EMS Providers (EMT) in Dangerous Situations
The general public activates emergency services (fire fighters, police officers and EMS providers) with the expectation that emergency responders will mitigate situations that are dangerous and protect the public from further harm. As part of the normal daily routine, EMS providers are faced with dangerous situations. Some situations, for example response to an active altercation, involve violence secondarily directed toward EMS providers. In other situations, for example a motor vehicle crash, violence is not directed at EMS providers. In situations where violence is not directed toward the EMS provider, there is an expectation that the EMS provider will provide assistance in mitigating further harm to those in danger.
In an effort to provide guidance to EMS providers in dangerous situations, state and national organizations develop policies and procedures that must be followed in these situations. Many of these organizational policies mirror those published by organizations that have examined the complex issues and provide guidance that balance the EMS provider’s personal safety with the stewardship responsibilities placed upon EMS providers by the general public.
EMS (EMT) medical expert witness specialties include EMT and emergency medicine.