Introduction
Emergency medical responders are people trained in a special way to give out-of-hospital care emergencies. They vary, each with various levels of training, starting from first aid to basic life support. Cases of emergencies such as seizures, loss of consciousness, chest pain, respiratory distress, abdominal pain, and traumatic injuries are responded to by the emergency medical services (EMS). The main concern of the EMS is offering emergency medical care to patients and providing means of transport to health centers such as ambulances.
Moreover, firefighters respond to the calls involving emergencies of forest and building fires. They must be available at any time, and they have to be quick to act. The main responsibilities of EMS and fire responders include saving life and rescuing, environment protection, safeguarding properties from fraudsters, and helping people in the use of fire extinguisher equipment where necessary. However, they face physical and verbal violence in their lines of duty. This research paper discusses mitigation of the risks and impacts of assaults on fire and EMS responders as well as the importance of the EMS personnel wearing protective body armors while responding to emergencies.
Body Armor for Fire and EMS Responders
The emergency responders also need personal safety as their lives are at risk. This is because they work in different places, with violent people, and under harsh weather conditions. They require personal protective equipment such as body armor. They also wear gloves and eye protection against infectious disease exposures. The personnel must first receive specialized training on how to use this equipment, and they have to be taken for a practical session where the integration of these skills is checked (Robinson, 2018). There are two types of armor; hard and soft. Hard armors are made from compressed laminated sheets, ceramics, and metallic plates, which incorporate more than one material. They can either break or capture and deform a bullet. Soft armors are constructed from aramid fibers where the overall performance is influenced by several layers within the panel and the order in which they are replaced.
To purchase the above products, the EMS agencies should look at those that have undergone testing. A licensed and reliable supplier should be preferred before buying to ensure the best quality. The background and number of years of experience of the manufacturer must be checked. The producer that the National Justice Organization accredits for a guarantee of use has to be prioritized (Robinson, 2018). The armor should fit properly and should allow the reach of a portable radio and any equipment. This is aimed at ensuring the safety and success of the rescue plan.
Risks Faced
The EMS and fire responders are likely to face verbal and physical risks in the process of offering their services. This is because of their mobile operation, encounters with violent people, and working alone (Taylor et al., 2019). Verbally, they can be threatened by victims and even by family members. In some situations, hate speech may be conveyed hence discouraging them from their work. Furthermore, motor vehicles can cause accidents resulting in various injuries, which may hinder their efficiency (Robinson, 2018). Some patients may be violent or mentally ill hence behaving abnormally, thus, causing threats. They might also be cut by piercing objects and instruments while on duty.
Poisoning is also common, especially when this personnel encounters individuals who might have bad intentions for them. Environmental pollution, in some cases, may prevent them from their peaceful operations. In some cases, they go to places with poor roads and changing weather conditions threatening them. Theft of personal effects and vehicles and damage to their properties may occur, causing a challenge to them. Both sexual harassment and assault acts like touching the genitals and the breasts of ladies are common occurrences. To curb this, necessary mitigation measures have been put in place to protect the lives of EMS and firefighters to ensure physical and emotional comfort.
Mitigating the Risks and Impact of Assaults on Fire and EMS Responders
The mitigation techniques can be developed easily by looking at the possible causes of the harm. The main focus is on the organizational policies, which can find solutions before they arise of risks. Therefore, effective policies can be put in place by the management and unions rather than the EMS themselves. The administration organizes training arenas and establishes operating procedures for the EMS and fire responders. There are various organized checklists for each phase of call to respond in the EMS health and safety, and the Aggression Continuum by Steven Wilder and Chris Sorensen (Taylor et al., 2019). Among the identified practices, none has been recognized as standardized training in the fire departments. This means that it is upon the emergency fire responders to train and equip themselves with the necessary skills. This creates a glaring gap in the training and the policies guiding them, adding to the many stresses and violence they go through.
Organizational Level Checklists
There are 174 items in the final SAVER checklists organized by the six phases of operation. These are the pre-event, scene driving, landing at the scene, administration of patient, readiness to return evaluation, and the post-event (Taylor et al., 2019). The pre-event phase consists of activities like needs assessment for the crisis and emergency risk communication. Development of emergency communication and determination of the needs to conduct the plans. The team to carry out the plan is prepared in all ways to make them ready. Needs assessment involves the determination and addressing of risk requirements that prevent them from their smooth operation. The prerequisites must be defined, the available resources set, the target audiences identified, and being ready for action.
