The majority of the general public believes EMS crews, haz-mat teams, and firefighters jump into any situation to help victims, but the harsh reality is we have firm protocols to follow. There are multiple emergency scenes we simply cannot enter even though a civilian’s life depends on our rescue and medical care. When I see emergency personnel break this protocol in a movie or I read it in a book, I lose interest in the story. When I see or hear about it in reality, I shake my head – instead of being heroic and helpful, that crew has created additional chaos to the situation by becoming part of the problem, thus making the issue at hand larger and more disastrous.
Below are circumstances prohibiting rescue crews from entering a scene:
1) The rescue crew on-scene is not trained for the situation at hand.
2) The equipment available is not efficient for the situation at hand.
3) The structure itself is unsafe and there’s nothing we can do nor equipment we can wear to make it safe for entry. To be clear, safe means safe for us with our training, knowledge, experience, and equipment. It doesn’t mean safe for the average lay person (a civilian).
4) Unstable and/or armed perpetrator(s) are inside the hot zone.
5) The air quality inside the hot zone is deadly, so even if we extricated any victims, they wouldn’t survive since they’re already exposed, so it’s pointless for us to put ourselves at risk by entering a toxic environment. Believe me, I know this sounds extremely cruel – these situations are awful, and they taunt me to turn in my badge and credentials forever.
We are able to rectify some of the scenarios above:
Scenarios #1 and #2 – Once it’s concluded the on-scene crew or equipment is inefficient, the correct replacements and/or additions are immediately dispatched to arrive on at scene. Depending on the location of the scene, however, and what is needed, it may be a long wait. Example: A tiny town several hours from a city. What other factors can you think up that would delay the arrival of efficient help?
Scenario #3 – Every situation is different, and this would depend on an array of factors. If we can’t immediately make a scene safe for entry, we’ll work on making it safe. In cases of fire, there are times we must allow the fire to burn itself out. Why do you think that is?
Scenario #4 – Various law enforcement is in control of these scenes. If they aren’t able to eliminate the threat of an armed perp, no one but law enforcement may enter the scene, but they have protocols to follow in doing so. With unstable but unarmed perps, EMS will forcibly restrain the individual onto a stretcher. At that point, that person becomes our patient and we refer to them as a psych patient. If necessary, we then chemically restrain them as well as maintain the physical restraints. However, in order for EMS to enter a scene of a potential psych patient, the scene must be safe. What ideas can you plot that would prohibit us from entering a scene of an unstable but unarmed individual?
Scenario #5 – This is a sad and unfixable scenario for real life, but in fiction this could work as excellent conflict, both emotional (characterization) and physical (plot). To be honest, this is how I handle these types of real circumstances – I pretend I’m an actress playing out a screenplay I’ve written, which helps me deal as I work the scene as a competent professional. I’ve taught several other rescue personnel this tactic, and it works for them as well.
Thank you in advance for reading and for your participation and comments. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask.
Dianna T. Benson
Thriller/Suspense Writer
EMT and Haz-Mat Operative
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After majoring in communications and enjoying a successful career as a travel agent, Dianna Torscher Benson left the travel industry to write novels and earn her EMS degree. A EMT and Haz-Mat Ops in Wake County, NC, Dianna loves the adrenaline rush of responding to medical emergencies and helping people in need, often in their darkest time in life. Her suspense novels about characters who are ordinary people thrown into tremendous circumstances, provide readers with a similar kind of rush. Married to her best friend, Leo, she met her husband when they walked down the aisle as a bridesmaid and groomsmen at a wedding when she was eleven and he was thirteen. They live in North Carolina with their three children. Visit her website at http://www.diannatbenson.com/
As a nurse on a federal disaster team that includes possible deployments to WMD events, I can think of one more scenario that could prevent rescue personnel from entering a scene. If there is the possibility of a secondary device in the area, teams would not go in until the threat was cleared. Terrorists often use secondary devices to disrupt rescue efforts and harm first responders.
ReplyDeleteExcellent point Erin.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely, that was one scenario idea I was looking for in responses. Great thinking, Erin.
ReplyDelete