Manual Table of Contents
Introduction
When responding to a medical emergency there are several fundamentals that should be recognized and put into action to ensure the safety of both the patients and emergency medical personnel. This document will outline a general response to an emergency medical incident. Not everything here will be applicable in every emergency, but it can be helpful for orientating one’s self should a medical emergency occur.
Dispatched to an Emergency
Typically requests for medical personnel will come in two different ways: through the MDT or via the radio. The MDT contains 311/911 calls and requests from law enforcement. The radio involves a dispatcher announcing the emergency, normally the ones that appear in the MDT, but they can also assign units to calls in any order and to incidents not present in the MDT. The dispatcher takes precedence over the call order as well.
Response
Upon being assigned to a call, the responding vehicles should follow several policies for their safety and the safety of the public. Per the Manual, units responding can go a maximum of 20 mph over the posted speed limit. They also cannot go above 80 mph. Responding units shall slow at green intersections. For an intersection that has a stop sign or a red light, the unit is to stop and clear the intersection. Emergency responses are “Code R” meaning lights and sirens are to be used, with siren tones being cycled and the horn used to clear traffic.
Arrival
Once arrived, the unit is to broadcast they are on scene of the specific call they are on. For example: Rescue 32, Metro, show us on scene of the medical emergency at Vespucci and Power. An incident number can also be used to specify. Some medical emergencies can also be within a larger incident such as a fire or motor vehicle accident. The specific communications for these incidents can be found within the manual. Units that have arrived should bear in mind their surroundings. There could be threats to the safety of the personnel and civilians nearby. Law enforcement should be requested to scenes where there are laws broken. Threats should be determined and mitigated to the best of the unit’s ability.