Warning Lights @ Sirens use in EMS

[oafr234]

our system recently began running no lights or sirens to most all of its calls. as example we have no stroke or diabetic calls that are lights and sirens. This has not gone over to well with the road crew. But we are in a very rural area where there is noone to get out of you way anyhow and I think the average diffrence was around 43 seconds. That said part of the reason for going to this system was that we are having a hard time getting the crews off scene in under 25 minutes. Why rush to a scene to just sit there?

[Dustdevil]

Why rush to a scene to just sit there?

Yeah, what possible good could come from instituting patient care earlier?

[Ace844]

our system recently began running no lights or sirens to most all of its calls. as example we have no stroke or diabetic calls that are lights and sirens.

I wonder if your potentially critically ill and sick patients and their families feel the same way...If that was you..how would you feel about this policy?!!?!?

[Guest]

As i stated 11 posts before. Ask the family of the next AMI, or traumatic accident if they feel it is worth it to run with lights and sirens.

I'd be willing to bet you would have your Butt handed to before you got thier answer.

[Just Plain Ruff]

I also have worked in all types of services. Rural or urban. I have found that in the rural areas I can get there just as fast running without L&S as I can with em. In urban settings it just depends.

In fact, I had a boss who didn't want us running in town hot due to the short drive to anywhere in town. less than 3 minutes. Heck our average response times in our small town of 5500 was about 4-5 minutes.

Out in the county it was 20-40 mintues.

Urban our response times were 10-12 minutes virtually anywhere. so we ran hot a lot.

I prefer a non-emergency response to non life threat calls but who is to say what dispatch gives us is non-lifethreat.

So the schools of thought are complete opposites at times.

But if someone can prove to me that getting there one or two minutes earlier can make the difference in life and death I'll buy you a coke. The only time is when you can get there and deliver a shock. There may be others but I've been doing this for 15 years, have seen countless patients and can count on my left hand how many people I've saved where the minute or two made the difference.

[Ace844]

I also have worked in all types of services. Rural or urban. I have found that in the rural areas I can get there just as fast running without L&S as I can with em. In urban settings it just depends.

In fact, I had a boss who didn't want us running in town hot due to the short drive to anywhere in town. less than 3 minutes. Heck our average response times in our small town of 5500 was about 4-5 minutes.

Out in the county it was 20-40 mintues.

Urban our response times were 10-12 minutes virtually anywhere. so we ran hot a lot.

I prefer a non-emergency response to non life threat calls but who is to say what dispatch gives us is non-lifethreat.

So the schools of thought are complete opposites at times.

But if someone can prove to me that getting there one or two minutes earlier can make the difference in life and death I'll buy you a coke. The only time is when you can get there and deliver a shock. There may be others but I've been doing this for 15 years, have seen countless patients and can count on my left hand how many people I've saved where the minute or two made the difference.

"Ruff,"

I'll submit one more to your list off the top of my and that is "Foreign body airway obstruction". The difference of a minute or 2 is truely the difference between life and death.....

out here,

Ace844

[Just Plain Ruff]

agreed, here's your coke.

Challenge now - what other calls will a 1-2 minute faster response make a huge difference?

[Dustdevil]

Here's your answer:

You don't know until you get there. And trying to assess your patient before you even get to his side is tantamount to malpractice. That's why most doctors will tell you, "I don't practice phone medicine." We shouldn't either.

[PRPGfirerescuetech]

agreed, here's your coke.

Challenge now - what other calls will a 1-2 minute faster response make a huge difference?

All of them.

Those who have been dispatched to a fall victim and arrived at an arrest will agree I think.

Dust: Well put

[Guest]

i have one question for all of us in EMS.

How often have you accually trusted what the dispatchers tell you that you are responding to?

I guess a better question would be when was the last time they were right ?

Thats why i respond lights and sirens when the pager goes off.

Of course that does not include Blood draw calls to our county jail for druck drivers