This too is Yonkers: by Eric W. Schoen
So many of you who welcome me into your homes every week via this column and the radio show on WVOX have applauded my vacation from discussing things political. Let’s face it. There’s only so much you can take when reality TV stars are in Twitter wars with the Commander in Chief.
If you want politics turn on every channel on your television, station on the radio or pick up every (except this one) newspaper for your fill.
Kudos to Yonkers Fire Department
Yonkers is truly fortunate to have an excellent Fire Department. Saturday, my friend opens the door to her apartment in Yonkers to get her newspaper and smells the strong odor of gas. She quickly calls the Yonkers Fire Department and within minutes they arrive at her apartment. As the firefighter said to her, the minute he walked in the building and started to climb the stairs to her second floor apartment he smelled the strong odor of gas.
Yonkers Fire Department has sophisticated equipment to track down where the Gas odor is coming from. They put the detector up to several doors on her floor and nothing rings. They go down the hall, put the detector up to one of the doors and BING BING it goes off. They knock on the door several times with no response. Finally the tenant in the apartment where the gas was coming from opened the door.
Culprit for the gas smell. The tenant left the gas on the stove on overnight. Mind you there is medical equipment in the apartment that combined with gas could have blown the building up. The firemen shut the gas off on the stove, ventilated the apartment and made sure that everything was under control. I should note the fast response from Con Edison who stayed on the scene after the firefighters left to make sure everything was OK.
In Yonkers the Fire Department can reach most of the city in less than 4 minutes. People question why when they call for an Ambulance for a medical emergency the Fire Department shows up with the ambulance. Yonkers might have 2 ambulances on duty in the city and though the contracted company Empress does an excellent job, the Fire Department with folks trained to deal with medical emergencies can reach the location quite often much faster than the ambulance.
In a medical emergency, particularly a heart attack or stroke seconds can mean the difference between life and death. That’s why when people who don’t know what they are talking about question the need for a fire company to respond with an ambulance to a medical emergency, you need to remind them of this. Remember that the Fire and Police Departments are like the insurance you take out on your life, your car or even on your vacation.
You hope you never have to use the insurance but you have peace of mind knowing that if an emergency should arise it is there. Fortunately my friend opened the door to get her newspaper and smelling the gas knew what to do. All is well, but the situation compounded by the medical equipment in the apartment where the gas was coming from could have been a lot worse.
The Week In Words and Pictures
I go to the supermarket the other day. This supermarket is in the midst of mass renovations. Beautiful deli counter. Chock full of product. I see a salad not marked. I ask the clerk what it is and he doesn’t know. He asks his manager and the manager doesn’t know either. Fortunately I worked in the Deli Department of Daitch Shopwell as a kid. I know my salads. It’s definitely health salad. Usually these salads come in marked containers which are poured or scooped into the tray you see in the showcase. Nobody looked to see what kind of salad it was?
At the movie theater watching Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible. The woman sitting next to us making noises every time Tom Cruise is attacked. I think she feared for his safety. Does that lady realize it’s a movie and at the end, Cruise will come out alive. Even if he perished in the movie he would be alive to make other movies and promos for this movie. Bad enough people talk through movies at the multiplex as they are use to chatting while they watch movies at home. At the end of the movie we watched the lady to make sure she was ok.
Budget crises yearly in Yonkers Public Schools. New York State incorrectly allocates funding to schools. Yonkers gets shortchanged $1,474,000. The State Education Commissioner: “The State Education Department regrets this unfortunate error and any undue burden it may place on schools.’ Yonkers gets shortchanged in education funding from the state yearly and now this!
Mayor of Hastings applauds the village deer contraception program. Fewer deer? Right after I read the article I drove the Saw Mill Parkway. Plenty of deer roaming the sides of the Parkway. I see some as south as Yonkers. Sprain Brook Parkway between Jackson Avenue and Tuckahoe Road. Deer galore on the right side of the road as I am driving south toward Yonkers. The deer come too close to the road for me. Is Hastings sending their deer to Yonkers. Inquiring minds want to know!
People attacking Bee Line bus drivers, members of the Transit Workers of American Union. People attacking subway conductors in New York City. People attacking New Jersey Transit train conductors. All I can say is what is this world coming to? The attackers. We need to ‘lock ’em up!
An airline employee steals a plane from the Seattle airport. The airline employee who stole the plane cracked jokes, complimented air traffic control, and apologized for making a fuss before fatally crashing on to an island. If this can occur, how good are our airport protections against terrorists?
Players taking the knee at preseason football games this year? They need to get off their knees, salute the flag and be proud that this country gives them the opportunity to make the big bucks they do. If they can’t show respect for this country, the American Flag and the National Anthem, they should not be playing professional football in the United States. There are many people who would gladly take their places at half the price they earn.
Bullet proof backpacks. Is this what our country is coming too?
Gotta throw in one political quote that blew me away. Upstate Congressman Christopher Collins who was charged with insider trading talking about his colleague Congresswoman Louise Slaughter:
What planet is Collins living on?
Reach Eric Schoen at thistooisyonkers@aol.com. Follow him on Twitter @ericyonkers. Listen to Eric Schoen and Dan Murphy on the Westchester Rising Radio Show Thursday’s from 10-11 a.m. On WVOX 1460 AM or download the SIMPLE RADIO app for free from the APP STORE.
