Ambulance

Los Angeles Fire Department For my research I chose the Los Angeles Fire Department. Their Mission statement is “to preserve life and property, promote public safety and foster economic growth through leadership, management and actions, as an all risk life safety response provider.” I found it important to note that LA city is the biggest in size and second most populated city in the United States, so they have a very big and important mission. History- The city of Los Angeles was founded in…

Paramedics are repeatedly exposed to critical incidents. Critical incidents are events involving death, life-threatening injury, a crisis situation with a need for rescue or emergency that may result in stress-related reactions and the development of PTSD. Statistics show “paramedics have the highest incidence of PTSD, higher than police or firefighters (McFarlane, Williamson, & Barton, 2009), reporting that up to 22%, or more than one fifth, of paramedics will develop PTSD (Bennett et al.,…

As the red and blue emergency lights emanated from our ambulance during a cold January night, I began to think about the possible medical emergencies (chest pain) that I might encounter upon our arrival. Whether it was an asthma exacerbation, aortic dissection, or costochondritis, I needed to think and prepare for every possibility. However, my thoughts were soon interrupted by my partner, who turned off the sirens and picked up the radio. “Dispatch, this is Rescue three. On scene.” “Copy,…

In our daily life, emergency situations occur frequently. Places and settings including emergency rooms, intensive care units (ICUs), multi-casualty incidents (for instance car crashes) and mass casualty incidents (including fire outbreak and natural disasters) can all fall under the umbrella of emergency situations [Hoppes 2011]. These circumstances often involve immediate risks to health, life, property, or environment. In most cases, emergencies require urgent intervention to prevent a…

There are many concerns for a first responder when responding to an international terrorist event on US soil. Due to the vast amount of different types of terrorist attacks that could possibly occur on US soil it is hard to say for certain all the risks that a responder may encounter. These attacks may range from an explosive device in a single structure to the release of a chemical weapon on a city. However, there are some general risks that first responders may encounter in most cases.…

First responder refers to a person who has been trained in the emergency response field. First responders may have multiple tiers of training, depending on what the requirements are for the services they provide Firefighter is defined as a person who fights fires; spec. a member of a fire service trained to extinguish fires and to provide other emergency and rescue services. (firefighter, n." OED Online. Oxford University Press, March 2016. Web. 21 March 2016).Fire fighters work either full or…

The person who I interviewed was Oscar Ward, a Paramedic Captain. The focus of the interview was the communication system between the firefighters, and with the other emergency agencies. Captain Ward mentioned that face-to-face is their primary way of communication within the fire department, and with the other emergency agencies. In other emergency circumstances, radio will be another common communication system to use. It caught my attention on how does the communication system work during…

In a perfect world, brutality, car crashes, and other catastrophes would not occur. Then infections and sickness would be nonexistent. EMTs or paramedics would not have a purpose for their job. Unfortunately, our world is not a perfect place. EMTs or paramedics are globally essential to our society. In Breathe: Essays from a Recovery Paramedic, the author, whom is a former paramedic emphasize the stressful circumstances and difficult incidents that she experienced on a daily basis. Using…

Kevin Hazzard’s article “Paramedics are taught not to risk their lives after mass shootings. They should.,” gives his opinion on paramedics not being allowed to enter a crime scene in which could potentially put their lives in danger. Who is Kevin Hazzard and why is his opinion relevant? First off, Hazzard was a paramedic himself for about ten years. In his article, he refers back to incidents during his career where it was extremely difficult to not put his own life in danger while also trying…

Keith Hallmark is a firefighter who knows the struggles life as a first responder can put on the family. When he was 20 years old, Hallmark began his career as a firefighter. He attended fire school at Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service where he became certified with the Texas Commission on Fire Protection. He said that at 20 years old he liked the work schedule of a firefighter. From there, his career grew. Hallmark is now an instructor, fire investigator, firefighter, hazardous…