patients with carry permit

I'll just add that New York is one of the toughest states to get a carry permit in. The hypothetical patient would have had to undergo (and pass) a background check.

As a group, Carry Permit holders are statistically one of the most law abiding groups of people in the nation

In other words this patient is one of the people I am least worried about getting shot by...

Of course all we know about this hypothetical patient as presented by the OP is that they "fell out of a tree". They could only have a relatively minor extremity injury we're transporting to go get Xrays and a cast
OR they could've landed on their head and are suffering with an Altered Mental Status, or are in shock or similar, that's the case where I would be concerned about their firearm.
If they're Altered and waving the gun around when you pull up on scene, then tell LEO to hurry up, but we're gonna be staging till they arrive...
If you don't discover the firearm until the secondary assessment, say you're already in the ambulance transporting, and you can disarm them easily, well they're Altered so no one is gonna fault you for taking it away.

If hospital security wont take custody of the firearm, then you're stuck waiting for LEO to follow up to the hospital to take charge of the legally owned property values at several hundred dollars, that you can definitely be faulted and held accountable for if you lose or misplace it or whatever.

But that's all predicated on the patient being Altered. Most trauma patients I've transported in reality have been BLS, isolated, A&Ox4.
Someone who is not altered, just talk to them. If you're truly that uncomfortable that you feel a need to lock up the firearm, just ask them.
But if they decline, and you do not have a written policy at your service (or even a local or state law you can name), then quite frankly your feelings do not matter. We're professionals, just treat the patient, not get hung up on something that was a non issue until you made it an issue. Especially if you're in an area where its routine and normal to carry.

If ever in doubt, you can always call your Supervisor and ask them.
 
DrParasite said:
what if they don't want to secure the firearm in the lockbox, and want to keep it on their possession? Can you forcibly remove it from them? or can you refuse to treat and transport them until it is secured? in the OPs case, PD has an extended ETA, and I think that is where he is going with his question (other than the liability, in which case, don't pull the trigger, and minimal liability).
Click to expand...

Texas medic here. I explain, once, that ambulances and hospitals are generally gun-free zones and it’s way less of a hassle to leave the piece than it is to try and change that. If they insist, they don’t get in with me, nor do I force the issue. That, to me, is a gigantic red flag of a threat.
 
Happened to me a few times in Virginia, usually an MVA. If officer can't secure the weapon, I ask for it, and lock in the drug box. Turn it over to PD at the hospital or hospital security. Never an issue.
 
I’m amazed at all the different responses to what to do with a CCW holder and their weapon. If PD isn’t around you transport the patient with it. Everywhere I’ve worked you can’t refuse transport because they have a firearm. I get that firearms can be unsettling to those who aren’t familiar with them, but it’s not like in the news where the mere presence of a firearm is going to lead to bad things happening. If you have an altered patient if it’s safe you try to remove the firearm, but sometimes you have to just work around it and try to keep the patient from pulling it out. Oh and just an FYI just because PD is on scene doesn’t mean the patient isn’t going to pull out the firearm and try and shoot someone either.
 
Phillyrube said:
Happened to me a few times in Virginia, usually an MVA. If officer can't secure the weapon, I ask for it, and lock in the drug box. Turn it over to PD at the hospital or hospital security. Never an issue.
Click to expand...
Funny story, I was a paramedic as well as a police officer. Several times I was first in on a code, and could start advanced airway with bystander CPR. Usually I could hand off my care to the responding fire or EMS crews, no problems. One call was particularly bad, no backup close, so I rode it in with the box and a fire medic.

Cleaning up at the hospital, EMS supervisor tells me the driver tried to call for backup to relieve me since I had a gun on inside the box.

:eek:o_O
 
Phillyrube said:
Cleaning up at the hospital, EMS supervisor tells me the driver tried to call for backup to relieve me since I had a gun on inside the box.

:eek:o_O
Click to expand...
My very dear friend,
Please help me understand for I am old and my knowledge is poor,
What do you mean when you say, inside the box?
 
Phillyrube said:
In the patient compartment of the ambulance. We called it the box. NY calls it the bus.
Click to expand...

My very excellent and happy friend,
As most of the users on this internet usenet group are not in your state,
I therefore,
Kindly,
Ask you use language we all understand. I thank,
you.
 
Phillyrube said:
Funny story, I was a paramedic as well as a police officer. Several times I was first in on a code, and could start advanced airway with bystander CPR. Usually I could hand off my care to the responding fire or EMS crews, no problems. One call was particularly bad, no backup close, so I rode it in with the box and a fire medic.

Cleaning up at the hospital, EMS supervisor tells me the driver tried to call for backup to relieve me since I had a gun on inside the box.

:eek:o_O
Click to expand...

Oh brother... :rolleyes: I hope Learning occurred.
 
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