Ellenville EMT breaks rules to help 4-year-old

MMiz

MMiz

I put the M in EMTLife
Community Leader
Messages
5,593
Reaction score
459
Points
83
Ellenville EMT breaks rules to help 4-year-old

ELLENVILLE — The resignation of an Ellenville First Aid and Rescue Squad volunteer who admits breaking rules to transport a sick child to the hospital has caused an outcry in the community.

Despite squad rules requiring someone to be 21 to drive the ambulance, Sawyer got in the ambulance, drove some 4-5 miles, picked up the child, his mother, and the paramedic and got them to Ellenville Regional Hospital without an issue.

Read more!
 
So he violated a clearly defined company policy?

Sounds like he was given an appropriate treatment.

Unless those seizures are status and the patient is become hypoxic/emic why can't we wait the few extra minutes?
 
No resignation written on the spot should be accepted for 24 hrs.

Without knowing the whole story and sitting here with my cup of cocoa, here's a super-trooper who broke a rule and it worked out ok. It may not have been warranted, and the hair-trigger resignation points to some degree of immaturity (or he was smacked around by the Board and that wasn't mentioned). Another 20 y/o may not be as lucky nor as trained and employed. We also don't know if this individual has a history of shaving and dissing rules.

I think the person's boss should have been able to handle it. Calling in the Board was either overkill due to fear of being a boss, or due to the young man having pushed it to this point.
 
And if the ride went bad would they be asking for his head on a platter?
 
What's the issue? He broke a rule he should've taken the consequence into his decision, he was punished like he should've expected, if he shut up, accepted it and stayed on he probably would've gotten his position back soon enough. His resignation was rash and uncalled for.
 
This quote: "The suspension Sawyer was offered came from a "culmination of different incidents" in which he violated policies and bylaws as well as other aspects of the Dec. 11 call, Gavaris says. He says he can't elaborate on those incidents." tells me there's a whole lot more to this story than the single incident, and that he took his "story" to the media to purposefully and publicly shame his employer.

Rarely are things black and white, and I think there's more going on than just this one incident with this particular individual.
 
mycrofft said:
No resignation written on the spot should be accepted for 24 hrs.

Without knowing the whole story and sitting here with my cup of cocoa, here's a super-trooper who broke a rule and it worked out ok. It may not have been warranted, and the hair-trigger resignation points to some degree of immaturity (or he was smacked around by the Board and that wasn't mentioned). Another 20 y/o may not be as lucky nor as trained and employed. We also don't know if this individual has a history of shaving and dissing rules.

I think the person's boss should have been able to handle it. Calling in the Board was either overkill due to fear of being a boss, or due to the young man having pushed it to this point.
Click to expand...

Being a volunteer agency it may have required a "special board meeting" to decide the fate of the member. At least thats how our local volley squads work.

OTOH he broke a rule, this one fortunately went ok. but what if he had wrecked the truck?

whats the difference if a paramedic student who's not certified but can perform a needle cric, and was appropriately trained to do so? Or the EMT basic student whos just waiting on test results and a cert # to hop in the back of the truck becuase they are short?

Nothing, he broke a rule even though his actions did not lead to a poor patient outcome or harm to the crew. The rules are the rules exceptions for one makes an exception for all.
 
Interestingly, the headline in my EMS1 email said "EMT sacrifices job to save little girl". Slightly different spin, don't you think?

He wasn't authorized to drive the truck, he drove the truck. He knew the consequences of his actions.
 
DEmedic said:
Interestingly, the headline in my EMS1 email said "EMT sacrifices job to save little girl". Slightly different spin, don't you think?

He wasn't authorized to drive the truck, he drove the truck. He knew the consequences of his actions.
Click to expand...

Interesting the article here states he was a volley member, and a paid employee for another service.

Reminds me how much I love the media.
 
age7uha2.jpg
 
Sawyer thought about Mobile Life Support Services, where he also works and drives ambulances...
<snip>
Sawyer, who's also a volunteer firefighter and a part-time police officer in two Ulster County departments,...
<snip>
revoke his title on the communications committee and his title as advisor from the Youth Squad that he restarted as a 15-year-old squad member....
<snip>
The suspension Sawyer was offered came from a "culmination of different incidents" in which he violated policies and bylaws as well as other aspects of the Dec. 11 call, Gavaris says. He says he can't elaborate on those incidents.
Click to expand...
What's the term? Whacker? Ricky Rescue? Nothing to see here folks, move along.
 
unleashedfury said:
Being a volunteer agency it may have required a "special board meeting" to decide the fate of the member. At least thats how our local volley squads work.

OTOH he broke a rule, this one fortunately went ok. but what if he had wrecked the truck?

whats the difference if a paramedic student who's not certified but can perform a needle cric, and was appropriately trained to do so? Or the EMT basic student whos just waiting on test results and a cert # to hop in the back of the truck becuase they are short?

