Danger of some sort, according to this legally driven label, is unavoidable.įigure 1: Warning printed on label inside standard turnout gear Take, for example, the label inside standard turnout gear reading “ operations are an ultra-hazardous, unavoidably dangerous activity “¦” (See Figure 1.) Our work is unavoidably dangerous as a baseline our efforts are directed at mitigating that risk (as the gear manufacturer mitigates their legal risk with this label), not believing we can remove it entirely. Our standard workspaces represent inarguably hazardous environments ,and we’re exposed to risks, both known and unknown, on every call. As first responders, we have a serious and noble mission to preserve human life, to rescue those in peril, and to be a calming, stabilizing force in chaos. What do you do? Scene Safety? ‘It Depends.’ You’re not sure your patient can make it that long you’re concerned about her airway. The local volunteer fire department has been dispatched, and a rescue truck is on the way, with an ETA of approximately eight minutes. You see a child seat in the back of the vehicle. You hear moaning from inside the car and see a young female lying crumpled in the driver’s seat with blood oozing from her mouth and nose. Despite this risk and ever-present danger, we continue to provide lifesaving care to people in unsafe environments daily.Īs you don your reflective traffic vest and size up the scene, you see a single vehicle overturned off the roadway, leaking fluids from the engine compartment. Apparatus positioning, reflective garments, and scene lighting may mitigate this risk however, impaired drivers, adverse weather conditions, and the location of the emergency continue to be risk factors out of control of emergency responders. In reality, this scene is anything but “safe.” There’s the ever-present risk of serious injury or death due to being struck by a vehicle while on scene at an MVC. Your training kicks in and as you put the ambulance in park, you remember the “Safety First” mantra and ask yourself, “Is this scene safe?” You and your partner are the first unit to arrive on scene of an overturned vehicle on a busy road. You almost make it back to the station when you’re dispatched to yet another call: a reported single motor vehicle crash (MVC) in a rural part of your district. You’ve had a busy night with back-to-back calls, and haven’t made it back to the station since checking your truck at shift change. You had a busy day running errands, watching your child’s Christmas play, sitting down for dinner with the family before arriving to shift at 7:00 p.m. on your first overnight shift of the cycle.
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