By Jim Love
EMSafety.net
The worst thing we can do when tragedies occur is to not learn the lessons of others. I mean no disrespect; in fact I offer the highest respect to those who suffered in this way so we may learn.
Sometimes there are events that have direct correlation to EMS and our work, which can offer clear take-home messages.
Other times, there are incidents that happen out of our arena, such as the off-road crash in California at the weekend that killed eight people. Such events, also, can offer lessons we can apply to ourselves.
Rules exist for reasons — but we disregard rules for various reasons, too. What are some possible rules we break in EMS that decrease our level of safety and increase the risk of tragedy, often resulting in death? Here is a partial list:
- Not wearing safety (seat belts) belts
- Not stopping at intersections
- Driving at speeds unsafe for the current conditions
- Driving while exhausted
- Texting while driving
- Not bending our knees and lifting with our backs
Here are some reasons why we may ignore the rules that are meant to govern such behavior:
- I/we’ve always done it that way
- Everyone does it this way
- No one told me how to do it different or right
- I’m tired but I gotta work
- It’s more fun
- We’ve got response times to meet or people will die
We often repeat a behavior we have done in the past because nothing bad happened. We knew it was against the rules but we got away with it — the lesson learned is that it’s OK to break the rules. Many EMS responders work entire shifts without supervision like the racers in the desert — left to police ourselves.
Often the tragedies we read about offer opportunities to improve upon our own methods and safety.
Take, for instance the California 200 crash on Saturday. While still under investigation, early reports are that spectators were within mere feet of the path of the racing vehicles. In addition, fans were on both sides of the raceway. Both broke the established rules that had been put in place to enhance safety.
Also, when the space shuttle Challenger exploded, the commission that was formed to study this national catastrophe found that members within NASA knew that the heat tiles were warped and unsafe. A directive was put out that prohibited flights until the deficiency was corrected. Instead of following the rules, the choice was made to tempt fate, to break the rules. When the Challenger blew up, seven people died and their families were left to forever ask “why?”
Rules for rules:
- Establish the right rules
- Communicate the rules to everyone
- Train on the rules when appropriate
- Practice the rules
- And remember you don’t have to agree with them to follow them
- Follow the rules!