Speeding While Coding

[MMiz]

How fast is too fast to speed while coding? Most of us have run RLS (red lights and siren) down a road. I've done it on local roads, through school zoes, and on the interstate. My speed in each area is also different.

Especially working for a private company, the company and city expect you to have a great response time. Even with great coverage, getting that four minute response time isn't easy.

My question is how fast is too fast?

 

[squid]

The rule here is 10 mph above the speed limit.

Do you not have any hard regulations about it? I know some places just say you can exceed the speed limit as long as you don't compromise safety, but it seems that it would make the best sense to have an actual number...

I don't really know. Here, my limiting factors are the steepness of the hills and the engine power, or the slickness of the roads, which are ice-covered 8 months of the year. So I guess there is a lot of judgement required -- but i'm tno sure how one decides. I guess if you feel it's not safe *without* thinking of your patient or anything, it's not safe. You shouldn't have to be balancing the risk to you vs your patient when you're driving, IMO.

 

[hfdff422]

The quickest way to get there is to get there safely. If that means not speeding at all then don't. Never push the limits of what you are comfortable with. You should really take an EVOC course, that will give you some good pointers.

 

[ffemt8978]

We drive as fast as is safe for the current conditions considering traffic, visibility, road conditions, weather, location, time of day, and patient condition.

 

[TTLWHKR]

It's bad enough to speed while someone is laying there dying.. But when they are already DOA, chances are, you're standing up. Fast + Brakes + CPR = Trauma patient.:wacko:

 

[coloradoemt]

Rarely do I give the speedometer a glance. Regulating your response times according to a set speed does not make sense to me. I can understand putting a cap on speed but I drive by comfort level. There are times I drive over the 10 mph cap, there are many times I drive much slower. Everything I see through the windows and rear views dictates to me how fast I feel comfortable driving.

 

[hfdff422]

And that is basically what EVOC will teach you.

 

[Medic38572]

How fast is too fast to speed while coding? Most of us have run RLS (red lights and siren) down a road. I've done it on local roads, through school zoes, and on the interstate. My speed in each area is also different.

Especially working for a private company, the company and city expect you to have a great response time. Even with great coverage, getting that four minute response time isn't easy.

My question is how fast is too fast?

To fast for me is anytime that I am am running emergency or non emergency and unable maintain the safety of myself and or partner riding in back. This meaning driving in a manner that could sling him or me around and get someone hurt. The rule is safety first for the crew. But you have to maintain do regard for the safety of ALL others at the same time. Weather evoc states 10 or 15 mph hr above the posted speed or the company you work allows a much faster speed in the end it is not the company or evoc that assumes responsibility for your action's. It is you! And the 1st question is how fast were you driving? If you are driving faster than the posted speed you are already driving without do regard for the safety of others! Hope this helps.

 

[Ridryder911]

Ditto most replies... In my state, whenever one has a accident in a EVOC tecnhically it is always the EVOC operator fault. Our state law is the operator is supposed to "be operating the vehicle, in a safe & operating manner at all times"... so speed or no speed, it will be the EVOC responsability.

Be safe,
R/R 911

 

[mine-rescue-emt]

In our coverage area, we are allowed to run 15 mph over the posted speed limt when running code 3, providing conditions will allow it. Anything over that, and I've been told there will be serious consequences. (not sure what they are). At all other times, we are to follow the normal traffic laws.

 

[Stevo]

there are codes that are simply an exercise in futility where it's patty cake cpr, and there are codes that are viable saves

no protocall , bylaw or legaleese exists to justify stepping over the line to help someone

and if you haven't done that yet in ems, i guess you just haven't been around long enough to be confronted with it, have dogged that bullet, or just don't care...

~S~

 

[Jon]

I think the confusion is that Matt seems to mean "speeding while driving Code 3" not "speeding while working a code"

They are 2 seperate topics, and a mod could probably split this thread into two great topics.... How fast to drive when running hot, and whether we should run hot on cardiac arrests.

Jon

 

[hfdff422]

If it is cardiac arrest and you have ALS working the patient, the hospital is not going to do a whole lot more than the ALS unit will do. Using the red lights and sirens is reasonable when working a cardiac compromise, but speeding is not necessary (unless there are long straight roads to utilize). If the arrest is the result of trauma, that is different. Then you would use whatever means necessary to get them to a trauma center quickly. There are few situations that call for a hot transport. We respond hot to most situations when going to the scene, but I have driven hot to the hospital only once and that involved a gunshot wound. The "code 3" response is simply referring to lights and sirens if I am correct in my assesment. This should be governed by the speed that is safe to operate your vehicle at. Remember always stop for intersections unless you have the right of way- in which case you should still slow and look- regardless of the situation since there is no safe way to proceed through an intersection that you do not have the right of way in.

 

[nyc.ems]

how fast is too fast?...if it looks like i'm going to hurt myself and others...then thats telling me i'm going to fast.no matter what the condition you always have to drive safe.sometimes faster wont get you there at all..."BE SAFE OUT THERE"....the main goal for ems is to make it homeafter every shift!

 

[CaptainPanic]

main goal - get everyone to the ER in one piece!

-CP

 

[FFEMT1764]

Well our policy states 15 over the posted to a max of 70 not matter what...when we have a code here the fd drives us in, all bets are off, they could drive 50 or they could drive 150- varies by which fd it is...and we do not work traumatic arrests very often...unless they code in the truck then we dont go all that fast cause its 10 minutes to a level 3 center...45 to level 1 and no cpr in the helo per their protocol..hard to do unless its a ped anyways...but we try to drive at a safe speed that both gets us to the er timely and doesnt kill the crew in the back