EMTswag
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In one of the towns i work in, approx 30,000 people with two major highways passing through it, heavy rescue is done by two of the three volunteer fire companies and one of the two volunteer rescue squads. Per regulation in our state, any vehicle extrication utilizing heavy rescue tools require that a hand line be pulled and charged from the FD for fire suppression should the act of cutting open a car spark leaking fuel or fluids and cause a fire.
It is a never ending battle between the two fire companies heavy rescue trucks and the squads rescue truck to do the cut in the approx 4-5 heavy rescue assignments the town sees annually. So, my question to you all is where do you see EMS' role in the rescue assignment... should it be a skill left to the fire department solely or should the cut be done by EMS rescue techs with FD backup for fire suppression?
Personally, i'm torn between the responsibility of EMS in terms of command of the scene, which we have until the patients have been safely extricated and transported, with the fact that heavy rescue has been as staple of the fire service since its inception. On the one side EMS doing the cut means they can be more understanding of the needs of the pt and the EMT in the car with the pt, and on the other side FD is already needed on scene for fire suppression, and the nature of the fire service dictates a more in-depth knowledge of tools and the like that would give them a unique background well-suited for vehicle extrication.
What do you think?
It is a never ending battle between the two fire companies heavy rescue trucks and the squads rescue truck to do the cut in the approx 4-5 heavy rescue assignments the town sees annually. So, my question to you all is where do you see EMS' role in the rescue assignment... should it be a skill left to the fire department solely or should the cut be done by EMS rescue techs with FD backup for fire suppression?
Personally, i'm torn between the responsibility of EMS in terms of command of the scene, which we have until the patients have been safely extricated and transported, with the fact that heavy rescue has been as staple of the fire service since its inception. On the one side EMS doing the cut means they can be more understanding of the needs of the pt and the EMT in the car with the pt, and on the other side FD is already needed on scene for fire suppression, and the nature of the fire service dictates a more in-depth knowledge of tools and the like that would give them a unique background well-suited for vehicle extrication.
What do you think?