Witness an Emergency: Do you stop?

MMiz

MMiz

I put the M in EMTLife
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When I got my EMT license two years ago I purchased a Galls BLS kit. If I could have fit a long backboard in my car I probably would have gotten that too. I look back at this time and laugh, wondering what I was possibly thinking.

But to the point; I've witnessed several incidents while off-duty where people have needed EMS, and I could have used my skills as an EMT-B. Whether it be vehicle collisions or just at a random location, it seems every few months someone could use my skills (and BLS kit).

Besides with family and friends I've just driven by and called 911, or did nothing. I'm wondering what everyone else does when off-duty. Whether it be my fear of being sued, or some other reason, I find that I really only help friends and family while off-duty.

What about you?
 
Haven't had to yet, but would if the situation arose. My general rule is that I won't stop if any emergency personnel (including PD) is on-scene. Around here, the response times are so short that if a Police cruiser's already there, Fire will probably be there before I could really do anything anyway.

My sister, who's a nurse, has stopped at a few accident scenes, a couple of which were in front of her house (she lives by a bad intersection for MVAs).

The way California law works, as long as you're not in an ambulance or otherwise being paid to respond (or "on-duty" if you're a volunteer), you're considered a "Good Samaritan" and protected from suit so long as you act within your scope. That's not to say you couldn't be sued anyway, but it would probably be dismissed.
 
New York and Vermont have pretty good "Good Samaritan" laws. You might want to check you state laws, I know at least a few states where it is actually illegal to drive past an accident scene when no other EMS are present. I think a good point was raised in the previous reply about response times. If you are in a city area then its probably no big deal to drive by. But if you are in a rural area and its late at night, you might be the first person to see the accident, and that persons best chance for survival.
 
Some good points were made here. If response time was 10+ minutes, I would definitely stop. In the count I work in, we have to fill out a form to be reviewed by a supervisor if we have a response time of 5 minutes or more. That's from the time the call is placed, not dispatched.

If I were to see something on a rural road with a longer response time I most likely would stop. That hasn't happened yet :)
 
(I have to appologize in advance, as most of my replies to this forum are from my experiences from up north. Since moving to Florida I've been out of the field. Please bare with me.)

Most of the counties where I'm from use Vol. FDs. and for ambulances it's either county ran, part of the FD, or AMR. So getting rescue to any accidents can be a few minutes. If I saw an accident and didn't see any PD/FD/EMS on scene, haven't heard it dispatched yet, or knew that there were injuries (or unknown for that matter) I would always stop. Most of the time all I had with me was my radio and a set of gloves. While I couldn't give much aid I could at least give a good scene size up for responding units.

Also, if I saw an accident and it was minor injury or none at all, I would call it in via cell phone. If there was massive injuries or extrication involved I would use the radio. By the time I finished notifying dispatch, the area Vol FD would usually be in the truck, door open, waiting to be toned out.

AND I SWEAR, once I got my FR cert I was like a magnet for finding accidents. I guess it didn't help that when I wanted to relax I would hop in my car and drive the rolling country side. Hey, gas was like a dollar something back then. LOL

Chimp
 
I have stopped once. I came upon a rolled over vehicle, no EMS on scene yet. I dont carry any equiptment (all though I am concidering getting some) in my car, but I decided to see if I could help. I found the driver and passenger out of the car, walking around!!! They were obviously intoxicated, and I was surprised to see they were alive. I looked them over for obvious injuries, and didnt find any. About 3 minutes after I stopped, EMS showed up. I told them what I knew, and went on home.

I have had some minor things happen, more first aid then BLS stuff. At work (Im currently a security guard, in the process of getting an EMS job) I am our first responder/first aid guy. When ever a maintence guy slices a finger open I get to stop the bleeding, then watch him super glue it shut :unsure: . What ever works, I guess

So, the short answer to your question is, Yes. If EMS is not on site, and I think I can be useful, I will stop.

Russ
 
Well, if I were along side the road, injured, I'd hope someone would help me... So I do the same when I see I can help someone. Weather it be an accident, or just putting out a flare at night so a motorist isn't struck by traffic while broken down, etc.

I live in a rural area, so I carry an extensive trauma kit to handle not only MVA's that happen between me and the firehouse; but farm and logging accidents; etc. I've stopped at quite a few accidents, some minor; a few pretty bad ones. Only one time have I arrived on scene of a fatal crash, being bymyself. That's kind of freaky, dark night, middle of nowhere; not able to really do anything to someone who is trapped. :unsure: I'd always stop at an accident, but if I don't have some type of protective gloves; I may not admit any medical training. :ph34r:

Always put your safety first...
 
I am only 16 years old, but my local FD offers a youth (16 & 17 year olds) EMT-B training course. About a week after i was certified as I was leaveing school (located at the intersection of a rural highway) the highway had a red light while a student was crossing a driver ran the red light going 55 mph. Our department gives everyone a Galls Dyna MED Trauma/O2 kit to keep in there vehicals if they chose to respond to an emergency off duty. I stoped and used my training and a product call quick clot to stop a masive bleed in the student. so in other words me stoping saved his life. I will ALWAYS stop.
 
