employees must foremost react to the fire station before reacting to a scene. What impact do these months have on norm turnout clip? For the intents of this undertaking, winter months were considered to be November, December, January, February, and March as these were the months when Wisconsin snow and ice would reasonably impact the section ‘s ability to react in an efficient mode. Based on the information evaluated, it was determined that the Eagle Fire Department ‘s norm turnout clip was 4:00 for calls for service that occurred during these five months from 1996 – 2010. When comparing the dependant and independent variables, the r-squared value is.405. Therefore, 41 % of the fluctuation in turnout clip can be explained by the independent variables which are the clip of twelvemonth ( winter versus non-winter ) that a call for service was received. The incline between the dependant and independent variable of the winter months is varied between -0.092 to 0.073. This indicates that conditions did hold an impact on the norm turnout clip, though the alteration in norm was negligible. Is the relationship between the dependant and independent variable statistically important? The t-score scope identified corresponds to between an 18 % and 62 % opportunity that the relationship between turnout clip and the winter months identified is due to error. Insert table 6 here Insert table 8 here Tolerance and the discrepancy rising prices factor ( VIF ) are two statistical countries that help to set up if multicollinearity exists. A little tolerance value indicates that the variable under consideration is about a perfect additive combination of the independent variables already in the equation and that it should non be added to the arrested development equation. All variables involved in the additive relationship will hold a little tolerance. Some suggest that a tolerance value less than 0.1 should be investigated farther. If a low tolerance value is accompanied by big standard mistakes and nonsignificance, multicollinearity may be an issue. The VIF measures the impact of collinearity among the variables in a arrested development theoretical account. The Variance Inflation Factor ( VIF ) is 1/Tolerance, it is ever greater than or equal to 1. There is no formal VIF value for finding presence of multicollinearity. Valuess of VIF that exceed 10 are frequently regarded as bespea king multicollinearity, but in weaker theoretical accounts values above 2.5 may be a cause for concern. ( Research Consultants, 2010 ) . The consequences of this undertaking revealed that multicollinearity was non an issue. Tolerance was in surplus of 0.900 and VIF was between 1.0 and 2.2 for all independent variables. Insert table 2 here Insert table 8 hereDecisionThe research has revealed that there are no Torahs or criterions necessitating communities to supply paid staffing on premises in their fire Stationss. The National Fire Protection Association, Occupational Health and Safety Administration, and the State of Wisconsin mandate lower limit staffing demands one time on scene of an exigency. The National Fire Protection Association ( NFPA ) recommends that calling fire sections, which are by and large comprised of full-time paid forces, turn out within 60 seconds ( National Fire Protection Association, 2010 ) . There is no known criterion that exists for voluntary or paid-on-call fire sections, nevertheless. Though most people would impute the â€Å" fire section † to merely seting out fires, in most instances 80 % + of all calls for service in an bureau are medical in nature. An unstaffed volunteer/paid-on-call fire section must hold first respondents go to the fire station, obtain the necessary setup, and so react to the exigency scene. In some instances, this oversight in clip is O.K. as the nature of unwellness is minor and lives are non at interest. In other instances, the badness can be much higher and seconds can do the difference between life and decease. In a sudden cardiac apprehension, when a victim ‘s bosom stops all of a sudden whipping, there are merely proceedingss with which bystanders and exigency medical technicians can impact a deliverance. The encephalon needs a changeless supply of O and foods to map. Cerebral hypoxia occurs when there is non adequate O acquiring to the encephalon because the bosom is non pumping any blood throughout the system. Brain cells are highly sensitive to a deficiency of O. Some encephalon cells start deceasing less than 5 proceedingss after their O supply disappears. As a consequence, encephalon hypoxia can quickly do terrible encephalon harm or decease ( Hoch, 2011 ) . Though the literature reappraisal revealed that NFPA 450 does non mandate a minimal figure of respondents present on premises available to react, the criterion does urge at least four