EMT job in a school

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plmediatech

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Ok First off I have all the training needed for all sorts of emergencies so that is not an issue. My question is has anyone ever heard of an EMT being on staff at a Private Elementary School? The Job is to be in charge and first responder to emergencies (Fire, Medical, etc.). The School is also 3 campuses what is your thought on transportation between campuses? We are in Virginia by the way. Any productive thoughts are welcome! Thank you!
 
When you say "The job is to be in charge," does that mean you're expecting to work unsupervised as the highest medical authority?
 
You'll need an OMD in order to practice EMT skills. Or would you be a first responder providing layperson first aid skills? Segway? Golf cart? Vehicle? Medical supplies stored at each building? Or carried with you and stored in an office or closet when you're not on duty? Will your coverage responsibility be only during regularly scheduled school days? What about after school activities? What about parent-teacher meeting days? Weekend activities (sporting events, SATs, facility rentals). What's your liability if you make a mistake? What happens if there are two patients or incidents at the same time in two different places, or buildings? How far away is your community EMS and fire response? That's enough questions for you to think about for now.
 
how big is the school? how many "emergencies" do they have per year? I work PT for a university that has 6 campuses, ~35,000 students, not counting faculty, staff and guests, and a fire marshal's office that has 4 full time employees, who respond to all emergencies, and they still have a ton of other work not related to emergency response (fire inspections, extinguisher inspections, health and safety work, special events, etc). I can't see any private elementary school have a need for an on-site emergency responder.

If you can find a school who will pay you well to do it, and insure you against any potential lawsuits, provide you with all the required equipment, and will buy you a vehicle to allow for transportation, go for it. But I would picture that being a very boring job. Very very boring, filled with lots and lots of non-emergency work
 
DrParasite said:
how big is the school? how many "emergencies" do they have per year? I work PT for a university that has 6 campuses, ~35,000 students, not counting faculty, staff and guests, and a fire marshal's office that has 4 full time employees, who respond to all emergencies, and they still have a ton of other work not related to emergency response (fire inspections, extinguisher inspections, health and safety work, special events, etc). I can't see any private elementary school have a need for an on-site emergency responder.

If you can find a school who will pay you well to do it, and insure you against any potential lawsuits, provide you with all the required equipment, and will buy you a vehicle to allow for transportation, go for it. But I would picture that being a very boring job. Very very boring, filled with lots and lots of non-emergency work
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So I should probably give more info. That I purposely left out to see what responses I would get. First of all I am the technical director at the school. I will be the person in charge of emergencies. With that said I am a trained EMT and Firefighter and special rescue training. I will basically be “glorified first aid” provider I will not be doing any advanced things other than deciding if 911 should be called or if the parent should be called. This idea came about because a few times last year the school called 911 and parents got mad and the school has not called when we should have. So other than basic first aid. I will do a primary assessment to call 911 or parents. I will not have authorization to do anything that would require a medical control call or anything. We do also have a physician that helps to maintain health regulations and testing. Who I can call if need be. She is not at the school full time. She comes when something is scheduled. Please do not get worked up. I was more asking to see thoughts on the whole thing. The doctor comes about 1 day a week and then more beginning of school to help with paper work and initial needs. I guess she is my medical control.
 
You post a question asking for assistance. Then come back and admit you weren’t telling all. And you STILL expect assistance?

I foresee you posting up soon asking for legal advice...
 
plmediatech said:
So I should probably give more info. That I purposely left out to see what responses I would get. First of all I am the technical director at the school. I will be the person in charge of emergencies. With that said I am a trained EMT and Firefighter and special rescue training. I will basically be “glorified first aid” provider I will not be doing any advanced things other than deciding if 911 should be called or if the parent should be called. This idea came about because a few times last year the school called 911 and parents got mad and the school has not called when we should have. So other than basic first aid. I will do a primary assessment to call 911 or parents. I will not have authorization to do anything that would require a medical control call or anything. We do also have a physician that helps to maintain health regulations and testing. Who I can call if need be. She is not at the school full time. She comes when something is scheduled. Please do not get worked up. I was more asking to see thoughts on the whole thing. The doctor comes about 1 day a week and then more beginning of school to help with paper work and initial needs. I guess she is my medical control.
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Sounds like a fair amount of speculation about who will be playing what role. I'm only suggesting it might not be in your best interest to take on medical responsibilities under the conditions you describe. Why not just let people call 911 if they think it's needed? If you make that decision and you're wrong, what then?
 
