A senior official in D.C. Fire and Emergency Services was suspended this week for comments he made on Twitter and Facebook, reports the Washington Times. more ›

We had heard rumblings this morning about a meeting held inside the corridors of the Wilson Building concerning the future of the popular D.C. Fire and EMS Twitter feed -- and the result of that conference is a big win for some ten thousand local tweeters. more ›

Mayor Vince Gray's bi-weekly press conference was derailed today over concerns that his administration was backtracking on promises of transparency by encrypting police radio communications and limiting the use of the popular D.C. Fire/EMS Twitter account. more ›

UPDATE (5:05 p.m.): New details now on the incident -- the student who brought the cocaine to school and shared it has been charged with possession of a controlled substance. In total, four students ingested the cocaine, some orally, others inhaling it through the nose. All of the children involved are apparently okay; leadership at Thomson Elementary met with the parents of the children involved, and a letter was sent home with all students to explain what happened. Friday is a professional development day for teachers at the school, but counselors will be available on Monday to help the young students to understand what happened. more ›

UPDATE (4:56 p.m.): D.C. Fire and EMS spokesperson Pete Piringer now states that Rubin has not submitted his resignation paperwork. According to a message left on a media information line, Piringer acknowledged the email which led to the reports of Rubin's resignation, but said Rubin "has not submitted a resignation, [nor] has he been asked to." D.C. Fire and EMS chief Dennis Rubin -- who was last seen literally packing up his office in preparation of being let go from his post -- announced his resignation via email this afternoon, but only after spending two sentences focusing on the fact that his contact information was changing. Unlike Michelle Rhee, Rubin will see out his entire term, and apparently go into consulting after Gray is (presumptively) sworn in as Mayor on January 2. Rubin called his four years in charge of the District's Fire and EMS a "great opportunity" which he leaves "without regret." more ›

It's a story which much too sadly resembles that of former New York Times journalist David E. Rosenbaum: a medical examiner has ruled that Edward L. Givens, a 39-year-old resident of Northeast Washington, died of a heart attack late last year after paramedics adjudged him to be simply suffering from a bad case of heartburn. Givens' family is planning to sue the city for "individual acts of negligence." Reportedly, emergency medical workers who responded to the scene did not transport Givens to a hospital, even though he was found by a relative on December 3 unable to breathe and complaining of chest pains. On the other hand, heart disease -- which Givens suffered from and had a family history of -- is one of the more difficult diagnoses to make in responding to an emergency call. According to the Post's report, "an electrocardiogram was performed and that the paramedics said it was normal." But, considering the widespread scrutiny EMS services are currently under, why wouldn't first responders simply take Givens to a hospital -- especially considering his family history of heart problems? more ›

WUSA has the scoop that Selena Walker, the EMT who drove New York Times reporter David Rosenbaum to the hospital, is going to be retrained and subsequently reinstated to the D.C. Fire & EMS Department. Walker was fired after she and her partner mistook Rosenbaum's symptoms for drunkeness instead of head trauma, and then decided to take him to Howard University Hospital instead of the closer Sibley Hospital so that Walker could make a stop at her own home. An inspector general's report also concluded Walker got lost driving the ambulance to Howard. Walker won an appeal of her termination on the grounds that the department waited longer than 90 days to fire her after the incident. Rosenbaum eventually died of his head injuries. more ›

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Here's a type of lawsuit-related news you certainly don't see every day: The Post reports that the family of slain retired New York Times reporter David Rosenbaum has said they will drop their $20 million civil suit against the District over the negligent care two emergency medical technicians provided after Rosenbaum was hit on the head during a mugging near his home in D.C. in 2006. more ›