New Britain herald., 1917-01-31
POLICE EXPOSED TO
DISEASE IN PATROL
Prisoners Also in Danger Of Be-
coming Infected by Germs
HOSPITAL MAY LOSE ITS USE
Belief Exists Institution or City
Should Have Separate Vehicle for
Transferring Patients - BabcoclS
May Order Change.

Use of the police departments COM
bination patrol-ambulance by the
hospital in the transfer Of ordinary
medical, or private, cases, is likely to
be brought up before the safety
board for action in the near future.
While it is not considered probable
that there will be inlm ediate with
drawal of the machines use in this
respect, there is an intimation that
the hospital authoritfes will be asked
to provide an ambulance of their own
or the city government be requested
to provide an additional ambulance
for service SO that the present ma
chine may be at the service of the
police department solely as a patrol
and for accidents and emergency SER
vice. $50" s1,. .-'
= 1t Is. known that Chairman Edward
G. Babcock of the safety board does
not approve of having the present
machine used as city and hospital
ambulance. He believes that there
Is no reason why conditions in vogue
In other cities should not be here.
Also that, if the public realizes con-
ditions. the time will come soon when
some individual, or individuals, will
o0C Iudt lIe AoSp1tdA lids Ill all W.
lance.
Exposure to Germs.
Police officials do not approve of
the plan followed at present, espe-
cially in the use of the ambulance In
transfer of contagious diseases. Sew
eral times recently it has been used
to transfer sufferers from ,erysipelas
1t Is unfair, a number of the officers
say, to expose the policemen who &C
company the ambulance, as we'll as to
expose prisoners, who may afterwards
be passengers in it when it is used as
a patrol, to possible infection
One of the arguments presented to
Chairman Babcock is that every time
the machine is used for n hospital call
the department chauffeur and from
one to two policemen have to accom-
from whet sort Of disease their pas
senger Is suffering. While onFthe call
the department Is without am hulance
patrol, chauffeur and the one or two
policemen, in case of accident or hur-
ry call for police.
For some time Chairman Bahcock
and police officials have realized that
there is need of a regulation ambu-
lance attached to the department or
that some arrangement with the hos
pital is necessary whereby another
machine is available for their ordl-
nary work. Solution of the problem
has been under consideration for
some time. What is expected to bring
the matter up before the safety
board for speedy action is a commu-
nication received some time ago from
the hospital authorities in which was
a request that there be some changes
in the ambulance relative to letter
ing, etc. The contention was MADE
that numerous patients objected TO
having q machine with lettering 1ndf-
eating police jurisdiction stopping be-
fore their homes or in being trans
ferred In such a vehicle. Chairman
Babcock. however, believes that the
machine is primarily the property OF
the police department and that ar
rangements with the hospital for It's
use is only a courtesy.
Several times recently physicians
have pointed out that the machine Is
not properly equipped for anything
but emergency ambulance work.