Opinion editor's note: Strib Voices publishes letters from readers online and in print each day. To contribute, click here.

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As a volunteer emergency medical technician and firefighter with over 30 years of experience, I was horrified to read in the business section of the Minnesota Star Tribune the report that well-known issues with pulse oximetry for people of color had led to increased deaths due to lack of treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic ("Accuracy at heart of device debate," Jan. 12). When my fire department ambulance service was first trained on pulse oximetry in 2005, we were told that it didn't work well with polished nails or with people who had very dark skin. This was a result, we were told, of how the devices measured oxygen in the blood. We were trained to be aware of this flaw and assumed that adjustments would be made.

Now I read that during the COVID pandemic these same basic devices, with their known flawed readings for people of color, were used to deny medication and oxygen to patients of color, sometimes leading to premature death. When the differential death rates were first published, "lifestyle" was blamed. When will we acknowledge the racism of our medical system, and take action that is not profit-based, to fix these problems? That this story appeared in the business section and not on the front page, is even more disgusting. We need to fix this.

Peter Stebinger, Minneapolis

The writer is a volunteer EMT and firefighter.


LA FIRES

As a firefighter, absolutely not

The commentary by Andy Brehm in the Jan. 16 paper regarding the recent wildfires in California was uninformed, counterproductive and insulting to the thousands of firefighters who are putting their lives in harm's way to protect people and property ("Climate change didn't cause the Los Angeles wildfires. Government incompetence did," Strib Voices). In his commentary he claims that "the severity of the Los Angeles' wildfires was primarily due to unprepared and dysfunctional local and state California government." Wrong, wrong, wrong.

The severity of these fires is due primarily to fire weather conditions and fuel moisture levels that make any current or former firefighter (such as myself) cringe in fear. Key fire weather factors include: air temperature, humidity, 1-, 10-, and 100-hour fuel moisture levels, and finally and most critically, wind speed and direction. The most recent California fires were fed by fire weather conditions that pinned the needle in each of these factors: bone-dry fuels, desert-like humidity, unseasonably warm temperatures and hurricane-force winds; which, among other things, will keep your air tankers and helicopters grounded.

Once the smoke has cleared (literally and figuratively), there will be plenty of time to conduct after-action assessments of what happened, identify improvements and missteps, and make needed changes. Meanwhile, why don't you keep your ill-informed opinions to yourself?

Tom Baumann, Isanti, Minn.

The writer is a retired firefighter.


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Did Brehm write the screed on the California fires simply to stir distrust? It's clear that his piece, while presented as an opinion, veers into misleading and unsupported claims, many of which have been debunked by experts in wildfire management, environmental science and water policy.

For example, Brehm spouts this crazy notion that fire hydrants around Los Angeles have been stolen, and therefore the firefighters didn't have the tools they needed. The reality, as any true Californian would know, is fire hydrants are not used to fight wildfires. They use water tenders. Brehm's apparent ignorance of this critical distinction seems to expose either a lack of understanding or a deliberate attempt to mislead readers about the actual challenges faced by fire response teams.

He also wants to say we can't take care of the planet and also have water. The smelt policy is not about water availability in Southern California. Indeed, the state says there is no water shortage in Southern California right now, despite the felon-president's wild claims that he would open some imaginary spigot. California's water scarcity is real, but it's not the oversimplified issue that Brehm makes it out to be.

Growing up, I too watched many small brushfires in Southern California. It is different now. It's particularly frustrating that Brehm doesn't seem to acknowledge the undeniable reality that climate change has altered the nature of wildfires in California. Wildfires today are more intense and destructive due to higher temperatures, prolonged droughts and an increasingly volatile environment.

If you had experienced the first firestorm in the state (Oakland Hills, 1991), you would know that what used to be a simple brush fire now creates its own weather — it is not a result of bad governance. It is a result of our warming planet.

I am shocked that Brehm shows so little compassion for the people who are directly impacted by the wildfires. California's firestorms are not abstract political talking points; they destroy homes, communities and lives. For Brehm to focus so much on partisanship and blame without acknowledging the human suffering involved is deeply concerning, especially for someone who claims to be an attorney.

Brehm concludes with "the severity of the Los Angeles' wildfires was primarily due to unprepared and dysfunctional local and state California government." Indeed, if he thinks incompetence in our government leaders is the root cause, we are in for a world of hurt with the new administration.

In times of crisis, especially when people are facing real destruction, it is hard to understand how anyone could focus on assigning blame rather than showing empathy and offering solutions. The people affected by these fires deserve better than to be treated as political pawns in an ideological debate.

Kimberly Connolly, Minneapolis


GAMBLING

This is nothing new

Just heard that Delta Air Lines may introduce in-flight sports betting. A lot of people are complaining. I don't see why. When we buy a ticket, we gamble the seat will actually be available. When we go to the airport, we gamble the flight will be on time. When we get on the plane, we gamble it will arrive with all the people and components it departed with. I don't see how involving sports is controversial.

Kevin Tominski, Burnsville


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Nobody is forced to gamble. That's for sure. But I've always considered state-sponsored gambling games a tax on poor people. When the economy is bad, as it has been for the past four years, what with soaring inflation and less buying power with the incomes on hand, the people who gamble are usually those who can least afford it. Plus gambling, like alcohol, can be an addiction. And the Minnesota Gambling Control Board (or whatever they call themselves these days) seems to be constantly stepping on the scales to make it even more difficult for gamblers to win.

Take the North 5 game — the state added a few more numbers to obviously make it harder to win. And how is it that some of these games like Lotto America, Gopher 5, and North 5 go weeks and even months without getting hit? Well, the state gambling people know that when the jackpot gets higher, more people, even those who very seldom gamble, will buy tickets. Call me a conspiracy nut if you want to, but I have to wonder if these games are not being somehow manipulated. In the old Western saloons and casinos, there were the rigged roulette wheels and card cheats to get the hard-earned money of some cowboys or miners. Now I'm not saying that these modern, state-sponsored games are rigged or run by cheaters. But it sure does look a little bit murky.

Of course, the best advice is simply don't gamble. Remember, the house always wins. But people on the lower end of the economic ladder will still take their chances ... and they will almost surely lose.

Tom R. Kovach, Nevis, Minn.