Legal Issues
The legal issues topic contains news and information about legal issues affecting EMS personnel, agencies or departments. Find the latest news from personnel misconduct, to disciplinary and harassment cases, to malpractice lawsuits, as well as advice to prevent legal action with EMS training, documentation and management.
Leaders discuss operational survival in the face of EMS challenges
The new Austin Travis County EMS chief offers tips for rising leaders
“The problem here is not that the providers were making a diagnosis, it’s what they were doing with the diagnosis”
An arbitrator ruled that paramedics John Uebelacker and Matthew Schaller were wrongfully terminated in 2014
Allen Brown was charged with discharging a weapon into an occupied property
Learn from confrontations and miscommunications during joint response with law enforcement, but don’t let those come to define the relationship
Bobby Glenn was being transported to the hospital via ambulance for involuntary commitment when he began attacking EMS providers
State College police found Timothy Piazza, 19, unconscious when they were called to the Beta Theta Pi fraternity house
Paramedics John Uebelacker and Matthew Schaller were fired and stripped of their licenses after their agency found fault in their care of a patient
Legislation would require medical professionals to discuss the possibility of addiction when prescribing opioid drugs to those under 18
An EMS captain asked a sergeant to subdue a combative patient, but the paramedic on scene was unaware of the request
Encouraging firefighters to be more focused on rehab requires leadership, training and reinforcement
Existing law allows them to stock epinephrine to treat severe allergic reactions
The suit alleges the city and fire department terminated Carlo Teruel because he used accrued sick leave to care for his wife and two young sons
Dispatchers described the girl as “hysterical” when she called 911 and said her father had been drinking during the entire trip to their grandparents’ house
Five N.Y. agencies collaborate to ensure community EMS coverage during weekdays by sharing personnel and resources
Police said the man fired a single shot into an ambulance before fleeing and attempting to rob a convenience store
A drunken driver whose blood-alcohol content was five times the legal limit lost control of his vehicle and plowed into the crowd
EMS crews had just unloaded the patient and were restocking medical supplies when he stole the ambulance
Fire officials confirmed the person’s identity in the photo as a Boston firefighter
Any crime committed against emergency personnel would be considered a hate crime
Colleagues and supervisors of Shawn Daniel insist he was not in Boston the day of the bombing
The bill would require air ambulance providers and insurance companies to negotiate payments for services
First responders were inside a residence aiding a patient when the vehicle was stolen
EMS Chief Ernie Rodriguez said the agency is looking to install devices on their ambulances that would prevent theft
Any crime committed against emergency personnel would be considered a hate crime
The agency faces charges of accepting bribes in the form of cash and gifts for intentionally omitting terms of kickbacks from written contracts
Luke Jones, 37, died of his injuries after being involved in an altercation outside a club
Officials said the theft occurred as responders were handling an overdose call
The lawsuit alleges the dispatcher sent responders to the wrong address, which led to a double-murder
At one point in 2015, due to high call volumes and staffing shortages, the dispatch center didn’t answer one in five calls before the caller hung up
A volunteer EMT without commitment or compassion is a short-term fix that usually becomes a long-term problem
Dramatic changes for EMS reimbursement are destined to happen regardless of the Republican repeal or replacement efforts targeting the Affordable Care Act