plmediatech said:
So I should probably give more info. That I purposely left out to see what responses I would get. First of all I am the technical director at the school. I will be the person in charge of emergencies. With that said I am a trained EMT and Firefighter and special rescue training. I will basically be “glorified first aid” provider I will not be doing any advanced things other than deciding if 911 should be called or if the parent should be called. This idea came about because a few times last year the school called 911 and parents got mad and the school has not called when we should have. So other than basic first aid. I will do a primary assessment to call 911 or parents. I will not have authorization to do anything that would require a medical control call or anything. We do also have a physician that helps to maintain health regulations and testing. Who I can call if need be. She is not at the school full time. She comes when something is scheduled. Please do not get worked up. I was more asking to see thoughts on the whole thing. The doctor comes about 1 day a week and then more beginning of school to help with paper work and initial needs. I guess she is my medical control.
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yeah, it's usually a good idea to give out all the info... TBH, idk what a technical director does, but it's kind of irrelevant. And no one is worked up, but not giving all the info is uncool.

Couple of comments: if you are calling 911 for a (potentially) life-threatening injury, then the parents should be the next call. And if you don't call them, they have every right to be mad. And if you aren't calling when you should, then your staff needs to be educated on when to call 911. No offense to you, but if I'm a parent, and someone delays calling 911 until you get there (possibly from another campus) when my child is experiencing a life-threatening medical emergency, my first call when I learn of this will be to your boss, to have you fired; and if there are any negative outcomes due to your actions, my next call will be to my attorney. I wouldn't want that personal liability on me, nor do I think the school would.

a better option for you would be to create a school emergency response team, made up of whomever you deemed appropriate. trained by the appropriate personnel, and certified as such. They would all have other jobs, and should they be notified of an emergency, job permitting, they leave and handle it, alongside the 911 responders. Many colleges and industrial plants have them, and they act as first responders until the AHJ gets there. I would also discuss this with the AHJ, to get their feedback.

But make sure your staff know when to call 911... and most 911 responders (as I am sure you know) would rather call 911 when not needed, then not cal when they were... and I think most parents would agree.
 
As a full time educator, I've worked with many faculty and staff with backgrounds in EMS.

The right way to do this, as has already been shared, is to form campus Emergency Response Teams. Typically it's made up of staff certified in AHA CPR/First Aid/AED. Staff are provided basic first aid supplies and written Emergency Action Plans/guidelines, including when to call 911.

Search for Emergency Action Plan and you can see details about training, equipment, chain of command, emergency communications, transportation, and more.

Ours even include step-by-step instructions on how to direct EMS to arrive, school maps and aerial maps, and where to stage bystanders to help direct EMS.

Looking at the AHA CPR/First Aid/AED curriculum, there really isn't much that needs to be added to cover most of the injuries we see at schools.
 
I’ve taught the old Red Cross “Emergency Response” curriculum to many school staff members. It’s one step above basic first aid. And really, CPR, bleeding control and how to manage some basic emergency situations is all you need. I’d actually posit that it’s better to NOT have an EMT head that position to avoid exceeding the scope of practice, it should be nothing more than first aid and calling 911.
 
Teams as stated....because do you ever plan on having a day off? Or calling in sick? What then? The whole system is now broken because one person is not on site...
 
So... how far apart are these campuses? How long of a drive is it between them? I'm having trouble picturing a fancy private Elementary School as described that's not in/immediately adjacent to the city/suburb where 911 response will be in the 5-10 minute range normally. Say you're at Campus A, and a call comes in at Campus B or C, I'm just picturing the ambulance arriving before you most of the time, which therefore pretty much defeats the whole purpose of the concept at the start.
 
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