Gunfire and EMS

[Guest partyrock]

Its a few months old, but I came across it while looking for something else. Its a shame this didn't get more press. Where's the BLS in Brooklyn?

http://www.jems.com/news_and_articles/arti...Under_Fire.html

FDNY EMS Crew Acts Heroic Under Fire

* A.J. Heightman, Editor-in-Chief, JEMS, Steven Morelli, Deputy Chief, Division 5, FDNY EMS

* July 12, 2007

On Saturday, June 7, a Fire Department of New York (FDNY) ambulance crew, operating as paramedic unit 57V3, stopped to assist a driver involved in a motor vehicle collision they encountered while transporting another patient to a hospital. They ended up having to seek cover when threatened with a weapon by the vehicle’s driver. This same crew, minutes after being threatened by the gun-wielding driver, reversed their course and treated the perpetrator after he sustained mortal gunshot wounds in a gun battle with police. What follows is an accounting of the incident.

At about 2 p.m., , the ambulance was transporting a 9-month-old female with seizures to Kings County Hospital in Brooklyn,. While proceeding south on Albany Avenue, the crew encountered a car that had just struck a lamppost. The driver appeared to be injured and possibly trapped.

Paramedic Jacob Dutton, the driver, stopped the ambulance and proceeded to approach the car. As he closed in on the vehicle, the driver of the automobile raised a handgun and pointed it at Dutton’s face.

Dutton immediately retreated, running toward the rear of the ambulance. His partner, paramedic Joseph Fraiman, and their Northeastern University paramedic student observer, Duncan Regonini began to emerge from the rear doors of the ambulance. Dutton yelled for them to remain inside and continued running until he was behind the vehicle, out of sight of the armed driver.

When Dutton was safely behind the ambulance, Fraiman and Regonini questioned the integrity of the ambulance for bullets, so the entire crew, along with their patient and the patient’s parents, left the vehicle for the safety of a nearby delicatessen.

While this was occurring, members of the New York Police Department were arriving on the scene. As the FDNY crew entered the deli, an exchange of gunfire began. The crew then ushered their patient and her family, as well as the patrons and staff of the deli, toward the rear of the store for protection.

During the shooting, several teenagers appeared in front of the store, and the crew then redirected their efforts to getting the teenagers inside where they could also be protected.

After more than a minute of continuous gunfire, the scene grew quiet. The crew first ascertained from NYPD that the scene was secure and then left the deli to determine if there were any on-scene injuries. NYPD officers advised the crew that there were no police officers injured but the perpetrator was shot numerous times.

The crew of ambulance 57V3 began assessing the patient as other ambulances arrived on scene. Dutton stayed with the gunshot victim and Fraiman remained with the original patient along with Regonini. CPR was started, and C-Spine immobilization was performed as the pulseless and apneic patient was placed into FDNY ambulance 37W.

The gunshot victim was transported to Kings County Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries. Additional units on the scene removed the remaining patients and several police officers involved in the shooting. It was later determined that the initial involved ambulance (57V3) sustained damage from an errant bullet. The vehicle’s body was dented but not punctured. However, the bullet’s impact point on the left rear of the ambulance patient compartment was dangerously close to where the stretcher is positioned and just forward of the vehicle’s fuel port.

Immediately after all patients were removed from the incident location and the scene was secured by NYPD, 57V3’s crew was removed to the 77th Precinct to be interviewed by detectives and a district attorney. After their statements were taken, the crew members returned to their station, where they were interviewed by a member of the FDNY Counseling Services Unit and then sent home.

NYPD Sergeant Shawn Kelly commended the members of unit 57V3 for the outstanding job they did of ensuring their initial patient, co-workers, ambulance occupants and deli patrons were protected, and for providing an accurate accounting of the incident that was crucial to the investigation.

This incident demonstrates the inherent dangers EMS crews are confronted with on a daily basis, and the dedication, composure and professionalism FDNY crews and other EMS crews throughout the nation exhibit when confronted with dangerous and challenging circumstances.

EMS

UNITS

STAFF

INVOLVED

57V3

Jacob Dutton, EMT-P

Joseph Fraiman, EMT-P

Duncan Regonini, Northeastern University student

37W2

Joanne Lopez, EMT-P

Franer Genois, EMT-P

28Y2

Anne Sale, EMT-P

Daniel Rella, EMT-P

57W2

Steven Hornbrook, EMT-P

Mario Bastidas, EMT-P

C573

Lt. Vincent Variale

[khas143 13]

Great Job by all involved! One question though, why did the ambulance stop with a patient in the back? Is this standard procedure? In the PD world, if we have a prisoner in the back of the vehicle we are not supposed to stop for anything. (In our SOP's, it specifically states car accidents and disabled vehicles)

Like I said I am not monday morning quarterbacking anybody but in todays day and age is it a wise idea to possibly put a patient and their family in harms way? Just throwing it out there for discussion.

[Guest partyrock]

I believe that unless the patient is critical (respiratory or cardiac arrest) or unstable (heading towards arrest) EMS is suppose to stop for any flag down, accident or other medical emergency they witness. I'm assuming the patient in this case wasn't actually seizing. I don't any medics who would stop for an MVA with a sick kid in the back.

[Goose 188]

Nice job 57 Victor.

[JBE 328]

It's called being flagged. I may be mistaken, but I think there is a duty to act. Even if it's just calling it in to the dispatcher.

Side note, that sure is a lot of ALS units in the neighborhood.

[nycemt728 49]

NYS encourages and I believe mandates ambulances stop and stabilize patients at the scene of a flagdown if the patient under their care is not critical. I agree, excellent job all around.