Responding as an EMS

As a first responder, you must take several steps to render care to ill or injured patients. You must be prepared to respond when a call comes in. You must be able to respond safely and in a timely manner as well as having the proper equipment to render the care needed.

As a first responder you should include the following items in your Life Support Kit:

1 flashlight

5 sets of gloves

5 face masks

1 mouth-to-mouth resuscitation device

1 portable, hard-powered suction device

1 set of oral airways

1 set of nasal airways

10 gauze pads 4" x 4"

5 gauze pads 5" x 9"

2 universal trauma dressings 10" x 30"

1 occlusive dressing for sealing chest wounds

4 confirming gauze rolls 3" x 5 yd.

4 confirming gauze rolls 4.5" x 5 yd.

6 triangular bandages

1 adhesive tape 2"

1 burn sheet

2 (each) cervical collars: small, medium, large or 2 adjustable cervical collars

3 rigid confirming splints (SAM splints or 2 (each) cardboard splints 18" x 24"

Additionally you must be able to perform simple extrication procedures and assist other responders with patient extrications. Many first responders work closely with air medical EMS providers. Because of this you should familiarize yourself with air medical EMS procedures in order to properly assist them.

As a first responder you must be able to identify the signs of hazardous materials incident and to prevent injury to ourselves and others. You must be able to help others in the first minutes of a hazardous materials incident.

It is also a possibility that you may be dispatched to a multiple casualty incident. Because of this possibility it is imperative that you understand the purpose of basic triage as well as perform the steps involved in the START triage system. There are five phases of response as a first responder. These five phases include:

Dispatch

Response to the scene

Arrival at the scene

Transferring the care of the patient to other EMS personnel

Post-run activities

The Five Phases of Response

The dispatch facility is the center where people call to request emergency medical care. Most centers are incorporated with the 9-1-1 system. Parts of the responsibilities of that center include dispatching to fire, police, and EMS providers. It is important for you to understand how the dispatch facility operates. The information to be dispatched must include the following information:

The nature of the call

The name and location of patient

The number of patients

Any special problems

Obtain a call-back number

Your first priority when responding to the scene is to get there quickly and safely. You should consider traffic patterns and time of day before selecting the best route to the scene. Always follow safety procedures outlined by your department. These safety procedures should include the use of vehicle warning devices.

Remember to place your vehicle in a safe location upon arrival at the scene; this will minimize your chance of injury. Consider how best to use your vehicle warning lights. While considering scene safety you should overview the scene in the patient assessment sequence. You should take into consideration the number of patients to determine if you will need additional help.

Being a first responder will put you first on scene nine times out of ten. Because of this you should practice transferring the care of the patient to other more highly trained EMS personnel. You should give them a brief report of the situation as you initially observed it, as well as the care you have provided. Make sure they understand everything that is going on by asking if they have any questions for you. If there are no questions offer to assist them in caring for the patient(s).

You have cared for the patient(s) and transferred information; you probably think you are done. Well, you're not! Now you have to complete all paper work involving the incident. This documentation is very important, so be sure to complete it very carefully and truthfully.

OK, you have completed all the necessary paperwork, now you're done, right? Wrong! You have one last thing that is an absolute must, the cleanup. You have to stock and clean (sanitize) everything that was used for the incident. After you have completed all of these post-run activities, you should resume regular duties and notify your dispatcher and or supervisor that you're ready for a new call.