Nothing, he broke a rule even though his actions did not lead to a poor patient outcome or harm to the crew. The rules are the rules exceptions for one makes an exception for all.
Click to expand...


Zackly.

Triemal and Tigger, yes, reading between the slats of my crate this guy sounds like he's the Greg House of PHEMS.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Agreed. If you choose to break the rules, regardless of how little they make sense or whether or not your agree with them, you should expect to suffer the consequences. Sure, maybe he did it for a good cause, but that does not change the fact that rules were breaking.

I think this applies whether or not he has a history, which apparently he does.
 
Can't agree more. After reading about the incident and the politic responses, I come to the same conclusion. Probably an overzealous EMT that jumped on a call, in breach of policy, and got his reckoning.

His immediate resignation and subsequent attempt at shaming his agency speak to his immaturity. Granted, calls involving kids can work up even the best of us, but I imagine that he would have taken an ambulance regardless of the nature of the call. Probably looking to swoop in and save the day, and unhappy that it blew up in his face.
 
What would you do

A 20-year-old upstate New York volunteer emergency medical technician was suspended after he broke the rules to drive a four-year-old child to hospital.

The board the made the decision to suspend volunteer EMT and squad leader Stephen Sawyer after he drove the Ellenville ambulance to pick up a four-year-old boy who was suffering from a seizure and take him to hospital.

Resigned: Stephen Sawyer, 20, resigned after the Ellenville First Aid and Rescue Squad suspended him for driving the squad's ambulance
The Ellenville First Aid and Rescue Squad's rules dictate that ambulance drivers must be at least 21 years of age....


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...-driving-sick-four-year-old-boy-hospital.html
 
I'd have sent the first ambulance to the first call like the agency's protocol says to do "unless the second call is 'a bigger emergency'" or however they worded it, which the second call was not, from what has been released.

He did have a relatively good reason as to why he did what he did, stated he knew a paramedic was en route to the Sz call and supposedly a driver en route to him so he send the first ambo to the second call since there was going to be a medical provider on scene of the first one shortly. This is all fine and dandy provided you have the authority to do that, which he did not.

Furthermore, he had a record of previous unspecified transgressions. The defense "i drive an ambulance at work" does not work. If he had wrecked that ambulance there is potential that the squad could lose their insurance and hence their ability to operate leaving the area without EMS coverage.

Furthermore multiple people renowned him as a "hero", he is not a hero. Without knowing more about the calls it's complete speculation however I'd be willing to bet I know where that pediatric Sz came from. If the patient is not actively seizing and is breathing adequately it is not a time sensitive emergency. Multiple seizures with periods of consciousness, while needs to be addressed is not life threatening. Status epilepticus is life threatening.

My take on it is he wanted to go to the "better" or "cool" call then was forced to bite the bullet and drive in an attempt to cover up his mistake. Freelancing and self dispatching is not how it works, folks.

Furthermore he ultimately delayed transport of the pediatric patient with all these shenanigans. I bet, no I guarantee, if it had gone the other way and the little one had a poor outcome the public outcry concerning this gentleman would be far different.
 
Robb said:
I'd have sent the first ambulance to the first call like the agency's protocol says to do "unless the second call is 'a bigger emergency'" or however they worded it, which the second call was not, from what has been released.

He did have a relatively good reason as to why he did what he did, stated he knew a paramedic was en route to the Sz call and supposedly a driver en route to him so he send the first ambo to the second call since there was going to be a medical provider on scene of the first one shortly. This is all fine and dandy provided you have the authority to do that, which he did not.

Furthermore, he had a record of previous unspecified transgressions. The defense "i drive an ambulance at work" does not work. If he had wrecked that ambulance there is potential that the squad could lose their insurance and hence their ability to operate leaving the area without EMS coverage.

Furthermore multiple people renowned him as a "hero", he is not a hero. Without knowing more about the calls it's complete speculation however I'd be willing to bet I know where that pediatric Sz came from. If the patient is not actively seizing and is breathing adequately it is not a time sensitive emergency. Multiple seizures with periods of consciousness, while needs to be addressed is not life threatening. Status epilepticus is life threatening.

My take on it is he wanted to go to the "better" or "cool" call then was forced to bite the bullet and drive in an attempt to cover up his mistake. Freelancing and self dispatching is not how it works, folks.

Furthermore he ultimately delayed transport of the pediatric patient with all these shenanigans. I bet, no I guarantee, if it had gone the other way and the little one had a poor outcome the public outcry concerning this gentleman would be far different.
Click to expand...

This. He broke the rules and he resigned instead of facing the consequences of I his actions.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top