JEMS: Councilman Calls For AMR Policy Change

[INIT915 1,119]

This may be the most egregious example of naivete of any politician, with regards to a law enforcement/EMS matter that I have come across in some time.

http://www.jems.com/article/news/councilman-calls-amr-policy-ch

WAPT in Jackson, Mississippi reports that Councilman Kenneth Stokes is standing firm on his statement Thursday that AMR crews should have run into an active shooting incident to rescue a victim.

In an interview with WAPT Stokes is quoted as saying that rescuers should be willing to risk their lives in saving others. The heated comments started on Thursday when Stokes criticized AMR for not rushing in an rescuing Lee Joseph Martin, who was shot six times at the Pleasant Oaks Apartments. Stokes made the comment that if AMR cannot accept the risk, then they should change their policy of the city should take over the ambulance business.

[SRS131EMTFF 471]

Just a case of a government official not actually knowing what the laws actually are

Mississippi Office of Health Protection, Bureau of EMS lists the phrase "scene safety" exactly four times in its February 2011 EMS Laws, Rule and Regulations.

http://www.msdh.state.ms.us/msdhsite/_static/resources/4007.pdf

In order:

103.03 Performance Standards for Medical First Responder

The Medical First Responder's primary responsibility is to the patient and should

include both an oral exam and an appropriate physical exam. Scene size-up

including: scene safety, mechanism of injury, number of patients, additional

help, and consideration of cervical stabilization.

Page 81

105 PERFORMANCE STANDARDS FOR THE EMT-BASIC

105.01 Performance Standards for EMT-Basic.

Policy for Administration

8. State possible steps that the EMT-Basic may take to help reduce/alleviate

and explain the need to determine scene safety.

Page 111

105 PERFORMANCE STANDARDS FOR THE EMT-BASIC

131. Explain the rationale for crew members to evaluate scene safety prior to

entering.

Page 118

104 PERFORMANCE STANDARDS FOR EMT-ADVANCED LEVELS

104.01 Performance Standards for Emergency Medical Technician-Advanced Levels.

The EMT's -Advanced's primary responsibility is to the patient and should

include both an oral exam and an appropriate physical exam. Scene size-up

including: scene safety, mechanism of injury, number of patients, additional

help and consideration of cervical stabilization.

Page 180

I fail to see how the crew from AMR failed in any way to follow the rules, regulations and laws of Mississippi EMS. Sounds like this guy has a problem with the Laws and not crew but is blaming the crew as a proxy for the law

Edited November 20, 2010 by bvfdjc316

[JetPhoto 626]

They better start paying EMS workers A LOT BETTER and give use guns and body armor!

[dmc2007 17]

This incident is fairly old news. It sparked up a good bit of controversy, but nothing ever came of it. Even the county Department of Health went so far as to say that a) the councilman (and the City Council) have no control over the EMS contract, but that the county does, and the county supported the Medics' decision to stage and had no problem with AMR's policy.

[INIT915 1,119]

This incident is fairly old news. It sparked up a good bit of controversy, but nothing ever came of it. Even the county Department of Health went so far as to say that a) the councilman (and the City Council) have no control over the EMS contract, but that the county does, and the county supported the Medics' decision to stage and had no problem with AMR's policy.

I'm not sure I'd call it old news, the article indicates it happened within the past two months. And, while common sense prevailed over the other interested stakeholders, the shear ignorance of this elected official is unnerving. (And we could be just as liable to have one up our way.) It makes no difference that an official like this cannot follow through on his threats, rather, the mere fact he seems to believe what he says shows how disconnected some elected officials are to what we do.