NUEMT
Forum Lieutenant
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Most of the time EMS doesn't translate well to being a LEO as there are two different mindsets that are going on there. I went to medic school with a former sheriff's deputy who worked in the jails. He put it this way "when I was a deputy I was looking for is this guy a threat or not and now as a firefighter/ paramedic, I'm looking at people for are sick or not sick." Essentially what he was trying to convey was how you arrive at a scene with two very distinct trains of thought one is fight or not and the other is treat immediately or treat after more information is gathered. When you are going to scenes each hat you wear will require you to do things differently. Think of it this way you get called to a shooting and arrive on scene, as a LEO you want to ensure the safety of the scene and preserve evidence, whereas you show up as a paramedic yes you are looking for a safe scene but you're immediate goal is to get to the patient and assess them to determine a treatment path. While on scene as a paramedic you are not super concerned about evidence preservation as attempting to treat the patient and get the patient to definitive care is more important than remembering to not cut through a bullet hole in clothing in order to expose the patient.
I disagree. As a LEO, my base approach and skills are applicable on every call. The common denominator is people. LE trains you to be able to interact with people, sift out information , decide a course of action ...sound familiar? Your LEO training will serve you better than you think. Evidence and DV and all the specific situations come few and far between. For the most part, your skills with people, your ability to sift out the "differential truth" will be the most useful. There will also be a handful of situations where the tone of the scene will change, and you will likely be the one to notice something is up. Looking for the threat never goes away. COndition Yellow all the time, every time, every call.
"I Aint dyin in no ghetto" Oldie from my academy. Still a gold standard.