How would you respond?

I've had this happen before and I sped up more only to have the medic yell to go even faster. I was new and eager to please my medic, but knew this was unsafe practice. After discussing it on station with other medics they all said "you drive what your comfortable with and if your medic is scared of a patient who's coding in the back of the rig with them then he/she needs to re-evaluate their skills". I took this to heart and only drive what I deem safe.
 
akflightmedic said:
I think a couple people got it wrong when they said switch seats. If I am already driving at what is safe for me, and someone else wants me to go faster...do you really want to put that person behind the wheel?

Absolutely not!

They have just demonstrated they are eager to commit unsafe behaviors and their mindset is not where it should be. Do not put your life in their hands at this point.

You calmly inform them you are driving at a safe speed for the road conditions and your intent is to arrive there alive without getting into accident either. No one can force you to drive faster or unsafe. Even if he pulled rank and gave a direct order, you have every right to ignore it. Who do you think the county/city/owner/HR will side with if he were to file a report?

Stand up for yourself and do not be intimated into unsafe behaviors.
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Amen
 
Now in defense of the passenger requesting more speed. I have had partners that could not drive as fast as the speed limit on a clear day, no traffic, on a straight away. I have known people to lose their jobs because they did or would not learn to properly operate the ambulance. We have only been given one side of the story perhaps the OP is someone who needs to learn to drive. I doubt it but it is something to consider.
 
People should not be telling you to go faster. Its funny working with different people- you see some drive like maniacs going as fast as possible (without crashing) to go to a 24 year old with fever (that told the calltakers they were short of breath or the like)

I drive much the same when I go L&S, accelerate faster than normal go a little over the limit where safe to, slow down appropriately for intersections. If we eliminate the yahoos and thrill seekers from this job we will see far less crashes
 
medic417 said:
Now in defense of the passenger requesting more speed. I have had partners that could not drive as fast as the speed limit on a clear day, no traffic, on a straight away. I have known people to lose their jobs because they did or would not learn to properly operate the ambulance. We have only been given one side of the story perhaps the OP is someone who needs to learn to drive. I doubt it but it is something to consider.
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On a clear day, perhaps. But in the snow? All bets are off. Even the crustiest provider in the northern Rockies has no business telling someone to speed up, the road conditions not the driver are dictating the speed now.
 
I've driven as fast as the engine speed governor on the ambulance would allow... and I've driven code 3 at some otherwise very slow speeds... all because conditions weren't safe for going any faster. I drove for 7 years... and have yet to scratch an ambulance. I actually have a severe dislike for going Code 3, even though I'm actually really safe and good at it. When I was an FTO, or with new drivers, I trained them to NEVER drive faster than conditions would allow, and that it was far better to be smooth and steady than fast and unsafe.
 
Akulahawk, remember that guy Murphy?

As in Murphy's Law?
 
Akulahawk; said:
I've driven as fast as the engine speed governor on the ambulance would allow... and I've driven code 3 at some otherwise very slow speeds... all because conditions weren't safe for going any faster. I drove for 7 years... and have yet to scratch an ambulance. I actually have a severe dislike for going Code 3, even though I'm actually really safe and good at it. When I was an FTO, or with new drivers, I trained them to NEVER drive faster than conditions would allow, and that it was far better to be smooth and steady than fast and unsafe.
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At my old company one of the EMTs was also a mechanic. And somehow some of the restrictor plates....fell off. Very strange coincidence.

Ah, a misspent youth.

I wanna go fast.
 
Slow is smooth and smooth is fast.
 
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