First Responder question

[mutts252]

hey, just a quick question for those more knowledgeable than myself...

i hear from someone fairly reputable a little while ago that if you have your First Responder ticket, then you pretty much have to follow a whole new set of rules when it comes to medical responses. one thing she mentioned was that if some people on our small VFF dept. got their FR, the pretty much everyone would have to, and that there would always have to be 2 FR's on a call...

i may be talking complete BS on this one, but it confused the heck out of me when i heard it, so hopefully some light can be shed on this... thanks

[ABFF37]

I'm not sure of the rules in NB, but I don't think that would be an issue here in Alberta. I mean, if one firefighter is trained as a first responder, another has advanced first aid and CPR, another has basic first aid...in other words a mix of medical experience...they are all able to work within their scope of practice at a call.

So for example, your department and members are sent out to a motor vehicle colission, and end up doing some patient assessment and treatment before EMS arrives. If you are a First Responder, you can work within that scope, if you're an advanced first aider, well you get the point. As long as you do what you have been trained, certified and registered to do, there shouldn't be any problem.

The only issue that I can see with the whole thing would be if the department is trying to run as an emergency medical services department as well, be it Basic Life Support, or Advanced Life Support. In that case, then the provincial college of paramedics will have regulations to dictate how many First Respnders, EMT's, or Paramedics are required on a rig in order to achieve that standard of care.

But if it's just you at a call where a medical intervention is needed, and you work within your limits and scope of practice, I can't see why the firefighter next to you would need to be trained the same way. Just some of my thoughts...

AB

[mutts252]

the department i am with is in ontario, actually (i'm jsut out east for school).

but ABFF, that's kinda what i was thinking... it wouldn't make sense to limit people like that. we don't run as EMS, just first-response (ambulances are a good ways away, compared to us). i would have thought the better training anyone has, well, so much the better... as long as we didn't act outside of that training (like everything else we do as firefighters... don't do what you're not qualified to do...).

any other thoughts of inside info on this?

[Dave404]

the department i am with is in ontario, actually (i'm jsut out east for school).

but ABFF, that's kinda what i was thinking... it wouldn't make sense to limit people like that. we don't run as EMS, just first-response (ambulances are a good ways away, compared to us). i would have thought the better training anyone has, well, so much the better... as long as we didn't act outside of that training (like everything else we do as firefighters... don't do what you're not qualified to do...).

any other thoughts of inside info on this?

Nail on the head mutts - dont do what your not trained to do. We operate first response out of our hall - everyone is certified in cpr and advanced first aid - in order to run medical first response our medical director says that he would like a minimum EMR/FMR response. Our protocols are set up around this. As we operate under a medical director, we operate under his license - anything happens - he has to answer for it. We also have medical protocols we operate under. It all has to do with CYA!

Hope this helps - have no idea what a FR ticket encompasses medical wise?

[mutts252]

haha yup, good old rule #1... CYA... if you don't know, DON'T DO IT... unfortunately better to do nothing than something you don't know / aren't qualified for... too much litigation and liability. :(