Partner showed up reeking of booze...

I skimmed the entries above.

Pop a cap on him. Refuse the rest of the shift and tell your boss FIRST. Then don't talk about, refer questions to your supervisor. Secrecy and giving him tic-tacs will just make you an enabler. It will also probably put you cross ways to the licensure, and if someone dies, accessory or accomplice to mayhem, manslaughter or murder.n The company needs to deal with him.

If the other drivers etc are down against this, unless it is because the driver spread rumors about you first, you don't need a company that fields drunks.
 
slewy said:
Handle it like a man and tell him how you feel. Don't be that kid who is too scared to talk with your partner. If it's persistent then it would become a problem, but cut him some slack for the meantime, give him some gum, then move on with your day.
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Naw bro, its ok to drive drive drunk, tech drunk, treat while drunk, tube while drunk. Its not like youre risking my life or anyone elses. Because were bros and handle it like bros.

I would not tolerate it. OOS, call to supervisor, not getting on my truck or anyone elses. Forget his finances, potential consequences, etc. You suspect your partner is drunk, on duty. That is unacceptable anywhere.
 
The guy went out the night before, that does not mean he is drunk. This post sounds like a 16 Y/O high schooler who's the teachers pet. "I heard he went out last night, and that is wrong so he must still be drunk." You guys are implying he's drunk, people can go out the night before work. Just because he ran a yellow light and it turned red, that he has to be drunk. I think it would be 100% unprofessional and should result in termination to come to work drunk.
 
slewy said:
The guy went out the night before, that does not mean he is drunk. This post sounds like a 16 Y/O high schooler who's the teachers pet. "I heard he went out last night, and that is wrong so he must still be drunk." You guys are implying he's drunk, people can go out the night before work. Just because he ran a yellow light and it turned red, that he has to be drunk. I think it would be 100% unprofessional and should result in termination to come to work drunk.
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Reeks of ETOH, sleeping on floor, irritable = ETOH.
 
Rocketmedic40 said:
Reeks of ETOH, sleeping on floor, irritable = ETOH.
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+ running red lights = ETOH

And the attitude of "what are you gonna do, write me up?" Is not going to help. That statement right there is what would make me go straight to the supervisor.

How do you know what time he/she stopped drinking? Last night easily rolls over into this morning.
 
Once again, you guys are making a huge aquisation against someone where there is not solid evidence. Making an aquisation like this guy wants to do could effect his partners whole career. Him drinking liquor on the job is SOLID evidence, not him running a yellow light and laying on the floor.
 
slewy said:
Once again, you guys are making a huge aquisation against someone where there is not solid evidence. Making an aquisation like this guy wants to do could effect his partners whole career. Him drinking liquor on the job is SOLID evidence, not him running a yellow light and laying on the floor.
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And where is the SOLID evidence that he is completely sober? If the breathalyzer comes back with .000 then there shouldn't be (at least in most areas) be any issues.

Is your life worth it, to risk having someone who is possibly intoxicated driving. Is it worth the general publics?

If you were a patient would you want a medic/EMT smelling of booze to be treating you? Your family?
 
Rocketmedic40 said:
Reeks of ETOH, sleeping on floor, irritable = ETOH.
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I don't see sleeping at work an automatic indication someone is drunk. Enough of our employees have done it on occasion for various reasons that I really don't find it that strange. And I don't know anyone who isn't irritable after sleeping on the floor or in the back of a spare amb, so again, not that strange.

I just want to add that there is a long list of intoxicating substances that don't smell. If stupid moves in traffic, sleeping and being irritable are all signs of intoxication, would you guys report a partner that didn't smell like alcohol for those things? They could be stoned, or high on whatever.
 
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Aidey said:
I don't see sleeping at work an automatic indication someone is drunk. Enough of our employees have done it on occasion for various reasons that I really don't find it that strange. And I don't know anyone who isn't irritable after sleeping on the floor or in the back of a spare amb, so again, not that strange.
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But how many of those people smell like a cheap bar while sleeping on the floor and/or being irritable?
 
The last time I slept at work, I was working a late shift, and then an early shift. And I was pretty damn irritable that morning. I think poking a sleeping polar bear would have been safer than talking to me. Seriously, who is chipper and perky after sleeping in the back of a rig for 4 hours? Hell, if someone did that and was chipper and perky I would wonder where they were getting their cocaine from.

And you can smell like a cheap bar without ever drinking anything. Ever had beer spilled on you in a crowded bar or at a concert?
 
Aidey said:
The last time I slept at work, I was working a late shift, and then an early shift. And I was pretty damn irritable that morning. I think poking a sleeping polar bear would have been safer than talking to me. Seriously, who is chipper and perky after sleeping in the back of a rig for 4 hours? Hell, if someone did that and was chipper and perky I would wonder where they were getting their cocaine from.

