epipusher
Forum Asst. Chief
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Unprofessional.
Glendale fire assaults patient after patient assaults them
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Well, that's not going to look good in civil court.
No physical restraint process ever looks good on video. Some look better than others. This one does not. I wonder how much this loss of self control and professionalism is going to cost this guy and the people standing next to him.
No physical restraint process ever looks good on video. Some look better than others. This one does not. I wonder how much this loss of self control and professionalism is going to cost this guy and the people standing next to him.
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He's in the FD, not private EMS. Probably not a damn thing.
I completely disagree. There are legit, safe ways to restrain someone x4. For it to look good on video you just need bights instead of tails ("safety knots") and a crew that is cool, calm, collected, and mature. As well, what you REALLY need is the context. Why are we restraining this patient? As seen in this video, we really don't know if the patient was truly combative to the point of requiring restraints.
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I see no context here. I am not sure where some of you are getting the "narcan slam" or whatnot. There are such things as combative patients who are not on drugs that EMS can (incidentally) antagonize, not that it matters.
If you hit me some cursing will probably result. But I'm not going to keep berating the patient especially knowing full well that a camera is there. If you're in public, you have to look professional. No excuses.
If you hit me some cursing will probably result. But I'm not going to keep berating the patient especially knowing full well that a camera is there. If you're in public, you have to look professional. No excuses.
avdrummerboy
Forum Lieutenant
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My narcan reference was merely an example, I do not know what happened here, just that I've been on many an OD call where narcan is pushed and the pt. comes around violently.
Nightmare
The FNG
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Video shows next to nothing worthwhile to explain the situation...but it does show that the FD lost their cool, if this was an overdose call....where is PD...if there was any hint that the patient could be combative...where was PD? Yes i understand sometimes units are tied up and nobody is available or they are so far away it takes awhile for them to get there but unless this person was dead/dying...stage and wait, PD is trained to handle these situations much better than us (and they have a gun) so much unexplained and i think so much that could have been handled better.
DesertMedic66
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Because dispatch is always 100% accurate with the information they are given on the nature of the call? If I had a nickel for every "unknown medical aid" that turned out to be a call involving drugs, I would have gas money for a while.
Where was PD when a 35 year old fell off a ladder, hit his head and gets combative for us? Or the seizure patient who is hypoxic? Or the diabetic patient? Heck if PD responded to every call where there may be a hint that the patient could go combative we might as well just have an officer in the ambulance because it's a decent number of calls.
ViolynEMT
Forum Chiefess
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The pt had been assaulting his father and then turned to the firefighter and started to assault him. Got some good punches in there. Four firefighters are on paid administrative leave. 2 firefighters were hit. The pt has been arrested and there is an ongoing investigation. The pt's father is being charged with one count of aggravated assaulted. The Glendale FD apparently states: "Our current policy states that if you are in a physical altercation and you are in fear for yourself, the crew, and the public, you can use any means necessary to subdue the attacker," said Burdick.
I think the firefighter went way overboard. I don't like to say too much I wasn't there. Didn't see what happened before the video. The firefighter definitely had some trouble controlling his anger. And where were the police?
I think it was ridiculous that the FF was threatening to have many family members arrested.
I think the firefighter went way overboard. I don't like to say too much I wasn't there. Didn't see what happened before the video. The firefighter definitely had some trouble controlling his anger. And where were the police?
I think it was ridiculous that the FF was threatening to have many family members arrested.
I bet they're rethinking that decision to wear shorts...
Seriously, the whole thing, from the one guy telling the camera operator to stop to the clown threatening to have everyone arrested was a complete, total, and epic ****ing disaster on the part of everyone involved that all I could think of was that the shorts must be really uncomfortable when you have to kneel down on hot pavement.
The entire crew needs to be disciplined and the patient needs to be prosecuted.
Everyone walks away unhappy, a perfect compromise...
Seriously, the whole thing, from the one guy telling the camera operator to stop to the clown threatening to have everyone arrested was a complete, total, and epic ****ing disaster on the part of everyone involved that all I could think of was that the shorts must be really uncomfortable when you have to kneel down on hot pavement.
The entire crew needs to be disciplined and the patient needs to be prosecuted.
Everyone walks away unhappy, a perfect compromise...
I didn't see any injuries on the father when they interviewed him. I did see the pt's face all swollen up with a black eye though. The father also denied in the interview that the pt ever assaulted him, and his physical appearance backs that up.
The FF's ****ed up, bottom line. If they didn't they wouldn't be on leave.
If you're going to file charges on every patient that ever hits you, you're going to spend a lot of time in a court room. Occupation hazard, it happens. Get over it. The only time charges should be filed is if the person is in a proper state of mind.
ViolynEMT
Forum Chiefess
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I just want to make it clear that I am not, in any way, defending any part of what the FF'S did. I live in Phoenix and was just reporting. The information that I put in my last post was taken directly from a news source. And we know how reliable they are. Lol
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If you're drunk/on drugs and assault and injure me you bet I will file charges. They chose to get drunk, they can deal with the consequences.
Well given the fact that I work on film sets for pay and running/racing events as a volunteer the likelihood of me getting hit is pretty slim but I'm pretty sure that I'd let the prosecuter file charges against anyone who might assault me.
irishboxer384
Forum Captain
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Last time I checked fire fighters and medics don't get paid to get hit by the general public, be it by someone of 'proper state of mind' or not.
Exactly. I think the consensus here is that as responders we wouldn't necessarily bend over and take it, we just wouldn't dish it out in return.
That said, yay for working in a hospital where it is a felony if a patient assaults staff. Oh wait, not unless that staff member has taken a CE course in crisis prevention!
Problem is: anything we do to subdue a patient looks like assault, especially when the public only records from when we start 'fighting' with the patient.
I have had patients that get upset when we start IV's; I would hate to see what papoosing a child looks like on video
I have had patients that get upset when we start IV's; I would hate to see what papoosing a child looks like on video
DesertMedic66
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So then you would file charges for seizure patients, head trauma patients, or diabetic patients who are combative?