Ambulances

Snow and ice were making the narrow lanes and sharp curves of the Pennsylvania Turnpike even more treacherous than usual. Built for easygoing roadsters, the highway lacked the necessary shoulders and lane width to guarantee safe passage for time-pressed 18-wheelers; a fragile metal rail in the slim median was all that separated the vehicles hurtling in opposite directions. But the ambulance driver was careful and experienced. Mindful of the urgency of our mission, he maneuvered through the speeding traffic with professional skill, barely jostling me as I prepared an infant incubator, oxygen tanks and resuscitation equipment.

. -- With one scary hit on Tim Tebow, another Florida laugher turned into the Gators' worst fear. Tebow was knocked out of Florida's 41-7 victory against Kentucky after taking a hard shot to the head in the third quarter. The Gators were leading 31-7 and driving deep in Kentucky territory when Tebow was sacked by Kentucky defensive end Taylor Wyndham. As he fell back with Wyndham on top of him, Tebow's head struck teammate Marcus Gilbert's leg, violently bending his neck forward.

Contract talks between city negotiators and the firefighters union are heating up, and not in a good way. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa ripped into the firefighters union Thursday, calling its leaders "irresponsible" for posting warning signs in neighborhoods where firetrucks and ambulances are temporarily out of service as a cost-cutting measure. Fifteen firetrucks and six ambulances are being pulled out of service daily on a rotating basis citywide, but all fire stations remain open.

The Los Angeles Fire Department has begun shutting down rescue units and eliminating paramedic field supervisors as part a cost-cutting plan that officials say will increase response times during life-threatening emergencies. The plan goes into full effect early Thursday, with 15 fire trucks and six ambulances being pulled out of service daily on a rotating basis citywide.

The indicted mayor of Mississippi's largest city was taken from his home in an ambulance late Tuesday, just before losing his bid for reelection in a contentious Democratic primary, a week before his second federal trial. Mayor Frank Melton's attorney, John Reeves, refused to discuss his client's condition but confirmed that he was in a Jackson hospital. Melton, 60, who has a history of serious heart problems, faced nine Democratic challengers in Tuesday's citywide primary.

A Fire Department ambulance was involved in an accident on a surface street near the rain-soaked 101 Freeway early Saturday while taking a crash victim to a hospital. The accident involved another vehicle and occurred at 1:26 a.m. on a surface street near the Alameda Street ramp downtown, said Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Cecil Manresa. No information on the cause of the accident was available.

The farmer and his sons waited until the daily lull in the Israeli offensive before attempting their dash for safety. About 1 p.m. Friday, Mohammed Shurrab and his two sons piled into a red Land Rover and fled the family's farm in the village of Fukhari, southeast of Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip. Kassab, a 28-year-old engineer, sat in the front passenger seat and Ibrahim, an 18-year-old college student, sat in the back. They didn't get far.

If you live in Los Angeles, Ventura, Orange or San Diego county and think you are having a heart attack, call 911 rather than have a friend or family member drive you to the hospital. It could mean the difference between life and death. That's the conclusion of a UCLA professor who reviewed data from counties around the nation -- including four in Southern California -- that have implemented a new approach to handling heart attack patients.

A former paramedic was sentenced in Standish to between 40 months and 15 years in prison for sexually assaulting a 15-year-old while she was being taken to a hospital. David Spresny, 43, was found guilty in January of third-degree criminal sexual conduct. The girl, who was hurt in a traffic accident, said she was molested while strapped to a backboard in the ambulance.