had a ems friend get into some trouble

[runswithneedles]

One of my friends was arrested a week ago for DWI. is he going to lose his license? what kind of repercussions are their going to be for him in the long run

[Just Plain Ruff]

Your friend needs a good lawyer.

[scubanurse]

Your friend needs a better brain.

[paramedicmike]

You, I mean, "your friend" should consult a good attorney. You, I mean "your friend" should not post about it on on-line message boards.

It's impossible to say if you, I mean "your friend", will lose your, I mean "his" license. There are legal issues that will need to play out. I would expect, however, that insuring you, I mean "your friend", to drive would be pretty much impossible for the next several years. (Again, this will depend on local legal issues about which none of us can really comment.) So while you, I mean "your friend", might not lose your, I mean "his" license, you, I mean "he", may lose your, I mean "his" job.

[MariB]

You, or whoever got the DUI endangered the life of many, many people. How many times did he do this before getting caught?

[Chief1C]

Your friend should enlist in the armed forces before he she or it gets to a hearing. I know of a medic, now, who got two DUI's in one night. Nailed, someone picked him up and dropped him off to get his car. Nailed again. Became a Marine. Served. No repercussions, fines, loss of license, et al. But he became a paramedic afterward... Maybe they figured it was punishment enough?

[triemal04]

Tell your "friend" that he is an idiot, and an asshole. Tell your "friend" that he needs to grow up and stop acting like a whiny, immature little kid. Tell your "friend" that he needs to contact the state EMS office to find out what the repercussions are. Tell your "friend" that stepping up to deal with the consequences is what should be done instead of what...looking for sympathy? on an internet forum.

Tell your "friend" that he probably should be involved in another line of work.

[Just Plain Ruff]

I left all the chastising to the others here. I had a list of things to say but I knew that others would say them but you need a better class of friends.

I'm not going to assume that this "friend" was YOU but if it was, I'm very disappointed and frankly I'm really PISSED OFF at you if it was.

Now this friend of yours deserved to get caught, he deserves to lose his license and he deserves to NEVER EVER EVER EVER EVER work in EMS again.

How many drunk driving accidents do you respond to a year and how many dead and injured people do you see in a year that are directly affected by drunk driving? You can't count that high my friend.

To continue to associate with someone who is so irresponsible as to put so many lives at risk is someone that you need to run far away from.

NOW if I find out that this person who got caught is you, I'm afraid that our association is at an end. I have had personal friends affected and killed by drunk driving and I choose not to associate with people who are so fucking irresponsible as to not call a damn cab or a friend to drive them home. I've been called many times in the middle of the night by friends who were too drunk to drive because those friends knew that I would drop almost everything (except sex and I don't have sex that often) to come get them from whatever party they were at and drive them home.

To not call for a ride is just plain irresponsible and fucking stupid. Whoever your friend is is a freaking idiot and moron and SHOULD NOT be a paramedic or in EMS EVER. They should know better. There are some mistakes that I can forgive someone making but this is not one of them.

Edited June 24, 2013 by Captain ToHellWithItAll

[island emt]

Exactly what everyone above said Mike Ellis.

We started with you having lots of drama and it seems to have not changed any.

As far as I'm conerned drunk drivers rank right in line with child molesters. We don't need either of them in our profession.

Now for a reality check If your friend used to work in EMS they no longer will be able to drive which makes them useless as teats on a boar. The state EMS office may take action on the right to hold a license to practice. At least in the 5 different states I've worked in.

[MikeEMT]

Whether he loses his certification is up to the State and the regulations. You can probably look it up on the webpage of whatever agency governs EMS in your state.

Here in WA we are an affiliation state. You must be affiliated with an approved EMS agency in order for the state to issue your card. Lose your job and you lose your certification because you are no longer affiliated. If your state is the same you can count on losing certification.

As for the job, that is up to the employer. Most private companies will fire an employee for a DUI because of the insurance company requirements. Most public agencies will suspend pending outcome of the trial. Since driving is a requirement of the job and a DUI is an automatic suspension of a drivers license, losing your job is a very likely scenario.

Life is about choices and consequences. Make bad choices and you have to live with consequences.