I have, where I live there is a nasty chunk of road, (Highway 1 to Lompoc) with several places that have been pretty bad. Esp. after Fri. and Sat nights.
 
i live in an urban setting where response times are rarly >10min. however, when i see an incident that appears to require assistance and no other assets on scene, i'll stop and render aid. i also have mini run forms with stuff like sample hx and demographics and such. when the rescue shows up on scene, they are generally very appreciative.
 
If there is no one on scene, I stop.

If it's in one of the districts I volly in, or I recognize the responders, I will pull over and ask if they would like help.

As long as you work within your scope and as any rational person would, you are covered in my state. Besides, your general rule should always be "do no harm"...
 
I generally only stop if I actually witness it and there aren't any other emergency services onscene yet. I stopped once when I lived in MD because I witnessed a NASTY roll over with an unrestrained infant ejected. Fortunately, I wasn't alone. Two of the other people that stopped were an off duty FF and an off duty trauma nurse from Baltimore's Shock Trauma. I stopped once on the way in to work out here in Ohio too when I saw a little Geo get spun around several times in a blinding rain storm.
 
I stop when no one else is around, and make sure to call it in too. It helps that I am on a VFD in the county I live and work in, so I know most everyone in the FD's and LEO's here. I help until the appropriate personnel show up, then I scoot down the road. If its in my Fire Dist then I obviously do what I need to do. As for when I am out of town I wont stop unless I witness something.
 
I would almost never stop. My car doesn't have lots of blinkenlights or reflective striping, I (naughtily) don't have any reflective clothing with me, no first aid kit since my car got broken into at a remote trailhead on a backpacking trip, lucky if I have a pair of gloves, and a cpr faceshield on my keychain...

No aid or safety equipment, so I'd just be putting myself in danger and wouldn't be able to do anything useful. Even if I did stop and started triage, the first-on fire crew would just repeat everything. And stopping and saying "I'm an EMT, can I help you?" while off duty is just screaming lawsuit (Not saying anything and helping probably falls under being protected by the good samaritan laws.)
 
BerstEM said:
I am only 16 years old, but my local FD offers a youth (16 & 17 year olds) EMT-B training course. About a week after i was certified as I was leaveing school (located at the intersection of a rural highway) the highway had a red light while a student was crossing a driver ran the red light going 55 mph. Our department gives everyone a Galls Dyna MED Trauma/O2 kit to keep in there vehicals if they chose to respond to an emergency off duty. I stoped and used my training and a product call quick clot to stop a masive bleed in the student. so in other words me stoping saved his life. I will ALWAYS stop.
Click to expand...
Cool. In PA, you might be in trouble, because you were 'working' as an EMT without proper supervision, as called for under the child labor laws... but I digress (I was 16 when I was certified, too... I know the game).

Anyway... stopping is good, when you can and it is safe. I just got a new 5.11 "5-in-one" jacket, and one of the features is a hide-away reflective vest. I also have an ANSI-III vest in my Ambulance Co. duty bag that I keep in my trunk, along with a few flares I've bummed off of the local wand-wavers ;).
 
It is certainly one thing if you drive around with your '92 Honda packed with enough whacker gear to run your own EMS service looking for emergencies to respond to...

However, if you have the medical training (and possibly equipment) to help someone who is in need of emergency medical assistance, weather it be while your on duty or just driving to the store for some milk, you would be crazy not to render aid.

The way I think about it is this: if I was involved in a serious MVA and was in need of help, I would want someone to stop. If I was in that situation, I don't think I would refuse medical assistance just becuase the person was driving a normal car and not a big red truck...
 
Of course I'd stop. I may not be able to do as much good as I could with a fully-stocked ambulance there, but I can still at least hold c-spine or something like that.

I live in a rural area and due to the size of our district, it's actually fairly common for volunteers to arrive on scenes before the fire dept/ambulances.

I carry a reflective vest and a basic first aid kit, both of which I'd recommend for any EMT who plans to stop at a scene.
 
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Sure I'd stop. Then I'd put ito n my timesheet and get paid for at least one hours worth of time for it too.
 
(This thread was started in 2004. Ahhhh the memories)
 
an important thing to point out to the rooks, and maybe as a reminder for the veterans:

when assisting at the scene of an accident, dont commit yourself to one pt unless a)it must be done(ie life threatening injuries etc) or b) other rescuers of proper qualifications arrive and start to manage a pt.

this issue directly relates to things like c-collars. if you carry a c-collar in your personal jump kit and apply it to a pt in an mva, your committed to that pt. if thats the first pt you stopped at, youve blow your triage responsibilities as first on scene. lots of people dont realize that......
 
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