Traveling to the Scene
While traveling to the scene, it is critical to first know any historical events or activities that have taken place. In case of violent actions, police backup must be reinforced to ensure high safety levels. This could be a targeted area and might be quite risky. Before alighting from the ambulance, body protective armors must be worn, look and understand the activities going on in that place, and pay attention to the state of the buildings and possible noises or screams from people, which may tell the level of the risk. One must set themselves both physically and emotionally ready for any eventuality. One’s mind must be present in the scene, and any distractors in mind must be avoided.
Patient Care
Patient care must be considered as it may harm the EMS responders. The victims’ conditions must be known as they may need specialized care. For instance, some individuals may be diabetic or have high blood pressure. It is necessary to know first aid measures as some aids might cause more harm. The general impression made to the patient must be remarkable to make the interaction free. Importantly, the victim’s mental status must be evaluated while avoiding making assumptions about their status by the way they answer questions (Taylor et al., 2019). The radial pulse must be checked as it may be an indicator of shock. In case of severe damage, one must learn how to adapt and overcome and not create more fear.
Readiness to Return to Service
The readiness both mentally and physically to return to service is an individual process. Violence may cause psychological torture and discomfort hindering normal performance. Physical harm might occur, making it difficult for further operations (Long et al., 2020). Post-event includes a reflection of the experiences one had and the effects they created. Some injuries may be permanent and may cause further health conditions if not well taken care of. The EMS responders must go for checkups to know the intensity and effect of such occurrences (Long et al., 2020). In some cases, the responders may not be willing to return, and they must not force themselves. It must be self-willing, and one must be free in offering such services as they may encounter delicate patients who may need special attention.
Additionally, to avoid violence, necessary practices performed by the EMS responders must be followed. This includes priority, documentation, police assistance, planning, awareness, appearance, and partnership. Relationships with the local police, fire services, schools, and the public must be developed. This is to avoid the negative responses by community members when they see the personnel responding to these problems. The EMS must have a proper dressing cord so that they can be easily identified. This is to avoid suspicion from the locals since some people may have bad intentions like harming and stealing other than rescuing. Awareness must be created using the senses of sight, smell, and hearing to determine the scene’s safety.
Required communication skills must be possessed to create a good environment of interaction. Police backups can be helpful, but one should not rely solely on police security; they instead first ensure personal safety as the police might not be available all the time need them. Necessary planning requires one to know all entrances, exits, and escape routes before going to any scene. Similar radio frequency must be used for easy communication in case of any scatter. Proper records on the types and causes of injuries for references and treatments must be made.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the EMS fire responders are responsible for offering emergency care health services. They, however, face many challenges which need to be addressed. The main concern is by the organizations and unions to provide care to their responders. Firstly, they need personal safety by wearing protective body armor. Before purchasing this equipment, the license of the company producing them and its reputation must be known. In the emergency scenes, the EMS is likely to face both verbal and physical harassment because of their mobile operation, an encounter with violent people, and working alone. Additionally, theft of their properties, sexual harassment, and assault might occur.
Various accidents such as motor and encounters with sharp piercing objects also happen. In some cases, they may be poisoned and may even die. Hazardous environments and extreme temperatures in some hot areas pose a challenge. To ensure protection, certain level checklists have been developed to protect them in the six phases of operation, which are; Traveling to the scene, scene arrival, patient care, assessing readiness to return to service, and Post-event. Further, to reduce violence cases, necessary practices must be practiced by the EMS. These are the priority, documentation, police assistance, planning, awareness, appearance, and partnership. When all these steps are followed, the EMS fire responders will be able to carry out their operations without any hindrances and worries.
References
Long, F., Bateman, G., & Majumdar, A. (2020). The impact of fire and rescue service first responders on participant behavior during chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN)/Hazmat incidents.International Journal of Emergency Services. 9(3) 283-298. Web.
Robinson, I. (2018). Prevention of workplace violence among health care workers.Workplace Health & Safety, 67(2), 96-96. Web.
Taylor, J., Murray, R., Davis, A., Shepler, L., Harrison, C., Novinger, N., & Allen, J. (2019). Creation of a systems-level checklist to address stress and violence in fire-based emergency medical services responders.Occupational Health Science, 3(3), 265-295. Web.