people to supply effectual advanced life support attention ( National Fire Protection Association, 2009 ) . The information revealed that the Eagle Fire Department ‘s response clip is an norm of 4:02 when the station is unstaffed. This leaves 58 seconds for an ambulance to make a victim ‘s place to get down supplying resuscitative attention to a sudden cardiac apprehension victim before lasting encephalon harm consequences. With a response country of 36-square stat mis, this can be a daunting challenge. Harmonizing to Compton and Granito ( 2002 ) , fire suppression operations have three basic maps: ( 1 ) deliverance, ( 2 ) work affecting ladder, physical entry, and airing, and ( 3 ) the application of H2O. To raise ladders, ventilate, hunt, and deliverance at the same time takes speedy action by at least four and frequently eight or more firemans, each under the supervising of an officer. If approximately 16 trained firemans are non runing at the scene of a on the job fire within the critical clip period, so dollar loss and hurts are significantly increased as is fire spread. As firefighting tactics were conducted and judged for effectivity, the writers held that five-person companies ( squads ) were 100 % effectual at executing these undertakings in an expeditious mode. Four-person companies were 65 % effectual, and three-person companies were 38 % effectual. Under the current staffing matrix of the Eagle Fire Department, during current staffed periods, the section operates at the two-person company degree whose effectivity as non been measured. When the section is unstaffed, the section typically operates at a three or four-person company though response can significantly detain due to the handiness of volunteer/paid-on-call employees and their single response to the fire station to obtain equipment and setup. In a 2008 study, the Eagle Fire Department concluded that in order to increase staffing to one individual, 24 hours per twenty-four hours, a budget addition of $ 87,000 would be needed to fund this plan, non including capital disbursals needed to upgrade the fire section installation to suit nightlong staffing. In order to supply four fireman / exigency medical technicians on a full-time footing, twenty four hours a twenty-four hours, the section would necessitate to budget about $ 1.5-million yearly for wages and benefits. This would ensue in a 600 % addition of the current operating budget. This option was non financially executable ( Heim, 2008 ) . This undertaking has revealed, nevertheless, that staffing the fire station does supply a touchable benefit of cut downing the norm turnout clip by about half. Though the current staffing matrix merely provides for one exigency respondent, there is a batch that one individual can make at a medical scene or fire until auxiliary staff arrives from the volunteer/paid-on-call ranks. Expanding this plan to twenty four hr coverage would be of important benefit to the community as it would let the section to react efficiently and run into the demands of community stakeholders. The challenge in implementing such a plan will be to procure gross to fund the plan. Expanding coverage would still necessitate an extra $ 87,000 yearly and revenue enhancement levy restrictions would most likely prevent the municipalities from implementing such a plan without seeking a referendum. A 2009 Town of Eagle referendum that was proposed to supply support to staff the paid-on-call plan failed with a 3-1 bord er ( Nixon, 2009 ) . Several restrictions were encountered while carry oning research for this undertaking. First, bing informations keeping policies limit the records kept in storage to the old 15 old ages. Records older than 15 old ages are destroyed. Therefore, information was merely available from 1996 – 2010 which allowed for seven old ages of unstaffed and eight old ages of staffed responses to be evaluated. This disparity may somewhat skew the consequences. Second, the Eagle Fire Department switched despatch bureaus in 2006. It is the despatch bureau ‘s duty to keep accurate records of clip, nevertheless it is acknowledged that during times of heightened call volumes, the starter may non hold been wholly accurate in entering all times. This disparity may somewhat skew the consequences, though the discrepancy is expected to be minimum. Further rating should be done to formalize the consequences of this survey finding if other like-sized fire sections that have undergone staffing alterations which involved transitioning from an unstaffed fire station to one that is staffed have experienced the same decrease in norm turnout clip. Additionally, surveies should be done in volunteer/paid-on-call fire sections to find if on-premises staffing as an consequence on the loss of life and belongings loss as a consequence of fire.