Does it matter if a uniform has a badge or not?
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DesertMedic66
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Usually a badge is a sign of a professional job so most EMS agencies have badges. All fire has badges and all police have them.
EpiEMS
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Plenty of EMS agencies don't have badges, it's not necessarily a sign of professionalism per se.
Badges are more appropriate for EMS agencies that to 911 service. Badges are more appropriate for public service/community education/PR functions. Otherwise, just looking neat and professional is good enough.
I'm in the fire service as a FF/medic. We can wear our Class C uniform (button up with pins and the badge), or our Class D (polo). From May to October, it's optional to just wear a t-shirt. Public functions require us to wear a Class C uniform, or at least a Class D if the shift member was detailed in, or if it's an overtime person (who didn't know that a public function was scheduled).
I'm in the fire service as a FF/medic. We can wear our Class C uniform (button up with pins and the badge), or our Class D (polo). From May to October, it's optional to just wear a t-shirt. Public functions require us to wear a Class C uniform, or at least a Class D if the shift member was detailed in, or if it's an overtime person (who didn't know that a public function was scheduled).
Aidey
Community Leader Emeritus
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OP, what kind of badge do you mean? A metal badge that goes on your chest? A plastic ID badge?
DrParasite
The fire extinguisher is not just for show
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no. In fact, I prefer not to have real uniform badges for work uniforms. Dress uniforms, sure, for a wallet ID, absolutely, even scheduled PR events, if you want to, but for a work uniform, I prefer cloth badges.
many fire (and some police) departments are going away from metal badges for line staff, and switching to cloth for the safety and cost factor.
many fire (and some police) departments are going away from metal badges for line staff, and switching to cloth for the safety and cost factor.
NYMedic828
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NYC EMS stopped wearing badges I believe around the time they became FDNY EMS due to the fact that it made the EMS providers look too similar to police officers which is potentially endangering to the providers. The locals aren't often too fond of the po-po.
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We use them for dress uniforms, but not on our duty uniforms. That seems to work out well. Professional appearance for PR meetings and events (not that badges are required to look professional), and it avoids the potential pitfalls of looking too much like police on duty.
zmedic
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I back this. I'd rather not have a badge on when I'm working, especially if I was working somewhere that made me wear dark blue shirt and blue or black pants. Makes you look way too much like a cop to a drunk patient. I like having a nice clear line between me that is trying to get a patient to tell me if he's been drinking, and the cops who are about to arrest him.
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I agree.. Cloth badges are just as useful for ID, metal badges are just fancy "bling".. They can get caught on anything and everything, they can scratch or even lacerate a patient.
I don't like them around electronic equipment because they can be an outlet for ESD or in inlet for an arc flash in some emergency situations.
Also, I'm the girl with the sewing machine, I get paid $5 for every patch I sew.
fortsmithman
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I only have a metal badge on my service dress cap and one in my wallet. I do not wear it on my shirt.
SomeGuy9005
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My service does not have badges and I'm completely fine with that. Helps me not be confused with a police officer. I have no need or desire to have a wallet badge either.
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Yea, those reflective bright yellow "shoot me first" vests are bad enough...
abckidsmom
Dances with Patients
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Funny- I've never even come close to being mistaken for being a cop. Something about the bag, the patient care, the way we carry ourselves and the ambulance we get out of at the scene. None of the places I've worked have we worn anything that resembled what the cops wear.
In my department we are not allowed to wear badge and brass on the streets. Just name tag.
Aidey
Community Leader Emeritus
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I've been mistaken by a cop when wearing ems pants and a blue job shirt without a badge. I've also been mistaken for a store employee when in the same get up and grabbing a quick lunch. I think it has something to do with the radio.
Bullets
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We wear cloth badges on our uniforms, Fire doesnt, just a Maltese cross.
Police wear light blue and white for officers, so very unlikely we get mistaken for cops in this area
Police wear light blue and white for officers, so very unlikely we get mistaken for cops in this area
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Where I used to work in Maine, our uniform was a blue shirt( same/similar colour as the Maine state police ) with badge and dark navy pants. From the waist up we looked like troopers. We were constantly being mistaken for police. We switched to polos and t shirts and the issue went away for the most part.
NYMedic828
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From a NYC standpoint, it is very common for an EMS provider to be mistaken for a police officer.
When something legitimate occurs NYPD turns out extremely fast in extreme numbers. They probably won't even see your ambulance or notice that your patches are different in the sea of cops. They don't neccesarily realize that the bright red bags are EMS guys and many people wear a duty belt, making them look even more cop-like.
NYC EMS used to wear white shirts with green pants and a badge that was exactly the same as the NYPD badge but it said EMS. When they became FDNY EMS I believe around 99' I'm not 100% they switched to the current navy blue that aside from the patches is pretty indistinguishable from a police officer. They removed the badges partly for this reason.
Furthermore we almost always have a police unit show up. For an altered patient, especially those under the influence they always think you are there to arrest them.
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