And you can smell like a cheap bar without ever drinking anything. Ever had beer spilled on you in a crowded bar or at a concert?
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Actually no I haven't, but in all fairness I did just turn 21 a couple weeks ago.

And I wake up fine after sleeping in the front or back of the ambulance
 
BigPoppaBlueDevil said:
And did I mention my partner is kind of a ****? When they ran the red light, I said "hey just so you know that arrow was red" and they replied "what are you gonna do? Give me a ticket?" Normally I don't take that kind of bull:censored::censored::censored::censored:,

So yes, I should've called it in, but now it looks like we're together for the rest of the day...hopefully it remains a slow day.
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You saying this makes me believe that you're amplifying him being "drunk" just because you don't like him.
 
DesertEMT66 said:
Actually no I haven't, but in all fairness I did just turn 21 a couple weeks ago.

And I wake up fine after sleeping in the front or back of the ambulance
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Well, depending on the bar/concert, it happens. A few years ago I was the DD at a Flogging Molly concert and I ended up getting beer in my hair on my clothes. It was...unpleasant.

Some people can handle being low on sleep better than others. I do not handle it well. If being irritable in the morning was grounds to breathalyze someone, I would be getting tested at the door pretty much every shift. Same thing with sleeping. I get to work, check out the rig, and as soon as we start moving to post I curl up in the front seat and usually nap until we get a call.
 
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We have a "fitness for duty" policy. Here's some highlights...

The employee will arrive for work and be ready to function as a Paramedic at the specified time for which the employee’s shift is scheduled to begin.

This department has a “zero tolerance” policy towards the use of alcohol by employees at any time when they may be called upon to act or respond as a member of the department. No employee who has consumed alcohol within the previous eight hours or who is noticeably impaired by alcohol consumed prior to eight hours shall participate in staffing of a response unit, or in any emergency operations or training operations of the department.

If the employee, in the opinion of the employee’s paramedic partner, is suspicious for being physically or emotionally unfit to complete the scheduled shift of work, the paramedic partner is to contact the on duty shift supervisor. The shift supervisor is to then report to the employee’s current location.

The supervisor shall attempt to assess the employee’s ability to function as an ALS provider using approved methods (See Appendix I – “Fitness for Duty Assessment Guidelines”). If after the assessments the employee is determined by the supervisor to be unfit for duty, the employee may be sent home and the vacant slot at the station will be filled with unscheduled overtime. The employee will be charged sick time for the time that the employee is not actively “on the clock”.

If an employee, acting in good faith and without malice, reports to a supervisor that another employee may not be fit for duty, and it is later determined that the employee is fit for duty, the reporting party shall not be subject to any disciplinary or other action.

If a supervisor determines that an on-duty paramedic is unfit for duty, and that the paramedic’s partner knew or should have known that their partner was unfit, the partner may be subject to investigation and potential disciplinary action.


There's more, but that's the meat of it.
 
slewy said:
:rofl:
Anyone who runs a red light must obviously be ETOH.
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Mixed with everything else there is a possibility.

Lets look at this from a LEO perspective (I'm not not have ever been a LEO but I do have many friends that are).

A car runs a red light. Said car is pulled over. If the driver smells like a bar then said driver will get a breathalyzer. If said driver does not smell like a bar (along with other indications LEOs look for) then said driver gets a ticket.

There should be no reason why someone smells like a bar at the start of their shift (could happen during if you respond to a party/bar/etc).
 
Actually the driver would most likely get a sobriety test, and then a breathalyzer. Unless they were obviously impaired, like slurring their speech, or unable to stand up straight.
 
I fail to see why an EMS professional should smell like a bar rag at the start of their shift. Thats the red flag to me.
 
OP, If my partner showed up reeking of booze, I would ask him (or her) point blank "are you drunk? or still drunk from last night?" he says yes, "ok, go home sick, right now, you call the supervisor, or I will call the supervisor and tell him you are going home sick." He says no, "ok, go home sick, right now, you reak of booze, your driving recklessly, and your acting like a ****. either you call the supervisor, or we both will go see the supervisor." You don't want to be labeled as a rat, but you have to do what you need to do to stay safe.

We have all made mistakes, all done stupid things, and no one's career should be ruined because of one lapse in judgement. But you only get one freebie.

But there is no way I am working a full shift with that person, at least not without another party (preferably someone in charge) evaluating their ability to do the job and declaring them competant to work.
 
Hopefully your partner just went out the night before and took it a little to far. It happens to the best of us. Showing up to work with a hangover is one thing, its however, no excuse to show up to work hungover or visibly intoxicated when your job is to operate a vehicle or heavy machinery. No one should be driving like that, especially an emergency vehicle.
When I worked in the clinic my friend/partner showed up hung over, smelling strongly of alcohol one morning. He went straight to the manager and was honest. He admitted he had a good time the night prior and took it to far and was feeling ill from the effects. My manager simply took him out of patient care for the day and placed him in the back doing data entry and other various task.
 
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